Mafia and Werewolf: rules and a one-phone role dealer
A hidden team tries to send everyone else out of the game at night, while the rest of the group argues, votes and tries to find them by day. Deal the secret roles on one phone below: each player sees only their own role, then hides it and passes the phone on. The narrator gets the role list, a read-aloud script and timers.
Secret role dealer
Everyone has a role. Give the phone to the narrator.
Night
Day
How to play Mafia or Werewolf
One person is the narrator and does not play. Everyone else gets a secret role: most are ordinary villagers, a few are the hidden team (werewolves, or the mafia), and in most games one Seer (Detective in Mafia) and one Doctor.
- Deal. Use the dealer above, or deal playing cards (see below). Nobody shows their role.
- Night. Everyone closes their eyes. The narrator wakes the hidden team, who silently agree on one player to send out of the game. Then the [object Object] checks one player and the [object Object] protects one.
- Morning. Everyone opens their eyes and the narrator says who left the game in the night, unless the [object Object] protected them.
- Day. The group talks, accuses and defends. Anyone can nominate a suspect; with a second, it goes to a vote, and a majority of the players still in sends that player out. The narrator reveals their role.
- Repeat night and day until one side wins.
Winning: the village wins when every hidden player is out. The hidden team wins when it is at least as big as everyone else still in, because from then on it can never be outvoted. The dealer's role list checks this for the narrator.
Players who are out stay quiet and keep their eyes closed at night. Give them a job: one keeps the day timer, another counts votes.
Role sets by group size
The dealer suggests these. The hidden team is about a quarter of the table, the [object Object] joins from 5 players and the [object Object] from 7. Change any count in the dealer if your group likes a harder or easier game.
| Players | Werewolves / mafia | Seer / Detective | Doctor | Villagers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 19 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 20 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
- Werewolf (Mafia). You and the other werewolves wake at night and quietly agree on one player to send out of the game. By day, act like an ordinary villager.
- Seer (Detective). Each night the narrator wakes you and you point at one player. The narrator shows you thumbs up if they are a werewolf, thumbs down if not.
- Doctor (Doctor). Each night you point at one player to protect. If the werewolves picked that player, nobody leaves the game that night.
- Villager (Townsperson). You have no night power. Listen, ask questions and vote out the werewolves by day.
Narrator script
Read it the same way every night, at the same pace, so nobody can tell who is moving from how long a step takes. This is the script for 8 players; the dealer writes the one for your mix.
Night
- Everyone close your eyes. It is night in the village.
- Werewolves, open your eyes and look around to find each other. Silently point to one player to send out of the game. (Wait until you all agree.) Werewolves, close your eyes.
- Seer, open your eyes. Point to one player you want to check. (Thumbs up for werewolves, thumbs down for not.) Seer, close your eyes.
- Doctor, open your eyes. Point to one player to protect tonight. Doctor, close your eyes.
- Everyone open your eyes. Say who left the game in the night, or that the doctor saved them. That player says nothing more and does not show their role until the game ends.
Day
- Discussion: everyone talks about who might be one of the werewolves. Start the day timer.
- Nominations: any player can name a suspect; a second player must agree before it goes to a vote.
- Vote: hands up for the suspect. A majority of the players still in sends them out of the game; otherwise nobody goes and night falls.
- Whoever is voted out says nothing more; the narrator reads out their role (or they turn their card over). Then night falls again.
Narrator tips
- Make noise at night. Tap the table or hum while the hidden team points, so nobody hears who moved.
- Keep it friendly. Players are "out of the game", not hurt. With kids, the werewolves can "tag" a villager, who then becomes a sleepy ghost who watches.
- No peeking, no proof. Players may say anything about their role, true or not, but nobody shows the phone or a card until they are out.
- Time the day. Without a clock, the first day can last half an hour. Three minutes of talk, then nominations, then the vote.
Playing with a deck of cards instead
No phone handy? Take one card per player from a standard deck and shuffle them: a King for each hidden player, the Queen of Hearts for the [object Object], a Jack for the [object Object] and number cards for everyone else. Each player looks at their card and keeps it face down. The narrator should see the cards dealt, or note who has which before the first night. More games for a big group with one deck are on our party games with cards page.
What this page adds
Most Mafia and Werewolf rules pages assume you have a narrator who deals slips of paper and remembers everything. Here one phone does the dealing with a hide screen between players, shows each hidden player who their teammates are, gives the narrator a role list that checks for a win, writes the night script for the roles you chose and runs the night and day timers.
Mafia and Werewolf questions
How many players do you need for Mafia or Werewolf?
At least 5 plus a narrator, and it gets better from 8 up. The dealer on this page handles 5 to 20 players and suggests how many of each role to use.
Is Mafia the same game as Werewolf?
Yes. Mafia came first, and Werewolf is the same game with a village and werewolves in place of a town and a mafia. The roles, nights and votes work the same way; only the names change. Pick either theme in the dealer.
How many werewolves should there be?
About one for every four players: 1 with 5 or 6 players, 2 with 7 to 11, 3 with 12 to 16 and 4 with 17 to 20. Fewer and the village wins too easily; more and the game is over in two nights.
Can kids play Werewolf?
Yes, from about 8 to 10 if a grown-up narrates. Say players are "out of the game" or "tagged out" rather than anything scary, keep nights short, and give anyone who is out a job, like keeping time.
Can you play Werewolf with one phone?
Yes, that is what the dealer above is for. Each player takes the phone in turn, sees their own role, hides it and passes it on. The narrator then keeps the phone for the role list, the script and the timers.
Is this Ultimate Werewolf?
No. Ultimate Werewolf and One Night Ultimate Werewolf are boxed games from Bezier Games with their own role cards and rules. This page covers the traditional folk game, which needs only a phone or a deck of cards.
More for the party: birthday party games by age, a random team generator, and games for large groups.
Ultimate Werewolf and One Night Ultimate Werewolf are products of Bezier Games and are named only to say this page is not about them. Tally & Table is not affiliated with Bezier Games.