The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow: Best Of
The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow: Best Of Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
28 cards - 1 Sheriff medal (see page 21) - 1 blank card for a character of your own invention.
Character types:
- The Werewolves (pages 7 and 8): 3 Simple Werewolves - 1 Infected Father of the Wolves - 1 Big Bad Wolf
- The Villagers (pages 9 to 16): 7 Simple Villagers - 1 Cupido - 1 Fortune Teller - 2 Sisters - 1 Little Girl - 1 Fox - 1 Knight with the Rusty Sword - 1 Elder - 1 Witch - 1 Bear Tamer - 1 Hunter
- The Ambiguous Characters (pages 17 and 18): 1 Wild Child - 1 Wolf Hound
- The Loners (pages 19 to 21): 1 White Werewolf - 1 Piper - 1 Angel
General Principles of a Game of "The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow"
Each player embodies an inhabitant of the village, determined by the character card they receive at the start of the game. Each player's goal depends on their secret identity (see pages 7 to 21). Under the guidance of a narrator, a game unfolds as an alternation of nights and days.
During the nights, all players have their eyes closed. Then, one by one, the narrator asks the nocturnal characters to open their eyes (wake up) to use their power before falling back asleep. Once all nocturnal roles have been called, the narrator asks all players to open their eyes (the village wakes up).
Each day, when the village wakes, the possible victims of the nocturnal characters are revealed. Then all surviving players debate in order to eliminate one of them by vote, in the fragile hope of ensuring the village's survival...
Setup
The players designate or draw lots for a narrator, who does not play but runs the game. For the first few games, someone who knows the game well, or who has read the rules, or a skilled group leader will be best able to create the right atmosphere.
The narrator prepares as many character cards as there are players and deals 1 card face down to each of them (see Advice to the Narrator, page 23).
Each player secretly looks at their character card, then places it face down in front of them.
The game may begin...
(For more advice to the narrator, visit www.loups-garous.com)
Course of Play
Anything may be said! However, it is strictly forbidden to reveal your character card to another player (except to the narrator). The narrator follows the character call order to run the game (see pages 22 and 23).
A - The narrator puts the village to sleep:
The narrator says: "It is night, the whole village falls asleep, players close your eyes."
All players lower their heads and close their eyes. The narrator then calls the various nocturnal characters in play, one by one.
B - Once they have all been called, the narrator wakes the village:
The narrator says: "It is morning, the village wakes up, everyone opens their eyes."
The narrator then indicates any players who fell victim to the nocturnal characters and reveals their identity. An elimination sometimes triggers a power: the narrator must be alert to this.
Then the village debates in order to determine which player to eliminate.
The narrator may guide and revive the debate whenever it seems necessary.
This debate phase is the heart of the game. Everyone has the right to pass themselves off as someone else. Show off your talents as an orator, bluff or tell the truth, but be convincing. Believe us, players usually end up giving themselves away one way or another, and suspicions almost always land in the right place. Well, almost always!
C - At the moment they judge fitting, the narrator triggers the village vote:
- At the narrator's signal, each player points a finger in the direction of the player they wish to eliminate. Players are meant to eliminate a player suspected of endangering the village's survival. The player who receives a majority of votes is eliminated.
- In the event of a tie, a second vote is held against only those tied. If there is another tie, no player is eliminated.
- If the Sheriff (see page 21) is present:
- their vote counts double,
- in the event of a tie, they designate the village's victim among those tied.
- The eliminated player reveals their card. They can no longer communicate with the other players... but become the silent spectator of every plot!
Repeat the turns of play starting from phase A, until a player or group of players has fulfilled their victory condition.
The Different Types of Characters in Play
Each player receives a character card. This card gives them a secret identity belonging to one of the following groups, each with its own victory condition. Some characters possess a special power...
The Werewolves
They can be mortally dangerous and threaten the village's survival. Each night, the Werewolves wake, called by the narrator, and devour a villager.
