The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow: The Village Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Base Game Components
• The Base Game Characters
  • The Werewolves
  • The Villagers
  • The Ordinary Villager
  • The Fortune Teller
  • The Thief
  • Cupido
  • The Witch
  • The Hunter
  • The Sheriff
  • The Little Girl
• Simplified Setup
• Game Setup
• Turns of Play
  • Starting Round (except in simplified games)
  • Normal Turn
• Victory Conditions
• Advice to the Narrator
  • Important Points of Procedure
• Advice to the Players
• Reminder of the Turns of Play
• Rules of Expansion #2: The Village
• The Village: Box Contents
• The Buildings
  • The Farmers
  • The Confessor
  • The Bonesetter
  • The Schoolmistress
  • The Bailiff
  • The Baker
  • The Barber
  • The Tavernkeeper
  • The Castellan
  • The Vagabonds
• Descriptions of the New Characters
  • The White Werewolf (or White Wolf)
  • The Arsonist
  • The Raven
• Advice to Narrators (The Village)
• At the End of the Game
• Credits

Object of the Game

• For the Villagers: eliminate all of the Werewolves.
• For the Werewolves: eliminate all of the Villagers.

Base Game Components

24 cards, detached from the cardboard sheets:

• 4 Werewolf cards
• 13 Ordinary Villager cards
• 1 Fortune Teller
• 1 Thief
• 1 Hunter
• 1 Cupido
• 1 Witch
• 1 Little Girl
• 1 Sheriff

The Base Game Characters

The Werewolves

Each night, the Werewolves devour a Villager. During the day they try to hide their nocturnal identity to escape the villagers' anger. There are 1 to 6 of them depending on the number of players and the variants used. Under no circumstances may a Werewolf devour another Werewolf.

The Villagers

(all those who are not Werewolves)

Each night, one of them is devoured by the Werewolves. This player is eliminated from the game. The surviving Villagers meet the next morning and try to notice, among the other players, the signs that would betray their nocturnal identity as man-eaters. After discussion, they vote against a suspect, who is eliminated from the game, until the next game…

The Ordinary Villager

He has no particular skill. His only weapons are his ability to analyze behavior in order to identify the Werewolves, and his powers of persuasion to prevent the execution of the innocent that he is.

The Fortune Teller

Each night, she discovers the true identity of a player of her choosing. She must help the other Villagers, while staying discreet so as not to be unmasked by the Werewolves.

The Thief

If the Thief is played, add 2 Ordinary Villager cards to those already chosen. After the deal, the 2 undealt cards are placed face down in the center of the table. On the first night, the Thief may look at these 2 cards and exchange his card for one of them. If both cards are Werewolves, he is obliged to exchange his card for one of them. He then plays this character for the rest of the game.

Cupido

By loosing his famous magic arrows, Cupido has the power to make 2 people fall eternally in love. On the first night (preliminary round), he designates the 2 players (or players of any mix) in love. Cupido may, if he wishes, designate himself as one of the two Lovers. If one of the Lovers is eliminated, the other dies of grief immediately. A Lover must never vote against their beloved, nor cause them any harm (even as a bluff!). Warning: if one of the two Lovers is a Werewolf and the other a Villager, the object of the game changes for them. To live their love in peace and win the game, they must eliminate all other players, Werewolves and Villagers, while following the game's rules.

The Witch

She knows how to brew 2 extremely powerful potions: a healing potion, to revive the player killed by the Werewolves, and a poisoning potion, used at night to eliminate a player. The Witch must use each potion only once per game. She may use both potions the same night. The morning after this power is used, there may therefore be 0, 1, or 2 deaths. The Witch may use the potions for her own benefit, and so heal herself if she has just been attacked by the Werewolves.

The Hunter

If he is devoured by the Werewolves or mistakenly executed by the players, the Hunter must retaliate before giving up the ghost, by immediately eliminating any other player of his choice.

