Heretic and Puzzlemaster: Difference between pages

Revision as of 16:35, 5 March 2023

"When one begins to think that some thing is merely some other thing, one is usually on the brink of an error. Patience, patience. Don’t confuse just and should with is and isn’t."

Information

Type

Outsider

The Puzzlemaster tries to figure out who is drunk.

Character Text

"1 player is drunk, even if you die. If you guess (once) who it is, learn the Demon player, but guess wrong & get false info."

Examples

Alex is the Demon. Sarah is the Empath who has been made drunk by the Puzzlemaster and is getting false information. The Puzzlemaster publicly guesses that Sarah is drunk, and is told “Alex is the Demon” privately by the Storyteller.

Lewis is the Demon. Ben is dead and is drunk due to the Puzzlemaster. Marianna is alive and drunk due to the Sailor. The Puzzlemaster privately guesses Marianna, and is told “Evin is the Demon” privately by the Storyteller.

Tips & Tricks

You are the most powerful Outsider that exists. If you find the drunk, you solve the game! Treat yourself as if you are a Townsfolk. Stay alive as long as you can and make sure you use your ability before you die.

You have made someone drunk. This is crucial information for the good team to know. Make sure that they are aware of this as soon as is feasible, so that the good players can take drunkenness into consideration, and help you look for the drunk player.

Don't come out as the Puzzlemaster immediately, or the Demon will likely kill you. Puzzlemasters are particularly scary to Demons, who tend to be afraid of any character that can learn who they are.

Tell the group that you are the Puzzlemaster at the same time that you use your ability. Like the Slayer, the good team may not need to know who you are until it is time for your ability to be used.

Seek advice from the group on who you should choose. They may know something that you don't.

Reveal who you are to people who you believe are good, for information gathering purposes. If they have information that doesn't make sense to them, you may have found the drunk player, and an excellent candidate for your guess.

If a player uses a public ability, and that ability obviously doesn't work, use your guess on that player as soon as you can. For example, if a player claims to be the Virgin, but does not die when nominated, of if a player claims to be the Golem, but nobody dies when the Golem nominates, it is likely that they are the drunk player. It might not be true, and the player may just be bluffing as that character, but this kind of thing is a very helpful tell.

Most characters have an incentive to get up, get active, and talk to people - to speak and convince. The Puzzlemaster is best when you do the opposite. Stay silent. Watch. Listen. Pay as much attention as you can to the actions and information of other players. You don't need to pay any attention to who is good or evil, only for which information doesn't add up, or which player seems like the odd one out. Spotting a drunk player can be tricky, so take your time.

When you make your guess and the Storyteller tells you a player, execute them. If your guess was correct, good will win. If your guess was incorrect, there is little harm done, and the game will continue.

If you genuinely have zero clue who is drunk, guess yourself! Given that you are almost certainly not the drunk, you'll learn a player who isn't the demon. That's something to go on - particularly if that player is alive on the final day.

You know that a drunk is in play. Even if you don't make a guess, you still know that. That makes you almost as powerful as the Librarian. Treat yourself like the Librarian, and contribute to the good team's pool of information.

Backtrack your information. If the player you are told is the Demon is executed and the game continues, then that player is not the Demon. This means that the player you guessed was not the drunk player. This is useful information to know, if you believe that player is good.

Bluffing as the Puzzlemaster

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

The Puzzlemaster introduces a drunk into the good team, and one who is undetectable by characters like the Librarian for example. When bluffing as this role, coming out to the good team as early as possible will mean that so long as they believe you could be Puzzlemaster, they have to worry that some of their information is wrong. Preferably the information that paints your demon as evil!

The Puzzlemaster's moment to shine is when they make their guess and potentially learn the demon. Knowing this, a dramatic reveal at the right time can throw the good team into disarray, especially if you're able to use your power to paint a previously trusted player as drunk! Wait for your chance and then strike when you learning a potential Demon would cause the most chaos.

The Good Team has a lot to gain from working with you to find the drunk - leverage that to get yourself into the good graces of trusted teams, and make sure they spend a lot of time worrying about you and your power, and less about your evil companions.

