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on April 24, 2012
Wow, this game is like an RPG board-game based on every good horror movie ever made which also plays like a mystery (think of Clue) with a very awesome plot twist that I'll explain in a bit. It reminds me a little of those "choose your own adventure" books that were so popular in the 80's except that you're competing with up to six players and the story possibilities are virtually unlimited which adds a serious creativity factor and makes for high re-playability value.
Now be aware there isn't a game-board in the conventional sense, rather there is a stack of fairly thick, and nicely-illustrated room tiles that will be connected to each other as player characters (each represented by a detailed miniature) explore one of three levels in a mysterious, old mansion. There are six playable characters to choose from and each also has a small information card (two-sided for dual personalities so really 12 choices) with attachable pointers to keep track of statistics such as "might", "speed" etc. which dictate performance and add the element of character diversity. There are also a ton of events and omens which are triggered by entering certain rooms as well as usable items (including pets) which brings me to the "twist" I mentioned earlier. Basically every time a player draws one of the omen cards, he/she must perform a dice roll to see if they have triggered an event know as "the haunt". Fifty individual scenarios comprise this part of the game wherein one player (a.k.a. "the traitor") becomes insanely bent on taking out everyone else, employing any items they might have picked up along the way and basically joining forces with any monster NPC's that may have been unleashed.
Sounds complicated? Well it is at first, but my advice is to sit down with at least one other serious gamer and just play through while simultaneously learning the rules. No this isn't for the casual gamer but don't be intimidated; it just requires a little patience and some decent reading skills. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the game-board isn't the static, foldout variety (please see pics at top of this page) but rather expands dynamically with each game so try to play on something bigger than a card table if at all possible. As I've alluded to, this box contains detailed, quality pieces (no cheapness here) and well-developed rules and, at the writing of this review anyway, a pretty reasonable price to pay for hours and hours of serious, group gaming fun.
Please play this one on a dark, stormy night whenever possible. Good gaming! :o)
Now be aware there isn't a game-board in the conventional sense, rather there is a stack of fairly thick, and nicely-illustrated room tiles that will be connected to each other as player characters (each represented by a detailed miniature) explore one of three levels in a mysterious, old mansion. There are six playable characters to choose from and each also has a small information card (two-sided for dual personalities so really 12 choices) with attachable pointers to keep track of statistics such as "might", "speed" etc. which dictate performance and add the element of character diversity. There are also a ton of events and omens which are triggered by entering certain rooms as well as usable items (including pets) which brings me to the "twist" I mentioned earlier. Basically every time a player draws one of the omen cards, he/she must perform a dice roll to see if they have triggered an event know as "the haunt". Fifty individual scenarios comprise this part of the game wherein one player (a.k.a. "the traitor") becomes insanely bent on taking out everyone else, employing any items they might have picked up along the way and basically joining forces with any monster NPC's that may have been unleashed.
Sounds complicated? Well it is at first, but my advice is to sit down with at least one other serious gamer and just play through while simultaneously learning the rules. No this isn't for the casual gamer but don't be intimidated; it just requires a little patience and some decent reading skills. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the game-board isn't the static, foldout variety (please see pics at top of this page) but rather expands dynamically with each game so try to play on something bigger than a card table if at all possible. As I've alluded to, this box contains detailed, quality pieces (no cheapness here) and well-developed rules and, at the writing of this review anyway, a pretty reasonable price to pay for hours and hours of serious, group gaming fun.
Please play this one on a dark, stormy night whenever possible. Good gaming! :o)
on April 23, 2017
This game is a lot of fun, but it is hard to learn. The directions can be somewhat confusing-especially if you are new to the game. It is so much easier to have someone who knows how to play to explain it to you as you go! I'll do a quick synopsis to demonstrate:
One of the difficult parts to learn was what "The Haunt" and "Monster Roll" was. The haunt is basically where the game changes.
The monster roll is the turn of the monster (whatever monster is activated) during the haunt.
Basically, you & your group enter a haunted house. Roll the dice to see how many rooms/steps you take. You start off with just the entryway-you "discover" rooms as you go. This means you grab a board piece that corresponds to whatever floor you are on and add it to the board where you are.
