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Cult Leader and Preacher: Difference between pages

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(Difference between pages)
 
 
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[[File:icon_cultleader.png|250px]]
[[File:icon_preacher.png|250px]]
<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;">Information</span>
<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;">Information</span>


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<td>Artist</td>
<td>Artist</td>
<td>Anica Kelsen</td>
<td>John Grist</td>
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<p class='flavour'>"Thinking themselves wise, they became fools."</p>
<p class='flavour'>"It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick."</p>


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== Summary ==
== Summary ==
"Each night, you become the alignment of an alive neighbour. If all good players choose to join your cult, your team wins."
"Each night, choose a player: a Minion, if chosen, learns this. All chosen Minions have no ability."


The Cult Leader convinces others to join their cult to end the game. But which team will win?
The Preacher removes the Minion abilities of selected players.
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== How to Run ==
Each night, wake the Preacher and have them choose a player. If they choose a Minion, put a “No Ability” reminder token next to that Minion. Put the Preacher to sleep. If applicable, wake the Minion the Preacher chose tonight, show them the “this character selected you” card and the Preacher token. Put the Minion back to sleep.
 
From now on, that Minion has no ability. If they would normally wake at night to make a choice, take an action or learn information due to their ability, they no longer do so. If their ability would otherwise have an effect on the game while they are marked by the Preached token, it does not.
 
If the Preacher dies, remove all “No Ability” tokens from affected Minions. The Minions regain their abilities. Minions with expended once-per-game abilities do not gain another use of that ability. Affected Minions are not told that the Preacher is dead, but may be able to figure it out when they start waking up again etc.
 
If a Preacher is made drunk or poisoned, Minions who have lost their abilities to the Preacher regain them, but lose them again when the Preacher becomes healthy and sober.
 
If a Minion who has been chosen by the Preacher later becomes a different type of character (ie not a Minion), they are no longer affected by the Preacher’s ability. Remove the relevant “No Ability” reminder token. Also, evil players are not affected by the Preacher ability just because they’re evil, they need to be explicitly a Minion character in order to be affected.
 
In a similar vein, a non-Minion who later becomes a Minion is not affected by having been chosen by the Preacher before they became a Minion. If the Preacher chooses them after they become a Minion, the Preacher ability works as normal.
 
If a preached Minion dies and is resurrected they do not regain their ability, they are still preached provided the Preacher is still alive.
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<div class='example'>
The Cult Leader neighbours the {{Good|Farmer}} and the {{Good|Magician}}. On the first night, the Cult Leader remains good. The {{Good|Magician}} is executed, and dies, and the Cult Leader's living neighbours are now the {{Good|Farmer}} and the {{Evil|Marionette}}. The Storyteller decides to make the Cult Leader evil. The next night, even though the Cult Leader's living neighbours are still the {{Good|Farmer}} and the {{Evil|Marionette}}, the Storyteller decides to make the Cult Leader good again.  
Alex is the Preacher. On the first night, the Preacher chooses the {{Evil|Fearmonger}}. The {{Evil|Fearmonger}} loses their ability and learns that they have been chosen by the Preacher. On the second night, the Preacher chooses the {{Good|Slayer}}. Nothing happens because the {{Good|Slayer}} is not a Minion. On the third night, the Preacher chooses the {{Evil|Po}}. Nothing happens because the {{Evil|Po}} is not a Minion. On the fourth night, the Preacher chooses the {{Evil|Poisoner}}. The {{Evil|Poisoner}} loses their ability and learns that they have been chosen by the Preacher.  
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<div class='example'>
<div class='example'>
The Cult Leader is evil. The Cult Leader requests that all players join their cult. All evil players put their hand up to join, but only half the good players put their hand up to join. Nothing happens. That night, the Cult Leader turns good. The following day, the Cult Leader requests that all players join their cult. No evil players put their hand up to join, but all the good players put their hand up to join. The game ends and good wins, because the Cult Leader is good.  
The Preacher has previously chosen the {{Evil|Spy}}, the {{Good|Saint}}, the {{Good|Drunk}}, and the {{Evil|Goblin}}. The {{Evil|Spy}} and the {{Evil|Goblin}} have no ability, so the {{Evil|Spy}} doesn't see the Grimoire each night, and the {{Evil|Goblin}} cannot win by being executed. The Preacher becomes drunk. The {{Evil|Spy}} and the {{Evil|Goblin}} regain their abilities. The {{Evil|Spy}} sees the Grimoire that night, and the {{Evil|Goblin}} will win if executed. The Preacher becomes sober, so once again the {{Evil|Spy}} and {{Evil|Goblin}} have no abilities. The {{Evil|Spy}} dies. The Preacher dies. The {{Evil|Goblin}} gets their ability back, but the {{Evil|Spy}} does not, because the {{Evil|Spy}} is dead.
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== Tips & Tricks ==
== Tips & Tricks ==


