It was you all along!
May 7, 2010 11:55 AM Subscribe
Please, recommend some board games which feature the "secret traitor" mechanic.
I love boardgames where one or more of the players are secretly working against the rest of the group. Last weekend I got the chance to play Battlestar Galactica, and while I didn't care much for the length and complexity, the time spent plotting and accusing players was well worth it. I do like heavy board games on occasion, but for this question I want games that focus on the scheming and double-crossing, but also play quickly and are accessible to more casual players (the more players you have, the more traitors to accuse, right?).
Other things:
- We are currently playing a lot of Pandemic, and love the co-operative portion. I hear the expansion introduces an adversary mechanic - is this worth it?
- We also picked up a copy of Saboteur and it is almost perfect. Quick rounds, secret traitors, and everyone I've introduced it to had no problem picking it up.
- Penny Arcade covered this topic not too long ago. I haven't played anything on Tycho's list except Pandemic, so recommendations/criticisms of those games are also appreciated.
Thanks, and happy backstabbing!
I love boardgames where one or more of the players are secretly working against the rest of the group. Last weekend I got the chance to play Battlestar Galactica, and while I didn't care much for the length and complexity, the time spent plotting and accusing players was well worth it. I do like heavy board games on occasion, but for this question I want games that focus on the scheming and double-crossing, but also play quickly and are accessible to more casual players (the more players you have, the more traitors to accuse, right?).
Other things:
- We are currently playing a lot of Pandemic, and love the co-operative portion. I hear the expansion introduces an adversary mechanic - is this worth it?
- We also picked up a copy of Saboteur and it is almost perfect. Quick rounds, secret traitors, and everyone I've introduced it to had no problem picking it up.
- Penny Arcade covered this topic not too long ago. I haven't played anything on Tycho's list except Pandemic, so recommendations/criticisms of those games are also appreciated.
Thanks, and happy backstabbing!
Well, as I recall the old 'Dune' boardgame had the Bene Gesserit faction as a playable group. Each group had a special ability, and theirs was something like "Pick another player. If they win, reveal your pick and let them know that their ascent to power was secretly arranged and orchestrated by the Bene Gesserit. You are the actual winner."
We would generally leave that faction out of play if there were less than four players, because wow is that irritating.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:01 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
We would generally leave that faction out of play if there were less than four players, because wow is that irritating.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:01 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've played Shadows over Camelot a few times, and it was interesting, although I don't know how it holds up long term.
posted by sesquipedalian at 12:02 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by sesquipedalian at 12:02 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Shadows Over Camelot. Fabulous crazy game.
posted by fish tick at 12:02 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by fish tick at 12:02 PM on May 7, 2010
Mafia. It's a card game, not a board game, but one or more players are secretly killing other people off, and the group has to figure out who they are before everyone ends up dead. I think it's pretty fun.
posted by hoperaiseshell at 12:04 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by hoperaiseshell at 12:04 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
This is not quite the same, but Scotland Yard is fun; one player has to evade the team of detectives (other players) but it's known to all who is who.
posted by disillusioned at 12:04 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by disillusioned at 12:04 PM on May 7, 2010
It's not an actual boardgame, but Solium Infernum is a simulated board game whereby players scheme and fight to control Hell. There are two specific gameplay mechanics similar to what FatherDragon described.
One is called Kingmaker - if you choose this ability at the beginning of the game, you select another player you think will win the game. If he does, and you're still alive at the end, you actually win the game. The other is called Power Behind the Throne. To win with that power, you must get another player to accept you as a vassal. If they do, and they win, you win instead.
posted by thewittyname at 12:16 PM on May 7, 2010
One is called Kingmaker - if you choose this ability at the beginning of the game, you select another player you think will win the game. If he does, and you're still alive at the end, you actually win the game. The other is called Power Behind the Throne. To win with that power, you must get another player to accept you as a vassal. If they do, and they win, you win instead.
posted by thewittyname at 12:16 PM on May 7, 2010
Best answer: Shadow Hunters sort of fits; everyone is a hidden person who is either a hunter, shadow or neutral - hunters win if all the shadows die, shadows win if all the hunters die, and the neutrals have special conditions. Great thing about this one is that it goes up to 8, and is better the more people you have.
Betrayal at House on the Hill also sort of fits; everyone explores the house together in the first phase, but in the second phase one person [not hidden] is the traitor and plays against everyone else in a specific scenario, with both sides knowing what they need to do to win but not what the other side needs to do.
On preview: Looking at the bluffing category linked by o0dano0o, sorting by rank and adding the mechanic Co-operative, the first two are Battlestar Galactica and Saboteur, but then there's a huge drop in rank so I'm not sure there's anything have the same thing that's going on with those two.
posted by radicarian at 12:26 PM on May 7, 2010
Betrayal at House on the Hill also sort of fits; everyone explores the house together in the first phase, but in the second phase one person [not hidden] is the traitor and plays against everyone else in a specific scenario, with both sides knowing what they need to do to win but not what the other side needs to do.
