One of the best genres of tabletop games are the ones that involve deception and bluffing—especially when played with close friends. These games allow players to be the sort of tricksters which societal contracts prevent us from being in real life.
Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s fun to play the bad guy, and these games offer a consequence-free setting to do that. Below are the ten best deception/bluffing tabletop games available. If a game was left out that deserves to be mentioned then don't hesitate to leave a comment below.
10 Dead Of Winter
This game puts the players in the role of community leaders. The catch is that the community is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland full of zombies. The game consists of a main game board, which is where the community is located, as well as large location cards (like a library and police station), dice, and an array of other card types (like objective cards).
The players generally work together, but each player has their own secret objective cards. Some of these secret objective cards require betraying the community. This is a fantastic game that is designed for 2 - 5 players and should be played by everyone who is a fan of The Walking Dead.
9 Betrayal At House On The Hill
Betrayal at House on the Hill is an example of a tile-based game done right. The players are a group of friends exploring a creepy old house (on a hill). As players move from room to room, they must draw and play the new rooms from a deck of room tiles. Every room has a symbol that is used to indicate from which deck a player must draw when entering the room.
Sometimes this causes a monster to appear. If you’re lucky, though, you might find a weapon instead. The twist is that one of the players, which is not revealed to the others, plans to betray the group.
8 Saboteur
Saboteur is a fun card game that takes place in a hole in the earth—well, it’s actually a mine. The players are either a miner or a saboteur, but it’s up to the players to try to figure out who is who. There are three cards turned face down, the players guess which of these cards might be gold, and which are decoys.
The object is to build mine shafts toward these three cards to hopefully strike it rich. The saboteurs work to undermine the progress of the miners. This can be done by closing-off a mine shaft so that it cannot be extended. This is a really fun, simple game that can be played by up to ten players.
7 Coup
This is a fairly simple, yet fiendishly enjoyable card game for 2 to 5 players. Each player is given two influence cards that are kept face down, as well as two coins. Every turn a player must perform an action, which can be as simple as taking a coin from the treasury, to forcing another player, through card play, to reveal one of their influence cards.
The influence cards give the players abilities, such as preventing a player from receiving foreign aid. These influence cards are kept face down, even when using an ability. In other words, this game involves a ton of bluffing.
6 One Night Ultimate Werewolf
This game is set in a small village, and each player plays a specific character. The twist is that some of the characters are also secretly werewolves, and it is up to the other players to try and figure out who is who. The werewolves, in turn, endeavor to remain hidden within the village while feasting on a villager when the opportunity presents itself.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf is an excellent party game; up to 75 players can participate. Keeping track of this many players can be overwhelming, so, thankfully, there is an app to help keep track of the game.
5 Shadows Over Camelot
In Shadows Over Camelot, each player is a Knight of the Round Table. The goal is to stop the encroaching evil, which the players must work together to stop. There is an alternate rule-set however, in which one player is a traitor secretly working to defeat the knights. This game has a lot of pieces; with lots of cards and miniatures.
This serves to increase the replay value, though—the game is not really that complicated. The players travel to various areas trying to complete objectives which grant them a sword for the round table. Shadows Over Camelot is a game for 3 - 7 players.
4 Dead Last
Many of the games in this list designate only a few players to play the role of the betrayer. In Dead Last, every player in trying to deceive the other players in a game where votes are constantly being taken to oust a player. The players take turns playing color-coded cards that represent a certain player. If a player didn’t vote for the color that has the plurality, they are eliminated from the round. A targeted player can also play an ambush card to eliminate a player that voted to eliminate them. This simple game can get intense and is designed for up to six players.
3 The Resistance
In Resistance, the players form a team that is fighting against the government. This game can be a bit complex for casual gamers, but that just makes it more difficult to find out which player(s) is/are actually a government spy working to thwart the resistance.
The game uses a unique mechanic where the leader of the resistance rotates to a new player each turn. The players must pay attention to the orders given by the leader, as this is the best way to determine the traitor. The Resistance can be played by 5 - 10 players.
2 Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
Based on the reboot of the classic 70s television show that aired starting in 2004, this is an exceptional tabletop game where players must figure out who the traitors are while trying to stay one step ahead of the Cylons.
This game is very well designed and balanced. The player who is the secret Cylon infiltrator will not even know they are the traitor until the game is half-way completed. This makes it harder for the other players to discover who is the Cylon is as every player has spent the first half of the game helping. Battlestar Galactica is meant for 3 - 6 players.
1 Deception: Murder In Hong Kong
Originally launched via a Kickstarter campaign, Deception is a game where the players are trying to figure out who among them is the murderer. The flow of the game is controlled by the forensic scientist who knows the identity of the murderer but can only reveal this to the other players via card play.
The murderer and her/his accomplice both also act as investigators but are secretly working to obscure the trail for the other players/investigators. The investigators must correctly identify not only the murderer to win, but also the murder weapon. This game can be enjoyed by 4 - 12 players, and there is even an expansion pack to increase replay value.