‘Betrayal at House on the Hill’ game review
By Ed Appleby, Illustrator
This October, I’m looking at a series of darker themed games. This week we look at a game that makes betraying your friends fun!
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile-exploring game for three to six players designed by Bruce Glassco and originally published by Avalon Hill in 2004, with a second edition released in 2010. In the game, you play one of six characters exploring an abandoned house, discovering items and experiencing events and creepy omens. Eventually one of the players is revealed to be the betrayer involved in some sort of nefarious plot against the other players, after which the real game begins.
The game is a fun romp in the horror genre. No one knows at the beginning of the game who will be the betrayer or whether you will be fighting werewolves, ghosts, dragons, cults, or even Hell itself. The replay value is very high, with fifty different possible scenarios that the game could go through. I’ve found the game is easy to fit into about an hour, and enjoyable enough that many new players have insisted on a second game.
Some of the rules around combat, and special rules depending on the end scenario, can be a little tricky. Aside from these relatively minor issues, the gameplay is simple and enjoyable for role-players, strategists, and casual gamers. I highly recommend this game to everyone above the age of 12.
Betrayal at House on the Hill can be a hard game to find, and it doesn’t come cheep. But if you can find it, you will be pleasantly surprised.
