Post by chocolatepi on Apr 23, 2013 15:09:45 GMT -5
Witchhunt Rules 9.0
Preface: Witchhunt does not accommodate bastard modding. No false or misleading information should ever presented in-game to players, nor should any details about the rules or mechanics be withheld.
Overview
Witchhunt is a game in which two factions each seek to control their town by killing off the other: The Villagers and the Witches. There are fewer members of the Witch team, but their identities are secret. Whichever team successfully kills all of their opponents wins.
The game continuously marches through a daily cycle split into two phases: day and night. The length of each game’s cycle can vary; a real life game might take 10 minutes for each day and night, while a forum game might take a full week. Each phase has an announced deadline, at which point the game automatically transitions to the next phase.
During night, players may not make public discussion and any actions taken are private from other living players. Each night, the Coven of Witches secretly meets and selects a target to kill.
This kill is announced at the start of the next day. During day, living players may make open discussion and decide on a target of their own to lynch. Any living player may vote for any other living player, and a true majority (more than half) is required to lynch.
During this discussion, it may prove important to conceal information or lie. There is no restriction to what players can say or claim! Lies are normally weapons of the Witch team, but anyone can say anything in pursuit of their team’s victory.
When a majority is reached, the person is automatically lynched. (The moderator holds the town accountable to a reasonable deadline along with ample warnings; if the deadline arrives, the default lynch target is no one.) Once lynch announcements conclude, the day ends and night begins.
Note that unlike some other games, there is no "card flip" (announcement of the player's identity) on death! Which team they were working for remains a mystery!
The game begins on day 1.
The game ends when one side has completely eliminated the other, or when this is inevitable. (For example, Witches typically win when at least half the remaining players are Witches, because it is then impossible for Villagers to out-vote and lynch them.)
Witches win all ties or stalemates.
Player Assignments (Character and Type)
Each player is given two assignments: a unique character, and a non-unique type.
Unique characters provide every player with a special, unique ability of some sort. These abilities may be offensive or defensive, mechanical or informational. Powers granted by your character only apply while you are alive.
Player type is separate from character, and determines what team the player is on.
Village Team Types:
Basic Villager - This is the most common player type. Basic Villagers are simply trying to hunt down the Witches and use their character to help the Village do so.
Holy Villager - The most powerful characters are considered “holy” and have gold cards. These characters are reserved for the Holy Villagers, and cannot be any other player type. (Holy Villagers have no other unique function besides getting a reserved character.)
Village Spy - The Village Spies know each other from the start of the game, allowing them to trust each other and work together to help the Village team. Also, the Village Spies can trick the Witches into thinking they are allies! (See below)
Village Lover - Some games using the Love and War expansion might feature one or even two pairs of Village Lovers. Village Lovers knows their partner from the start of the game, but tragically commit suicide if their partner is announced dead. Luckily, Village Lovers share protection at night, from any source!
Witch Team Types:
Elder Witch - Elder Witches are “normal” Witches. They know each other from the start of the game, and vote as a group in the Coven each night to kill a target.
Junior Witch - Junior Witches are a sleeper cell group of Witches who do not start in the Coven with their Elders—this makes them harder to catch. Junior Witches know each other from the start of the game.
As the start of the game, Elder Witches and Junior Witches are told who the other group is—with a twist. Each group’s list also includes the Village Spies. Both the Elders and Juniors will need to eventually work out exactly who the other half of their team actually is.
There is an announcement the first night that all Village Spies are dead. The Junior Witches join the Witch Coven at this time, and vote alongside any remaining Elders. This also happens in the event that all Elder Witches are dead, should that happen first.
Dead Players
Dead players may no longer communicate or vote with living players. They also may no longer utilize their character abilities. Dead players may communicate with each other freely, and may watch the game unfold. Dead players
It is critical that dead players may not communicate with living players in any meaningful way!
However, dead players are NOT eliminated from the game! Instead they continue to serve their side as an Angel or Demon.
Angels and Demons
All dead Villagers are Angels and all dead Witches are Demons.
Each night, the Angels may vote to protect a target. Protected targets cannot die for any reason that night. Not only do protected target survive attempts to kill them, but it is publicly announced that they survived. This information means that an angel protection has the potential to be a devastating double-blow to the Witches.