On preview: Looking at the bluffing category linked by o0dano0o, sorting by rank and adding the mechanic Co-operative, the first two are Battlestar Galactica and Saboteur, but then there's a huge drop in rank so I'm not sure there's anything have the same thing that's going on with those two.
posted by radicarian at 12:26 PM on May 7, 2010
I hate Bang- it's alternately too long and too chaotic for what it it's meant to do.
I haven't played it, but several among my gaming group who share my dislike of Bang think Saboteur improves upon it significantly.
posted by mkultra at 12:27 PM on May 7, 2010
I haven't played it, but several among my gaming group who share my dislike of Bang think Saboteur improves upon it significantly.
posted by mkultra at 12:27 PM on May 7, 2010
I believe Battlestar Galactica has the "Secret Traitor" mechanic, supposedly it's a pretty good game!
posted by Jinkeez at 1:21 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Jinkeez at 1:21 PM on May 7, 2010
I believe Battlestar Galactica has the "Secret Traitor" mechanic, supposedly it's a pretty good game!
It does, and it is! It's a pretty great game, actually.
posted by adamdschneider at 2:02 PM on May 7, 2010
It does, and it is! It's a pretty great game, actually.
posted by adamdschneider at 2:02 PM on May 7, 2010
So, Shadows or BSG? I've never played much more advanced than Settlers, but I'm intrigued by this mechanic and think it'd be a great deal of fun.
posted by disillusioned at 2:09 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by disillusioned at 2:09 PM on May 7, 2010
Pandemic: On the Brink, while it has a Bio Terrorist challenge option, according to the rules, that player isn't secret and does their actions after every turn, so it doesn't quite fit the bill.
posted by yeti at 2:12 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by yeti at 2:12 PM on May 7, 2010
Best answer: Seconding Betrayal at House on the Hill. It's not a secret who the traitor is in the second half of the game, but the traitor's goals usually are secret. So maybe it doesn't fit your secrecy requirements exactly, but it is such a fantastic game I had to recommend it.
posted by cirrostratus at 2:14 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by cirrostratus at 2:14 PM on May 7, 2010
Response by poster: Betrayal at House on the Hill sounds pretty fun and I'll keep an eye out for that. I'm also glad to see some positive recommendations for Shadows of Camelot. I'm pretty sure we're going to end up buying the Pandemic expansion anyway, just based on how much we've been playing the original game so far.
From o0dano0o's link, I found Lifeboat which seems like a fun game based on this review.
thewittyname: I'm actually currently in a play-by-email game of Solium! I'm also leading on prestige and I am going to be so angry if somebody used Kingmaker.
Thanks for all of the recommendations so far and please keep them coming! My boardgame wish-list knows no bounds.
posted by Zaximus at 3:08 PM on May 7, 2010
From o0dano0o's link, I found Lifeboat which seems like a fun game based on this review.
thewittyname: I'm actually currently in a play-by-email game of Solium! I'm also leading on prestige and I am going to be so angry if somebody used Kingmaker.
Thanks for all of the recommendations so far and please keep them coming! My boardgame wish-list knows no bounds.
posted by Zaximus at 3:08 PM on May 7, 2010
Best answer: One more - Red November You're all gnomes in a submarine where things are constantly going wrong, trying to survive until rescue arrives. Normally, you all win or lose if the sub survives or is destroyed, but toward the end of the game, a gnome can abandon ship, and then they win only if the sub is destroyed...
posted by radicarian at 3:10 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by radicarian at 3:10 PM on May 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
yeti's right about the Pandemic expansion, but if you enjoy the game, it's definitely worth picking up for the new roles and stuff anyway.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:30 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 3:30 PM on May 7, 2010
I'm going to recommend Cosmic Encounter. As a game, it doesn't have the secret traitor mechanic, but each player assumes one or more alien powers, so any one person might have been assigned the role to work against the other players. And it is so much fun.
posted by CathyG at 5:52 PM on May 7, 2010
posted by CathyG at 5:52 PM on May 7, 2010
Pick another player. If they win, reveal your pick and let them know that their ascent to power was secretly arranged and orchestrated by the Bene Gesserit. You are the actual winner.
The Bene Gesserit's "win by prediction" requires the BG to correctly predict not only the winner, but also the turn on which they win. (The game has a maximum of 15 turns.) Which is, obviously, much harder than merely predicting the winner.
But in any case Dune isn't the sort of game Zaximus is looking for.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:35 PM on May 9, 2010
The Bene Gesserit's "win by prediction" requires the BG to correctly predict not only the winner, but also the turn on which they win. (The game has a maximum of 15 turns.) Which is, obviously, much harder than merely predicting the winner.
But in any case Dune isn't the sort of game Zaximus is looking for.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:35 PM on May 9, 2010
In the Dune game, the player who plays the Bene Gesserit faction makes a prediction of who they think will win, and on which turn. If they get it right, they win. Everyone knows who is playing the faction, but not what their guess is.
posted by nalyd at 4:58 PM on May 13, 2010
posted by nalyd at 4:58 PM on May 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by o0dano0o at 12:00 PM on May 7, 2010