Betrayal at House on the Hill

Betrayal at House on the Hill is a fantastic game made by Wizards of the Coast. Gameplay starts with each player choosing a survivor - six survivor tiles with a different version of the character on each side makes for twelve to choose from - and placing them in the central hallway. From there, players explore the house by going through doorways into unexplored rooms, revealing rooms from a stack of tiles and spooky events that do everything from slowing them down to gaining powers or items. In fact, everything in this game is straight out of a horror show - whether you're hearing shrieking voices, choking on grave dust, or being buried alive, Betrayal at House on the Hill is easily one of the creepiest board games you'll ever play! The real fun begins when the Haunt starts; some rooms contain Omen cards, and every time an omen is revealed, six dice are rolled. If the total showing is lower than the number of omens that are showing, the Haunt has begun! The Traitor's Tome is referenced to see which haunt is being played out (there are 50 in all), and the identity of the traitor is revealed. Since no one knows who the traitor is until this point, you might have been helping them all along! The traitor leaves the room and flips to the appropriate page in the Traitor's Tome to see what they're supposed to be doing, and the rest of the players look through the Survivor's Guide to see what their new objective is. It would be unfair to reveal any of the haunts here, but I will say that you'll wind up doing all sorts of insane things to fulfill your win condition, whether you're the traitor or one of the survivors. With fifty different scenarios and a house that's different every time you explore it, Betrayal at House on the Hill has a lot of replay value. Sure, you'll eventually start to recognize the Haunts...but that takes a lot of playing time, and even if you know what's going on, that doesn't mean you can do anything about it! Two things to keep in mind: 1) This game is not for younger children. Most of the themes are spooky and might frighten the little ones, so treat this games as PG-13. It's especially important to keep this game away from toddlers and infants, as many (most) of the game pieces could be choking hazards. 2) The components are a little questionable. Almost everything is cardboard, which means the game is subject to warping if stacked a certain way. Furthermore, there are endless tiny pieces; get several small sandwich bags and separate the tokens by type, or prepare to spend several minutes hunting every time you need one. Those two caveats are hardly anything that should keep you away from this game. With a high level of replayability, creative and engaging scenarios, and a social dynamic that can't be ignore, Betrayal at House on the Hill earned its second run by being a fantastic game that's difficult to ignore.

I absolutely love this game. It is a very luck intensive game, but the variety is pretty fun. Each map you've played and each scenario is different from your previous games. If you go to the traitors tome and look up which scenario you're playing and you've already played it before you can just pick a different one that occurs in another room you've discovered(so you don't repeat). The time varies significantly from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. It does take a while to get the hang of the game, and for the first two games you'll constantly be looking in and out of the rulebook. Also it is really easy to play with two players as well(just have each person have two characters and when a haunt occurs the person who controls the traitor transfers the non traitor character to the other person). I just love that this game is so different from any other I've played. The only disappointment is the black stat markers as other reviews have noted. They are far to loose and will slip off when you move them on the card. There are several quick fixes to this. We saw this was happening and just used sticky notes with arrows pointing towards the number, moving the sticky pad as the stat changes transpired. You could also try paper clips. Or laminating the cards so they are thicker/write on them with dry erase markers. Just an observation but you will need a very large surface area to play on(think dining room table not coffee table). We've played 5 different scenarios. Here is a review of Each Scenario 1. Haunt #5- I was a teenage Lycanthropy - 5 stars- detailed review below 2. Haunt #9- Dance of Death/fiddler- 3 stars - There was no traitor and everyone lived and won. 3. Haunt #10- Family Gathering - 4 stars- The house was fairly big and managed to make this pretty easy to win with only a single hero dying. 4. Haunt #14- Stars are right- 5 stars- Came down to the last turn with the Traitor barely edging out the heroes who were 1 turn away from winning themselves 5. Haunt #47 - This was the first scenario we played and several of the rules were misplayed. It looks like if it was played correctly it would have been a lot of fun. POSSIBLE SPOILERS! Haunt 5 detailed Review I loved this map. It looked so helpless from the start for the heroes, but it came down to the end. We didn't have the gun or the silver bullets and the Werewolf and dog were right next to the room where we could search for the revolver. We quickly headed to the basement and managed to unlock the room where the silver bullets were made, and passed the knowledge check for the silver bullets. We quickly handed them off to the flash who made a mad dash for the room where he could search for the revolver...unfortunately he failed! The werewolf and the dog quickly ran him down and bit him until he was bloodied and weak. He managed to pass his sanity check and search for the revolver...unfortunately he failed again. He hobbled out of the room and flipped over a new tile. It was the mystic elevator. He rolled the dice(a zero) fell to the basement and took two points of damage(1 die roll) which killed him. So instead of being a werewolf he died a martyr to the cause. We explored another room seeing as we had a little time and managed to draw the crystal ball. The werewolves were on our trail and in the basement. We took the mystic elevator around the house dodging the werewolf and the dog occasionally exploring a new room or two until we found the vault. We managed to acquire the revolver and combined them with the flashes silver bullets(his lifeless body was also on the trip with us ala weekend at bernies) so as the dog and the werewolf approached we lucky feathered our silver bullet out of our gun and into the heart of the werewolf...but wait ... the werewolf rolled an 8 and dodged. Then little zoey sacrificed herself so that Brandon(our hero with the gun) could shoot at them again. Brandon manages to take down the werewolf this time and retreat one more time to the basement. However the dog takes the slide down and manages to land in the basement with brandon. The dog attacks brandon, but he manages to defend himself and remain unharmed. Brandon then shoots the dog with the silver bullet to win the scenario.

