I'm creating an RPG that has a traitor mechanic. The secret traitor hits three milestones and then betrays the party basically. Are there any ways I can make this even more interesting?

https://titus171.itch.io/one-of-us-will-die/devlog/793604/why-does-this-tabletop-rpg-have-a-traitor-mechanic-one-of-us-will-die-devlog

Because it's fun... Next!

Kidding aside, in these devlogs, I'm trying to answer the most interesting questions that get sent to me by people who have tried the game or are curious about it. Social deduction games have always been about teammates and traitors with the game's objective being to discover and eliminate the traitors. One of Us Will Die, takes this in a different direction. There is no reward for identifying the traitor. There is no victory and there is no relief. This is because this game takes its inspiration from pop culture, and most of the time, the traitor's role in the story isn't to be discovered. The traitor's role is to betray.

SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DO NOT WANT ANY SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES, THE MATRIX OR BERSERK!

So what does the Traitor do in this game? Their job is simple. They seek out the Mark and shorten their story arc before it can accomplish itself. The Traitor is a character you see in several works of fiction that cuts plotlines short. George R.R. Martin uses this trope twice in A Song of Ice and Fire. Petyr Baelish betrays Eddard Stark, literally the nicest guy in the story and the guy we were all rooting for, and we never get to see him finish his story. He discovers a secret, makes a plan to dethrone the king, but never accomplishes that plan. Two books later, Walder Frey betrays King Robb Stark at the red wedding before his child can be born and before he can do anything important as king. In the Matrix, we have Cypher who kills Apoc, Mouse and Switch before we really get to know them properly. In the manga, Berserk, we have Griffith who betrays everybody, and literally changes the genre of the entire story and ends several plotlines that we never get to see come to fruition. So in this case, the Traitor is the instigator of tragedy. They turn heel, they kill, everybody cries and it makes for great drama. This is why the game pushes players to play despite the traitor, not against them. Neo's enemy is Smith, not Cypher. His goal is to defeat the machines in spite of his teammate's terrible decision.

Sure, knowing who the traitor is will rule out one person if you're looking for the Mark, and I suppose if you're the Mark it gives you an idea of who to avoid, but remember that a successful traitor activation means that their attempt to kill the Mark. A traitor can easily go "I identify this person as the Mark!" and after confirmation go "Alright, I'm correct! Do you remember that wine I served you all at the beginning? The Mark's glass was poisoned!" They laugh, the Mark dies, and the adventurers still need to carry on with the quest.

A challenge is now posed on the traitor player. First, because roles are randomly drawn in a one-shot scenario, they only find out that they are the traitor after they've created their character. Second, they don't even know who they're going to kill so they will have to figure it out along the way. Third, they'll need to hit three traitor milestones, all of which are red flags that will clue everyone in that they are in fact going to betray someone. I'll go as far as saying that properly pulling off a betrayal arc in One of Us Will Die is the hardest thing to do, but probably the most satisfying.

So how have people gotten over these challenges, and how does the game system help? Firstly, the archetype system assumes that all characters have a reason to die, a reason to kill and a reason to fight, which means that each archetype will make sense for each role. A traitor is any of these archetypes pushed to its negative. They are a sinner who fails at redemption and kills someone else in the process. They are a cleric who either loses their faith or falls into a version of it so extreme that it leads to violence. They are a lover who has decided that their other's life is more important than their teammate. Because of this, players are encouraged to create complex characters, all with motivations that will push them to their extremes. Have a reason to fight, a reason to kill, and a reason to die.

Next, who to kill! In this game, the traitor doesn't get to decide who their target is. The player wants their character to identify and kill the Mark. Identifying the Mark is the easy part. Just identify some dead flags, hit your milestones and you're gold. Getting your character into position will be the task. Find a reason for your character to kill this person, if you created your character with a reason to kill, then this shouldn't be so hard, then make your attempt. It will always succeed. Perhaps the villain offered you a deal. Perhaps you see this character as someone who is between you and your goal. Remember that the traitor is a character whose archetype has been pushed to the extreme.

Will all games have a traitor? No. The game is tricky like that. One person in your party may or may not be plotting to betray you, but they all have a reason to. What's different about this game is that there is no pressure on you to keep an eye out. Play through the story. Betrayal is merely a consequence of dramatic storytelling.