If you want to secure a free execution, it can be as simple as picking someone who the town could plausibly believe is drunk, and then naming any random person as the demon! It's to the town's benefit to execute anyone you learn (just in case!), so you can use this to knock off an annoying Mayor or Sailor!

Another option is to pick someone who is the town believes to have correct info (or even yourself!), so that you learn false info. Then... point to the real demon! This can be risky if the town is execution-happy, but if they're running out of days to kill, they can very well be inclined to hold onto a "confirmed not the demon" player in the hopes they reach the final 3! (To maximise your chances of this working, communicate this information secretly so the demon has a great reason for being alive on the final day!)

A clever tag-team bluff can be to have one evil player set up as a character with obviously false information or an ability that has failed to work... and then you dramatically reveal as the Puzzlemaster, citing them as the drunk. You'll need to time this well since once they execute someone on your say so and the game doesn't end, but if they believe you, this is a devastating one-two punch of a bluff! (Added bonus: You can use this to bail out a floundering team member caught in a lie!)

The Puzzlemaster is a fantastic distraction, and a particularly ideal minion bluff as a result. If all goes well, you waste the good team's time, get some innocent people executed, and protect your demon all at the same time!

If you get caught up in a lie and are in danger of being exposed as evil, the Puzzlemaster is an excellent back-up bluff! It's to the Puzzlemaster's benefit to lie and stay hidden for a time, so you have a great reason to have been making no sense a few minutes earlier.

