Want to add a little bit more spice to your games? Take a fistful of fabled.
- Some of the fabled provide interesting twists to the game. Some of them serve to solve unenviable situations. Some of them exist to put into text what the ST was already doing anyway. And some of them shouldn't have been created at all. Behold - a fistful of fabled!
Spirit of Brass
Players that would turn evil while there is an extra evil player don't, but think they are.
“One man tempts another, because he knoweth not what is in the heart of himself.”Spirit of Ivory is a useful fabled in so far as allowing certain custom scripts to work at all, but can end up making many abilities fall flat. Spirit of Brass still allows alignment changing abilities to have some effect, and places an emphasis on tracking when alignments changed.
Examples
With Spirit of Brass is in play, the Goon is picked by the demon. Since there is not already an extra evil character, the Goon becomes evil, and is informed as such.
With Spirit of Brass and an evil bounty hunter player, the Cult Leader would turn evil because of their own ability. However, Spirit of Brass keeps them good, but they are informed they are evil.
How to Run
If Spirit of Brass is in play, if there is an extra evil player and a player would become evil, they do not become evil. Tell them they are evil, and mark them with the reminder token. They do not automatically become evil if the original extra evil player becomes good.
Fabled
Turnabout
If the minions have not yet guessed the damsel and the demon dies (ending the game), the demon may guess the damsel.
“Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.”Sometimes evil loses particularly fast - maybe a joke slayer shot actually hits it's mark, maybe a alch-godfather kills the demon - it happens. Turnabout gives an opportunity to an early knocked-out evil team to still achieve victory by their own hands if they successfully guess the damsel.
Examples
With Turnabout in play the Demon has been shot by the slayer. The Demon in their dying breath guesses the damsel and wins.
With no Damsel in play at any point of the game and Turnabout in play the Demon was shot by the slayer. The ST skips the guessing part and announces a good win.
How to Run
When the Demon dies, there was a Damsel at the beginning of the game, and minions have not yet guessed the damsel, announce the game is over, but that the Evil team has one more shot at winning the game. Prompt the Demon to guess the damsel. They win if they successfully guess a player with a working damsel ability. Minions are not allowed to also guess the Damsel at this stage.
A turnabout added into the game when the Demon dies can feel unfair to the good team. It's best to start the game with it in play.
You may want to require silence in this phase during a poppy-grower game, as evil players can reveal themselves to the demon and thus help them with their shot. On the other hand, the Damsel can bluff as an evil player in this situation, so you might not find this to be an issue.
Fabled
Civil Procedure
Nomination procedures are Attack Statement - Defense Statement - Vote Start. Something bad may happen to those in contempt of court.
“Order! Order in the court! Bailiff - tackle that man!”While from a strict rules perspective any player can say whatever they want during any nominations, some Storytellers prefer the process to be a bit more "orderly". Civil Procedure allows the ST to bring this perspective into action by making nominations an Attack Statement, followed by a Defense Statement, followed by a vote, with absolutely no rambunctiousness or yodelling or ya-hoos.
How to Run
With Civil Procedure in play, if players are being disorderly during nominations, announce they are in contempt of court. Treat them as if they have broken Silence for Hell's Librarian.
Having Civil Procedure in play may change the view for some players of never speaking in nominations to speaking in nominations if it's worth the risk of whatever bad things happen to contempt of court.
Fabled
A-Apeiron
Player abilities that require a signficant amount of Storyteller effort are not in play, and cannot be put into play.
“You'll find that my "limitless" benevolence is actually quite limited.”Sometimes, a storyteller might want to run a script with roles such as the Amnesiac that requires intervention or creativity on behalf of the Storyteller, when the Storyteller has no ideas prepared. In this case, the Storyteller can put A-Aperion into play, so they do not have to come up with abilities and to preempt player's from using meta-knowledge to learn that those characters are not in play.
Examples
The ST isn't really feeling it today, so puts A-Apeiron into play, and doesn't add any intensive role. Later, the philosopher picks to gain the ability of the Amnesiac. The ST shakes their head, and has them pick again.
With the Savant in play, the philosopher picks to gain the ability of the Amnesiac. The ST cannot put A-Apeiron into play and deny the philosopher, as Savant already requires a significant amount of Storyteller effort. Sorry bud, better start thinking of Amnesiac abilities.
How to Run
At the beginning of the game, announce A-Aperion is in play, and choose characters that won't stress you so much to run. Relax.
Have you considered playing a different script?
