Learn Werewolf in five minutes.
What the game is, how a round works, how to start your first game, the game modes, and how the bot differs from the card game.
What is Werewolf?
Werewolf is a social deduction game for 5 or more players, also known as Mafia. A small village has werewolves hidden in it. Each player gets a secret role. The villagers must find the wolves and vote them out. The wolves must kill the villagers without being caught.
You win with words. Read the votes, watch who stays quiet, and decide who is lying. On Telegram, Black Werewolf does the rest: it deals the roles, runs the nights, counts the votes and announces the dead.
How a round works
- i.Start
Everyone gets a role
The bot sends each player a secret role in private. Wolves learn who the other wolves are.
- ii.Night
The wolves hunt
The wolves vote on a victim. Players with night powers use buttons in their private chat.
- iii.Day
The village talks
The bot names the dead. Players share what they know, or what they want the others to believe.
- iv.Vote
The village lynches
Each living player votes in private. The player with the most votes dies. Then night falls again.
Dead players stay quiet: no hints to the living. The game ends when one side has won.
Who plays for whom
Village
Find and kill every wolf and every other killer.
Villager, Seer, Guardian Angel, Hunter…Wolves
Kill villagers until the wolves are as many as everyone else.
Werewolf, Alpha Wolf, Wolf Cub, Sorcerer…Cult
Convert everyone who is left.
Cultist, PriestSolo
Play alone. Each solo role has its own goal.
Serial Killer, Tanner, Arsonist…Some roles change sides during the game: the Wild Child, the Cursed, the Traitor, the Thief. And lovers win together, whatever their sides. Every role and its side.
How to start playing
In your own group
- Add @blackwerewolfbot or @blackwwrobot to your group and make it an admin that can pin and delete messages. The two bots are identical. For team battles, add @marswolfbot.
- Each player opens the bot once and taps Start, so it can send them their role.
- An admin sends
/configto set the language, the game modes, the timers and which roles may appear. - Send
/startgame. Players tap Join before the timer ends.
In a community group
No friends online? Community groups play all day, in many languages. Join one and wait for the next Join button.
Useful commands
| /startgame | Start a game |
| /startchaos | Start a Chaos game |
| /join | Join the open game |
| /config | Group settings (admins) |
| /setlang | Your language in private chat |
| /stats | Your player stats |
11 ways to play
The mode decides which roles can appear. Anyone can start the common modes; group admins decide in /config which others are allowed. During a game, /modeinfo explains the mode being played.
Normal
Roles are picked for the number of players, so the village and its enemies are balanced. Start here.
/startgame
Chaos
Roles are picked at random. A few checks stop the worst games, but nothing is balanced.
/startchaos
Classic
Only the first five roles: Villager, Seer, Drunk, Harlot and Werewolf. Up to 15 players.
/startclassic
Mighty
No powerless roles: everyone has something to do.
/startmighty
Romance
A Mighty game where everyone gets a lover after the first night. 6 to 25 players.
/startromance
Cultus
The village against the cult, and nobody else. At least 10 players.
/startcultus
Foolish
Mostly Fools, a Seer and the wolves. Good luck telling them apart.
/startfoolish
Wolves
If the group allows itVillagers against wolves. Nothing else.
/startwolves
Max
If the group allows itFor very big groups: over 100 players, with roles that are usually single appearing more than once.
/startmax
Killers
Premium groupsEvery killer for themselves, with deadlier nights the longer the game goes on.
/startkillers
Custom
If the group allows itYou list the roles that are in the game.
/startcustom
Team modes, on @marswolfbot: random, organised and chaos battles. How team battles work.
How the bot differs from the card game
The card game needs a table, a deck and one person who only narrates. On Telegram, the bot is that person.
Nobody narrates
In the card game one player runs the game. Here the bot does it, so every player plays.
Secret night actions
No closed eyes or pointing. Night actions are buttons in your private chat.
Play from anywhere
All players need is Telegram. Friends in other cities play in the same game.
Many more roles
54 roles, many more than one card box. New roles are added over time.
Timers keep it moving
Each phase has a timer. Slow players cannot hold the game up.
Every game is recorded
Wins, deaths and roles are saved. Earn achievements and compare stats.
Ready for your first night?
Read the guidelines once, then play.