The background noise on the app sounds worse in this video than real life - it disguises the sound of players moving cards, and works great. Also the tokens are very helpful during the discussion phase, when players are claiming or attributing character roles.
This game is interesting because there's two objectives. First, you must figure out what team you're on. Then you figure out how to win. That added level is what makes it amazing.
Regarding the tokens, I made a set of these for my copy of One Night Werewolf (the original Japanese version of this) because it made the debate a lot more structured. Players could take a token to indicate who they were claiming to be and moved back and forth when there were disputes. Each person got a turn manipulating the tokens to indicate who they suspected of being a werewolf (or to shift suspicion if they were one). I'd be interested to see Tom review Mascarade as well which it is currently the filler of choice for my gaming group (although I prefer Coup), I'd like to see a Mascarade vs Coup vs One night ultimate werewolf comparison for the title king of short bluffing games.
I'm a huge fan of Werewolf, however, it can take a long time to play and has player elimination. If you're one of the first out, that's it, you're just done until everyone is done and that can take awhile. I haven't played this yet, but I like that people don't get eliminated because no one has to sit out. I think that might put this over Werewolf for me if I do play this one.
Played this a couple times at friends house the other day and it was a lot of fun. I think it might be the only version I want to play actually since it is not long, there is no need for a moderator and it is still fun.
Oh and by the way, the app (which is now so so so much better) is compatible with all of the expansion/stand-alone additions and both of the bonus packs, which add more play value to the game. A review on them please?
There's no way this game could work in my classes. There are too many characters, too many rules and the night phase is a nightmare (everyone would cheat).
great review Tom! however i suggest you to try "Wherewolf", designed by the italian Christian Zoli. believe me it's WAAAAAAAY better than ONUW. it's more "adult", the reasoning behind every game is much more complex, bluffing is essential, there are no "useless" roles like villagers: 36 cards in the base game, 36 different roles with 36 different powers. it's really the ultimate werewolves game. in Werewolf there are not only werewolves and human, but several factions with different goals, playing every faction and try (and act) every time a different strategy is its point of strenght. moreoveri in Wherewolf all the votations are made with closed eyes (so a moderator is needed), and this add so much depth to the game you can't imagine (2 wolves can argue with each other during the day, but then support each other during votations). i understand maybe it aint easy to find a copy of Wherewolf there in the US, but if you manage to, please try it!
I don't see that they are comparable at all. Wherewolf is like standard Werewolf, it takes place over several phases, has player elimination, and needs a moderator. If I have a large group of casual or semi-casual gamers, I'll play Werewolf. If I've a group that I think can handle it, Wherewolf is great. For small groups and small time frames, though, I think that ONUW is the best social deduction experience I've played. If you don't like the villagers don't play with them? There are plenty of rolesets that don't involve them.
angydragon Three. You need to be careful and include several role-switching cards (robber, drunk, witch) to at least give people reasonable bluffs that don't leave the game solved.
Mmm not a fan of that app. The BG music effect just.. it makes it hard to keep track of things. But the game well, I don't feel my friends are up for such a challenge. I know how they are and this game probably isn't for them.
A Mason can't say other Mason is one. I mean he can't tell everyone, he will know who is but it is forbidden for him to tell anyone. I mean, that's a real life Mason rule you know! So the rule for that "class" is that he know another innocent people but he can't blow the whistle that the other person is a Mason too. He can lie though, can say that the other person is another "class".
Doppelganger seems so complicated. What'll happen if the robber becomes the doppleganger? I probably wouldn't use Doppelganger with a group that's new to the game.
I got this game because I'd read that it was popular and great. But I can't get my head around the fact that the cards can be swapped. To me this makes the game pointless, because you are arguing and potentially lying, trying to convince people of the character you are but in actual fact you might not even be the one you think you are. So what's the point in trying to convince people of what you are? Would love to hear from someone who likes this aspect, why this makes the game good?
I can't believe this and other games like it are actual games folks are making money off of. Hasn't anyone ever gone to camp and played Mafia with a standard deck of cards? I'm sorry. Nice design but nothing new here or any reason to need anything more than a handful of normal playing cards and one guy who has played before.
Really?! In some of our games, we are so sure that we know what's happened and then we end up lynching a team mate cuz we believed someone's lie. I love, love, love this game especially with the Daybreak expansion. It's definitely better the more you play it. Initially, we all told the truth unless we were a werewolf, because we didn't see the point in lying as villagers and it took us a while to work out the benefits of lying generally to get information. The pitfalls being that people might not know which bits of what you say are lies and which bits were the truth, when you decide to actually come clean. Started playing in Dec 2017 and still play it today.
