2GP's Legendary Gaming Presents: Our Favorite Horror Board Games (2016)
We here at 2GP are very thankful for all the positive messages we have been getting concerning our previous articles showcasing fun Halloween tabletop games. In "Our Favorite Halloween Filler Games" we brought you a great list of small, fast-play, pick-up-and-go games perfect for tabletop gamers and non-gamer alike. In "Our Favorite 13 Games of Cthulhuween" you saw a great list of Lovecraft-inspired tabletop games perfect for any Halloween gamer get-together. Closing out this year's triumvirate of perfect Halloween games Two-Gun Pixie takes a step back and looks at the greater picture than just somethings as niche as Filler Games or as specific as Cthulhu Games. As a whole, the idea of tabletop games attempting to capture the atmosphere of fear and dread like those captured in novels and movies seems like an impossible task. However, over the years we have seen some great games that do a good (to very good) job of suspending disbelief and instilling in the gamers a sense of dreadful anticipation. Whether you have a dark interest in zombies, ancient evils, werewolves, ghosts, vampires, aliens, haunted houses, witches & warlocks, and/or serial killers there is board game out there for you.
So, put down that glass of hemlock, close the coffin, and box up the spirit board. Delve into this article and discover the dark side of gaming.
Two-Gun Pixie's Legendary Gaming is proud to present "Our Favorite Horror Themed Games"
• SHADOWS OF BRIMSTONE:
Published By: Flying Frog Productions Number of Players: 1 - 4 ( 1 - 6 with the second core set) Suggest Player's Age: 12+ Game Length: 120 - 180 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Shadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancients and their second core set, Swamps of Death are fast-paced, fully cooperative, dungeon-crawl board games set in the Old West, with a heavy dose of unspeakable horror! Players create characters, taking on the role of a classic Western Hero Archetype, such as the Law Man, Gunslinger, Preacher, Bandido, Rancher, U.S. Marshall, Native Scout, or Saloon Girl/Piano Player. Forming an adventuring posse, the Heroes venture down into the dark mines, overrun with all manner of ancient demons and foul creatures from another world. With tactical gameplay, lots of dice, and a robust card-driven exploration system, no two games are ever the same as the heroes explore the mines finding new enemies to fight, new loot to collect, and new dangers to overcome. Players can even find portals to other worlds, stepping through to continue their adventures on the other side!
An exciting campaign system allows the players to visit local frontier towns between adventures, spending their hard-earned loot and building their characters from game to game! As players find fantastic gear and artifacts to equip their heroes, they also gain experience from their adventures. This experience is used to level up, guiding the hero's path through an expansive, class-specific upgrade tree of new skills and abilities, allowing each player to develop their hero to fit their own play style.
QUICK THOUGHTS:
HOLY $#!+
I really have to tell you that this is by far, the Most RPG-feeling boxed tabletop board game you have ever played (yet published). This game is a perfect blend of Wild West meets extra-dimensional Lovecraftian horrors and perfectly captures the atmosphere and theme of both genres. Also of note are the tiles for the game which may be the best I have ever seen as far as both illustration and craftsmanship goes. The mix of dungeon-delving with the interactions in town (as well as the encounters and scenes just getting back to town) places this RPG board game above the rest. With character advancement and class trees similar to anyone familiar with MMORPGs this game may be a great bridge between video gamers and tabletopers.
• LETTERS FROM WHITECHAPEL (Revised Edition):
Published By: Fantasy Flight Games Number of Players: 2 - 6 Suggest Player's Age: 13+ Game Length: 120 - 180 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Get ready to enter the poor and dreary Whitechapel district in London 1888 – the scene of the mysterious Jack the Ripper murders – with its crowded and smelly alleys, hawkers, shouting merchants, dirty children covered in rags who run through the crowd and beg for money, and prostitutes – called "the wretched" – on every street corner.
The board game Letters from Whitechapel, which plays in 90-150 minutes, takes the players right there. One player plays Jack the Ripper, and his goal is to take five victims before being caught. The other players are police detectives who must cooperate to catch Jack the Ripper before the end of the game. The game board represents the Whitechapel area at the time of Jack the Ripper and is marked with 199 numbered circles linked together by dotted lines. During play, Jack the Ripper, the Policemen, and the Wretched are moved along the dotted lines that represent Whitechapel's streets. Jack the Ripper moves stealthily between numbered circles, while policemen move on their patrols between crossings, and the Wretched wander alone between the numbered circles.
