Social deduction games: a guide
In a social deduction game, a few players are secretly working against everyone else. Nobody knows who. You talk, accuse, defend yourself and vote, and the liars try to survive it.
They're also called hidden role games. The best-known are werewolf and mafia, old party games played with nothing but a narrator and a pack of cards.
How do social deduction games work?
- Two sides. A big group that doesn't know who's who, and a small group that does (the werewolves, the mafia, the Imposter).
- Secret roles. Everyone is dealt a role in secret. Some roles have special powers, like checking one player's role.
- Talking is the game. The only way to find the liars is to listen, ask questions and watch who squirms.
- Votes. Each round the group votes someone out. Get it right and the good side gets closer to winning.
How to play werewolf or mafia (the classic way)
The catch: someone has to be the narrator and sit out. In our version, Emberbrook, the TV tells the story and every phone handles the secret night moves, so everyone plays.
- 1
Deal the roles
One player is the narrator. Everyone else secretly gets a role: a few werewolves (or mafia), the rest villagers, perhaps a seer and a doctor.
- 2
Night
Everyone closes their eyes. The narrator wakes the werewolves, who silently pick someone to knock out. Then the seer checks one player, and the doctor protects one.
- 3
Day
Everyone opens their eyes and the narrator says who was knocked out. Then the village argues about who the werewolves are.
- 4
Vote
The village votes one player out. Then it's night again.
- 5
Winning
The village wins when every werewolf is out. The werewolves win when there are as many of them as villagers.
Our social deduction games
- Imposter (3 or more): the quickest one. Everyone gets a secret word except the Imposter.
- Emberbrook (5 to 18): a werewolf-style village game with the narrator built in. Find the Duskwraiths.
- Hollowfair (5 to 15): a carnival has come to town, and the Ringmaster is hiding among you.
- Shadow Squad (5 to 10): secret agents on five missions, with Informants who can sabotage them.
- Two-Faced (4 to 6): a bluffing card game. Claim any character, and hope nobody calls it.
Imposter
Everyone gets the same secret word, except one player: the Imposter. Find them before they fool you!
- 3–16 players
- About 5–15 minutes
- Same room only
Emberbrook
Some villagers are secretly Duskwraiths. Each night they knock someone out. Find them before they take over the village!
- 5–18 players
- About 15–30 minutes
- Same room only
Hollowfair
A carnival rolls into the town of Hollowfair at midnight and won't leave. The Ringmaster is hiding among you, helped by the Carnies. Find the Ringmaster and run them out of town!
- 5–15 players
- About 20–40 minutes
- Same room only
Shadow Squad
A team of secret agents must pull off 5 missions. But some of them are Informants working against them!
- 5–10 players
- About 15–25 minutes
- Same room only
Two-Faced
Everyone has two secret cards and some coins. Claim any character you like, true or not. Get caught fibbing and you lose a card. Last one with a card left wins!
- 4–6 players
- About 10–20 minutes
- Same room only
Tips for the good side
- Talk early. Quiet players are hard to trust, and the liars love a quiet room.
- Watch the votes. Who always votes together? Who changed their vote at the last second?
- Don't give your power away too soon. A seer who says so on day one won't last the night.
Tips for the liars
- Act exactly as you would if you were innocent. Accuse people, ask questions, vote.
- Don't defend your teammates too hard. It links you together.
- Have your story ready before anyone asks.
How many players do you need?
Imposter works with 3. The village games are best from 7 or 8 players, and Shadow Squad from 5. With fewer than 5, play Imposter or Two-Faced.
Questions
What is a social deduction game?
A game where a few players secretly work against the group, and everyone has to work out who they are by talking and voting. Werewolf and mafia are the classic ones.
What's the difference between werewolf and mafia?
Almost nothing. They're the same game with a different story: werewolves in a village, or the mafia in a town.
Can you play werewolf without a narrator?
Yes. In Emberbrook the TV is the narrator and each phone does the night moves, so nobody has to sit out.
Do social deduction games work online?
They work best in one room, because faces and voices give people away. Our hidden role games need everyone in the same room for that reason.
Play a hidden role game tonight
Secret roles on every phone, the story on the TV. Imposter is in Basic, which costs nothing.
Get started