Service Rat · How to Play

How to Play Service Rat

Service Rat is a free social deduction game for 5–10 players where the Cats try to keep the town cat-run while the Sellouts quietly hand City Hall to the rats. A typical match runs 20–45 minutes. This is the complete guide: setup, the five phases of a Round, the mayoral prerogatives, win conditions, and quick strategy notes for each role.

Coming from the card game? Read the rules of the original Secret Hitler, explained: Service Rat uses the same election-and-policy core under a cat-town coat of paint, so everything below will feel familiar.

Setup

At the start of every game, each player gets a secret role:

• Cats: the majority. They do not know who is who.
• Sellouts: a hidden minority. They know each other and know who The Rat is.
• The Rat: one player, allied with the Sellouts. The Rat does not know who the Sellouts are.

Role distribution scales with player count (how player count changes the game →):

• 5 players: 3 Cats, 1 Sellout, 1 Rat
• 6: 4 Cats, 1 Sellout, 1 Rat
• 7: 4 Cats, 2 Sellouts, 1 Rat
• 8: 5 Cats, 2 Sellouts, 1 Rat
• 9: 5 Cats, 3 Sellouts, 1 Rat
• 10: 6 Cats, 3 Sellouts, 1 Rat

The docket is 17 cards in all: 6 Cat Laws and 11 Rat Laws. The docket is intentionally biased: Cats cannot just sit back and hope. Bots can fill any empty seat in any mode (Pass & Play, LAN, or Online).

The five phases of a Round

Every round cycles through the same five phases:

Term limits

This is the most disputed rule at any table, so here it is in one quotable sentence: the previous Mayor and the previous Ratcatcher cannot be nominated as Ratcatcher. One exception: when 5 or fewer players are alive, only the previous Ratcatcher is term-limited: the previous Mayor becomes eligible again. Term limits only restrict the Ratcatcher nomination; nobody is ever blocked from becoming Mayor, since that seat rotates automatically (or is handed over by a Snap Election).

The Mayor's prerogatives

Prerogatives unlock as Rat Laws accumulate, and the thresholds depend on player count. In a 5–6 player game the first prerogative is Peek at the Docket at the third Rat Law; in a 9–10 player game, Sniff Out fires at the very first. Every table reaches Kick Out of Town at the fourth Rat Law. Each prerogative, in depth →

• Sniff Out: the Mayor secretly sniffs out which side a player is on (Cat or Rat). Each player can only be sniffed out once. The Mayor can lie about the result.
• Peek at the Docket: the Mayor secretly views the top 3 laws on the docket. They can lie about what they saw.
• Snap Election: the Mayor personally chooses the next Mayor. After that special Round, normal rotation resumes.
• Kick Out of Town: the Mayor must kick one player out of town for good. If the Rat is kicked out of town, Cats win the game.

Prerogatives by player count

This is the exact prerogative table the app uses: the row is the Rat Law that was just signed, the column is the number of players the game started with:

Veto Power and Caterwaul

Veto Power unlocks after 5 Rat Laws have been signed. Once unlocked, the Ratcatcher may request a veto before signing a law. The Mayor can approve (both laws shredded, Uproar tracker advances by one) or deny (Ratcatcher must sign as normal).

Caterwaul is triggered by three consecutive failed votes. The top law is auto-signed with no Mayor/Ratcatcher involvement and the Uproar tracker resets. Sellouts deliberately block votes to bring on the Caterwaul when the docket is stacked in their favour.

Four ways to win

1. Cats win by signing 5 Cat Laws.
2. Cats win by kicking The Rat out of town with a mayoral prerogative.
3. Sellouts win by signing 6 Rat Laws.
4. Sellouts win if The Rat is appointed Ratcatcher when 3+ Rat Laws are already on the board.

Quick strategy by role

Each role has its own full guide: Cat strategy, Sellout strategy, and how to play The Rat, or start from the role guides hub. Here is the one-paragraph version for each role:

• Cat: Pattern recognition wins. Who votes HISS! on every nomination? Who hands you two Rat Laws after a clean draw pile? Take notes mentally and reference signed laws when discussing.
• Sellout: Stay reasonable in the first two Rounds. Drop the hammer mid-game when the docket favors you. Always have a credible lie ready about what you shredded as Mayor.
• The Rat: Until the Rat Law track crosses 3, play exactly like a Cat. After that, get yourself appointed Ratcatcher, but never name yourself as the Rat, and avoid suspicion at any cost.

Three ways to play

The same rules apply to every mode. You choose how the game is hosted:

• Pass & Play: one phone is passed around the table. Best for in-person groups with one device.
• LAN Multiplayer: all players on the same Wi-Fi, each on their own device. Best for offices or game nights with everyone present.
• Online Multiplayer: share a room code, play from anywhere. Best for remote groups, with no account required. See how to set up an online room step by step.

All three modes support AI bot players to fill any empty seats, so a 4-player human group can play a 5-player game with one bot, for example.

Still arguing about an edge case? The FAQ covers common rules questions: Caterwaul, Veto Power, who knows whom, and more.