Blood on the Clocktower

Before the game begins, the Storyteller selects a script (or cast of characters), featuring 22-25 characters, and determines which character roles will be in play for the game. Good players can either be Townsfolk, players with abilities that benefit the good team, or Outsiders, players with abilities that hinder the good team. Evil players can either be Minions, support for the Demon with abilities that 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 number of players.{{Cite web |last=Jarvis |first=Matt |date=6 November 2023 |title=How to play Blood on the Clocktower: rules, setup, editions and how to win explained |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/games/blood-on-the-clocktower/how-to/how-to-play-blood-on-the-clocktower-rules |access-date=9 November 2023 |website=Dicebreaker}}

If a player is uncertain whether they can stay the entire game or they enter late, they can play as Travellers with special abilities. All players know what character the Traveller is, but not if they are good or evil.{{Cite web |last=Whelan |first=Michael |date=27 July 2021 |title=5 most exciting board games for tabletop thrillseekers |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/board-game/best-games/exciting-board-games |access-date=17 September 2022 |website=Dicebreaker}}

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 agrees.{{Cite web |last=Eggett |first=Christopher |date=26 September 2022 |title=Blood on the Clocktower Review |url=https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/reviews/blood-on-the-clocktower-review/ |access-date=1 February 2023 |website=Tabletop Gaming Magazine}}{{Cite web |date=1 April 2019 |title=Uudelleenjulkaisuna Bus ja legacyna Machi Koro |url=https://www.lautapeliopas.fi/uutiset/uutiskatsaus-010419/ |access-date=24 January 2023 |website=Lautapeliopas |language=fi}}

During the night phase, actions are performed secretly for characters that act at night. 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 if there are seven or more players.

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 not eliminated and can participate freely in discussions.{{Cite web |date=29 March 2022 |title=Best social deduction games 2023 |url=https://www.wargamer.com/social-deduction-games |access-date=21 August 2023 |website=Wargamer}} 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 resulting in a good win, or there are only two living players remaining including the demon resulting in an evil win.{{Cite web |title=Rules Explanation |url=https://wiki.bloodontheclocktower.com/Rules_Explanation |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Blood on the Clocktower Wiki}}

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". The three official scripts are bundled together when buying the game.

Three additional official scripts "Garden of Sin", "The Tomb", and "Midnight in the House of the Damned" are being developed.{{Cite web |title=Tumblr |url=https://bloodontheclocktower.tumblr.com/post/186630757755/embed |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=bloodontheclocktower.tumblr.com |language=en-US}}

The Pandemonium Institute provides an online tool that allows players to create custom scripts by combining characters from different editions together, along with experimental characters that have only been released for digital play.{{Cite web |title=Custom Scripts |url=https://bloodontheclocktower.com/custom-scripts |website=Blood on the Clocktower}}

File:Córdoba-España-IMG 20241013 114754.jpg

Funding for Blood on the Clocktower began in 2018 with a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $570,000 on a $65,000 goal. The game 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 "Clocktower Conventions" after its release.{{Cite web |title=UK Games Expo 2018 Programme |url=https://media.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/prod/documents/2018programme.pdf |page=15}}{{Cite web |title=News & Updates |url=https://clocktowercon.com/news-updates/ |access-date=26 August 2023 |website=Clocktower Con}}

During the Kickstarter campaign, Shut Up & Sit Down released a video review in which Quintin Smith called it his "favorite game".{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Quintin |date=29 March 2019 |title=Review: Blood on the Clocktower |url=https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/videos/review-blood-on-the-clocktower/ |access-date=21 August 2023 |website=Shut Up & Sit Down}}{{Cite web |date=12 January 2023 |title=The Not-So-Secret Society- A Blood on the Clocktower Review |url=https://playerelimination.com/2023/01/12/the-not-so-secret-society-a-blood-on-the-clocktower-review/ |access-date=21 August 2023 |website=Player Elimination}} 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." Vanessa McGinnis and Charlie Hall of Polygon listed it as one of "The best board games we played in 2023," with NPR 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".{{Cite web |last=McGinnis |first=Vanessa |last2=Hall |first2=Charlie |date=12 December 2023 |title=The best board games we played in 2023 |url=https://www.polygon.com/23979940/best-board-games-2023 |access-date=23 December 2023 |website=Polygon}} In a brief review for The Guardian, Alex Hern described Blood on the Clocktower as "the Ulysses of the board games world", concluding that "neither small nor cheap, it’s not an ideal introduction to board games, but it’s the one that will stick with you for the longest."{{Cite news |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=1 February 2024 |title=Missing The Traitors? Four brilliant board games to satisfy your inner liar |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/01/missing-the-traitors-four-brilliant-board-games-to-satisfy-your-inner-liar |access-date=23 February 2024 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}

