How to play the Werewolf party game
A hidden-role game: a few werewolves are hiding among the villagers. This page explains the roles, the order of a night and how to run the game in a friend group with no separate narrator, using the rules of the Village at Night app.
In short: everyone gets a secret role. At night the werewolves pick a victim; by day everybody argues and votes someone out. The village wins when every werewolf is gone, the werewolves win when they are as many as everyone else.
Roles
- Werewolf teamWerewolf
Each night picks one villager to eliminate. Werewolves know each other. The app also offers a vampire theme; the rules are the same.
- Village teamVillager
No special power; finds the werewolves by discussing and voting during the day.
- Village teamHealer
Protects one person each night. If that is the person the werewolves chose, nobody dies that night.
- Village teamSeer
Each night checks one person and learns whether they are on the village or the werewolf team. Only the seer sees the answer.
- Village teamHunter
If eliminated, at night or by vote, immediately takes one person along.
How many of each role?
The game works for 4 to 20 players. The balanced split below keeps the sides close to even; everyone else is a villager:
| Players | Werewolves | Healer | Seer | Hunter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | none |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 - 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | none |
| 11 - 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
There is at most one healer, one seer and one hunter. The game will not start with no werewolf, or when the werewolves already equal or outnumber everyone else.
How a night plays out
Without a narrator the hard part is keeping the night secret. Played on a phone it works like this:
- Deal the roles.Roles are shuffled at random; the phone goes hand to hand and each player sees their own role in private. Werewolves also see their teammates.
- Night starts: werewolves.The werewolves pick one non-werewolf.
- Healer.The healer protects one person. With the default rules the healer may protect themselves, but not the same person two nights in a row.
- Seer.The seer checks one person and sees "village" or "werewolf" on their own screen only.
- Morning.Unless the healer protected the chosen person, that person is out. If the target was protected, nobody dies and that is announced. A dead hunter immediately takes one person along.
- Discussion.Everyone shares suspicions. The timer is adjustable, 3 minutes by default (30 seconds to 15 minutes).
- Vote.Whoever gets the most votes is sent away. On a tie, by default only the tied players are voted on once more; if it ties again nobody is sent away.
- New night.If nobody has won yet, the next night begins.
During the night the phone passes through every living player in turn; players whose role is not involved in that step see a decoy screen, so nobody can tell who is making a choice.
Who wins?
The village wins when the last werewolf is out. The werewolves win when the number of living werewolves is equal to or greater than the number of other living players. This is checked after every elimination, and a hunter's final shot happens before the winner is decided.
Whether the eliminated player's role is revealed is a setting; by default it is revealed.
Three tips
- As the seer, do not burn your information too early. Pushing a hard case without being able to say how you know can make you the next target.
- As a werewolf, the most dangerous villager is not always the best target. An unremarkable elimination raises fewer questions than a loud one.
- As the healer, protecting a seer who has revealed themselves is often worth more than protecting yourself every night. Remember you cannot protect the same person twice in a row.
Frequently asked questions
Is Werewolf the same as Mafia?
They are close relatives: hidden roles, a night phase where the minority eliminates someone, and a day vote. This page covers the werewolf version with a healer, a seer and a hunter.
How many players do you need?
The Village at Night app supports 4 to 20 players. Four is quick and simple; six or more gives the discussion room to breathe.
Can you play without a narrator?
Yes. The secret phase runs by passing one phone hand to hand, and the app reads the night steps aloud; the voice can be turned off.
Can the healer protect themselves?
With the default rules, yes, but not the same person two nights in a row. Both rules can be changed in the game settings.
How does the hunter work?
If the hunter is eliminated at night or sent away by vote, they immediately pick one person to take along. The shot happens before the game checks whether it is over.
If you would rather play it on a phone
Village at Night is a party game app built on the rules above: one phone, no internet needed. Role dealing, a voiced narrator, the night order, a discussion timer, voting and the win check come ready. Besides the werewolf game it has a "Spy" mode. The game shows ads. It is on Google Play.