Summary
You and your fellow players are amateur ghost hunters in a mansion with more secrets than a magician’s hat.
Players: 3-6 players
Gametime: 60-90 minutes
Gameplay
Set Up the Game
- Lay out the game board depicting a haunted mansion, and place the entrance hall tile in the center.
- Each player chooses a character and takes the corresponding character card, matching miniature, and starting stats.
- Place the character minis in the entrance hall.
- Shuffle the room tiles and place them face down in separate piles, making sure to leave room for the Omen deck.
- Shuffle the Item cards and Event cards and place them face down.
- Determine the haunt roll by having each player roll six dice, with a result of 2 or more “1”s indicating the haunt begins.
Explore the Mansion
- Players take turns exploring the mansion. On your turn, you can move through open doors to reveal new rooms.
- When you enter a new room, draw a room tile and place it adjacent to an open doorway in the explored area.
- If the room has an Event or Item symbol, draw a corresponding card and follow its instructions.
- Collect items, gain stats, and uncover the mansion’s secrets as you explore.
Discover Omens
- Throughout the game, players may discover Omen cards when exploring. When an Omen card is drawn, it doesn’t immediately affect the game.
- However, the player must make a haunt roll by rolling six dice. If the result is lower than the number of Omens discovered, the haunt begins, and one player becomes the traitor.
Determine the Haunt
- Once the haunt begins, one player becomes the traitor, and the rest are the heroes.
- Consult the “Traitor’s Tome” and “Secrets of Survival” books to determine the specific scenario and rules for the haunt.
- Each side reads their respective book to learn their objectives and special rules for the remainder of the game.
Play Out the Haunt
- The game now shifts into two phases: the Haunt Phase and the Heroes’ Phase.
- The traitor and heroes follow their own rules and objectives, working to achieve their respective goals.
- The game continues until one side fulfills their victory conditions.
Here is a video from Lavinia teaching us how to play Betrayal at House on the Hill
Review
It’s a rollercoaster ride through a haunted mansion where chills, thrills, and spine-tingling moments await at every turn. It’s like being part of your own horror movie, where the plot is different each time, and you never know who’s lurking in the shadows.The beauty of this game lies in its unpredictability. As you explore the mansion with your fellow adventurers, the tension mounts with every creaky door and eerie discovery. Will it be a harmless encounter with a ghostly apparition, or is the traitor among you about to reveal themselves? When the haunt finally begins, it’s an all-out battle of wits. Heroes must band together, decipher the traitor’s motives, and find ways to thwart their sinister plans. Meanwhile, the traitor revels in their newfound power, plotting the downfall of the very people they once called allies. To win, you must adapt and strategize. Heroes, communicate openly but cautiously, and collect useful items. For the traitor, it’s about playing your role to perfection, exploiting your newfound abilities, and making the most of the haunt’s unique conditions. Don’t get too attached to your character – they might become a werewolf, a zombie, or worse. And remember, when the haunt begins, you’ll need a sense of humor as dark as the mansion’s secrets.
Difficulty: Medium
Likeness: 77%
Purchase
You can purchase Betrayal at House on the Hill on Amazon here