> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mafia.vitaly.nz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mafia.vitaly.nz/readme/official-game-framework/emu-rules-simplified.md).

# EMU Rules Simplified

Author: Vitaly - mr. Koteo (Australian Mafia Club)

This chapter is your **survival guide** for playing EMU rules without accidentally breaking something important.

You do **not** need to memorise the entire official rulebook to start playing well.\
Instead, you need:

* a few **critical rules** (this section),
* a sense of what can be learned later,
* a small vocabulary,
* and a practical checklist.

Everything here is based on the [EMU Rules](https://emurules.com/rules/).

***

### **What You MUST Know**

These are the rules you should know **before** you sit at a competitive EMU table.

#### **1. Game Setup & Roles**

* **10 players total**
  * 7 **red** cards (civilians), including **1 Sheriff**
  * 3 **dark** cards (mafia), including **1 Don**
* Players sit at a numbered table: Seats **1–10**.
* A **Judge/Game-master** (we’ll mostly say “Judge”) runs everything:
  * announces phases,
  * controls time,
  * confirms nominations,
  * counts votes,
  * applies penalties.

***

#### **2. Phases of the Game**

The game alternates between **Night** and **Day**.

**Night 1 — Role Assignment + Dark Team Meeting**

* Judge says: *“Night falls”* (or similar).
* Everyone puts on masks.
* Judge wakes each player one by one to receive a role.
* After that:
  * Dark players wake together once.
  * Don shows themselves to the team and sets the future shooting order.
* **No kills. No checks.**\
  Night 1 is just **“we meet and plan”**.

**Day (General Rules)**

* Judge announces **Day**.
* Everyone removes masks.
* Discussion happens in **seat order**:
  * 1st Day starts from Seat 1.
  * Next Day always starts from the next seat after yesterday’s first speaker.
* Each player gets **1 minute** for their speech.
* You must finish with **“Pass”** or **“Thank you”**.
* You **cannot** wear your mask during the Day.
* You speak **only in your own minute**:
  * Talking, whispering, obvious mouthing of words outside your minute = **warning**.

**Nominations**

You can only nominate **during your own minute**.

* To nominate, say clearly:

  > “I nominate Player #X.”
* Judge must confirm with something like:

  > “Accepted.” or “Supported.”
* You may nominate **only one** player per Day.

If nobody nominates anyone, there is **no vote** and Day ends.

**Voting**

After all speeches:

1. Judge lists the nominated players **in the order they were nominated**.
2. Voting is done **one candidate at a time** in that order.

How to vote:

* When Judge calls:

  > “Who wants to vote for Player #X”
* If you want X to leave:
  * Immediately place a **vertical fist** on the table.
  * Keep it there until Judge says **“Thank you”**.
* You may only vote for **one** candidate.
* If you **do not vote** at all:
  * Your vote automatically counts for the **last** nominated player.

Result:

* Player with the **most votes** leaves the table.
* They get **1 minute of last word** (final speech) before masking for the next Night.

**Ties:**

* If two or more players get the same highest number of votes:
  1. Only those tied players speak again (short speeches).
  2. A second vote happens among them.
  3. If it’s tied again **between the same players**:
     * In most cases → **nobody leaves**, Judge announces Night.
     * There are special cases at very low player counts, but:
     * **At 9 players you can NOT raise three people together** — EMU explicitly forbids voting “all three out” at 9-handed.

(We’ll revisit critical-count behaviour in detail later in the book.)

***

#### **3. Night 2 and Later Nights**

From **Night 2** onwards, real actions happen.

**Dark Team Kill (“Shot”)**

* Judge: *“Mafia, raise your pistols.”*
* All dark players keep their **eyes closed**.
* All dark players raise one hand **high above the table**, index and middle fingers extended.
* Judge calls:

  > “Player One… Player Two… Player Three…”
* When the number of the **chosen target** is called:
  * All dark players make a **single firing motion** with those two fingers. The direction the hand points does not matter — timing is what counts.
* **All dark players must shoot the same player.**
  * If they shoot different players, or someone doesn’t shoot → **misfire** → no one dies.

**Don’s Check**

After the shot:

* Judge: *“Don wakes up and looks for the Sheriff.”*
* Don opens their eyes and shows a number (who they think is Sheriff).
* Judge turns to the Don and answers silently with a gesture — found / not found.
* Don goes back to sleep.
* Don gets **one check per night**.

**Sheriff’s Check**

* Judge: *“Sheriff wakes up.”*
* Sheriff opens eyes and shows a number to check.
* Judge turns to the Sheriff and answers silently with the thumb:
  * **Red check** → thumb up
  * **Dark check** → thumb down
* Sheriff goes back to sleep.
* Sheriff gets **one check per night**.

