Blood on the Clocktower
DesignersSteven Medway
DirectorsEvin Donohoe
Illustrators
  • Micaela Dawn
  • Aidan Roberts
  • John Van Fleet
  • Grace Van Fleet
PublishersThe Pandemonium Institute
Publication2022 (2022)
Genres
Players5–20
Playing time30–120 minutes
Age range14+
Websitehttps://bloodontheclocktower.com/

Blood on the Clocktower is a social deduction party game created by Steven Medway and published by the Pandemonium Institute in 2022.[1]

Blood on the Clocktower shares core mechanics with Mafia, with a conflict between an informed minority (the evil team, made up of a Demon and Minions), and an uninformed majority (the good team, made up of Townsfolk and Outsiders). Each player is secretly assigned either a good or evil role and must help their team achieve its win condition. For the good team, this means executing the demon; for the evil team, this means eliminating players until there are 2 players alive. All actions are overseen by a Storyteller who conducts the player activities and makes important decisions.

Gameplay

Set up

Before the game begins, the Storyteller selects a script (or cast of characters), featuring anywhere from 21-25 characters, and determines which character roles will be in play for the game. Good players can either be Townsfolk, players with abilities which benefit the good team, or Outsiders, players with abilities which hinder the good team. Evil players can either be Minions, support for the Demon with abilities which hinder the good team, or the Demon, who has the power to kill during the night, and who must be killed for the good team to win. The number of Minions and Outsiders depends on the amount of players.[2]

If a player is uncertain whether they can stay the entire game, or they enter late, they can play as Travellers with special abilities. Travellers can either be good or evil.[3]

Game phases

The game has two alternating phases: a night phase, during which players close their eyes and are woken one at a time by the Storyteller to gather information or perform actions; and a day phase, in which players socialize openly or in private, eventually resulting in a player's execution if a majority suspects them of being evil.[4]

During the night phase, players cannot talk and actions are performed secretly. The Storyteller may give misinformation to players who are "drunk" or "poisoned". On the first night, Minions and the Demon learn who each other are.[5]

During the day phase, players wake and can choose to either speak privately with each other or publicly in the "Town Square". Good players use social deduction and the group's collective information to deduce who the evil players are. Evil players can exchange information and bluffs, as well as spread misinformation among the good players. Dead players are never eliminated and can participate freely in discussions.[6] After an amount of time decided by the Storyteller, all players meet in the Town Square and have the opportunity to nominate players for execution. Execution occurs on a majority vote. Dead players each have one vote they can use for the remainder of the game. In most cases, the game ends when the demon is executed or there are only two living players remaining.

There are currently three official scripts available from The Pandemonium Institute, which each come with their own roles and mechanics: "Trouble Brewing", "Sects & Violets", and "Bad Moon Rising".[3] The Pandemonium Institute is in development of an app version of the Town Square, which is currently in early access.

Reception

Development for Blood on the Clocktower began funding in 2018 with a successful Kickstarter campaign, which raised more than $570,000 USD, though it had already been in playtesting for years. During its development, the game was exhibited at various conventions and expos, including PAX 2018 and UK Games Expo 2018, and funds were raised for various "Clockwork Conventions" after its release.[3][7][8] It was adapted into a comedy show at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London, England in 2022.[9]

During the Kickstarter campaign, Shut Up & Sit Down released a controversial video review in which Quintin Smith called it his “favorite game”.[10][11] A review for Wargamer described Blood on the Clocktower as the "all-round best social deduction game," stating that it "nails everything a great social deduction game needs, and it fixes many of the major problems the genre has."[6] Polygon listed it as one of "The best board games we played in 2023," with NPR digital campaign manager Vanessa McGinnis writing that "if the Storyteller plays their cards right, their players will be left with a new, exciting story to share each game. Those stories are what makes Clocktower so special".[12]

The game won "Best Party Game" in Tabletop Gaming's 2022 awards.[13] Christopher Eggett, editor of Tabletop Gaming, praised it for its enjoyable gameplay and "longevity" due to the many roles and setups.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Blood on the Clocktower". The Dice Tower. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  2. ↑ Jarvis, Matt (2023-11-06). "How to play Blood on the Clocktower: rules, setup, editions and how to win explained". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  3. 1 2 3 Whelan, Michael (2021-07-27). "5 most exciting board games for tabletop thrillseekers". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  4. 1 2 Eggett, Christopher (2022-09-26). "Blood on the Clocktower Review". Tabletop Gaming. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  5. ↑ "Uudelleenjulkaisuna Bus ja legacyna Machi Koro". Lautapeliopas (in Finnish). 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  6. 1 2 "Best social deduction games 2023". Wargamer. 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  7. ↑ "UK Games Expo 2018 Programme" (PDF). p. 15.
  8. ↑ "News & Updates". Clocktower Con. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  9. ↑ "Blood on the Clocktower". www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  10. ↑ Smith, Quintin (2019-03-29). "Review: Blood on the Clocktower". Shut Up & Sit Down. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  11. ↑ "The Not-So-Secret Society- A Blood on the Clocktower Review". Player Elimination. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  12. ↑ McGinnis, Vanessa; Hall, Charlie (2023-12-12). "The best board games we played in 2023". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-12-23.
  13. ↑ "Tabletop Gaming Awards 2022 Winners Announced". Tabletop Gaming. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
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