A Lunatic Walks Into A Bar
“I do not suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it” - Edgar Allen Poe (falsely)
Introduction:
A Lunatic Walks Into A Bar is a script about leaving any player wondering whether or not they could be the Demon. Featuring the Lunatic, Marionette, Drunk, and Hermit, along with a host of Demons and other characters that can end up in the Demon either actually jumping, or being simulated jumping, into any of those, A Lunatic Walks Into A Bar is meant to leave everyone guessing until the Grimoire reveal. Featuring only 3 Demons but 5 Minions, the Minions must take the lead in helping their Demon make it to the final day.
The original concept of this script was one in which the Kills were determined by the Lycanthrope and the Lunatic (and by extension Demon) played a more hands-off game, however it overly relied on the Lunatic's given Minion group having to convince them. Unhappy with this, the script went through major overhauls and speculative builds, at one point including other roles like the Marionette, Gambler, Amnesiac, and for a very short span the Atheist. Until it has landed where it is now.
As the good team, you'll not be able to rely on your social reads, as plenty of players will come off as evil convinced they are, and plenty more will be convinced they are good, even when they aren't. You'll need to rely on character information, parsing what info is poisoned and what info can be trusted, while hunting for the Demon on a script where they will have the maneuverability to make a jump if it ever feels like you are too hot on their tail. As good, you'll want to gather your information and blindside evil with it, denying them the chance to coordinate and escape.
As the evil team, you'll know about Lunatics, Heretics, and Marionettes, and will need to use these players to your advantage, especially since you may not know the rest of your fellow evil team. Your goal will be to constantly redirect, pointing good towards executions that get rid of players without taking out genuine Demon candidates, leaving your team with an easy time going into the final day.
As the "Demon", you'll need to figure out if you really are or aren't. With a Poppy Grower in-play, you may not be able to rely on asking the "Minions" to figure it out, and with a Lil' Monsta potentially in-play, the kills may not clue you in either. Instead, You'll need to figure out what good thinks of you and if they have been getting pings that truly suggest you are the Demon, or if instead you might be one of the many Outsiders. Of course, their info is never perfect, so it is up to you to figure out if you are better staying hidden, or coming forward.
Interactions:
The Poppy Grower limits the evil's team ability to find each other, but the Marionette and Evil Twin have a way around this. For the Marionette, the Demon will know them, and can choose to clue them in (although the Marionette will have to choose to believe them) gaining an ally that can help them along. The Evil Twin is a character that will be loud, and known as one of two players early on. However, if evil wants to use the Evil Twin as a Liaison, they'll need to figure out which twin is which.
The Lunatics & Drunk may seek to come forward with the idea that they might be the Lunatic, but that doesn't mean that they are safe. The Demon can creep among them, and unless Town is daring to allow the Godfather extra kills at night, they may use this to creep along towards the final day. With the Hermit being a potential among the Outsiders, coming forward is also tricky, as this may allow the Demon to kill them, activate the Barber ability, and swap the Demon character to a different player.
The Boffin, Marionette, and Poppy Grower all play in quite a mean way with the Lunatics. Each does not need to be in-play, but simply by being on the script can allow the Storyteller to tell them they've been impacted by any of their powers, meaning Lunatics can be told quite the tall tale about powers they have, Minions they have, and denied seeing their Minions.
The Hermit having both the Lunatic & the Drunk's abilities means that the Storyteller can tell a player that they are a Townsfolk (or Demon) and change that halfway through. While usually this would not work, on this script, it can continue to fool. For the Townsfolk turned Demon, they can believe that they were the Snake Charmer who choose right, believe that they were any of the Outsiders hit by the Fang Gu, or believe they were a Marionette who has been passed to by the Imp. On the other side, a Demon who thinks they are now a Townsfolk works if you tell them they were chosen by the Snake Charmer, who may or may not even be in-play. Additionally, the presence of the Barber opens up even more possibilities for switching around.
The Poppy Grower is in a tough spot needing to stay hidden from Demons (& Lunatics) who'll be coming after them. However, with the Ravenkeeper, Banshee, and Mayor on the script, they have plenty of room to bluff, pretending to be a character that the Demon would rather not pick. This works in reverse as well, with each of those three having an interest in pretending to be the Poppy Grower to bait kills that will end up hurting evil more than it helps.
The Librarian plays a pivotal role on the script, figuring out if there are Outsiders and helping bring them back in line with good, as they may otherwise work towards evil ends. Assisting them in this goal are the Village Idiots, Oracle, and Snake Charmer, each of whom can let Lunatic candidates know how they are registering, and pull them back to reality.
In a script with so much uncertainty, the Washerwoman, Philosopher, and Savant are here to help guide town towards more certainty. Knowing players that are not the Drunk (or otherwise info-poisoned) means that these characters help form a foundation that worlds can be built on. Storytellers should beware making a majority of these three the Drunk or Marionette, as it can lead good down very confusing roads.
Jinxes:
Lil' Monsta & Marionette: If there would be a Marionette in play, they enter play after the Demon & must start as their neighbor.
Boffin & Village Idiot: If there is a spare token, the Boffin can give the Demon the Village Idiot ability.
Boffin & Drunk: The Demon cannot have the Drunk ability.
Lil' Monsta & Poppy Grower: If Lil' Monsta & the Poppy Grower are alive, Minions wake one by one, until one of them chooses to take the Lil' Monsta token.
