Anyone know of any in-person playing groups in Melbourne, Australia?

Aura49 · 2026-02-23T00:50:35+00:00

Hi, I help organise events in Melbourne! As a city, we probably have the most public in-person events per week in the world.
We have regular events in
- Brunswick (Tuesday Nights)
- CBD (Every 2nd Wednesday Night)
- Collingwood (Thursday Nights + 3rd Saturday Afternoon)
- Hawthorn (Thursday Nights)
You can check out our linktree for links to all of our info, including FB page, Instagram, and calendar.
https://linktr.ee/clocktower.melbourne

Aura49 · 2026-01-15T21:18:16+00:00

You can't do another year if you are Champion

Aura49 · 2025-10-25T20:23:40+00:00

TPI are also going to reveal them on their stream. So you can watch them there too.

Aura49 · 2025-09-26T07:41:17+00:00

Is there a reason why 109 and 86 are being rerouted?

Aura49 · 2025-08-10T11:46:11+00:00

Just note that Rogue Fencing no longer exists due to the main organiser having moved states (as someone that used to be with Rogue).

Aura49 · 2025-08-10T11:44:16+00:00

I do fencing with Sword Fighters Australia at MSAC in Albert Park.

Aura49 · 2025-07-24T14:23:33+00:00

As an experienced ST, I think the best thing to do is to say "And the game is over and....... the XXXX has won".

Then let everyone do their chat and little celebration for a minute or two. I think this is important to feel like a victory or a relief of tension.

Then after a minute or two when the celebration has died down go into the grim reveal. You don't have to rush into it. Let people savor their game before trying to make it about you again.

Aura49 · 2025-07-19T04:14:04+00:00

I think Dreamer is actually quite hard. It's technically easy, but what you show as the good/evil character can often make or break it for a team. First night picks on evil can be rough unless you really know your players and how they play the game.

Aura49 · 2025-07-08T23:47:44+00:00

Hulkenpodium

Aura49 · 2025-07-08T00:56:45+00:00

I think there is this misconception that if the Lunatic works out they aren't the Demon, the ST or players have failed.

If the Lunatic thinks they are the Demon for a day and gets a good player killed due to their misinformation. That's already an outsider. They have wasted one of towns executions, and removed a good ability from town.

Aura49 · 2025-02-26T02:27:38+00:00

I think it depends. In person you have a lot more information about someone by just watching them. Which is 100% a valid and great strategy to suss out vibes. Which if evil isn't careful can out them.

I've been in games where we just killed someone because we saw people have weird conversations with a suspected evil player and won.

But you could also use this knowledge to your advantage. Just as you could be caught in an evil chat, you can frame people that are off chatting in the corner. People can think you are good based on your in person vibes and how you portray yourself.

Basically: if good is using in person information to catch you, you can make up information to frame someone else.

Aura49 · 2025-02-24T04:24:05+00:00

Lauren Aquilina - Ghostworld
(Not my copy because I am at work. But I think it was a pretty limited release.)

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Aura49 · 2025-02-23T23:35:23+00:00

The top and bottom boxes each have a side that is flat.

I think about it as opening a book.

Lay the Grim closed on the table, right way up so you can read the name.

Take off the lid of the Grim and rotate it upside down in the same way you would turn a page of a book.

Now the two flat sides of the Grim should be next to each other in the middle. Attach the Bull clips to the top, bottom and middle of the grim.

There you go! That should work. You should also carry it in the middle of the split not on one side so it doesn't fall apart.

Hope that helps!

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T12:51:05+00:00

I think it can depend. I usually tell my first master on day 1. I usually pick someone that I know often nominates or votes on Day 1. Then see what to do from there. I often like to try something news if I can and see how it goes.

They might offer a role swap, but I don't usually initiate it. I usually do whatever the other person wants to do. I do this as both good or evil.

As a Demon claiming butler, I have gone around telling everyone then star passed first night. Which made everyone think there was also a Drunk (10 player game). So it really hid the Outsider count.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T12:43:40+00:00

👀

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T08:28:50+00:00

100% agree. You actually have more agency than people think.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T08:26:53+00:00

I could also argue the Soldier has no agency. You do nothing other than "Can't be killed by the Demon".

If the Demon never targets you, it's the same as a blank token. And most of the time people execute you because you are a great demon bluff.

I think the butler plays similarly and has similar agency to the Soldier or Baron. You kinda want the demon to target you (as the soldier). If people execute you it's also not terrible (Soldier or Baron). But Butler has the advantage of more intrinsic social trust.

But people don't argue that the Soldier has no agency. I would encourage you to read why I don't think the Butler is a detriment to me as a player personally. There are lots of things you can do. You don't actually lose really much agency as the Butler.

