Social deduction games are terrific party activities. A social deduction game involves players being assigned secret roles or allegiances, and the goal of the game is to unravel these secret roles before the opposing side can eliminate you from the game.
Usually it means the good guys trying to root out the bad guys before the bad guys take power, kill the good guys, or outwit the good guys into acting against their own best interests.
There are a lot of social deduction games out there for you to enjoy. Ultimate Werewolf, Are You a Robot?, Salem 1692, The Resistance, and Secret Hitler are all affordable ones with tons of replay value. (Of course, for affordability, you can’t beat Mafia. You can play a round of Mafia with just a deck of cards, proving that social deduction games are more about the players than the game pieces.)
But, when it comes to social deduction games, one game stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of complexity, variation, challenge, and immersion.
There are usually only a few different roles to play in social deduction games. In Are You a Robot?, there are humans and robots. In Ultimate Werewolf, villagers and werewolves. In Secret Hitler, there’s Liberals, Fascists, and Hitler. In Mafia, there are mafia members, townspeople, a doctor/guardian angel, and a detective.
The limited number of character archetypes allows you to introduce to new players to the game quickly, which is definitely a bonus for games that require a large number of people.
But these limited roles can also hurt replay value if your players are looking for more to sink their teeth into.
That’s where Blood on the Clocktower comes in.
Yes, there are only two teams (good and evil), but EVERY player gets their own role, including powers and requirements that change over the course of the three “nights” that the game takes place. Every role is unique, and victory or defeat can hinge on the special abilities of a single player.
Blood on the Clocktower is the Tri-Dimensional Chess to every other social deduction game’s Chess. There is so much going on, so much to keep track of, so many possibilities that you can’t help but fall fully into the immersion of the game. It’s your only chance to survive.
And the game is so involved that it lends itself well to be “performed.” Watching a great game of Blood on the Clocktower being played is sometimes just as fun as playing.
I have seen some amazingly entertaining actual play videos of Blood on the Clocktower. YouTube channels like Smosh and No Rolls Barred have played, and now, Good Time Society is hoping to fund a Kickstarter for a series of actual plays of the game:
Some of the best actual play personalities in the board game and roleplaying game are teaming up for this, and it looks like they’re going to make something special here.
So click this link if you’d like to contribute. If not, hopefully you’ll watch some of these actual play videos and check out the game for yourself.
Game companies continue to push the envelope in terms of storytelling, presentation, and immersion, and Blood on the Clocktower has become the new benchmark. Who knows what’s coming next!
Do you have a favorite social deduction game? Let me know in the comments below! (For me personally, I love the simplicity and replay value of Mafia!)
And happy deducing, everyone!
PuzzCulture 