Wolves of Mercia Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Example Card Text
• Card Anatomy
• Game Board
• Setup
• How to Play
• Day Phase
• Night Phase
• Ending the Game
• Advanced Rules
  • Moderator
  • Phantoms
  • True Love
• Key Terms
  • Action
  • Alive & Dead
  • Another Player
  • Cursed
  • Response
  • Revealing a Card
  • Playing a Card
• Initiative Order
• Frequent Queries

Components

The box contains the following (Contents, printed page 3):

• Game Board
• 17 Villager Cards
• 18 Secret Cards
• 14 Special Cards: 3 Ritual Cards, 5 Item Cards, 1 Edict Card, 1 Misinformation Card, 4 Phantom Cards
• 15 Wooden Counters
• 1 Day/Night Token
• 1 Blackmail Token
• 1 Consecration Token
• 1 Shield Token
• 4 Patronage Tokens
• 4 Study Tokens
• 6 Cursed Tokens

Printed page 4 shows examples of each component type: Villager Cards, Secret Cards, Ritual Cards, Item Cards (the Vampiric Ring), the Edict Card, the Misinformation Card, Phantom Cards, and the Day/Night, Shield, Consecration and Cursed tokens, plus the Wooden Counters, Patronage Tokens, Study Tokens and Blackmail Token.

Example Card Text

The example cards on printed page 4 read as follows:

• Artist (Villager): Day action: Target a player and give them a token. While at least two living players have tokens, you cannot be targeted by Day actions.
• Sinner (Secret): You cannot win the game. Night action: Target another player and trade Secret cards with them.
• Mark of the Wolf (Ritual): When you play this card, discard all tokens from the Ritual Track. Night action (Cultist): Target a player and give them a Cursed token.
• Vampiric Ring (Item): You may not take Day actions. Night action: Target a player and give them Vampiric Ring. "...and so the wolf claimed its final victim."
• Edicts (Special, Noble): Curfew: Choose a number. In the next night phase, skip that initiative count. Arrest: Target a player. Until tomorrow, that player may not take Day actions. Conscript: Target a player. That player may then take a Day action. Day action: Remove all counters from this card.
• Misinformation (Special, Inquisitor): "Torture does not always yield useful information. But the screams are their own reward."
• Phantom of Heresy: At the beginning of the Night phase, if the Ritual track is empty, place a counter on the Ritual Track. If the Cultists win the game, you win the game.

Note: the token icon on the Artist card example is a small coin-style glyph in the printed text; it is rendered here as "token" because the glyph is not legible at print size. The Artist's token type should be checked against the printed card.

Card Anatomy

Printed page 5 (Villager Card) labels each part of a card: Initiative (the number in the top corner), Portrait, and Title.

The example Villager card is the Knight, with initiative 4:

• Day action: Give the Shield token to another player until tomorrow. If that player would be targeted by an action, the targeting player instead discards the Shield token.

Printed page 6 (Secret Card) labels the same parts: Initiative, Portrait, and Title. The example Secret card is the Werewolf, with initiative 8:

• Night action: Target another player and kill them.
• At the end of the fifth night, if no other player has won the game, you win the game.

Game Board

The game board has three tracks and a Time Track (printed pages 7 and 8).

• Time Track: five circles numbered I to V. The Day/Night token moves along it.
• Burning Village Track: the Arsonist adds counters to this track with their Night action. Public space action: Remove one counter from the Burning Village track. Any player may take this action (Day action).
• Ritual Track: Cultist players add counters to this track until it is full. The number of counters needed depends on the number of players: 2 for 5-7 players, 3 for 8-10, 4 for 11-13, and 5 for 14 or more.
• Fugitive Track: a player with the Fugitive Secret may place counters on this track with their Night action.

Printed page 14 describes the tracks:

"There are three tracks on the game board: the Burning Village track, the Ritual track, and the Fugitive track. Over the course of the game, players will add or remove counters from these tracks through player abilities and card effects.