* Come out as the Cult Leader early, as your chances of being good are much higher early in the game. It is true that on the first night you can turn evil, but this will probably not be the case. However, that being said, the town may be hesitant to gun for a Cult Leader win on the first day as this feels like a cheap win and they won't have much evidence either way about your alignment.
* The Preacher’s ability can turn Minion abilities off. They learn this but will get it back as soon as you’re dead. While you don’t know whether you’ve successfully hit a Minion or not, watch your targets carefully the next day and see if their behaviour changes. If they do, and they suddenly seem more enthusiastic for executions, then you’ve probably got a Minion.
 
* Come out late as the Cult Leader since you'll have more information to share. However, beware, players are prone to distrusting Cult Leaders towards the end of the game as the chance you are evil increases on near the end of the game because good players are more likely to have died than evil, so your living neighbours get increasingly likely to be evil in the late game.  
 
* Come out as the Cult Leader while evil (without admitting that you are evil), because it will be easier to get the evil team to back your plays for executions and Cult Leader votes.
 
* Get other players to use detection abilities on your neighbours to verify your claims. Get the {{Good|Chambermaid}} or the {{Good|Seamstress}} to pick both your neighbours at night, to verify your claims of alignment.
 
* Try and execute players between you and those verified as good by Townsfolk, such as the {{Good|Virgin}} or the {{Good|Noble}}, as this will help make the town trust that you are good for a Cult Leader victory.  


* Don't admit you are evil until you are good again, or else you might get executed and locked into evil. However, if it's the final day, coming out as evil can destroy the good team for an easy win. If you were evil the night before and you're good now, you can tell the group that you have been evil and that therefore one of your neighbours must be evil.
* Be careful about revealing that you are the Preacher! Your ability is a thorn in the side of the evil team, defusing their {{Evil|Boomdandy}} or outsmarting their {{Evil|Mezepheles}}. Even just the threat of taking a minion's ability away could unravel the evil team's elaborate plan, and thus make you a priority for death. Try to bluff as a more innocuous Townsfolk, or even an Outsider like the {{Good|Butler}} or the {{Good|Barber}}!


* Ignore the Cult Leader's cult joining ability, and just quietly learn if you have evil neighbours like an {{Good|Empath}}. Over the course of the game, keep a mental note of when you have been evil, especially if your neighbours die across the course of the game. Then you'll have some good information on which players are probably good and probably evil.
* If a player is acting suspicious and they’re keeping to themselves, that’s a good target for you. While both good and evil players have reasons for trying not to be noticed, you have no effect on good players who aren’t actually Minions just trying to keep out of sight. You have nothing to lose for taking the shot in the dark!


* Always use the Cult Leader's cult joining ability, and observe voter behaviour. Evil knows if you're next to an evil player, and are more likely to vote on you then. Cult Leaders can have a hard time convincing the whole group to vote, as there is usually one good player that holds back thinking "what if they're evil?". That's okay, you can still learn a lot just by watching how players vote, because evil players are much more enthusiastic to vote as their vote doesn't impact the outcome anyway.
* On the first day, listen carefully for people who are making public claims. Remember that Minions do not get bluffs and tend to be the last to come out publicly. The players who get embroiled in double claims or only come out later into the game are very good targets for your ability.


* During the end game, if players are not sure about who the Demon is, you have a victory condition that can be a Hail Mary. If the odds of finding the Demon are worse than 50/50, then a Cult Leader offers better odds. If it is suddenly clear based on voter patterns that the Demon has escaped execution, you can offer a backup plan. You might be evil, but it's still a better chance at victory for the good team, than knowing that the Demon cannot be executed.
* If you have to pick between two potential Minions, pick the one doing the most ongoing damage. Hitting an {{Evil|Assassin}} after they've already killed doesn't really achieve too much for your team, but a {{Evil|Widow}} losing their ability has still seen the Grimoire, but will lose their ability to poison. A {{Evil|Pit-Hag}} would be a even more urgent priority again!


