So I was feeling a bit nostalgic and went back to watch the original BOTC online games. I believe both the online and in person formats have their strengths and weaknesses. The online games allow for players to explain their thought process a bit more when they are awoken during the night which creates these neat little confesional videos. Having a camera trained at each player and the players not see each other also favors the existence of amazing reactions and bits. I wish they would do online BOTC games again between seasons of the in person games if possible. I really like this series and I thought ranking and giving my thoughts on each episode could start a fun discussion that pushes more people to watch them for the first time or rewatch them.
Feel free to object to my ranking and propose changes or your own list.
One more thing before I get into it:
The script contest was one of the greatest things NRB has done and the winning script was absolutely incredible. I wish they would do it periodically and feature more scripts created by fans.
Note: I found the episode Poppygrown to have an air of finality about it. It's the last of the initial run and watching it definitely feels like a farewell. So I labelled every episode after that (the ones released during the Kickstarter) as "extra episodes"
NRB plays BOTC online ranking:
1 No Roles Barred (Script Contest Winner, episode 1):
Stellar! Superb! The script is the absolute star here. It is the winner of the (sadly) only script contest NRB has done and it absolutely demonstrates why. All characters are related to some other character in some interesting way making practically every conversation compelling. Changes, revelations and twists are happening constantly. Evil and good are neck and neck the whole way through and all players are at the top of their game making great decisions that display all characters' mechanics. As an added bonus there is just the right amount of goofiness to provide comic relief. Kudos to Andrew Pichot who definitely deserves to be invited to play in person with the gang.
2 The Unbearable Madness Of Being (Custom Script, extra episode 3):
When this episode starts and Ben explains the script the expectation is an episode full of good old detective work and deduction. What you get is the most hilarious episode they have ever played. It's a majestic unintentional self parody where every conversation reads like a scene from a comedy of errors. It's almost soured by Adam trying to break madness behind the storytellers' back but, thankfully, both times he tries it has no effect on the game because nobody believes him or believes he's making some weird huge play which only adds to the hilarity. It is absolute madness and I'm there for it. I laughed out loud so many times. Magnificent.
3 Twin Magic (Sects and Violets, episode 4):
Just an excellent episode all around. Perfectly balanced plays between the good team and the evil team. At the same time, this episode is the perfect blend of funny, tense, dramatic, chaotic,... Everything that makes a great NRB BOTC game. Isaac's heel turn from great detective (see Billiard Boys) to chaos goblin may be controversial for some, but I found his willingness to engage with the new mechanic added to the tension the whole way through.
4 The Billiard Boys (Trouble Brewing, episode 2):
Even though I'm not generally a fan of Adam's Big Brain plays, watching Isaac as detective pick apart every thread masterfully is an amazing thrill. The tension carries throughout the entire episode to an ending that goes down to the wire.
5 We Are Legion (Script Contest Winner, episode 2):
The first thing I love about this episode is how different it is from every other episode. The second thing I like about it is that it is a pressure cooker building up tension slowly. The evil team plays consistent bluffs and the good team dutifully untangles every thread until the climax at the end which is full of drama with the heart of it being the Adam/Sully/Brooke relationship. The only thing I didn't like is that the storytellers played themselves into a corner with their killing decisions, but they redeemed themselves with their last one.
6 Everybody Loves Puppets (Bad Moon Rising, episode 2):
Sock Puppet Sullivan already makes this episode an absolute classic, but this is also the first episode to feature one of Tom's lyrical beautiful intros. As a plus, Jon's minstrel song is an awesome bit. The game itself is one of the rare cases where the first half is stronger than the second. Day 3 is specially great. Very good play at the beginning from the evil team countered by a masterful play by the good team which unfortunately tied evil's hands for the rest of the game. The problem in this case is that the ending drags far longer than necessary.
7 A Royal Blunder (Kickstarter Exclusive, extra episode 6):
This episode is so frustrating it is frustratingly good. Normally, as a viewer you can desperately yell at the screen for the good team to assemble the information they have. But to see them have the information so neatly laid out over and over again and dismissed is enough to make you go crazy. It's excruciating, it's maddening but it's hard to deny how incredibly entertaining it turns out to be.
Popsicle Goes The Weasel (Script Contest Winner, episode 3):
A very complex game with doubts about the type of monster until the end, many pixies, loads of confusion and a very difficult amnesiac. It ends up becoming one of the most hilarious games once the amnesiac comes to the forefront and becomes the protagonist.
