Finding Safety in Blood on the Clocktower’s Community of Liars

December 2024

Mel Gomez-Erickson, MA, LMHC

Social deduction games have been around since the 1980s. I remember playing Mafia in the cafeteria during lunch in middle and high school back in the early 2000s. Later, in college, my friends introduced me to Shadowhunters. As an adult, I found Werewolf, Among Us, Goose Goose Duck, and Town of Salem. Each new game I learned was more fun than the last, and social deduction quickly became one of my favorite gaming genres. There is something about the combination of using logic and social dynamics to find the “bad guys” that appeals to my mystery-loving side in a way that many other board games do not.

While immensely popular, social deduction games like those listed above can be hard to play. The inherent structure of the genre both encourages and rewards lies and deceit. The existence of both “good” and “evil” players means those playing have to determine who they can trust and who is telling the truth, while knowing people are likely lying. Surprisingly, according to a blog post by Dr. Jonathan Peters, overall, the good team wins in social deduction games more often than statistics using game theory would predict. He elaborates that research suggests this discrepancy is related to psychological stress on members of the evil team from keeping up with and keeping track of their lies, especially when they start coming under suspicion.

Last year, one of my friends told me about the game Blood on the Clocktower, highly recommending that I try it. As I already mentioned, I love social deduction games, and it sounded fun, so I accepted my friend’s invitation to a Discord server where people played online. Around the same time, completely independently, a coworker invited me to her house to play Blood on the Clocktower in person, using the physical game.

After my first game, I was hooked. I have never had more fun in a social deduction game. I was astounded by the sense of inclusion and community I experienced whether playing with my friends or with strangers on the internet. The very atmosphere of the game fosters a sense of connection that I have found lacking in other social deduction games.

Blood on the Clocktower was created by The Pandemonium Institute, a group of game designers located in Australia, in 2019. Over 6,000 backers from 55 countries funded the Kickstarter campaign that enabled the game’s initial production; the campaign raised $573,621 USD, an amount totaling almost 9 times the original funding goal. Complications related to Covid-19 delayed the game’s initial release, but when it finally became available to the public in 2022, it proved incredibly popular. In fact, the demand for the game exceeded the number of physical copies produced and was subsequently unavailable for a few months until more were made.

The unexpected success of the Kickstarter campaign, in turn, led to the inception of Clocktower Con, the world’s first Blood on the Clocktower convention, which was held in Washington DC in April of 2023. Clocktower Con Vegas occurred a few months later. At least two more conventions took place in 2024, and additional ones are planned for 2025. As of January 2024, Blood on the Clocktower has sold over 30,000 copies worldwide and was rated the #1 Party Game on BoardGameGeek.

Blood on the Clocktower contains many of the hallmarks of traditional social deduction games as well as some key differences. The players sit in a circle, and the “storyteller” stands around the circle. To set up the game, the storyteller builds a “Grimoire”, colloquially referred to as “the Grim.” The Grim contains one distinct character for each player, arranged in a circle corresponding to the players’ real-world seating arrangement. 

Each player receives a “token” with the name of their character, their character’s unique ability, and which of the four character types they are. Players who are “townsfolk” or“outsiders”  make up the good team, while players who are“demons” or “minions” comprise the evil team. The characters in play for any given game of Blood on the Clocktower are determined by the “script” being used by the storyteller. A script consists of 22-25 characters, typically containing 13 townsfolk, 4 outsiders, 4 minions, and up to 4 demons. 

The game itself is separated into two phases, night and day. During the night phase, the demon “kills” other players, and players learn information. During the day, the players talk to each other, decide on a player they suspect of being evil, and “execute” them. The goal of the game is simple: the good team wants to execute the demon, and the evil team aims to reduce town to two living players. Frequently, storytellers choose to end the game if the only alive players are evil, but that is not strictly a win condition within the rules.

Unlike other social deduction games, Blood on the Clocktower  incorporates a unique fifth character type, called “travellers.” Travellers have the ability to enter and leave the game at any point, and they are not present in every game. When a traveller is in play, all players know their character and ability, but do not know whether they are good or evil. Additionally, while travellers can vote on executions during the day, their presence does not affect the number of votes needed for an execution to go through. Relatedly, travellers are not executed by town, they are “exiled.”

The inclusion of travellers allows flexibility in player participation. Individual games of Blood on the Clocktower can run anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. By playing a traveller, players are granted the ability to engage in a game despite limitations in their availability or hesitancy in committing to a long game. By doing so, the game becomes more accessible to a wide variety of individuals.

Apart from differences in the game structure, there are two major differences between Blood on the Clocktower and other social deduction games. The first is the treatment of dead players. As much as I enjoy social deduction games, I have always been frustrated by the fact that when you die, you are no longer in the game. You cannot talk to anyone, you do not get any information, and you cannot vote to exile suspected evil players. Effectively, you sit and watch everyone else have fun without you. If you are unlucky enough to be out of the game early on, you will likely spend more time watching the game than playing it.

Unlike other social deduction games, Blood on the Clocktower, includes dead players in the game. Not only can dead players talk during the day, they have a single “dead vote” to use at some point in the game. Dead players can also call for and vote on the exile of a traveller, which does not count as using their dead vote. Dead players have significant influence on the game; dead votes often play a crucial role in determining the final outcome and thus, the winning team.  There are also some characters in the game whose abilities specifically activate when the player dies.

The addition of travellers as well as the incorporation of dead players into the game contribute to the second major difference that sets Blood on the Clocktower apart from other games: the sense of inclusion and community . The website for the game quite accurately describes it as “an instant community in a box.” With popularity comes a fan base, and Blood on the Clocktower’s fans are highly engaged. Players across the globe gather and play online using the “official” app through The Pandemonium Institute. Other “unofficial” apps, while not endorsed by The Pandemonium Institute, are also permitted and encouraged by them. Places such as game stores and conventions often host Blood on the Clocktower games for the public. Individuals who have a physical copy of the game often play with their friends and family.

