Werewolves is a party game. It was first invented in the 1970s by a Russian professor, Dmitri Davidov, as an experiment in group psychology. Since then, it has been developed and codified by students at Princeton University under the name ‘Mafia’. Depending on your perspective, Werewolf is a study of interactions in a situation where there is an informed minority and an uninformed majority; or a study of group dynamics in an atmosphere of mistrust; or an experiment in mass hysteria. First and foremost, however, it is an intriguing, challenging and enjoyable co-operative party game.

• At least 4 people, not including the Narrator. The more players, the merrier. As you add players, the game will expand to include more roles so everyone’s involved. Things will get more complicated, but the application should help keep things on track.
• A deck of cards (optional).

The game is set in a small, isolated 19th-century village that has no contact with the outside world. Most of the residents are innocent Villagers, but a few are also secretly other roles. By night, the Werewolves roam about the village, picking a law-abiding Villager as their victim and devouring him or her. By day, the Villagers gather together, seeking justice, and may vote to execute one of their number in an attempt to eradicate the threat. The Werewolves (and other roles) form one team: they win if they manage to kill all the Villagers. The Villagers (and other roles) form the other team: they win if they manage to kill all the Werewolves. To add some intrigue to the game, there is also certain roles who work neutrally for their own gain. Finally, one player (you) is a Narrator. As Narrator, you are neither a Werewolf nor a Villager, but a neutral referee that facilitates the game.

• Explain how the game works at the start.
• Assign player roles. Roles are assigned secretly, so that each player knows his own role but nobody else’s. The best way to accomplish this is using a deck of appropriately labelled cards. The Narrator simply deals one card facedown to each player, and each player looks at his own card to find out his assigned role. Alternatively, the Narrator can choose Roles on the first night, selecting people by touching them while everyone is asleep.

• Make sure each player understands the nature of their role.
• Manage the flow of the rounds, from night to day and back to night.
• Act as a referee in the event of disputes.

Green is a Villager Team Member.

Red is a Werewolf Team Member.

• Werewolves: A team of hungry werewolves. They choose one person at night to try and devour, then act normally during the day as a villager. They encompass the main component of the Werewolf team.
• Doctor: A skilled medical student. They choose one person at night to try and save from harm. That person is then protected from any harm that will befall them that night. They can choose to save themselves as much as they would like.
• Little Girl: A nosey little girl. This player is special in the fact that they can open their eyes and peek at any point during the events of the night in order to see who is who. However, this runs the risk of getting caught by the Werewolves, which means they will be a primary target. The app will have you wake up the Little Girl on the first night, simply to relay the instructions to her. After that, she does not need prompting.
• Cupid: The matchmaker. This player on the first night love links two people together. From then on in the game, if one of the lovers dies (from any means) then the other one will die from a broken heart. Cupid can choose to love link himself with someone else. If the lovers make it to the end of the game alive, they get a special win for surviving together.
• Demon Butler: A menacing butler. This player each night chooses whether to let his Demon Dog out for the night. Should he release his dog, he runs the risk of getting killed by his own beast. The Demon Butler is technically a part of the Villager team: if he is alive but all the Werewolf team members are dead, he wins with the Villagers. Should the Demon Butler die, the Demon Dog is let out permanently for the rest of the game.
• Demon Dog: A terrifying dog even the Werewolves fear. This player each night chooses one person to murder, then acts normally during the day. They are a member of the Werewolf team, and win if they win. However, the Demon Dog only successfully kills someone if they were let out for the night. In addition, the Demon Dog can kill Werewolves on accident. The main strategy for the Demon Dog is usually to kill the Demon Butler, so that way they have free reign for the rest of the game.
• Old Man: A cranky old man. This player does nothing until he is killed. If he is killed at night, then the player is prompted to kill someone in spiteful revenge. However if the Old Man is executed, then he does not get the chance to kill someone. The Old Man wins with the Villager team.

The game proceeds in rounds. Each round is divided into two phases: night and day. Each round begins with night. During the night, the village goes to sleep; all players bow their heads and close their eyes. As the night goes on, the Narrator awakens each Role and has them perform their task. After the night is over, the Narrator dictates to the town what events took place last night. Then, the day begins; all non-eliminated players vote on who to execute. Immediately after the trial is over, a new round begins.

As Narrator, it’s your job to announce nightfall and daybreak, and to give instructions in between. It will also help if you remind new players of the need to stay as silent as possible, to make quick decisions, and to pay attention when you communicate with them – because there are very few circumstances in which they will be able to ask for clarification without giving themselves away!

