Deus ex Fiasco
From Blood on the Clocktower Wiki
Type | Fabled |
Artist | Chloe McDougall |
Revealed | 19/06/2025 |
"It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. It’s not an error, it’s a tweak. It’s not broken, it’s quirky."
Character Showcase
Summary
"At least once per game, the Storyteller will make a mistake, correct it, and publicly admit to it. "
Use the Deus ex Fiasco to neutralize mistakes and increase your confidence when running a difficult script.
- The Deus ex Fiasco must be announced at the start of the game. It may never be added partway through the game. Hypothetically, if the Storyteller makes a mistake mid-game, and adds the Deus ex Fiasco afterwards, all players would know that the mistake was real and the Deus ex Fiasco would not work.
- The Storyteller must make a mistake. This can be an accidental mistake, or a deliberate mistake. The players are not told which.
- If the Storyteller has made an accidental mistake, they do not have to make additional mistakes. If the game is approaching the final day and the Storyteller has not made an accidental mistake, they must make a deliberate mistake before the game ends.
- All mistakes, whether deliberate or accidental, must be corrected. The Storyteller may need to break the rules in order to fix a mistake. Any time after a mistake is made, the Storyteller must inform the group that a mistake has been made and corrected. The exact nature of the mistake is not revealed to the group, but may need to be revealed to an affected player in private.
- Players are welcome to bluff that the Storyteller has made a mistake when they haven’t, or to bluff that a mistake was corrected when it wasn’t.
- If needed, the Storyteller may make several accidental mistakes, several deliberate mistakes, or some combination of the two.
How to Run
At the start of the game, declare that the Deus ex Fiasco is in play. Ignore any groans and complaints from players.
At any time, if you make a mistake, correct it as best you can, bending the rules if needed. Afterwards, declare that you have made a mistake. Add the WHOOPSIE reminder to the Grimoire.
At any time, you may deliberately break the rules, then correct it. Afterwards, declare that you have made a mistake. Add the WHOOPSIE reminder to the Grimoire.
Remember: Fabled characters are not designed for extra spice. They are characters whose purpose is to help you, as the Storyteller, to run smooth and inclusive games.
Examples
During the first day, Doug talks privately with the Storyteller and says that he drew the Drunk token from the bag. The Storyteller looks in the Grimoire and notices that Doug’s token is the Drunk. The Storyteller tells Doug that he is now the Mayor, replaces the Drunk token with the Mayor token in the Grimoire, and secretly makes the Ravenkeeper the Drunk instead. Later that day, the Storyteller declares that a mistake has been made.
The Empath is sitting next to the Monk and the poisoned Recluse. The Storyteller, forgetting that the Recluse is poisoned, accidentally gives the Empath a “1”. Later that night, the Storyteller wakes the Empath again and gives a “0”. The following day, when the Empath privately asks what happened, the Storyteller explains that the first number was a mistake, and the second number is correct. To avoid revealing too much, the Storyteller waits until the next day to inform the group that a mistake was made.
The Imp was executed today. The Storyteller wakes the sober & healthy Undertaker, and deliberately (and incorrectly) shows the Recluse token. Later that night, the Storyteller again wakes the Undertaker and shows the Imp token. In the morning, the Storyteller tells the group that a mistake was made in the night, but corrected.
The Yaggababble is executed and dies. The Storyteller accidentally declares that the game is over and good has won. However, the Scarlet Woman is still alive. The Storyteller declares that a mistake has been made, and that the game continues.
Ben is the Shabaloth. At night, Ben kills Amy and Doug. In the morning, the Storyteller deliberately declares that Ben and Lewis have died. After 30 seconds or so, the Storyteller says “Whoops, I had my Grimoire facing the wrong way. Ben and Lewis should not have died. They are still alive. Amy and Doug died during the night. Sorry, my mistake.”
The Storyteller forgot to wake the Poisoner last night. The Storyteller has a private chat with the Poisoner, tells them this, and tells them that every night from now on, they can choose as many players as they want, and the Storyteller will choose which of these players are poisoned.
The Chambermaid wakes and chooses a dead player, even though the Chambermaid must only choose living players. The Storyteller notices this, but does not correct the Chambermaid. Instead, the Storyteller deliberately gives false information to the Chambermaid. The next day, the Storyteller requests a private chat with the Chambermaid, tells them that they made a mistake by allowing them to choose a dead player, and prompts them to choose two living players immediately. The Storyteller gives correct information this time.
Explanation
If you’d like to Storytell a script that may be above your comfort level, whether you’re running Trouble Brewing for the first time or you’re diving headfirst into a complicated custom script, the Deus ex Fiasco helps you tackle that script with confidence. When the Deus ex Fiasco enters play at the start of the game, your players know you’ll make at least one mistake over the course of the game, and you get plausible deniability: If it looks like a mistake has been made, it might have been on purpose!
Once you have made a mistake, you must correct the mistake, to the best of your ability. Some mistakes will be more difficult to correct than others, and that’s okay, as long as you do your best to correct all mistakes. Some time after you have corrected the mistake, you must publicly announce that a mistake has been made and corrected. This may be as straightforward or flavorful as you like, as long as your players clearly understand that a mistake has been made and corrected.
At the start of the game, if you did not put the Deus ex Fiasco into play, and you make a mistake during the game, DO NOT add the Deus ex Fiasco. Adding the Deus ex Fiasco at this point tells your players that you have made a mistake you didn’t intend to make, and players may be able to unfairly infer additional information about the mistake and the game as a result. If you did not use the Deus ex Fiasco at the start of the game and you do make a mistake, handle the mistake as normal: determine the best course of action to keep the game balanced and fun, which may or may not include announcing the mistake to town or correcting the mistake.