Betrayal At House On The Hill is one of my favorite games to pull out and play with friends or to introduce them to this type of exploration board game. I've gifted it several times and taken it to several friend's homes that have all loved the game play. ~~It is very easy to learn and teach~~ What makes this game so fun is that it is different every time. In addition to that, it has an unknown traitor once the haunt begins. With that said, even if you play the same haunt, it can be very different each time because each traitor and hero has a different play style and strategy. ◘ Exploration: The game begins with the adventurers standing in the entryway of the house. Like and good horror movie the group splits up to explore on their own, discovering omens, items, and events along the way. Some players may want to expand the house as large as possible before the haunt begins, and some may want to keep the house smaller. It depends on the group. For every omen discovered, a haunt roll must take place, the player rolls six dice and must roll higher than the number of omen cards on the table. With normal dice, this would be no problem. However, the dice for Betrayal at House on the Hill are not normal. Some sides are blank and it only goes up to 2. Once someone rolls less than the number of omen cards on the table, the haunt begins. ◘ The Haunt: The haunt is the meat of the game, the real objective of the game. Depending on who failed the haunt roll, where they were at in the house, and the last omen cared drawn, the traitor is revealed in the rule book that says "DO NOT READ." The traitor then removes themselves from the room to read about their new powers and objectives, while the heroes remain in the room to discuss their strategy to beat the traitor. •• Why does the game appeal? •• This game is so appealing I think because every time you sit down, it's a little different. Every character differs even from game to game. You might discover the same rooms over and over, but theyre never in the same order and they always have different rooms attached to them sometimes even false doors. It seems like a lot at first, but it doesn't take long to set up and the game can go on as long or as short as you want it to. On top of that, the traitor is different every time and it creates a fun dynamic for the group playing because sometimes its the most innocent person that turns into the traitor and you end up learning about their traitorous side. •• Rules, arguments, and complexity •• The rules are simple, but occasionally, there's room for interpretation, which can make it fun because then it turns into the house rules. The rules really aren't complex and I think the room they leave for interpretation allows each person that buys and plays the game to really make it their own. Some things aren't specifically said, like can this ghost use the elevator, well then the owner or the players can decide the likelihood of a ghost using an elevator or requiring the stairs. •• Who is this game for? •• The game really is for anyone that enjoys that sense of adventure. I've played it with die hard board game fans and they loved it and I've played it with people that are new to board games and usually only played games like Cards Against Humanity. It can be fun for everyone. •• How many players do I need? •• It really depends, I've played with 4, 5, and 6 players. I think the 6 player mark was my favorite. but 4 is a really good sweet spot. When there are 6 players, it begins to feel like there's a lot to keep track of, but it is fun nonetheless because there is so much going on and you uncover the board a lot faster! •• Do I need the expansion? •• Eventually, you could buy it. However, that being said, play the original as much as possibly before you start to get bored of it. In my opinion, that will take ages. •• Conclusion •• At the end of the day, this is usually the game I reach for when friends come over to play games. It has been my favorite for a while and I will always recommend it to people looking for new games.