However, before the Angels make their decision each night, the Demons may vote to veto a single target from being protected by the Angels! The Villagers would be wise to not rely on the Angels
Angels and Demons vote by simple plurality, so dead players who do not wish to continue participating can do so with minimal consequence. Since Angels and Demons see all events that take place in the game and may discuss the game freely with each other, they can continue to have a massive impact on the game’s ultimate outcome!
Archangel Cards
The first dead players get a special resource that allows them to lead their fellow Angels (or Demons!) in a powerful way. They are given a double-sided Archangel card.
An Angel can spend an Archangel card to ignore the Demon’s veto one night! If used at the correct time, this can be a critical move that saves the Village team! (Note that living players are not informed when an Archangel card is spent.)
But Archangel cards have a flip-side—literally! In the hands of a Demon they are an Archdemon card, which can be spent to veto an additional target one night. While not quite as powerful, this is still a big roadblock for the Angels.
The number of Archangel cards given out depends on the size of the game—normally one for every ten rounded down. (So in a 24-player game, the first two players to be announced dead would be given Archangel cards.)
Archangel cards are not like player type or character cards. They are resources that can be freely shown and even given to other dead Angels/Demons. Just don’t let the living see!
Characters
Witchhunt Base Set
1 Priest Each night, you may check if a target is a Coven member.
2 Survivalist You start the game with an extra life.
3 Judge Whenever the town fails to select a lynch target, you may privately determine it yourself.
4 Dirty Old Bastard When your death is announced, you may kill a target.
5 Benevolent Old Dame When your death is announced, you may give an extra life to a target. (This is public.)
6 Inquisitor Each night, you may check if a target is a Holy Villager.
7 Acolyte At the start of the game, you will be shown the Priest's identity.
8 Gambler During even nights, you are protected.
9 Recluse During odd nights, you are protected.
10 Gravedigger When a lynched player dies, you will be shown all of their cards.
11 Fanatic When the Priest checks you, you are informed and gain an extra life.
12 Loose Cannon Before a lynch vote is decided, you may kill yourself to decide it. Do this dramatically.
Showdown Expansion
13 Bishop At Halftime, you will be shown all living Coven members.
14 Hunter At Halftime, you are protected and may kill a target.
15 Magician If you die before Halftime, your death is fake. The morning after Halftime, reveal that you are alive.
16 Investigator Each night, you may check if a target is a Village Spy. If you check them all, you gain an extra life.
17 Innkeeper Each night, meet with the Inquisitor and Investigator.
18 Entertainer At Halftime, you may select three other targets. If they are on different sides, the odd-man-out is killed. If not, you are killed.
19 Nun At the start of the game, you will be shown the Bishop's identity.
20 Zealot At Halftime, you will be shown all living Holy Villagers.
21 Summoner At Halftime, you may kill exactly three targets. The Angels may save one. The Demons may save one.
22 Assassin At Halftime, you may kill exactly two targets. The Village Spies meet and may vote to save one.
23 Oracle At the start of the game, you will be shown the identity of all characters that kill at Halftime.
24 Wizard During any day after Halftime, you may reveal this card and guess a target's character. If correct, they are killed. If incorrect, you are killed.
King’s Court Expansion
25 King The first night, select up to four targets to join your Court. Every even night, the Court meets and votes to kill a target. (Disbands when two are left)
26 Queen You are automatically part of the King's Court. After the King selects his Court, you will be informed whether it has an odd or even number of Witches. (This counts both types of Witches.)
27 Paladin You are automatically part of the King's Court. Whenever the Court meets with exactly three members, you may give one an extra life.
28 Vigilante When anyone on your side dies to the King's Court, you may kill a target the following night.
29 Undertaker Once per game at the start of a night of your choice, you will be shown all cards of all players who died during previous nights.
30 Pauper You survive the first attempt to kill you and join the King's Court instead. (Only if the Court still exists and you are not a member)
31 Deacon As long as you are alive, all Holy Villagers survive any attempt to lynch them.
32 Anarchist When the King's Court dissolves, you may kill a target. If the target was on the Court, you may kill a second target.
33 Traveling Medic The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may select a target. If you share the same player type, the target gains an extra life.
34 Traveling Mercenary The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may kill a target. If the target is the same player type as you, the target survives.
35 Traveling Mystic The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may select a target. When that player dies, they will receive an Archangel card.
36 Traveling Minstrel The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may select a fellow Traveler. They may use their ability again on a second target.
Love & War Expansion
37 Cupid The first night, you are protected and will be shown all Village Lovers.
38 Moonlight Pagan Once per game at the end of any night, you may reveal this card. That night the Demons' veto target is protected, and all other protection sources are canceled.
39 Twilight Pagan Once per game when a player survives a kill, you may reveal this card. Kill them again until they die.
40 Sunlight Pagan Once per game after any morning's death announcements, you may reveal this card. You will be privately shown the character and type of all those players.
41 Templar During any day, you may reveal this card. You may kill a revealed Pagan. If they die to this kill, you will be privately shown their cards.
42 Lookout At the start of the game, you must select a player type for the Alarm. (This sounds the first morning half those players are dead.)
43 Harlot Any night a Village Lover is protected, you are informed which Lover and share the protection.
44 Captain When the Alarm sounds, you may reveal this card. If you are not lynched, you gain two extra lives.
45 Blacksmith The night after the Alarm sounds, you may give up to two other living players weapons. Players given weapons who are not Holy Villagers may kill a target.
46 Pious Musketeer At the start of the game, you will meet with the other Musketeers. Once per game during day if you are the only Musketeer alive, you may reveal this card. Select up to two targets. Any who are not Holy Villagers are killed.
47 Sneaky Musketeer At the start of the game, you will meet with the other Musketeers. Once per game during day if you are the only Musketeer alive, you may reveal this card. Select up to two targets. Any who are not Village Spies are killed.
48 Reckless Musketeer At the start of the game, you will meet with the other Musketeers. Once per game during day if you are the only Musketeer alive, you may reveal this card. Select up to two targets. Any who are not Witches (either type) are killed.
Keyword Reference
Town – All the currently living players combined.
Player Type – Every player has a type card. See the “Player Type” section of the rules.
Villager – The majority of players (two-thirds or more) are Villagers. There are a few different types of Villagers, but they are all working together on the same side to hunt down the Witches.
Witch – Enemies of the Villagers—they come in two types: Elder Witches and Junior Witches.
Character – Every player also has a unique character card featuring some special ability. A few “holy” characters are reserved for the Holy Villagers. The rest could be any type, include a Witch!
Day – During the Day, the town may talk freely and vote by majority to lynch a target.
Night – During Night, players may not talk. The Coven of Witches votes by plurality to kill a target.
Target – Any unique currently living player, including yourself.
Kill – An attempt to eliminate a living player. It is possible to survive a kill. Either way, all kills are publicly announced. Deaths (and survivals) from each night are announced first thing the following morning, in a random order.
Lynch – A single kill the town can make each day by majority vote. A lynch ends the day.
Meet – Some characters or groups meet with each other at night or game start. They observe each other’s actions. In online games, these groups can chat privately.
Coven – The Coven of Witches meets and votes to kill a target each night. Elder Witches begin in the Coven. Juniors Witches join later, the first night all the Elder Witches -or- Village Spies are dead.
Protected – Sometimes players are protected during a night. During that night, all kills targeting that player will fail. Protection does not affect the following day.
Angel – A dead Villager. Angels may vote by plurality to protect one target each night.
Demon – A dead Witch. Demons may vote by plurality to veto one target from being protected by Angels each night.
Archangel Card – Special card(s) given to the first dead player(s). Either side of the card may be used depending on the player’s side: Archangel or Archdemon. Dead players may freely pass Archangel cards to another dead player, if they wish.
Extra Life – Some characters can get extra lives. An extra life will make any kill fail.
Halftime – Halftime is the first night that begins with at least half of the players dead.
King’s Court – The Court is an elite group that meets on even nights and votes by majority to kill a target. In many ways, they are like an extra Coven. The King’s Court is initially made up of three characters: the King, the Queen, and the Paladin. The King may then add up to four more members the first night. Although the King is a Holy Villager, any of the other members may be Witches! If the King’s Court meets with less than three members, it disbands and never meets again.
Alarm – The Lookout character selects a player type for the Alarm. The first morning at least half of those players are dead (including the players announced dead that morning) the Alarm sounds. The entire town is informed of this, but only the Lookout knows for sure what it means.
Frequently Asked Questions:
General
Is this ruleset designed for real life or online play?
Both. Without compromise, the mechanics and balance of this ruleset is designed to innately support both types of games. Of course, they are very different games in practice—online Witches enjoy robust private communication while suffering from a decisive, permanent record—but the stability of the mechanics is intentionally suited for both.
Player Type
Okay, I’m getting confused about character versus player type.
All characters are unique. All player types are non-unique and have “Village” or “Witch” in the name: Basic Villager, Holy Villager, Village Spy, Village Lover, Elder Witch, Junior Witch. That’s all of them!
Any character can be any player type, except that Holy characters (like Priest) always go to the Holy Villagers.
Can you go over Junior Witches and Spies with an example?
Erin, Elmer, and Eddie are the 3 Elder Witches
Jared and Jeromy are the 2 Junior Witches
Susan and Sally are the 2 Village Spies
Erin, Elmer, and Eddie know each other from the beginning and vote to kill someone every night. They also know from the beginning that 2 of Jared, Jeromy, Susan, and Sally are their allied Junior Witches lying in wait, but aren’t sure which.
Jared and Jeromy know each other from the beginning as well. They also know from the beginning that 3 of Erin, Elmer, Eddie, Susan, and Sally are their allied Elder Witches, but aren’t sure which.
Susan and Sally know each other from the beginning, but nothing else. They will probably be on the lookout for any Witches that mistake them for allies.
Later in the game, only Erin, Jared, Jeromy, and Susan are left alive of those players.
Let’s say Erin has figured out who her Juniors are and wants them to join her in the Coven. If she kills Susan (the last Spy), Jared and Jeromy will join the Coven the following Night. On the other hand, they would also join if Erin (the last Elder) died as well.
Can a Village Lover be a Witch? Or Both? What about Holy, or Spies? If there's a Village and Witch Lover...
No, stop right there. Villager Lover is a player type, just like all those things listed. (It even says “Village” right there in the name!) Everyone only gets one player type.
Can Village Lovers survive their own attempts to kill themselves, such as with an extra life?
Yes! It is possible for a widow to outlive their partner in this way.
Village Lovers share protection—how does this work?
The Angels and some roles give protection at night, allowing a target to survive any and all kills that night. Any time a Village Lover is protected, their partner enjoys it as well. (No one is informed of this.)
Angels and Demons
If a Demon uses an Archdemon card to veto an additional target, but an Angel also uses an Archangel card to ignore the Demon veto, does that mean the Angels ignore both vetos?
Yes; they can protect any target that night.
Characters
Can I target dead players? Or if my character ability says to pick two targets, can I pick the same player twice? What about targeting myself?
As the glossary states, targets are defined as unique currently living player. A character ability that picks multiple targets must pick different players, while a character ability that is used multiple times (such as once per night) could target the same player again.
Almost all abilities can target yourself, including votes. Only two character abilities (Entertainer and Blacksmith) specify "other” targets and cannot select themselves.
What exactly does "extra life" mean?
Having an extra life means that you will always survive the next single thing that would otherwise result in your death, at the expense of the extra life. You can have multiple extra lives, though this is highly unusual!
Which characters are Holy?
The ones with the gold cards: Priest, Acolyte, Bishop, Nun, King, and Deacon.
Do I have to use my character’s ability?
Almost all abilities are optional; most rules text includes "may". Characters that announce themselves when they use their power can take their secret to the grave, if they wish.
Is "None" a valid target option?
No, but as stated most abilities are optional.
Can I use my character's ability when dead?
No! The D.O.B. and B.O.D. use their abilities as their death is being announced, and the Lookout's Alarm goes off with or without him, but those are the closest things to exceptions.
What is Halftime? How is Halftime rounded?
Halftime is the first night at least half of all players are dead going into that night.