* Remember on the final day, if there are only 3 players alive and you're one of them, you are next to the Demon. If the third player is evil, then all three of you are evil, meaning no one will nominate the Demon for an easy evil victory. If you're good, then you know for sure that the Demon is only evil player left alive.
* Once you're dead, coming out is important if you suspect you've disabled some minions - now that you're dead, those abilities are back online now and a threat to your town!


* Player count is important: in games with 9, 12, or 15 players, you have the highest good to evil player ratio. This means that your chances of being good are higher, but you also have more people to convince to join your cult. In a 9 player game, there are 7 good players and only 2 evil players, so while the chances of you being next to an evil player are much lower, you still have 6 other people to convince to join your cult.
* The Preacher can target dead players! While this may not be helpful most of the time, this does make you a surprise counter to the {{Evil|Vigormortis}} and an evil aligned {{Traveler|Bone Collector}}. Some future Minions may even keep their abilities while dead - not that this keeps them safe from you!
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== Bluffing as the Cult Leader ==
== Bluffing as the Preacher ==


When bluffing as the Cult Leader, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
When bluffing as the Preacher, there are a few things you should keep in mind:


* When bluffing as the Cult Leader, keep one crucial point in mind - you want people to be paying a lot of attention to you and your phony cult, but at no point do you want them reaching a consensus on the matter. You are not a real Cult Leader! What would you even do with all those disciples if you had them? The town will obviously notice if they all agree to join your cult and nothing happens, so make sure that someone always has their hand down. Bonus points if it is a fellow evil member who will look like a good player as a result of that!
* Bluffing as the Preacher can be a little tricky, because even a real Preacher doesn’t have much feedback in the game to back up their claims. However, you can use your pretend ability to throw a little bit of shade on other players or build trust.


* Bluffing as the Cult Leader can be a lot of fun! Due to the nature of your alignment shifting, the town will naturally distrust you anyway, allowing you to be bolder about appearing "evil" for a day or two.
* To lend credibility to your bluff, you can coordinate with the evil team to make a minion ability disappear! Just use a minion ability that has a public tell (like the {{Evil|Witch}} or {{Evil|Cerenovus}}), and then mask that ability by picking evil players for a time instead. You can then lay the blame for the lack of {{Evil|Witch}} deaths or madness at the feed of whatever poor innocent good player you please, claiming that since you "preached" them, that ability has vanished!


* If the town threatens to execute you, just claim to be "currently" evil, and warn them you'll stay that way if they take you out now! Bonus points if that means they turn on one of your innocent, good neighbours to "turn you good" again.
* Be cautious of who you accuse to be a minion! If the town believes you, they won't consider that person a demon target, and since you have neutralised them, they might prefer to go around executing unknowns as opposed to the good players you're tarring with your accusations! (Of course, if you suspect they're going to do this, you can always deliberately throw shade on your Demon - the town will dismiss them as an insignificant Minion and leave them alone for another day!)


* A Cult Leader is a character that is likely to survive until the end of the game, since the Demon probably wants to keep them alive on the chance that they turn evil. This means it can be a great bluff to help you stay alive. Just be careful to keep your finger on the pulse of how the town is feeling about evil-aligned Cult Leaders - at some point, they may decide to cut their losses and execute you just on the off chance that you are bluffing. (To be fair to them, you ''are''!)
* If someone’s behaviour dramatically changes from one night to the next, you can suggest that the change in their behaviour is because you’re the Preacher and you chose them last night. This implies that they’re suddenly acting differently because they’re just learned they have no ability.


* While bluffing as the Cult Leader, try to get a vote happening every day, especially if you can get all the other evil players to vote along with you. Having a lot of players put their hands up for the cult suddenly might catch good players unawares, thinking that the others know something they don't - if you time it well, you might just be able to sway some people in the heat of the moment! Not only does this create a lot of noise and distract the good team from trying to find the Demon, but you can weaponise the vote to cast doubt on players who won't join you!
* You can try to use your ability to build trust. You can go secretly up to a good player and confide to them that you used your Preacher ability on them last night. You can go on to suggest that because they don’t seem to be acting very differently, you trust them more because they’re probably not a Minion (obviously you know they aren’t, but they don’t know that). This has a similar impact to a {{Good|Butler}} bluff - alone a Preacher doesn't have any way of confirming the people they choose, but just the act of being chosen and "cleared" can inspire trust in the other player.


* Alternatively, if you think you've managed to recruit a large part of the town to your cause, get your evil team to not vote with the cult; when your ability "fails", this will make them look like a resistant good player.
* If your bluff is falling apart, you can claim to have been the Preacher all along as a fallback. The Preacher is a prime target for the evil team if they come out, so it will make sense that you lied. This can serve as a last-ditch effort to survive execution as well, since you can warn that minions will regain their powers without you!