This game has gotten quite popular since it was played on TableTop Games. If you haven't seen the gameplay that might be a good place to start. Gameplay description: Each player picks a character, and each character has two sides with slightly different stats. You all start off as friends in a haunted house and explore cooperatively. During exploration you will find items, events, or omens. Halfway through the game, the haunt starts, which triggers the traitor scenario. Depending on the exact room and omen combination, any of the 50 available traitor scenarios can happen. Often times there is a single traitor, who is revealed immediately, but I played a scenario where everyone had to fend for themselves, without a traitor. Then the win conditions for the traitor and the rest of the group (the explorers) depend on the scenario. Pros: 1) Highly replayable - Since there are so many scenarios, this game has a lot of replay value. Even if you happen to find a scenario you have played before, the game can be quite different depending on how much the house has been explored or which character is the traitor. 2) Low complexity - This game is relatively straightforward to play. It's a great way to introduce people to more strategic board games. 3) Good mix between strategy and luck - Since this is a cooperative game the explorers have to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each character to decide the best course of action. The strategy comes in deciding which actions each player should do, if they should explore, fight, or trade off their items. The strategy for the traitor is usually a bit more straightforward usually. There is of course a huge luck element since most outcomes are rolled. The tide can turn quickly on a few series of bad rolls, which adds to the mystery of the game. Cons: 1) Balance - I will say that sometimes the scenarios are sometimes not very well balanced. I remember one scenario where there was some deadly poison and all the characters lost a few stat points each turn, which was quite devastating for the explorers. However, if this happens, it makes for a quick game so you can restart. Out of the many (10-20) games that I've played I can only remember two scenarios where it was just impossible for the explorers. 2) The game pieces are fairly well crafted except for the triangular plastic pieces that are used to fix the character stats. This is a complaint I've read on many reviews. I just got the game after the newest reprint (2014) and this has NOT been fixed. I would say less than half of these pieces work well enough to use. To get around this, I recommend giving people a pen and paper to record their stats or attaching small pieces of tape to make the gap smaller. By the way, the pieces that are shown in Tabletop games (which are quite large) are not the pieces that will be included when you order. Despite this problem, I would certainly not let it deter you from trying this game. Other notes: For those expecting a true "traitor" element, you should be aware that the traitor is revealed midway through the game and is NOT secret. If you want secret traitor games, take a look at Shadows Over Camelot or Battlestar Galactica. Other reviews mention tile warping. I think this was related to a particular printing issue in the past and I notice no warping on my tiles so far.

I heard a gaming blog say that this is one of the largest board games out there. I wouldn't be surprised if that were true. We have to play this at the dining room table, as a standard coffee table would be far too small. The object of the game is to explore a haunted house and build the house. As you move through doorways on your turn, you randomly pick a room tile to represent the room that you are entering. Each room will have an Event (something good or bad that causes you to roll, draw an item, move to a different room of the house, etc.), Omen (usually an object that can help), or Item. There are rooms that can boost your character's skills. The goal of the game is to explore the house, collecting items and improving your character before the "Haunt" starts. Once it does one or more of the players will turn "Traitor", leave the room, and read their individual objective in a different book. The remaining players will read their instructions. When the traitor comes back (with their individual secret rules), the game continues as a vs. game. The game can get tense and there are several of the objectives that have some unclear instructions. Be ready to "house rule" a few unclear items. It is not a deal-breaker - in a game this complex there is likely to be some errors that were uncaught by editors and play testers. To add to the game, get the Widow's Walk Expansion, but I have noticed that the haunts in the expansion are a little too intense for my 9 year old. For a more youth-friendly game try "Betrayal at Mystery Mansion", a Scooby Doo themed game that is similar, but less complex. I will say that it is intended to be a cooperative game; however, players tend to get suspicious after a few games and don't really help out each other because of the risk that the person that they are building up will at some point turn traitor. The secrecy of the rules can cause some angst if you are not comfortable with the group you are playing with. Despite its flaws, this is one of our go-to games for game night. We have not gotten through all of the possible haunts and even if you are at risk of repeating one, there are alternate rules that allow you to randomly select a haunt you haven't played. Most of our games range between an hour (speed game) to an hour and a half, though you could get up to two hours, depending on how quickly the haunt starts and how complex the situation is. I would certainly recommend.