Once you enter a room, some will have a symbol on the room & it will direct you to pick up a card & read/follow the directions on it.
It's best to discover as many rooms as possible before the haunt is activated. *The haunt is activated by a dice roll.
During the haunt: One person will take on an extra role of being the monster. The other players will try to defeat the monster.
See? Not too hard, but unless you read the whole booklet very carefully, you might not understand fully. It took 3 of us fumbling thru one game, then kinda knowing what we were doing during the second. Then we some-what mastered it on the 3rd round.
It is ok with just 3 players, but way more fun with 4 or more!
It has a great re-play ability to it. Each time things will change-rooms, monsters, items you have, etc.
Overall, this is a great game. It has a learning curve in the beginning, but you can catch on quickly after that. Like I said, having at least one person to help the others walk thru it, makes it way more fun & easy to learn! It's not a quick game-if you take your time & especially if you are new, it will take at least an hour to play!
We paid $31 + tax for it and it was worth it. Hopefully, they will make a new addition with easier to understand directions. I'd also like to see it take longer to activate the haunt. It is fun exploring the rooms & lots of times we only have a few before the haunt!
One of the difficult parts to learn was what "The Haunt" and "Monster Roll" was. The haunt is basically where the game changes.
The monster roll is the turn of the monster (whatever monster is activated) during the haunt.
Basically, you & your group enter a haunted house. Roll the dice to see how many rooms/steps you take. You start off with just the entryway-you "discover" rooms as you go. This means you grab a board piece that corresponds to whatever floor you are on and add it to the board where you are.
Once you enter a room, some will have a symbol on the room & it will direct you to pick up a card & read/follow the directions on it.
It's best to discover as many rooms as possible before the haunt is activated. *The haunt is activated by a dice roll.
During the haunt: One person will take on an extra role of being the monster. The other players will try to defeat the monster.
See? Not too hard, but unless you read the whole booklet very carefully, you might not understand fully. It took 3 of us fumbling thru one game, then kinda knowing what we were doing during the second. Then we some-what mastered it on the 3rd round.
It is ok with just 3 players, but way more fun with 4 or more!
It has a great re-play ability to it. Each time things will change-rooms, monsters, items you have, etc.
Overall, this is a great game. It has a learning curve in the beginning, but you can catch on quickly after that. Like I said, having at least one person to help the others walk thru it, makes it way more fun & easy to learn! It's not a quick game-if you take your time & especially if you are new, it will take at least an hour to play!
We paid $31 + tax for it and it was worth it. Hopefully, they will make a new addition with easier to understand directions. I'd also like to see it take longer to activate the haunt. It is fun exploring the rooms & lots of times we only have a few before the haunt!
on November 22, 2015
Betrayal is one of my top favorite board games that I'm constantly trying to get my friends to play. It's a fun, challenging game that's really enjoyable with the right group of people.
It's an exploration/board building game with an eerie theme about it and a really unique mechanic.
Players begin by choosing a character -- one of 12, each of which have their own set of stats. Then players enter the house, flipping cards to uncover rooms to build out the mansion. Rooms can contain special events, items (like weapons, armor, or occult paraphernalia), or omens. Which are bad.
Whenever an omen is found, the player that found it must roll the die and roll more than the number of omens that have currently been found. If a player fails to roll more than the number of omens, then THE HAUNT BEGINS. At this point, the instruction book is consulted which will tell you which haunt scenario to follow based on the conditions that caused it to occur. Usually one player is named the betrayer and is given their on set of instructions to follow (I suggest you make them leave the room) while the rest of the explorers plan their strategy to defeat them.
There are around 30 different scenarios you can play out, which means that you can play several different unique stories. The flavor text of all the cards is pretty entertaining, so things are best if everyone can get into it when they're reading to the group.
Overall it's a really fun game that can be enjoyed by both seasoned board gamers and beginners.
It's an exploration/board building game with an eerie theme about it and a really unique mechanic.
Players begin by choosing a character -- one of 12, each of which have their own set of stats. Then players enter the house, flipping cards to uncover rooms to build out the mansion. Rooms can contain special events, items (like weapons, armor, or occult paraphernalia), or omens. Which are bad.
