Secret Hitler

Players: 5-10
Duration: 45 min
Difficulty: Medium
Age: 13+

Video by Settlers Cafe

Overview

The year is 1932. The place is pre-WWII Germany. In Secret Hitler, players are German politicians attempting to hold a fragile Liberal government together and target the rising tide of Fascism. Watch out though - there are secret Fascists among you, and one player is Secret Hitler.

Game Components

  • 17 Policy tiles (6 Liberal, 11 Fascist)
  • 10 Secret Role cards
  • 10 Party Membership cards
  • 10 card envelopes
  • 10 Ja! ballot cards
  • 10 Nein ballot cards
  • 1 Election Tracker marker
  • 1 Draw pile card
  • 1 Discard pile card
  • 3 Liberal/Fascist boards
  • 1 President placard
  • 1 Chancellor placard

Game Objective

Each player has a secret identity as a member of either the Liberal team or the Fascist team.

Liberals Win If

  • 5 Liberal Policies are enacted
  • Or Hitler is assassinated

Fascists Win If

  • 6 Fascist Policies are enacted
  • Or Hitler is elected Chancellor at any time after 3 Fascist Policies have been enacted

Setup

Role Distribution

  • 5 players: 3 Liberals, 1 Fascist + Hitler
  • 6 players: 4 Liberals, 1 Fascist + Hitler
  • 7 players: 4 Liberals, 2 Fascists + Hitler
  • 8 players: 5 Liberals, 2 Fascists + Hitler
  • 9 players: 5 Liberals, 3 Fascists + Hitler
  • 10 players: 6 Liberals, 3 Fascists + Hitler

Initial Setup

  1. Select the Fascist board corresponding to the number of players and place it next to any Liberal board
  2. Shuffle the 11 Fascist Policy tiles and the 6 Liberal Policy tiles into a single deck and place it face down
  3. Each player receives an envelope containing: Secret Role card, Party Membership card, Ja! card and Nein card
  4. Randomly select the first Presidential Candidate

Night Phase

For 5-6 player games:

  • Everyone closes their eyes
  • Fascists and Hitler open their eyes and acknowledge each other
  • Everyone closes their eyes
  • Everyone can open their eyes

For 7-10 player games:

  • Everyone closes their eyes and extends their fist in front of them
  • All Fascists who are NOT Hitler open their eyes and acknowledge each other
  • Hitler keeps their eyes closed but gives a thumbs up
  • Fascists take note of who has their thumb extended - that player is Hitler
  • Everyone closes their eyes and lowers their hands
  • Everyone can open their eyes

How to Play

Secret Hitler is played in rounds. Each round has an Election to form a government, a Legislative Session to enact a new Policy, and an Executive Action to exercise governmental power.

Phase 1: Election

1. Pass the Presidential Candidacy

At the beginning of a new round, the President placard passes clockwise to the next player, who is the new Presidential Candidate.

2. Nominate a Chancellor

The Presidential Candidate chooses a Chancellor Candidate by passing the Chancellor placard to any other eligible player. The Presidential Candidate may discuss Chancellor options with the table.

Eligibility (Term Limits):

  • The last elected President and Chancellor are “term-limited” and cannot be nominated as Chancellor Candidate
  • Term limits only affect Chancellor nominations; anyone can be President
  • If only 5 players remain, only the last elected Chancellor is ineligible; the last President can be nominated

3. Vote on the Government

All players, including the Candidates, vote on the proposed government. When everyone is ready, reveal voting cards simultaneously.

If the majority votes Nein (or tie):

  • The vote fails
  • The Election Tracker advances one position
  • The President placard passes to the next player
  • If 3 governments are rejected in a row (Chaos): Immediately reveal the top Policy tile from the deck and enact it. Presidential powers are ignored, the Election Tracker resets, and term limits are forgotten

If the majority votes Ja!:

  • The Candidates become the new President and Chancellor
  • If 3+ Fascist Policies have already been enacted: Ask if the new Chancellor is Hitler. If so, the game ends and the Fascists win!
  • Proceed to the Legislative Session

Phase 2: Legislative Session

  1. The President draws 3 Policy tiles from the deck
  2. The President discards 1 tile face down secretly
  3. The President passes the remaining 2 tiles to the Chancellor
  4. The Chancellor discards 1 tile face down secretly
  5. The Chancellor enacts 1 Policy by placing it face up on the corresponding board

Important rules:

  • Verbal and non-verbal communication between President and Chancellor is prohibited during this phase
  • Policies cannot be chosen randomly or shuffled
  • Discarded tiles are never revealed to the group
  • Players may lie about what they saw

Phase 3: Executive Action (Presidential Powers)

If the enacted Fascist Policy grants a Presidential Power, the President must use it before the next round begins. Presidential Powers are used only once.

