What is Werewolf?
If you have never played Werewolf before, then you are missing out on a great party game that is perfect for building closer friendships and relationships. Werewolf is a social deduction game that gets more fun the more you play with the same group. That's because the more times you play, the more you can learn about each person's playstyle, and try to pick up on how they behave. Onboarding new employees is not easy, and playing Werewolf can be a great way to facilitate the transition.
How do you play werewolf?
To start a game of Werewolf, you need at least 6 players. How you play the game depends on what role you are given at the beginning (see below for the full list). Here's a basic breakdown of the gameplay of Werewolf:
- If you are on the Werewolf team, your goal is to kill all the Villagers during the hunting phase at Night. This is done in secret, and the Villagers do not know who the Werewolves are. If the Werewolves outnumber the Villagers at the end of the game, they win
- If you are a Villager, your goal is to determine who is picking you off at night and vote them out. Beware, there will be Werewolves in your midst that try to change the vote to their favour. As a Villager, you may have a special ability, see below for the full list.
- The game is based on deception, deduction and discussion. Make the most of the discussion time and try to understand what is really going on. If you have a special ability, then make sure you use it to help your team without being too obvious.
A full breakdown of the rules can be found here, but the best way to learn the game is to just jump in and start playing! After a few rounds, you should be familiar with the basic gameplay.
Play Werewolf on Brightful
The easiest way to get started playing Werewolf with your remote team is through Brightful. Werewolf is one of many games available for your team to socialise through and have fun. All you need to do is to log into your account on Brightful, launch a game room, and share the link to it with everyone you want to play with. Brightful makes setting up a new game even easier, by allowing anyone you invite to play; whether they have Brightful accounts or not.
How long does a game of Werewolf take?
The beauty of playing Werewolf is that the games really depend on the group. A game of Werewolf can vary in length from between 10 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on how discussion time you have.
If you are playing Werewolf for team building purposes, you may want streamline the gameplay so that it is efficient and fun without taking up too much time. In that case, play Werewolf on Brightful, as it will take care of all the setup and rules for you.
Playing a quick game of Werewolf is also a great way to avoid Zoom fatigue.
How do you play Werewolf as an team building game?
Social deduction games require communication, team work, and intimate knowledge of characteristic traits of the players in the game. Although Werewolf is a fun game on it's own, when played as team building game it offers the chance for colleagues to get to know each other's traits in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. To play Werewolf as a team building game, host a game on Brightful and play a few rounds at your next Friday night drinks. Because it works on mobile and computers, it's the perfect game to play if your team is remote!
What are the roles in Werewolf?
Here are the roles in Werewolf, but keep in mind not every role will be in every game. You can swap in different roles to keep things interesting - no two games of Werewolf are ever the same!
Werewolf
The Werewolves choose someone to kill during the night phase. They must work amongst themselves to avoid detection.
Villager
The Villager's role is to find and eliminate the Werewolves during the day phase. They do not have any special powers.
Doctor
The Doctor has the ability to heal themselves or another player every night.
Seer
The Seer chooses another player to investigate during the night phase, to see if they are a Werewolf. The Seer tries to influence the Villagers to eliminate the Werewolves.
Hunter
When the Hunter dies, they choose any one person to kill with their last arrow. This choice must be made quickly without discussion from other Villagers.
Witch
The Witch has two single-use potions, one for healing and one for poisonings. She is shown who may die during the night phase and save them with the healing potion. She may also use her poison to kill any one person.
The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard can choose someone to guard each night. Should that person be killed during the night, they survive and the bodyguard dies instead.
Apprentice Seer
When the Seer is alive, the Apprentice Seer is a Villager with no special powers. If the Seer is killed, the Apprentice Seer gains the power of the Seer.
The Mayor
The Mayor's vote for eliminating counts as two.
Alpha Werewolf
Appears to be a Hunter at day time, but is actually on the side of the Werewolves. When the Alpha Werewolf dies, they choose any one person to kill with a bow and arrow.