If you suspect there is a Puzzlemaster in the game and are worried they'll sniff out your demon, deliberately bluff as someone with bad information! If you can entice the Puzzlemaster to pick you, not only will Town be inclined to trust you're good, but they definitely won't learn who the demon is.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 <div id='character-details'>
-[[File:icon_heretic.png|250px]]
+[[File:icon_puzzlemaster.png|250px]]
-<p class='flavour'>"After the hail has smashed the roof and splintered the glass of the Cathedral windows, it melts again into the earth, like a dying lamb in the desert sun. Such is the parable of the madman."</p>
+<p class='flavour'>"When one begins to think that some thing is merely some other thing, one is usually on the brink of an error. Patience, patience. Don’t confuse ''just'' and ''should'' with ''is'' and ''isn’t''."</p>
 <span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;">Information</span>
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 <div class="small-12 large-9 large-pull-3 columns">
-The Heretic turns a win into a loss, and a loss into a win.
+The Puzzlemaster tries to figure out who is drunk.
 __TOC__
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 == Character Text ==
-"Whoever wins, loses & whoever loses, wins, even if you are dead."
+"1 player is drunk, even if you die. If you guess (once) who it is, learn the Demon player, but guess wrong & get false info."
 <br><br>
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 <div class='example'>
-On the first day, the {{Good|Heretic}} publicly claims to be the {{Good|Heretic}}. That night, the Demon kills themself. Evil wins.
+Alex is the Demon. Sarah is the {{Good|Empath}} who has been made drunk by the Puzzlemaster and is getting false information. The Puzzlemaster publicly guesses that Sarah is drunk, and is told “Alex is the Demon” privately by the Storyteller.
 </div>
 <div class='example'>
-The {{Good|Heretic}} does not reveal their character until the final day, when 3 players are alive. They convince the good team to execute a good player, leaving 2 players alive, one of which is the Demon. Good wins.
+Lewis is the Demon. Ben is dead and is drunk due to the Puzzlemaster. Marianna is alive and drunk due to the {{Good|Sailor}}. The Puzzlemaster privately guesses Marianna, and is told “Evin is the Demon” privately by the Storyteller.
 </div>
-<div class='example'>
-The {{Good|Heretic}} is dead. The {{Good|Saint}} is executed. Good wins.
 </div>
-<div class='example'>
+== Tips & Tricks ==
-The {{Good|Heretic}} is poisoned. The {{Evil|Assassin}} kills the Demon. Good wins.
-</div>
-<div class='example'>
-There are 3 players alive. The Demon is executed. Because there is a {{Good|Heretic}} in play, evil wins.
-</div>
-</div>
-== Tips & Tricks ==
+* You are the most powerful Outsider that exists. If you find the drunk, you solve the game! Treat yourself as if you are a Townsfolk. Stay alive as long as you can and make sure you use your ability before you die.
-* Keep the Demon alive at all costs. Normally, in non-{{Good|Heretic}} games, the good team can win at any time (by executing the Demon), while the evil team can only win on the final day (by executing a non-Demon player). In a {{Good|Heretic}} game, the evil team can win at any time (by executing the Demon), while the good team can only win on the final day (by executing a non-Demon player).
+* You have made someone drunk. This is crucial information for the good team to know. Make sure that they are aware of this as soon as is feasible, so that the good players can take drunkenness into consideration, and help you look for the drunk player.
-* It is extremely dangerous for the evil team to learn that there is a {{Good|Heretic}} in play. If the Demon believes you, they may kill themself at night, losing the game, and therefore winning the game. Be very careful who you reveal yourself to.
+* Don't come out as the Puzzlemaster immediately, or the Demon will likely kill you. Puzzlemasters are particularly scary to Demons, who tend to be afraid of any character that can learn who they are.
-* If you believe that the good team is losing badly, it may be safest to not reveal your identity to anyone, ever.
+* Tell the group that you are the Puzzlemaster at the same time that you use your ability. Like the {{Good|Slayer}}, the good team may not need to know who you are until it is time for your ability to be used.
-* Consider waiting until the final day of the game to out yourself as the {{Good|Heretic}}. This is risky, because people may not believe you, but it’s better than having the Demon kill themself in the night and immediately win the game for evil. If you loudly proclaim that you are the {{Good|Heretic}} when only three players are alive, even if you are dead, the good team will know that they need to execute a player that is NOT the Demon, and deliberately lose the game, which will win the game.
+* Seek advice from the group on who you should choose. They may know something that you don't.
-* Search for good players who are able to confirm you as the {{Good|Heretic}}, then work with them to orchestrate what would normally be a loss.
+* Reveal who you are to people who you believe are good, for information gathering purposes. If they have information that doesn't make sense to them, you may have found the drunk player, and an excellent candidate for your guess.
-* Try to find a good player such as the {{Good|Courtier}} who is capable of making you drunk or poisoned. This will enable the good team to play for the win without fear of losing instead.
+* If a player uses a public ability, and that ability obviously doesn't work, use your guess on that player as soon as you can. For example, if a player claims to be the {{Good|Virgin}}, but does not die when nominated, of if a player claims to be the {{Good|Golem}}, but nobody dies when the {{Good|Golem}} nominates, it is likely that they are the drunk player. It might not be true, and the player may just be bluffing as that character, but this kind of thing is a very helpful tell.
