Truth Tables Part II: The Clockwork Conspiracy
Using Bloom Clocks to create organic narrative twists
It started with the mirror in the hallway. I’ve walked past it a thousand times, but tonight it blinked. Not a trick of the light — a deliberate, conscious blink. I froze, breath trapped in my throat, and watched as my reflection slowly tilted its head the other way. I didn't move. It did. That was the first tick. Something unseen counted it, and something else was waiting.
The next came hours later — or was it days? Time has been... strange. I found a photograph tucked inside a book I never remember reading. In the picture, I was standing with a group of strangers in front of a massive door etched with a symbol I’d been dreaming about. My handwriting was on the back: "We found it. Don’t open it." I don’t remember writing that. I don’t remember them. But the photo smelled like dust and fire, and the edges were burned. Something inside me stirred — familiarity, dread, the edge of a memory just beyond reach.
Now the clock is almost full. I feel it. My own voice echoed from the cellar steps this morning, though I hadn’t spoken. I think it’s trying to tell me what happened, what we did. But there’s one tick left. One more moment before the truth blooms — and I’m not sure I want to know who I was on the other side of that door.
….and welcome back everyone, above is an example created using the mechanics we’re going over today. A finishing off of last week’s post. A few days turned into nearly an entire week, my apologies. It seems like I commit to something and suddenly it’s the most challenging thing to complete; there’s suddenly a huge push back from the world around me, and my days become filled with tasks that take me in a whole other direction.
Works itself out either way, and here we are, finishing off last weeks post, which really could have been split in half by itself. I hope you’re all doing amazing, and without any further delay…
Truth Bloom Clocks
Welcome back everyone, this is a quick Part Two, finishing off our look at Truth Tables. So if you haven’t read that one yet, feel free to go take a look, this will make a that much more sense if you do. Truth Bloom Clocks can be used by themselves without the previous truth based mechanics as well. I like to use them for not only creating adventures for my solo sessions, but for creating fiction for those stories.
I always have ideas, worlds and stories I’d like to explore. Most often there are key points that I know for sure have to be a part of the experience. That’s where Truth Bloom Clocks shine in my opinion. You can program in certain characteristics, specific areas, key NPC’s, and so on, and then the rest gets filled in by you as you work your way around the world or experience your wanting to have. It all gets tied in together in a natural web-like way.
So let’s get back into, by starting from the top again, repeating the brief introduction from last time.
Truth Bloom Clocks, which are countdown mechanisms that “unlock” deeper truths only after enough context, tension, or clues have accumulated. Until the clock is full, the truth is hidden, partial, or misleading.
When full, the truth blooms — often explosively, unexpectedly, or with devastating clarity.
This is the slow-burn truth mechanic. Ideal for NPC betrayals, ancient secrets, political plots, internal realizations and it allows players to feel the slow build of unease or suspicion before the revelation.
They are rather simple and consist of the follow parts:
A name or theme
A set number of ticks (d4, d6, or d8 segments usually)
A trigger condition for each tick (rolls, scenes, clues, emotional events)
A payload truth that is revealed once the clock is full
Below is a Sample Clock format just to give you any idea of what’s coming next.
"NPC: Arielle the Quiet" - Bloom Clock (6-segment)
Each time one of these is triggered: add 1 tick to the appropriate Bloom Clock. Once full the truth explodes or reveals itself — possibly replacing part of a Truth Table result.
Example in Play: Bloom Clock in Action
Scene: You meet a friendly wanderer named Eda. She's helpful. Curious. Always watching. You decide to start a 4-tick Bloom Clock called “Eda's Intentions.”
Tick 1: She says “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” but you’ve never seen her.
Tick 2: You find your name in her sketchbook, dated last year.
Tick 3: She vanishes when danger appears. Again.
Tick 4: You trigger a final scene: she stands over you, dagger in hand.
Clock full — Roll d6 on the Truth Twist table: Result: “You helped cause the problem.”
Eda was once a friend. You left her behind. This is her reckoning.
How to Tick the Clock
Tick the clock when one or more of the following happens:
There are a variety of ways to interpret the Trigger Types so don’t think too much about them, if it feels like something matches up, go with it. You can always change your mind later and think of it as a ‘false trigger’. False triggers add depth and misdirection, so throw one in there any time a trigger is not turning out for you.
Think about how many false triggers you’ve experienced in life. They are not technically false as defined. They do in fact add to your story, to the overall experience. Misdirection is important, because it helps turn over the stones you would have simply wondered about for the rest of your life. Sometime regret is better than never knowing.
Sample Clock Format
"NPC: Arielle the Quiet" - Bloom Clock (6-segment)
Above, I’ve defined some preexisting milestones that I know I want to encounter. They are important to the journey, to the story I want to tell as I play. In this case, and like in most of my sessions I start from a moment that’s already in motion. The scene has been playing out for sometime already and I’m stepping into it at seemingly random time.
In this case a key moment when Arielle is deflecting a direct question from a person in authority. I don’t know who that might be, I’ve not rolled for it, or decided for myself who they are… A king, a guard, perhaps the owner of a location Arielle is working for…
What I do know is that her intentions have suddenly come into question and it’s apparently going to up to me at some point to find out the truth and fill in the gaps in between the clock points.
The clock triggers keep things exciting, even the gaps where you are filling the details with your own stories and adventures. They act as directors; pushing us towards certain ideas, keeping the theme present, and give a goal to work towards.
