KrampusnachtHow to play Krampusnacht.
Everyone wears horns tonight. Only some are real.
Everything on the rules cards in the box, in order, with the questions people ask at the table answered underneath.
- 6 to 10 players, plus a Moderator who doesn't play
- About half an hour a game
- 36 cards in a black tuck box
Before the first night
It is the fifth of December and you are at The Cloven Hoof. The band is good, the drinks are strong, and two of the people at this table came to collect.
Pick a Moderator
One person runs the night and does not play. The Moderator holds no card and isn't counted in the 6 to 10.
The narrated night can read the script for them: scan the code on the narrated night card in the box, set the phone by a speaker, and a house voice calls every role. The Moderator still watches the table, nods for the Seer and names who is missing. Hear it now.
Deal the characters
Take out the character cards for your table, using the count below (it is also printed on the seat cards, called THE GUESTS). Shuffle them and deal one face down to every player. Look at yours once. Show it to nobody.
| Players | Deal |
|---|---|
| 6 | 2 Hosts, the Seer, the Healer, 2 Guests |
| 7 | 2 Hosts, the Seer, the Healer, 3 Guests |
| 8 | 2 Hosts, the Seer, the Healer, 4 Guests |
| 9 | 2 Hosts, the Seer, the Healer, 5 Guests |
| 10 | 2 Hosts, the Seer, the Healer, 6 Guests |
House rule for 6 or 7 players: leave Frau Perchta out and deal a Guest instead. Krampus hunts alone, which gives a small table a fairer night.
The Guests are Ginger, Greta and the six Uninvited. Use as many as your count needs; the rest stay in the box.
What you want
The two Hosts want the room empty. Everyone else wants to see the morning.
The characters
Krampus and Frau Perchta
He checks it twice. Then he collects. · She takes your coat, and your soul.
Wake together each night and take one guest. At last call, blend in: you're just two more people at the party. You win the moment you equal the guests left standing.
Pierced Angel
Blind to your face. Not to your lies.
Each night, point at one guest. The Moderator nods if that guest is a Host and shakes if not. You learn Host or not, never which character.
Shaman
Saves one soul a night.
Each night, point at one guest. That guest survives tonight. You may save the same guest two nights running, and yourself once per game.
Ginger, Greta and the Uninvited
No power. A voice and a finger.
You sleep through the night. At last call, your voice and your vote are how the party finds the Hosts.
The night
The Moderator reads the night script aloud, in this order, every night. Everyone shuts their eyes.
“The Cloven Hoof is closing. Everyone shut your eyes.”
“Hosts — open your eyes. Choose your guest.” … “Hosts, close your eyes.”
“Healer — open your eyes. Choose one soul to save.” … “Healer, close your eyes.”
“Seer — open your eyes. Choose a guest.” (nod, or shake) … “Seer, close your eyes.”
“Last call. Everyone open your eyes.”
The Hosts
They open their eyes, find each other, and agree on one guest without saying a word. Then they close their eyes. If they can't agree, Krampus decides.
The Healer
Opens their eyes and points at one guest. That guest survives tonight. The Healer may save the same guest two nights running, and themselves once per game.
The Seer
Opens their eyes and points at one guest. The Moderator nods if that guest is a Host, shakes if not.
Running a good night
Watch the eyes. Anyone peeking ruins it for everyone. Read every line every night, even after the Healer or the Seer is out, and pause as if they were choosing, so nobody can tell who is gone.
Last call
The Moderator names the guest who did not make it and lays a Collected marker in front of them. That card goes face up, and that player says nothing for the rest of the night.
If the Healer saved them, nobody was taken.
The argument
Everyone talks. Accuse, deny, lie.
Then the Moderator counts to three and everyone still in points at one guest at once. Most fingers goes face up, and that player is out, silent for the rest of the night.
A tie: each tied guest pleads their case, then everyone points again. Tied twice, nobody goes.
Then the Cloven Hoof closes again, and the next night begins. Keep the argument moving: when it circles, count to three.
How it ends
The party wins when every Host is face up.
The Hosts win the moment they equal the number of guests left standing. Count it after every night and every vote: with 2 Hosts and 2 other players still in, the Hosts win on the spot. With Krampus hunting alone, it's him and one other.
Only five players?
The game is made for 6 to 10 players, and that's what the cards are dealt for. Five players can still have a good night if you play a short game with one Host.
Deal for five
Krampus, the Pierced Angel and three Guests. Leave Frau Perchta and the Shaman in the box.
Why those two stay out
Two Hosts would end it on the first night. With 2 Hosts and 3 other players, one collected guest leaves 2 against 2, and the Hosts win before anyone has said a word.
The Shaman tips a table this small toward the guests. A lone Krampus only needs two collections, and every save takes one away.
How it plays
The guests get two votes to find Krampus: one with four players left and one with three. If both miss, Krampus wins. It's a quick game, so play more than one and rotate the Moderator.
Five people in the room isn't five players
Someone still has to be the Moderator, even with the narrated night, because a person has to watch the table and nod for the Seer. Five people means four players, and at four the game comes down to one guess. Wait for a sixth guest.
Questions people ask
Is the Moderator one of the 6 to 10 players?
No. The Moderator is extra, holds no card and doesn't vote. With the narrated night, the Moderator only watches the table, nods for the Seer and names who is missing.
Does the game start with a night or an argument?
With a night. Deal, eyes shut, and the Hosts make the first move before anyone has said a word.
Can the Shaman save themselves?
Yes, once per game. After that, the Healer has to point at someone else.
Can the Shaman save the same guest two nights in a row?
Yes. The Healer may save the same guest two nights running. The printed rules card says so, and the narrated night matches it.
What if the Hosts and the Shaman pick the same guest?
That guest survives. At last call the Moderator says nobody was taken, and doesn't say why.
What exactly does the Pierced Angel learn?
Only whether that guest is a Host: a nod or a shake. Never which character they are, and never whether they're the Healer.
Should the Seer say what they learned?
That's up to them. Saying it out loud helps the party, and tells the Hosts who to take next. Most Seers wait for the right moment.
What do the Hosts do if they disagree?
They agree without a word, by pointing. If they still can't, Krampus decides.
What happens to a player who is out?
Their card goes face up and they say nothing for the rest of the night: no hints, no reactions, no pointing at the vote. The Moderator gives them a Collected marker so everyone remembers.
What if nobody is voted out?
On a second tie nobody goes, and the next night begins. The Hosts take another guest, so a stalled table helps them.
Can I lie about my character?
Yes. Everyone can say anything at last call. Only the cards are true.
How long does a game take?
About half an hour, from the deal to last call.
Who is it for?
Grown-ups. It's naughty and witty rather than gory: black tie and candlelight, not a haunted house.
What's in the box?
36 poker-size cards in a black tuck box: 12 character cards (Krampus, Frau Perchta, Pierced Angel, Shaman, Ginger, Greta and six Uninvited), 3 rules cards, the Moderator's night script, 10 seat cards, the game at a glance, the narrated night card, the invitation, Ginger's 4 recipe cards and 3 Collected markers.
I lost a rules card.
Everything on them is on this page. The one-page role reference is free to print. Missing or damaged cards: write to hello@clovenhoofclub.com.
The boxed edition is on sale now: $29, plus $10 shipping in the US.
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