Whenever an omen is found, the player that found it must roll the die and roll more than the number of omens that have currently been found. If a player fails to roll more than the number of omens, then THE HAUNT BEGINS. At this point, the instruction book is consulted which will tell you which haunt scenario to follow based on the conditions that caused it to occur. Usually one player is named the betrayer and is given their on set of instructions to follow (I suggest you make them leave the room) while the rest of the explorers plan their strategy to defeat them.
There are around 30 different scenarios you can play out, which means that you can play several different unique stories. The flavor text of all the cards is pretty entertaining, so things are best if everyone can get into it when they're reading to the group.
Overall it's a really fun game that can be enjoyed by both seasoned board gamers and beginners.
on September 4, 2016
This board game is an absolute favorite of mine, and many people I play with. Since I've memorized all the rules, teaching it to people is an absolute breeze, especially since hand-holding is very easy to do in this game (until the haunt happens that is). The dynamic procedural generation of the game makes it incredibly replayable. Also the 50 different haunt scenarios always add a random feel to each playthrough. Unfortunately, after playing the game about 30 or so times, I've gotten this one specific haunt roughly 5 times and haven't experienced the other half of the haunts, so the randomness does have its downsides. Regardless, if I could buy expansions for this game, I would do it in a heartbeat. I play lots of board games, and whenever someone asks which I want to play, this one is always on my mind.
on August 16, 2016
We love this game. We've played it so many times, and every time is different. There are still so many haunts that we haven't experienced yet. the replay value of this game is outstanding. Very fun to get spooked out with friends on game night.
The rules are not too complicated, so it's easy for those who are not as familiar with these types of games to get into. The interesting scenarios and unfolding story keeps everyone attentive. It's probably not a good game to play in a distracting environment, such as a large party or while a movie is playing, but it's engaging enough that no one is bored.
Also, download the character sheet app in iTunes and Google Play. It works a lot better than the little black clips that slide up and down the edges of the character cards.
The rules are not too complicated, so it's easy for those who are not as familiar with these types of games to get into. The interesting scenarios and unfolding story keeps everyone attentive. It's probably not a good game to play in a distracting environment, such as a large party or while a movie is playing, but it's engaging enough that no one is bored.
Also, download the character sheet app in iTunes and Google Play. It works a lot better than the little black clips that slide up and down the edges of the character cards.
on February 7, 2016
My family is pretty much casual gamers- although we enjoy games like Settlers and Pandemic, we just don't seem to have the time or endurance to learn longer, more complex games. Being a big horror fan, I've been wanting to get this for years, but put it off for that reason. This year I broke down and got it, and we're been loving it. It's really not that hard, and is a lot of fun. My 11-yr-old daughter can't get enough of it, and takes the betrayal very seriously. The first part of the game is easy: Just move through the house, exploring tiles and experiences minor challenges. Then the Haunt is revealed: One of 50 Random stories. Each of these plays like a slightly different game using the same rules as the first part. It's a lot of fun, and challenging.
Enthusiast: Board Gameson September 17, 2016
This game is basically comprised of two parts. In the first, you and the other players are explorers randomly revealing room tiles as you maneuver throughout the house.
Many rooms will have an Event, Item or Omen associated with it and after you reveal the tile, you take a corresponding card and read it aloud. This furthers the story along and does a great job of giving the gameplay a lot of character and depth. I always love games where thematic, bite sized stories are incorporated into it (I.e. The Crossroads cards in Dead of Winter or the story book in Above and Below).
Discovering and drawing Omen cards will move a counter in a track that you'll roll against. Eventually, youll fail the roll and the second part of the game (the haunt) begins.
One of the players will become the Traitor at this point. He/she will take a special Traitor book and go into another room to read what they will be trying to do from that point forward. The other players will read from a Heroes book and concoct a strategy based on the details they are given.
From that point forward the Traitor works against the Heroes. It's very fun, very engaging and playing with scary sound effect/music in the background is a hit.
This is basically one of those "must have" games if you're a board "gamer".
