Rules

How to play

Everything you need for your first round – explained simply. Read the short version and you're ready to go.

1. What you need

4 to 15 players

It's most fun with 8 to 12 players.

One phone per person

Android or iPhone, with internet. Nobody needs an account.

A place to talk

There is no chat in the game. Sit together in one room or meet in a voice or video call.

2. Starting a game

Enter your name. Everyone types their player name in the main menu.
Create a village. One player is the host and taps CREATE VILLAGE. A 6-character code appears at the top of the lobby.
Join. Everyone else enters the code and taps ENTER VILLAGE.
Set up. The number of Shifters adjusts automatically to the number of players. The host can change it with + and − and picks the special roles under SELECT ROLES.
Go. Everyone taps READY. Then the host starts with START HUNT.

How many Shifters and special roles?

At most a third of the players can be Shifters. At least 2 players stay regular Townfolk. The host can fill all remaining slots with special roles. Roles are dealt randomly.

Players	Shifters (max.)	Special roles (max.)*
4	1	1
5	1	2
6	2	2
7	2	3
8	2	4
9	3	4
10	3	5
11	3	6
12	4	6
15	5	6

* with the maximum number of Shifters. Fewer Shifters leave room for more special roles. All 6 special roles fit from 9 players (with 1 Shifter), together with the maximum number of Shifters from 11 players.

Automatic suggestion: 1 Shifter per 4 players (4–7 players: 1, 8–11: 2, 12–15: 3). Want it harder for the village? Add more Shifters. For a first round, 2–3 special roles work well, e.g. Visionary, Alchemist and Immortal.

3. Your role

Everyone secretly gets a role card. Don't show it to anyone!
Use HIDE to cover the card if someone is looking. Tap the check mark (confirm) once you know your role.
The game only continues once everyone has confirmed. After 3 minutes it starts automatically.
You can look at your card again at any time during the game.
Shifters know each other: in the player list, the other Shifters are marked with a wolf for them.

4. The night

Everyone “sleeps”. Players with a night role now act secretly on their phone. The night lasts at most 2 minutes. In the last 30 seconds, HURRY appears.

Who does what?

Armoris night 1 only
Picks two players who fall in love. May pick themselves.
Shifter
Every Shifter picks a victim. Whoever gets the most Shifter votes is attacked. Other Shifters can't be picked.
Visionary
Checks one player and sees: Shifter or not a Shifter.
Immortal
Protects one player from the Shifters. Not themselves and not the same player twice in a row.
Alchemist after the Shifters
Sees who the Shifters picked. Then: HEAL (save the victim), POISON (kill any player) or do nothing.
Townfolk, Rambuh, Mortician
Sleep. They have nothing to do at night.

The night ends as soon as everyone has acted – or when time runs out. If you're too late, you miss your action for that night.

A tie among the Shifters?

If several players have the same number of Shifter votes, there's a runoff: the Shifters vote again – but only between those players (“TIE! VOTE AGAIN”).
If it's still a tie after that, chance decides between them.
Only once the victim is decided does the Alchemist get their turn.
If the night timer runs out, the votes cast so far count. If no Shifter voted, there is no victim.

Does the victim die?

Yes – unless the Alchemist saves them with HEAL,
the Immortal protected exactly this player,
or it's Rambuh and this is the first attack on him (his shield breaks).
Poison always kills – Rambuh too.
If a Lover dies, their partner dies immediately too.

5. The day

The game announces who died during the night. Or: “The night was peaceful” – nobody died.
The roles of the dead are not revealed.
Now you talk: Who did it? Who is lying? Who defends whom?
When you're done, tap READY TO VOTE. Once all living players are ready, the vote starts right away – after 5 minutes at the latest.

6. Voting

Every living player taps one other player. You can't vote for yourself.
A vote can't be changed once cast.
You have 45 seconds. Once everyone has voted, the game moves on immediately.
Whoever has the most votes is eliminated.
A tie? Then there's a runoff (“TIE! VOTE AGAIN”): everyone votes again – but only between the tied players, again with 45 seconds. If it's still a tie after that, chance decides between them.
If nobody votes, nobody is eliminated.
Then there's a short 10-second pause – and the next night falls.

7. Eliminated

You'll see: YOU HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED – with your role and how you died.
You can no longer act or vote.
Please stay quiet. Don't reveal your role or your suspicions – otherwise you spoil the game for the others.

8. Game end

After every night and every vote, the game checks whether a team has won:

The village wins

when no Shifter is left alive. The village is everyone who isn't a Shifter – including all special roles.

The Shifters win

when as many or more Shifters are alive as everyone else combined.

At the end, all roles are revealed. Then it's back to the main menu – and maybe on to the next round.

9. Roles at a glance

Role	Team	When?	How often?
Shifter	Shifter	every night	always
Townfolk	Village	–	–
Visionary	Village	every night	always
Alchemist	Village	at night	each potion once per game
Immortal	Village	every night	always
Mortician	Village	after a death	once per game
Rambuh	Village	passive	survives 1 attack
Armoris	Village	night 1	once per game

All roles with tips

10. Good to know

Does everyone learn which role a dead player had?

No. Roles are only revealed at the end of the game. Only the Mortician can secretly see the latest victim's role, once per game.

Does the village notice when someone was saved?

No. If the victim was healed, protected or Rambuh survived, the morning just says: “The night was peaceful”.

Can the Alchemist save themselves?

Yes – if they are the Shifters' victim, they can heal themselves. They can't poison themselves.

Can the Alchemist heal and poison in the same night?

No. One potion per night. Each potion works only once per game.

What if a Shifter and a Townfolk fall in love?

Both keep playing for their own team. If one dies, the other still dies too.

What happens if I don't choose in time at night?

Your action for that night is lost. For the Shifters, the votes cast before time runs out count. If none of them voted, nobody dies by their hand that night.

Is there a chat in the game?

No. Shifter Under Us is all about talking to each other – at the table or in a voice call.

Where can I find the rules in the game?

In the main menu under Rules.

Ready? Then take a seat by the fire.

Coming soonGoogle Play

Coming soonApp Store

PC version: maybe later as a download.