Blood on the Clocktower

Overview

Blood on the Clocktower is a social deduction game for 5-20 players. Players sit in a circle, each secretly assigned a unique character with a special ability. Most players are good Townsfolk or Outsiders trying to identify and execute the Demon. A few players are evil – a Demon and its Minions – who kill by night and spread lies by day. One additional person serves as the Storyteller (game master), who runs the game, manages the Grimoire, resolves abilities, and communicates secretly with players at night via hand signals.

The game alternates between Night phases (eyes closed; characters wake individually to use abilities or receive information) and Day phases (open discussion, nominations, and a public vote to execute one player). Good wins if the Demon is executed. Evil wins if only 2 non-Traveler players remain alive. Dead players lose their abilities but may still talk and retain one final vote for the rest of the game.

Games typically last 30-90 minutes. The box includes three editions (scenarios) of increasing complexity: Trouble Brewing (beginner), Bad Moon Rising (intermediate), and Sects & Violets (intermediate).

Components

Core Components

• 1 Grimoire (2 pieces) – the game box that stores secret game state
• 1 Grimoire stand (2 pieces)
• 1 Town Square board – placed on the floor in the center of the circle
• 4 Plastic sleeves
• 1 Setup sheet (rules sheet on reverse)
• 1 Traveler sheet (rules sheet on reverse)
• 1 Bag (for distributing character tokens)
• 18 Shroud tokens (mark dead players in Grimoire)
• 30 Night tokens (mark which characters act tonight on the night sheet)
• 4 Info tokens (rectangular; shown to players at night, e.g., “This Is the Demon”)
• 2 Metal clips (hold Grimoire together)
• 20 Life tokens (parchment = alive, black = dead; grey for Travelers)
• 18 Vote tokens (placed on life token when a player dies; removed when dead player uses their one remaining vote)

Travelers & Fabled

• 1 Travelers & Fabled character almanac
• 1 Travelers & Fabled token box
• 15 Traveler character tokens
• 14 Traveler reminder tokens
• 12 Fabled character tokens
• 12 Fabled reminder tokens

Trouble Brewing (Beginner Edition)

• 1 Character almanac, 1 edition box, 1 night sheet
• 20 Character sheets, 25 character tokens, 18 reminder tokens

Bad Moon Rising (Intermediate Edition)

• 1 Character almanac, 1 edition box, 1 night sheet
• 20 Character sheets, 25 character tokens, 41 reminder tokens

Sects & Violets (Intermediate Edition)

• 1 Character almanac, 1 edition box, 1 night sheet
• 20 Character sheets, 25 character tokens, 37 reminder tokens

Setup

1. Arrange seating. Place one chair per player in a rough circle or square, with a definite clockwise/counterclockwise order. Leave a gap for the Storyteller to enter/exit. Keep the center clear of tables or obstacles.

2. Prepare the Grimoire. Clip the two metal clips near the upper and lower corners. Place the Grimoire on its stand, positioned where players walking around will not accidentally see inside. Stock info, night, and shroud tokens inside (bottom-left of the right side is recommended).

3. Choose an edition. Select Trouble Brewing (5+ players), Bad Moon Rising (7+ players), or Sects & Violets (7+ players). Place its edition box in the bottom-left of the Grimoire.

4. Prepare the Town Square. Place the Town Square board on the floor in the center. Add life tokens equal to the number of players. Place a pile of vote tokens in the center. Tuck the Traveler sheet partially under the Town Square so the Townsfolk/Outsider/Minion count is visible.

5. Read rules to new players. Use the rules sheet (or have a veteran read the duplicate on the Traveler sheet’s reverse). Demonstrate hand signals. Nomination/execution rules can be deferred until the first nomination.

6. Secretly choose characters. Referring to the setup sheet for the correct distribution by player count, select the appropriate number of Townsfolk, Outsiders, Minions, and the Demon from the edition box. Place chosen tokens in the left side of the Grimoire. Return all unchosen tokens. Players with 16+ participants must volunteer excess players as Travelers.

   Character Distribution by Player Count:

   Players	Townsfolk	Outsiders	Minions	Demon
   5	3	0	1	1
   6	3	1	1	1
   7	5	0	1	1
   8	5	1	1	1
   9	5	2	1	1
   10	7	0	2	1
   11	7	1	2	1
   12	7	2	2	1
   13	9	0	3	1
   14	9	1	3	1
   15	9	2	3	1

   For 16-20 players, use the 15-player distribution and excess players become Travelers.