Sometimes it’s hard to come up with content to populate your maps or inspire your dice rolls. Bloom Clocks help facilitate a means for not only advancing the story and creating pivotal moments, but for sparking the imagination. Think of them as tools to help work your creative muscle.
Truth Bloom Clock Sample Pack
Here are three sample Truth Bloom Clocks designed for narrative flexibility and to spark rich, layered reveals during solo play. Each one includes suggested tick triggers, a final reveal payload, and optional integration with your Truth Table system (layering in Twist or Echo fragments). Following these is a generator to help you create your own Truth Bloom Clocks.
Feel free to use these as is, or make your own using the table, which I’ll get into after these samples. Also remember that you can use a larger number of triggers. Here I use 4 and 6 for simplicity. You can use any number you like.
1. The Mirror Girl
She looks like you. Almost. Not quite.
Clock Name: The Mirror Girl Segments: 6 Type: Identity / Memory / Supernatural Doppelgänger
Tick Triggers:
Final Bloom: Truth Fragments
Revelation: “She is the version of you that chose differently.”
Twist: “She wants to replace you—and thinks she deserves to.”
Echo: “She walks away… into another you. Another world. Another game.”
2. The Blood Tithe
Every seven days, something dies. No one talks about it.
Clock Name: The Blood Tithe Segments: 4 Type: Community / Curse / Ritual
Tick Triggers:
Final Bloom: Truth Fragments
Revelation: “The town sacrifices someone to a spirit every week.”
Twist: “Your name is next. But you’re already dead—just not yet faded.”
Meaning: “Peace built on silence is still soaked in blood.”
3. Your Other Self
The dreams are too vivid. You taste what she eats. Hear what she fears.
Clock Name: Your Other Self Segments: 6 Type: Memory / Madness / Soulbound
Tick Triggers:
Final Bloom: Truth Fragments
Revelation: “You’re an echo of someone else—a residual soul.”
Twist: “You swapped lives during a near-death moment. Hers isn't done.”
Echo: “When you sleep, she walks. When you wake, she watches.”
Optional Clock Enhancements
You can pair each clock with:
A variable gate: e.g., Madness ≥ 5 to unlock Tick 6
A Bell Curve Truth Roll when the clock blooms to determine scale of impact (mundane vs transformative)
A Truth Table Stage roll to generate narrative interpretation (roll d6 → get Meaning fragment)
Bloom Clock + Threshold Combo
To create even more suspense, let's say the Bloom Clock must fill AND a variable threshold must be reached (Madness ≥ 5) to fully reveal the truth.
Only when you're emotionally vulnerable and the story has evolved far enough does the Truth bloom.
Next is a Clock Generator Matrix that allows solo TTRPG players to quickly generate compelling, mysterious to filled your Truth Bloom Clocks — with meaningful themes, intriguing tick events, and dramatic end-stage truth reveals.
Truth Bloom Clock Generator (Matrix System)
Create your own unfolding narrative mystery in 3 rolls.
How It Works
Roll or choose from 3 tables:
Theme – What this clock is about
Tick Types – What kinds of events push the clock forward
Bloom Twist Templates – What explodes when the clock fills
You can roll a d6 or pick intuitively. Each table cross-references the others for narrative cohesion.
Table 1: THEME (What truth wants to be revealed?)
Table 2: TICK TYPE MATRIX (What moves the clock forward?)
Choose 3–6 tick types based on your story pace. You can roll d6 or mix and match:
Table 3: BLOOM TWIST TEMPLATES (What truth explodes?)
You can flavor these with your system's Truth Table Stages:
Apply this Twist as a replacement for the Revelation, Twist, or Echo stage.
Generator Example:
Beginning a new side plot and roll:
Theme:
4 – Rot Beneath the PeaceTick Types:
1 (NPC Behavior),2 (Found Objects),5 (Emotional Reaction)Twist Template:
3 – Ally is Enemy
Bloom Clock: “The Mayor’s Smile”
Theme: Somethings wrong with this quiet town. It’s too clean. Too still. Segments: 6 Tick Triggers:
NPC won’t make eye contact
You find a “missing persons” note, never filed
An elder begins to cry when you mention “before”
Mayor avoids questions about the woods
You find your own name carved into a church pew
A child says, “He smiles like the monster in my dreams.”
Truth Blooms → “The mayor has been feeding people to the thing in the mine. Willingly.” → Truth Table Tie-In: Echo = ‘And now he wants you to inherit his role.’
Sounds like that could an interesting experience to explore doesn’t it? What would you do? Would you accept your new roll? Do you turn the Mayor in? Or do you handle things on your own…
Finally, here's an expansive and flexible 10 × 20 matrix table of narrative trigger keywords designed specifically to fuel Truth Bloom Clocks and solo TTRPG storytelling. Each cell offers a unique idea fragment, symbol, or prompt that can:
Advance a Bloom Clock tick
Seed a scene or discovery
Spark introspection or NPC drama
Be woven into your solo journaling or roleplay prompts
You can roll 1d20 twice (row and column), or scan manually for inspiration.
10×20 Narrative Trigger Matrix
Use as a Bloom Clock tick prompt, an oracle, or mystery seed
And that’s it for now. I hope you find this look at Truth Tables interesting and helpful. I know I find it quite useful since I started working with them. And we’re again just scouring across the surface of what’s possible. We’ll have to see where it all goes.
Have an amazing week everyone, and until next time, please remember to take care of yourselves and others. We’re all we’ve got.