Townsfolk
Steward
You start knowing 1 good player.
How DARE you accuse Her Ladyship of wrongdoing? I’ve known her my entire life! All nine years!
"You start knowing 1 good player." The Steward knows 1 good player. The Steward learns a player, but not their character. The Steward learns their information on the first night of the game. If created mid-game, then the Steward learns their information that night instead.
How to Run
- While preparing the first night, put the KNOW reminder by any good character token. During the first night, wake the Steward. Point to the player marked KNOW. Put the Steward to sleep.
Townsfolk
Shugenja
You start knowing if your closest evil player is clockwise or anti-clockwise. If equidistant, this info is arbitrary.
これは夢。それも夢。すべ て夢です。
"You start knowing if your closest evil player is clockwise or anti-clockwise. If equidistant, this info is arbitrary." The Shugenja trusts players to their left, or to their right. The closest evil player is the player with the smallest number of steps from the Shugenja to the evil player. If the evil players are ‘equidistant’, that means that the closest evil player clockwise is the same number of steps away from the Shugenja as the closest evil player anti-clockwise. If the evil players are equidistant, the storyteller gives ‘arbitrary’ information to the Shugenja. This means that the Storyteller chooses whether to tell the Shugenja that the closest evil player is clockwise or anti-clockwise. The Shugenja doesn’t know whether their information is arbitrary or not. The Shugenja does not learn how many steps away the evil player is. If a Shugenja is created mid-game, the Shugenja wakes that night to receive their information. The Storyteller communicates with the Shugenja by pointing a finger in the appropriate direction, but may use other methods if they wish.
How to Run
- During the first night, wake the Shugenja. If the closest evil player is in a clockwise direction, point your finger horizontally in that direction. If the closest evil player is in an anti-clockwise direction, point your finger horizontally in that direction. If the two closest evil players are equidistant, point your finger horizontally in either direction. Put the Shugenja to sleep.
Townsfolk
General
Each night, you learn which alignment the Storyteller believes is winning: good, evil, or neither.
I don’t have time for quotes.
"Each night, you learn which alignment the Storyteller believes is winning: good, evil, or neither." The General knows who is winning. If the good team is winning, the Storyteller gives a thumbs up. If the evil team is winning, the Storyteller gives a thumbs down. If neither team is winning, or the Storyteller isn’t sure, the Storyteller gives a thumbs to the side. The Storyteller is the judge on which team is winning. Many factors may be included, such as how many players of each team are still alive, how much information the good team has, how successful the evil team’s bluffs seem to be, which players the group wants to execute next, or how experienced the Demon player is. All of these, and more, will inform the Storyteller’s judgment. The Storyteller decides who is winning at the point that the General wakes. Previous events in the night may affect their decision.
How to Run
- Each night, wake the General. If you believe that the good team is winning, give a thumbs up. If you believe that the evil team is winning, give a thumbs down. If you don’t know which team is winning, give a thumbs to the side. Put the General to sleep.
Townsfolk
Town Crier
Each night*, you learn if a Minion nominated today.
Hear ye! Hear ye! Witchcraft in the labyrinth! Genius savant reveals all! Town in danger! Hear Ye!
"Each night*, you learn if a Minion nominated today." The Town Crier knows when Minions nominate. Each night, the Town Crier learns either a “yes” or a “no”. They do not learn which players are Minions or how many Minions made nominations, just whether or not any Minions made nominations today.
How to Run
- Each dawn, mark the Town Crier with the MINIONS NOT NOMINATED reminder, and remove the MINION NOMINATED reminder, if any.
- Each day, if any Minion makes a nomination, replace the MINIONS NOT NOMINATED reminder with the MINION NOMINATED reminder.
- Each night except the first, wake the Town Crier. If the Town Crier is marked MINIONS NOT NOMINATED, shake your head no. If the Town Crier is marked MINION NOMINATED, nod your head yes. Then, put the Town Crier to sleep. Remove the MINION NOMINATED reminder, if any.
Examples & Notes
- If you forget whether a Minion made a nomination or not, wake each Minion at night and ask by showing them the DID YOU NOMINATE TODAY? info token. They must answer honestly, then go to sleep.
Townsfolk
Savant
Each day, you may visit the Storyteller to learn 2 things in private: 1 is true & 1 is false.
