Cult

Summary

The Cult recruits players into a faction similar to a Mason group. A Cult will usually have a Cult Leader who 'starts' the cult, and is able to recruit players (called 'Cultists'.)

Variations

In some variations, the Cult has a pro-Town alignment, while in other variations, the Cult is a separate faction trying to take over the Town. In both variations, the Cult is successful when recruiting a pro-Town player, while a Cult member dies if they attempt to recruit a player that is part of the Mafia. Cults generally do not have a killing ability.

In some variations, if the Cult Leader dies, the role is passed to the oldest living recruited player. In other variations, if the Cult Leader dies then the Cult can no longer recruit. Also, there are some variations that have a backup Cult Leader that takes charge when the Cult Leader dies.

Criticisms

Cults have been criticized for being very hard to balance. For example, in the case of multiple Cults, the Town could lynch Cult members each day but still lose. Cults could also overpower the town if they recruit all of the Town's power roles. Most players also find it annoying if a Cult Leader targets a member of the Mafia on the first night. Some moderators will keep the Cult Leader alive if the Cult Leader is the only one alive when an anti-Town role is targeted.

Another criticism of Cults is that they can make a player's previous efforts in the game pointless. This criticism usually stems from the ability of a Cult to change a player's alignment.