A Traitors-style Christmas party for 16 to 30: how a hosted Treachery! night works

If your team spent last winter arguing about who was a traitor on the telly, you already know the shape of the night. Hidden traitors, a loyal majority, a "murder" overnight, a vote at the table. Treachery! is our own version of that game, hosted, and it has become the thing people ask us for by name at Christmas.

This is how a Treachery! Christmas party works, for 16–30 people, what it costs, and how it fits around dinner.

Why it works at Christmas

Most Christmas parties have the same problem: the people who already know each other sit together, and the people who don't, don't. A quiz helps, because it gives tables something to do. Treachery! goes further, because it gives the whole room one story. Everyone has a secret. Everyone has a reason to talk to everyone. The quiet person from finance turns out to be the best liar in the building, and the whole company watches it happen.

It also works because nobody on your team has to run it. The host deals the roles, sets the scene, calls the nights and the votes, and keeps the tone where it should be: serious enough to matter, silly enough that everyone is still friends at the bar afterwards.

The shape of the evening

A session takes about 50 minutes. Where it goes depends on your night:

• Before dinner. Drinks on arrival, then the game while people are still sharp, then dinner with the reveal to argue over. Our favourite.
• After dinner. The room is warmed up and louder. Works well if dinner is early and the party runs late.
• Instead of dinner. A session, then the bar. The cheapest way to give a Christmas do a plan.
• Two sessions back to back. For a company of up to 60: half the room plays while the other half eats, then they swap. One host, one room, the whole company done in two hours.

How many people

16–30 a session is the sweet spot: enough players for the traitors to hide, few enough that everyone gets to speak. For a bigger company the session repeats through the evening with the same host, so 60 is two sessions and 90 is three. For a smaller group, say 12, it still works, but it is shorter and the traitors are easier to catch; tell us the headcount and we'll say honestly whether it is the right game.

The room you need

Chairs for everyone, in a circle or a horseshoe. That is the whole list. A function room, a meeting room, the back of a restaurant with the tables pushed back, a marquee. No screen, no stage, no set, and nothing physical: it is played sitting down, in words, so it suits every ability, every heel height and every stage of the evening's drinking. A microphone helps for 30 but isn't essential.

What it costs

From £20 a person, with a minimum of £600 a session. There is no VAT to add, because Get Social is not VAT registered: the price you see is the whole price. Travel outside London is extra. If you want Traitors-style tasks between rounds, that's an add-on; ask us and we'll put a price on it.

Compare that with what else you'd pay for: a venue's minimum spend, a DJ who plays to an empty floor until eleven, or a Secret Santa that costs everyone a tenner and nobody remembers. A session is 50 minutes the whole team will talk about in January.

How to book

Send us the date, the headcount and the venue, if you know it. We'll come back within one working day with a quote and a suggested running order. Book by 3 December for a December party.

Want the quiz as well? Our Christmas party page has all three options with prices, the office Christmas party ideas for London post puts the quiz, a games night and Treachery! side by side with prices, and the 50 Christmas quiz questions are free if you'd rather run that part yourself. And if you're thinking about Treachery! beyond Christmas, here is how it works as Traitors-style team building through the year.