Seventy-two matchsticks on the floor... the sun sets early but the moon is unchanged... a torn piece of cloth... evil in the manor house... three by three... the one we trusted is not what he seems... green light means magnesium... residue, but the pattern is wrong... Seventy-two matchsticks on the floor...
"Each day, you may visit the Storyteller to learn 2 things in private: 1 is true & 1 is false." The Savant gets crazy, amazing information that is different every day and every game, but exactly half of it is completely false. Each day, the Storyteller chooses two pieces of information to give the Savant... so get creative! One must be true, and one must be false, and the Savant won’t know which is which. It is up to the Savant to talk with the Storyteller, not the other way around. This isn’t a public conversation, and the group can’t listen in. It’s private. The Savant can choose to not visit the Storyteller if they wish. A drunk or poisoned Savant might get two pieces of true information or two pieces of false information.
How to Run
- Once per day, if the Savant requests a private chat with you, take them away from the circle so you cannot be overheard. Whisper two pieces of information, one true and one false, to the Savant. (If you cannot think of two straight away, either take your time or ask them to come back in a few minutes.)
Examples & Notes
- Keep the information you give helpful and related to the game. Avoid saying who exactly the Demon is, or it could be a very short game. If you need help on choosing what to say, give information similar to what Townsfolk abilities would provide.
Townsfolk
Slayer
Once per game, during the day, publicly choose a player: if they are the Demon, they die.
Die.
"Once per game, during the day, publicly choose a player: if they are the Demon, they die." The Slayer can kill the Demon by guessing who they are. The Slayer can choose to use their ability at any time during the day, and must declare to everyone when they're using it. If the Slayer chooses the Demon, the Demon dies immediately. Otherwise, nothing happens. The players do not learn the identity of the dead player. After all, it may have been the Recluse! A Slayer that uses their ability while poisoned or drunk may not use it again. The Slayer will want to choose an alive player. Even if the Slayer chooses a dead Imp, nothing happens, because a dead player can't die again. Players may say whatever they want at any time, so a player who's pretending to be the Slayer may pretend to use the Slayer ability.
How to Run
- During the day, the Slayer can declare that they wish to use their ability. If so, the Slayer points at any player. If the chosen player is an alive Demon, declare that the chosen player dies—put a shroud on their character token in the Grimoire. If the chosen player is not an alive Demon, say "Nothing happens." Either way, the Slayer loses their ability—put the Slayer's NO ABILITY reminder token by the Slayer token.
- If a player is bluffing as the Slayer and declares they wish to use their ability, act as if they were indeed the Slayer—allow time for discussion, let them make the decision, and act like you're fiddling with tokens in your Grimoire, then say "Nothing happens."
- When the Slayer declares that they wish to use their ability, give the group a minute or two to discuss who the Slayer should choose. This allows the group to feel responsible for the win (or the loss!), but the Slayer always makes the final choice.
Townsfolk
Philosopher
Once per game, at night, choose a good character: gain that ability. If this character is in play, they are drunk.
If anything is real, beer is real. Drink, for tomorrow we may die.
"Once per game, at night, choose a good character: gain that ability. If this character is in play, they are drunk." The Philosopher has no ability until they decide which character they want to emulate. They can do this once per game. When they do so, they gain that character’s ability. They do not become that character. They may want to wait a while to choose. If the Philosopher chooses a character that is already in play, the player of that character becomes drunk. If the Philosopher then dies or becomes drunk or poisoned, the player they are making drunk becomes sober again. If the Philosopher chose a character that was not in play at the time but is in play now, that character is drunk. If the Philosopher gains an ability that works at night, they wake when that character would wake. If this ability is used on the first night only, they use it tonight. If the Philosopher regains their ability via the Bone Collector, or uses their ability twice via the Barista, the Philosopher may choose a new ability, or the same ability as before. If the Philosopher’s ability works while dead, such as the Klutz’s, it works if the Philosopher is dead.
How to Run
- Each night, wake the Philosopher. They either shake their head no or point at any Townsfolk icon or any Outsider icon on their character sheet. Put the Philosopher to sleep.
- If they pointed to an icon of a character not in play, swap the Philosopher token with the chosen character token and mark them with the IS THE PHILOSOPHER reminder.
- If they pointed to an icon of a character in play, the player of the chosen character becomes drunk - mark them with the DRUNK reminder. (You can now use the duplicated character’s reminders for the Philosopher). If the Philosopher dies, the player made drunk by the Philosopher becomes sober - remove the DRUNK reminder.
