After I ran a few games of Blood on the Clocktower, I encountered a few instances where I wished I could silently convey a little more nuance with night instructions, especially to help the newer players make good plays and decisions. So, I printed a few custom index cards to help with future games.
I learned about Pocketmods when I started as an Enforcer for PAX Unplugged. Soon after this, I combined the concepts together when I realized that I could save space by printing batches of instructions on a PocketMod instead.
A PocketMod is a free recyclable personal organizer that's crafted from a single sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" paper with a single cut and creative folding. You'll need to create a free account to make and print your own PocketMods. I used GNU Image Manipulator with the exact provided images dimensions of each page to customize 8-page booklets.
These have been very handy and I've used them a bunch.
by LivFreeOrPie
Acknowledgement for "What are you Bluffing As?" to Ryan & Danny from NYC BotC
These pages came from general storyteller experiences I've encountered. I first saw the "What are you bluffing as?" card used by Ryan & Danny from the NYC area Blood on the Clocktower group when they ran the game with me at New York Comic Con 2022. It's an absolutely game changer idea and I'm fortunate to have encountered it.
CONTENTS:
1 - "What are you bluffing as?" - Excellent tool to quietly help the evil team.
2 - "You are on the GOOD TEAM" - Clearer than a thumb up at night.
3 - " You are on the EVIL TEAM" - Clearer than a thumb up at night.
4- "Please reconfirm your pick(s)" - To help prevent Storyteller mistakes.
5- "Please see me privately during the day" - If your player is confused, this will help them seek you out for a clarification.
6- "You did not wake up tonight" - Helps put a band-aid on a mistake.
7 - "Storyteller mistake / Forget what you just saw / Start over and select again" - These are mistake fixers which you can partially conceal by coving them up with your hand. You could use hand gestures instead. I think this may be a clearer option for the players.
8 - "TOYMAKER - You may decline to attack tonight" - Message to the Demon to help run the Toymaker Fabled.
Project folder: PocketMod - Storyteller Helper
Template made using GIMP (XCF) and converted into a PDF on the PocketMod website.
by LivFreeOrPie
The purpose of the General Townsfolk is to tell the player which team the Storyteller thinks is winning. You can accomplish this with a "3-star" thumb with up/down/middle or a "5-star" thumb with up/slightly up/middle/slightly down/down.
I believe it would more useful to explicitly spell out the Storytellers feelings to the players. Depending on which pages you'd like to show, you can run this role as "3-star" or "5-star" General. The "neither" or "ST does not know" pages are included as options for rare instances or poisoning, but mostly to fill out the required 8 pages of the PocketMod.
CONTENTS:
1 - Cover page
2 - Good winning
3 - Good slight advantage
4- Neither team is winning
5- ST does not know
6- Evil slight advantage
7 - Evil winning
8 - Cover page repeated
Project folder: PocketMod - General Advice Device
Template made using GIMP (XCF) and converted into a PDF on the PocketMod website.
by LivFreeOrPie
This PocketMod was made to help facilitate character swapping and character ability transfers. It was inspired by multiple instances of storytelling in Sects & Violence where I've seen a Demon pass over a Barber switch opportunity because they didn't understand its potential. I also wanted a way to manage a "Chaotic Hatter" (Demon may move) and a "Lawful Hatter" (Demon may not move) should I ever encounter them in person. Once the Boffin Minion came out, I had my 8 pages filled.
There are large margins on the bottom of these PocketMods to allow you to hold the booklet and the character token beneath it together.
CONTENTS:
1 - "Your character has changed..." - Pit Hag / Snake Charmer / Barber or any other role changer.
2 - "You are on the GOOD TEAM" - Clearer than a thumb up at night.
3 - " You are on the EVIL TEAM" - Clearer than a thumb up at night.
4 -"Your alignment HAS NOT CHANGED" - This is useful for newer players handling S&V and Experimental characters.
5 - Barber Card - Clear options put to the Demon for an activated Barber.
6 - Hatter "...You may move the Demon..." - For the Chaotic Hatter. This hopefully streamlines Hatter tea parties where the team may want the Demon to move.
7 - Hatter "Choose a character" - Clear instructions for both Lawful & Chaotic Hatter.
8 - "You have gained the ability of THIS CHARACTER" - Useful primarily for Cannibal jinxes, Plague Doctor jinxes, & the Boffin.
Project folder: PocketMod - Role Swapping Helper
Template made using GIMP (XCF) and converted into a PDF on the PocketMod website
by Axolator
CONTENTS:
1 - "Use your ONCE PER GAME ability?" - Useful for prompting characters like the Cannibal who ate something like a Seamstress, or just reminding Philosophers and Assassins that their ability only works once.
2 - "These characters are in-play" - Useful for the Godfather when showing them the in-play Outsiders.
3 - "The LUNATIC selected these players" - To show the real Demon after getting the Lunatic's picks. Way easier than the alternative, in my experience.
4 - "Choose THIS MANY players:" - Follow this up with a finger signal to show how many players need to be chosen. Useful for Amnesiacs, but also for Cannibals who ate a picking role like a Fortune Teller.
5 - "There is a MAGICIAN in play" - Too often do Minions see their one Demon, and then go to sleep before you show the other one. This reminds them that they have to stay awake to see both of them. Same for a Demon who doesn't know how many Minions they should be looking for.
6 - "THESE are the only good players (Everyone else is Legion)" - If you're running a script with Legion and it has characters like Magician or Lunatic, you'll have to wake each Legion up individually. Showing them this card and then pointing to the good players is much faster and easier to remember for the Legion player than pointing to every fellow Legion.
7 - "This action will likely lose the game. Are you sure?" - Sometimes, the Assassin chooses to stab their Demon or the No Dashii tries to starpass, and you just need to make them reconsider.
8 - "You said your phrase THIS MANY times?" - Follow this up with a finger signal to show how many times you heard the Yaggababble say their phrase. Useful when waking a Yaggababble at the start of the night, to make sure you heard them correctly.
Direct link: PocketMod - Experimental Instructions Axolator.pdf
by LivFreeOrPie
This is a re-do of the standard 8 cue card faces that come in the Blood on the Clocktower Box.
CONTENTS:
1 - This is the Demon.
2 - These are your Minions.
3 - These characters are not in play. (These three are first intentionally)
4 -You are
5 - This player is
6 - This character selected you
7 - Did you vote today?
8 - Did you nominate today?
Project folder: PocketMod - Standard Cue Cards
Template made using GIMP (XCF) and converted into a PDF on the PocketMod website