Tabletop review: ‘Betrayal at House on The Hill’

Friday, March 28th, 2014

**5 stars out of 5 stars**

“As you idly study the ring, your eyes suddenly catch inscriptions you’d missed earlier. Did they just appear? The strange marks look almost like pictograms, but even as you stare at them, they rearrange themselves into a language you can read: ‘King Solomon’s Ring.’ The letters morph once more: ‘Demons Bow to You.’ And, then, one last shift: ‘The Hellgate is Open.’ The house quakes. A hot, sickly sweet wing blows through the house. A scream, promising an eon of pain, sounds from another room. You’ve never heard anything so terrible, nor can you imagine what sort of creature could give voice to something so purely malicious. Except, perhaps, a demon from Hell.”

This is just one of 50 different scenarios you and your adventuring party may come across while playing “Betrayal at House on the Hill.” Originally published in 2004 by Avalon Hill, the version I got to play was the second edition which was published by Wizards of the Coast (since Avalon Hill had been acquired by Hasbro).

Betrayal teams 3-6 players inside a haunted house. They must explore the house, seeking out different items and omens to help them along the way. However, many evil things have gone on throughout the house. So evil, that it eventually consumes one of the players and turns them against the rest of the team.

One of the best mechanics of the game involved the individual room tiles. As you explore different rooms inside the house you uncover different tiles. These tiles are always shuffled, and mixed before every game. The creates a different layout every time you and your friends play a game. For example, in one game you could walk through the front door and to your left will be the kitchen while to your right is a organ room. In another game you may deal with the gardens to your left and the conservatory to the right. Things could get even crazier in another game with the conservatory being upstairs and the kitchen in the basement. What this all means is that the game gives the player a huge amount of replayability.

As you travel from room to room, you (as a player) will discover items to help you battle along the way. Other things you may come across include omens such as a special book or companion to join you on your adventure. In addition to discovering various items, players may trigger random events that cause their character to lose points in their traits or uncover secret passageways.

The more you discover within the house, the more likely you and your group will trigger an event known as the “haunt.” The haunt is when one of your party members finally succumbs to the temptations of evil within the house. During the haunt one person is deemed as the traitor while the rest of the crew becomes known as heroes. The game contains to additional books that contain 50 different scenarios for the haunt. Once it is established who the traitor is and who the heroes are, each side separates themselves into different rooms to go over the scenario from one point of view. Once the parties are ready, the haunt begins.

In the scenario I played I became the traitor. I quickly learned that I (my character) had become obsessed with opening the gates of hell at a young age. I had basically used my party to get inside the house and help me open a portal which released a demon lord and his minions. My goal (which was not known to my companions) was to eliminate them all . My demons proved to be no match to two of them, but what I didn’t know is that they had purposefully sacrificed themselves while the last party member continued searching the house for helpful items. Their plan worked well (even if it was not their main intention). My team of demons were eventually overcome by the remaining member of the party. I was defeated, and the gates of hell were closed shut…for now.

The game took a few hours to learn, and, while this was my second play through, we were still learning things. However, the patience was worth it. The game is extremely fun to play, and towards the end, there is quite a bit of strategy involved. The overall amount of time it takes to play is about two hours (even though the box says it’s only one).

The amount of replayability is beyond any other game I have played before. Combine that with the very affordable price for $50 and you have a solid purchase for any board game lover. This is a must have for any collector and collection.

If I had to pick on something about the game, it would have to be regarding the figures that come with the game. While they are sufficient for game play, they are rather flimsy. At one point, I thought I had broken one of them. Luckily, this was not the case. I did however, cause a noticeable bend in the figure. It’s not life threatening, and I (and the figure) will survive.

So, if you’re ever in either Battleground Games & Hobbies store (Abington or Plainville) be sure to ask if they have a copy of “Betrayal at House on the Hill.” If not, be sure to order one. With the overwhelming popularity of the game, stocks may be a little low, which is another bad point, but it is definitely worth the wait.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. Leave a comment down below and let me know what you think about your experiences with this game or my writing. Also, don’t forget to click on the banner below and donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser. We’ll  be hosting a 24-hour gaming marathon on October 25th. If you have any questions about it you can either e-mail me or leave a comment below. Until next week…

About the author

Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!

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Tags: Avalon Hill, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Simeon Cortezano, Wizards of the Coast
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