Investigate Loyalty

The President chooses a player to investigate. The investigated player hands their Party Membership card (not their Secret Role card!) to the President, who looks at it secretly and returns it. The President may share (or lie about!) the results. No player can be investigated twice in the same game.

Call Special Election

The President chooses any other player to be the next Presidential Candidate. After a Special Election, the President placard returns to the left of the President who called the Special Election.

Policy Peek

The President secretly looks at the top 3 tiles of the Policy deck and returns them to the top of the deck without changing the order.

Execution

The President executes a player by saying “I formally execute [player name].” If that player is Hitler, the game ends in Liberal victory. If they are not Hitler, the table should not know whether a Fascist or a Liberal has been killed; players must deduce this for themselves. Executed players cannot speak, vote, or run for office.

Veto Power

The Veto Power comes into effect after 5 Fascist Policies have been enacted. The Chancellor may say “I wish to veto this agenda.” If the President consents by saying “I accept the veto,” both Policies are discarded and the President placard passes to the left. If the President does not consent, the Chancellor must enact a Policy normally.

Each use of the Veto Power represents an inactive government and advances the Election Tracker by one.

Game End

The game ends immediately when:

  • 5 Liberal Policies are enacted (Liberal victory)
  • Hitler is assassinated (Liberal victory)
  • 6 Fascist Policies are enacted (Fascist victory)
  • Hitler is elected Chancellor after 3+ Fascist Policies (Fascist victory)

Official Strategy Notes

  • Everyone should claim to be Liberal. Since the Liberal team has a voting majority, they can easily exclude any player who claims to be Fascist
  • Liberals should generally tell the truth. Lying can put your team at a significant disadvantage
  • If it’s your first time playing as Hitler: Be as Liberal as possible. Enact Liberal Policies. Vote for Liberal governments. Trust your fellow Fascists to create opportunities
  • Liberals benefit from slowing down the game and discussing the available information
  • Fascists benefit from speeding up votes and creating confusion
  • Fascists win more often by electing Hitler, not by enacting 6 Policies!
  • Ask other players why they took an action. Especially important with Presidential Powers
  • If a Fascist Policy comes out, there are only three possible culprits: The President, the Chancellor, or the Policy Deck

For Liberals

  • Watch for behavioral patterns
  • Communicate openly and share information
  • Identify Hitler - it’s the key to winning
  • Use executive powers to investigate suspects
  • Don’t let Hitler become Chancellor late in the game

For Fascists

  • Protect Hitler - don’t make him suspicious
  • Create confusion by accusing liberals of being fascists
  • Sacrifice yourself if necessary to protect Hitler
  • Appear liberal - enact liberal policies when needed

For Hitler

  • Act like a liberal until it’s safe
  • Let the other fascists do the dirty work
  • Build trust to be elected Chancellor when it matters
  • Avoid lying or getting into fights with other players

Tips for Beginners

  1. Start with 7-8 players for ideal balance
  2. Liberals: talk a lot - information is power
  3. Fascists: be subtle - don’t coordinate openly
  4. Watch the votes - they reveal a lot about loyalty
  5. Don’t trust blindly - even liberals can seem suspicious
  6. Learn from mistakes - each game teaches new tactics

About Lying

You can always lie about hidden knowledge in Secret Hitler. The only time players MUST tell the truth is in game-end scenarios involving Hitler: a player who is Hitler must reveal it if they are assassinated or if they are elected Chancellor after 3 Fascist Policies have been enacted.

History and Fun Facts

  • Created in 2016 by Mike Boxleiter, Tommy Maranges, and Mac Schubert
  • Kickstarter funded with 34,565 backers who raised over $1.5 million
  • Inspired by: Mafia, Werewolf, and The Resistance
  • Creative Commons license (BY-NC-SA 4.0) - you can download and print it for free from secrethitler.com
  • Available in more than 30 languages
  • Very popular on streaming platforms and YouTube
  • Considered one of the best modern social deduction games

Considerations

Sensitive Theme

  • The game deals with serious historical topics
  • Recommended for mature players (13+)
  • Uses the theme as an educational tool about political manipulation
  • Doesn’t glorify Nazism, but shows how manipulation works

Social Dynamics

  • Can create tensions between players
  • Requires emotional maturity
  • Better with groups who know each other
  • Set boundaries before playing