Understanding Werewolf

Understanding Werewolf

For those of us that like to howl at the moon

Werewolf is a unique kind of card game. The aim of the game is to deceive any other players while they try to figure out who has the werewolf card. There are usually three werewolf cards in play during a round, and there may be three werewolf players or some of the werewolves may be in the center of the circle, waiting to be found.


There are several cards involved in a game of Werewolf, but you won’t know who anyone is until the end of the round; unless you have the special powers of some of the cards, of course.

The Villager is essentially the weakest character in the game, but they still get a vote like all of the other players to do. This card has no special powers, but those who end up receiving the Villager card can spend the round trying to figure out who’s lying, who’s telling the truth, and who the Werewolf is. A Villager should point out the flaws in what other players are saying; if someone is speaking just a little too much, they could be lying.

The Werewolf is a dangerous card to have, and you need to be particularly good at lying to use it well. As a Werewolf, you can pick a Villager to remove from the game each “night” (round). Villagers, of course, want to kill Werewolf players, instead, which means you need to direct them towards other players as quickly as possible, without revealing that you are a Werewolf.

The Seer has the power to look at the card of another player. However, Werewolves will try and take out the Seer player first. To combat this, look at how other players are voting, and go with the majority. This will stave off any suspicion that a Werewolf has for you. Keep your abilities quiet and avoid as much suspicion as possible.

The Doctor has the power to heal either a Villager or themselves when they are awake. If they choose to heal themselves, then they cannot be killed by a Werewolf. If they heal a Villager, that player cannot be killed, instead.


Werewolf has a few wild cards which can be used as additional roles when there are lots of people playing a game. These wild cards have special abilities of their own.

The Village Drunk takes on the role of an average Villager for the most part, but they cannot talk during the “day” of the round. If they do talk, they automatically die during the “night”. They can communicate using gestures and noises, but that’s it.

The Witch has a potion and a poison that they can use at any time during the game. Their potion can bring someone back to life, but their poison kills someone. They can only use one per evening.

The Alpha Werewolf has to say the word “Werewolf” at least once during the “day” of around. This complicates the game because the only way to find the Alpha is for all other players to avoid saying the word “Werewolf” while playing. If the Alpha forgets to say the word, they die during the next night.

The game has a lot of variables like most card-based games do. Due to the acting and trickery involved, it makes for a great party game and is extremely atmospheric to play at night.