Secret Hitler

Secret Hitler rules — frequently asked questions

Who knows whom at the start?

In 5-6 player games, the fascists and Hitler all open their eyes and see each other. With 7 or more players, the regular fascists see each other and see who Hitler is — but Hitler keeps his eyes closed and only raises a thumb, so he doesn't know his own teammates.

What are all the ways each team can win?

Liberals win by enacting 5 liberal policies or by assassinating Hitler. Fascists win by enacting 6 fascist policies, or if Hitler is elected Chancellor any time after the 3rd fascist policy is on the board.

Can the President and Chancellor lie about the policy cards?

Absolutely — table talk is unrestricted, but showing cards is forbidden. The President draws 3, discards 1 face-down, and passes 2; the Chancellor enacts 1 and discards the other. Neither may reveal or prove what they discarded, which is where all the arguing comes from.

How does the election tracker work?

Every failed government (vote fails, or a forced-veto situation) advances the tracker. On the third consecutive failure, the top policy of the deck is enacted automatically with no presidential power, the tracker resets, and term limits are wiped clean.

What are the term limit rules?

The most recently elected President and Chancellor are ineligible to be nominated Chancellor. When only 5 players are alive, just the last elected Chancellor is limited. Term limits never restrict who becomes President.

How does veto power work?

It unlocks after the 5th fascist policy. The Chancellor may propose vetoing the agenda; if the President agrees, both cards are discarded and the election tracker advances. If the President refuses, the Chancellor must enact one of them.

What happens when a player is executed?

They reveal nothing about their role — with one exception: if Hitler is executed, the game ends immediately with a liberal win, so an executed Hitler must admit it. Any other dead player leaves the game entirely: no talking, no voting, no hints of any kind.

When is the policy deck reshuffled?

Whenever fewer than 3 cards remain in the draw pile, shuffle them together with the discard pile into a fresh deck. Counting enacted policies to infer deck composition is fair game.

What does Investigate Loyalty actually show?

The President looks at the target's party membership card, which says Liberal or Fascist — Hitler's says Fascist. The President may then lie freely about what they saw.

What happens during a Special Election?

The current President chooses any player to be the next presidential candidate. After that government resolves (pass or fail), the presidency returns to the normal rotation, continuing from where it left off.