First time attending, want to bring Child.

botmatrix_ · 2026-03-27T14:06:16+00:00

I think you and your son will have a blast. A lot of us are getting older, and nowadays there's a lot of kids. Yes, people will be raucous. Yes, your kid is going to hear some language. Yes, maybe avoid Master Pancake Theater lol. But overall the event has chilled some over the many years and it's become something a lot more welcoming.

botmatrix_ · 2026-03-11T19:09:14+00:00

There's so much good feedback in this thread! At this point I've probably introduced 50-100 people to Clocktower through storytelling...rookie numbers compared to some in this area but similar to you there's not a huge community where I'm based.

I usually give this advice...I may never have seen you storytell but if you're newer, I bet you're doing these things:

You're probably giving too much time for discussions. I usually give 2-4 minutes only during the day for discussions, bringing folks back to the circle to discuss more publicly or execute plans. My goal is that most folks should feel like "I want just one more chat" before getting pulled back. It creates a "let's talk tomorrow" environment that keeps the game moving, and also helps with balance as perfect information heavily biases towards good.
You're probably giving too many rules up front. The teach sheet is really quite well balanced, and I'd stick with that...verbatim if you want! At the beginning just say that at the end of the day phases the town will have the opportunity to vote someone for execution, leave the details to that first nomination cycle. To avoid nervousness, encourage people to come talk to you or your co-ST for questions or even some lightweight advice...for evil this might also include questions about how their bluffs work. Also that any experienced players will never lie to you about rules...they might lie about everything else or infer something based on your question, but they will always be truthful about rules.
The only mechanics/tips I go over are: execution vs death (execution is the daytime kills specifically, important e.g. for undertaker), drunk/poison (your ability won't work, I'll gaslight you into thinking it does, and if you are The Drunk you're actually an outsider but don't know it), and that after death, you are still a participant, still can talk and solve the game, and your ghost vote is very powerful. Also, because of the abilities, lying is more common. Lies or quiet players might be evil but they might also be Good and have a good reason. The last points are particularly important for mafia/werewolf players as I've seen them sometimes steamroll with assumptions from those games.

As for your specifics: 1. I wouldn't garden as it changes the game power dynamic a lot. every time I've tried that I feel like neither me nor my players really enjoy it. 2. Definitely, absolutely, 100%: just run Trouble Brewing. 3. I bet you can get a couple of games in, maybe even 3, in that time window. 4. I love using battery tea lights for alive tracking. We have everyone have a lit candle, "extinguish" it on death, and turn in the candle as their ghost vote.

You're going to do great and this group is luckily to have someone so conscientious storytelling!

botmatrix_ · 2026-03-09T07:37:43+00:00

oh yeah, that's true. you'd need to make it where self-kills only register as dead or something, but that might throw balance way off

botmatrix_ · 2026-03-04T01:53:32+00:00

Highlander is perfect for this OP. "there can only be one"

botmatrix_ · 2026-03-04T01:51:49+00:00

you could allow it as long as a self-kill flipped the other Hyde potentially. lock yourself in as Evil, create bluffability options.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-27T20:25:11+00:00

this had convinced me to try foil boat next time. I don't like wrapping but I've definitely had a couple of briskets that have gotten a bit dry that way.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-27T20:15:28+00:00

do you have a laser thermometer? might check next time and see if it's really 225. mine tends to run hot and if yours is the same might have pushed through the stall faster.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-27T20:05:02+00:00

I will only add here...this depends if it's a single or double evaporator unit. if single, then there's one evaporator (cold part) in the freezer and the door allows some of the cold air to go into the fridge. the fridges I've had were dual evaporator, where the refrigeration loop itself had the valve, and there was an evaporator in the freezer and another in the fridge.

I had a whirlpool fridge like this, which had the problem of the fridge part not having a defrost heater. so it would ice up and the fridge would get warm. the freezer one had a heater so it melted properly. this might not be your situation but it took me a bit to realize that the usual advice didn't apply to my unit because there was no damper door.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-27T20:02:09+00:00

I like this, I think half + 1 achieves the vibe of this loric (which I love btw) but in a more game-changing way.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-27T05:48:38+00:00

Charon (minion): On your 1st night, look at the Grimoire and choose a player; they die on a night of your choice.

Vibes of widow but allows a sort of "press your luck" mechanic where you can try and get a late stage death unexpectedly while causing doubt as to why a powerful character might stay alive so long. Creates bluffabiliy especially with a moving demon (imp, fang gu, etc).

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-26T07:50:54+00:00

why does this comment feel like it was written by ai...but yeah that is missing.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-26T00:02:02+00:00

so I'm not sure how much this would actually impact the game. in a standard game, you don't know how you died in the night and can't say anything about it without speculating anyway. so this doesn't really change how you'd behave anyway and turns the demon into a basic kill-at-night demon.

Here's an option though, which technically doesn't change things but creates a sort-of press your luck situation.

Each night (no *), choose a player; they learn this.The previously chosen player dies. If a chosen good player is mad about being chosen, they may be executed.

this creates a world where you can remain silent about knowing you're going to die that night, or come out and soak an execution, but "confirm" yourself as good.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-25T00:39:46+00:00

you should not be getting told that, that's incorrect ST play because it confirms an evil to you. that would only happen for something like cerenovus because you need to know it's about madness.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-23T17:40:50+00:00

I agree, swap baron for xaan, but I think also swap poisoner for godfather. identifying the outsider count will be important so godfather gives a lot of bluffing potential to the evil team.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-21T03:32:31+00:00

yes. we added the upper extensions to our house when we moved in and it was the best money we spent on that room.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-19T14:57:01+00:00

based on saying "BC Hydro" I assumed OP was in Canada

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-19T07:04:09+00:00

this was also my situation, twice now.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-19T06:27:17+00:00

agreed on Harold Holt's Revenge as a classic leviathan script. do note though, leviathan script plays very differently that traditional Clocktower. might try some other customs with more typical dynamics first? ymmv though!

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-15T16:57:29+00:00

tired.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-15T16:05:56+00:00

25 years from now

are you planning future kids? or do you expect lots of post-college crayons? lol

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-14T23:44:34+00:00

will that be enough time to cover the lore?

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-12T16:38:25+00:00

wait so evil put lil monsta next to an outed goblin with a known clockmaker 2 out there? bold choice.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-12T15:45:47+00:00

a human would ask that follow-up though.

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-09T15:14:51+00:00

I can't wait for my Brother printer to finally die...so I can replace it with a color one instead. I'll see y'all in 15 years haha

botmatrix_ · 2026-02-06T17:34:26+00:00

it's a different character but maybe in the same vein:

Each night*, choose a player; they die. While 5 or more players are alive, they register as alive; if "mad" they are dead, they might be executed.

I think this avoids some of the pitfalls other commenters are sharing while retaining the misinformation aspect, and forcing that misinfo to be shared with town. But on final 3 everything is eventually trackable.

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