Werewolf game roles explained
In Werewolf, a few players are secret werewolves who pick a victim every night. Everyone else belongs to the village and tries to vote them out by day. Special roles like the Seer, who sees one card per night, or the Witch, with one healing potion and one poison, give the village a fighting chance.
All roles at a glance
Thirteen roles, two teams and a few players who only look out for themselves. Werewolf and Villager can appear several times. Every other role appears once at most.
| Role | Team | Ability | Wakes up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Werewolf | Pack | Picks a victim with the other wolves at night. Acts harmless by day. | Every night |
| Villager | Village | No power at night. Finds the wolves by listening and voting. | Never |
| Seer | Village | Sees one player's role each night. | Every night |
| Witch | Village | One healing potion and one poison, each good for one use per game. | Every night |
| Cupid | Village | Makes two players fall in love. If one dies, so does the other. | First night only |
| Hunter | Village | Takes one player along right away when eliminated. | Never |
| Guardian | Village | Shields one player from the wolves each night, never the same one twice in a row. | Every night |
| Sleepover Guest | Village | Sleeps at someone else's place each night and isn't home when the wolves come. | Every night |
| Lone Wolf | Alone | Hunts with the pack but wants to win alone. May take out a wolf every second night. | With the pack, and alone every second night |
| Peeker | Village | May secretly peek while the werewolves are awake. | Never, but peeks |
| Thief | Depends | May swap their card for one of two spare cards. | First night only |
| Scapegoat | Village | Is eliminated whenever the day vote ends in a tie. | Never |
| Village Fool | Village | Survives being voted out once, but loses their vote. | Never |
The four basic roles
These four are enough for a great game. In the GameClique app, they're always free.
Werewolf
At night, the werewolves open their eyes, recognize each other and silently agree on a victim. By day, they act like everyone else. They win when the village can no longer outvote them. Tip: vote against another wolf now and then. Nothing looks more innocent.
Villager
No special power, just your head. Listen to who talks a lot and says little, who changes their story and who is quick to accuse. Most players are villagers, and a good village discussion is what makes the game.
Seer
Every night, the Seer picks one player and sees their role. It's the strongest information in the game, and the most dangerous. Reveal yourself too early, and the wolves come for you next. Share what you know when it can swing a vote.
Witch
The Witch learns each night who the wolves picked. She has a healing potion that saves that player and a poison that eliminates anyone she chooses. Each works once per game. Using both too early leaves her with nothing for the endgame.
The special roles
Add one or two of these once your group knows the basics. In the app, they come with Plus.
Cupid
On the first night, Cupid picks two players and makes them fall in love. The lovers learn who the other is. If one dies, the other dies of a broken heart. If a wolf and a villager fall in love, they play against everyone and win if they are the last two standing.
Hunter
When the Hunter is eliminated, by night or by vote, they take one other player with them on the spot. Decide early who you trust least, because you won't have long to think.
Guardian
Each night, the Guardian shields one player from the werewolves. You may protect yourself, but never the same player two nights in a row. The shield stops the wolves, not the Witch's poison.
Sleepover Guest
Each night, the Sleepover Guest stays at another player's place. If the wolves come for the Guest, nobody is home. But if the Guest sleeps over at a werewolf's place, or at the place of the wolves' victim, the Guest goes down, too.
Lone Wolf
The Lone Wolf wakes with the pack, and the other wolves think it's one of them. But the Lone Wolf wants to win alone. Every second night, it may secretly take out one of the other wolves. First the village, then the pack.
Peeker
When the werewolves open their eyes, the Peeker may secretly look. Getting caught is the risk: any wolf who sees you peeking knows exactly who you are.
Thief
With a Thief in the game, two extra cards go face down in the middle. On the first night, the Thief may swap their card for one of them, or keep their own and play as a villager. If both spare cards are werewolves, the Thief has to take one.
Scapegoat
If the day vote ends in a tie, the Scapegoat has to go, no matter who was tied. The Scapegoat's best strategy: make sure it never comes to a tie.
Village Fool
If the village votes out the Fool, everyone laughs and the Fool gets to stay. From then on, though, the Fool can't vote. The werewolves can still come for the Fool at night.
The night order
At night, everyone closes their eyes. The narrator calls the roles one by one. Only the roles in your game wake up, and the ones marked "first night" only wake once.
- Thief (first night): swaps a card or keeps their own.
- Cupid (first night): picks two lovers.
- Lovers (first night): open their eyes and see each other.
- Sleepover Guest: picks a place to sleep.
