Description
Deep in the American countryside, evil has crept into the little town of Millers Hollow: some of the townsfolk have turned into werewolves. In The Werewolves (originally The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow), everyone secretly gets a role card. The werewolves hunt at night, while by day the townsfolk try to work out who among them is hiding a wolfish nature. Nobody knows whom to trust, and that is exactly what makes the game so much fun.
How to play The Werewolves
One player is the moderator, who narrates and sets the mood. When night falls, everyone closes their eyes. The moderator then wakes the roles one by one: the Fortune Teller looks at one player's card, the werewolves silently agree on a victim, and the Witch decides whether to use her healing potion or her poison.
In the morning, the moderator reveals who did not survive the night. Then the debate begins: the townsfolk look for suspicious signs, and the werewolves play innocent. On a signal, everyone points at a suspect at the same time, and whoever gets the most votes is out. The townsfolk win when they have eliminated all the werewolves, and the werewolves win when they have killed the last townsperson.
Why you will love it
- Each night the Fortune Teller learns the truth about one player, but if she reveals herself too early, she will be the next victim.
- At night the Little Girl can secretly peek to see who the werewolves are. If they catch her doing it, she dies instead of the chosen victim.
- On the first night, Cupido picks two players who fall in love and stay a couple until the end of the game. If one is a werewolf and the other a townsperson, they have a goal of their own: they must be the last two left in the village.
- A game is short, so you can play several in a row and swap roles each time. Every evening is different.
Who is The Werewolves for
The game is for big groups of 8 to 18 players, suitable from age 10, and a game takes about 30 minutes. Players like it best with ten to fourteen. The rules are simple: the moderator guides you step by step, and beginners first play only with werewolves, the Fortune Teller and ordinary townsfolk, adding the special roles gradually. At the International Games Festival in Cannes in 2002, the game won two awards, including the public's award.
What you might not like
Anyone who is eliminated just watches quietly until the end of the game, so it may not suit players who don't like sitting on the sidelines. As a loud game of persuasion and bluffing, it is less suited to groups who prefer calmer games with more time to think.
What's in the box
- 24 role cards: 4 werewolves, 13 ordinary townsfolk, Fortune Teller, Thief, Hunter, Cupido, Witch, Little Girl and Sheriff
- rulebook