Outsider
Drunk
You do not know you are the Drunk. You think you are a Townsfolk character, but you are not.
I’m only a hic social drinker, my dear. Admittedly, I am a heavy burp socializer.
"You do not know you are the Drunk. You think you are a Townsfolk character, but you are not." The Drunk player thinks that they are a Townsfolk, and has no idea that they are actually the Drunk. During setup, the Drunk's token does not go in the bag. Instead, a Townsfolk character token goes in the bag, and the player who draws that token is secretly the Drunk for the whole game. The Storyteller knows. The player does not. The Drunk has no ability. Whenever their Townsfolk ability would affect the game in some way, it doesn't. However, the Storyteller pretends that the player is the Townsfolk they think they are. If that character would wake at night, the Drunk wakes to act as if they are that Townsfolk. If that Townsfolk would gain information, the Storyteller may give them false information instead—and the Storyteller is encouraged to do so.
How to Run
- While setting up the game, before putting character tokens in the bag, remove the Drunk token and add a Townsfolk character token. Add the Drunk's IS THE DRUNK reminder token to the Grimoire. Put the swapped Townsfolk character token in the bag, not the Drunk character token.
- While preparing the first night, put the Drunk's IS THE DRUNK reminder token by any Townsfolk character token, changing that player's character to the Drunk. They are now an Outsider, and do not have the ability of this Townsfolk character. (But they think they do.)
- During the game, act as if the Drunk is actually this Townsfolk character. (If that character would wake to act at night, the Drunk wakes to act. If their ability would give them information, you can give false information to them if you wish. See "Drunkenness and Poisoning" in the rulebook.)
Outsider
Recluse
You might register as evil & as a Minion or Demon, even if dead.
Garn git ya darn grub ya mitts ofma lorn yasee. Grr. Natsy pikkins yonder southwise ye begittin afta ya! Git! Me harvy no so widda licks and demmons no be fightin' hadsup ne'er ma kin. Git, assay!
"You might register as evil & as a Minion or Demon, even if dead." The Recluse might appear to be an evil character, but is actually good. Whenever the Recluse's alignment is detected, the Storyteller chooses whether the Recluse registers as good or evil. Whenever the Recluse is targeted by an ability that affects specific Minions or Demons, the Storyteller chooses whether the Recluse registers as that specific Minion or Demon. The Recluse may register as either good or evil, or as an Outsider, Minion, or Demon, at different parts of the same night. The Storyteller chooses whatever is most interesting. A Recluse that registers as a particular Minion or Demon does not have this character's ability. For example, a Recluse that registers as a Poisoner does not wake at night and cannot poison a player.
How to Run
- Each time the Recluse is targeted by an ability that detects or affects evil characters, choose which character and alignment the Recluse registers as. (Do whatever is appropriate, such as showing an evil character token, nodding, giving finger signals, or allowing an ability to work that would normally only affect evil, Minion, or Demon players.)
Minion
Widow
On your 1st night, look at the Grimoire & choose a player: they are poisoned. 1 good player knows a Widow is in play.
More wine? Château d’Ergot ’07 is a very special vintage. My yes, very special indeed.
"On your 1st night, look at the Grimoire & choose a player: they are poisoned. 1 good player knows a Widow is in play." The Widow sees the Grimoire and poisons a character of their choice. The Widow acts on their first night only, poisoning one player. The player that the Widow poisons is poisoned until the Widow dies. On the same night that the Widow acts, one good player learns that the Widow is in play, but not which player is the Widow, and not which player is poisoned.
How to Run
- While preparing the first night, mark a good player with the KNOW reminder.
- On the first night, wake the Widow and show them the Grimoire for as long as they need. The Widow points to a character token in the Grimoire. Mark them with a POISONED reminder. They are poisoned. Put the Widow to sleep.
- Wake the player marked KNOW. Show them the Widow character token. Put that good player to sleep.
Minion
Marionette
You think you are a good character, but you are not. The Demon knows who you are. [You neighbor the Demon]
Words, words. They're all we have to go on.
"You think you are a good character, but you are not. The Demon knows who you are. [You neighbor the Demon]" The Marionette doesn't know that they are a Minion. The Marionette draws either a Townsfolk or an Outsider token from the bag, but is secretly the Marionette. The Marionette neighbors the Demon. There are no players sitting in between the Marionette and the Demon. The Demon knows which player is the Marionette. On the first night, the Marionette does not wake to learn the other evil players, and the other Minions do not learn the Marionette. The good ability that the Marionette thinks they have doesn’t work, but the Storyteller pretends it does. It is just as if this player is the Drunk. The Marionette registers as evil, and as a Minion.
