Want to spend some face-to-face time with family and friends over the holidays, but not sure how to make it happen? Fear not! We have a series of game recommendations for you that are great for gamers, non-gamers, adults, children and any kind of mix! Today’s highlight: Hidden Identity Games!

Hidden identity games are just that: games in which each player has an identity that is hidden from the other players. In each game, the majority of the players are “loyal” or “the good guys,” while a stealthy minority are “traitors” or “the bad guys.” Players begin each round by selecting which players will perform a certain task. Those selected then secretly vote on whether they wish that task to succeed or fail. Usually loyal players must always vote for the task to succeed, but traitors may vote either succeed or fail, allow them to time their betrayal for the moment it will have the greatest effect. The rest of the round is spent shouting and accusing each other  calmly discussing who players think are the secret traitors.

Which game you choose really depends on which theme you prefer and how complicated you want to get. In The Resistance, for example, each player is either a member of the resistance seeking to overthrow an unjust government or is secretly a government spy. Each round players complete “missions,” which they try to make succeed or fail depending on their alignment. The Resistance is great at providing the very basic version of the genre and is great for beginners, though it does come with an expansion that can add another level of strategy if desired.

If you prefer a fantasy theme, Avalon casts players as either loyal servants of King Arthur or secret minions of Mordred. Avalon plays the same way as The Resistance, but also comes with a number of optional roles for both loyal and minion players that can be added in as players get used to the game. For example, one of the loyal players might be Merlin and know who the minions are, while one the minions is an assassin who – if they are able to guess who Merlin is at the end of the game – can steal the win for Team Mordred. Little twists like this help keep the game fresh once players have learned the basic principles.

If you’re not afraid to bring up politics as your gathering, Secret Hitler is a fun choice. In this one most of you are liberals, some of you are fascists and one of you – you guessed it – is secretly Hitler. While this game is by no means complicated, it has a little more going on. For example, as more and more fascists bills are passed, various emergency powers are granted to the current president, like the ability to check another player’s membership card or, you know, assassinate another player. At a certain point in the game, the fascists can win early if Hitler is elected Chancellor, which is a nice little historical twist and keeps the stakes high.

Here’s why we think any of these games would be a great addition to your holiday gathering:

1. They have a large player count, accommodating up to 10 people each.
2. They’re all about bluffing, lying and deduction, which is great fun even (or maybe especially) when people are bad at it!
3. People get really into it! Whether falsely accused, convinced a certain someone is the traitor, or faking all of that because you yourself are the traitor, passions will run high and voices will be raised – but all in good fun and with no emotional fallout 😉
4. They don’t need to be played around a table, which is great if you have a small table or your gathering includes people with various physical challenges.

Young or old, shy or boisterous, hidden identity games are a great way to get everyone involved and create memories that you’ll talk about for years to come!

For more holiday game suggestions, check out our previous Holiday Highlight posts!

• Concept
• Trapwords

For more game suggestions for all occasions, check out our Level One Staff Pick videos!