The storyteller is the person who runs a social deduction game without playing on a team. They deal secret roles, wake each role at night, collect their choices, announce the results in the morning and referee the day’s discussion and vote. In Mafia and Werewolf the role is usually called the moderator, narrator or game master. In Blood on the Clocktower it’s officially the Storyteller, and it comes with extra powers, including giving false information to some players.
Below is what the job involves in each game, and the habits that make a storyteller good at it.
The storyteller’s core jobs #
Whatever the game calls them, every storyteller does these six things:
- Set up the game. Pick a balanced mix of roles for the group size.
- Deal roles secretly, so each player sees only their own.
- Run the night. Wake roles in order, collect their choices, and answer investigations.
- Resolve the night. Work out who died, who was saved and what everyone learned.
- Run the day. Announce results, keep time, and manage nominations and votes.
- Call the end the moment one side has won.
The storyteller also sets the mood. The same game can feel like a tense thriller or a silly party round depending on how the storyteller tells it.
Storytellers in different games #
| Game | What it’s called | How much judgment they use |
|---|---|---|
| Mafia | Moderator, narrator, host | Low. They apply the rules and report true results |
| Werewolf | Moderator, game master | Low. Same as Mafia |
| The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow | Game master | Low |
| Blood on the Clocktower | Storyteller | High. They make judgment calls and may give false information |
| One Night Ultimate Werewolf | None; an app narrates | None |
In Mafia and Werewolf #
The moderator is a referee. When the Detective investigates, the moderator gives the true answer (with the Godfather and Miller as built-in exceptions). When the Doctor protects the Mafia’s target, the moderator announces a save. Their skill lies in keeping secrets, keeping pace and never making a mistake. Our guide to how to moderate Mafia covers the job step by step.
In Blood on the Clocktower #
The Storyteller tracks the game in a grimoire, which Wikipedia describes as a board showing the game state for players seated in a circle. According to Wikipedia, the Storyteller decides how long the day lasts before nominations open, and “may give misinformation to players who are ‘drunk’ or ‘poisoned’.” That makes the Storyteller part referee, part game designer, adjusting the experience as it goes. We compare it with classic Werewolf in Blood on the Clocktower vs Werewolf.
The powers a storyteller holds #
Even in Mafia, the storyteller holds more power than any player:
- They know every role. One slip of the tongue can end the game.
- They set the pace. A long pause before one role and a short one before another tells the table something.
- They make rulings. Ties, disputed votes and odd role interactions all come down to the storyteller.
- They set the tone. How deaths are announced, how arguments are handled and how quiet players are brought in all shape the game.
With that power comes one rule: stay neutral. The storyteller never helps a team, even a losing one, unless the game (like Clocktower) makes that part of the job.
Habits of a good storyteller #
- Same voice for everything. Use the same tone and timing for every role, every night.
- Call dead roles. Keep reading their lines so nobody learns which roles are gone.
- Write it down. Record every night action as it happens. Memory fails when the table gets loud.
- Announce house rules first. Ties, saves and role reveals get decided before night one.
- Protect quiet players. Ask for everyone’s opinion so the loudest voices don’t run the game.
- Keep the day moving. A timer prevents 15-minute arguments that wear everyone out.
- Tell a story. A line or two of drama when someone dies makes the game memorable. Keep every death the same length.
For lines you can read word for word, see our Mafia narrator script.
What a storyteller should never do #
- Look at the player they’re waking.
- Whisper results the rest of the table might hear.
- Change a ruling mid-game.
- React to a player’s guess, right or wrong.
- Play favourites, including helping a friend who’s losing.
Can an app be the storyteller? #
Partly. Apps can take over the parts of the job that rely on memory and bookkeeping. One Night Ultimate Werewolf’s companion app narrates the whole night for its game. For classic Mafia and Werewolf, Mafia Helper acts as the storyteller’s notebook: it deals roles on one phone, shows each role’s wake and sleep lines in order, records choices with a tap and works out the night’s deaths and saves. An optional voice narrator can read phase changes and role calls aloud. The human still holds the phone, makes the rulings and tells the story. The app just makes sure the night’s bookkeeping is right.
More about the genre as a whole is in what is a social deduction game.
Frequently asked questions #
What is a storyteller in a game? #
In social deduction games, the storyteller runs the game without playing on a team. They deal secret roles, manage the night, announce results and referee the day’s vote. Mafia and Werewolf usually call this person the moderator. Blood on the Clocktower calls them the Storyteller.
Is the storyteller the same as the moderator? #
In Mafia and Werewolf, yes, they’re different names for the same job. In Blood on the Clocktower, the Storyteller has more freedom, including giving false information to drunk or poisoned players and deciding how long each day lasts.
Does the storyteller win or lose? #
No. The storyteller isn’t on a team. Their goal is a fair, exciting game, whoever wins.
How do you become a better storyteller? #
Moderate often, write everything down, keep your voice and timing consistent, and ask players afterward what they enjoyed. Watching an experienced moderator run a game is one of the fastest ways to learn.