What TRAITORS are you HIDING?

I feel like I need a new hidden traitor game. It used to be my favorite genre. BSG primarily.

The problem with the genre though, is there’s a triple overhead for whoever draws the traitor: they have to learn how to win, then learn how to not win, then learn how to make it not look like they’re not trying to win.

So what are y’all’s favorite games in the genre? Any that avoid the overhead, without being absurdly lightweight?

I certainly haven't played all of them, but I think the one I like the best is Room 25. Granted, it doesn't feature a lot of chicanery like many others, and often comes down to a single point in time in which a traitor will reveal themself. But the game is great, and having a bit of suspicion really elevates it.

It does not feature all of the social arguing and accusations, really, so I could see it not being high on a list.

Another knock is that it needs a higher player count to shine in traitor mode.

I don't have a lot of experience in the genre, but I much preferred Dark Moon to BSG. Shorter and tighter but with all the tension. I only got rid of it because my group isn't into that kind of thing in general.

I still like the old classic "Shadows over Camelot". It's narratively easy to understand and the traitor is a MAYBE event, which for me is an essential part of these types of games. No traitor in a co-op and one player can just take over. A KNOWN traitor gets everyone over focused on it and not actually playing the game, but the POSSIBILITY of a traitor keeps everyone from following just one player but also suppresses witch hunt metagaming as it could all be for naught.

Yeah, I think that's a great point. The tension of not knowing if there is a traitor is better than that of automatically planning for it. I've never been particularly fond of the genre because I think people do overplay the presence of the traitor and it often makes relatively minor decisions agonizing for some players, which slows the gameplay. I was convinced to break my "no new games" rule the other day by Vysetron and Dan Thurot over Shamans, which takes a different approach in that there isn't really a "traitor" but there are Shadows who are trying to win the game in a different manner but the roles (shaman vs shadow) change with every hand. I think it's much more dynamic than most hidden traitor games.

I should also mention Nemesis, which has a unique take on the genre in that there is always a possibility that every single person is a traitor to SOMEONE, or they could all be working for the greater good. You don't know, until someone clearly isn't working in the best interest of the group.

This used to be one of my favorite genres, but I don't think I've ever seen it executed in a way that has stuck with me for the long haul. It feels like there's always some whiff of "kind of doesn't work" in traitor games, or else they need a specific situation to function. BSG is a good example of the latter, since it really wanted exactly one player count: five people. I burned out on BSG around 2013 and never need to play it again, but I did have some wonderful times with that game.

I'm actually trying to think if there are any traitor games I really enjoy and play a lot now, but I don't think there's one in my collection that gets any meaningful play these days. I tend to like full-on hidden role games that DON'T have a traitor. Things like Citadels, Mascarade, and Duhr: The Lesser Houses/Bemused are much more my jam.

If you're worrying more about finding a traitor instead of enjoying the experience and playing the game then the game isn't for you (just like VP salad euros aren't for me).

BSG is still my all-time favourite but it is correct it needs five players, you can play with three but a bit more cut-throat while adding a Cylon Leader is a valid and still pretty fun option - but I haven't got it out for a few years because I do prefer 5+ players and I have other great games for 3 and 4 players.

Dead of Winter is a very good traitor game, has what some of you like with a non-guaranteed traitor, and the traitor actually has something to do in the game.

Played Shadows over Camelot earlier this year with my euro-centric group, and quite surprisingly everyone enjoyed it, even copying me sacrificing myself so we had a chance for the win - no traitor in that game and we all lost, but everyone enjoyed it.