Over the course of the Traitor Games, a number of running gags have come about. Some may only be running gags over the course of a single Traitor Game, while others may resurface in later games. Some may be done once per game at the most. And a few may be considered overused.
This page will attempt to list many of the prominent running gags in the Traitor Games.
- Batman dies. In the very first Traitor Game, Batman was targeted by a Traitor. In the second Traitor Game, a different player played Batman and he fell victim to the Traitors. In the third, Batman (played by a third player) fell victim to the Traitors. Recognizing that Batman being killed seemed to be becoming a running gag, Batman was the 'first kill NPC' in Traitor Game VI (the game where the 'first kill NPC' concept was first used). Since then, it was played entirely for laughs in Traitor Games VIII, XI, and XIII where Batman made brief 'gag' cameos, and used seriously, comedically, or some bizarre mixture of the two in the games in between. Finally, it was the basis of the storyline of Traitor Game XIV: Legion (where we decided to finally give Batman his due). After that, the gag has gone the way of Kenny McCormick's deaths on South Park -- in other words, still referenced or even used now and then, but no longer a 'once an episode' (or in this case 'at least once a game') thing.
- 'And Knowing is Half the Battle'. The G.I. Joe 1980s series' PSA ending segments have been parodied all over the Internet, and so they have been in the Traitor Games. Usually, this takes the form of someone mentioning a fun bit of trivia, or someone asking a silly question and getting a silly answer. And then someone says "Now I know." At which point a character called 'The G.I. Joe guy' would appear just long enough to say 'And knowing is half the battle' before disappearing just as suddenly. Most often used by The Purple Skull and Chris Lang, though DoctorDoom has referenced it a few times. OverMaster used a variant starring Chiri Kitsu from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei in Game XXIV.
- Van Damme. For some reason, a lot of people hire B-list action movie star Van Damme as a security guard. Whenever that person is being harassed, Van Damme (dressed as Guile from the Street Fighter movie) shows up and speaks with a horribly bad attempt at an American accent. The person who was bothering someone, even if they're a super-powerful being, usually backs off and leaves right away. The major exceptions are those who don't know who Van Damme is, who then find out the hard way (Ouch). Used by The Purple Skull in a number of games.
- The Spanish Inquisition. NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION! Yes, there are a number of Monty Python fans in the Traitor Game community, and The Purple Skull couldn't resist using the Spanish Inquisition as a running gag in Traitor Game XV. They've sometimes resurfaced every now and then, and actually won an award for Best NPC at the Second Annual Traitor Game Awards.
- Ares riding Grimlock. In the course of Traitor Game X, Ares the God of War mounted Grimlock (the Transformer who transforms into a robotic Tyrannosaur) and rode him into battle. This has been reprised and referenced a number of times since then.
- 'Previously on'... Mostly used by Schornforce, this is where a stuffy English voice says the phrase to signal a recap of previous Traitor Game events. Although Schornforce has never actually said what inspired this gag, Chris Lang believes it's a nod to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anthony Stewart Head's narration. Radioactive Zombie, for some reason known only to him, believes it's a Sean Connery reference, but Chris Lang thinks it's safe to assume it's a Buffy reference given Schornforce's being a fan of the show, and the fact that Anthony Stewart Head, who played Giles on the show, would always introduce the recap.
- This has not stopped Radioactive Zombie from continuing to assume it's Sean Connery, and having some completely nonsensical moments where a 'Sean Connery' voice will harass one of his characters. No one gets the joke other than Radioactive Zombie, as far as this editor knows, but that doesn't stop him from doing it enough times to be considered a running gag on its own.
- Various individual characters have their running gags.