This week, I played Blood on the Clocktower for the first time. Designed by Steve Medway and released by The Pandemonium Institute, the game is a deduction-centered modification of Werewolf presented as a board game. Given its complexity and focus on strategy, the game is intended for teens and above. In my experience, the group of seven college-aged players I was part of was the perfect number of people to enjoy the game (Although it did limit some of the role options available to us).
Blood on the Clocktower is a Werewolf derivation, with its goal being identical: both the townsfolk and the demons aim to eliminate the other side. The greatest difference that makes the game stand out, however, is its large selection of roles. The game splits the townsfolk into both townsfolk and outsiders, and the opposing side into minions and a demon. Each of the four sections has its own group of roles, aside from the demon only having the imp. In addition, this game also relies on a gamemaster to moderate and dictate certain actions and role abilities. For example, the decision of whether a mayor’s ability to deflect an attack is triggered can majorly change the outcome of the game. During my time playing, the decision to deflect prolonged the game beyond what would have been a fairly quick victory for the demons. This combination of role variety and gamemaster direction allows for unique gameplay scenarios even when playing with the same group of players.
When playing social deduction games, I tend not to talk much and focus more on the other players. For Blood on the Clocktower, I noticed that I chose this same way of playing. This may have been due to my getting accustomed to the rules and numerous roles in play, but it was also my usual strategy. With Blood on the Clocktower, taking in all the information you can get seemed to be the most effective way of playing. With roles like the investigator and empath, combining various players’ information into a coherent set of suspicions was the best way to progress the game and identify the demons.
This playstyle, however, also showed various faults throughout my time playing. While being quiet allowed me to get information, it also stopped other players from getting their own. Many times, I would be suspected based on “being quiet”, which potentially threw the group off from the actual suspect. On the other hand, being too open was also something I learned was not necessarily a good thing. I learned this the hard way when I declared my role as the slayer on the first day, ending in my death the following night. This also led to a wasted slayer ability as I did not end up using it. This showed me that both revealing your hand and being indecisive in using your abilities can lead to wasted opportunity. Coincidentally, the opposite of this happened in our first game, where the slayer took out the imp within the first day, ending the game instantly. Overall, my time spent playing Blood on the Clocktower gave me helpful insight into how being both too passive and oversharing can negatively affect both your personal outcome and your team’s perception of players.
Lying and deception were a critical part of playing Blood on the Clocktower, but are these tactics wrong? Personally, I believe this is based on how one perceives the game itself. On one hand, some may choose to view the game as a reflection of reality, where a player’s behavior in-game reflects their true nature. While this may be true for some players, I believe that this way of viewing play ignores the fundamental principle of what a game really is. What others see, and what I choose to believe, is that play transports the players into a new world. Here, the players are free to act as they wish, and can get away with actions that would not even be considered in their daily lives. Every lie and bluff is a move made not with ill intent, but as a way to progress through the game. I believe that making this distinction between lies in the real world and lies in a game environment is an important part of understanding how games allow players to express themselves beyond everyday real-world interactions.