Let's start with THE GOOD NEWS: I'm personally a big fan of this game! It's basically like putting yourself in the middle of every horror movie you've ever seen or heard about. If you like horror movies, then you'll like this game! If not, probably give it a pass. I'm a pretty experienced board-gamer and like many aspects of its gameplay, especially the many ways in which the game is almost never the same each time you play it (see details below.) However, Betrayal is also a very detailed and complicated game that I wouldn't necessarily recommend for beginning gamers or children. Here are some highlights: GAME DESCRIPTION: As I mentioned above, the game essentially places players into the middle of every horror movie that's ever been written. The game has two phases: 1- Exploring the House, and 2- The Haunt. At first, everyone works together while you play as a band of assorted characters who are exploring your way through a haunted house, revealing haunted room after haunted room. While exploring the house, players collect artifacts that make them stronger. Eventually, however, one player stumbles across an item that triggers the second phase, The Haunt. During the Haunt, you're trying to deal with whatever monster/spirit/other horrifying problem emerges to haunt the house (there are 50 different Haunts to play in the game, depending on how exactly The Haunt is triggered). Often, the player that triggers the haunt turns on the other players (i.e., becoming a werewolf or something) and the other players need to either band together to bring them down or be destroyed. The game ends when either "the haunter" or "the haunted" complete the task assigned to them in The Haunt! VERY FUN FOR EXPERIENCED GAMERS: In my opinion the best part of Betrayal is the HUGE variability it contains. Every single aspect of the game changes from one round to another: you can choose different starting characters each time (who come equipped with different abilities [strength, speed, etc.]), the haunted house is never the same twice since you reveal rooms from a shuffled stack piece-by-piece, you discover different items each time, and the huge selection of Haunts makes it so that you almost never have to replay them (I've played this game many times, and have yet to repeat Haunts)! Also, the game is made all the more fun because of its immersive, creepy vibe. There are some Haunts that I like more than others, but the feeling of being stuck in a horror movie with your fellow players is pretty pervasive and entertaining. You'll love it! NOT FOR BEGINNER GAMERS: As fun as this game is, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to beginner gamers. The game is very complicated, and takes a close reading and re-reading of the rules to play it right. Also, it has lots of fiddly little pieces that, if lost, can really disrupt gameplay. My biggest complaint about the game is that the rules for The Haunt aren't always clear, and you kind of have to decide as a group what the "rules of engagement are" in situations where disagreements arise. This is exacerbated by the fact that only The Haunter is allowed to read their instructions, while The Haunted read their own. If you are a beginning player and want to give this a try, I recommend you find someone who already knows how to play and have them walk you through it. Or do a video tutorial! NOT NECESSARILY FOR CHILDREN: Finally, because of the horror-based foundation of the game, I wouldn't recommend it for children. Some of The Haunts are pretty creepy, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for recommending anything that might cause nightmares! I'd say that the game creators' recommendation of "Ages 12+" is appropriate. Bottom line: I'll return to play this game many, many more times in the future, and hope that you'll enjoy playing it too. Happy haunting!

I bought this game a month ago and we just played it with family home for Thanksgiving. I had misgivings at first as it is very complicated, with a myriad of different scenarios. We've only played this game a couple of times, but so far we love it! It takes some getting used to, as there are many, many rules and it can be difficult to keep tract of all of them at the same time! Love the dark and terrifying scenarios and the unexpected twists and turns the game can take. Probably better for older teens and adults, and up to six can play (but we have had as few as three) and still have a great time. Basically, each character has four stats (Might, Speed, Sanity, Knowledge) that they need to keep up during the game to continue exploring, finding items, etc. until an event called "the Haunt" begins. Once the Haunt begins, one of the characters becomes the "traitor", essentially the game is now the house + the traitor vs the heroes (everyone else playing). The heroes read a scenario from a one guide book, separate from than the traitor, in a separate room so that each team can develop a game plan. From there, the house and the traitor attempt to prevent the heroes from escaping or solving the mystery of the house , depending on the Haunt presented.. There many, many different Haunt scenarios, and each one is really interesting, involving both the history of the house, and the history of the characters. Each character has a different perspective on the game, and it is never the same twice! We are big fans of board games. Settlers of Catan is a favorite. This is more complicated and far more difficult to keep all the elements of the game in play but it is very interesting and the game plays out differently each time. The only issue I have is with the quality of the game pieces. The cardboard is nice and thick and will probably hold up well, but the markers that fit on each game card do not fit tightly. When they fall off during the game it is confusing as the markers are an integral part of the game and are essential to game play and character moving. Hopefully this flaw should be corrected in the next edition.

