Player Counts: 5 to 10
Service Rat runs for 5 to 10 players, and the number around the table changes the game more than any other single setting. It decides how many Sellouts you're hunting, whether the Rat knows an ally, and how early the mayoral prerogatives start firing. This hub lays out the math, then sends you to a dedicated guide for each count.
Because the role splits and prerogative thresholds match the official Secret Hitler distribution exactly, anything you've learned about a 7-player Secret Hitler game carries straight over to a 7-player Service Rat game: only the names change.
Role distribution by player count
Every game has exactly one Rat. The rest of the evil side is made of Sellouts, and the gap is filled by Cats. The "evil team" column is Sellouts plus the Rat.
| Players | Cats | Sellouts | The Rat | Evil team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
One rule rides on this table: the Rat learns who their Sellout ally is only at 5 and 6 players. From 7 players up, the Rat starts the game knowing no one: they have to find their own team by reading the table, just like the Cats do.
Prerogative timing changes with size
Group size also reshuffles the mayoral prerogative schedule. Small games (5–6) lean on Peek at the Docket; mid games (7–8) get an early Sniff Out; big games (9–10) get Sniff Out on the very first Rat Law. Kick Out of Town always lands at the 4th Rat Law and Veto always unlocks at the 5th, regardless of count. The exact grid lives on the mayoral prerogatives hub, and each player-count guide below repeats just the rows that apply to it.
Short a player? Fill seats with bots
You don't need a full house. Every mode: Pass & Play, LAN, and Online: lets AI bots take any empty seat, so a group of four can still run a proper five-player game with one bot. The only hard requirement is at least one human at the table. The bots model suspicion from voting and signing history, so they make for a real opponent rather than a warm body.
Pick your player count
Want the full rules first? Read How to Play, meet the cast in the role guides, or learn each power on the prerogatives hub.
5 to 10 players, on one phone or online: bots fill the rest. Free on Android and iOS, no account.