Their goal: eliminate the other inhabitants of the village.
The Simple Werewolves
Each night at the narrator's call they wake in complete discretion. They silently confer with one another, then choose one of the village's inhabitants. The victim can under no circumstances be a Werewolf. The player thus devoured is eliminated from the game. They can no longer take part in the game.
By day, the Werewolves try to hide their nocturnal identity to escape the wrath of the people.
The Infected Father of the Wolves
The very first Werewolf of our lands, father of all their fathers, has an additional power: that of spreading his brood through a special bite.
Each night, he wakes and devours a villager along with the other Werewolves. But once during the game, if he wishes, after the Werewolves have fallen back asleep, he raises his hand. This means the victim is not devoured but infected. The Infected Father of the Wolves may use his special power only once in the game. The narrator then touches the infected inhabitant, who immediately (and secretly) becomes a Simple Werewolf. From then on they take part in the Werewolves' feast every night. If they held a nocturnal power, they will be woken by the narrator on subsequent turns to use that power, in addition to being called with the Werewolves.
The Big Bad Wolf
In Miller's Hollow, little pigs are not the only ones who fear the Big Bad Wolf. He is enormous and his appetite is gigantic. Because of him, entire villages have been wiped off the map!
Each night, he wakes and devours a villager along with the other Werewolves. But as long as no other Werewolf has been eliminated, he wakes alone a second time and devours another victim. He cannot devour a Werewolf.
See also p. 19: the White Werewolf.
The Villagers
Devoted to the village's survival, the following characters defend its harmony with determination. Faced with threats, they will be led to eliminate those they suspect of being too dangerous, even when it pains them.
Their goal: eliminate the Werewolves.
The Simple Villager
They have no particular skill. Their only weapons are their ability to analyze behavior in order to identify the Werewolves, and their power of persuasion to prevent the execution of the innocent person that they are. At the end of the day, like the other inhabitants of the village, they take part in the vote to eliminate one of their number.
Cupido
(called on the first night)
By firing his famous magic arrows, Cupido has the power to make 2 people fall eternally in love. On the first night (preliminary turn), he designates to the narrator the 2 players (or players of either gender) in love. Cupido may, if he wishes, designate himself as one of the two lovers. The narrator then wakes the lovers so they may recognize one another. To live their love fully, the lovers' hope is to survive together until the end of the game. If one of the lovers is eliminated, the other immediately dies of grief. A lover must never eliminate their beloved, nor cause them any harm (even in pretense!).
Warning: if one of the lovers is a villager and the other a Werewolf, the lovers win the game if they survive all the other players.
The Fortune Teller
(called at night)
Each night, the narrator wakes her so that she may indicate a player whose identity she wants to know. He shows her the designated player's card, then she falls back asleep.
She must help the other villagers, while remaining discreet so as not to be unmasked by the Werewolves.
The Two Sisters
(called on the first night)
Some people confuse them when they cross paths with one of the Two Sisters on a sunken lane. The smile that appears on the young girl's face after someone has guessed her name is hard to interpret: is the young maiden pleased to have been recognized, or is she amused by the mistake?
In any case, the Two Sisters get along like the fingers of one hand, or the strands of a single lock of hair. It's certainly reassuring to have someone close to count on in these uncertain times!
On the first night, at the narrator's call, they wake together, recognize one another, then fall back asleep.
For experienced players: during the game, from time to time (every other turn, or at the narrator's discretion), they wake again and confer quickly and silently on the decisions to be made to save the village (particularly powerful with practitioners of sign language).
The Little Girl
(active at night, if she wishes)
By opening her eyes a crack, the Little Girl may spy on the Werewolves while they are awake. If she is caught by one of the Werewolves, she may be devoured immediately (in silence), in place of the designated victim.
The Little Girl may only spy at night, during the Werewolves' waking turn. She is not allowed to pass herself off as a Werewolf and open her eyes wide.
