First Mafia night and karaoke in Montpellier — how it went

How the idea came about

It started in the chat on 28 March, as casually as these things do: one of the members wrote “we could play a game of Mafia”. A few messages later the conversation had already reached “after Mafia we’ll go and let off some steam” — meaning singing. So in a single day the two halves of the future event were glued together: a game in the afternoon, karaoke in the evening.

Then came the preparation. The person who would host the game set out what he needed from a venue straight away: “a quiet place with no strangers around, or a separate room with a table and 11 chairs”. He bought the masks well before the date and the room were settled.

On 4 April the organiser turned it all into a proper announcement: Mafia in our city is happening — Saturday 18 April, 3 pm to 7 pm, in a bar in central Montpellier that is friendly to the community, the same one where we celebrated 8 March. The sign-up line was honest: “the team is only 11 people — be quick if you want the first table.” And there was immediate reassurance for anyone hesitating: “you can even come purely as a spectator. Believe me, that will be very interesting too.”

A separate Telegram group was set up for Mafia — not for show, but so there would be somewhere to explain the rules, review the games afterwards and run masterclasses. That group also handled the sign-up poll and carried the rules in advance, so you could read them at home rather than at the table. There were experienced players among us too: “I’ve got experience of Mafia back in St Petersburg — I know how seriously it’s taken, and I like that.”

The logistics that actually mattered

Taking part was free, in the afternoon and in the evening. The bar handed over the space for nothing, and the organiser asked people to remember that: “it’s free for this game — the one thing is that the bar gave us the space free of charge, so don’t be shy about ordering drinks during the game, and afterwards they serve wonderful meat cooked over coals there.” The evening was described just as plainly: “this is a free event. But naturally, as in any bar, you’ll be able to order something to drink or a snack.”

The table was planned for 11 players, with slack built in from the start: “the host may well set up two tables of players. You can also come as a spectator and then take over from a player who’s had enough.” On timing, the host kept expectations sane: “I hope we’ll fit in three games. You don’t have to stay for all of it” — nobody was obliged to sit through the full four hours.

A week before the date the final timing appeared: “Mafia: 3 pm to 7 pm… Karaoke and dancing: from about 8:30 pm, and then we relax together.” Two days out, the chat was sorting out the practical bit: “shall we book a table for 12-15 people? By the stage?” — and the evening was indeed seated by the stage. One more detail worth knowing: karaoke in that bar normally runs on Wednesdays, and the Saturday night was laid on specially — “purely on request, because after Mafia people asked for karaoke and dancing.”

How the day went

The shape of the day was summed up in the chat in one line: “Mafia in the daytime. But by the evening a different game starts there.” That is exactly what happened. In the afternoon the community played its first ever game at the table, and the organiser drew the line under it the following morning: “Everyone — yesterday the first meeting of players took place in Montpellier 🎭 Thank you… for opening up a new world of intrigue and adrenaline 🖤😈 The next game is planned for 2 May 🔥”.

The evening got going around eight, and people were warned in advance: “everything starts at 8 there :) and the karaoke… doesn’t go by quickly.” At 20:09 the organiser posted: “Right :)) where are you all, everyone who was going to sing :)))”, and at 21:04, briefly: “We’re singing :))”. After that, videos and photos started arriving in the chat straight from the stage. People headed home very late: thank-you messages for the evening were still landing in the chat at 01:55 and 02:42.

What people said afterwards

The morning after, the chat was warm and talkative. “Huge thanks to [the organiser] 🙏🏻. And big thanks to [the game host] too, it was really interesting. It was good to see everyone, you’re wonderful people,” wrote one participant; “seconded! thank you to the organisers,” another added straight away. The organiser answered in the same key: “No, thank you all for coming :)) we should do this more often :)) sing and dance.”

And one line, perhaps, explains the whole evening better than any write-up: “you, you, you and only you made this evening! … there is so much talent in our group… I’m so happy that we’re all here!”

A week later, listing what the community had been up to that month, the organiser put it simply: “we had the mountains, then Mafia and karaoke” — the mountains being the hike to Château de Montferrand three weeks earlier.

If you want to come to the next game

The barrier to entry is zero: the game is free, masks and the rules walk-through are the host’s job, and if you don’t fancy sitting down at the table straight away, come as a spectator and join a round when someone gets tired. The rules go up in advance in the separate Mafia group, and sign-up happens there through a poll — that is how it worked for the first game and for the second one, set for 2 May at 2 pm in the same bar.

A standing club series grew out of that day: the games have carried on, and in time Mafia has even grown into trips out of town. Announcements for every meet-up appear in the community chat, and completely different formats are born there too: a month after this Saturday, the community opened the summer season with the big barbecue in Saint-Just park.