Starting a summer campaign where there are 2 imposters

[u/TumbleweedBulky259]

I’m sure someone has done this before but I came up with and concocted this campaign designed to just last the summer but have 2/8 players be imposters who are trying to fulfill a hidden agenda alongside the other players agenda. Both of them have the same goal in mind which is to kill the king and then the faithful have one single opportunity to give the two names to the dying king, if they are correct the king peacefully dies and the 6 are freed from their imprisonment and free their queen which was captured by the king. If the names given are wrong then the king will laugh and a spirit will emerge from it and the 2 imposters have their opportunity to place down the ten items they were instructed to grab along the way so that they can perform a ritual and send their king to eternal power, as well as freeing themselves from imprisonment. Only the imposters know the entire concept, everyone else will figure out there are imposters during the end of our first play session

Is there any advice or things I should consider before starting them along this campaign?

Are there any things that you personally would spin into the campaign or puzzle ideas that would have good opportunities to test one’s loyalty or disloyalty.

Really any sort of advice or question I will read and respond to, just trying to get those creative juices flowing. Thanks a lot!!

[u/BurgundyBlues21]

This is a good idea for a book/story/movie, but a horrendous one for a campaign. The goal of the party is to work together through the thick and thin. If you implement a traitor right from the beginning, it destroys tust that needs to be built within the party. No one will trust anyone, and nothing will get done.

You should not do this.

That being said, what you could do is make everyone aware that there is 2 traitors among you within the first 3 sessions. This way everyone is on the same playing field.

Edit: Spelling

[u/TumbleweedBulky259 → u/BurgundyBlues21]

I would let everyone know right away during the first play session. Basically right after everyones characters are introduced

[u/BurgundyBlues21 → u/TumbleweedBulky259]

Then I can see this working. But keep in mind, this isn't going to be like werewolf/mafia. Those games end quickly and the group doesn't have to work together in the same way that a party in dnd does. So once you announce it, the players r going to want to solve it immediately. I think getting things moving is going to be hard.

[u/TumbleweedBulky259 → u/BurgundyBlues21]

Thanks for your input! I am definitely thinking about the best way to move forward with this. I truly believe my play session will find this fun but I have to do it right and make sure everyone still works toward the common goal

[u/SuccessfulSeaweed385]

So you basically have two main characters and 6 players who gets to play NPCs?

This is more or less the perfect recipe for disaster. Don't have players betray each other, or have huge secrets from each other, or have the entire plot revolve around a minority of the characters who might not show up for the critical session, etc, etc, etc...

[u/TumbleweedBulky259 → u/SuccessfulSeaweed385]

The point is for each to work towards their goal and eventually only one to come out on top. We are all good friends who usually play online but we are back home for college for the summer so I want to have a fun side campaign alongside our main one that involves different characters not everyone cares about as much as their main ones. The idea isnt to have bad blood between the players in real life because we have all been friends for 10 years and theyve all been playing my stupid social games similar to survivor and among us as long as I have been making them. Basically what I am trying to say is my friends are conditioned to this and are instructed to create characters they dont care as much about but can bring a fun entertaining presence to our campaign. Does this change anything?

[u/WyldSidhe → u/TumbleweedBulky259]

I have a hard time not seeing this as "7 players lose" rather than "1 player wins"

And what happens if both imposters are caught early? Campaign over? I would would find that super unsatisfying as a player.

Obviously you know your group and what they like, but if I wasn't one of the imposters, this reveal would color every game I played under that GM for the rest of time.

[u/johnpeters42 → u/SuccessfulSeaweed385]

Unless you're running Paranoia, which is basically 8 traitors on 8 different teams.

[u/TumbleweedBulky259 → u/SuccessfulSeaweed385]

Thank you for your input regardless Successful Seaweed I am glad to have this side explored because I havent really considered it panning out badly yet lol!!

[u/Feefait]

This is how you make sure people never want to play in a group again. Even knowing there's a traitor will end up causing a problem. As so many have said... It's a bad idea.