I'd recommend any new players who want to play to try this game first (it's much less confusing), and to take into serious consideration that Mafia is three things:
1) A commitment. You don't just "casually" play Mafia. You breathe Mafia, you live Mafia. You don't become part of a Mafia game, the Mafia game becomes part of you. At least until you die. That's to say, in a less dramatic fashion, expect people to demand you sink in a substantial amount of time in the game.
2) Mafia is cutthroat. Every single poster is your enemy, unless you're scum. As a result, sometimes people may seem more of an ass than they really are. Occassionally, they even act like it. On rare occassions, you were just wrong and they're an ass. But either way, there will be times when people may seem beliggerent and offensive, so steel yourself for that.
3) Everyone expects you to act competent. Yeah, it's kinda tough. A certain degree of competence is expected, and it is competence at arguing, debating and argumenting. People may at times call you 'derp', which is a loving term meant to indicate you cause them to exist in a state of psyduck. Don't worry, that's just point 2 at work.
THAT SAID. I'll /in. :derp: