If you’re having a party with a spooky theme, and are looking for a game that a large group of people can play, The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow from Asmodee Editions makes for a howling good time. The premise of this murder mystery-style game is simple: townsfolk versus werewolves. As the box states, “The small town of Miller’s Hollow has become infested with werewolves. The townsfolk must take immediate action and eradicate this menace before they are all devoured… Who are you? Werewolf or townsperson? You will secretly receive a character card. Once you know your identity, you are all under the control of the game moderator. You’re a werewolf — Your goal: By night, devour villagers. By day, try your best to “pass” as an honest citizen. You’re a townsperson — Your goal: To discover the werewolves and to persuade the other players to eliminate them (while avoiding being suspected yourself). Your task is a difficult one! Fortunately, certain villagers have special abilities: the Fortune Teller, the Hunter, the Witch… They will help you to fight the werewolves.”
There’s an expansion pack, New Moon, available to make The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow more complex. 36 event cards add exciting, random twists to the game, and there are 5 new characters: the Defender, the Elder, the Scapegoat, the Piper, and the Village Idiot. Game variants introduced in the New Moon rulebook include Moonlight (play outdoors in a magical ambiance), Community of Hamlets (up to 200 players at the same time), Harvest Festival (with strange alterations to the abilities), Double “You” (the villagers have double personalities), The Writing’s on the Wall, The Black Death, and Lycanthropic Fascination.
The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow supports 8-18 players, ages 10 and up. Game length: 20-30 minutes.
As a less-scary alternative for younger party guests, Asmodee Editions offers Wooly Bully, a colourful tile game for the entire family, ages 7 and up, that pits sheep against wolves. 2-4 players take on the role of shepherd and try to safely fence in as many sheep as possible, hindering opponents by preventing their flocks from becoming fully enclosed and placing wolf tiles near their fields. Tiles with hunters on them are used to foil the hungry wolves. Each of the four shepherd groups are clearly marked by colour — black, blue, red, and yellow sheep, each with slightly different shades of grass — and the sheep also have patterns on their fleece to help those players who don’t see colours well. These visual clues add a great deal to the beauty of the game’s art, as well as making tile identification easy for young players. There are a number of rules, but they are fairly straightforward; after a round or two with adult help, smaller children will be able to happily play on their own. Average playing time: 30 minutes.
Order now at Amazon.com:
The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow
The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow: New Moon, Expansion #1
Wooly Bully
Or order directly through the Asmodee Editions website.
The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow, New Moon, and Wooly Bully are distributed by Asmodee Editions (US), a subsidiary of Asmodee Editions (France). For more information on Wooly Bully, visit the official game website at Wooly Bully.