-* Pay attention to characters that have win or lose conditions in their character ability, such as the {{Good|Mayor}}, {{Good|Klutz}}, {{Good|Saint}}, {{Evil|Mastermind}}, or {{Evil|Goblin}}. If you stay quiet about being the {{Good|Heretic}}, the evil team may unknowingly be working to your advantage. For example, if the {{Evil|Goblin}} gets executed, good wins, or if an evil player is bluffing as the {{Good|Mayor}} and convinces the group to not execute on the final day, good wins.
+* Most characters have an incentive to get up, get active, and talk to people - to speak and convince. The Puzzlemaster is best when you do the opposite. Stay silent. Watch. Listen. Pay as much attention as you can to the actions and information of other players. You don't need to pay any attention to who is good or evil, only for which information doesn't add up, or which player seems like the odd one out. Spotting a drunk player can be tricky, so take your time.
-* If you think that the good team is about to execute the Demon, you'll need to convince them otherwise. You can bluff as a Townsfolk character with conflicting information, or hint to them that executing this player is a bad, bad idea. As a last resort, reveal that you are the {{Good|Heretic}} to dissuade them - avoiding the Demon being executed definitely results in avoiding a loss, but the Demon may or may not kill themself that night. It's better to trade a definite loss for a possible (or even, probable) loss.
+* When you make your guess and the Storyteller tells you a player, execute them. If your guess was correct, good will win. If your guess was incorrect, there is little harm done, and the game will continue.
-* When just three players are left alive, it is safe to reveal that you are the {{Good|Heretic}}, since the game will end before nightfall. The good team may find this to be absolutely crucial information.
+* If you genuinely have zero clue who is drunk, guess yourself! Given that you are almost certainly not the drunk, you'll learn a player who isn't the demon. That's something to go on - particularly if that player is alive on the final day.
-* When just four players are left alive, it might be safe to reveal that you are the {{Good|Heretic}}, since the game could end during the night via the Demon attacking as normal. The good team may find this to be absolutely crucial information. However, there is still an opportunity for the Demon to kill themself, so be wary.
+* You know that a drunk is in play. Even if you don't make a guess, you still know that. That makes you almost as powerful as the {{Good|Librarian}}. Treat yourself like the {{Good|Librarian}}, and contribute to the good team's pool of information.
-* It is often smarter to never really be 100% on what you claim to be. For example, if you claim that you are either the {{Good|Heretic}} or the {{Good|Moonchild}}, then the good team is made aware that a {{Good|Heretic}} might be in play, and can adjust their strategy accordingly, while the Demon is not convinced enough to take the game-ending step of killing themselves. Or, if you bluff as the {{Good|Juggler}}, then claim to be the {{Good|Heretic}}, then bluff as the {{Good|Snake Charmer}}, again the good team is clued in to the possibility of a {{Good|Heretic}}, but the Demon isn't sure. Unlike other characters, ambiguity is your friend. Just make sure you are 100% forthright with being the {{Good|Heretic}} when it really counts, such as the final day!
+* Backtrack your information. If the player you are told is the Demon is executed and the game continues, then that player is not the Demon. This means that the player you guessed was not the drunk player. This is useful information to know, if you believe that player is good.
+<br>
-* It doesn't matter if you die. If you get nominated, there is no need to defend yourself unless you want to. If the Demon kills you at night, it's no problem. Don't worry about staying alive.
+== Bluffing as the Puzzlemaster ==
-* You hold the fate of the game in your hands. Very few characters have this power. Remember how important you are. All other Townsfolk and Outsider characters are written in such a way as to encourage you to "say whatever you want at any time", that even making mistakes won't end the game. For example, even if the {{Good|Mutant}} reveals who they are and is executed, the game continues. Even if the {{Good|Fortune Teller}} reveals who they are and dies on night 2, the game continues. But the {{Good|Heretic}} is different. The words of the {{Good|Heretic}} can sway the fate of the good team drastically and quickly. Even though you are an Outsider, you are the most dangerous good player in the game - to both teams.
+When bluffing as the {{Good|Puzzlemaster}}, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
-<br>
-== Bluffing as the Heretic ==
+* The Puzzlemaster introduces a drunk into the good team, and one who is undetectable by characters like the {{Good|Librarian}} for example. When bluffing as this role, coming out to the good team as early as possible will mean that so long as they believe you ''could'' be Puzzlemaster, they have to worry that some of their information is wrong. Preferably the information that paints your demon as evil!
-When bluffing as the {{Good|Heretic}}, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
+* The Puzzlemaster's moment to shine is when they make their guess and potentially learn the demon. Knowing this, a dramatic reveal at the right time can throw the good team into disarray, especially if you're able to use your power to paint a previously trusted player as drunk! Wait for your chance and then strike when you learning a potential Demon would cause the most chaos.
