Werewolf Sins in a German village – Between Social Deduction and Live Action Role Play

Deceive, lie and debate in this Live-action-role-play-social deduction crossover game as either villager or werewolf, or both? In social deduction games you need to find out which faction others belong to or what special role they inherit by deducing, talking and taking risks. Role-playing components fit perfectly together with this premise. The Live Action Role Play (short: LARP) opens the possibility for improvisation of the assigned role during play.

The setting for this hosted game is a small German village, infiltrated by only a few werewolves at the start, whose goal it is to turn everyone into a werewolf during night cycles while not allowing the father wolf to get shamed during the daily tribunal. Thematically, the seven deadly sins construct the characters’ identities. The secret roles and relationships are the most engaging elements in the play, and they can create interesting interactions and unexpected moments.

As Werewolf pride incarnate, the deadliest sin of them all, I roamed the village and turned villagers on my side one by one. From the perspective of someone trying out role-playing for the first time, this particular game can be approached from different angles. It is great to get your first LARP or improv experience by playing the social deduction in character. Think about the question: What choices would my character make in these situations? For me personally, roleplaying helped to build a masquerade. When starting out as the first werewolf with the ”pride” sin I knew I’d need to turn villagers to move from minority to majority.

Following the idea of a social deduction experience under a full moon, whether or not you have played Mafia or Werewolf before, this game is about distrust, murder and survival. The all-time favorite returns just in time for the spooky season with its peak on All Hallows’ Eve. The special twist? Combining the Werewolf game with Live Action Role Playing (LARP), develops the characters through relationships and provides a complex narrative for the players to indulge.

The fusion of these modes of game and play adds to the play experience. It lets the player connect with their given character background and engage with others and the game space very differently. The LARPing part can intensify the play session, while it also contributes to the atmosphere. I very much recommend this combined approach to anyone interested in social deduction games, party games or role-play. As mentioned above it can also be a first experience in role-playing or for attempting to stay in character for the allocated time of the game.

At the peak moment of the game, the players in the roles of Pride and Vanity were wed, what no villager knew at this point: They were celebrating the wedding of creatures of the night, the spouses and the priest already became a part of the werewolf faction, the monsters they courageously swore to drive out.

About the author: E-Sports enthusiast, Dog-dad, 90s kid, part-time event organizer and full-time game studies student, when not writing papers they do enjoy playing first-person shooters or games with deep narratives.

Game/Designer: Social Deduction Game “Werewolf” and Live Action Role Play, facilitated and run by Leland Masek; 21.10.2023 GAAC – Voimakatu 11, Tampere.
Playtime: 1-2 hours
Players: 8+
Game location: Games As Art Center – Make. Play. Think.

Picture Material:
1. Werewolf | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
2. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/town-street-night-moon-full-moon-6733770/

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Max Solala

E-Sports enthusiast, Dog-dad, 90s kid, part-time event organizer and full-time game studies student, when not writing papers they do enjoy playing first-person shooters or games with deep narratives.

#larp #Roleplay #Social deduction #immersion