(For example when 8 of 15 players are dead, but not when only 7 are dead)
Preface: Witchhunt does not accommodate bastard modding. No false or misleading information should ever presented in-game to players, nor should any details about the rules or mechanics be withheld.
Overview
Witchhunt is a game in which two factions each seek to control their town by killing off the other: The Villagers and the Witches. There are fewer members of the Witch team, but their identities are secret. Whichever team successfully kills all of their opponents wins.
The game continuously marches through a daily cycle split into two phases: day and night. The length of each game’s cycle can vary; a real life game might take 10 minutes for each day and night, while a forum game might take a full week. Each phase has an announced deadline, at which point the game automatically transitions to the next phase.
During night, players may not make public discussion and any actions taken are private from other living players. Each night, the Coven of Witches secretly meets and selects a target to kill.
This kill is announced at the start of the next day. During day, living players may make open discussion and decide on a target of their own to lynch. Any living player may vote for any other living player, and a true majority (more than half) is required to lynch.
During this discussion, it may prove important to conceal information or lie. There is no restriction to what players can say or claim! Lies are normally weapons of the Witch team, but anyone can say anything in pursuit of their team’s victory.
When a majority is reached, the person is automatically lynched. (The moderator holds the town accountable to a reasonable deadline along with ample warnings; if the deadline arrives, the default lynch target is no one.) Once lynch announcements conclude, the day ends and night begins.
Note that unlike some other games, there is no "card flip" (announcement of the player's identity) on death! Which team they were working for remains a mystery!
The game begins on day 1.
The game ends when one side has completely eliminated the other, or when this is inevitable. (For example, Witches typically win when at least half the remaining players are Witches, because it is then impossible for Villagers to out-vote and lynch them.)
Witches win all ties or stalemates.
Player Assignments (Character and Type)
Each player is given two assignments: a unique character, and a non-unique type.
Unique characters provide every player with a special, unique ability of some sort. These abilities may be offensive or defensive, mechanical or informational. Powers granted by your character only apply while you are alive.
Player type is separate from character, and determines what team the player is on.
Village Team Types:
Basic Villager - This is the most common player type. Basic Villagers are simply trying to hunt down the Witches and use their character to help the Village do so.
Holy Villager - The most powerful characters are considered “holy” and have gold cards. These characters are reserved for the Holy Villagers, and cannot be any other player type. (Holy Villagers have no other unique function besides getting a reserved character.)
Village Spy - The Village Spies know each other from the start of the game, allowing them to trust each other and work together to help the Village team. Also, the Village Spies can trick the Witches into thinking they are allies! (See below)
Village Lover - Some games using the Love and War expansion might feature one or even two pairs of Village Lovers. Village Lovers knows their partner from the start of the game, but tragically commit suicide if their partner is announced dead. Luckily, Village Lovers share protection at night, from any source!
Witch Team Types:
Elder Witch - Elder Witches are “normal” Witches. They know each other from the start of the game, and vote as a group in the Coven each night to kill a target.
Junior Witch - Junior Witches are a sleeper cell group of Witches who do not start in the Coven with their Elders—this makes them harder to catch. Junior Witches know each other from the start of the game.
As the start of the game, Elder Witches and Junior Witches are told who the other group is—with a twist. Each group’s list also includes the Village Spies. Both the Elders and Juniors will need to eventually work out exactly who the other half of their team actually is.
There is an announcement the first night that all Village Spies are dead. The Junior Witches join the Witch Coven at this time, and vote alongside any remaining Elders. This also happens in the event that all Elder Witches are dead, should that happen first.
Remember: Holy characters aside, any characters can be any player type—Villager or Witch!
Dead Players
Dead players may no longer communicate or vote with living players. They also may no longer utilize their character abilities. Dead players may communicate with each other freely, and may watch the game unfold. Dead players
It is critical that dead players may not communicate with living players in any meaningful way!
However, dead players are NOT eliminated from the game! Instead they continue to serve their side as an Angel or Demon.
Angels and Demons
All dead Villagers are Angels and all dead Witches are Demons.
Each night, the Angels may vote to protect a target. Protected targets cannot die for any reason that night. Not only do protected target survive attempts to kill them, but it is publicly announced that they survived. This information means that an angel protection has the potential to be a devastating double-blow to the Witches.
