An Introduction to Wherewolf

Welcome to the London Wherewolf group. This is a short document on what to expect from the game
'Wherewolf?'

Wherewolf is from the same family of games as Mafia & Ultimate werewolf, which are social games directed
at keeping your identity a secret from other players, through misdirection & deceit.

Playing the game

We need minimum of 8 players to start a game but can have up to 20 players comfortably, one of which is a
moderator. Games vary in length, but usually last 1 - 2 hours or are timed if there are a large number of
players. It would be nice to have at least 2 games per session, so smaller grouped games may be formed to
achieve this.

When game numbers have been established, the moderator will give you your role, chosen at random from
the deck of character cards. The Moderator will then take your card back from you in turn, document this &
be the only person other than you that knows your true role. It is an important part of gameplay that you
do not show anyone else your card.

Your role card will indicate 4 things:

 Which Faction you belong to – this indicates which ‘side’ you play for. In a basic game you will belong to
either the Wolves or the Village. This is normally the main indicator of how you win.

 Corruption – Corruption is a rough approximation of where loyalties lie. Corrupt characters usually, but
not always, play against the Village; likewise, non-corrupt characters usually, but not always, play for the
Village.

 Mysticism - the ability to interact directly with the moderator. Abilities range from investigating
someone's corruption (e.g. Clairvoyant), to preventing attacks to someone (witch) to resurrecting a dying
character (healer). In a base game, mystics are always for the Village.

 Special abilities – What makes your character different from the other: powers, abilities, goals and
other information. (A list of all possible characters will also be available for all to consult during the game,
and the Moderator will be there to assist you understanding everything)

Only the presence of two roles is certain at the beginning of a game; the Clairvoyant & the Alpha Wolf.

Starting the game

Starts During the night, the moderator will request that everyone has their eyes closed. The moderator will,
in turn, call those characters that act during the night and instruct them on what to do, wait for them to
complete the actions and close their eyes. Not every called role need be present! The Wolves DO NOT
attack on the first night.

Everyone is welcome to make some commotion to prevent locating the players by sound. However, during
the night no one can talk or make signs to others. Then it is morning & all players open their eyes.
Phases of the Game

The game is broken into two main parts which are the Day & the Night.

During day time, players address the group to share information as they see fit. Vulnerable roles will
probably avoid exposing themselves, and enemies of the Village will most likely lie - in fact, pretending to be
someone else and murking waters are an integral part of the game, and lying is always allowed. The first day
is usually short because of the restricted/confusing amount of information that is exchanged & the voting
round tends to be mostly random.

The aim of the discussion is to find someone to burn at the stake: when appropriate, the Moderator will call
for the first round of voting, or Accusations. Eyes closed, players will raise their hand for the person they
want to burn; everyone must cast one vote (bar character abilities). The person with the most votes and
every second most voted will be sent to Ballot, where they will try and save themselves. After the defence,
the eyes will be closed again and those not on Ballot will vote for one on the ballot to burn, the chosen will
burn. The Game then progresses onto the Night & players continue to keep their eyes closed.

Similar to the first night, players open their eyes briefly to use their special powers. The wolves will then, on
their turn, select someone to attack. If that player is not the defector or protected it will then be killed.

It will then once again be morning; the players will awaken to maybe find one less player & possible news
from the Inn. As roles are not revealed you are never sure which roles are still in play. The game continues
with the Day followed by night etc. until a faction wins. A Faction usually wins when the other factions are
eliminated.

Dead players are free to remain awake for the rest of the game & watch, but cannot interfere with game
play – remember, you are dead.

There is no easy way to stay alive! If the other village members start point their fingers at you there may be
nothing you can do to change their minds. It is best to have a cover story planned at the beginning of the
game (maybe two for safety), check the roles sheet & select another character to be. This can, of course,
backfire if disputed. But if pulled off can be rewarding. Just remember: if you are caught lying & change
your story you are more likely to be killed.

Rules

We are only Strict about a few things:

o Do not Show your Role card to anyone other than the Moderator.
o When the moderator asks you must keep your eyes closed. No peeking!
o All discussion must be public, i.e. shared with all players – this means no sharing information with just
your neighbour & ideally only one person should speak at a time.
o If you are dead you cannot be involved with gameplay. The dead don’t talk.
o During the night no one can talk or make signs to others.
o Enjoy yourself! You can lie about pretty much anything; after all, it’s only a game!