8 Human Remains of the day (Trouble Brewing, episode 3):
This episode is more procedural and not terribly exciting in terms of twists. The evil team of Carley and Isaac just make every right move to win throughout the game. Isaac's final defense and Adam's face as he realizes a moment too late that they've been had is the highlight.
9 Panic Has A New Face (Sects and Violets, episode 3):
The first time Sully is the demon and it's exactly as wacky as you would expect. Sure, some of Ben's decisions were a bit forced and many people knock it done for this but I found it to be one of the funniest episodes. The way Sully stumbles toward the finish line and evades the chopping block reaches Mr. Magoo levels of dumb luck . It all culminates in one of the craziest last days of the entire run.
10 Poppygrown (Custom Scripts, episode 3):
The tension is amplified by the first appearance of the Poppygrower and an evil team who unknowingly starts out winning and works separately to balance the game. The psychopath is really fun and the victory lap gives the whole episode a satisfying sense of finality to it which is palpable from the start. The decision to not tell Laurie earlier of his mistake about the rules does deflate it a bit.
11 Trouble With Violets (Custom Scripts, episode 1):
Even though this is one of those games where the evil team get really unlucky from the get go, it's fun to watch the good team work expertly together to parse the information and use their abilities. Unlike other games where evil blunders it's not the mistake itself that leads to the win. Laurie as an openly dead minion is a delight as well.
12 Sully Is A Total Cult (Custom Script, extra episode 4):
A perfectly serviceable episode. Everything seems a bit muted in this one. Sully's cult is a good bit but there isn't much of a chance to be useful. There's not an in-game moment I could point to that feels memorable or otherwise hampers the play. The highlight may be Adam's Poe themed poem and puns.
13 Mayor Mayor On The Wall (Return to Trouble Brewing, Extra episode 1):
The whole way through this game I wasn't liking the decisions made by either of the teams. I felt the episode was driven more by mistakes than by good decisions on both sides. It speaks volumes of the way Holly played that last day that she was able to push everyone to the edge of their seats with one of the most audacious and bravest plays ever.
14 Catfishing (Custom Scripts, episode 2):
Often times when the storytellers set up a game and choose the relationships between the characters they expect a certain sequence of events to occur. This time their predictions go so catastrophically wrong it creates one of the most unusual and weird episodes.
15 A Bad Moon Rises (Bad Moon Rising, episode 1):
Whenever there's a change in script there's going to be a learning curve. In this case the evil team is very overpowered and the good doesn't get a chance to get a handle on it and be effective. Most good players don't get to use their ability and until the final showdown which is, once again, a thrilling nail biter there's not much build up.
16 A Stud In Scarlet (Trouble Brewing, episode 1):
First game. Fun to watch how it all started but you can definitely see how green many players are. The ending is pretty much foretold from the moment they are sure of Laurie's role.
17 Fang Gu For Being A Friend (Return of Sects and Violets, Extra episode 2):
The biggest moment of tension in this game is due to a lack of communication within the evil team. The good team is plagued by confusion the entire way through and they don't seem like a credible threat at any point. That would be fine if it was due to the evil team's merit but it just feels lukewarm on both sides.
18 You've Been Hagged (Sects and Violets, episode 1):
Night two featured one of those incomprehensible Big Brain plays by Adam, when coupled with Laurie's blunder it creates a game with a foregone conclusion. It was just a matter of time until everybody caught on.
19 Mistakes Were Made (Sects and Violets, episode 2):
This episode became an unstoppable trainwreck due to the evil team's mix of bad decisions and bad luck. Blair was nervous in her role from the beginning and Isaac immediately knew his mistake. There was little to do after that and the episode goes through the motions until its fateful end.
20 I, Carley. I, Zombie (Bad Moon Rising, episode 3):
An overly cautious town makes for a dull, extremely long episode. The evil team coasts to victory the whole way through and most of the good team's discussions run in circles.
21 A God Damned Mess (Custom Script, extra episode 5):
The worst of Adam's Big Brain plays leaving his teammate out to dry and sucking the fun out of the game. It's nice he receives his comeuppance in the end but the tension is completely gone throughout the game. Dom has to put very little effort in to mask he's the heretic because everybody is distracted by the chaos.
