How to Play the Werewolf Card Game with Your Friends

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How to assign roles, go through the phases, and win the classic deduction game
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Werewolf has it all: mystery, drama, betrayal, and moments that knock you out of your chair laughing. And of course, werewolves! It’s basically the perfect party game. The goal is simple—the werewolves try to eat the villagers (without getting caught), and the villagers try to survive while catching the werewolves in the act. All you need are 7 people and some paper to get the fun going. In this article, we’ll explain how to set up and play the game, plus share a few bonus roles that you can try with your friends once you’ve mastered the art of werewolf hunting.

Things You Should Know

  • Start the game with the night phase, where everyone closes their eyes and the moderator invites the werewolves and other players to kill or save their friends.
  • Open your eyes and discuss as a group who you think the werewolves are. When you’re ready, take a vote on who to eliminate.
  • Repeat the day and night phases until only the werewolves or only the villagers remain.
Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Setup

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  1. Werewolf is meant to be played with a large group of people, so gather up a minimum of 7 players and have them sit in a circle or around a table. Next, choose someone to be the narrator. The narrator oversees the game and walks the players through the game, but doesn’t actively participate themselves. [1]
    • When playing more than 1 game of Werewolf, take turns being the moderator so that everyone gets a chance to play.
    • If there are a large number of players, the moderator can use a notebook to write down the role of each player and who has been killed to keep track of the game.
  2. Have the moderator give everyone a random role card, which represents the role that the player will take during each game of Werewolf. Count out cards for 1 Seer, 1 Doctor, 2 Werewolves, and enough Villager cards for the rest of the players. [2]
    • If you’re playing with more than 15 people, add 1 werewolf card for every 4 players that are in the group.
    • Alternatively, shuffle in bonus roles like the Witch or the Alpha Werewolf to mix up the game.

    Tip: If you don’t have the official Werewolf deck, you can use scraps of paper to play the game. Write or draw villagers, werewolves, a Seer, and a Doctor on strips of paper and have people choose them out of a hat.

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  3. Once the cards are dealt and the stage is set, have everyone take a peek at their cards and take note of what role they’ve been assigned. But remind everyone to keep their role a secret. [3]
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Part 2
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The Night Round

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  1. After the cards have been dealt to the players, the moderator announces the beginning of the night phase by saying, “Close your eyes.” Then, everyone slaps their knees or drums the table to mask any sounds other players might make in the round. [4]
    • Each player keeps their eyes closed when it isn’t their turn. If any player opens their eyes or cheats, then they are out of the game.
  2. While the players are drumming their hands, the moderator says, “Werewolves, open your eyes.” The werewolves then open their eyes and silently point to who they want to kill. The 2 werewolves must agree on 1 villager. [5]
    • When the werewolves make a decision and agree on a victim, the moderator takes note of who is being killed and says, “Werewolves, close your eyes.”
    • The werewolves keep drumming while they decide so the other players don’t suspect them.

    Tip: Use any gesture, such as a nod, a raised eyebrow, or a motion of the head to indicate which player will be killed off.

  3. With the other players continuing to drum, the moderator says, “Doctor, who would you like to heal?” The person with the Doctor card then opens their eyes and chooses 1 person that will survive if the werewolves decide to kill them. The moderator takes note of who they select, and the Doctor closes their eyes again. [6]
    • The Doctor can choose to save themselves if they want.
    • The Doctor won’t know who the werewolves chose to kill.
    • If someone was chosen to be killed by the werewolves and the Doctor chose to save them, the moderator will say, “Someone has been saved,” at the beginning of the day round.
  4. Next, the moderator says, “Seer, open your eyes. Seer, pick someone to ask about.” The person with the Seer card then opens their eyes and points at 1 player that they think might be a werewolf. The moderator uses a silent gesture to let them know if they have identified a werewolf. The Seer then closes their eyes. [7]
    • The moderator can give a thumbs up or nod their head to let the Seer know if they guessed correctly.
    • In some versions of the game, such as One Night: Ultimate Werewolf, the Seer is allowed to view the card of the player of their choice instead of simply identifying whether a player is a werewolf or not.
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Part 3
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The Day Round

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  1. Once all the roles have taken their turns, the moderator says, “Everybody open your eyes, it’s daytime.” The moderator then reveals the person who was killed, and whether or not they were saved by the Doctor. If they weren’t saved, they're eliminated! [8]
    • Eliminated players remain silent for the rest of the game and do not reveal their identity.
    • Alternatively, have the killed player reveal their card. This variation speeds up the game and makes it a bit easier for the villagers to win.
    • Have fun role playing the event! The moderator might make up a story about how the player was killed, who might perform dramatic death throes.
  2. The first day phase begins by having each player take a turn talking about themselves in the character of a villager. The werewolf, Doctor, and Seer players are trying to hide their true identities. [9]
    • For example, when it’s your turn, you could say something like, “Hi, I’m Chris, the local blacksmith. I’ve got a bunch of pitchforks sharpened and ready to hunt werewolves!”
    • Role playing is a big part of the game, so have fun with it!

    Tip: Have each player stay in character the entire game to make the discussion and vote more interesting!