How to Run
- While setting up the game, before putting tokens in the bag, remove the Marionette token and add any Townsfolk token.
- If there are three Minions in play, remove another Minion token and add another Townsfolk token. During the first night, swap a good player’s character token with a not-in-play Minion character token. Wake this player, show them the YOU ARE info token then their Minion character token, then the YOU ARE info token then a thumbs down, then put them to sleep. This player is now an evil Minion. (This ensures that only one Minion token is in the bag, so at least one good player will neighbor the Demon.)
- During the first night, mark a good player neighboring the Demon with the IS THE MARIONETTE reminder. Wake the Demon. Point to the player marked IS THE MARIONETTE and show the Marionette character token. Put the Demon to sleep.
- Treat the Marionette as if they were drunk. They wake when their good character would wake, may get false information, do not wake during the Minion Info step etc.
Demon
Leviathan
If more than 1 good player is executed, evil wins. All players know you are in play. After day 5, evil wins.
To the last, I grapple with thee. From Hell’s heart, I stab at thee. For hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.
"If more than 1 good player is executed, evil wins. All players know you are in play. After day 5, evil wins." The Leviathan doesn't kill. All players know the Leviathan is in play, even if the Leviathan is created mid-game. Any number of evil players may be executed, but if more than one good player is executed, evil wins. It doesn’t matter which characters were executed, only the alignment of the player at the time they were executed. When the fifth day ends and night begins, if the Leviathan is still alive, evil wins. All types of execution count, even if the player doesn’t die. A player executed due to the Virgin, or due to revealing that they are the Mutant, is still executed. An executed player who lives due to the Pacifist is still executed.
How to Run
- Immediately after dawn on the first day, declare that the Leviathan is in play. Mark the Leviathan with the DAY 1 reminder. At the beginning of each following day, mark the Leviathan with DAY 2, then DAY 3, then DAY 4, then DAY 5 reminders. If a day ends and the Leviathan is marked with the DAY 5 reminder, declare that evil wins.
- If a good player is executed, mark them with the GOOD PLAYER EXECUTED reminder.
- If a good player is executed and a player is already marked with the GOOD PLAYER EXECUTED reminder, declare that evil wins.
Examples & Notes
- For new players, it is helpful to declare that the Leviathan is in play each day, and to say what day it is. On the first day, say “The Leviathan is in play. It is day one.” On the second day, say “The Leviathan is in play. It is day two.” etc. This helps your players remember what Demon they are facing and avoid accidentally losing by forgetting to count the days.
Fabled
Hell's Librarian
Something bad might happen to whoever talks when the Storyteller has asked for silence.
Shhhhhh. Please be quiet. It is best not to disturb the Librarian. I've heard it has a temper.
"Something bad might happen to whoever talks when the Storyteller has asked for silence." Use the Hell’s Librarian to allow a softly-spoken Storyteller to be heard when needed. As the Storyteller, you’ll find the Hell’s Librarian useful when it is difficult to get the group’s attention. Maybe you need to explain a game rule? Or get attention for a crucial final-day vote? It can also be used to prevent players from talking about their characters before the game begins or from narrating what they are doing at night. Players instinctively stay quieter during the pre-game period and at night, so you may never need it. It is best to give the players fair warning before you bring the hammer down. Like the Angel, the threat of a mysterious penalty is more important than the actual penalty. The purpose of this character is to make games run smoothly, not to punish minor infringements.
How to Run
- At any time, declare that the Hell’s Librarian is in play. Add the Hell’s Librarian token and their SOMETHING BAD reminder to the Grimoire.
- At any time, you can ask the group for silence for a particular period of time. Remind them that the Hell’s Librarian is in play if needed. If a player talks or otherwise interrupts and makes your job difficult during that time, you can let them know that something bad happens to them. You may need to mark their character token with the SOMETHING BAD reminder, to remind you that they are now poisoned, or mad, or can’t vote today, or simply as a reminder to decide on what to do later.
Examples & Notes
- Like the Angel, the “something bad” that might happen is up to you. However, it is recommended to either make the penalty that the player dies, that the player loses their ability for a day, or that the player may not vote for a day. A light penalty works much better than a severe one.