The Sheriff

This card is entrusted to one of the players, in addition to his personal character card. The Sheriff is elected by vote, by relative majority. One cannot refuse the honor of being Sheriff. From then on, this player's votes count for 2 votes. If this player is eliminated, with his dying breath he designates his successor.

The Little Girl

The Little Girl may, by half-opening her eyes, spy on the Werewolves during their waking phase. 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 does not have the right to pass herself off as a Werewolf and open her eyes wide.

Simplified Setup

For a first game, use a simple mix of 2 or more Werewolves (depending on the number of players, see the table below), the Fortune Teller, and enough Ordinary Villagers.

Number of players (excluding the narrator)	Werewolves	Fortune Teller	Ordinary Villagers
8	2	1	5
9	2	1	6
10	2	1	7
11	2	1	8
12	3	1	8
13	3	1	9
14	3	1	10
15	3	1	11
16	3	1	12
17	3	1	13
18	3	1	14

Game Setup

• The players designate or draw lots for a narrator, who does not play but runs the game. For a first game, someone who knows the game well, or whoever deciphered the rules, or a skillful group leader will best be able to create a good atmosphere. (For more tips for the narrator, visit www.loups-garous.com.)
• The narrator deals 1 character card face down to each player. Each player secretly looks at their character, then places their card face down in front of them.

Turns of Play

Starting Round (except in simplified games)

• The narrator puts the village to sleep. The narrator says: "It is night, the whole village falls asleep, all players close their eyes." All players lower their heads and close their eyes. Then, depending on the characters in play, the narrator calls the different characters.
• The narrator calls the Thief. The narrator says: "The Thief wakes up!" The player holding the Thief card opens his eyes and discreetly looks at the 2 hidden cards in the middle, then may change character. The narrator says: "The Thief goes back to sleep." The Thief closes his eyes.
• The narrator calls Cupido. The narrator says: "Cupido wakes up!" Cupido opens his eyes and designates 2 players (possibly including himself). The narrator walks around the table and discreetly touches the backs of the 2 Lovers. The narrator says: "Cupido goes back to sleep." Cupido closes his eyes.
• The narrator calls the Lovers. The narrator says: "The Lovers wake up, recognize each other, and go back to sleep!" They do not show each other their character card, so that each remains unaware of their beloved's true identity. The narrator then continues with the normal turn.

Normal Turn

It varies according to the characters in play and their survival in the game, but the characters are always called in the following order:

1. The narrator calls the Fortune Teller. The narrator says: "The Fortune Teller wakes up, and designates a player whose true identity she wants to discover!" The narrator shows the Fortune Teller the hidden face of the card of the player the Fortune Teller designated. The narrator says: "The Fortune Teller goes back to sleep." The Fortune Teller closes her eyes.
2. The narrator calls the Werewolves. The narrator says: "The Werewolves wake up, recognize each other, and designate a new victim!" The Werewolves (and only they) raise their heads, open their eyes, silently confer, and designate a victim. During this turn, the Little Girl may spy on the Werewolves by discreetly half-opening her eyes. She is not obliged to. She does not have the right to open her eyes wide, nor to pass herself off as a Werewolf. If she is caught, the Werewolves may change their mind and devour her instead of the victim originally chosen. The narrator says: "The Werewolves, sated, go back to sleep and dream of tasty future victims!" The Werewolves close their eyes.
3. The narrator calls the Witch. The narrator says: "The Witch wakes up, I show her the Werewolves' victim. Will she use her healing potion, or her poisoning potion?" The narrator shows the Witch the Werewolves' victim. The Witch is not obliged to use her power on a given turn. If she uses a potion, she designates her target to the narrator with a thumb pointing up for healing, or down for poisoning. The narrator will reveal the effect the following morning.
4. The narrator wakes the whole village. The narrator says: "It is morning, the whole village wakes up, everyone opens their eyes, everyone except…" The narrator then designates the player(s) who fell victim to the Werewolves or the Witch during the night. That player (or those players) reveal their card because they are eliminated from the game. They can no longer communicate with the other players in any way. If one of these players is the Hunter, he must retaliate and immediately eliminate another player of his choice. If one of the players is one of the two Lovers, the other Lover dies of grief immediately.
5. The village debates the suspects. The narrator moderates and revives the debate. Here are examples of clues that may raise suspicion about certain players: a suspicious noise during the night, strange behavior toward another player, or a way of voting that is always identical for certain Villagers, a change in a player's attitude… During this phase, do not lose sight of the fact that everyone's goals differ: each Villager tries to unmask a Werewolf and get the village to vote against him. The Werewolves must pass themselves off as Villagers. The Fortune Teller as well as the Little Girl must help the other Villagers, without putting their own lives at risk too soon by revealing their identity. The Lovers must protect one another. Everyone has the right to pass themselves off as someone else. This phase is the heart of the game. Show off your talents as an orator, bluff or tell the truth, but always be convincing. Believe us, everyone always gives themselves away one way or another, and suspicions always end up landing right. Well, almost always!
6. The village votes. The players must eliminate a player suspected of being a Werewolf. At the narrator's signal, each player points their finger toward the player they wish to eliminate. The player with the majority of votes is eliminated. The Sheriff's vote counts double. In case of a tie, if present, the Sheriff's vote designates the victim. Otherwise, the players vote again to break the tie (including the players in question). If there is still a tie, no player is eliminated. The eliminated player reveals their card and can no longer communicate with the other players in any way.
7. The village falls asleep. The narrator says: "It is night, the survivors go back to sleep!" The players close their eyes. (Eliminated players stay silent, especially when they discover who the Werewolves really are…) The game resumes at the start of the turn, step 1.