-* Most {{Good|Heretic}}s will wait until the final day to reveal themselves. If you want to bluff as the {{Good|Heretic}} in this way, you'll need either to stay silent about your character for the majority of the game, or bluff as another character first. Depending on the group, this type of behaviour may get you executed before the final day arrives. Minions may not fear being executed, especially as the {{Good|Heretic}} ability continues to function while dead. But a Demon bluffing as a {{Good|Heretic}} is risky indeed. Come up with an alternate bluff to use first - and make it believable.
+* The Good Team has a lot to gain from working with you to find the drunk - leverage that to get yourself into the good graces of trusted teams, and make sure they spend a lot of time worrying about you and your power, and less about your evil companions.
-* Keep {{Good|Heretic}} in mind as a backup bluff. If your first bluff doesn't cut the mustard, then claiming that you were lying because you are the {{Good|Heretic}} is fairly believable. {{Good|Heretic}}s have a good reason to lie. If your first bluff succeeds, then you don't need to claim to be the {{Good|Heretic}}, so feel free to make it a risky, ridiculous one!
+* If you want to secure a free execution, it can be as simple as picking someone who the town could plausibly believe is drunk, and then naming any random person as the demon! It's to the town's benefit to execute anyone you learn (just in case!), so you can use this to knock off an annoying {{Good|Mayor}} or {{Good|Sailor}}!
-* If a fellow evil player has been nominated, and you really need to keep that player alive, suddenly claim to be the {{Good|Heretic}}, and claim that you think the group is about to execute the Demon, and lose the game. If the good team is rattled enough, especially considering that they thought the nominee was evil enough to be nominated in the first place, they may back off immediately and vote on a different player.
+* Another option is to pick someone who is the town believes to have correct info (or even yourself!), so that you learn false info. Then... point to the real demon! This can be risky if the town is execution-happy, but if they're running out of days to kill, they can very well be inclined to hold onto a "confirmed not the demon" player in the hopes they reach the final 3! (To maximise your chances of this working, communicate this information secretly so the demon has a great reason for being alive on the final day!)
-* If two evil players claim to be the {{Good|Heretic}}, it will seem that one of them must be telling the truth, and the other evil. Normally, when two evil players both claim to be the same good character, the group will want to execute both players, believing one to be good and one to be evil. However, if the good team believes that one player is evil, and one really is the {{Good|Heretic}}, then they may choose to keep both players alive out of fear of accidentally executing the Demon.
+* A clever tag-team bluff can be to have one evil player set up as a character with obviously false information or an ability that has failed to work... and then you dramatically reveal as the Puzzlemaster, citing them as the drunk. You'll need to time this well since once they execute someone on your say so and the game doesn't end, but if they believe you, this is a devastating one-two punch of a bluff! (Added bonus: You can use this to bail out a floundering team member caught in a lie!)
-* A real {{Good|Heretic}} is unlikely to come out loud and proud on day 1. If you are more coy, hinting that you might be the {{Good|Heretic}} without definitely confirming so, you will seem more convincing.
+* The Puzzlemaster is a fantastic distraction, and a particularly ideal minion bluff as a result. If all goes well, you waste the good team's time, get some innocent people executed, and protect your demon all at the same time!
-* Pay a lot of attention to who the good team is planning on executing. Unlike other bluffs, where if the good team believes you they will probably not execute you, if the good team believes you, they may execute you because they now want to execute good players, particularly late in the game. If the good team believes that a {{Good|Heretic}} is in play, their strategy will reverse. Make sure this is actually what you want beforehand.
+* If you get caught up in a lie and are in danger of being exposed as evil, the Puzzlemaster is an excellent back-up bluff! It's to the Puzzlemaster's benefit to lie and stay hidden for a time, so you have a great reason to have been making no sense a few minutes earlier.
-* If you are a good player, consider bluffing as the {{Good|Heretic}}. If the evil team believes you, they may convince their Demon to kill themself at night, winning the game for the good team! However, if there actually is a real {{Good|Heretic}} in play, you've accidentally helped the evil team win instead. It's pretty risky! Also, bluffing as the {{Good|Heretic}} causes a lot of confusion among the good team, as they won't know for certain what their goals are. However, the occasional good player that bluffs as the {{Good|Heretic}} will certainly make Demon players doubt whether or not taking the risk of suicide at night is worth it, as many games are played. For the good team, Demons that doubt real {{Good|Heretic}} claims are certainly beneficial, and this can only happen when the occasional good player bluffs as the {{Good|Heretic}}.
+* If you suspect there is a Puzzlemaster in the game and are worried they'll sniff out your demon, deliberately bluff as someone with bad information! If you can entice the Puzzlemaster to pick you, not only will Town be inclined to trust you're good, but they definitely won't learn who the demon is.
 </div>