- Werewolves (4 players): Work together to eliminate the villagers or all the special roles ("seers," "witch," etc.).
- Villagers (4 players): Have no special powers; rely on discussion and voting.
- Special Roles / "Gods" (4 players): Have unique abilities to help the village identify and eliminate werewolves.
- Village (Good Team) Wins: When all werewolves are eliminated.
- Werewolves Win (in a "Side-Elimination" or Tu Bian format, which is most common):
- If all villagers are dead or
- If all special roles are dead.
(Alternative: City-Elimination/Tu Cheng—kill all good players—but this is less common.)
Note: Werewolves can also win if, during a daytime vote, they hold a majority or tie in votes, making it impossible for villagers to eliminate them.
- Werewolves wake up, silently agree on a target to “kill” (via gestures).
- Special roles wake up one by one (in a set order known only to the moderator) to use their powers:
- Seer checks one player’s alignment (good or bad).
- Witch may save the killed player (once per game) or poison someone (once per game).
- Guard may protect someone (not the same person two nights in a row).
- Hunter and Village Idiot have passive or reactive abilities (see below).
All roles act before deaths are announced—so a player killed at night can still use their ability that same night, if applicable.
- First Day Only: Sheriff Election occurs before deaths are announced.
- Moderator announces who died last night.
- Only the first-night death gets a final statement (last words) if killed at night. All daytime lynched players always get last words.
- Players discuss in turn (order may be set by sheriff or death position).
- All vote to lynch one player.
- The lynched player gives last words.
- Game proceeds to next night.
- Ability: Kill one player each night by consensus.
- Special Action: Can self-explode (zi bao) during the day—immediately ends discussion and skips to night (they die).
- Terminology:
- "Knife" = to kill (e.g., “He was knifed last night”).
- "Self-knife" = a werewolf kills another werewolf to fake being innocent (e.g., to trick the Witch into wasting her cure).
- No powers. Must use logic and discussion to identify werewolves.
| Role | Ability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seer | Each night, checks if one player is werewolf or not. | "Gold Water": Verified good player. "Checked Kill": Verified werewolf. |
| Witch | Has 1 cure (save a night-killed player) and 1 poison (kill someone). Can use only one per night. Usually cannot heal self (except sometimes on Night 1). | "Silver Water": Player saved by Witch—usually considered good, but less reliable than Seer’s check. |
| Hunter | When killed by vote or werewolves, may shoot one player. Cannot shoot if poisoned by Witch. | Moderator informs Hunter nightly whether they can shoot. |
| Guard | Protects one player each night (including self). Cannot guard same person two nights in a row. | "Same Guard Same Save": If Guard protects and Witch saves the same person, they still die. |
| Village Idiot (alternative to Guard) | If lynched during the day, can reveal identity to stay alive (but loses vote). Gains right to interrupt others’ speeches. Dies if killed at night. | Provides resilience against mislynch. |
-
Elected via Day 1 pre-discussion vote:
- Volunteers speak → non-volunteers vote.
- Ties are resolved by experienced players (details not needed for beginners).
-
Powers:
- 1.5 votes in all future votes.
- Sets speaking order (e.g., “dead left” or “sheriff right”).
- Final summary (“closing vote”): Recommends who to lynch.
- On death, can pass badge or tear it up (no sheriff thereafter).
-
Key Terms:
- "On-Police": Players who ran for sheriff.
- "Off-Police": Players who did not run.
- "Step Down": Withdrawing from sheriff race after nominating.