Werewolf is the hidden role game Mafia with a new theme: two secret werewolves kill a villager each night, and the village votes to kill a suspect each day. The villagers win if both werewolves die, and the werewolves win when their numbers equal the villagers. Andrew Plotkin's original rules need at least seven players, nine or eleven is better, plus a moderator and one card each.
Werewolf is Mafia in fancy dress, and plenty of groups only know it by this name. Below are the rules from Plotkin's own page, the reason player numbers matter more than people think, and how the boxed game One Night Ultimate Werewolf turns it into a ten minute game where nobody sits out.
Why it's called Werewolf and not Mafia
Plotkin is clear that he didn't invent the game; Dimitry Davidoff did, in 1986. Plotkin learned it as Mafia at a puzzlers' convention in 1997, with two gangsters, a 'Knight Commandant' and innocent citizens, and swapped in werewolves because he thought they were niftier. Wikipedia adds that the werewolf idea suited a hidden enemy who looks normal by day. The rules underneath are the same, which is why the gangsters became wolves and the detective became the seer.
Plotkin's original card set
| Card | How many | Team | At night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderator | 1 | Neutral | Runs the script and doesn't play |
| Werewolf | 2 | Werewolves | Wake together and silently choose one villager to kill |
| Seer | 1 | Village | Points at one player and learns if they're a werewolf |
| Villager | Everyone else | Village | Stays asleep |
Shuffle the cards and deal them face down. Each player looks at their own card and keeps it secret, and only the moderator reveals theirs.
How a night and morning play out
- The moderator says, 'Everyone, close your eyes.' Everyone hums or taps to cover small sounds.
- 'Werewolves, open your eyes.' The two wolves recognise each other, and the moderator notes who they are.
- 'Werewolves, pick someone to kill.' They agree in total silence by pointing and nodding, then close their eyes.
- 'Seer, open your eyes. Pick someone to ask about.' The moderator signs thumbs up for a werewolf, thumbs down for a villager.
- 'Everybody open your eyes, it's daytime.' The moderator points to the victim, who shows their card and is out.
- The village argues and votes. As soon as a majority votes for one player, that player is killed and reveals their card.
- Night falls again, and the cycle repeats until one side wins.
Dead players don't speak for the rest of the game, not even to correct someone. Plotkin describes a werewolf who retold the game's history with two names swapped, and says it would be unfair for a dead player to call it out.
Werewolves versus the village: winning
Plotkin's win conditions are short. The humans win if they kill both werewolves. The werewolves win when the numbers are even, two wolves and two humans or one and one, because at that point they can rise up openly. The seer's balancing act is the heart of the game: reveal what you know and you'll probably be eaten that night, keep quiet and the village may vote out the wrong person.
The odd number rule most groups miss
This is the detail I wish every group knew. Plotkin recommends an odd number of players including the moderator. With an odd number, there's always an odd number of living players during the day, so votes can't tie, and the game ends on a vote. With an even number, the game ends with a night kill everyone saw coming, and his statistics show the villagers' chances are significantly weaker. His simulations put the point to add a third werewolf at around seventeen players.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf: what changes
Bezier Games' One Night Ultimate Werewolf, designed by Ted Alspach and Akihisa Okui, squeezes the whole thing into a single night and morning. The box sums it up as no moderator, no elimination and nowhere to hide.
| Classic Werewolf | One Night Ultimate Werewolf | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Seven or more | 3 to 10 |
| Moderator | One player sits out to run it | Everyone plays; the free app or a player calls the roles |
| Cards | One per player | Three more cards than players, with three face down in the middle |
| Length | Rounds until one side wins | One night and one day, about 10 minutes |
| Elimination | Players are knocked out | Nobody sits out |
| The vote | Majority kills one player | Everyone points at once; most votes dies, and ties all die |
| Village wins | Both werewolves dead | At least one werewolf dies |
The twist is that cards move in the night. The Robber swaps with another player and the Troublemaker swaps two other players' cards, so your role at the end is whatever card is in front of you, which might not be the one you started with. Bezier's guide also covers the case where all the werewolves are in the middle: if nobody's a werewolf and nobody dies, the village wins.
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One Night wake order
The rulebook lists this order. Only call the roles you're using, and the Villager, Tanner and Hunter never wake.
- Doppelganger
- Werewolves
- Minion
- Masons
- Seer
- Robber
- Troublemaker
- Drunk
- Insomniac
Variants and other names
- Seer aloud: the moderator announces the seer's result to everyone, without saying who asked about whom.
- Cupid: one villager links two Lovers at the start; if one dies, so does the other.
- Written nights: Adam Cadre's version has everyone write on a card at night instead of closing their eyes, which stops peeking.
- Commercial versions: The Werewolves of Millers Hollow (from the French Les Loups Garous de Thiercelieux), Lupus in Tabula and Ultimate Werewolf, which Wikipedia says plays with 5 to 75 players.
My verdict
Classic Werewolf is for a big group with an hour and a good moderator, so it's ideal for a Halloween party for adults and teens. If you've only got a handful of people or someone hates being knocked out early, go straight to the one night version. Whichever you play, count heads first and make the total odd. If you want something with a board instead, have a look at my party board games.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Werewolf?
Plotkin's classic rules need at least seven, with nine or eleven better. One Night Ultimate Werewolf works with 3 to 10.
What does the seer do in Werewolf?
Each night the seer points at one player and the moderator signals whether that player is a werewolf.
How do the werewolves win?
The werewolves win when their numbers equal the villagers left, such as two wolves and two humans.
Is Werewolf the same as Mafia?
Yes, the rules are the same. Andrew Plotkin rethemed Dimitry Davidoff's Mafia with werewolves in 1997.
How is One Night Ultimate Werewolf different?
It lasts one night and one day, about 10 minutes, with no moderator and no elimination. Cards can be swapped in the night, and the village wins if at least one werewolf dies.