However, before the Angels make their decision each night, the Demons may vote to veto a single target from being protected by the Angels! The Villagers would be wise to not rely on the Angels
Angels and Demons vote by simple plurality, so dead players who do not wish to continue participating can do so with minimal consequence. Since Angels and Demons see all events that take place in the game and may discuss the game freely with each other, they can continue to have a massive impact on the game’s ultimate outcome!
Archangel Cards
The first dead players get a special resource that allows them to lead their fellow Angels (or Demons!) in a powerful way. They are given a double-sided Archangel card.
An Angel can spend an Archangel card to ignore the Demon’s veto one night! If used at the correct time, this can be a critical move that saves the Village team! (Note that living players are not informed when an Archangel card is spent.)
But Archangel cards have a flip-side—literally! In the hands of a Demon they are an Archdemon card, which can be spent to veto an additional target one night. While not quite as powerful, this is still a big roadblock for the Angels.
The number of Archangel cards given out depends on the size of the game—normally one for every ten rounded down. (So in a 24-player game, the first two players to be announced dead would be given Archangel cards.)
Archangel cards are not like player type or character cards. They are resources that can be freely shown and even given to other dead Angels/Demons. Just don’t let the living see!
Characters
Witchhunt Base Set
1 Priest Each night, you may check if a target is a Coven member.
2 Survivalist You start the game with an extra life.
3 Judge Whenever the town fails to select a lynch target, you may privately determine it yourself.
4 Dirty Old Bastard When your death is announced, you may kill a target.
5 Benevolent Old Dame When your death is announced, you may give an extra life to a target. (This is public.)
6 Inquisitor Each night, you may check if a target is a Holy Villager.
7 Acolyte At the start of the game, you will be shown the Priest's identity.
8 Gambler During even nights, you are protected.
9 Recluse During odd nights, you are protected.
10 Gravedigger When a lynched player dies, you will be shown all of their cards.
11 Fanatic When the Priest checks you, you are informed and gain an extra life.
12 Loose Cannon Before a lynch vote is decided, you may kill yourself to decide it. Do this dramatically.
Showdown Expansion
13 Bishop At Halftime, you will be shown all living Coven members.
14 Hunter At Halftime, you are protected and may kill a target.
15 Magician If you die before Halftime, your death is fake. The morning after Halftime, reveal that you are alive.
16 Investigator Each night, you may check if a target is a Village Spy. If you check them all, you gain an extra life.
17 Innkeeper Each night, meet with the Inquisitor and Investigator.
18 Entertainer At Halftime, you may select three other targets. If they are on different sides, the odd-man-out is killed. If not, you are killed.
19 Nun At the start of the game, you will be shown the Bishop's identity.
20 Zealot At Halftime, you will be shown all living Holy Villagers.
21 Summoner At Halftime, you may kill exactly three targets. The Angels may save one. The Demons may save one.
22 Assassin At Halftime, you may kill exactly two targets. The Village Spies meet and may vote to save one.
23 Oracle At the start of the game, you will be shown the identity of all characters that kill at Halftime.
24 Wizard During any day after Halftime, you may reveal this card and guess a target's character. If correct, they are killed. If incorrect, you are killed.
King’s Court Expansion
25 King The first night, select up to four targets to join your Court. Every even night, the Court meets and votes to kill a target. (Disbands when two are left)
26 Queen You are automatically part of the King's Court. After the King selects his Court, you will be informed whether it has an odd or even number of Witches. (This counts both types of Witches.)
27 Paladin You are automatically part of the King's Court. Whenever the Court meets with exactly three members, you may give one an extra life.
28 Vigilante When anyone on your side dies to the King's Court, you may kill a target the following night.
29 Undertaker Once per game at the start of a night of your choice, you will be shown all cards of all players who died during previous nights.
30 Pauper You survive the first attempt to kill you and join the King's Court instead. (Only if the Court still exists and you are not a member)
31 Deacon As long as you are alive, all Holy Villagers survive any attempt to lynch them.
32 Anarchist When the King's Court dissolves, you may kill a target. If the target was on the Court, you may kill a second target.