The Blood on the Clocktower community is so extensive that there are several ways to engage with the game above and beyond merely playing in it or storytelling. Fans frequently build custom scripts using characters from “The Base Three scripts” that come with the game or using any of the numerous experimental characters released over time. Many fans have even taken to creating “homebrew scripts” in which they design their own characters.  Additionally, established gaming groups, such as No Roles Barred, regularly stream their games online for fans to watch.

The focus on community within the Blood on the Clocktower fan base directly affects players’ experiences in a positive way. Instead of creating an environment that fosters stress and division, The Pandemonium Institute leans into the game’s deceptive nature, portraying it in a different light. They describe the game as a “safe space to lie,” where players are encouraged to set aside social norms of honesty.  Within the context of the game, lying, causing chaos, and deceiving are the social norms. There are multiple reasons both good players and evil players benefit from dishonesty, so no one is judged for being deceptive. Instead, being caught in a lie is treated like any other type of information. The question “why did you lie to me?” is transformed from accusatory to inquisitive. 

Furthermore, players are not villainized for being on the evil team in a game. Character tokens are typically randomly distributed at the beginning of the game; chance, not choice, determines whether a player is good or evil. As a result, when playing multiple times in a single setting, individual players will likely be on each team at a different point in the game. Sometimes, a player can change from good to evil, or vice versa, within a single game. Evil players often have to paint suspicion on others in order to remain undetected,  yet, due to the sense of camaraderie among players, being targeted is not perceived as discrimination, merely typical gameplay. The attitude of acceptance established at the beginning of the game can be incredibly appealing to those in undesirable circumstances outside of the game.

Creating the context of a safe space within Blood on the Clocktower games sets an expectation from players. Yes, this is a game where everyone lies, and it’s still meant to be a fun space, where people are treated with respect and dignity. The “community in a box” aspect of Blood on the Clocktower is a convenient and comfortable method of defying societal norms from within the safety of a supportive community. Ironically, the ability to openly lie and deceive, often while simultaneously telling some degree of the truth, creates opportunities for those who spend the majority of their daily life keeping secrets or lying in order to remain emotionally and/or physically safe to take pride in their skills in a way that is acceptable both socially and personally. 

In particular, members of the LGBTQ+ community often have to hide key components of their identity due to the potential of rejection, ostracization, and violence. It can be incredibly dangerous for an LGBTQ+ individual to exist authentically in society.  Currently, there are 64 countries that criminalise homosexuality.   Similarly, in the United States, 669 bills containing anti-trans policies were introduced by lawmakers across 43 states in 2024.  Discrimination at such a societal level drastically impacts members of the LGBTQ+ community. In the past two years alone, the amount of suicide attempts by transgender and gender non-conforming youth in the United States has risen by up to 72%  among states that have enacted anti-trans legislation. However, social support and safe spaces have significant, even life-saving benefits. By emphasizing safety, community, and acceptance, The Pandemonium Institute has effectively created a worldwide safe-space. 

From personal experience, I can attest to the ways in which existing in a world that feels like everyone is against you is isolating, terrifying, and exhausting. When supposedly protective establishments, such as governments, create policies rooted in prejudicial ideology, they inherently endorse discrimination. As a result, every interaction with an unfamiliar person has to be evaluated for potential dangers. Finding those who are trustworthy and accepting can be difficult, but once you find them, you hold on to them. There is safety in community. There is comfort in safety. 

Throughout the last year, as I have become a more active member of the Blood on the Clocktower community, the amount of acceptance and positivity I have experienced is staggering. Currently, I play regularly, facilitate games as a storyteller, and occasionally build custom scripts. Each way of interacting with Blood on the Clocktower is a unique experience I thoroughly enjoy. In fact, it has quickly become my absolute favorite game. More often than not, I feel comfortable being my genuine, authentic self during games of Blood on the Clocktower. As a person who holds multiple minority identities, truly safe spaces such as that are few and far between. 

Blood on the Clocktower puts a new spin on the well-known mechanics of social deduction games in a way that incorporates diversity and inclusion into the very essence of the game itself. It purposefully redefines the genre into a celebration of qualities and traits often condemned by society; in doing so, it creates a safe space for people to express themselves by encouraging them to act genuinely, even while lying.

At this point, there’s only one thing left to do: it’s time for me to go build a Grim.

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Works Cited

2024 Anti-Trans Bills: Trans legislation tracker. 2024 Anti-Trans Bills: Trans Legislation Tracker. (n.d.). https://translegislation.com/

Blood on the clocktower by the Pandemonium Institute — kickstarter. (2022, June 11). https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pandemoniuminstitute/blood-on-the-clocktower

Events: Blood on the clocktower – a captivating new social bluffing game. Blood on the Clocktower. (n.d.). https://bloodontheclocktower.com/clocktower-con

ilgadatabase. (n.d.). Legal Frameworks | Criminalisation of consensual same-sex sexual acts. Database.ilga.org. https://database.ilga.org/criminalisation-consensual-same-sex-sexual-acts

The Pandemonium Institute (n.d.). Blood on the clocktower online. Blood on the Clocktower Online. https://botc.app/

The Pandemonium Institute (n.d.) About us: Blood on the clocktower – a captivating new social bluffing game. https://bloodontheclocktower.com/about-us

Peters, J. (2022, August 10). Using social deduction games in learning. Sententia Gamification. https://www.sententiagamification.com/blog/social-deduction