The Traitors
With a new version of the hit TV show The Traitors returning to our screens this July, with the Australian rendition, I thought that I would write a little bit about the show given that I am such a big fan of the format.
While I know that the original show was broadcasted on Dutch TV back in 2021, I first came across it when the UK version launched with Claudia Winkleman hosting in late 2022. The shows format is a take on the classic party game Werewolf (or Mafia as it is also sometimes known). But with the added wrinkle of tasks added in to build the prize pot for the eventual winner (take note American version - pretending to do this, but then effectively putting all the money in the pot at the end anyway, takes away all agency from the players actions up to that point…). The game mechanics are easy enough to understand - players are divided into two teams, the faithful and the traitors, with the faithful attempting to discover and remove the traitors in public votes during the ‘day’ phase of the game, while the traitors attempt to blend-in with the faithful and get to remove faithful during the ‘night’ phase of the game. While the TV format changes up the final winning conditions slightly, in the traditional party game this day-night cycle continues until either all the traitors have been discovered (faithful win) or the traitors outnumber their faithful counterparts (traitors win).
As with all good games, while the rules themselves are simple, the beauty is in the execution (literally in this instance!). With every leg twitch or voice crack potentially a ‘tell’ that you might be a traitor, everyone is on high alert and there is incredible drama in each round-table meeting where the players all vote for who they think the traitors are. Tears are shed, back-stabbings are a regular occurrence and everyone has to constantly re-evaluate their positions in the game as the number of players dwindle and the tension ramps up. While I won’t spoil the outcome of the series for those who haven’t yet seen it (please go and do so immediately!); it’s safe to say that it was one of my favourite shows to come out in a long while and I’ll be tuning into the Australian adaptation with keen interest to go through the emotional wringer once more.
For all those out there who enjoy watching The Traitors and are interested in potentially playing yourselves, please get in touch! As here at The Games Initiative I offer games nights dedicated to playing the game, both in-person, or online, where I take up the role of the games moderator and you attempt to find the traitors in your midst, or avoid detection as you manipulate those poor unsuspecting faithfuls…