Victory Conditions

The Villagers win if they eliminate the last Werewolf. The Werewolves win if they eliminate the last Villager. Special case: if the Lovers are 1 Werewolf + 1 Villager, they win as soon as all the other players are eliminated.

Advice to the Narrator

Your role is fundamental: the atmosphere of the game depends on your talent. Thanks to you, the players will have a good time. Do not hesitate to create an atmosphere of dread. Build suspense when you reveal the Werewolves' victims. Do not hesitate to revive the debates if they run out of steam. The night-calling phrases for the characters are given to you as examples. Once you have mastered the technique, let yourself go with a more personal flair. With experienced players, even if you are not very numerous, do not hesitate to use the Villagers with special powers; it adds interest to the games. With beginning players, introduce the other character cards gradually. The heart of the enjoyment lies in the atmosphere. Games are relatively short, play several in the same evening and vary the characters.

Important Points of Procedure

• When you speak, be very careful not to let slip any clues as to the identity of the characters, e.g.: "I call the Fortune Teller… uh, sorry, the Fortune Teller."
• At night, when you address the characters called, do not direct your voice only toward them, the other players might deduce their position!
• If the Werewolves cannot decide, too bad for them, there will be no death that night.
• If the Little Girl is being played, the players must not lower their heads, nor put their hands in front of their eyes.
• When the Fortune Teller spies, pretend to turn over every player's cards.
• Walk all the way around the table to designate the Lovers.
• You may wait a few turns before putting the position of Sheriff to a vote, giving the players time to form an opinion of their fellow players.
• If you are few in number, the narrator may also play. See our website.

For more advice and to learn the game's variants, visit www.loups-garous.com

Advice to the Players

• Werewolves: an effective ploy to clear yourself of an accusation is to vote against your partner. Still, the Villagers have to notice.
• The Fortune Teller: careful, if you have discovered a Werewolf, it may be worth revealing yourself to accuse the player, but not too soon!
• The Little Girl: a very powerful character, but very stressful to play. Do not hesitate to spy! It is frightening but you must take advantage of it quickly before being eliminated.
• The Hunter: it is always good, in case of accusation, to pass yourself off as the Hunter.
• Cupido: if you designate yourself as one of the Lovers, do not choose too big a "loudmouth" as a partner. (Hervé Marly could talk about this at length. Signed: Philippe des Pallières.)
• The Sheriff: do not hesitate to run for the position of Sheriff, campaign for it. But if you are a Werewolf, do not be too openly a candidate for this post. (Philippe des Pallières could talk about this at length. Signed: Hervé Marly.) Be proud of this post, pin the card to your lapel.
• The Witch: this character becomes more powerful toward the end of the game, do not waste your potions.

