Skip to main content

Halloween Day by Day: Betrayal at House on the Hill Board Game


Board games are one of those things that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone of any age, right?

Right.

Halloween is one of those times of the year that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone of any age, right?

Damn right.

What if you were to combine those two things?

Why, you'd get "Betrayal at House on the Hill" by Avalon Hill, that's what.

You play one of up to six characters exploring a haunted house.  As you explore, you come across items, and events... until someone triggers the "Haunt"... and one of the explorers becomes a horror that the others must escape.

I really enjoyed this game.  I love the fact that each game is different.  From the way the house gets "built" room by room, to which of the 50 different "Haunts" occur, to which person winds up betraying the others.  There is such a lot of replay value to this game.  The average length of game play is about an hour- which is just about right for a game like this.  Long enough to have depth, but not so long as to get tiring or repetitive.

The way the game goes from fully co-op exploration to 1 vs everyone else is a wonderful game mechanic that adds a nice challenge to it, and really forces both sides to think and work as a team in order to win.

While the artwork on the tiles may be a little simplistic, they are perfectly suitable for the mood of the game, and not detract from the instructions on them.  I did like the way the models looked more than the cards, I must confess.  My favorite models would have to be the Professor/Priest (white), and the Little Girl With Teddy (yellow).


So, if you want a versatile game to play with friends and family this Halloween season, give "Betrayal at House on the Hill" a try.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.  It's a "Good" for this game.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (1990)

Sometimes, a director/producer will surprise you- such was the case during " Terrorpolooza 2012 " when I watched Charles Band's " Meridian: Kiss of the Beast " Catherine Bomarzini has come home after her father's death.  Needing company, she asks Gina to stay with her.  Soon, the two meet a wondering troupe of performers that Catherine invites to dinner at her castle. Catherine find herself pulled into a love triangle and an ancient curse that only she can break. After watching movies like " Evil Bong ", and " Demonic Toys ", I really wasn't expecting too much from this Charles Band movie- but I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story is actually quite interesting with lots of potential for eerie scenes, and character development.  It's a nice twist on the classic " Beauty and the Beast " story.  It's a bit slower than most of Band's other works, but moves smoothly and draws you with it. I have to ad...
Post a Comment
Read more

Zombie Bikers From Detroit (2001)

Over the years, it has been shown that with very little money, a skillful director can put together a high quality horror movie (John Carpenter's " Halloween ", " The Blair Witch Project ", and " Paranormal Activity " being a few of them).  So, when it comes to determining a movie's quality, budget is no longer a negative... Ken and his mother have moved from Hell, Michigan to Grosse Pointe near Detroit.  Upon his arrival, he meets the lovely Courtney, and her jealous suitor Chad.  While Ken and Chad square off, an evil is growing within Detroit and slowly spreading towards Grosse Point... where Ken will meet his destiny ... This week's " What Movie Wednesday " winner was " Zombie Bikers From Detroit "- a low budget horror movie that feels like it was put together as a school project.  High School, or College... I can't really tell. The premise- as stated in my little synopsis is interesting- as was the title.  ...
9 comments
Read more

The Black Castle (Les Daniels)

Vampires and witches are often a good basis for a horror novel.  Through in the Spanish Inquisition, and odds are you'll get a pretty good story. In 1496, while the Spanish Inquisition is in full motion, Diego  de Villanueva is seeking a way to rise through the ranks of the Inquistion.  He will do anything he needs to... even use his brother's darkest secrets and knowledge to bring fear and hatred to the world... " The Black Castle " caught my  eye while shopping at " The Book Place ".  I was intrigued by the idea of it taking place during the Spanish Inquisition.  While I did enjoy reading this book, I was also a little disappointed. The style is very fitting to the story- it has an almost old world charm and rythm to it that I found pleasing to the ear.  It's also easy to read, and flows at a nice pace.  While, it's not "fancy", the images it creates are fairly good and atmospheric. The story itself is a really interesting idea....
Post a Comment
Read more