7. Add and remove characters (orange leaf). If any chosen character token shows an orange leaf, add or remove character tokens as described in the almanac. After adjustments, the total number of character tokens must still equal the number of players. Example: the Baron adds 2 Outsiders and removes 2 Townsfolk.

8. Add reminder tokens (green leaves). For each chosen character with green leaves on top of its token, add the corresponding number of reminder tokens beside it in the Grimoire.

9. Distribute character tokens. Shuffle all chosen character tokens and place them in the bag. Each player draws 1 token, looks at it secretly, then passes the bag onward.

10. Collect tokens into Grimoire. Have players hold out their tokens felt-side up. Collect them and place them in the Grimoire matching seating positions. Maintain the same clockwise/counterclockwise order as physical seating.

Turn Structure

The game alternates between Night and Day phases. The very first phase is always a Night.

Night Phase

Preparation (before eyes close):

• Place the correct night sheet side: “First Night” for the opening night, “Other Nights” for all subsequent nights.
• Position reminder tokens as needed (left side of Grimoire = active tonight; right side = inactive).
• Place night tokens on the night sheet next to each character acting tonight and by the “Dawn” line.
• If first night with 7+ players, add night tokens for “Minion info” and “Demon info.”
• If not the first night and Travelers are in play, add a night token by “Dusk.”
• Plan ahead: decide what bluff tokens to show the Demon, what misinformation to give drunk/poisoned players.

Execution (eyes closed):

1. Say “All players, eyes closed” and verify compliance.

2. First Night only (7+ players) – Minion Info:
   • Wake all Minions simultaneously.
   • Let Minions make eye contact to learn each other’s identities.
   • Show the “This Is the Demon” info token and point at the Demon player.
   • Put all Minions back to sleep.
3. First Night only (7+ players) – Demon Info:
   • Wake the Demon.
   • Show “These are your Minions” info token and point to each Minion.
   • Show “These characters are not in play” info token and display 3 good character tokens not in play (typically 2 Townsfolk + 1 Outsider) as bluff options.
   • Put the Demon to sleep.
4. Resolve character abilities from top to bottom on the night sheet:
   • Tap the player twice on shoulder or knee to wake them.
   • Resolve their ability (they choose a player, receive information via hand signals, etc.).
   • Use the “eyes closed” hand signal (hand over your own eyes) to put them back to sleep.
   • Place/move reminder tokens as needed.
   • If a character dies before their turn on the night sheet, skip them – they do not wake.
5. Dawn: Wait 5-10 seconds at the dawn marker (prevents meta-gaming about who acted last). Then say “All players, eyes open.” Immediately declare which players died during the night (do not reveal how or why).

Day Phase

Discussion:

• Players talk freely: publicly, in whispers, or in private conversations away from the group.
• Good players typically reveal characters and share information; evil players bluff as good characters with false information.
• Answer player questions about rules either publicly or privately. Be careful not to reveal character identities when answering publicly.
• Allow 5-10 minutes of discussion before calling for nominations (adjust to group preference).

Nominations and Voting:

1. Say “I now call for nominations.”
2. Any alive player may nominate any other player (alive or dead) by name. Repeat the nomination aloud. Dead players cannot nominate.
3. Each player may nominate only once per day. Each player may be nominated only once per day.
4. Only one nomination can be pending at a time.
5. Give the nominee 10-30 seconds to defend themselves.
6. Tally votes: Stand in the center, extend one hand toward the nominee, and slowly spin clockwise, counting raised hands aloud. The nominee votes last and may vote for themselves.
   • Alive players may vote for as many nominees as they wish per day.
   • Dead players may vote only once for the rest of the entire game (then remove their vote token).
7. Declare result:
   • The vote succeeds if: (a) votes >= half the number of alive players, AND (b) more votes than any previous nominee today.
   • If it succeeds, that player is “about to die” (pending execution) unless a later nominee gets even more votes.
   • If it ties with a previous nominee, neither is executed; future nominees must exceed the tied count.
   • If it fails, the player is not executed.
8. Call for further nominations or give a last call: “Last call for nominations! Three… two… one…”
9. If nominations close and a player is “about to die,” execute them.

Execution:

• Maximum 1 execution per day. Execution is not required – the day can end with no execution.
• When a player is executed and dies: place a shroud on their token in the Grimoire, remove their night token from the night sheet, have them flip their life token to black and place a vote token on it.

