Mafia in Mafia: the role against the town
Two players against the town are plain mafia, and a third — the don — leads them. All three meet on the first night, before anybody has spoken in the day, so they never have to look for partners, and they win by staying alive until their numbers equal everybody else’s.
What the mafia does at night
On the first night nobody is shot: the three spend it learning who each other are and agreeing how they will choose targets. From the second night the three choose one player to remove. The two plain mafia wake only to shoot alongside their leader; nobody tells them anything, because the sheriff’s checks and the don’s question belong to other cards.
Why time is on their side
The town needs three correct votes. The mafia need nothing at all, because they already know everybody who matters to them, and every night takes one town player away for free. That is why a quiet day is the one that costs the town most.
Free lesson: How each side wins
So count what each side has to do in ordinary play. Town must eliminate every mafia player; mafia only need to close the gap until their living count matches or passes town. They already know their teammates, and every night can remove one town player.
Free lesson: the arithmetic of how each side wins, and why the count decides everything.
The hand sign
The mafia’s sign is a thumb down. Like every role sign it is a club habit rather than a rule, and the shape can change from one room to the next.
Clubs share this sign as a habit; it is not in the rulebook, so ask your host which set your room uses.