Frequently asked questions
What is OmertaEra?
A free browser mafia MMO set in Prohibition America, 1931. You play one gangster among everyone else’s in real time: crimes, auto theft, bootlegging across nine states, Families, casinos, poker against other players, and a hitlist. It is in the tradition of the classic text-based mafia games, with painted art and dice you can check.
Is it free? Is there anything to buy?
Free, and nothing is for sale. There is no shop, no premium currency and no way to buy an advantage. Everything in the game is earned by playing.
What happens when my gangster dies?
Death is permanent. The grave goes into the public obituaries, and your next character starts from nothing as a Stranger. New characters get a short period of protection so nobody is shot in their first minutes.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The game is a website that works in any modern browser at any screen size, and it can be installed as an app on Android, Windows, macOS and Linux from the install page. There is nothing to download to try it.
How do I make money when I start?
Crimes and auto theft every minute or two, then bootlegging: buy booze where it is cheap, travel to a state where it is dear, and sell. Prices move every fifteen minutes. Keep what you are not spending in the bank, because cash in your pocket is what a killer takes.
What is a Family and how do I join one?
A Family is a crew of players with a Boss, a Council, Lieutenants and Soldiers, a shared treasury, properties, rackets and wars. You can join one as soon as you register; founding your own needs a few ranks first. Organized crimes need several Family members at once.
What does “provably fair” mean here?
Before you play you are shown the hash of the server’s secret seed and you choose your own client seed. Afterwards the seed is revealed and you can recompute every roll the game made, on the public verify page, with nothing hidden. The house audits its own rolls the same way.
How do I kill another player?
Hire an investigator to find which state they are in, travel there, and shoot. The odds come from your gun, their armor, both sides’ stats and how many bullets you spend. The hitlist carries public and anonymous bounties that pay out on the kill.
Which casino games are there?
Roulette, blackjack, craps, baccarat, faro, chuck-a-luck, keno, slots, Jacks or Better, the race track, a lottery and a prize wheel, plus no-limit Texas hold ’em and Seven-Card Stud against other players and scheduled poker tournaments. Every casino table is a property a player can own.
Is there a time limit or a reset?
No wipes. Seasons crown leaders every few weeks and the monthly Chronicle records what the players did, but your gangster lives until somebody kills them.
Something else? The beginner’s guide covers the first hour and the rules cover every number.