The Fox
(called at night)
In Miller's Hollow, everyone appreciates the keen nose of this quick and discreet character, except perhaps the chickens, and above all the Werewolves!
At night, at the narrator's call, the Fox may point to a group of three neighboring players, indicating with his finger the player in the middle (eliminated players are not taken into account).
If this group contains at least one Werewolf, the narrator makes an affirmative sign to the Fox. In that case, the Fox may use his power again on a following night.
If no Werewolf is part of the designated group, the Fox permanently loses his power; however, he gains a valuable piece of information clearing three players at once.
Note: the narrator calls the Fox every night, but the Fox is under no obligation to use his power each night.
Advice to the narrator: the Fox does not see the cards; the narrator simply indicates to him whether or not there is a Werewolf among these three players.
The Knight with the Rusty Sword
"Don Quitousse" is a very old, retired knight. He is rather worn out from a lifetime of quests around the world and no longer maintains his noble weapon very well. Rust has gradually settled onto the dulled edge of his faithful protector, but he will never part with her for another. These days he still sleeps every night with her at his side: beware intruders!
If the Knight is devoured, he is eliminated, but one of the Werewolves is contaminated by the rusty sword.
Among the Werewolves responsible for this elimination, the first Werewolf seated to the left of the Knight with the Rusty Sword will be eliminated at the start of the following night.
This elimination, caused by the illness brought on by the rust, will be revealed by the narrator the morning after the Werewolf's disappearance.
He will therefore have survived his wound for one full day.
Warning: players may deduce from this that all the inhabitants seated between the deceased Knight with the Rusty Sword and the sick Werewolf are innocent villagers.
The Elder
He has victoriously endured every terrible trial of life, and has acquired an uncommon resilience! The Werewolves will need two attempts to devour him.
The first time the village Elder is devoured by the Werewolves, he survives; the narrator does not turn his card face up. The Elder is eliminated only the second time he is devoured.
The village's vote, the Witch's poison potion, and the Hunter's shot eliminate the Elder on the first attempt. But, distraught at having mistakenly eliminated such a wellspring of wisdom, the villagers lose their special powers for the rest of the game.
Warning: if the village Elder is healed by the Witch, he recovers only a single life.
If his loved one is eliminated, the Elder immediately dies of grief, but the villagers' special powers are not lost.
He is not affected by the Infected Father of the Wolves.
The Witch
(called at night)
She knows how to brew two extremely powerful potions: a healing potion, to revive the player devoured by the Werewolves, and a poison potion, used at night to eliminate a player of her choosing.
Each night, the narrator wakes the Witch. He shows her the Werewolves' victim, then offers her the chance to use each of her potions, as long as they remain available. The Witch may use each potion only once during the game. She may use both potions the same night. The Witch may also use the healing potion on herself, and thus heal herself if she has just been devoured by the Werewolves. Her healing potion does not cure the infection caused by the Infected Father of the Wolves.
The Bear Tamer
Ah, how sweet to my memory is that clinking chain sliding across the cobblestones of "Three Roads Square," accompanied by Ursus's growl. Ah, how far off are the days when Titan, the Bear Tamer, guided his companion with such mastery in a ballet so graceful that all Miller's Hollow wept over it every summer. Ursus also had this precious power: to detect lycanthropes hidden near him.
Each morning, just after the possible nocturnal victims are revealed, if at least one Werewolf is, or becomes, one of the Bear Tamer's two neighbors, the narrator growls to signal to the players that the Bear Tamer's bear has sensed danger. Only neighbors still in the game are taken into account.
Advice to the narrator: to make things easier, eliminated players leave the game area, or step away from the table. If the Bear Tamer is infected*, the narrator growls every turn, for as long as the Bear Tamer is not eliminated.
*See the Infected Father of the Wolves, page 8.
