How do you play?Villagers vs Wolves

The idea

Villagers live in the village… but hidden among them are some wolves in disguise. The wolves know who they are; the villagers don't. Every night, the wolves secretly choose a victim. Every day, everyone debates out loud, tries to work out who is lying, and votes on who to eliminate.

The villagers win if they eliminate all the wolves. The wolves win if they finish off all the villagers. There are also roles with special powers and some with a goal of their own.

Lying, bluffing and distrusting are part of the game. Showing your card or your screen is not.

What you need

• 🌕 A tablet (or a laptop) in the middle of the table: it is the narrator. It talks and keeps track of the time and the rules.
• 📱 One phone per player: that is where you see your secret card and take your actions without anyone watching.
• 📶 Internet on every device (wifi or mobile data) and the tablet with the volume up.
• 👥 4 to 20 players works very well (the minimum is 3). The more people, the more chaos.

Starting a game

1. The host opens the website on the tablet, taps I'm the narrator and then Create a new room. A 4-letter code and a QR code appear.
2. Each player scans the QR code with their phone (or opens the website, taps I'm a player and types the code) and enters their name.
3. The host picks the cards for the deck: they can tap ✨ Suggest a deck and the app proposes a balanced one for the number of players. For your first game, choose Easy.
4. Tap Start the game. The app deals a secret card at random to every player: look at it without anyone seeing, read what you have to do and tap Ready.

A night

The narrator announces that night falls: everyone closes their eyes and keeps their phone still. Then it calls the roles one by one. When you are called, your phone lights up and you choose your action (for example, who you want to investigate or protect). The wolves choose their victim all at once and in agreement: if they don't match, nobody dies that night.

If your role is not awake, your screen stays dark and says “Night…”. Act exactly as if you were awake: nobody should be able to work out who is acting from the timing or the gestures.

A day

1. Dawn breaks. The narrator says what happened. Whoever died shows their card on the screen.
2. Debate. Talk, accuse, defend yourselves. When 75% of the living players tap Move on to the vote, the debate ends.
3. Vote. Each person chooses on their phone who they want to eliminate (or abstains). The votes are revealed all at once and the most voted player is eliminated. If there is a tie, nobody is.

And night comes again, until one side wins. Eliminated players no longer speak or give hints, but they can keep watching.

The buttons

• ✓ Ready / Pass: I have decided (or I don't want to do anything). When everyone is ready, the game carries on without waiting for the clock.
• Move on to the vote: during the debate, say that you have made up your mind.
• Abstain: in the vote, don't vote for anyone.
• 🃏 See my card: your card, your guide and what you know. It hides again with one tap in case someone is looking.
• 📖: the cards in the deck and what each one does.
• ⚙ (on the tablet): pause, give more time, skip a step, undo, repeat the last sentence, voice and sound.