33 Traveling Medic The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may select a target. If you share the same player type, the target gains an extra life.
34 Traveling Mercenary The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may kill a target. If the target is the same player type as you, the target survives.
35 Traveling Mystic The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may select a target. When that player dies, they will receive an Archangel card.
36 Traveling Minstrel The third night, you will meet with the other Travelers. You may select a fellow Traveler. They may use their ability again on a second target.
Love & War Expansion
37 Cupid The first night, you are protected and will be shown all Village Lovers.
38 Moonlight Pagan Once per game at the end of any night, you may reveal this card. That night the Demons' veto target is protected, and all other protection sources are canceled.
39 Twilight Pagan Once per game when a player survives a kill, you may reveal this card. Kill them again until they die.
40 Sunlight Pagan Once per game after any morning's death announcements, you may reveal this card. You will be privately shown the character and type of all those players.
41 Templar During any day, you may reveal this card. You may kill a revealed Pagan. If they die to this kill, you will be privately shown their cards.
42 Lookout At the start of the game, you must select a player type for the Alarm. (This sounds the first morning half those players are dead.)
43 Harlot Any night a Village Lover is protected, you are informed which Lover and share the protection.
44 Captain When the Alarm sounds, you may reveal this card. If you are not lynched, you gain two extra lives.
45 Blacksmith The night after the Alarm sounds, you may give up to two other living players weapons. Players given weapons who are not Holy Villagers may kill a target.
46 Pious Musketeer At the start of the game, you will meet with the other Musketeers. Once per game during day if you are the only Musketeer alive, you may reveal this card. Select up to two targets. Any who are not Holy Villagers are killed.
47 Sneaky Musketeer At the start of the game, you will meet with the other Musketeers. Once per game during day if you are the only Musketeer alive, you may reveal this card. Select up to two targets. Any who are not Village Spies are killed.
48 Reckless Musketeer At the start of the game, you will meet with the other Musketeers. Once per game during day if you are the only Musketeer alive, you may reveal this card. Select up to two targets. Any who are not Witches (either type) are killed.
Keyword Reference
Town – All the currently living players combined.
Player Type – Every player has a type card. See the “Player Type” section of the rules.
Villager – The majority of players (two-thirds or more) are Villagers. There are a few different types of Villagers, but they are all working together on the same side to hunt down the Witches.
Witch – Enemies of the Villagers—they come in two types: Elder Witches and Junior Witches.
Character – Every player also has a unique character card featuring some special ability. A few “holy” characters are reserved for the Holy Villagers. The rest could be any type, include a Witch!
Day – During the Day, the town may talk freely and vote by majority to lynch a target.
Night – During Night, players may not talk. The Coven of Witches votes by plurality to kill a target.
Target – Any unique currently living player, including yourself.
Kill – An attempt to eliminate a living player. It is possible to survive a kill. Either way, all kills are publicly announced. Deaths (and survivals) from each night are announced first thing the following morning, in a random order.
Lynch – A single kill the town can make each day by majority vote. A lynch ends the day.
Meet – Some characters or groups meet with each other at night or game start. They observe each other’s actions. In online games, these groups can chat privately.
Coven – The Coven of Witches meets and votes to kill a target each night. Elder Witches begin in the Coven. Juniors Witches join later, the first night all the Elder Witches -or- Village Spies are dead.
Protected – Sometimes players are protected during a night. During that night, all kills targeting that player will fail. Protection does not affect the following day.
Angel – A dead Villager. Angels may vote by plurality to protect one target each night.
Demon – A dead Witch. Demons may vote by plurality to veto one target from being protected by Angels each night.
Archangel Card – Special card(s) given to the first dead player(s). Either side of the card may be used depending on the player’s side: Archangel or Archdemon. Dead players may freely pass Archangel cards to another dead player, if they wish.
Extra Life – Some characters can get extra lives. An extra life will make any kill fail.
Halftime – Halftime is the first night that begins with at least half of the players dead.
King’s Court – The Court is an elite group that meets on even nights and votes by majority to kill a target. In many ways, they are like an extra Coven. The King’s Court is initially made up of three characters: the King, the Queen, and the Paladin. The King may then add up to four more members the first night. Although the King is a Holy Villager, any of the other members may be Witches! If the King’s Court meets with less than three members, it disbands and never meets again.
