Intrigue Abounds in ‘Blood on the Clocktower’!
Lie to your friends and family and master the art of deception in Blood on the Clocktower, the incredible party game from The Pandemonium Institute.
Fondest greetings, brave guests. Group party games have been around for ages, from murder mysteries to “Werewolf”. Getting a group together to play a game is fun, but how do you combine the intrigue of a murder mystery with the roleplaying elements of Dungeons and Dragons? Leave that to Blood on the Clocktower, a game of deception and intrigue meant to be played in a single sitting. If you like D&D but want more politics and less combat, this might be your game.
What is Blood on the Clocktower?
Blood on the Clocktower is a unique experience for groups of 5-20 players celebrating together when tragedy strikes. The group is divided into good and evil teams. They must work together (or not) to try and solve the mystery at the heart of the gathering. The game requires a single storyteller. Ensure you’re okay with hosting the party before committing to this game.
Blood on the Clocktower launched after a successful Kickstarter campaign pre-Covid. After a few delays, it fully released in 2022 to rave reviews. Taking cues from Mafia and Werewolf, the game revolves around deceiving your enemies and helping your allies.
How Do You Play?
The game is played with a neutral Storyteller, an evil faction, and a good faction. Roles are assigned secretly, so you won’t know who’s good or bad as the game goes. The role of the “good” team is to uncover the Demon hiding amongst them and take them out. However, they don’t know who they can trust and must use context clues to figure out who to accuse.
The “evil” team, on the other hand, DO know who else is on their team. They must work to keep their identities a secret and take out partygoers who get too close to the truth.
Each game is divided into the Day and Night phases. During the Night, each player closes their eyes, and then, individually, the Storyteller gives them information. Whether or not the information is accurate depends on their character. Evil players are fully aware of each other and can use this information to throw people off their trail.
After that, the Day phase takes place. Players can choose to discuss information in the Town Square or privately. Using the information they learn, they try to deduce who’s on the side of Good. Evil players try to throw them off the trail. After both phases conclude, the players meet in the Town Square to execute a player they think is Evil. Dead players can vote once after they die. When the Demon is executed (Good victory) or only two players remain (Evil victory), the game ends.
Blood on the Clocktower: Reception and Reviews
Blood on the Clocktower has been well-reviewed since its release. In 2022, Tabletop Gaming’s awards voted it “Best Party Game.” Wargamer lauded it as “the all-around best social deduction game.” Polygon called it “The best board game we played in 2023.” It currently has an 8.3/10 on BoardGameGeek.
Is Blood on the Clocktower like D&D?
Yes and no. Players take on the role of characters, but they don’t need to roll dice to play. The Storyteller gives the players information, and then they must decide what to do with it. It is closer to some of the regency roleplaying games and feels more like shared improv than a TTRPG.
However, like D&D has modules, Blood on the Clocktower has “scripts.” Each published script provides a different story, unique characters, and different rules for the Storyteller. Whether you face off with a Demon, a Werewolf, or any ancient Witch depends on which script your Storyteller chooses.
How Long Does a Game of Blood on the Clocktower Take?
The length of the game depends on how many players are present, and how much intrigue the Storyteller chooses to inject. A six-player game could be played in less than an hour, while a full game of 26 people could take an evening. The game lasts as long as the players want it to, and depends entirely on how effective the Good team is at eliminating Evil.
Can I Play the Same Scenario Again?
Absolutely! Since the roles are random, playing over and over is completely possible. Evil will need to adopt new strategies to stay hidden, and Good will have to be on their toes. Play the scripts as many times as you want, and see how you do as each different role!