After execution: Take ~30 seconds to prepare the next night phase (reposition reminders, add/remove night tokens). Then declare the day over and begin the next Night.

Actions

Character Types

Type	Alignment	Role
Townsfolk	Good (blue)	Abilities that help the good team. Most in-play characters are Townsfolk.
Outsider	Good (blue)	Abilities that are unhelpful or harmful to the good team.
Minion	Evil (red)	Abilities that help the evil team. Usually 1-3 per game.
Demon	Evil (red)	The primary villain. Kills at night. If the Demon dies, good wins.
Traveler	Varies (chosen by Storyteller)	For late arrivals / early departures. Powerful abilities, little information. Exiled, not executed.
Fabled	Neutral (Storyteller’s)	Special rules characters used to solve real-world game issues (accessibility, time constraints, balance). Cannot die or lose abilities.

Ability Rules

• Abilities are described on character tokens, character sheets, and in detail in the character almanac. The almanac text is definitive.
• Abilities resolve immediately. Example: if the Demon attacks the Fortune Teller, the Fortune Teller dies immediately and does not wake later that night.
• “Choose” means the player decides. If the word “choose” is absent from an ability, the Storyteller decides.
• Abilities are lost immediately upon death, poisoning, or drunkenness. Persistent effects of an ability also end when the ability is lost. Example: if a Poisoner poisons the Slayer at night, then the Poisoner dies later that same night, the Slayer is no longer poisoned.
• Exception: Some characters retain part of their ability when dead (ability text says “even if dead” or implies post-death function). This retained ability is still lost if the player becomes drunk or poisoned.
• “Once per game” abilities: If used while drunk or poisoned, the ability is still spent and cannot be used again.
• Character abilities break core rules. If a character ability contradicts a core rule, follow the ability. Exception: abilities cannot affect Traveler exiles.
• Only tell the player what their ability says they learn. Do not reveal collateral information (e.g., if Scarlet Woman becomes the Imp, other players are not informed).
• If a player tries to use their ability incorrectly (e.g., Monk choosing themselves), shake your head and prompt them to choose again.

Storyteller Hand Signals (Night Communication)

Signal	Meaning
Tap twice (shoulder/knee)	Wake up (eyes open)
Hand over own eyes	Go back to sleep (eyes closed)
Nod	Yes
Shake head	No
Thumbs up	Good alignment
Thumbs down	Evil alignment
Fingers held up	A number (0 = thumb touching fingertips in “O” shape)
Point at player	Indicate a specific player
Show character token	Indicate a specific character

States

Alive / Dead:

• Dead players lose their ability immediately. Any persistent effects of their ability end.
• Dead players cannot nominate. They may vote only once more for the rest of the game.
• Dead players still close their eyes at night and may talk freely during the day.
• Dead players’ identities are NOT revealed upon death.
• A dead player cannot die again. If attacked by the Demon, nothing happens and it is not announced.
• Execution is different from death – a player can be executed but remain alive (via certain abilities). Dead players can also be executed again.

Good / Evil (Alignment):

• Generally matches character type (Townsfolk/Outsiders = good, Minions/Demons = evil), but abilities can change alignment.
• Alignment is independent of character. Changing alignment does not change character, and vice versa.
• Players learn of alignment or character changes at the earliest opportunity, in secret. Exception: some characters (Drunk, Lunatic) are designed to not know their true identity.
• Flip the character token upside down in the Grimoire to indicate a player whose alignment differs from their character type’s default.

Drunk / Poisoned:

• Being drunk and being poisoned have identical mechanical effects.
• A drunk or poisoned player has NO ability, but the Storyteller acts as if they do.
• They are not told they are drunk/poisoned. They still wake at night, make choices, and receive (possibly false) information.
• The Storyteller MAY give false information to drunk/poisoned players receiving information (and usually should to maximize the handicap).
• Drunkenness and poisoning do NOT cancel each other out. A poisoned drunk is both poisoned and drunk.
• Abilities used ON a drunk/poisoned player work normally (e.g., Empath correctly detects a drunk neighbor’s alignment).
• Always give correct rules information, even to drunk/poisoned players.
• Tip: support evil players’ bluffs with drunk/poisoned misinformation where possible.

