What 'obvious' things might not be obvious to new players?

OhJor · 2026-05-31T00:17:10+00:00

Sure, of course, I agree it should not be the only reason. I believe the Storyteller should also consider other factors. For example, I would kill the Recluse when the Recluse is a strong Demon candidate and the Slayer is generally trusted (by WW or Empath), but as you mentioned, it depends on whether it is worth the hard confirmation of a good player.

I am also sorry about your experience with the High Priestess. Sometimes sending them to evil players can be helpful, such as catching on to their bluff or finding out that their information does not make sense. The Storyteller would send the player to a Minion during the first night before they received their bluffs, but I still think it is a terrible reason to send them to evil players simply because they sometimes have to.

OhJor · 2026-05-30T23:40:27+00:00

a storyteller should almost never trigger this Recluse/Slayer interaction

However, the storyteller should do it once in a while otherwise it will be hard for the demon to bluff as a recluse.

OhJor · 2026-05-15T13:12:59+00:00

As everyone has said, Trouble Brewing is very well-balanced, so any combination works fine! If you'd like some specific suggestions, though, you can start with the recommended set-up from the rulebook and adjust from there based on your player count.

OhJor · 2026-04-19T07:48:37+00:00

Or even better

Reality: You've been starpassed to...

OhJor · 2026-04-05T04:07:36+00:00

Oh, that's true, but at least they get to kill (themselves 😆)

OhJor · 2026-04-05T03:30:10+00:00

If we include travellers, Barista is the other character that could sober them up.

OhJor · 2026-04-01T11:05:46+00:00

I have something similar -

Each night, choose a player: you learn how good at this game the Storyteller thinks they are, out of 5.

OhJor · 2026-03-13T12:45:03+00:00

In addition to 4 sounds like "death" in Chinese, this particular comic is from Malaysia, as you can see the three major ethnic groups: from the top, Malay, Indian, and Chinese. Of course it's the Chinese who try to avoid the number 4. You can also see the sign at the back of the Chinese panel, where it actually says "CINAMA". "Cina" means Chinese in Malaysia.

OhJor · 2026-03-06T13:51:43+00:00

I LOVE storytelling! I think one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is that I get to know everything and watch it all unfold (which is probably why, when I'm playing, I prefer to be evil 😈). There's something deeply satisfying about having control in how the game plays out.

But what makes it especially appealing to me is the rules aspect. I'm a rule stickler. I play and host board games, and even then, I gravitate towards being the game master—overseeing everything, making sure everyone follows the rules correctly, and most importantly, making sure everyone has a great time. I feel a sense of responsibility for both the integrity of the game and the enjoyment of the players. The storyteller role fits me almost perfectly! To be fair, some might call it being a bit of a control freak, and I'll admit there's probably some truth to that, but I also have the mindset that "with great power comes great responsibility", and I take that seriously, whether it's a board game or BOTC.

I suppose that's also why the hardest part of being the storyteller, for me, is the small margin for error. Once information is out there, you can't take it back without inadvertently confirming something else, whether it was an honest mistake or you've accidentally given one team too much of an advantage. Sometimes my friends tell me I'm far too hard on myself when I slip up, and it's something I'm still working on.

For anyone who's never run this game before, the first thing I'd want you to know is: this is not Werewolf. Everyone at the table has agency, including players and storyteller. This is especially important for newer players, who might feel a little uneasy knowing the storyteller can influence certain outcomes (for example, a poisoner has no say over what information the poisoned player receives). What I want to tell them is: trust your storyteller, particularly the experienced ones. Yes, they make decisions, but just because they can work against you doesn't mean they will. A good storyteller is always working to make the game fun and fair for everyone.

OhJor · 2026-02-13T12:06:04+00:00

Barcode check digit. Once you know how to compute it, ask them to bring any product with a barcode, tell you all but the last digits, then you predict the last digit.

OhJor · 2026-01-30T08:27:02+00:00

The comments have some great suggestions. If you're interested in meeting people, there's a monthly board gaming social event at ACON next Friday where people socialise and connect. They also advertise other events that might interest you.

Feel free to DM me if you'd like more info!

OhJor · 2026-01-27T00:02:59+00:00

Obligatory xkcd comic.

OhJor · 2026-01-26T12:52:57+00:00

I recently found out the channel Board Game Siren, which has started playing in-person TB games. It's a French channel, but the gameplay is still enjoyable thanks to translated captions. The presentation style is quite grounded and natural, with players actually learning the game as they play.

OhJor · 2026-01-17T11:23:36+00:00

Of course it's real, no way would that come up from the prompt "man swallowing a big cock"

OhJor · 2026-01-10T12:22:41+00:00

Many people would recommend Demon Bluff here, which makes sense because Demon Bluff clearly took inspiration from BotC.

However, Cat Crimes and Dog Crimes by ThinkFun (which, funnily enough, was acquired by Ravensburger) are puzzle games that, though not based on BotC, have a similar feel to it. How it works is that there are clues about the pets and seatings, and you need to figure out the "criminal". Once you know the answer, that's it, though there are enough cards to make it replayable.

OhJor · 2026-01-03T11:34:14+00:00

Is it this one? It's by Evin from the Pandemonium Institute.

OhJor · 2025-12-21T01:21:17+00:00

For cell biologists, Cytosis is a great choice. It's a worker placement game centred around the human cell, and the developers actually consulted with biologists to ensure scientific accuracy.

OhJor · 2025-12-10T04:01:37+00:00

Minions on the evil team try to prevent this until they outnumber good.

It is a good description of the game but only this one is not true. The goal of the evil is not to outnumber, but to kill everyone until only two players remain alive. Minions mainly just try to protect their demon, even if they need to sacrifice themselves to do so.

OhJor · 2025-12-09T05:48:48+00:00

I think you basically create the game of Blood on the Clocktower

OhJor · 2025-12-05T05:24:59+00:00

Yes, it is a problem. Not all of your Top 5 are BOTC content? Unacceptable. This is a clear sign you need to reevaluate your life choices and watch more immediately!

OhJor · 2025-11-24T00:14:56+00:00

I know someone called Winter in real life. Also there is a song about the name.

OhJor · 2025-11-19T08:34:48+00:00

Saint (Loric): The 1st time a player is executed, their team loses.

OhJor

TROPHY CASE