Mafia is a social deduction game created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986. The game spread around the world under different titles. One of the most popular is Werewolf.
The game models a conflict between two groups. At the start of the game, each player takes a card with a certain role. The game consists of two phases: night and day. At night players perform their superpowers if they have any; during the day, players discuss each other identities and vote to eliminate a player. The game continues until the citizens eliminate the inquisition or the inquisition kills all the citizens.
The idea to create a new story and visual image was inspired by the book The Doomed City by the Strugatsky brothers. The novel is set in a city where people from different epochs and of different social ranks were gathered for a mysterious experiment.
Players can try the role of the Holy Inquisition or the Plague Doctor from Medieval times, or they can become possessed by the demons of Japanese mythology. Characters on cards don`t have faces; they are dolls or empty armor suit. These are the roles a player can get. Cards style is inspired by esoteric and mysterious Tarot cards transferring these characteristics to the game. Esoterism and mystery are seen in occult symbols on the cards, as well as reflected in the number of cards which coincides with the atomic number of Sulphur. It is one of the major alchemical elements used by priests during religious ceremonies