Madness (Sects & Violets and beyond):

• A player who is “mad about” something is trying to convince the group that something is true.
• If instructed to be mad but not making a genuine effort, the Storyteller may apply a penalty (often execution).
• If instructed to not be mad but actively trying to convince the group, the Storyteller may apply a penalty.
• Players are never forced to say anything – but they are incentivized. Saying “I am mad” or heavily implying it counts as accepting the penalty.
• Once a player is no longer mad, they may freely discuss their former madness without penalty.
• The Storyteller is the final judge of whether a player is behaving “madly.” Consider player experience level when judging effort.

Travelers

Travelers are for players who arrive late or need to leave early. They have powerful abilities but gain little information.

Adding a Traveler:

1. Let the player choose a Traveler from the Traveler sheet (5 recommended per edition).
2. Tell them privately whether they are good or evil. Evil Travelers learn which player is the Demon (but not Minions).
3. Place their token in the Grimoire (upside-down if evil).
4. Place a grey life token on the Town Square.
5. Announce publicly which Traveler character is now in play and what its ability is (do NOT reveal alignment).

Traveler Rules:

• May enter at any time (even before the first night). Not recommended if fewer than 7 players remain alive.
• For 16+ player games, excess players MUST be Travelers.
• Travelers do NOT count toward evil’s “2 alive players” win condition.
• Travelers are exiled, not executed. Any player (alive or dead) may call for exile at any time during the day. This is not a nomination. Exile requires support from at least half of ALL players (total, not just alive). Dead players supporting exile do not lose their vote token. Exile is not affected by character abilities. Multiple exiles may occur per day, and an execution may still occur on the same day.
• Make Travelers good most of the time (~2/3 good). An evil Traveler getting an extra vote is very powerful.

Fabled

Fabled are special rules characters for the Storyteller. They fix real-world problems: accessibility, time constraints, custom script balance, new-player protection, etc.

• Chosen publicly by the Storyteller. Can be added/removed at any time.
• Cannot die or lose their ability (immune to all game effects).
• Do not count for the “2 alive players” win condition.
• Use only when needed – not every game.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Condition	Winner
The Demon is executed (dies)	Good wins
Only 2 non-Traveler players remain alive	Evil wins
Both conditions met simultaneously	Good wins (good takes priority)

Important details:

• All good players win together (alive and dead). All evil players win together (alive and dead).
• There are never neutral players.
• Some characters (e.g., Scarlet Woman) can keep the game going after the Demon dies, without the good team knowing.
• In advanced editions, multiple Demons can be alive at once. ALL Demons must die for good to win.
• Some Demons may be good-aligned, but good still wins only when all Demons are dead.

Early game ending: The Storyteller can declare a winner when victory is certain. Common case: with 4 players alive, if good executes a non-Demon, evil will usually win (Demon kills 1 at night, leaving 2 alive). However, if a Monk or Soldier could prevent the night kill, continue play. If there is ANY chance for the losing team, keep going.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

General Principles

• If the rulebook doesn’t say you can’t, you can. Players can nominate themselves, vote for themselves, the Demon can attack dead players, good players can lie, characters choosing “any player” can choose themselves or dead players.
• Dead players cannot nominate and may only vote once more (using their vote token).
• The Storyteller’s word is law. When rules are ambiguous, the Storyteller makes the final call and tells the players.

Night Phase Edge Cases

• If a character dies before their turn on the night sheet, do not wake them (they have no ability).
• Wait 5-10 seconds at dawn before opening eyes – prevents meta-gaming about who was last to act.
• Declare deaths immediately at dawn – prevents players from shouting “I died! I wasn’t woken!” as proof of identity.
• If you forget to wake a player, you can either briefly put everyone back to sleep and resolve it, or handle it privately during the day.

Execution Edge Cases

• Maximum 1 execution per day. Execution is optional.
• A vote succeeds only if it gets >= half the alive player count AND exceeds all previous nominees’ vote totals that day.
• A tie between two nominees means neither is executed. Future nominees must exceed the tied count.
• A player “about to die” can still nominate (if they haven’t already) and may be saved if a later nominee gets more votes.
• Dead players can be nominated and executed again (it still counts as the day’s one execution).
• Execution is distinct from death: some abilities allow a player to be executed without dying.

