The Betrayer's Banquet: Act like Judas, get a better meal, at this insane, backstabbing pop-up dinner

the last supper

Allow us to introduce The Betrayer's Banquet: a gothic-esque, 32-course feast held in a secret location and waited on by hooded servers, with an opportunity to mingle with 47 other people. But there's a serious catch...

fine food

So here's the deal: At the top of the (very long) table, all the courses will be "exquisite". We’re talking food as good as what you would expect from the best restaurants in London.

crumbs
Flickr User [PBoyd04]

Meanwhile, the other end of the table receives "barely edible" crumbs... and each pairing in between sees the full spectrum of quality gradually increasing/decreasing between the two extremes.

goblet
Flickr User [Macieklew]

So how do you ensure that you're getting the best food? Well, this isn't called "the steadfastly loyal friend who maybe even slightly has the hots for you" banquet. No, each diner gets a special goblet with a small wooden coin. After each course, when you and the person sitting opposite of you have both downed your drink, you use the coins to play a game of Prisoner's Dilemma.

Prisoner's Dilemma Game
ITV

A brief refresher on Prisoner's Dilemma: You can either "betray" or "cooperate". If one person betrays, and their partner cooperates, the betrayer moves up ten seats, and the cooperator moves down the same. If both partners cooperate, they both move up five seats. And if they both betray? Both of their backstabbing arses are bumped down five seats.

the betrayer's banquet

Simple, huh? Added to all the backstabbery will be "a pair of dour, unsympathetic masters of ceremony", and no, your own senses don't betray you -- they will be punctuating the evening with speeches about "the discovery of the game in the court of Charlemagne in the 8th century".