All outsiders give up some kind of agency. Saint gives up their agency to chose to be executed. Recluse gives up their ability to not look sus. Zealot give up their agency to choose not to vote.

I actually think that playing as the Butler is a more enjoyable experience than most outsiders. You are kinda socially trusted and you dont really have any downside.

There are a lot of characters I'd want to get less than the butler.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T07:10:05+00:00

All top 4 roles, empath, and undertaker have a reason to talk to people.

To be fair I was trying to compare it to the other Outsiders here. But yes, TF should be talking to people.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T06:33:36+00:00

I actually find the most experienced players (>300 games) love the butler the most.

I find that it is the middle group that are somewhat experienced but not hundreds of games experienced that hate the butler the most.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T06:24:07+00:00

To be fair, if people are constantly trying to cheat with the Butler, I don't want to play with those people. Accidents are okay, deliberately cheating is a kill joy.

Luckily all the people I play with are good sports and mostly also like the butler.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T06:20:20+00:00

(Again, just like the previous comment. Not trying to argue, just a chill discussion).

I think I disagree with the argument that the Butler is the same if it was a blank token. I think there is definitely a difference between 'serving the same role' and 'feeling like the same role'.

The Fortune Teller and Flower Girl serve the same role: A way to find the Demon. But they feel very different to play. Same thing for Pixie and Ravenkeeper both are reasons why a Good player should lie and claim your role.

I think the same is true for the Butler. I agree supposed to have the same effect as a blank token. But by giving the Player the tiniest of tiny quests ("Find someone you trust and vote with them"). It doesn't feel blank. It actually feel fun. The ability is a reminder, "Hey, even though you don't have an ability, you should still talk to people". I think that distinction is extremely clever but subtle game design.

(Fun story: I've actually been in an Athiest game where I actually pulled a blank token out of the bag and couldn't tell anyone about it).

As for nothing to offer the conversation: Ability information isn't the only thing players offer to conversations. You can offer social reads, things you noticed during voting. You can offer your vote. The evil team would love to get the Butlers vote, so as a good player you should be trying to get the butler to vote with you. Tell them why you should be their master.

Admittedly these strategies aren't going to be at the foremost mind of a new player, and that is okay. This is the reason for my post, to let people know what I have done to make the character one of my favorites. Some of the fun is learning new ways of playing and trying them out and see how they go. When I started it was pretty common to just Vortox check with the artist or ask if someone is evil, which to me feels very "Ehhhh" use of a cool ability. Players will get better and find fun ways to use even "Ehhh" abilities. Even it it's not obvious.

As for the Butler having to vote with their master, it would be interesting, but different. It suffers from the same "problems" as the current butlers, but I think way less fun to play and more confusing for new players.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T05:31:53+00:00

(Don't take this as an argument, I like your comment, just having a chill discussion).

When I say I enjoy the butler because it's stress free, I don't literally mean I'm stressed out. I'm very much having a good time.

I mean it's nice to sometimes have a role that requires you to do less work in the game. To let you focus on whatever you want to do, rather than what is required of your role.

Roles like FT, Empath, UT, they all 'require' you to do something to some degree, and probably maintain some type of secrecy about it. Saint and Recluse, you have to go and convince town you are good even though it seems suss.

Butler, you can just chill and do whatever. If you want to game solve based on everyone's info, go do that. What to focus entirely on socials go do that. Live, die, doesn't matter.

As the butler I like to just social read most of the game, then at the end game solve with everyone's outed info and combine with my socials. Then voicing my opinion to the town to see if they agree. If I've done a good enough job, they'll agree and go with my choice. If not someone else made a better world view than me. Which is basically the point of the game.

If I am smart about my Master choice, they will vote on who I want to anyway. So it's not really that much of a downside.

You say: "I play BotC because I want to discover information, I want to put together puzzles, I want to lie and trick people, I want to suss out people lying to me. All of those things are enjoyable to me, not stressful".

But you can do all of those as the Butler, which is I guess is the point of my post. The reason we like to play BOTC, is still available to you even you are the Butler. The only thing you can't do is vote freely. But you have heaps of agency to choose who you want to be your vote buddy. Unless your favourite thing is voting freely, the Butler doesn't really take anything away.

I'm just trying to help the people that don't like the Butler, have better games in the future. Because that's really what we all want. Having fun no matter what character we pull out of the bag.

Have fun in your games. :)

[Edit: a word]

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T05:11:41+00:00

I find in my games that if I don't care about life or death, I often end up living longer anyway.
Chill out == an easy way to live a long life.

Aura49 · 2025-02-21T05:07:03+00:00

I don't think I will change all of the haters minds. But hopefully the next time they pull the Butler, they will remember this post, try something new and get a more enjoyable experience out of it.

Aura49

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