OBJECTIVE OF WEREWOLF: The objective of Werewolf depends on which character you are playing. The villagers’ objective is to save the village and kill all of the werewolves. The werewolves’ objective is to eliminate enough villagers to have more werewolves than villagers left in the game.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 7 to 35 players
MATERIALS OF WEREWOLF: 20 Villager Cards, 10 Werewolf Cards, 8 Wild Cards, 2 Seer Cards, 2 Doctor Cards, 2 Witch Cards, 2 Village Drunk Cards, 2 Alpha Werewolf Cards, 2 Moderator Cards
TYPE OF GAME: Card Game
AUDIENCE: 12+
OVERVIEW OF WEREWOLF
- Werewolf is a party game of lies, deceit, & accusations. Are you devious enough?
- 20 Villager Cards, 10 Werewolf Cards, 8 Wild Cards, 2 Seer Cards, 2 Doctor...
- Play with up to 35 people (or two 20 person games!)
This intensely competitive and funny card game will keep all players on their toes. As a mix of Bullshit and role-play games, Werewolf requires a good poker face and a lot of storytelling! The goal is to keep your role a secret, protect your village, or take over the village, depending on your role.
Are they trying to kill off the villagers? Are they simply trying to protect their home? Lies, deceit, and accusations make this game intensely fun. This game is appropriate for family events, parties, or any type of get-together! So, if you want to join in on the fun, let’s get into the Werewolf game rules.
SETUP FOR WEREWOLF
Werewolf is a party game that requires at least 7 players to play. Once you’ve gathered all your friends and family, choose a Moderator. To make things fair, switch out the Moderator after every game so everyone has a chance to play (unless there’s a specific person who just LOVES to be the Moderator). The Moderator oversees the entire game and does not participate, but they play an incredibly important role nonetheless.
GETTING A CHARACTER CARD
Pick out the following cards from the deck:
- 1 Seer
- 1 Doctor
- 2 Werewolves
The remaining cards should all be Villagers. Make sure the number of cards in the deck equals the number of players (minus the Moderator, of course!). These cards will make up your character deck.
You can also shuffle in bonus roles, such as the Alpha Werewolf or Witch, to keep the game interesting.
If you are playing with more than 15 players, make sure there is a Werewolf for every 4 players.
Once you’ve set up the character deck, shuffle the cards. The Moderator gives each player a character card facedown, which becomes their character for the game. All players must look at their cards but must keep their role a secret for the duration of their game!
WEREWOLF GAME ROLES
As mentioned, the basic setup of Werewolf includes Villagers, Werewolves, a Moderator, a Seer, and a Doctor. However, in the deck, you can also find bonus roles, such as the Alpha Werewolf, Witch, Village Drunk, and Wild Cards.
Here is our ultimate guide on the Werewolf character game roles and what each role does.
- Villager: This is the most common role in Werewolf. Throughout the game, the Villager tries their best not to get killed and find and kill the Werewolves.
- Werewolf: Werewolves must decide who to kill in the night and try not to get killed by the Villagers.
- Moderator: The Moderator knows the role of every player and decides the flow of the game by narrating it from start to finish. They do not participate.
- Seer: The Seer is a Villager who can point to any player in the group when called on at night, and the Moderator can nod yes or no to indicate whether or not the chosen person is a Werewolf.
- Doctor: The Doctor is a Villager who can heal themselves or another villager when called on by the Moderator at night.
- Alpha Werewolf: The Alpha Werewolf is just like a normal Werewolf but must also say “Werewolf” at least once during the day.
- Witch: The Witch is a Villager who has the power of one poison and one potion each throughout the game. They may choose a player to bring back to life or poison when called on by the Moderator at night.
- Village Drunk: The Drunk is a Villager who can only communicate with gestures or noises. If they speak during the day, they die at night.
- Wild Card: You can use a Wild Card to add another role or replace a card that’s gone missing.
HOW TO PLAY WEREWOLF
To begin the game, everyone looks at their own card, which must be kept a secret! Once everyone knows their roles, let’s start!
THE NIGHT ROUND
The Moderator will ask all players to close their eyes. All players will slap their knees constantly throughout the night, to drown out any noise. The Moderator will ask players to open their eyes one by one, based on their character role.
- Firstly, the Moderator will ask the Werewolves to open their eyes. The Werewolves are now able to identify other Werewolves and work together throughout the game. The Moderator will then prompt the Werewolves to choose someone to kill. Once they have agreed on a victim, quietly confirmed by pointing, the Moderator will ask them to close their eyes once again.
- Then, the Moderator will prompt the Doctor to awaken. The Doctor may now choose someone to heal, hopefully not a Werewolf. If the person chosen by the Doctor is the same person that was chosen by the Werewolves, they will survive. After the Doctor quietly confirms their patient, the Moderator will ask them to go back to sleep.
- Finally, the Seer is prompted to awaken. The Seer may silently point at a player of their choice. The Moderator will give the Seer a thumbs up if the player they chose is a Werewolf, and they will give a thumbs down if the player they chose is a Villager. This gives the Seer information to persuade the Village on who they need to vote to kill. The Seer is prompted to go back to sleep.
