HOME GAME NIGHT
Traitors: Family Edition
A home game inspired by the TV show
👨👩👧👦 Minimum 4 players (up to 8)🎂 Ages 8+⏱️ 10–15 min a game
⚡ Quick start
- Minimum 4 players. Use 1 Traitor for 4 players and 2 Traitors for 5–8.
- Shuffle the role cards (Traitors plus Faithfuls, one each) and deal them face down. Look secretly!
- Pick a Castle Host to wear a scarf and read the scripts (they play too).
- Mission: a silly 2-minute challenge. The winner gets a Shield, and 2 sweets go into the pot.
- Night: everyone closes their eyes. The Traitor taps one player, and that player becomes a Ghost.
- Breakfast: eyes open, and the Ghost is revealed (or the Shield blocks the tap).
- Round Table: 60-second timer, everyone accuses, then everyone votes. Most votes is banished: “I am a Faithful!” or “I am a Traitor!”
- Faithfuls win if every Traitor is banished. Traitors win if they equal the Faithfuls left. Otherwise go back to step 4.
- Play 3–5 games. Swap the Traitor each game, keep score, and the champion wins the sweets jar.
🏰 🗡️ 🛡️ 👻 🍬
Tonight's castle guests: ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
Just for fun at home: no real money and no gambling. Not official, and not linked to any TV show or broadcaster.
🧺 What you need
- The printed cards in this pack (cut them out)
- A pen or pencil for each player
- A bowl or jar of sweets (the pot)
- A small cup each for winnings
- A phone timer (60 seconds)
- A blanket or dressing gown as the Traitor's cloak for reveals
- A scarf or hat for the Castle Host
- Bits for Missions: socks, spoons, cups, paper, a coin
👥 Players and roles
| Players | Traitors | Faithfuls | Notes |
|---|
| 4 | 1 | 3 | Best family size: quick, tense games |
| 5 | 1 | 4 | Optional: 2 Traitors for chaos |
| 6–8 | 2 | 4–6 | Traitors open their eyes together and agree on one tap |
🏰 Setup (2 minutes)
- Put the sweets pot in the middle with the Shield cards beside it.
- Take the right number of Traitor cards and make up the rest with Faithful cards (one card per player). Shuffle and deal face down.
- Everyone peeks at their card, then puts it face down in front of them. Poker faces on!
- The Castle Host puts on the scarf and reads: “Welcome to the castle. Among you hides a Traitor…”
- Each Traitor secretly takes a Sweet Heist card along with their role (or just remembers the rule on their Traitor card).
- Shuffle the Secret Bonus cards and give each player one (optional, but brilliant for laughs).
Ages 8+. Younger children can play in a team with a grown-up and share one role card.
🎲 How a game goes
1Mission (2–3 min). Turn over a Mission card and play it. The winner takes a Shield and adds 2 sweets to the pot. Ghosts can play and win too, but a Ghost can't use a Shield, so it goes to the next best player.
2Night. The Host reads the Night script (below). The Traitor taps one player on the shoulder. In 6–8 player games the Traitors silently agree on one player.
3Breakfast. “Good morning, castle!” The tapped player stands up and says, “I've been tapped. I'm a Ghost!” They take a Ghost card and keep their role card secret. If they had a Shield, they show it instead: “Blocked!” They hand the Shield back and stay in.
4Round Table (60 sec). Start the timer. Everyone still in the game accuses someone and gives one reason. Then all at once, write your name choice on a vote slip, fold it and reveal: “3… 2… 1… show!”
5Banishment. The player with the most votes gives a silly banishment speech (10 seconds, as dramatic as possible) and then reveals. A Traitor puts on the cloak and announces: “I am a TRAITOR!” A Faithful says: “I am a Faithful… you've made a terrible mistake!” If there's a tie, the tied players each get 10 seconds to plead, then everyone votes again. If it's still tied, nobody is banished.