**Night Behaviour**

During Night (including technical pauses):

* Sit in **night posture**:
  * straight back
  * arms crossed on shoulders
  * head slightly tilted forward
* No talking, humming, singing, dancing, touching, eating, drinking, etc.
* Mask must fully cover your eyes.
* No hats, hoods, glasses, reflective items.

Breaking night behaviour rules is usually a **foul** (serious violation) and can lead to immediate removal.

***

#### **4. Last Word and Best Move**

**Last Word**

Any player who:

* is voted out during the Day, or
* is killed at Night

…gets **1 minute** of last word, with very few exceptions (e.g. disqualifying foul).

**Best Move**

* The player killed in **Night 2** (first “real” shot night) has a special right:
  * while still at Night, before the Day starts, the Judge wakes them briefly and lets them name **three players** they think are dark.
  * They have **up to 20 seconds** to say their three numbers.
  * Judge confirms: “Accepted.”
* This is recorded in the protocol and can give them **bonus rating points** if they named 2 or 3 dark players correctly.

(We’ll talk about scoring later. For now, just remember: Night 2 victim gets one last **analytical shot** before their actual last word.)

***

#### **5. Warnings, Fouls, Disqualification, and Leaving the Game**

EMU has a **disciplinary system**. This simplified view groups it into two practical buckets — the full four-tier scale (Notice → Warning → Disqualifying Foul → PPK) is in the [EMU Rules](https://emurules.com/rules/).

* Minor, accumulating infractions are **warnings**.
* Severe violations are **fouls**.

**Warnings (Minor Infractions)**

You receive a **warning** for things like:

* talking outside your minute,
* over-gesturing,
* touching others during the Day,
* banging the table, insulting players or Judge lightly,
* interfering with voting (gestures, shouting, etc.),
* pulling your hand away during vote before “Thank you”.

Warning count:

* **3 warnings** → you **lose your next speech minute**, but can still nominate.
* **4 warnings** → you are **removed from the game** (no last word).

**Fouls (Major Infractions)**

A **foul** is a serious violation, such as:

* night cheating (peeking, signalling Don/Sheriff),
* heavy or repeated insults,
* explicit attempts to get non-game informational advantage,
* night talking or shouting,
* using strong non-game manipulations (e.g., threats, explicit bribes).

A single foul usually means **instant disqualification**:

* You are removed from the table immediately.
* You do **not** get last word.
* Voting that Day may be cancelled depending on timing.

**Victory of the Opposite Team (PPK)**

In extreme cases, a player’s non-game behaviour (threats, oaths, bribes, aggressive off-topic pressure) can lead to a **forced victory for the opposite team**, often called **Victory of the opposite team** (in Russian documents this is known as *ППК*).

You don’t need every legal detail now. The idea is simple:

> Don’t cheat, don’t be toxic, don’t use non-game pressure to “prove” your role.

***

#### **6. Win Conditions**

* **Red team wins** when **all dark players** (including Don) are eliminated.
* **Dark team wins** when:
  * the number of dark players is **equal** to the number of red players at the table,
  * or dark players outnumber red players.

The ending is often decided by:

* a critical vote,
* a last night kill,
* or a disqualification that changes parity.

***

### **The Rules You Can Learn Later**

These are **important**, but not required for your **first games**. You can grow into them.

#### **1. Detailed Scoring System**

EMU has a very precise rating system:

* Base points for win/lose/draw.
* Small penalties for destructive play.
* Big penalties for very bad decisions.
* Extra points for:
  * Best Move (correctly naming dark players when killed Night 2),
  * Being the Sheriff/Don and playing well,
  * Judge-awarded “best player” bonuses.
* Compensation points for being killed early as a red player (especially as first-killed).

You can be a strong player **without** knowing every coefficient.

#### **2. Advanced Penalty Types**

Beyond simple **warnings** and immediate **fouls**, there are:

* **Small penalties** (for destructive but not catastrophic play),
* **Big penalties** (for major destructive actions),
* **Victory of the opposite team (PPK)** — when your behaviour logically forces your team to be given a technical loss.

These matter more when you play **serious tournaments**.

#### **3. Technical Edge Cases**

There are dozens of rare scenarios:

* What exactly happens if someone leaves mid-vote with a 4th warning or a foul.
* Different types of ties late in the game (4 players, 3 players).
* Situations of a **split** (pre-agreed equal votes).
* Special behaviours allowed or forbidden in tournament regulations.

You do **not** need to know all of these to play your first season.\
Judges handle it; this book will cover key strategic ones later.

#### **4. Appeals and Protests**

* Players can file formal protests within 10 minutes after a game.
* Main Judge can review video, adjust scores, or order a replay.