Reminder of the Turns of Play

Starting turn

• Village falls asleep
• Thief
• Cupido
• The Lovers
• The Protector (from expansion #1)

Night turn

• The Fortune Teller
• The Werewolves
• The Little Girl - the Baker (from The Village, see below)
• The White Werewolf (from The Village)
• The Arsonist (from The Village)
• The Witch
• The Piper (from expansion #1)
• The charmed players (from expansion #1)
• The Raven (from The Village)

Day turn

• Village wakes up
• Vote
• Village falls asleep

Rules of Expansion #2: The Village

Using the "Village" expansion changes neither the rules of the base game "The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow" nor those of expansion #1, "New Moon." Use the reminder of the turns of play above. Add the new characters and buildings you like, gradually, without using too many at once.

After setting up the game and secretly assigning the hidden characters, tokens, and buildings, go around the table for a round of player introductions. Everyone may then play their role as a villager, notable, or Vagabond however seems most fun for the group.

The Village: Box Contents

16 cardboard sheets, from which you must carefully detach the following pieces:

29 "visible role" tokens:

• 15 Vagabonds' bindles
• 6 cows for the 6 Farmers
• The Confessor's rosary
• The Bonesetter's mortar
• The Bailiff's house keys
• The Castellan's blazon
• Bread for the Baker
• The Schoolmistress's school bell
• The Tavernkeeper's tankard
• The Barber's razor

These tokens are used to distribute roles to all the players, however the narrator chooses:

• Either a random distribution, by drawing from the full set of available tokens face-down.
• Or a random distribution, by drawing from a selection of face-down tokens prepared by the narrator.
• Or a fixed order, a personal choice by each player of a token from a certain number of face-up tokens.

These tokens are then used to check the use of powers linked to certain buildings.

• A permanent power applies throughout the game. Those who hold a building with a permanent power, as well as the Vagabonds, keep their token for the whole game.
• A unique power applies only once. Only players whose building has a unique power keep their "role" token, which they place face up in plain view on the building. These tokens let everyone remember that these powers remain active. After using it, the player loses their building's power and returns their token to the narrator.

Note: the powers of certain buildings (see the Bonesetter and the Bailiff below) can reactivate the unique power linked to a building. The narrator then returns the token to the player concerned.

14 "building" silhouettes

29 square "character" cards:

• 14 Ordinary Villagers
• 6 Werewolves
• 1 Fortune Teller
• 1 White Werewolf
• 1 Hunter
• 1 Raven
• 1 Cupido
• 1 Arsonist
• 1 Witch
• 1 Thief
• 1 Little Girl

Plus 3 smaller "power" cards:

• 1 Sheriff medal
• 1 fire marker
• 1 anonymous poster

The Buildings

The Farmers

Building: farms. Power: permanent.

In our dear countryside, Farmers are numerous and their influence remains very important.

• From the second turn on, the Farmers debate and vote to choose a Sheriff among themselves.
• If the Sheriff is eliminated, they choose their successor only from among the surviving Farmers.
• If the last Farmer is eliminated, there is no longer a Sheriff.

The Confessor

Building: the church. Power: unique.

This character can hear the confession of a parishioner of their choice, whose secrets they would like to know.

• At any point during the day, the Confessor designates a player, who must immediately show them their character card in secret.
• After using this power, the Confessor loses it and returns their token.

The Bonesetter

Building: the hovel. Power: unique.

In a few seconds, our talented Bonesetter can restore your youth along with all its benefits.

• At any point during the day, the Bonesetter can restore to a player the unique power they have already used. The narrator returns to that player the token that restores the power linked to their building (for a new, single use).
• After using this power, the Bonesetter loses it and returns their token.

The Schoolmistress

Building: the school. Power: permanent.

In the village, the Schoolmistress often scolds those who point fingers.