- Guardian: picks a player to protect.
- Seer: sees one player's role.
- Werewolves: agree on a victim. The Peeker may peek now.
- Lone Wolf (every second night): may take out a wolf.
- Witch: learns the victim, then heals, poisons or does nothing.
Then morning comes. The narrator announces who didn't survive the night, and the day discussion starts. At the end of the day, everyone points at one person on three, and the player with the most votes leaves the village.
Role mix by player count
This table shows a good starting mix for each group size. The basic mix uses only the four free roles. The extended mix adds special roles step by step: Hunter from seven players, Cupid from eight, Guardian from nine, Village Fool from eleven, Lone Wolf from twelve (in place of one werewolf) and Peeker from fourteen.
| Players | Basic mix | Extended mix |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 werewolf, Seer, Witch, 3 villagers | Same as basic |
| 7 | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 3 villagers | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, Hunter, 2 villagers |
| 8 | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 4 villagers | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, Hunter, Cupid, 2 villagers |
| 9 | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 5 villagers | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, Hunter, Cupid, Guardian, 2 villagers |
| 10 | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 6 villagers | as 9, with 3 villagers |
| 11 | 2 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 7 villagers | as 10, plus Village Fool, 3 villagers |
| 12 | 3 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 7 villagers | 2 werewolves, Lone Wolf, Seer, Witch, Hunter, Cupid, Guardian, Village Fool, 3 villagers |
| 13 | 3 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 8 villagers | as 12, with 4 villagers |
| 14 | 3 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 9 villagers | as 12, plus Peeker, 4 villagers |
| 15 | 3 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 10 villagers | as 14, with 5 villagers |
| 16 | 4 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 10 villagers | 3 werewolves, Lone Wolf, Seer, Witch, Hunter, Cupid, Guardian, Village Fool, Peeker, 5 villagers |
| 17 | 4 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 11 villagers | as 16, with 6 villagers |
| 18 | 4 werewolves, Seer, Witch, 12 villagers | as 16, with 7 villagers |
The Thief, the Sleepover Guest and the Scapegoat aren't in the suggestions. Add them when you want a twist. Keep in mind that the Thief adds two extra cards, so the deck has two more cards than players.
With five players you can still play a short mini round: one werewolf, a Seer and three villagers. It's quick, and a good way to teach the rules.
Tips for a good game
- Start simple. The first game with only the four basic roles. Add one new role per game.
- Keep the day short. Two to five minutes of discussion is plenty. A timer keeps the talkers in check.
- Settle ties up front. A runoff between the tied players, or nobody leaves that day. Agree before the first night.
- It's a game. Lying is part of it, and nobody should take an accusation personally. Say that out loud before you start.
With the GameClique app, the phone deals the roles, narrates the night in the right order and can read every call aloud, so everyone gets to play. It counts the votes and handles the runoff. Werewolf, Villager, Seer and Witch are free. The other nine roles come with Plus.
Questions people ask
How many werewolves should there be?
About one werewolf for every four to five players. That means one wolf with six players, two from seven to eleven, three from twelve to fifteen and four from sixteen to eighteen. At the start the wolves must always be a clear minority, or the village has no real chance.
What is the best role mix for beginners?
Werewolves, villagers, a Seer and a Witch. Those four roles teach the whole game: the wolves hunt, the Seer gathers information, the Witch can save or strike once and the villagers argue it out. Add one extra role per game once everyone knows the basics.
Can you play Werewolf with five people?
Yes, as a short mini round with one werewolf and a Seer. It's over quickly, which makes it a good way to learn the rules. The real tension starts at six players, when the village has enough voices to argue and the werewolves have enough cover to hide.
Who narrates the game?
Usually one person sits out and reads the calls. With the GameClique app, nobody has to. The phone sits in the middle, reads the night calls aloud and guides you through the day. If a device can't read aloud, someone reads the calls from the screen instead.
Should the role of an eliminated player be revealed?
That's a house rule. Revealing it makes the game easier for the village, because everyone learns something with each vote. Keeping it secret makes it harder and more tense. Beginners usually prefer revealing. Decide before the first night, and in the app, it's one switch.
Play it with GameClique
The app runs night and day. You do the lying.
- Deals the roles: pass the phone, each player sees only their own card.
- Narrates the night in the right order and can read the calls aloud, so nobody sits out.
- Counts the votes, handles ties and announces who has to leave the village.
- Werewolf, Villager, Seer and Witch free. The other nine roles with Plus.
Coming soon
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