Alarm – The Lookout character selects a player type for the Alarm. The first morning at least half of those players are dead (including the players announced dead that morning) the Alarm sounds. The entire town is informed of this, but only the Lookout knows for sure what it means.
Frequently Asked Questions:
General
Is this ruleset designed for real life or online play?
Both. Without compromise, the mechanics and balance of this ruleset is designed to innately support both types of games. Of course, they are very different games in practice—online Witches enjoy robust private communication while suffering from a decisive, permanent record—but the stability of the mechanics is intentionally suited for both.
Player Type
Okay, I’m getting confused about character versus player type.
All characters are unique. All player types are non-unique and have “Village” or “Witch” in the name: Basic Villager, Holy Villager, Village Spy, Village Lover, Elder Witch, Junior Witch. That’s all of them!
Any character can be any player type, except that Holy characters (like Priest) always go to the Holy Villagers.
Can you go over Junior Witches and Spies with an example?
Erin, Elmer, and Eddie are the 3 Elder Witches
Jared and Jeromy are the 2 Junior Witches
Susan and Sally are the 2 Village Spies
Erin, Elmer, and Eddie know each other from the beginning and vote to kill someone every night. They also know from the beginning that 2 of Jared, Jeromy, Susan, and Sally are their allied Junior Witches lying in wait, but aren’t sure which.
Jared and Jeromy know each other from the beginning as well. They also know from the beginning that 3 of Erin, Elmer, Eddie, Susan, and Sally are their allied Elder Witches, but aren’t sure which.
Susan and Sally know each other from the beginning, but nothing else. They will probably be on the lookout for any Witches that mistake them for allies.
Later in the game, only Erin, Jared, Jeromy, and Susan are left alive of those players.
Let’s say Erin has figured out who her Juniors are and wants them to join her in the Coven. If she kills Susan (the last Spy), Jared and Jeromy will join the Coven the following Night. On the other hand, they would also join if Erin (the last Elder) died as well.
Can a Village Lover be a Witch? Or Both? What about Holy, or Spies? If there's a Village and Witch Lover...
No, stop right there. Villager Lover is a player type, just like all those things listed. (It even says “Village” right there in the name!) Everyone only gets one player type.
Can Village Lovers survive their own attempts to kill themselves, such as with an extra life?
Yes! It is possible for a widow to outlive their partner in this way.
Village Lovers share protection—how does this work?
The Angels and some roles give protection at night, allowing a target to survive any and all kills that night. Any time a Village Lover is protected, their partner enjoys it as well. (No one is informed of this.)
Angels and Demons
If a Demon uses an Archdemon card to veto an additional target, but an Angel also uses an Archangel card to ignore the Demon veto, does that mean the Angels ignore both vetos?
Yes; they can protect any target that night.
Characters
Can I target dead players? Or if my character ability says to pick two targets, can I pick the same player twice? What about targeting myself?
As the glossary states, targets are defined as unique currently living player. A character ability that picks multiple targets must pick different players, while a character ability that is used multiple times (such as once per night) could target the same player again.
Almost all abilities can target yourself, including votes. Only two character abilities (Entertainer and Blacksmith) specify "other” targets and cannot select themselves.
What exactly does "extra life" mean?
Having an extra life means that you will always survive the next single thing that would otherwise result in your death, at the expense of the extra life. You can have multiple extra lives, though this is highly unusual!
Which characters are Holy?
The ones with the gold cards: Priest, Acolyte, Bishop, Nun, King, and Deacon.
Do I have to use my character’s ability?
Almost all abilities are optional; most rules text includes "may". Characters that announce themselves when they use their power can take their secret to the grave, if they wish.
Is "None" a valid target option?
No, but as stated most abilities are optional.
Can I use my character's ability when dead?
No! The D.O.B. and B.O.D. use their abilities as their death is being announced, and the Lookout's Alarm goes off with or without him, but those are the closest things to exceptions.
What is Halftime? How is Halftime rounded?
Halftime is the first night at least half of all players are dead going into that night.
(For example when 8 of 15 players are dead, but not when only 7 are dead)