Fabled
New Farewells
Once per game, a player may choose a player and travel out. The staying player gets double the votes, and becomes the demon if the leaver was the demon.
“When one door opens, another closes.”Sometimes, even when players have every intention of playing the full game, they have to leave. Maybe their pet needs to be fed. Maybe their significant other needs to be fed. It happens! New Farewells is to allow the game to continue in those circumstances.
Examples
Joe, the Vortox, has to leave. The Storyteller puts New Farewells into play. Joe picks Samantha the Clockmaker. Samantha is now the Vortox and has double voting power.
Janice, the Pit-Hag, needs to leave. Luckily, Julio arrived just in time to sub in (15 minutes late). Instead of putting New Farewells into play, Janice tells Julio a quick rundown of the situation, and Julio subs in.
How to Run
A player decides they need to leave. Announce New Farewells is put into play, and have the leaver pick a player. Note the picked player as having double the votes, and inform them as soon as possible at night if they have become the demon.
If a non-player can sub in for the leaving player, that is usually better than introducing New Farewells.
If the game is on it's final day or is close to the final day, it is usually better to not introduce New Farewells, and instead pretend that the leaving player is still there and is simply taking no actions.
Fabled
Broken Machine
Drunk or poisoned abilities might work in unexpected ways.
“The only thing more dangerous than a loud failure is a silent one.”A while ago, the rulebook used the phrase "malfunction" to refer to drunk or poisoned abilities. While the way they worked then is the same as the way they work now, some Storytellers took that to mean that abilities with mechanical effects could have different mechanical effects. While they were wrong about the rules, they weren't wrong about the idea being totally cool.
Examples
The poisoned slayer shoots the chef. The chef dies.
The drunk savant learns "Either the clockmaker will die tonight or the mutant dies tonight". The demon chose to kill neither, so the Storyteller kills the clockmaker to fulfill the Savant information.
How to Run
At the beginning of the game, announce broken machine is in play. Curl the monkey's paw.
Don't put Broken Machine into play at a time other then the start of the game - players will feel like you're bringing in the fabled to unfairly balance the game.
Fabled
Non-Determinism
Reminder tokens in the grimroire might be rearranged into alternative possible configurations.
“True nature cannot be determined until it is observed.”Token integrity, when said in BotC fan communities, refers to the idea that when the Storyteller makes a decision, they stick to it, even if no consequences of that decision have actually been seen by the players yet. While some groups find that the game is more fair that way, other groups believe a more interesting experience can be had if the decision is left up in the air until it is deserved. When players and storytellers of these ideologies meet, there can be some culture shock. Non-Determinism exists to allow a non Token-Integrity style of play without having players feel cheated.
Examples
With Non-Determinism is in play, the Storyteller originally resolves to make the Fortune Teller's red herring Jeff. However, on a later night she decides that the game would be more interesting if the Fortune Teller's red herring was Johannus instead. Since the Fortune Teller has not yet picked Jeff or Johannus and Non-Determinism is in play, she makes Johannus the red herring.
With Non-Determinism in play, the Spy sees the grim the first night, including the Fortune Teller's red herring. Since a player has observed the decisions the Storyteller has made so far, the Storyteller can't later decide to move the tokens the Spy has seen.
How to Run
As long as you haven't produced an observable different outcome of a decision you have made yet, with Non-Determinism in play you may choose to change that decision. Once a player has seen the outcome, you may only change your decision if the change would also produce the same outcome.
If you think your group would is up for it, introducing non-determinism in the middle of a game can produce some interesting discussion on the motives of why it was brought in.
Fabled
Deus Ex Absurd
Something that could have happened but shouldn't, did.
“You were so preoccupied thinking whether you could...”There are many scenarios where some situation is technically allowed via the game rules, but no sane storyteller should allow. And yet you did it anyway. Bully for you! To give your players a little bit of a fighting chance, put Deus Ex Absurd into play.
Examples
The recluse was shown as a demon to the minions. The Storyteller puts Deus Ex Absurd into play, so the players know something weird is going on.
The puzzlemaster drunked the demon. The Storyteller puts Deus Ex Absurd into play, to gloat.
How to Run
When you do something you're not supposed to, announce Deus Ex Absurd. Then, like, dab or something, I dunno.
You're a bad person.
Fabled
Duality
Two games are played in parallel. Public announcements are made to both groups. Players win only if their alignment loses the other game. [+4 Travellers]
“Two towns, both alike in dignity, In fair Ravenswood, where we lay our scene,”Fabled
Night Order
First Night
Other Nights
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