It is not without its faults however. First, the components/artwork are probably the worst I've ever seen. You'll need to heat the minis in boiling water and bend them back in place as well as heat the small tracker pieces that go on your characters board and pinch them together as they WILL fall off. I laughed when we played the first time as the "Ballroom" tile is about as ballroom looking as an empty shed. The art is horrendous and everything feels cheap. This is a game that can benefit from a WELL MADE rerelease.
Second, the instructions do a fairly good job but they don't cover all situations (no instruction booklet in any game ever does) so you WILL need to clarify some things during game via Googling or through agreements by the players.
Is it a "family" game? It does deal with occult topics and has monsters and is intended to be "scary". Cards can reference pentagrams, etc. so if you're offended by that sort of thing (lighten up!) then this isn't one for you and your family.
Many rooms will have an Event, Item or Omen associated with it and after you reveal the tile, you take a corresponding card and read it aloud. This furthers the story along and does a great job of giving the gameplay a lot of character and depth. I always love games where thematic, bite sized stories are incorporated into it (I.e. The Crossroads cards in Dead of Winter or the story book in Above and Below).
Discovering and drawing Omen cards will move a counter in a track that you'll roll against. Eventually, youll fail the roll and the second part of the game (the haunt) begins.
One of the players will become the Traitor at this point. He/she will take a special Traitor book and go into another room to read what they will be trying to do from that point forward. The other players will read from a Heroes book and concoct a strategy based on the details they are given.
From that point forward the Traitor works against the Heroes. It's very fun, very engaging and playing with scary sound effect/music in the background is a hit.
This is basically one of those "must have" games if you're a board "gamer".
It is not without its faults however. First, the components/artwork are probably the worst I've ever seen. You'll need to heat the minis in boiling water and bend them back in place as well as heat the small tracker pieces that go on your characters board and pinch them together as they WILL fall off. I laughed when we played the first time as the "Ballroom" tile is about as ballroom looking as an empty shed. The art is horrendous and everything feels cheap. This is a game that can benefit from a WELL MADE rerelease.
Second, the instructions do a fairly good job but they don't cover all situations (no instruction booklet in any game ever does) so you WILL need to clarify some things during game via Googling or through agreements by the players.
Is it a "family" game? It does deal with occult topics and has monsters and is intended to be "scary". Cards can reference pentagrams, etc. so if you're offended by that sort of thing (lighten up!) then this isn't one for you and your family.
on May 30, 2016
I really enjoy this game; I've played it probably half a dozen times or so. I feel like reviews are easier if I break it down into pros and cons, so you can decide if this game is for you or not:
Pros:
-lots of fun (yes I know that's an opinion)
-games are completely different every time you play.
- strategies are deep, and teamwork is a must.
-You can find out which of your friends are sociopaths.
Cons:
-Tons of pieces to keep track of (I've spent a lot of time digging for a 'secret stairs' token, or something similar).
-Complicated. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it does kind of slow down the game when you have to pause to look up minion movement or something obscure.
All in all, I still think this is a great game, but if you and your friends are the kind of person that prefers a linear or straightforward game, this one might not be for you.
Pros:
-lots of fun (yes I know that's an opinion)
-games are completely different every time you play.
- strategies are deep, and teamwork is a must.
-You can find out which of your friends are sociopaths.
Cons:
-Tons of pieces to keep track of (I've spent a lot of time digging for a 'secret stairs' token, or something similar).
-Complicated. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it does kind of slow down the game when you have to pause to look up minion movement or something obscure.
All in all, I still think this is a great game, but if you and your friends are the kind of person that prefers a linear or straightforward game, this one might not be for you.
on October 19, 2010
This game is really great. Someone in my gaming group has the 1st edition, so we were all really excited when we found out this was being reprinted.
For those of you who have played the first edition, the gameplay is the same. Some rules have been clarified, and there is more text on some of the room tiles for ease of use.
For those of you who haven't played: you should. You are a group of explorers going through a haunted house. Up to 6 people can play, and each of the 6 character cards has a front and a back, each with different stats to add variation. Other people have posted more on how the game works, so I won't go too much into it right now.