  3. After their introductions, the players discuss who they believe is a werewolf. The players can say whatever they want—promise, bluff, lie , or tell wild stories about who they are. The moderator then takes a vote, and the player that the majority of players believe is a werewolf is killed. That player is now out of the game. [10]
    • Though there does not have to be a limit, to keep the game moving, set a 5-minute time limit for the day phase to force the other players to make a decision as to who they want to kill off.
    • If the village runs out of time or they can’t reach a majority vote, then the round ends, nobody is killed, and the opportunity to potentially kill a werewolf is missed.
  4. The players close their eyes and drum on their knees or table once again. The night round repeats with the werewolves, seer and doctor playing their roles (if they’re still alive), and the game continues until either all the werewolves or all the other players have been eliminated. [11]
    • The werewolves typically win the game if they kill enough villagers to make the numbers even, since at that point they have a clear path to winning. But let the game play our for fun, anyway!
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Part 4
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Bonus Roles

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  1. During the night phase, awaken the Witch and ask them, “Witch, would you like to resurrect or poison a player?” The Witch can then either select a dead player to bring back into the game, or select a living player to kill, and they can do either of these only once per game of Werewolf. [12]
    • If the Witch chooses to take action, they gesture which action they want to take by pointing at a player and then miming either resurrecting them or poisoning them. Get creative!
    • If the Witch doesn’t want to act that night, they simply shake their head.
  2. The Drunkard is a regular villager who can only communicate through nonverbal gestures. If they do talk, they’re automatically killed during the next night phase. [13]
  3. The Alpha Werewolf card is swapped for one of the regular Werewolf cards. The player who’s dealt this card must say the word “werewolf” at least once per day phase, trying to sneak it casually into the conversation to avoid suspicion. If they don’t they die during the next night. [14]
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What Are Strategies For Werewolf?


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  • Question
    What happens if you have less than 7 players ?
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    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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    Werewolf isn't very fun or fair with fewer than 7 players, since the group is too small for the deduction aspect.
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  • Question
    How many members we can play?
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    Werewolf can be played with as many people as you like, so long as you have at least 7 players. Once you hit 15 players, add a werewolf to the deck for every 4 players in the game.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    For the Witch role, does the moderator need to tell him/her who is the person killed by the werewolves at night time before he/she can save the killed person?
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    Nope! The Witch has to guess which person to resurrect without knowing who the werewolves have just chosen to kill.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://valleyadvocate.com/2010/12/16/werewolf-rules/
      2. ↑ https://valleyadvocate.com/2010/12/16/werewolf-rules/
      3. ↑ https://www.brenbarn.net/werewolf/rules.html
      4. ↑ https://groupgames101.com/werewolf-game-rules/
      5. ↑ https://valleyadvocate.com/2010/12/16/werewolf-rules/
      6. ↑ https://groupgames101.com/werewolf-game-rules/
      7. ↑ https://groupgames101.com/werewolf-game-rules/
      8. ↑ https://valleyadvocate.com/2010/12/16/werewolf-rules/
      9. ↑ https://groupgames101.com/werewolf-game-rules/
      1. ↑ https://valleyadvocate.com/2010/12/16/werewolf-rules/
      2. ↑ https://valleyadvocate.com/2010/12/16/werewolf-rules/
      3. ↑ https://groupgames101.com/werewolf-game-rules/
      4. ↑ https://groupgames101.com/werewolf-game-rules/
      5. ↑ https://groupgames101.com/werewolf-game-rules/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      Werewolf is a fun party game where players, called villagers, try to guess who the secret werewolves among them are before it’s too late. To play, you’ll need a deck of Werewolf cards and at least 7 players. If you don’t have Werewolf cards, you can still play by writing the different roles on slips of paper. To start the game, choose one player to be the moderator. The moderator will sit out that round and help run the game and keep track of the player’s identities. Then, prepare 1 card for each person playing (not counting the moderator), including 1 seer card, 1 doctor card, 2 werewolf cards, and the rest villager cards. If you’re playing with 16 or more people, replace one of the villager cards with a werewolf card. Shuffle the cards and deal one to each player face-down. Players should keep the identity on their card a secret. Werewolf is played in alternating night and day rounds, starting with the night round. The round starts with the moderator telling the players to close their eyes. Then, the moderator invites the werewolves to open their eyes and silently agree on one villager to kill. The werewolves close their eyes again, then the moderator asks the doctor to open their eyes and silently choose one player to save. If the doctor chooses the player who was killed by the werewolves, that player is safe. Now the doctor closes their eyes again, and the moderator invites the seer to open their eyes and silently choose one player they think is a werewolf. If the seer is right, the moderator gives them a thumbs up. If they’re wrong, they get a thumbs down. Finally, the moderator asks all of the players to open their eyes and informs them of who was killed by the werewolves. The player that was killed is out of the game, unless they were saved by the doctor, and doesn’t reveal their identity. During the day round, all players discuss who they think the werewolves are. Players can lie and misdirect other players to try to protect themselves. Once everyone is done talking, the players vote for one player who they think is a Werewolf. The player with the most votes is killed and is out of the game. The game continues, alternating between night and day rounds, until the villagers kill both werewolves or until the werewolves kill enough villagers that the number of werewolves and villagers is the same. For more tips on playing Werewolf, like how to add wild cards, read on.

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      Reader Success Stories

      • Jonathan Yaryan

        Dec 14, 2020

        "So I was playing this game with my 100 friends and we did 10 werewolves, 5 seers, 2 witches, 2 alpha werewolves, 2 ..." more
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