Again: useful to know **existence** of this, but details are mostly for judges and tournament organisers.

***

### **Terminology Glossary**

A quick vocabulary for EMU-style Mafia, with English terms used in this book.

* **Red team / Reds**\
  Civilians, including the Sheriff.
* **Dark team / Dark players**\
  Mafia team, including the Don.
* **Sheriff**\
  Special red role that checks one player per night to learn whether they are red or dark.
* **Don**\
  Leader of the dark team, who checks one player per night trying to find the Sheriff.
* **Judge/Game-master (“Judge”)**\
  Neutral person running the game according to EMU rules.
* **Day**\
  Open discussion phase where players speak and vote.
* **Night**\
  Closed-eyes phase where dark players shoot and Don/Sheriff check.
* **Night posture**\
  Official body position at night (straight back, arms crossed on shoulders, head down slightly).
* **Mask**\
  Eye-covering mask worn at night.
* **Nomination**\
  Formal act of putting a player up for vote: “I nominate Player #X.”
* **Vote**\
  Fist placed vertically on the table when a candidate’s number is called; kept until “Thank you.”
* **Last word**\
  One-minute final speech of a player who leaves the game (by vote or night kill).
* **Best Move**\
  Special privilege of the Night 2 victim to name three suspected dark players.
* **Warning**\
  Minor infraction. Three warnings → no next speech; four warnings → removal from the table.
* **Foul**\
  Major infraction (serious rule-breaking) that usually leads to immediate removal.
* **Technical pause**\
  Judge-initiated pause: everyone masks up, night rules apply, music may play; used to restore order.
* **Critical Day**\
  Informal term: a day where a wrong elimination leads directly or almost directly to victory of the mafia team.
* **Split / Split table**\
  A pre-agreed split of votes to create an equal, tied result on purpose.
* **Victory of the opposite team (PPK)**\
  Forced loss assigned to a team due to a player’s non-game action (oath, bribe, heavy offside).

***

### **A Beginner’s EMU Safety Checklist**

This is the **practical part**.\
If you follow this checklist, you will:

* avoid most penalties,
* respect EMU rules,
* and let everyone enjoy the game.

#### ✅ **Before the Game**

* Arrive on time and sit at your assigned number.
* Put away your phone when asked by the Judge.
* Remove hats, hoods, reflective accessories before Night.

#### ✅ **During Night**

* Mask fully on, no gaps.
* Sit in night posture.
* No talking, humming, laughing, sighing loudly, or touching.
* If you are dark:
  * shoot only when told (“raise pistols”),
  * remember who your team agreed to kill,
  * press the “trigger” only on the chosen number.
* If you are Sheriff or Don:
  * wake only when called,
  * show the number clearly,
  * don’t speak.

#### ✅ **During Day — Speaking**

* Speak only in your own minute.
* Do not whisper, “hmm” loudly, or comment during other people’s speeches.
* Finish with “Pass” or “Thank you.”
* Address others by seat number or nickname.
* Do not swear, insult, or bring religion into arguments.

#### ✅ **Nominations & Voting**

* Nominate only in your minute and only **one** player.
* Use the correct phrase:

  > “I nominate Player #X.”
* During vote:
  * Put fist down **immediately** if you support the candidate’s removal.
  * Keep your fist until the Judge says **“Thank you.”**
  * Don’t change your mind mid-vote.
* If you stay completely still, your vote will go to the **last** nominated player — make sure that’s what you want.

#### ✅ **When You Leave the Table**

* If you are killed or voted out:
  * Wait for the Judge to announce it.
  * Take your last word seriously — it matters.
  * Do not shout.
* If you are removed after 4 warnings or by foul:
  * You **do not** get last word.
  * Leave calmly — arguing further can worsen penalties for the tournament.

#### ✅ **General Behaviour**

* Remember: Mafia is a **mind sport**, not a shouting contest.
* Attack logic, not people.
* Do not use:
  * oaths (“I swear on … I’m red”),
  * threats,
  * bribes,
  * appeals to religion to prove your role — all of these can technically cause a **Victory of the opposite team (PPK)** against your side.

***

With this chapter, you now have:

* the **skeleton** of EMU rules,
* the **minimum required knowledge** to play correctly,
* and a language to talk about rules with judges and other players.

Next, in [**Local Club Variations**](/readme/official-game-framework/local-club-variations.md), we’ll look at how the “pure” EMU rules live in the real world:

* when and why small changes are made at club level.
* how EMU rules are phrased and explained at English-speaking tables.
* specific examples from one club, showing what was changed and why.
* what must stay strict at tournaments, and what is usually relaxed in casual games.

This way, you’ll see the difference between **official EMU rules** and **house rules**, and understand how to stay compatible with the shared standard while keeping your local games fun and playable.