The game won "Best Party Game" in Tabletop Gaming's 2022 awards. Christopher Eggett, editor of Tabletop Gaming, praised it for its enjoyable gameplay and "longevity" due to the many roles and setups.{{Cite web |date=16 September 2022 |title=Tabletop Gaming Awards 2022 Winners Announced |url=https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/News/tabletop-gaming-awards-2022-winners-announced |access-date=17 September 2022 |website=Tabletop Gaming Magazine}} The game was also runner up for "Best Party Game" in BoardGameGeek's 2022 Golden Geek Awards.{{Cite web |title=17th Annual Golden Geek Winners for 2022! {{!}} Geekdo |url=https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3080060/17th-annual-golden-geek-winners-for-2022 |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=BoardGameGeek |language=en-US}}

Blood on the Clocktower was adapted into an unscripted comedy show Blood on the Clocktower: Live! which has performed at various locations{{Cite web |author=Staff Writers |date=2024-06-03 |title=Bondi Festival 2024 Programme |url=https://frooty.com.au/arts/bondi-festival-2024-programme |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Frooty |language=en-gb}}{{Cite web |title=Blood on the Clocktower: Live! at Dynasty Typewriter |url=https://dola.com/events/2024/10/6/blood-on-the-clocktower-live-tickets |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=DoLA |language=en}} including at the Old Red Lion Theatre in 2022,{{Cite web |title=Blood on the Clocktower |url=https://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/blood-on-the-clocktower.html |access-date=21 August 2023 |website=oldredliontheatre.co.uk}} and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024.{{Cite news |last=Ed |first=Fortune |date=Aug 16, 2024 |title=BLOOD ON THE CLOCK TOWER LIVE! [Edinburgh Fringe] |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/blood-on-the-clock-tower-live-edinburgh-fringe/ |access-date=Oct 20, 2024 |work=Starburst}}

In a review of the show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024, Ed Fortune of Starburst magazine noted the "charming and mischievous presence" of storyteller and host Jon Gracey, as well as Gracey's skill at choosing comedians to play the game on stage.

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In addition to in-person, Blood on the Clocktower can be played online. The game increased in popularity online during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic after the success of the game's Kickstarter.{{CN|date=March 2025}} Multiple Discord communities dedicated to the game have been created to play the game online.{{Cite web |title=Join the Blood on the Clocktower (Unofficial) Discord Server! |url=https://discord.com/invite/botc |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Discord}} The game has also gained popularity as live streamed game on Twitch.{{Cite web |title=Twitch |url=https://www.twitch.tv/pattersttv |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Twitch}}{{Cite web |title=Twitch |url=https://www.twitch.tv/grimscenarios |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Twitch}}{{Cite web |title=Twitch |url=https://www.twitch.tv/thegrimgg |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Twitch}}

In 2021, The Pandemonium Institute launched a Twitch channel showcasing online games with fans in the community.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.twitch.tv/thepandemoniuminstitute |title=ThePandemoniumInstitute - Twitch |access-date=2024-10-01 |via=www.twitch.tv}} The Pandemonium Institute released an official web application designed to play the game online in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Institute |first=The Pandemonium |title=Blood on the Clocktower Online |url=https://botc.app/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Blood on the Clocktower Online |language=English}}{{Citation |title=ThePandemoniumInstitute/botc-release |date=2024-10-18 |url=https://github.com/ThePandemoniumInstitute/botc-release |access-date=2024-10-20 |publisher=The Pandemonium Institute}}

{{reflist}}

• {{bgg|240980|Blood on the Clocktower}}
• [https://botc.app Blood on the Clocktower app]
• [https://wiki.bloodontheclocktower.com/Main_Page Blood on the Clocktower Wiki]

Category:Board games introduced in 2022

Category:Live-action role-playing games

Category:Party games

Category:Social deduction games