The Hunter
When he is eliminated, whatever the cause, immediately after his card is revealed, the Hunter retaliates by eliminating another player.
To protect themselves, some players will not hesitate to pass themselves off as the Hunter during the village's debate.
Warning: the Hunter is first and foremost a villager, and it is a Werewolf that he hopes to bring down with him in his fall. But if he has been infected by the Infected Father of the Wolves, the Hunter will prefer to eliminate villagers he knows to be innocent, in order to secure victory for his side.
The Hunter's power may lead to a game with no survivors left. In that case, victory belongs to neither side.
The Ambiguous Characters
They may just as easily be allies as become enemies of the village. They may change sides during the game.
Their goal: bring victory to whichever side they belong to.
The Wild Child
Abandoned in the forest by his parents at a very young age, he was raised there by wolves. As soon as he learned to walk on all fours, the Wild Child began to wander around the outskirts of Miller's Hollow. One fine day, fascinated by an inhabitant of the village who walked upright with grace and poise, he secretly made this person his role model. He then decided to join the community of Miller's Hollow and, uneasy, entered the village. The community was moved by his fragility, adopted him, and welcomed him into its midst. What will he become: honest villager, or terrible Werewolf? For his entire existence, the Wild Child's heart will waver between these two possibilities. May his role model confirm him in his newfound humanity.
The Wild Child is a villager. On the first night, at the narrator's call, he designates a role-model player. If, during the game, the designated player is eliminated, the Wild Child becomes a Werewolf. He will wake from the following night on with his fellow Werewolves and devour with them every night until the end of the game. On the other hand, as long as his role model is alive, the Wild Child remains a villager. Whether or not his role model turns out to be a Werewolf changes nothing about this.
He shares in the eventual victory of the Werewolves if his role model has been eliminated. He shares in the eventual victory of the villagers if his role model is still alive. Nothing prevents the Wild Child from taking part in the elimination of his role model, if he so wishes.
Advice to the narrator: not revealing the true nature of an eliminated Wild Child can be entertaining. Doubt about his true identity then remains: was he a villager or a Werewolf before being eliminated?
The Wolf Hound
Every dog knows, deep down, that its ancestors were wolves, and that it is Man who has kept them in this state of fearful, childlike, yet loyal and devoted companions. In any case, only the Wolf Hound may decide whether he will obey his civilized human master or heed the call of the wild buried within him.
On the first night, the Wolf Hound chooses whether he wishes to be a villager or to join the Werewolves. This choice is final!
If he wishes to be a Werewolf, he will wake with them every night to devour a victim. If he chooses to remain a villager, he will keep his eyes closed during the nights and take part in the villagers' debates and votes by day to try to eliminate the Werewolves.
Advice to the narrator: as with the Wild Child, it can be entertaining not to reveal the true nature of an eliminated Wolf Hound...
The Loners
Their past could no doubt reveal to us why they hate the inhabitants of Miller's Hollow. One thing is certain: they truly frighten everyone!
Their goal: achieve their own objective, independent of any side.
The White Werewolf
(called at night)
This deeply malicious character hates the Werewolves as much as the villagers! It is said that a strange mutation occurred within the lycanthrope population itself.
Each night, he wakes and devours along with the other Werewolves. But every other night, at the narrator's call, he wakes alone and may eliminate a Werewolf. This character's goal is to remain the village's sole survivor. Only in that case does he win the game.
The Piper
(called at night)
Shamefully driven out of the village, he returned years later under a false identity to carry out his terrible revenge.
The Piper's goal is to charm every inhabitant of the village. Each night, at the narrator's call, the Piper designates 2 new players, whose shoulders the narrator touches. The Piper falls back asleep. The narrator asks the newly and previously charmed players to wake up. They recognize one another and fall back asleep. From the moment only charmed players remain, the Piper has won against everyone else (even if this comes about through a village vote, the Hunter's shot, the Werewolves, etc.).
