Who doesn't love a good haunted house? Betrayal at House on the Hill has players exploring an old haunted mansion while uncovering various items and equipment. Players must do all of this while trying to not die or go mad. Eventually, one player becomes the traitor and has to try and take down the rest of their friends inside the house, or whatever else the Haunt throws at them.
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The game is incredibly popular as both the scenarios and mansion being different in each game can allow for a massive amount of permutations for gameplay. This means there can be a lot for players to learn if they want to get the most out of the game.
9 The Game Can Play 3 Players But Is Best At 5-6
It's awesome when games can allow lots of players to join in and just as awesome when games can be played with smaller groups. It might be tempting to try and play Betrayal with just three players, but it's seriously a lot less fun. Users on BoardGameGeek recommend the game be played with five to six players for maximum enjoyment.
Playing with few players may also impact how certain Haunts perform. It will either be super easy or super difficult to defeat the Haunt based on the individual Haunt rules and how the number of players impacts them.
8 Big Names Contributed To The Expansion
Some very big names contributed to the Widow's Walk expansion. Fans of Cards Against Humanity may notice that Max Temkin worked to help design several scenarios. Pendleton Ward, famous for his work on animated series like Adventure Time, Bravest Warriors, and Bee and PuppyCat also did a large amount of design work for the expansion.
7 The Traitor Is Chosen At Random
Some players really dislike playing as traitors in games, and those players will find they have no choice in the matter in this board game. The one issue with the traitor being random in this game is that it can massively swing scenarios in different directions.
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If the traitor was able to grab tons of great items before the haunt begins, it can be a guaranteed loss. On the opposite end, if the player that is chosen was barely able to do anything and is already close to death, the game can end almost instantly.
6 There Is a D&D Version
Sometimes, high fantasy is just the way to go for games! Fans were incredibly excited when Betrayal at Baldur's Gate was announced, and that hype turned out to be incredibly justified. The game is actually considered to be slightly better than the original, so it's worth checking out, not just for fans of the original, but anyone into Dungeons and Dragons.
5 Games Can Be Massively Lopsided
The one difficult part about Betrayal at House on the Hill is just how lopsided the games can be. There will be times when the action is close, the traitor is at the perfect power level, and the game closes in the final moments in the most satisfying way. Then, there are games where an unlucky dice roll ends it in minutes. If players want to check this one out, it comes highly recommended to sit down with plans to play several rounds, just in case.
4 There Is A Scooby-Doo Version
Immediately when the first edition of the game came out, fans began making comparisons to the Scooby-Doo franchise. People even went out of their way to make custom mods for the game so players could play as Scooby and the gang. Thankfully, the designers took notice and developed Scooby-Doo Betrayal at Mystery Mansion so players could enjoy some nostalgia during their haunts.
3 First Edition Vs. Second Edition
While not as common these days, some players still have the first edition of the game. If players are sitting down to play on a copy, it is practically vital to check out the updated rules and errata that came in the second edition. A lot of mechanics got fixed or made more clear with the update.
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Players may also notice that a few haunts were removed between editions. These include Bugs, Offspring, Beastmaster, It's Alive, Creature From The Lake, Mad, Mad World, A Gathering Of Shadows, and A Little Night Murder. They were all removed for being broken, unfun, or because something about them simply didn't fit the game.
2 There Is A Legacy Version
Legacy Games are all the rage these days, so it's no surprise that Betrayal Legacy came to be. Each playthrough of the game permanently affects the game going forward, and it can take several weeks to completely play through it. It's an incredibly unique experience worth trying at least once.
1 Where To Find Rules Help
There are a lot of moving parts for a game like Betrayal at House on the Hill to work. This makes it so that the rules can get confusing at times, even with the rulebook to consult. Fortunately, board gaming experts are there to help. The BoardGameGeek forums for the game has an extensive rules section that explains almost every obscure interaction possible in the game.