History ChronicBackstabbingDisorder / TabletopGames

*** The Dark Eldar are quite fond of betraying each other and are probably a greater threat to each other as they are to their actual enemies. [[spoiler:The only exception is during raids into realspace, where the Dark Eldar work together through PragmaticVillainy - but as soon as they and the slaves they took are safely back in Commoragh, everyone is fair game again.]]

** TrueNeutral[[invoked]] people in the old ''AD&D'' are described as always joining the weakest side in order to preserve the BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil, even when that means switching sides as soon as their former allies gain the advantage. This is dropped in later editions due to being absurdly StupidNeutral.

%% ** ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' and ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'': vampires seem to have this as their species-wide [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. After all, the happiest vampire in the world is the last one. --Zero-Context Example

* Though the stories paint them as justified (in a sort of "We're backstabbing you because you backstabbed us" counter-betrayal way), ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'''s Gray Death Legion eventually gains a reputation with the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission as this, having a long, demonstrated history of attacking their employer's forces, even when they do so to stop rebellions and bring down rogue generals. In short, they have a history of doing the morally right things by doing legally wrong things.

* Anyone who forms a pact with the demon lord of betrayal is kind of obligated to act this way in ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye''. Even if they don't want to...
* ''TabletopGame/{{Diplomacy}}'' can be a bit of a subversion. The player who stabs at every chance quickly finds himself friendless and doomed. Skilled players know that a long-term alliance is one of the most valuable things you can have, and only stab when doing so is necessary for survival or likely to win the game.

** TrueNeutral people in the old ''AD&D'' were described as switching sides to whichever one was weakest, to preserve the "balance" between good and evil. This was dropped in later editions, due to being insane.
** Like the Skaven, the drow live underground, keep slaves, and betray anyone whose death would provide the slightest benefit. Their goddess, Lolth, encourages this behavior. It's gotten to the point where in some of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' novels, the RunningGag is that a drow found dead with a knife in her back is considered to have died of natural causes. Some portrayals tone this down, pointing out that just because they're AlwaysChaoticEvil doesn't mean that they're always ChaoticStupid.

** Even Tzeench has a tendency to ''betray himself'', as if any of his thousands of concurrent plan succeed, it will destroy him. While his plots and schemes have thousands of small victories that add up, if any of them are a total success it will erase him from existence. For this reason, it's not uncommon for two followers of Tzeench to meet up and end up sabotaging the others' orders, even if both sides are following the plans of Tzeench himself, because for him, that sabotage is still a victory.

* Steve Jackson tends to love this in various games, especially:
** ''TabletopGame/{{Illuminati}}''
** ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'' (see above)
** ''TabletopGame/ChezGeek''
* ''TabletopGame/KindredOfTheEast'' who follow the Dharma of the Thousand Whispers, which upholds the principle of balance through diversity, are known for this, since to maintain their Dharma they have to see life from different perspectives, for example by changing identities at the drop of a hat. Those who do not understand the Dharma are generally under the impression that there should be some kind of continuity of self from identity to identity, but more experienced Kuei-Jin point out that such continuity would be missing the point of the Dharma.
** TabletopGame/{{Vampire|TheMasquerade}}s in [[TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem general]] seem to have this as their species-wide [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. After all, the happiest vampire in the world is the last one.
* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'': The Nephandi don't really have it much easier, though it's kind of justified, given that they're an order of total dicks and {{Evil Sorcerer}}s.
* The [[TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening Seers of the Throne]] have ''institutionalized'' CBD. Every member of the order is looking to usurp and replace their superior, the guys at the top (the Ministers and tetrarchs) are looking to Ascend and join the Exarchs, and the Exarchs are looking to outmaneuver and gain power over each other. It honestly is a wonder they manage to get anything done. In the past, this has devolved into full-blown EnemyCivilWar, and although they've developed enough of an "honor system" to keep things operational, the tendency to screw each other over at the slightest provocation is still the greatest weakness of the Seers.

*** The Dark Eldar are quite fond of betraying each other and are probably a greater threat to each other as they are to their actual enemies.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'': Backstabbing your fellow players is the point of the game, to the point that the sourcebook implies that if the game doesn't devolve into a volley of laserfire, the GM and players are doing it wrong.

*** The C'tan known as the Deceiver is another master of this - he constantly switched sides during the war between the C'tan and the Old Ones, and when neither side would trust him, he started using disguises. According to the Necron Codex, the mistrust sown between the various races serving the Old Ones by the Deceiver's machinations probably did more for the C'tan war effort than the efforts of the other three remaining C'tan combined.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Putting aside the number of times the PlayerCharacters are liable to end up on both sides of this trope, lorewise Richard Villiers, former CEO of Fuchi Industrial, Novatech and [=NeoNET=], is renowned for his ability and tendency to pull the plug and move on. He was instrumental in placing a TheMole inside Fuchi's major competitor Renraku, and later successfully destroyed Fuchi in order to put Novatech in its place on the Corporate Court.

*** The Skaven consider Chronic Backstabbing Disorder to be a desirable way of life and those who know of their existence believe this is the only reason they haven't taken over the whole Warhammer world.