While the Arsonist adds counters to the Burning Village track with their Night action, any player may "put out the fire" by using the Day action listed below the track. The Arsonist wins the game when there are five counters on the Burning Village track.

Over the course of the game, Cultist players will add counters to the Ritual track until the track is "full." The required number of counters is dependent on the number of players in the game. 2 counters for 5-7 players, 3 counters for 8-10, 4 counters for 11-13, and 5 counters for games of 14 or more.

A player with the Fugitive secret may place counters on the Fugitive track with their Night ability. The Fugitive player wins the game when there are three counters on the Fugitive track."

Setup

Printed page 9:

1. Place the game board within reach of all players. Place the Day/Night token on the first circle in the Time Track, with the Day side up.

2. Place all tokens and counters near the game board.

3. Deal each player a Villager card, face up. If a player's Villager role controls a Special card, distribute them:

   • 5 shuffled "Items" to the Merchant
   • "Edicts" to the Noble
   • "Misinformation" to the Inquisitor

   Note: Even though the Misinformation card has a "Secret" back, it is not considered a Secret card during setup. Don't include it in the Secrets deck!

4. Prepare the Ritual deck by placing the 3 Ritual cards in a pile with I on top, II in the middle, and III on the bottom. Place them face-down near the game board.

Printed page 10:

5. Prepare the Secrets deck:

   • Include the Werewolf card and a predetermined number of Cultist cards (see table). Return excess Cultist cards to the box.
   • Shuffle the remaining Secret cards and add them to the Secrets deck until there are X cards in the deck, where X is the number of players. (Add an additional Secret card if a player is using the Widow role.)
   • Shuffle the Secrets deck.

   Number of Players	Number of Cultists
   5-7	2
   8-10	3
   11-13	4
   14+	5

   Example: Tonight, we're playing with 9 players. We will begin with the Werewolf and 3 Cultists. Then we will add 5 more Secret cards at random, for a total of 9 Secrets.

6. Deal each player a Secret card, face down.

7. Choose a Game Master, who will announce the passage of time throughout the game.

Printed page 11 (Setup Layout) shows an illustrated example of the finished table layout: the Edicts, Items and Villager cards, the game board, the Ritual deck, and the tokens and counters. The layout is illustrated only and is not transcribed as rules.

How to Play

The game takes place over the course of five rounds, each consisting of a "Day" phase and a "Night" phase. As action moves from Day to Night, the Game Master will flip the Day/Night token from the sun icon to the moon. When moving from Night into the next Day, flip the token again and move it to the next numbered circle on the Time Track. At the end of the fifth night, the game is over.

Phase	Page
Day Phase	15
Night Phase	16
Ending the Game	17

Day Phase

During the day, players may talk freely about their plans. They can scheme, bargain, lie, and bamboozle.

During the day, initiative order is determined by a Day initiative number in the top left corner of each Villager card. Low numbers act first.

In initiative order, each player may take one Day action. Usually this will be the action on their Villager card, but other actions may be granted by other cards and game effects.

Once every player has had a turn to act, advance to the Night phase by flipping the Day/Night token to the Night face.

Tip: At the beginning of each Day phase, remember to check your Secret card to make sure it wasn't switched during the Night!

Night Phase

All players close their eyes and keep them closed until their turn. Players should also lightly drum on the table, tap their feet, or play some spooky music in order to cover up any noise made by the active players.

The Game Master calls the Night initiative order, counting from 1 to 12, pausing about 20 seconds to allow the "awakened" players enough time to take their actions. When a player's number is called, they "awaken." While awakened on their turn, a player may take one Night action, then close their eyes. If more than one player is "awake" at the same time, they may communicate nonverbally with each other, but may not speak.

After all numbers have been called, the Game Master awakens all players to begin the next Day phase. To move from Night to Day, flip the Day/Night token to the Day face and move to the next numbered circle on the Time Track.

Ending the Game

When a player achieves their win condition, they immediately reveal their Secret card and declare their victory, thus ending the game. Multiple players may declare victory simultaneously. However, a player must be awake to declare victory.