• Each day, just before the vote, the Schoolmistress may forbid up to 2 players from voting during that round. She never votes herself.
• The Schoolmistress and the players she has forbidden from voting may still debate during the village council.
• The Schoolmistress may forbid the Tavernkeeper from voting.
• The Schoolmistress cannot forbid any Vagabond from voting.

The Bailiff

Building: the Bailiff's house. Power: permanent.

The representative of order and law, he is the one responsible for assigning vacant homes to the Vagabonds.

• When a building becomes free, the Bailiff may assign a Vagabond of their choice to it. That Vagabond changes seat to sit behind the building, returns their bindle token, and receives the "power" token associated with the building, if it had already been used.
• If several buildings become free on the same morning, this is done for each building in turn.

Note: the elimination of the Bailiff ends the assignment of homes. The Bailiff's house remains empty. The Vagabonds therefore have every interest in protecting the Bailiff if they hope to receive a home!

The Baker

Building: the bakery. Power: permanent.

In Miller's Hollow, he is always the first to wake to prepare his daily batch. Sometimes, just before dawn, he thinks he sees Werewolves returning from their misdeeds…

• Each night, the Baker opens their eyes immediately after the narrator finishes saying "…the Werewolves go back to sleep!" After a moment, the narrator asks the Baker to go back to sleep.

The Barber

Building: the Barber's shop. Power: unique.

This famous Barber is a true artist with a razor. He sometimes takes the opportunity to use his tool to mete out justice alone, in order to eliminate a character he judges suspicious…

• At any point during the day, the Barber may eliminate a player of their choice.
• If the eliminated player is a Werewolf, the Barber is congratulated by the village and survives their act. Otherwise, the Barber is immediately eliminated.
• The Barber cannot eliminate a Vagabond.
• After using this power, the Barber loses it and returns their token.

Note: of course, all special powers may apply against him (his immunity is only relative).

The Tavernkeeper

Building: the tavern. Power: permanent (conditional).

To make his business prosper, he is careful not to draw the wrath of any kind of customer, especially since his tavern is open from dawn until nightfall…

• The Werewolves do not devour him, and the villagers cannot vote against him.
• If he has voted against someone who ends up eliminated (even pardoned), he loses his immunity and his token.
• Tradition dictates that he always votes alone, before the others (unless he has lost his immunity), which can complicate his task.

The Castellan

Building: the manor. Power: unique.

Of course his haughty manner is sometimes irritating, but he is the only one who, by an ancient and still unabolished tradition, can pardon a condemned villager. The Castellan therefore remains a respected figure with whom it is best to be on good terms.

• After any vote, the Castellan may, at the request of the intended victim, pardon a villager chosen by the village's vote. That player will therefore not be eliminated and will not reveal their character card.
• A selfish Castellan may of course pardon themselves.
• After using this power, the Castellan loses it and returns their token.

The Vagabonds

No building. Power: permanent.

These brave homeless folk aspire only to join the village so they can put their desire to make themselves useful to good use…

• The powers of the Schoolmistress, the Barber, the Raven, and the Arsonist (see further on) have no effect on the Vagabonds.
• When a building becomes free, the Bailiff assigns a Vagabond of their choice. That player changes seat to sit behind the building, returns their bindle token, and receives the power token associated with the building.
• A Vagabond may refuse to occupy a home offered by the Bailiff.

Descriptions of the New Characters

The White Werewolf (or White Wolf)

Power: permanent.

This deeply malevolent character hates the Werewolves as much as the villagers! It is said that after the terrible tragedy of the "New Moon," a strange mutation occurred within the lycanthrope population itself. The first mutant White Werewolf is said to have been named "Cursed Greg," and is said to still prowl in the lands to the west!

• This character's goal is to be the sole survivor of the village.
• Most of the time, the "White Wolf" acts like the Werewolves, who take him for one of their own. He wakes at the same time as they do and takes part in their feast.
• Every other night, he wakes again after his "fellow wolves" have gone back to sleep, well fed. At that point, he may eliminate a Werewolf, if he wishes.