* The [[TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening Seers of the Throne]] have ''institutionalized'' CBD. Every member of the order is looking to usurp and replace their superior, the guys at the top (the Ministers and tetrarchs) are looking to Ascend and join the Exarchs, and the Exarchs are looking to outmaneuver and gain power over each other. It honestly is a wonder they manage to get anything done.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
** In a series of articles about two-color combinations, ''Magic'' head designer Mark Rosewater described white/black as essentially this. The game tries to avert GoodColorsEvilColors, but white/black's guild in ''Ravnica'' is [[PathOfInspiration a religion that doubles as a slave operation]].
** And then there are The Seven Steel Thanes of New Phyrexia: backstabbing each other and any other Phyrexian higher-ups is the only thing they ever do.
** Ambassador Laquatus of the ''Literature/OdysseyCycle'' switches sides whiplashingly often. You'll usually see him plotting his betrayal before he even makes the alliance.
** Then there's [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Starke%20of%20Rath Starke of Rath]]. He'll destroy things for you, but then changes sides.
** Tevesh Szat had such a severe case of this that Urza actually [[BatmanGambit banked on it]] by allowing him into the Nine Titans so [[HumanResources he'd have someone he could justifiably feed into the soul bombs]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Diplomacy}}'' can be a bit of a subversion. The player who stabs at every chance quickly finds himself friendless and doomed. Skilled players know that a long-term alliance is one of the most valuable things you can have, and only stab when doing so is necessary for survival or likely to win the game.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'': Backstabbing your fellow players is the point of the game, to the point that the sourcebook implies that if the game doesn't devolve into a volley of laserfire, the GM and players are doing it wrong.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'' is based on the trope, so much so that the phrase is part of the tagline. You'll help them with one difficult fight, then do everything in your power to see that they lose the next one. Gets particularly nasty towards the end of a game, when players will frequently form alliances to stop someone from winning, then immediately side with that person against their former allies. It's all RuleOfFun and RuleOfFunny, though, so hopefully, it won't be played by anyone who holds grudges. The name comes from the {{Player Archetype|s}} TheMunchkin which is often prone to this due to their goal of trying to win games that aren't supposed to be competitive.

* The Ebon Dragon, in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', is essentially the cosmic principle of selfishness, deception, betrayal, and general jackassery. He doesn't even need a ''reason'' to betray one of his "allies"; he'll do it just to spite them. He is the reason you can't have nice things. He doesn't just betray his allies, he betrays ''himself''. He's only crafted one jouten (physical body -- most Yozi have multiple different bodies, often operating simultaneously) because he ''knows'' that if he crafts any more, they'll try to turn on him. Even then, he still manages to screw himself by constructing plots that screw 'the Yozi' as a group without constructing any exemptions for himself into them. Sometimes. He's actually rather inconsistent about it, which the writers tend to describe as him 'keeping himself guessing'. The Ebon Dragon has plans to break out of Hell. He's aligned with his fellow kings of Hell to get out but plans to close the gate on them once he's out if he can help it. However, it's said that, should he pull this off, his ''own component souls'' will fight to keep some part of him trapped in Hell, because he can't help but betray himself on the most fundamental level.

* Anyone who forms a pact with the demon lord of betrayal is kind of obligated to act this way in ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye''. Even if they don't want to...
* Though the stories paint them as justified (in a sort of "We're backstabbing you because you backstabbed us" counter-betrayal way), ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'''s Gray Death Legion eventually gains a reputation with the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission as this, having a long, demonstrated history of attacking their employer's forces, even when they do so to stop rebellions and bring down rogue generals. In short, they have a history of doing the morally right things by doing legally wrong things.
** Duke Michael Hasek Davion, also from the same setting, is this. He has in some form or another repeatedly betrayed his liege lord Prince Hanse Davion by collaborating with the leader of an enemy Successor State. He also betrays Chancellor Maximilian Liao, the aforementioned enemy leader, by feeding him false information about his own strength so as to take advantage of Liao's trust when the opportunity presents itself. This proves to be his undoing when Hanse plays his MagnificentBastard card and manages to ''triple''-cross both Michael and Maximilian in one fell swoop, whereupon Michael is RewardedAsATraitorDeserves by the displeased Chancellor after his double-treachery is discovered.

* The ''TabletopGame/SystemsMalfunction'' universe practically runs on this trope, along with a heaping helping of GambitPileup. Naturally, the tabletop setting guide to this universe encourages this amongst players.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Putting aside the number of times the PlayerCharacters are liable to end up on both sides of this trope, lorewise Richard Villiers, former CEO of Fuchi Industrial, Novatech and [=NeoNET=], is renowned for his ability and tendency to pull the plug and move on. He was instrumental in placing a TheMole inside Fuchi's major competitor Renraku, and later successfully destroyed Fuchi in order to put Novatech in its place on the Corporate Court.

*** TabletopGame/{{Vampire|TheMasquerade}}s in [[TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem general]] seem to have this as their species-wide [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. After all, the happiest vampire in the world is the last one.