Photo: BCD Jeux, partner shopParty games
The Werewolves of Millers Hollow
ZygomaticPhilippe des Pallières, Hervé Marly2001
- players
- 8–18
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 10+
In the box
24 Character cards (Werewolves, Ordinary Villagers and special characters)
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designers
- Philippe des Pallières, Hervé Marly
- Artwork
- Philippe des Pallières, Hervé Marly, Alexios Tjoyas
- Publisher
- Zygomatic
- Mechanics
- Hidden RolesPlayer EliminationRole PlayingTeam-BasedAsymmetric Powers
- Expansions
- The Werewolves of Millers Hollow: New Moon · 2021
- The Werewolves of Millers Hollow: Characters · 2021
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
A moderator, who does not play, secretly gives each player a card: for a first game, 2 werewolves for 8 to 11 players, 3 for 12 to 18, a Seer and Simple Villagers. Every night, everyone closes their eyes: the Seer looks at one player's card, then the werewolves choose a victim together, and, if she is in play, the Witch may save or poison. In the morning, the victims reveal their card and fall silent; the village debates, then points at the player to eliminate, the Sheriff's vote, if there is one, counting double. The village wins when the last werewolf is eliminated, the werewolves once they have eliminated the last villager.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
8 to 18 players, Moderator doesn't play, 2 or 3 werewolves
- 8 to 18 players, aged 10 and up, plus a moderator chosen or drawn at random: they do not play, they run the game and take care not to give any role away.
- The box holds 24 cards: 4 Werewolves, 13 Simple Villagers, the Seer, the Witch, the Hunter, Cupid, the Little Girl, the Thief and the Sheriff card.
- Suggested set-up for a first game, not counting the moderator: 2 werewolves for 8 to 11 players, 3 for 12 to 18, one Seer, and Simple Villagers for everyone else; the other characters are added little by little. With 18 players, the rulebook's table calls for 14 Simple Villagers, one more than the box contains.
- With the Thief, add two Simple Villagers: after the deal, the two spare cards stay face down in the middle.
- The moderator gives everyone a card, face down; each player looks at theirs in secret and puts it back in front of them.
How to play
At night, 1 victim, By day, village vote, Sheriff votes double
- On the first night only, the moderator calls the Thief, who may swap their card for one of the two in the middle, and must take a werewolf if both are werewolves. Then Cupid chooses two lovers, possibly including themselves; the lovers recognise each other without showing their cards.
- Every night, in this order: the Seer looks at one player's card; the werewolves choose a victim together, while the Little Girl may spy on them by opening her eyes a crack; the Witch sees the victim and may save them or poison someone, each potion once per game.
- In the morning, the moderator names the night's victims: they reveal their card and may no longer communicate in any way. An eliminated Hunter immediately takes down a player of their choice; an eliminated lover takes the other one too, dead of grief.
- The village debates, then everyone points at the player they want to eliminate: the majority wins, and the Sheriff's vote counts double.
- A tied vote: the Sheriff decides; without a Sheriff, the village votes again between the tied players, themselves included, and if it is still tied, nobody is eliminated.
- The Sheriff is elected by the village by simple majority, and nobody may refuse; the moderator may let a few turns go by before the Sheriff is elected. Once eliminated, the Sheriff names a successor.
Scoring
No points, Game won or lost
- The rulebook has no points: a game is won or lost, and you play several in an evening.
- In Marquoir, each round is one game: enter 1 for each player on the winning side, 0 for the others.
End of the game
Village: werewolves out, Werewolves: village out
- The villagers win as soon as the last werewolf is eliminated.
- The werewolves win once they have eliminated the last villager.
- If the lovers are a werewolf and a villager, they play for themselves alone: they win once everyone else is eliminated.
House rules and pitfalls
If the werewolves cannot agree on a victim, nobody dies that night.
- If the werewolves cannot agree on a victim, nobody dies that night. A werewolf can never devour another werewolf.
- A Little Girl caught by a werewolf dies instead of the chosen victim, as the werewolves are allowed to change their minds; she is never allowed to open her eyes wide.
- The Witch may save herself and use both potions on the same night: in the morning there may be no, one or two deaths.
- A lover never votes against the other and never harms them in any way, not even to pretend.
- When the group is small, the rulebook lets the moderator play as well.
- The expansions add roles: New Moon (expansion no. 1), 36 Event cards and five new characters; The Village (expansion no. 2), buildings whose occupants have a permanent or one-off power, and new characters, including the White Werewolf, the Raven and the Pyromaniac; Characters, still more roles.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · Rules on video · In the same family
Variants
Roles in play
Base village
The base box: Seer, Witch, Hunter, Cupid, Little Girl, Thief and Sheriff.
New Moon
Expansion no. 1: 36 Event cards and five characters, the Elder, the Scapegoat, the Village Idiot, the Defender and the Piper.
Characters
Expansion no. 3: sixteen new characters.
The Village
Expansion no. 2: buildings and trades with permanent or one-time powers, and three characters, the White Werewolf, the Raven and the Pyromaniac.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How many werewolves do you need?
For a first game, the rulebook suggests two werewolves for 8 to 11 players and three for 12 to 18, not counting the moderator. It adds that there may be from one to four, depending on the number of players and the variants chosen.
Can an eliminated player speak?
No. They reveal their card and no longer communicate with anyone, in any way, until the end of the game. The rulebook insists: they stay silent, even when it becomes obvious to them who the werewolves are.
What happens if the vote is tied?
If the Sheriff is alive, their choice decides who is eliminated. Otherwise the village votes again between the tied players, themselves included; if it is still tied, nobody is eliminated that day.
Do the werewolves win as soon as they equal the villagers in number?
Not according to the rulebook: they win when the last villager is eliminated. Stopping when the werewolves equal the villagers is a habit at some tables, a house rule to agree on before playing.
How do you keep score in Marquoir?
Each round is a whole game. Enter 1 for each player on the winning side and 0 for the others: the total shows who won the most games over the evening.
Rules on video
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.