Explainer What is a Social Deduction game - One Night Ultimate Werewolf Feature

Explainer: What is a Social Deduction game?

What is a Social Deduction game?

Social deduction games are games where players take on hidden roles and attempt to identify the roles of other players. There are a wide range of social deduction games available. Some games pit an evil team and good team against each other, Werewolf is an example of this sort of game where the villagers attempt to identify and kill the Werewolves while the Werewolves aim to stay undetected to survive. Others simply require you to be the last person standing like Coup. These games will often involve:

  • using available information and discussion to guess the roles of other players
  • deceiving other players or bluffing to ensure your role remains hidden.

Being careful about which information you share and when you share it is important in social deduction games.

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Who might like Social Deduction games?

Social deduction games are a big hit in our household. We really enjoy the high player interaction in these games. If you like a lot of discussion and interaction in your games, social deduction games are worth exploring.

Social deduction games will also appeal to people who enjoy trying to catch others out in a bluff. It’s so satisfying catching someone out who has pulled together an elaborate lie. Likewise, it can be equally satisfying weaving together a sound story to cover your tracks and seeing others buy into it. Social deduction games tend to make good party games for large groups as they can usually accommodate a large player count and keep everyone involved.

One thing to watch out for in these games is that there is a risk of dominant personalities taking over.

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What can Social Deduction games teach my kids?

Ok, so one negative here is that social deduction games can teach your kids to craft a better lie! However aside from that it will also teach them to be more alert to inconsistencies in a story and to communicate their perspectives effectively in a larger group.

What Social Deduction games worth trying?

One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Explainer What is a Social Deduction Game - One Night Ultimate Werewolf Box

Play Time:10 Min / Players:3-10 / Complexity: Low / Age: 8+ / Publisher: Bezier Games / Designer: Ted Alspach & Akihisa Okui

This is one of our favourite family games and for good reason. It can be played in 10 minutes, has a wide variety of roles for good replay value and comes with a great companion app to take care of announcements meaning all players can focus on the game. We highly recommend this as a first step into social deduction games. A good bonus here is that this can accommodate up to 10 players. There are plenty of subsequent versions of this game including One Night Ultimate Vampire, One Night Ultimate Alien and Daybreak, but we think the original is still the best starting point. Check out our full One Night Ultimate Werewolf review.

Coup

Explainer What is a Social Deduction Game - Coup Box

Play Time: 15 Min / Players: 2-6 / Complexity: Low / Age: 14+ we think 7+ / Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards / Designer: Rikki Tahta

Coup is another great social deduction game that can be played in 15 minutes. In this game your goal is to eliminate all other players by successfully calling their bluffs or assassinating their characters. The rules are simple to learn but Coup can only accommodate up to 6 players. Check out our full Coup review.

Bang! The Dice Game

Explainer What is a Social Deduction Game - Bang! The Dice Game Box

Play Time: 15 Min / Players: 3-8 / Complexity: Low / Age: 8+ / Publisher: DaVinci Games / Designer: Michael Palm & Lukas Zach

This is another great introduction to social deduction games. The social deduction element here isn’t as central as it is in Coup or One Night Ultimate Werewolf, but it is still a factor in the game. In Bang! Outlaws, Renegades, and the Sherriff shoot it out in the old west. The catch is the sheriff is the only role visible to everyone, the remaining characters are hidden. Bang! The Dice Game is a lot of fun, can accommodate up to 8 players and is simple enough for younger kids to be able to enjoy it. Check out our full Bang! The Dice Game review.

Blood on the Clocktower

Explainer What is a Social Deduction Game - Blood on the Clocktower Box

Play Time: 30-120 Min / Players: 5-20 / Complexity: Medium / Age: 15+ we think 12+ / Publisher: The Pandemonium Institute / Designer: Steven Medway

If you are ready for something more involved with a bigger time commitment then Blood on the Clocktower is worth checking out. Your goal in Blood on The Clocktower depends on whether you receive a role that’s good or evil. The good team wins if the Demon dies. The Evil team wins if there are only two players left alive and they are also alive. This game is a really epic experience that can last two hours depending on player count. The great thing about this game is that even if your character is killed off, you are still involved in the game. There are so many interesting roles in this game and different editions to choose from that replay value is also high. The only catch is that you need at least 9 or 10 players for this game to play well. Check out our full Blood on the Clocktower review.

We hope you have enjoyed our explainer. If you have any more questions or just want to share your thoughts, please leave a comment below, or get in touch through our contact page.

About the Authors

We are parents who love board gaming. We have three children and have been enjoying board games as a family ever since we had our first child. We share our real unbiased experiences and opinions on board games so you can decide if they are right for your family. We also write guides and articles to help you get the most out of your family game time. If you enjoy our content and want to support us you can do that through our Ko-fi page by clicking on the button below.

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