* If you have fellow evil among your neighbours, stick to being "good" for the entire game. Or, if an evil player ''becomes'' your neighbour, claim to have been previously evil and have now turned good, casting doubt on the dead ''and'' bolstering your teammate at the same time!
* Deliberately die at night and come out as a Preacher to throw shade on some good players! You can have the demon kill you, or you can star-pass yourself if you're a demon like the {{Evil|Fang Gu}} for example. A Preacher dying at night has a lot more credibility than one who is executed.


* While bluffing as the Cult Leader, you can actually come out as evil, since this throws shade on your neighbours and perhaps draws attention away from you. Players are much more likely to want to execute someone who is evil and stays evil rather than someone who might turn good again. This can help provide cover for you as to why you’re registering evil to characters like the {{Good|Empath}} or the {{Good|Seamstress}}.
* Once you are dead, you can really sell that you're the real, bonafide Preacher if you have a minion accomplice still alive. Simply have them mask their ability's existence until you're dead, and then go to town causing trouble in a public way (e.g. An {{Evil|Assassin}} kill or a {{Evil|Devil's Advocate}} execution block). Point out that you died just after you picked a certain player, and now the minions are running rampant! It's tricky, but pull it off and the town will not only be sad you died, but furious with the patsy you have named the minion!


* If the town ever bites the bullet and executes you, let them know that you are evil - your actual alignment will probably back this up if checked by an {{Good|Oracle}} for example, meaning the good team will have to worry about an imaginary extra evil vote for the rest of the game! (Beware of the {{Good|Undertaker}} or {{Good|Dreamer}} though - they'll condemn you pretty quick.)
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Revision as of 09:10, 28 September 2023

Icon preacher.png Information

Type Townsfolk
Artist John Grist

"It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick."

Summary

"Each night, choose a player: a Minion, if chosen, learns this. All chosen Minions have no ability."

The Preacher removes the Minion abilities of selected players.

How to Run

Each night, wake the Preacher and have them choose a player. If they choose a Minion, put a “No Ability” reminder token next to that Minion. Put the Preacher to sleep. If applicable, wake the Minion the Preacher chose tonight, show them the “this character selected you” card and the Preacher token. Put the Minion back to sleep.

From now on, that Minion has no ability. If they would normally wake at night to make a choice, take an action or learn information due to their ability, they no longer do so. If their ability would otherwise have an effect on the game while they are marked by the Preached token, it does not.

If the Preacher dies, remove all “No Ability” tokens from affected Minions. The Minions regain their abilities. Minions with expended once-per-game abilities do not gain another use of that ability. Affected Minions are not told that the Preacher is dead, but may be able to figure it out when they start waking up again etc.

If a Preacher is made drunk or poisoned, Minions who have lost their abilities to the Preacher regain them, but lose them again when the Preacher becomes healthy and sober.

If a Minion who has been chosen by the Preacher later becomes a different type of character (ie not a Minion), they are no longer affected by the Preacher’s ability. Remove the relevant “No Ability” reminder token. Also, evil players are not affected by the Preacher ability just because they’re evil, they need to be explicitly a Minion character in order to be affected.

In a similar vein, a non-Minion who later becomes a Minion is not affected by having been chosen by the Preacher before they became a Minion. If the Preacher chooses them after they become a Minion, the Preacher ability works as normal.

If a preached Minion dies and is resurrected they do not regain their ability, they are still preached provided the Preacher is still alive.

Examples

Alex is the Preacher. On the first night, the Preacher chooses the Fearmonger. The Fearmonger loses their ability and learns that they have been chosen by the Preacher. On the second night, the Preacher chooses the Slayer. Nothing happens because the Slayer is not a Minion. On the third night, the Preacher chooses the Po. Nothing happens because the Po is not a Minion. On the fourth night, the Preacher chooses the Poisoner. The Poisoner loses their ability and learns that they have been chosen by the Preacher.

The Preacher has previously chosen the Spy, the Saint, the Drunk, and the Goblin. The Spy and the Goblin have no ability, so the Spy doesn't see the Grimoire each night, and the Goblin cannot win by being executed. The Preacher becomes drunk. The Spy and the Goblin regain their abilities. The Spy sees the Grimoire that night, and the Goblin will win if executed. The Preacher becomes sober, so once again the Spy and Goblin have no abilities. The Spy dies. The Preacher dies. The Goblin gets their ability back, but the Spy does not, because the Spy is dead.