Betrayal at House on the Hill is a horror style board game. While complicated, it is a fun and exciting game whose varied and random nature insures that no two games are the same. Betrayal makes an excellent gift for people who enjoy board games and who are also horror movie lovers. Through the use of creepy, unsettling imagery and subject matter, it gives players a sense of fear or dread that would be felt by characters in such movies. The relief of finding a weapon in an item card can be instantly reversed into the dread of knowing that it will be no help against the monster in the next room. It does a very good job of emulating a person trapped in an old horror or slasher movie the likes of “Nightmare on Elm Street” or “Amityville Horror,” but in the end is still a well designed board game. While the game features standard issue monsters and mad scientists to elevate the level of spookiness and unease, it is the betrayal of one of the players in the group that ultimately makes the game a winner. It then becomes a strategy game of survival against a player that had previously been working as a team member. The new dynamic shifts the game from one of friendly exploration of a haunted house to one of strategy and intrigue as the players are now pitted against a common foe that was once one of their own. A non-static gameboard allows the game to be new at every outset of play. This keeps the game fresh and interesting. Like a good horror movie, sometimes strategy has nothing to do with success and you have to rely on luck. Random event cards do an amazing job keeping players on edge during the slower start of the game when luck has to be on your side more than strategy. Comparing the game to a horror movie, the event cards become the scary unsettling moments that occur just short of the monster or killer actually arriving on screen. This works heavily to the game's biggest advantage: fear. The randomness of being forced to explore an unknown area and not knowing what is coming next works well in keeping the game’s creepy nature. Betrayal is complicated to grasp for new players, but it is easy to improve the more you play it. Strategy and game theory will begin to emerge. I have played this game several times and improved each time. There are problems to the game such as the complex storylines and some vague rule issues. Overall, Betrayal at House on the Hill is a fun and exciting game that due to inherently being randomized is never the same twice. ----Scott House

It’s a really good game that is just about always played whenever we have guests over. Highly entertaining for a long period of time. Was a little difficult to learn at first but easy to get used to. Have yet to play the same situation twice, but it says there are expansion packs for when that finally happens. Highly recommend for people that enjoy exploration and strategy games.

No doubts that this is counterfeit, so don't worry. Learning curve is moderate, prefer if someone who has played guides the group. If not, no worries. Game is a mix of strategy, adventure, horror, and exploration. Good story/lore elements to sink into the mood.

J'ai acheté ceci pour mon fiancé comme cadeau de Noël. C'est un jeu vraiment cool et divertissant !! Il existe environ 50 scénarios différents et même des extensions, ce qui est excellent car vous ne vous ennuierez pas rapidement. le jeu semble compliqué au début, mais une fois que vous avez compris, c'est très amusant! Je ne suis pas surprise que cela figure dans la liste des meilleurs jeux de société des États-Unis! Je recommande!!

Juego cooperativo durante gran parte de la partida, y luego se puede transformar en un juego asimétrico con un traidor. Muy divertido que gusta a casi todo el mundo: misterio, roleo, cooperación, mapa variable con losetas y 50 aventuras distintas. Un único inconveniente, está en inglés y hay que tener cierto nivel para ser capaz de leer la aventura. Cuando hay un traidor, este se tiene que ir fuera a leer solo la aventura que le toca jugar, por lo que hay que tener al menos un nivel medio de inglés. Se puede solucionar, y si hay alguien con un nivel bajo, este nunca podrá ser el traidor, no es lo ideal, pero es una solución si te apetece probarlo y en tu grupo de juego hay gente que no tiene mucho nivel.

This is a great game from 3-4 people although you can play it for up to 6. Fantastic fun as a party game, as partway through the game one of you becomes a betrayer and versus the rest of the players. Well balanced and lots of variety