The Arsonist

Power: unique.

As his name suggests, this character is burdened with an enormous flaw. Let us hope he can master his incendiary vice and target the right house, at the right moment, in order to help the threatened village!

• When called upon, the Arsonist may, once and only once in the game, designate a building on which the narrator places the "fire" marker.
• The following morning, after all the inhabitants have witnessed the disaster, the building is permanently removed from the table. Its former occupant is not eliminated from the game — they become a Vagabond.
• If the Arsonist designated the building where that day's Werewolf victim lives, the first Werewolf to the right of the victim is eliminated, burned completely. Panicked by the flames, any surviving Werewolves have no time to sit down to their meal! In that case, there is no victim.

The Raven

Power: permanent.

This individual loves secretly making his suspicions of guilt known, by posting, just before dawn, an anonymous poster full of treacherous accusations against the owner of the home concerned.

• Each end of night, after the Werewolves have gone back to sleep (when his role is called), the Raven may designate a player he suspects. The narrator then places the "anonymous poster" marker on the designated player's home.
• That player will automatically have 2 extra votes against them at the next vote count.
• The Raven may place the "anonymous poster" on the tavern, even if the Tavernkeeper has not yet taken part in an elimination through his vote.
• The Raven cannot designate any Vagabond.

Advice to Narrators (The Village)

Using the "Village" expansion changes neither the rules of the base game "The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow" nor those of the "New Moon" expansion.

Use the reminder of the turn order above.

Add the new characters and buildings you like at your own pace — don't use too many of them at once.

After setting up the game and secretly assigning characters, tokens, and buildings, go around the table for a round of player introductions. Each player may then play their role as villager, notable, or Vagabond however seems most fun to everyone.

For your first game, we recommend choosing buildings only from among the Farmers, the Schoolmistress, the Castellan, and the Confessor.

In later games, we recommend respecting the following distribution: 1/3 Farmers, 1/3 Vagabonds, and 1/3 special buildings.

You will find more advice at: www.loups-garous.com

At the End of the Game

In the large black bag marked with a window, store the 14 buildings, along with, in the small clear plastic bag, the 29 role tokens.

In the medium red bag marked with a Werewolf's shadow, store the 29 character cards and the 3 other, smaller "power" cards.

Credits

The Author wishes to thank: Nadine Bernard, Juliette Blind, Théo Dupisson, Elvire and Chloé, Philippe Mouret, Caroline Ottavis, Vincent Pessel, Myriam Lemaire, Martine Jortay, the farm of Champlion and the village of Thiercelieux, the moderators of the site, and everyone we may have inadvertently forgotten. Special thanks to Bruno Faidutti.

This game is freely inspired by a traditional Soviet game of oral tradition, which appeared in the U.S.S.R. in the 1930s, better known by the name "Mafia." All cards marked © are the property of "lui-même" editions, Philippe des Pallières & Hervé Marly. All illustrations are the property of "lui-même" editions, Alexios Tjoyas, Philippe des Pallières & Hervé Marly.

Illustrations for the base game (and for the Raven): Alexios Tjoyas.

Illustrations for "The Village": Stéphane Poinsot.

Box design and layout: Hervé Marly.

Thanks for their help with this new installment: Manu 95 and his crew from the June 15, 2009 weekend at Thiercelieux (the first testers), Greg the fireman from Saint-Nazaire (the White Wolf), Thierry Lebourg (the first cawing), Marc Nunes (the Magic Whip), Pierre Gaubil (the Euro enthusiasm), Philippe Mouret (the human Trangsène), Stéphane Poinsot (patience, adaptation, and speed), Delphine Montalant (the re-re-reader), Jean Michel Papin (the cauldron), Freddy Decombe and Caroline Ottavis (moral support), and each of you for your trust.

"The Village" is a creation of Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly, published in October 2009 by "lui-même" S.A.R.L.

Published by "lui-même" — La Verrie, 44320 Saint-Père-en-Retz. Contact: [email protected]