Tips & Tricks

  • The Preacher’s ability can turn Minion abilities off. They learn this but will get it back as soon as you’re dead. While you don’t know whether you’ve successfully hit a Minion or not, watch your targets carefully the next day and see if their behaviour changes. If they do, and they suddenly seem more enthusiastic for executions, then you’ve probably got a Minion.
  • Be careful about revealing that you are the Preacher! Your ability is a thorn in the side of the evil team, defusing their Boomdandy or outsmarting their Mezepheles. Even just the threat of taking a minion's ability away could unravel the evil team's elaborate plan, and thus make you a priority for death. Try to bluff as a more innocuous Townsfolk, or even an Outsider like the Butler or the Barber!
  • If a player is acting suspicious and they’re keeping to themselves, that’s a good target for you. While both good and evil players have reasons for trying not to be noticed, you have no effect on good players who aren’t actually Minions just trying to keep out of sight. You have nothing to lose for taking the shot in the dark!
  • On the first day, listen carefully for people who are making public claims. Remember that Minions do not get bluffs and tend to be the last to come out publicly. The players who get embroiled in double claims or only come out later into the game are very good targets for your ability.
  • If you have to pick between two potential Minions, pick the one doing the most ongoing damage. Hitting an Assassin after they've already killed doesn't really achieve too much for your team, but a Widow losing their ability has still seen the Grimoire, but will lose their ability to poison. A Pit-Hag would be a even more urgent priority again!
  • Once you're dead, coming out is important if you suspect you've disabled some minions - now that you're dead, those abilities are back online now and a threat to your town!
  • The Preacher can target dead players! While this may not be helpful most of the time, this does make you a surprise counter to the Vigormortis and an evil aligned Bone Collector. Some future Minions may even keep their abilities while dead - not that this keeps them safe from you!

Bluffing as the Preacher

When bluffing as the Preacher, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

  • Bluffing as the Preacher can be a little tricky, because even a real Preacher doesn’t have much feedback in the game to back up their claims. However, you can use your pretend ability to throw a little bit of shade on other players or build trust.
  • To lend credibility to your bluff, you can coordinate with the evil team to make a minion ability disappear! Just use a minion ability that has a public tell (like the Witch or Cerenovus), and then mask that ability by picking evil players for a time instead. You can then lay the blame for the lack of Witch deaths or madness at the feed of whatever poor innocent good player you please, claiming that since you "preached" them, that ability has vanished!
  • Be cautious of who you accuse to be a minion! If the town believes you, they won't consider that person a demon target, and since you have neutralised them, they might prefer to go around executing unknowns as opposed to the good players you're tarring with your accusations! (Of course, if you suspect they're going to do this, you can always deliberately throw shade on your Demon - the town will dismiss them as an insignificant Minion and leave them alone for another day!)
  • If someone’s behaviour dramatically changes from one night to the next, you can suggest that the change in their behaviour is because you’re the Preacher and you chose them last night. This implies that they’re suddenly acting differently because they’re just learned they have no ability.
  • You can try to use your ability to build trust. You can go secretly up to a good player and confide to them that you used your Preacher ability on them last night. You can go on to suggest that because they don’t seem to be acting very differently, you trust them more because they’re probably not a Minion (obviously you know they aren’t, but they don’t know that). This has a similar impact to a Butler bluff - alone a Preacher doesn't have any way of confirming the people they choose, but just the act of being chosen and "cleared" can inspire trust in the other player.
  • If your bluff is falling apart, you can claim to have been the Preacher all along as a fallback. The Preacher is a prime target for the evil team if they come out, so it will make sense that you lied. This can serve as a last-ditch effort to survive execution as well, since you can warn that minions will regain their powers without you!
  • Deliberately die at night and come out as a Preacher to throw shade on some good players! You can have the demon kill you, or you can star-pass yourself if you're a demon like the Fang Gu for example. A Preacher dying at night has a lot more credibility than one who is executed.
  • Once you are dead, you can really sell that you're the real, bonafide Preacher if you have a minion accomplice still alive. Simply have them mask their ability's existence until you're dead, and then go to town causing trouble in a public way (e.g. An Assassin kill or a Devil's Advocate execution block). Point out that you died just after you picked a certain player, and now the minions are running rampant! It's tricky, but pull it off and the town will not only be sad you died, but furious with the patsy you have named the minion!