A paw in every chat: Organising a Werewolves Game on WhatsApp

We are always happy to see new things grow from our events: good times, friendships, and sometimes even new initiatives for gaming. One that grabbed our attention last month was organized by community member Roelof: a WhatsApp version of the well-known social deduction game Werewolves. Twenty people took part using their phones. They locked in while on the bus, sleepless in bed, or even during their holidays. I asked Roelof some questions about why and how he started this Werewolves 2.0 adventure.

J: How did you come up with this version of Werewolves, and what was different from a normal game?
R: I got to talking about it with another community member, and the idea basically grew from there. Online versions existed before, and I've run them on forums in the past. In those instances, groups could be much bigger, so the twenty players this time were much more manageable. I stated all the rules and roles at the beginning, and put a rule in place that screenshots aren’t allowed. This way, players had to explain everything in their own words.

J: Even with only twenty players, everyone got to a very invested level of play. One player reported that he was up until the middle of the night, trying to draft the perfect way to frame someone else. Another even got distracted during his holidays. Did you expect this level of devotion?
R: Yes, every person has an innate need to respond, and the upside of WhatsApp is that everyone has it readily available. In this version, people are encouraged to talk in secret, DM-ing their plans to those they trust. This extra layer was so much fun to witness. Players would DM me with their 1-on-1 conversations, and I could read along with the secret group chats of the werewolves and the lovers. I had a unique overview of all the scheming.

J: The devotion was clear from the sheer volume of messages—sometimes more than 100 within an hour. However involved, these extra levels of communication changed the game quite a lot. How did you decide on the best roles to use for this format, and how did you distribute them?
R: I always distribute the roles one hundred percent randomly. If I didn't, and the players figured out that my personal opinion played a part, it would break the game. I chose the roles I thought would be most fun and manageable for this first time. It was interesting because some roles completely changed the strength of their powers. The Seers, for instance, normally have to be very careful with sharing information. This time, they could directly contact the ones they knew were safe to start a subgroup—if they were believed, of course. I introduced other roles, like the infectious werewolf, to offset this, as they change trusted people into werewolves at a later stage of the game.

J: The player that it happened to told me it even occurred during a real-life full moon. Perfect timing! While that was a bonus, it was mostly your elaborate storytelling during the lynches and nighttime ‘lunches’ that made it a true adventure throughout the week. All things considered, do you plan to do this again?
R: Definitely! Because I could take my time, it was easy to double-check my updates before posting them. I do have some more preparations to do, though. There are more than 26 pages of roles to choose from, and I want to custom-make some roles for this group as well. I haven’t decided how and when yet, but it’s worth it for me. The amount of joy it brings to people—getting adults to play a game for seven days straight—is what is most fun for me.

J: Talking about fun, could you pinpoint a specific moment that stood out for you this time?
R: There were many. People changing their votes just before the deadline to fish for information, or others plotting on multiple levels at the same time. If I had to choose, it would be the seer who went kamikaze when it became clear someone he knew all about didn't vote with him. He created so much confusion that no one knew where they stood after his rant. Overseeing all the chaos in that moment was the most fun for me.

J: The Lovers ended up winning this time around. They had a hand (or paw) in every subgroup and manipulated everyone left and right. You witnessed this firsthand. Do you have a tip for the players for their next game?
R: Because I had the full overview, it was easy for me to think: ‘Why can't you see what is happening?’ Naturally, I was the only one with that perspective. I guess my tip would be to be aware of how many levels of play there can be, but not to get completely lost in them.

Author - Jim van den Bos