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Social deduction and hidden traitor games are both popular gateway games into the hobby and comfort games for more experienced players, but the genre has also seen explosive growth over the past year, coinciding with the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most prominent example is Among Us, which has seen a sudden rise in popularity despite releasing more than two years ago. Politicians and other public figures have even gone so far as to stream the game on the platform Twitch to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. 

The resurgence of games with social roleplaying and deception feels reflective of this unique time in our lives.  

At its core, there is nothing particularly new about Among Us. That style of gameplay has been present in the board and card game industry for some time. One Night Ultimate Werewolf and its various spin-offs, The Resistance, and Secret Hitler are well-known for their use of those same mechanics.

It all boils down to some hidden Evil team gradually eliminating players while the Good team attempts to vote out the Evil players from within their ranks. 

While Among Us exists solely as a video game, online versions of these popular board and card games have made for convenient, albeit socially distanced game nights.

Beyond that convenience, though, I believe the rise in popularity of such games coincides with the unusual circumstances at home and abroad thanks to the pandemic. 

With uncertainty constantly threatening our collective sanities—especially earlier in this pandemic when information was scarce—it is only natural that individuals sought out a safer space to live through those same emotions. Instead of worrying about loved ones becoming infected with the virus, we could spend our time worrying if we or our teammate could be killed in the next night phase of One Night Ultimate Werewolf.

However, there’s another contender you may not have heard of. A social deduction and hidden traitor game that has performed unexpectedly well during the confines of the pandemic: Blood on the Clocktower. Discord servers of the game have popped up to run weekly, or more frequently, with online games in a number of cities—most notably, London, where it seems to have taken off at full speed.

It’s a game with the same structure of Good vs. Evil, with player elimination and voting, but in Blood on the Clocktower, every player assumes a novel role. There are no generic Good or Evil players. There are now ecosystems of townsfolk and outsiders—possibly the mayor, washerwoman, or recluse—and possies of demons and their minions.

A single Storyteller (the Game Master if you will) guides a whopping 5-20 players through a world constructed from a staggering 72 characters who are included in the base game. That is a high number, but the price tag matches it with Blood on the Clocktower coming in at $95. Beyond that, the game’s original Kickstarter campaign ended over two years ago and the fulfillment process is still not finished.

While that may deter some, I had a chance to play this game several times during the AwSHUX convention this year and I completely understand the appeal of the game—notwithstanding the price tag. The people who like this game REALLY like this game.

These are the players who are naturally very extroverted and wisely use their time to gather information from everyone and anyone to singlehandedly deduce the Evil players. Frankly, it will be difficult for introverts to win this game and that is due in part to the required interactions of a social or heavy party game.

There are even additional specialty “traveler” rolls that the Storyteller assigns players who cannot stay for the full game. This makes Blood on the Clocktower easier to bring to the table because it doesn’t matter as much if one or two individuals can’t play the full game.

But, when a game must make a contingency for players entering late or exiting early, is that a sign that the game is too ambitious and sprawling?

I would like to voice a resounding “No!”

I think this game works best with as many people as possible—a full 20 if you can. I haven’t played with a full 20, but I desperately want to. It minimizes the advantage uber-extroverted players have and becomes a more realistic simulation of a town hall meeting (like the setting of the game). Gameplay becomes an expansive narrative with some travelers entering and leaving at will in what is sure to be a multi-hour gaming session.

With smaller player counts, and therefore fewer rounds, Blood on the Clocktower might feel indistinguishable from One Night Ultimate Werewolf or other iterations in the social deduction/hidden traitor genre.

But for much larger groups that can meet regularly, this game may be worth the investment!

What games have you hyped right now?

Let us know in the comments!