Werewolves of Miller's Hollow Rules
Werewolves of Miller's Hollow Rules explained simply: setup, how to play, scoring and popular variants, plus beginner tips for your first games.
Updated on January 22, 2026
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Game Overview
The Werewolves of Miller's Hollow is a social deduction game by Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly. The village of Miller's Hollow has sealed a pact for its own survival — but hidden among the guests are the most fearsome characters ever to have walked its streets. Fortunately, other powerful characters are present too, ready to use their gifts to defend the village.
This article describes The Pact, the 2014 compilation that brings together the original 2001 game (24 Character cards) and its three expansions: New Moon (2006 — 36 Event cards, 9 variants, 5 new characters), The Village (2009 — 29 Character cards including 3 new ones, 29 Role tokens, 14 Building silhouettes) and Characters (2012 — 24 Character cards, 17 new characters).
Components
The Pact contains 47 Character cards, 29 Role tokens, 14 Building silhouettes, 36 Event cards and 9 variants.
The Werewolf camp includes the plain Werewolves (4 cards), the Big Bad Wolf (1 card) and the Vile Father of Wolves (1 card).
On the villagers' side you will find the plain Villagers (9 cards), the Villager-Villager, the Fortune Teller, Cupid, the Witch, the Hunter, the Little Girl, the Defender, the Elder, the Scapegoat, the Village Idiot and the Sheriff (a tile rather than a card). The Village expansion adds characters played with the buildings: the Two Sisters (2 cards), the Three Brothers (3 cards), the Fox, the Bear Tamer, the Stuttering Judge and the Knight with the Rusty Sword.
Two further families complete the cast. The ambiguous characters, who can change their role during the game: the Thief, the Devoted Servant, the Actor, the Wild Child and the Wolf Dog. And the loners, who pursue a personal victory condition: the White Werewolf, the Piper, the Angel and the Abominable Cult Leader. The New Moon characters — the Pyromaniac, the Raven, the Gypsy and the Rural Guard — must be played together with the Event cards.
Setup
The moderator chooses which characters to use, then deals each player one face-down Character card and, where applicable, a Building silhouette. Each player looks at their card discreetly and places it face down in front of them, or in the cut-out of their building. Revealing your Character card to anyone is strictly forbidden — but anything may be said.
How to Play
1. The moderator puts the village to sleep. They then call the characters in turn, following the wake-up order given in the rulebook, so that each one may use their power. Some powers are exercised after the night's victims are revealed.
2. The village debates. Once the victims are known, the players discuss their suspicions while the moderator keeps the conversation moving. Everyone is entitled to pass themselves off as someone else. This phase is the heart of the game: bluff or tell the truth, but always stay credible — sooner or later, people give themselves away.
3. The village votes. At the moment the moderator judges right, they call the vote. On their signal, every player points at the player they wish to eliminate. The player with the majority of votes is eliminated, and the Sheriff's vote counts double. The eliminated player reveals their card and may no longer communicate with the others.
A new round then begins. These phases repeat until one player or one group of players has fulfilled their victory condition.
End of the Game
There is no score in Werewolves: the game ends the moment a player or a camp achieves its objective. Since the loner characters have their own personal goals, the winner is not necessarily the villagers or the werewolves — which is exactly what makes the endgame so unpredictable.
Common Variants
New Moon's Event cards shake up a game in progress. Great Distrust replaces the daily vote: each villager has two votes to designate their two favourite friends, and anyone receiving no vote is eliminated. The Little One sends the youngest player out of the room — they cannot be devoured, and their vote counts triple when they return. Sleepwalking makes the moderator announce out loud the identity the Fortune Teller has discovered, without saying who was spied on. Heads or Tails has the moderator flip a coin right after the verdict to decide whether the condemned player is pardoned. Woodland Gathering sends all the women players into the forest: they take no part in the debates or votes and cannot be voted against, while the Witch recovers a potion she had already used.
Where to Get the Game
werewolves millers hollow game on Amazon
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
- Showing your card. It is strictly forbidden, and it ends your game as a source of information.
- Refusing to speak. Silence is read as guilt. Talking, even to say little, is part of playing.
- Forgetting the Sheriff's double vote. A single voice can swing a tie.
- Ignoring the wake-up order. The moderator must follow it exactly, otherwise powers resolve out of sequence.
FAQ
Who designed the game? Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly.
What does The Pact box contain? 47 Character cards, 29 Role tokens, 14 Building silhouettes, 36 Event cards and 9 variants.
Can I show my Character card to prove my innocence? No. Revealing your card is strictly forbidden — but you may say whatever you like.
How is a player eliminated during the day? By majority vote, with every player pointing at their suspect on the moderator's signal.
Does anyone have more voting power? Yes: the Sheriff's vote counts double.
Can an eliminated player keep playing? No. They reveal their card and may no longer communicate with the other players.
When does the game end? As soon as a player or a group of players has fulfilled their victory condition.
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