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Thief

Each night, choose a player (not yourself): their vote counts negatively tomorrow.

I ain't done nuffink. I weren't even in dat alley last night! It weren't me what stole Mayor Bruno's briefcase wiv all dem fancy dockoments innit. Besides, it was too 'eavy to carry far.

Storyteller cues

First nightThe Thief chooses a player. ◦

Other nightsThe Thief chooses a player. ◦

How to run it (Storyteller)

Each night, the Thief privately points to any player other than themselves; that player's vote tomorrow counts as -1 instead of +1, effectively subtracting one from the execution tally if they vote. Track who has been Thieved each day so you can correctly adjust the vote count. Use the Thief fairly — choosing the same player repeatedly or always targeting the most powerful good player can feel punitive, so balance the ability against the current game state and only introduce the Thief when the game can absorb the vote-count disruption without trivially breaking nomination math.

How to play as a good Thief

  • Target known or suspected evil players before key nominations so that if they vote to save themselves or an ally, their vote actively harms their own cause rather than helping it.
  • Announce who you Thieved publicly after each day resolves — this builds trust by showing your logic and lets good players factor the negative vote into their counting before nominations close.
  • Coordinate with the Investigator or other information roles: if a player is suspected, Thieving them creates a high-information moment — if they still vote, town can watch whether the execution total drops as expected, confirming your ability is working.
  • Save your Thief ability for days when a single vote is likely to swing an execution; on days with lopsided vote counts the negative vote matters less, so timing is everything.
  • If you learn you are about to be exiled, use your final night to Thieve the player most likely to cast the deciding vote in your exile — this last-resort play can flip the math and buy you one more day.

How to play as an evil Thief

  • Thieve the player most likely to successfully nominate or back-nominate a Demon — a good player who votes a lot — turning their biggest vote into a liability and suppressing executions of evil players.
  • Claim to be Thieving evil players each night while actually targeting high-trust good players; your ability is not publicly verifiable in the moment, so the lie is easy to maintain if vote totals are not carefully tracked.
  • Use the negative vote to manufacture a false execution: Thieve a good player, encourage them to vote on a target you want dead, and let the math work in your favour without drawing suspicion to yourself.
  • Volunteer information about your Thief target early in the day to appear cooperative, but choose a target who was already unlikely to vote — the negative vote costs evil nothing while you earn good-player credibility.
  • If vote counts are being tracked carefully, occasionally Thieve an actual evil player on a safe day so you can point to it as proof of loyalty when your exile is threatened.

Key interactions

Voudon

The Voudon causes dead players' votes to count for 0, while the Thief makes a living player's vote count as -1; these are distinct effects on the tally and can stack in games where both Travellers are present, making execution math extremely volatile and requiring the Storyteller to track both modifiers simultaneously.

Poisoner

If the Thief is poisoned, the Storyteller may have the Thief's chosen player's vote count normally instead of negatively — evil can use the Poisoner to silently neutralise the Thief on critical nights, so good players should cross-reference whether the negative-vote effect actually appeared in the tally.