Persian-Style Mafia Roles Explained: Godfather, Doctor, Detective, Sniper and More

Every role from the Persian Mafia tradition: what they do, when they act, who wins with them, and how they interact with each other.

Persian Mafia (mafia bazi / مافیا بازی) extends the classic American/Russian Mafia game with extra roles that add depth to a typical 7-12 player session. The God runs the game; players each get one secret role. This guide explains every role in the Persian roster, the team they belong to, when they act in the night phase, and the interactions that create most of the drama. New to Mafia entirely? Start with the core rules guide first.

The two teams

• Mafia team: smaller, knows each other from night 0, kills one citizen each night. Wins when their count equals the citizens' count.
• Citizens team: larger, doesn't know who the Mafia are. Wins when all Mafia are eliminated.

The God isn't on either team and never wins or loses; they just run the game.

Mafia team roles

Godfather (پدرخوانده / Pedarkhandeh)

The leader of the Mafia. The crucial special ability: when the Detective investigates the Godfather, the result comes back as "innocent." This is the role that makes the Detective fallible. The Godfather can also veto the Mafia's nightly kill choice (in some house rules) since they're the boss.

One Godfather per game. They know the other Mafia members.

Mafia (مافیا)

Standard Mafia members. No special powers but they coordinate the nightly kill with the Godfather and any other Mafia. Most games have 1-3 Mafia depending on player count.

The Detective will see them as "Mafia" if investigated.

Negotiator (مذاکره‌کننده / Mozakerekonande)

A Persian-Mafia-specific role. Once per game, the Negotiator can prevent a player from being eliminated by the day's vote. They use this ability silently — no one knows they used it until afterward.

Most powerful when Mafia is about to be voted out and the Negotiator saves them, buying another day. Risky to use early because the Negotiator only has one charge.

Citizens team roles

Citizen (شهروند / Shahrvand)

The default role. No special power. Wins by participating in the day's discussion and voting correctly. Most players in any given game are Citizens.

Citizens are the "filler" but the game can't work without them — the Mafia needs targets and the special roles need cover.

Detective (کارآگاه / Karagaha)

The most important Citizen role. Each night, the Detective points at one player and the God silently signals whether that player is Mafia or not (typically a thumbs up for Mafia, head shake for citizen).

Critical caveat: the Godfather always shows as innocent. So even a Detective can be tricked if they investigate the Godfather and trust the result.

Strategy: investigate one player per night, build a list, but don't reveal yourself too early. Once Mafia knows who the Detective is, they kill them on night 2.

Doctor (دکتر / Doktor)

Each night, the Doctor points at one player to "save." If the Mafia targets that player tonight, the player survives. Standard rules: the Doctor can save themselves only once per game, and they can't save the same player two nights in a row (in some house rules).

Strategy: save players you suspect are Detective, save players who've been making good arguments (likely targets), or save unknown players for randomization.

Sniper (تک‌تیرانداز / Tak-tirandaz)

A Citizen who can kill at night. Once or twice per game (varies by house rule), the Sniper picks a player to shoot. If they shoot a Mafia, the Mafia dies. If they shoot a Citizen, the Sniper themselves dies as punishment for the friendly fire.

The Sniper is the highest-risk, highest-reward Citizen role. Use late when you have strong evidence; never on a guess.

Bodyguard (محافظ / Mohafez)

Each night, the Bodyguard chooses one player to protect. If the Mafia targets that player tonight, the Bodyguard dies in their place. The protected player survives.

Useful for protecting key Citizens (the Detective, the Mayor) once their roles become apparent. Self-sacrificing role.

Mayor (شهردار / Shahrdar)

The Mayor's vote during the day counts as two votes instead of one. Important in close votes.

Whether the Mayor reveals themselves depends on the situation. Revealing makes them a target for night kills, but a publicly-known Mayor swings democratic decisions.

Vigilante (مدافع / Modafe)

Similar to the Sniper but with different mechanics in some variants. Can shoot once per game to kill a target. The friendly-fire penalty is sometimes "Vigilante is silenced for next day" instead of death.

Less risky than Sniper but also less impactful.

Hunter (شکارچی / Shekarchi)

A unique mechanic: when the Hunter is eliminated (either by Mafia kill at night or by day vote), they can take one player down with them. They reveal a target as their dying act and that player is also eliminated.

This makes Mafia hesitant to kill the Hunter. If the Hunter publicly reveals themselves early, they become a kind of bodyguard-by-deterrence.

Saul (وکیل / Vakil) — also called the Lawyer

A more recent addition to Persian Mafia. The Saul can declare one of the Mafia's nightly investigation results as "innocent" even if the player was Mafia. This is a one-time use ability.

Effectively a "shield" for the Mafia against the Detective. Sneaky and confusing for new players.

How roles interact: classic dramas

The Detective vs the Godfather

The most famous Mafia drama. The Detective spots a "Mafia" in their investigation, accuses them confidently, and is right. But on another night, the Detective investigates the Godfather and gets "innocent." If they then defend the Godfather publicly, they're handing the Mafia a powerful ally — the Detective vouching for them.

The Doctor predicting the Mafia's target

The Doctor's challenge: who do the Mafia want to kill tonight? Usually the Detective if they've been suggesting investigation results, or whoever was about to expose a Mafia member during the day. Successful saves are dramatic ("the Mafia tried to kill X but they were saved!"); failed saves feel wasted.

The Sniper friendly-fire moment

A Sniper who shoots a Citizen by mistake is the most painful moment in Mafia. The Sniper dies, the wrongly-killed Citizen reveals their role (often something useful like Doctor or Detective), and the Mafia's odds improve significantly. Why most experienced Snipers wait until day 3+ before shooting.

The Hunter's dying revenge

If the Hunter dies and takes a confirmed Mafia member with them, it's a great Citizen victory. If they take a Citizen by mistake, the Mafia laughs all the way to the win. Hunter players usually try to identify a likely Mafia before they die.

Recommended role distributions

From our main Mafia rules guide, the recommended distributions:

• 5 players: 1 Godfather + 1 Mafia + 3 Citizens
• 7 players: 1 Godfather + 1 Mafia + 1 Detective + 1 Doctor + 3 Citizens
• 9 players: 1 Godfather + 2 Mafia + 1 Detective + 1 Doctor + 1 Sniper + 3 Citizens
• 10+ players: add Negotiator, then Bodyguard, then Mayor as you scale up

General rule: Mafia should be roughly 25-30% of players. Above that, Mafia win too easily. Below that, the game ends too quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Can the Godfather use Mafia kill on themselves?

No. The Mafia kill targets a non-Mafia player. The Godfather is part of the Mafia team.

What if there's both a Negotiator (Mafia) and a Doctor (Citizen)?

Both are powerful protective roles for opposite sides. The Doctor protects against night kills; the Negotiator protects against day votes. They never conflict directly because they act in different phases.

Can the Sniper shoot the same target the Mafia is targeting?

If the Sniper shoots a Mafia and the Mafia targets the Sniper, both die. Resolution order is usually: Doctor saves first, Mafia kill second, Sniper kill third. House rules vary; ask the God before the round.

Is there a "lover" or "cupid" role in Persian Mafia?

Some house rules add Romeo/Juliet pairs (when one dies, the other dies too). Not standard but common in casual games.

What's the most powerful Citizen role?

Detective, hands down. Information is the Citizens' biggest weapon and the Detective is the only role that gets it. The Doctor is second-most powerful.

Can roles be combined (e.g., Detective + Doctor in one player)?

Standard rules: no, each player gets exactly one role. Some variants experiment with double roles for shorter games.