Warning: if he is infected by the Infected Father of the Wolves, he becomes a Simple Werewolf. His original goal, which was to charm all the players, is therefore abandoned. He will work with the Werewolves toward their common victory.
The Piper cannot charm himself. The Witch cannot cure the charm. The Werewolves are not immune to the charm. Charmed players keep all their powers and traits. The charm is not transmitted between lovers.
The Angel
The squalid life of a village infested with malevolent creatures disgusts him; he wishes to wake from what he believes is a nightmare, at last peaceful, in his cozy bed.
When the Angel is in play, the game always begins with the village's debate followed by an eliminatory vote, then a first night. If the Angel succeeds in drawing the villagers' discriminating vote, the devouring wrath of the lycanthropes or the Witch's poison potion, then if he is eliminated on the first turn, he emerges victorious from the nightmare and wins the game.
The game then stops: the players may immediately begin a new game. If he fails, he becomes a Simple Villager for the rest of the game.
Warning: if the Angel falls in love, he abandons his previous goal and tries to survive with his partner.
Advice to the narrator: do not hesitate to remind players of the Angel's possible presence during the first day! The debates will be livelier, since the smooth talkers are protected by this angelic threat!
The Sheriff
One is not born Sheriff, one becomes Sheriff...
At the start of the game, or during it, the narrator may propose that the village elect a Sheriff. Before the election takes place, each player may put themselves forward as a candidate. The Sheriff is then elected by a relative-majority vote and receives the medal in addition to their character card. One cannot refuse the honor of being Sheriff! From then on, this player's votes count as 2 votes. Furthermore, if a tie remains after the vote, the Sheriff designates the victim among those tied. If the Sheriff is eliminated, with their dying breath they designate their successor.
The Turns of Play
Preparation at the start of the game:
- Dealing of the character cards
- Election of the Sheriff (or later in the game)
Order in which characters are called, to be adapted based on which are in play.
Warning: when the Angel is in play, the game always begins with the village's debate followed by an eliminatory vote.
Characters called on the 1st night:
- Cupido
- Lovers
- Fortune Teller
- The Two Sisters
- Wild Child
- Bear Tamer
- All the Werewolves, including the Wolf Hound if he chose to be a Werewolf, the White Werewolf, the Infected Father of the Wolves and the Big Bad Wolf. The Little Girl may spy.
- Infected Father of the Wolves
- Big Bad Wolf
- Witch
- Fox
- Piper
- Charmed players
Characters called every night:
- Fortune Teller
- All the Werewolves, including the Wild Child if his role model has been eliminated and any player infected by the Infected Father of the Wolves. The Little Girl may spy.
- White Werewolf (every other night)
- Infected Father of the Wolves
- Big Bad Wolf (as long as no Werewolf has been eliminated)
- Witch
- Fox
- Piper
- Charmed players
Course of the day phases:
- Revealing the victims
- The bear's growl
- Debate
- Vote
Advice to the narrator:
We recommend that the narrator get help running the game, possibly from the first eliminated player. You can use the reference above so as not to forget any characters.
To preserve the village's balance during your first games, we recommend using a large number of Simple Villagers and introducing the more complex characters sparingly.
For the same reasons, the number of Werewolves should not exceed a quarter of the number of players.
Credits
We warmly thank the hundreds of people who have helped us since the beginning of the Werewolves of Miller's Hollow adventure, somewhere in the last century, and who are too numerous to name individually.
Best of Les Loups-Garous de Thiercelieux is a creation of Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly, published by "lui-même."
Illustrations for the base game and New Moon: Alexios Tjoyas.
Illustrations for the Characters expansion cards: Misda and Christine Deschamps.
Box design: Tom Vuarchex.
Rulebook layout: Caroline Ottavis.
Collection directed by Philippe des Pallières, assisted by Thomas Cosnefroy.
© éditions "lui-même", July 2017 — third edition.
Contact: [email protected]