Wizards and Werewolves: A Spooky and Imaginative Capture the Flag
If I’ve learned one thing as a dad, it’s that it’s hard to predict what will truly capture the attention and heart of your kids. But capturing their hearts and imaginations is exactly what I’m always after when I introduce them to new books, games, and activities. Sometimes they just don’t catch on, but occasionally those new ideas spark a little excitement, unlock their creativity, and provide that little bit of childhood wonder we’re always chasing.
Well that’s exactly what happened recently to us with a game called Wizards & Werewolves. A while back, Starlux Games reached out to me wondering if it would be something that might be a fit for our family. The name itself obviously caught my attention - because fantasy settings in both books and games have been huge hits for our son so far. So I decided to look into what this game is all about.
Disclosure: Starlux Games provided us with a copy of Wizards & Werewolves - with no expectation of this article. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
My son’s last two favorite book series were Harry Potter and Middle School Bites (in which the main character is a Werewolf/Vampire/Zombie), so my initial impression was that this game could be very popular around here. As long as the gameplay was engaging and able to capture his imagination, we could have a new household hit.
And, I’m happy to report, a household hit we most certainly have. It was love at first sight for my 9-year-old son. He was immediately sold when he saw the crystals and the light-up wristbands that you wear when you play. And, believe it or not, the instruction manual itself played a very big role in capturing his heart.
The instructions have a textured surface that make it stand out like an ancient and powerful manuscript. Believe me, something like that is a great touch when we’re trying to capture the imaginations of kids. And when he started to read terms like “Alpha Werewolf”, “Moon Crystals”, and “Arch Wizards”, he started traveling down the rabbit hole in his mind that would make this game and its world a new little obsession.
And, from my perspective as Dad, I absolutely love it when that happens. I absolutely love to see it. It’s cute and adorable and heartwarming when either of our kids latches onto something, and you can see that passion in their eyes. My son is very excited about playing this game, and the spooky fantasy theme of the game makes it a perfect and natural Game of the Month for October.
How to Play Wizards & Werewolves
At its core, at least in the beginning, this is a game similar to capture the flag. And, if you think about it, that makes it all the more amazing what the creators accomplished by building it up with new inventive rules and wrapping it all together with some world-building. It’s really delightful to me that my son and his friends fell in love with this game - and a very significant reason why is that they simply loved pretending to be wizards and werewolves.
It plays like a game of tag where werewolves bite (tag) wizards and turn them into fellow werewolves. Wizards are hunting for magical crystals - which light up in the dark. And if you are playing with 6 players or less, everyone can also wear one of the included light-up wristbands. When bitten, a wizard is supposed to turn off their wristband’s light and loudly howl as they join the pack of werewolves.
Our kids really love wearing the wristbands, and we like the atmosphere and organization it brings to the game after sunset, so we actually bought another copy of the game to be able to give more players a wristband. Technically the game says you can play with up to 10 people, because there are 10 different roles including the different types of wizards. But as long as you keep the teams balanced and the playing field large enough there really isn’t technically a limit.
And even though the game begins similarly to capture the flag and zombie tag, it’s also important to point out that the similarities begin to dissipate by the time you advance your way through the rule book and discover the advanced rules. The simplest rule set is very capture the flag, but it’s more or less an introduction to the gameplay. By the time you get to the last way to play, the wizards all have their own set of special powers - healers, teleporters, astral walkers, etc. And you’re still hunting for hidden crystals, but then you get to use them, and the end goal for the wizards is actually to destroy the Alpha Werewolf.
The first time we played this game we played with only 5 players, 3 kids and 2 adults. And even in the simplest of modes (1 Alpha Werewolf hiding the crystal and everyone else is a wizard trying to find it without being bitten), the kids were completely enamored and truly obsessed. My son’s friend was so impressed he insisted on playing the game for his next birthday party. And, on a side note, both dads walked away with embarrassing physical battle scars that you might expect from grown men playing capture the flag (make sure to stretch, fellow dads!).
So we in fact did gather together several families and two copies of the game to play at nighttime recently for a birthday party. It was a great experience and everyone truly had a great time, even the grandparents. It’s fun to see everyone get into the spirit and get excited about being the Alpha Werewolf. It’s technically possible to play with only 4 people, and we have, but this birthday experience proved that Wizards & Werewolves really shines brightest as a party game - playing with several friends after sundown.
Truly this game screams summer camp or birthday party. It certainly reminds me of the high-energy, exciting games we used to play at camp or on the playground - when games like this truly felt like life or death. When played with a gaggle of exuberant kids, and in a park with interesting and varied terrain and hiding places, the potential is off the charts. And if you can find a group to play with you slightly after sunset when the atmosphere is right and the wristbands and crystals glow brightly in the dark, I suspect you’ll have some kids fall in love and discover a little childhood excitement too.
You can find Wizards & Werewolves on Amazon, the Starlux Games website, or perhaps at your local game or toy store.
Do your kids or students like high energy games of chase? What about role playing and imagination? Do you have any other similar games you play? Let us know in the comments!