This reprint added some new haunts, which is really fun. I haven't had a chance to play many of the new ones, but I did get to play one with hidden traitors, and I enjoyed it. Some of the haunts can also be unbalanced. I was the traitor for one haunt where I didn't get to do a single damage to any of the heroes. The next week, I was the traitor for the same haunt and I absolutely obliterated the heroes. It all depends on how the house is set up, and dice luck.
My only complaint about this reprint is the quality of the components of this game. Something about the cardboard they used this time around just doesn't work. The first print had good, thick cardboard that felt high-quality. When I took this reprint out of the box, all of the cardboard components started to warp. The room tile stack can easily be compressed an inch or two because of this warping. Some people have prevented this by immediately placing the cardboard pieces under a book for a day or two after opening them, but I'm not sure if that works all of the time or not. Another component they didn't quite get right are the black plastic clips. In the first printing, they clips were too tight on the cardboard, and ended up scratching whatever part they were placed on. In the reprint, they are too loose. We have had some slide off completely because they are so loose they have no traction. The 5 spare clips can sometimes be enough to give you clips that fit on all the pieces you need, but it's not a guarantee.
The low quality of the pieces do detract from gameplay a little bit (when the room tiles slide under each other on the table, or your stat slider goes to the minimum and you die) but this is still a great game with a fun theme and lots of replayability. I would certainly recommend it, especially if they fix the game components.
Edit 2013:
As some have said in the comments, Wizards of the Coast is very good about replacing the cardboard in this game. I have had mine replaced through this process as well, and the replacements are great. While it is a hassle to have to request a replacement, it is well worth it and takes away the only deterrent to buying this game.
For those of you who have played the first edition, the gameplay is the same. Some rules have been clarified, and there is more text on some of the room tiles for ease of use.
For those of you who haven't played: you should. You are a group of explorers going through a haunted house. Up to 6 people can play, and each of the 6 character cards has a front and a back, each with different stats to add variation. Other people have posted more on how the game works, so I won't go too much into it right now.
This reprint added some new haunts, which is really fun. I haven't had a chance to play many of the new ones, but I did get to play one with hidden traitors, and I enjoyed it. Some of the haunts can also be unbalanced. I was the traitor for one haunt where I didn't get to do a single damage to any of the heroes. The next week, I was the traitor for the same haunt and I absolutely obliterated the heroes. It all depends on how the house is set up, and dice luck.
My only complaint about this reprint is the quality of the components of this game. Something about the cardboard they used this time around just doesn't work. The first print had good, thick cardboard that felt high-quality. When I took this reprint out of the box, all of the cardboard components started to warp. The room tile stack can easily be compressed an inch or two because of this warping. Some people have prevented this by immediately placing the cardboard pieces under a book for a day or two after opening them, but I'm not sure if that works all of the time or not. Another component they didn't quite get right are the black plastic clips. In the first printing, they clips were too tight on the cardboard, and ended up scratching whatever part they were placed on. In the reprint, they are too loose. We have had some slide off completely because they are so loose they have no traction. The 5 spare clips can sometimes be enough to give you clips that fit on all the pieces you need, but it's not a guarantee.
The low quality of the pieces do detract from gameplay a little bit (when the room tiles slide under each other on the table, or your stat slider goes to the minimum and you die) but this is still a great game with a fun theme and lots of replayability. I would certainly recommend it, especially if they fix the game components.
Edit 2013:
As some have said in the comments, Wizards of the Coast is very good about replacing the cardboard in this game. I have had mine replaced through this process as well, and the replacements are great. While it is a hassle to have to request a replacement, it is well worth it and takes away the only deterrent to buying this game.
on May 20, 2017
Fun game, and doesn't take hours to play. Only gripe is that it does have Satanic symbolism in it if that bothers you. While I do not prefer it, its only a game and have fun with it. Its a haunted house game, what did I expect to be in there? Unicorns and carebears?!?!? High playability. AT first can be confusing, because every mission is different, but after a couple of plays its a great game. Best with 4 players or more since 1 player becomes the trader with the monsters. The rest of the explorers have to work together to beat the bad guys, or escape the house. This reminds me so much of scooby doo, they could have altered a few things and this have been an awesome scooby doo game!
