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When you've been lynched by the villagers or ripped apart by the werewolves, I believe the rules say those players are completely out of the game and should not contribute in any way.

In the handful of Werewolves games I've played, some of those dead characters are put out that they aren't playing any more & decide they'll go and do something else, hence splitting up the party.

Do people have any house-rules or innovative ideas for what dead players can be doing within (or around) the game as it continues?

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    In the many Werewolf games I've played the dead usually enjoy watching the remaining players struggle. If the game proceeds at a decent pace, the wait won't be all that long, even with 20-30 players. A great moderator is key, though. When the game does run long it's not uncommon for the dead to move to another room for a while and talk.
    – Matthew Frederick
    Commented Jan 12, 2011 at 10:08
  • Usually in long games the dead around here just kibitz. (It's quite easy to be entertaining and yet not "contribute". :) )
    – Allen Gould
    Commented Aug 22, 2013 at 15:34

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A simple game variant is that dead people can become ghosts. This means that they still close their eyes, but do not vote. During the day, they can still talk and participate in discussions. Obviously, one's status is NOT revealed when one is killed. It's up to the moderator to say when the game is over.

This changes the game, since it's not possible to eliminate 'leaders', but it can keep everyone engaged.

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    I do feel like it's a pretty crucial feature of Werewolves that you should be able to kill the most vocal/annoying players just to be able to shut them up. Maybe that's just my group though. (I usually get killed pretty early...)
    – thesunneversets
    Commented Jan 12, 2011 at 19:34
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    Perhaps some ghosts have had their throats ripped out, so they can't talk!
    – Andrew Borley
    Commented Jan 12, 2011 at 21:29
  • @thesunneversets: I agree, that's a key point even in my sessions. Happens also if a player is too devious or smart: if you're in doubt, it's a wolf. That would be pointless if he was allowed to keep talking. Moreover, it would make being killed much less of an issue, spicing down the game. Finally, it would buff way too much the role of the Seer, making it less interesting.
    – o0'.
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 16:13
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    Seems like an opportunity for further enhancement than a problem. Consider (1) Exorcising the ghosts as a particular action to be taken in the day (or night), that either costs the villagers or the wolves extra time. Consider also special role cards that could come into play ONLY if someone is a ghost...
    – Neal Tibrewala
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 20:18
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    @Lo'oris, there are several werewolf card decks being sold out there that significantly mess with the 'simple' game that work just fine and are quite fun.
    – Neal Tibrewala
    Commented Apr 28, 2011 at 20:08
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A house rule I've played is that the first dead person becomes a ghost. They can keep their eyes open and watch the rest of the game, and cannot speak.

Every morning they may write a clue in the form of a single letter (not using the player's initials) to show the people who are still alive.

The reason it's only the first person to be killed is that they haven't had much of a chance to participate otherwise in the game, not even in the first round of lynching.

It can also be quite good if you have new players in the group, as it gives the people still alive a focus for their discussion.

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  • While "the person killed the first night" is a nice idea, I cannot think of anything possibly useful to be "said" using just a single letter.
    – o0'.
    Commented Jan 14, 2011 at 16:26
  • It's a single letter per morning, so you can start to build up a word, but the game is usually over before the word spelt out makes it definite who one of the werewolves are. Like I say, the main thing I like about it is that it can help focus the discussion a little. What does g mean? Glasses? Gloves? Gambling?
    – ICR
    Commented Jan 15, 2011 at 17:24
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You mean I've been lying on the floor with my limbs twisted and an expression of ghastly terror frozen on my face all these times, and I didn't have to? Man!

I wonder if perhaps people bitten by werewolves should become junior werewolves - or at least ghosts, who can silently haunt people they feel helped stitch them up, and perhaps suggest future victims to the werewolves by pointing?

EDIT - I didn't really mean that death should involve promotion to full werewolf status. See my comment below for what was actually going through my mind when I typed that those bitten by werewolves should become a werewolf. Whoops!

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  • ROFL. I don't like this idea, though: this would take away a lot from the actual werewolves, and could also be an incentive to die! Yeah kill me np I'll be a wolf! Nonsense.
    – o0'.
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 9:13
  • @lo'oris - I phrased it pretty badly. I meant someone who could make suggestions (by pointing I guess) for the werewolves' next kill, rather than a fully participating werewolf. I totally agree with you that dying in this game needs to have pretty big negative consequences, or else it'd be, to use a currently topical analogy, like poker without the bidding!
    – thesunneversets
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 17:20
  • but the wolves are already "just pointing" and it is very difficult for them to actually communicate. Adding other guys that point to random people would be kind of pointless: it wouldn't enrich the game.
    – o0'.
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 17:23
  • @lo'oris: I thought the point was not necessarily so much to "enrich" the game as to create some sense of continued participation in the knocked-out players. But I guess if someone does come up with an insanely brilliant way to use dead people then I will take my hat off to them :D
    – thesunneversets
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 17:25
  • yeah yeah, I understand your point and I appreciate your effort. I still think that the best thing to do with dead players is to let them watch, which is pretty fun anyway. DISCLAIMER: I only played with groups of more or less 8-9 people.
    – o0'.
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 17:28
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I've always played with just 8-9 people, so the dead just wait for the next turn, which is going to happen in a matter of minutes (and it's fun).

One of the "official" game rules actually have a role for dead people too, but I fear that it would make the game needlessly complex.

update: I kind of found out. Those rules had people during the day first chose to nominees to be burnt, then everyone could vote which one to burn between those two: this last vote could be cast by ghosts too, which anyway could not talk.

This is an extremely lame and boring rule:

  • it adds unnecessary complexity
  • it either forces the ghosts to keep the eyes closed during the night (lame: it's fun to see what's going on!) or it makes them way too powerful (just terrible)
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  • @Lo'oris - Can you say what the official game rule is that you mentioned? I'm very interested in knowing.
    – going
    Commented Jan 12, 2011 at 22:25
  • @xiaohouzi: I don't remember it, but a link to the complete official rules has been posted in this site... somewhere.
    – o0'.
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 9:11
  • @xiohouzi79 : wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/Werewolf/Rules.html ; but it states : Nothing Means Nothing: If you can't keep quiet when you're dead, leave the room.
    – Joe
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 22:28
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    @Joe: I read different rules. Moreover, from those you linked "The moderator points at the victim, who reveals his or her card" This is extremely lame: it is much better not to reveal the role of the dead.
    – o0'.
    Commented Jan 14, 2011 at 12:32
  • @Lo'oris : it's the only 'official' rules I know of ... of course, due to the history of the game there are going to be more than one set of even 'official' rules.
    – Joe
    Commented Jan 14, 2011 at 12:41

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