Advanced Rules

Moderator

In larger groups, it may be difficult for all players to reach certain components. In such cases, you may introduce a full-time moderator who will act as Game Master, as well as help other players perform actions outside of their physical reach.

Phantoms

If your playgroup would like to ensure everybody can participate - even after the Werewolf strikes - introduce the included Phantom cards. Each of these roles introduces an alternate win condition, as well as a way they can influence the game from beyond the grave.

Whenever a player dies, they may choose one of the remaining Phantom cards at the beginning of the next Day phase, then gain control of it face down. A Phantom's Night initiative replaces the value on their Secret card, if applicable. A Phantom may only trigger the game effect listed on their Phantom card. They may still communicate with other players and must close their eyes during the Night phase as normal.

True Love

Some Secret cards, like the Lovers and Lonely Heart, work best when all 3 are included in the game. For a more consistent game experience, consider curating your Secrets during setup to include both Lover cards.

Key Terms

Action

Unless otherwise prohibited, a Player can perform the Day and Night actions on any card they control. This includes their Villager card, Secret, and Items. Players may also perform the actions granted by public spaces on the game board, such as putting out fire on the Burning Village track.

Alive & Dead

When an effect says to kill a character, flip that character's Villager card to its Dead side. Set aside any items, tokens, and counters on this card. Unless otherwise noted, a dead character may not be targeted, take actions, or otherwise participate in the game.

Another Player

When an effect references "another" player, the effect applies only to characters besides yourself.

Cursed

Some game effects distribute Cursed tokens to players. When using the Werewolf's ability to kill another player, the Werewolf player must target a player with a Cursed token, if able.

Response

A response is an optional effect triggered as a reaction to a specific in-game action. It takes effect before the triggering action. A response is not considered an action.

Revealing a Card

When a card is revealed by a game effect, it is shown to all players, then turned face down. A player may never reveal their Secret card or show it to another player unless explicitly allowed by a card or game effect. Players may look at their own Secret card freely during the Day phase or while they are awakened in the night.

Playing a Card

When a game instructs you to play a card, add that card face up next to the game board.

Initiative Order

Day initiative order

1. Bishop
2. Priest
3. Noble
4. Knight
5. Inquisitor
6. Jailer
7. Artist
8. Scholar
9. Merchant
10. Jester
11. Dissident
12. Widow
13. Medium
14. Lunatic
15. Beggar
16. Barkeep
17. Courtesan

Night initiative order

1. Lovers and Lonely Heart
2. Hierophant
3. Cultists
4. Fugitive
5. Arsonist
6. Blackmailer
7. Slayer
8. Werewolf
9. Assassin
10. Martyr
11. Grave Robber
12. Sinner

Frequent Queries

Q: What happens if more than one player would win in a given night phase?

A: When a player meets their victory condition, they should immediately reveal their Secret card and proclaim victory. A "sleeping" player cannot declare victory.

Q: How do Cursed tokens work?

A: If a Werewolf is using its ability to kill another player, and there are players with Cursed tokens in play, the Werewolf must select its target from among those players. Of course, a Werewolf is never forced to use its action, and may not target itself.

Q: In order to win, does the Assassin need to kill the players who act first or last?

A: The Assassin needs the players who act first to die, i.e. beginning with #1 and working his way down (i.e. the Bishop, Priest, Noble, etc.).

Q: How does the Courtesan's ability work?

A: The Courtesan will awaken on her turn as normal, and may take her normal night action at that time. In addition, she may open her eyes on the chosen initiative count. This ability does not allow her to take actions outside of her normal turn during the night phase.

Q: What happens if the Medium attempts to use a dead Widow's ability?

A: The Medium may trade her Secret card with the dead Widow's inactive Secret.

Q: How does the Phantom of Mercy "choose" another player?

A: You can alert the moderator, announce it to the table, or lift a finger menacingly and whisper "you."