Drunk / Poisoned Interactions

• A drunk/poisoned player’s persistent effects end. Example: if the Innkeeper protects a player, and the Innkeeper becomes drunk, the protection ends.
• If a Poisoner poisons Player A, then someone else poisons the Poisoner, Player A is no longer poisoned (the Poisoner lost their ability).
• Give drunk/poisoned players false information that supports evil’s bluffs whenever possible.
• Abilities used on a drunk/poisoned player still function normally (the targeting ability works; only the target’s own ability is suppressed).

Registration

• A player who “registers as” a character or alignment counts as that for all game-rule and ability purposes, but does not gain that character’s ability.
• Example: if a good player “registers as evil,” they are still good (win with good) but detect as evil to abilities like the Empath.

Minion/Demon Info (First Night, 7+ Players)

• Minions learn each other and the Demon. The Demon learns its Minions and receives 3 not-in-play good characters as bluff suggestions.
• With fewer than 7 players, Minion/Demon info is NOT given on the first night.
• The 3 bluff tokens shown to the Demon are typically 2 Townsfolk + 1 Outsider, but the Storyteller chooses.

Storyteller Best Practices

• Help the weaker team subtly: give drunk players correct info if evil is dominant, or devastating misinformation if good is dominant.
• Support evil bluffs: if an evil player claims to be a character, make Grimoire movements and game actions consistent with that claim.
• Never break core rules (wrong number of Minions/Outsiders, no Demon in play, etc.). Over 200 characters exist to create unusual situations fairly.
• Let players make their own choices, even seemingly bad ones.
• Do not reveal dead players’ identities.

Discouraged Behaviors

• Talking about characters before the first night (Demon hasn’t received bluff tokens yet). Use the Fabled “Hell’s Librarian” if it becomes an issue.
• Narrating own abilities during the night (“I am waking now…”). This makes it nearly impossible for evil to bluff.

Player Reference

Quick Setup Checklist

1. Chairs in circle, gap for Storyteller, center clear
2. Grimoire clipped and on stand
3. Choose edition, place edition box in Grimoire
4. Town Square with life tokens and vote tokens
5. Read rules to new players
6. Select characters per setup sheet, add/remove per orange leaves
7. Add reminder tokens per green leaves
8. Bag, draw, collect tokens into Grimoire
9. Begin first Night

Character Distribution

Players	Townsfolk	Outsiders	Minions	Demon
5	3	0	1	1
6	3	1	1	1
7	5	0	1	1
8	5	1	1	1
9	5	2	1	1
10	7	0	2	1
11	7	1	2	1
12	7	2	2	1
13	9	0	3	1
14	9	1	3	1
15	9	2	3	1

16-20 players: use 15-player distribution; excess players become Travelers.

Key Voting Thresholds

Alive Players	Votes Needed to Execute (>= half)
3	2
4	2
5	3
6	3
7	4
8	4
9	5
10	5
12	6
15	8

Win/Loss Summary

Good Wins	Evil Wins
Demon dies (by execution or ability)	Only 2 non-Traveler players remain alive
If both conditions are simultaneous, good wins	Travelers do NOT count toward the 2-player threshold

Day Phase Flow

1. Discussion (5-10 min typical)
2. Storyteller calls for nominations
3. Nomination -> defense (10-30 sec) -> clockwise vote tally
4. Repeat nominations or give last call
5. Execute the player “about to die” (if any)
6. Prepare night, declare day over

Night Phase Flow

1. “All players, eyes closed”
2. First night only (7+ players): Minion info, then Demon info
3. Wake characters top-to-bottom per night sheet, resolve abilities
4. Wait 5-10 seconds at Dawn
5. “All players, eyes open” – immediately announce deaths

Editions at a Glance

Edition	Difficulty	Min Players	Theme
Trouble Brewing	Beginner	5	Classic Demon-hunt with misinformation tricks
Bad Moon Rising	Intermediate	7	Death extravaganza; multiple kills per night; risky info-gathering
Sects & Violets	Intermediate	7	Wild abilities; alignment/character changes; madness mechanic

Leaf Guide (Character Token Icons)

Icon	Meaning
Green leaves (top)	Number of reminder tokens to add to Grimoire
Green leaf (left)	Character acts on the first night
Green leaf (right)	Character acts on all other nights
Orange leaf	Character modifies setup (add/remove characters)

Dead Player Rules

• Lose ability immediately (and persistent effects end)
• Cannot nominate
• May vote exactly once more (then remove vote token)
• Still talk freely and close eyes at night
• Identity is NOT revealed
• Win/lose with their team
• Cannot die again