Nightfall

Everyone closes their eyes and bows their heads. The app will prompt you for each role (if they are alive) so don’t worry about forgetting someone. When the prompt shows up, say: “(Character), awake.” The Character depending on their role, must silently fulfill their job for the night. If their role involves choosing other players, they must choose one sleeping player and then identify their choice to you, probably by pointing or nodding in his/her direction so that you understand which player is being identified. They need to do this without revealing themselves by giving away audible clues to the sleeping Villagers. If they can’t decide after a few seconds or if you can’t work out who is being identified, you can prompt them audible to be more specific. After a decision is made and the role for that night is complete, say: “(Character), asleep.” Do this for every role that is prompted by you from the game. Once it prints off the events for the night (i.e it says “Last night,”), the night is over.

Daybreak

All players open their eyes. The game will give you a readout of the events of the night, not all of them are relevant to the players. You as the Narrator interpret the events and relay them to the player base, explaining who died and from what. Those players are now eliminated (see later).

Day

Day follows after the Daybreak. During the day, (non-eliminated) players discuss the events of the preceding night and debate who should be in an attempt to catch the Werewolves. Unlike night, the structure of day is very free. As Narrator, you should encourage players to talk freely, voicing suspicions and asking questions of each other. If the players are new to the game, you may also want to explain how executing works (see below) and give some general tactical advice. Other than that, you shouldn’t need to intervene until a group consensus starts to appear. When you notice the beginnings of a consensus, with clear suspicions being voiced about one or more players, interrupt the discussion to ask the group whether they are ready to accuse someone. In order to proceed to the vote, an accusation needs to be proposed and seconded by a different players. If this is achieved, then all (non-eliminated) players vote on the question ‘Should we execute this player?’. If a simple majority of players votes Yes, then the accused player is executed and immediately eliminated from the game. If a majority vote No, then the accusation fails and debate may continue. The day ends immediately when a player has been executed. It also ends immediately, without a execution, if three successive accusations all fail to muster a majority. When day ends, a new round begins, starting with nightfall.

A player who is killed for any reason is eliminated. Eliminated players can stay in the room and watch the game – including keeping their eyes open at night, if they wish – but they may not contribute in any way to the game, either by communicating in any way with the people around them or by voting. Once again, they are to remain SILENT while eliminated.

The game is won when either the last member of the Werewolf team is eliminated (in which case the Villager team wins) or the last Villager team member is eliminated (in which case the Werewolves team wins). Note that a victory for either team is shared by all members of that team, whether or not they were eliminated.

It follows that there is a turning-point in the game, beyond which the situation becomes hopeless for the Villagers. That turning-point is reached if, at the end of any day, there is only one more Villager than the number of Werewolves (or if the numbers are equal). When this happens, the Werewolves will devour another Villager overnight, removing the Villagers’ majority. It’s normal for the Narrator to award a victory to the Werewolves if this situation arises. It’s also conventional, particularly with new players, for you as Narrator to point out when such a turning-point is imminent. At the start of any day, if the number of Villagers is only one or two higher than the number of Werewolves, you should explain that the upcoming vote is crucial. If the Villagers execute the wrong person, they will hand the game to the Werewolves.

As Narrator, it’s your job to provide hints for players who are new to the game. Before the game run through the following hints:

• Don’t take things too seriously! The whole point is that players are forced to take decisions based on insufficient information, and so it’s likely that some people will be treated unfairly. If this happens to you, roll with it, and don’t blame the others. It’s just the way things go. It’s only a game!
• Be in it for the game!
• Don’t feel cheated if you get eliminated early!
• First, we’ll probably play more than one game, so you’ll get your chance.
• Second, it’s just as much fun being dead as alive. When you’re dead, you can watch everything that happens, and you’re allowed to share in the secrets that the surviving players don’t know about.
• Third, it’s a team game! If your team wins, you win, even if you didn’t survive until the end of the game.

On the first night

Take time to explain how things work. Emphasize the following points:

• Everyone must stay absolutely silent.
• Werewolves: any sound you make could give you away.
• Villagers: your ears are your best weapons, so listen intently! Also, any sound you make could be mistaken for a Werewolf – and the last thing you want is to attract suspicion from your fellow Villagers.
• Don’t open your eyes unless I ask you to. If you open your eyes at the wrong time, the only way to save the game will be to eliminate you immediately. Don’t do it!
• The Narrator’s voice direction is unimportant. When I speak to the Werewolves at night, I’ll be careful not to speak in their direction, so don’t read anything into it.

On the first day

Give some general strategic hints, including:

• Villagers, talk! Sharing information – even if it’s just random suspicions – is the only way you are ever going to win. Listen carefully to what everyone else says. And if anyone seems a bit too quiet, find out why.
• Little Girl, be careful! You’re the most valuable member of the Villagers’ team. The information you gather each round will make the difference between success and failure. But be careful what you do with it. If you reveal your identity outright, the Werewolves will be on you like a shot. And remember that anyone could claim to be the Little Girl…
• Werewolves, use the daytime well! Manipulate the discussions as best you can. If you can get an innocent Villager executed, then that doubles your kill rate. Also, use this time to identify your future prey. Does anyone seem a bit too clever?