6Win or carry on. If every Traitor is banished, the Faithfuls win. If the Traitors equal the Faithfuls still in the game (for example, 1 Traitor and 1 Faithful left), the Traitors win. Otherwise go back to step 1.
🌙 Night script (Host reads with eyes closed)
“Night falls on the castle. Everyone close your eyes… hum quietly so no one can hear footsteps… Traitor, open your eyes. Creep round and tap one player on the shoulder… now go back to your seat and close your eyes. (Wait 10 seconds.) Morning is coming… Faithfuls, open your eyes!”
👻 Ghosts and the Ghost Guess
Anyone who is tapped at Night or banished becomes a Ghost. Ghosts are still part of the fun:
- ✔ They still play Missions and can win sweets.
- ✔ They can heckle the Round Table (one heckle each, maximum 5 words!).
- ✘ They can't vote, and a tapped Ghost keeps their role secret until the end.
Ghost Guess: As soon as you become a Ghost, secretly write who you think the Traitor is on a Ghost Guess slip, fold it and keep it. With 2 or more Ghosts, they whisper together and hold their own mini Ghost vote on one slip. The slips are opened at the end of each game. Bragging rights only, no points, so shout about it!
🍬 Sweet Heist (Traitor's secret side mission)
Every Traitor has a secret side mission. At any point in the game, without anyone noticing, steal ONE sweet from the prize jar. Even if the Traitor is banished, they keep it and can reveal it at the end of the game and brag. +1 point to the Traitor if nobody caught them. If someone catches them in the act, the catcher gets the point instead. Keep an eye on that jar!
🏆 Points (keep the score sheet)
| What happened | Points |
|---|
| Faithfuls win: every Faithful, Ghosts included | 2 |
| Traitor wins: each Traitor | 3 |
| You voted for a Traitor at the Round Table where they were banished | +1 |
| Sweet Heist: Traitor not caught (or the catcher, if caught) | +1 |
| Secret Bonus card completed | +1 |
| Mission winner | +1 |
👑 The evening
Play 3–5 games. Before each game, collect the role cards, shuffle and deal again, and make sure whoever was a Traitor doesn't get it twice in a row (re-deal if they do). Pass the Host scarf round. After the last game, the player with the most points is Castle Champion and wins the sweets jar (sharing is encouraged!).
🎉 House rules and variations
- Recruit: (6–8 players) Once per evening, a Traitor who is left alone can secretly recruit a Faithful at Night instead of tapping. The Host taps the chosen player twice, and they now play as a Traitor.
- Murder in plain sight: The Traitor gives someone a sticker or a sock during the day without being noticed, and that player is out at Breakfast.
- Final vote: When 3 players are left, everyone votes “End game” or “Banish again”. You need everyone to agree to end. Faithfuls win only if no Traitors remain.
- Seer card: The Mission winner can secretly look at one player's role card instead of taking a Shield.
- Grown-ups' handicap: Grown-ups must accuse in rhyme.
- Silent Round Table: Use gestures and eyebrows only for the first 30 seconds.
- Big castle (7–8): Do 2 Missions before each Night, and give out 2 Shields.
- Quick game: Skip the Mission and go straight to Night → Breakfast → Round Table.
🙂 Keep it friendly
- Lying is part of the game, but only about your role, and never outside the game.
- When a game ends, everyone shows their card and has a laugh about it.
- No real money. Sweets and bragging rights only.
✂️ Printing
Print on A4 at 100% (thin card is ideal). Cut along the dashed lines. You get 2 Traitor and 7 Faithful cards, 1 Host card, 2 Shields, 6 Ghosts, 9 Missions, 2 Sweet Heist cards, 7 Secret Bonus cards, vote slips, Ghost Guess slips and a score sheet.
📋 Score sheet
| Player | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | TOTAL |
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Castle Champion: ______________________ 🍬 Wins the sweets jar!
Best banishment speech: ______________ Best poker face: ______________ Best Ghost Guess: ______________