If you are playing with a Witch, the Moderator must also call on the Witch to open their eyes at some point at night. The Moderator prompts the Witch to use a poison and then a potion. Since the Witch can only use one poison or one potion throughout the entire game, the Witch may not act until a specific night round when they are more sure of who they want to target or save.
THE DAY TIME
The Moderator will inform everyone that it is day time, and they may all open their eyes. The Moderator will then announce who has been saved or killed throughout the night. Any player killed is removed from the game without revealing their character.
The first day allows for introductions. All players will give a short introduction to who they are and what they do. This is where the lying and deception begin. Remember, Werewolves do not want to be found out!
Players then discuss who they believe to be the Werewolves in the town as a group. Be cautious of what information you share, as you may quickly become a target. Once someone is accused of being a Werewolf, a second player must support the choice. The accused get thirty seconds to defend themselves. Then, a vote is made.
If the majority votes to kill off the accused, they are removed from the game.
Night falls after five minutes of day time (if you choose to play with a time limit) or after someone has been killed.
CONTINUING TO PLAY
If the Doctor or Seer has been killed, the Moderator will still announce for them to wake up to conceal the identity of the remaining players. The Moderator will announce all characters as usual.
END OF GAME
This cycle of day time and night time continues until there’s a winner. This happens when:
- The Werewolves’ number matches that of the Villagers, meaning the Werewolves win and take over the Village, or
- All of the Werewolves have been killed, in which case the Villagers win, and the Village is safe!
Are you a big fan of games like Werewolf? You should try your hand at Coup and other games you can play for large groups!
STRATEGIES FOR WEREWOLF
Do you want to become the best Werewolf player of all time? I mean… who doesn’t? If you want to up your game, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with these awesome Werewolf strategies.
VILLAGER STRATEGIES
Here are the strategies to keep in mind if you are on the Villager team:
- Pay attention to voting: Really listen to the arguments people have for voting for certain people. If someone seems to be really grasping at straws, it’s possible they’re just trying to get someone killed for killing’s sake!
- Report anything suspicious: If you see anything suspicious at all, report it and raise it to the group to discuss! As you play this game more often, you may also get to know some tells.
- Be careful when playing the Seer: If you are the Seer and you discover a Werewolf, don’t be aggressive about it. If you’re not careful, the Werewolves may kill you next! Just try to get your message across as subtly as possible to ignite suspicion regarding the player you know is a Werewolf.
WEREWOLF STRATEGIES
If you’re on the Werewolf team, you’ll need to employ different strategies:
- Try to kill off players with powers: Make it easier to make your case by slowly killing off the players with powers, such as the Seer, the Doctor, and/or the Witch. You may not always know who these players are, so make a guess if needed.
- Do not be offended: If someone accuses you of being a Werewolf, don’t go on a rampage claiming you are not a Werewolf, that may do more harm than good. Try to use more logical reasons why you are not a Werewolf.
- Don’t pretend to be anything other than a standard Villager: If you try to pretend to be a more complex role, someone else may call you out on your BS as soon as you try!
ONE NIGHT ULTIMATE WEREWOLF
- Engaging and Deceptive: Immerse yourself in the strategic world of hidden...
- App-Guided Gameplay: Enjoy a free app that seamlessly guides each game, ensuring...
- Thrilling and Inclusive: Play with 3-10 players, as you unravel the mystery of...
A very popular Werewolf board game is One Night Ultimate Werewolf. This super fun board game is just like standard Werewolf but with some slight changes.
In this version, here are the cards and roles you may play:
- Villager
- Werewolf
- Seer: The Seer can look at one of the other player’s cards or two of the cards in the middle.
- Robber: At night, the Robber may steal someone else’s card and switch it with their own. The Robber is on the team of the new card’s role.
- Troublemaker: The Troublemaker switches two random cards of two random players at some point at night.
- Tanner: The Tanner has a suicide mission. If he dies, he wins the game by himself.
- Drunk: At night, the Drunk must switch his card with a random card in the middle and does not look at it.
- Hunter: If the Hunter dies, the player they point at also die.
- Mason: Masons open their eyes at night when prompted and can spot the other Mason in the Village.
- Insomniac: The Insomniac wakes up and looks at her card if there is a Robber and/or Troublemaker in the game.
- Minion: The Minion knows who the Werewolves are and is on the Werewolves team.
- Doppleganger: The Doppleganger sees a random player’s card in the night and takes on that role during the day. If she is a Werewolf, she is on the Werewolf’s team.
As you can see, One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a much more complicated game with some interesting roles.
HOW TO PLAY ONE NIGHT ULTIMATE WEREWOLF
Gameplay is similar to standard Werewolf, but you must always have three more cards than players. The three extra cards stay face down in the middle.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf also comes with an app that has a built-in Announcer who will announce day time and night time, as well as the characters who need to wake up at night.
After night time, during the day, gameplay is the same. Players must try their best to eliminate the Villagers or the Werewolves, depending on their roles. But remember! You might not be the team that you think you are if you have a Troublemaker or Robber in the game!
- 23 SUPER FUN 4TH OF JULY GAMES - April 23, 2024
- 30 FUN DATE NIGHT GAMES FOR COUPLES - April 18, 2024
- 200+ INSANE “KISS MARRY KILL” QUESTIONS TO ASK - April 16, 2024