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Zenomancer

One or more players each have a goal. When achieved, that player learns a piece of true info.

The universe is a verb not a noun, they say, and it is turtles, turtles all the way down. Turtles all the way down, my friend, turtles all the way down.

How to run it (Storyteller)

Add the Zenomancer when you want to reward proactive, goal-directed play from good players without giving them a free information dump. Assign each goal privately at the start of the game — goals should be achievable but require effort or coordination, such as getting a specific player to trust you, surviving to day 3, or publicly nominating before day 2 ends. When a player meets their goal, whisper or pass them a piece of true information you've selected in advance. Keep goals secret from other players so evil cannot trivially identify who has a Zenomancer-linked reward pending.

Playing with the Zenomancer — as good

  • Ask the Storyteller privately early if you have a goal — if you do, understanding it is your highest priority since the reward info can be game-changing if earned quickly.
  • Do not broadcast that you have a goal or have completed one; evil will immediately deprioritize your completed info or try to kill you before you can act on it.
  • Coordinate loosely with teammates to pursue your goal without drawing attention — if your goal involves social actions like gaining trust, frame it as normal good-team behavior.
  • Once you receive your reward info, treat it like a protected claim: share it strategically rather than announcing it openly, since its source also reveals the Zenomancer is in play.
  • If you haven't received info yet, play as if you might — stay alive, stay credible, and keep working toward whatever goal you suspect you've been assigned.

Playing with the Zenomancer — as evil

  • Watch for players who seem to be pursuing unusual or unnecessarily specific social objectives early in the game — they may be chasing a Zenomancer goal.
  • If the Zenomancer is confirmed in the script, pressure good players to reveal their goals; a player who refuses to share their goal is likely protecting a pending or completed reward.
  • Kill players who have visibly completed social or behavioral milestones early, since they are the most likely candidates to hold true information they haven't yet acted on.
  • Avoid letting any single good player dominate trust and credibility early in the game — meeting social goals like 'get three players to publicly vouch for you' can be denied by early conflict and suspicion.
  • The Zenomancer itself never wakes, so you cannot directly interfere with the mechanic — focus on disrupting the players most likely to benefit from it rather than trying to identify the Zenomancer's seat.

Key interactions

Poisoner

If a player is poisoned when they complete their goal and receive info, the Storyteller may give them false information instead of true. Evil should consider poisoning players who appear close to goal completion rather than waiting for them to receive and act on the reward.

Drunk

A Drunk player who earns their Zenomancer reward receives false information while believing it is true, potentially misdirecting the good team significantly if that player acts confidently on it.