We are always up for a good fantasy film, and Netflix knows that well. The streamer’s offering in the genre for October, “Family Pack,” skyrocketed to the top spot on the worldwide chart just hours after its release, and it’s poised to achieve similar rankings in each country, according to FlixPatrol.
The picture revolves around a family that plays a mysterious board game, which transports them to a medieval land filled with werewolves, who are eager to make victims of any villagers who cross their paths.
While the movie isn’t based on real events, it does draw inspiration from a famous French card game. Here, learn all about the entertaining The Werewolves of Millers Hollow.
How to play The Werewolves of Millers Hollow
The Werewolves of Millers Hollow was created in 2001 by French authors Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly. It may not sound familiar because it’s more widely known as a variation of the earlier game Mafia, or Werewolf, which was crafted by Russian Dimitry Davidoff in 1986.
A social deduction game that entertains players at all kinds of parties, it can be played with 8 to 47 players and begins with a person designated as the game master, who randomly assigns each player a card. Players then secretly discover their identity by looking at the card. They are divided into two teams: the townsfolk and the werewolves. The first aim to uncover and eliminate all the werewolves, while the latter try to stay undiscovered and eliminate all townspeople.
The game follows a day-night cycle. During the night, all players close their eyes, and when called by the game master, the werewolves wake up. Without speaking and by gestures, they designate a townsperson as their victim. When the day arrives, all players open their eyes, and the game master reveals the identities of the victims, who are no longer able to participate but may still watch the game. The remaining townspeople try to unmask the werewolves while they attempt to avoid detection.
A debate is opened to discuss who might be guilty, and when it ends, each player points to the person they believe is a werewolf. The player with the most votes is then eliminated, with their identity revealed by the game master. The game finishes when only townspeople or only werewolves remain.
Additionally, there are special roles that can vary with each version of the game. The most famous is the village’s Sheriff, a position for which any player can nominate themselves and is elected by a majority vote. This is a crucial character, because his or her vote counts as two. Now that you know the rules, you’re ready to play!