QUICK THOUGHTS: Tension and suspense drip from this game like blood from a fresh corpse. As a deduction game this brings the need for concentration in watching the movements and actions taking place on the board. This truly is a brilliant game of hide-and-seek as well as deduction and anticipation. Don't be fooled by the look of the game and its components as it is surprisingly easy to learn. Jack the Ripper is one of the least used themes in board game design but then again do we really need others with this on the market?
• ELDRITCH HORROR:
Published By: Fantasy Flight Games Number of Players: 1 - 8 Suggest Player's Age: 14+ Game Length: 120 - 240 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Eldritch Horror is a cooperative game for one to eight players, based on the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and inspired by the classic board game Arkham Horror. In Eldritch Horror, investigators travel the globe in an urgent quest to save the world from a diabolical, omnipotent Ancient One. With four different Ancient Ones, twelve investigators, numerous monsters, and hundreds of possible encounters, every game provides an unique and epic adventure.
QUICK THOUGHTS: Eldritch Horror is a co-operative play game of dice rolling, point-to-point movement, and variable player powers. It might just be the most thematic Lovecraftian board game on the market. This is because each of the game's playing card decks are uniquely written for one of the Elder Gods that come with the base game (or an expansion). Researching these Elder Gods bring a different story with each play-thru making this game more about the story than most other Mythos-inspired board games. Beware; this game makes a huge footprint on your gaming table and could take a bit longer than the manufacturers suggest play time of 3-4 hours. The good news is that the stories and background that unfolds is amazing! Eldritch Horror is a fantastic upgrade to the game system originally presented by Fantasy Flight Games for their earlier release, Arkham Horror.
• FURY OF DRACULA (Third Edition):
Published By: Fantasy Flight Games Number of Players: 2 - 5 Suggest Player's Age: 14+ Game Length: 120 - 180 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: In Fury of Dracula, a game of Gothic adventure, one player takes the role of Dracula while up to four others attempt to stop him by controlling Vampire hunters from the famous Bram Stoker novel.
Dracula has returned, and is determined to control all of Europe by creating an undead empire of Vampires. Dracula uses a deck of location cards to secretly travel through Europe, leaving a trail of encounters and events for the hunters that chase him.
Meanwhile, the hunters attempt to track and destroy Dracula using the limited information available to them - a task easier said than done when their prey has the power to change forms into a wolf or bat, and can even melt away into the mist when confronted.
To save Europe and rid the world of Dracula's foul plague, the hunters must destroy Dracula before he earns enough victory points to win the game... will they have enough wit and bravery to defeat the dark count?
QUICK THOUGHTS: Another thematically heavy game, this one vs. all system breaths atmosphere. This is a really fun game of manhunt. Although the hunter players may feel lost in the beginning of the game they will soon start putting the clues together and then the water turns to blood as Dracula and the hunters enter a deadly chase game. Fury of Dracula may be a game but also feels like a sequel to Bram Stoker's original Dracula novel.
• A TOUCH OF EVIL:
Published By: Flying Frog Productions Number of Players: 2 - 8 Suggest Player's Age: 12+ Game Length: 90 - 120 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: 'Tis the dawn of the 19th century; an age of science, superstition, and witchcraft. Howling fills the night as a full moon rises over the small, secluded village of Shadowbrook. Gruesome murders have become a daily occurrence and terror haunts the streets at night. An evil creature has taken up residence here and the countryside is engulfed by a tide of darkness. But all is not lost…not yet. A small group of heroic individuals, with the courage and strength to fight, have arrived in town. Some just passing through while others have come with a purpose; but all will be put to the test as they race to save this cursed town from falling into darkness. It will take a cunning mind and strength of spirit to determine who is friend and who is foe… to solve the mysteries and hunt the beast to its lair. But the secrets of Shadowbrook run deep. Gossip and rumors run rampant and these few Heroes may soon discover that they are outsiders here and this town is already so rotten from within there is little left to save.
QUICK THOUGHTS: Each game feels different because of the different stories that unfold during the game thanks to the atmospheric flavor texts of the cards. During the game, while building up strength to fight the chosen enemy, you get to not only investigate the town but the town elders as well. Some may be uncaring as to the events concerning the evil, some may be willing to help battle the evil, but others are secretly in league with the evil. From game to game you never know who is who. If you have ever seen, or are a fan of the Johnny Depp movie, "Sleepy Hollow" then you have a good idea of what this game is.
• DEAD OF WINTER:
Published By: Plaid Hat Games Number of Players: 2 - 5 Suggest Player's Age: 14+ Game Length: 45 - 210 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Dead of Winter is a meta-cooperative psychological survival game. This means players are working together toward one common victory condition — but for each individual player to achieve victory, he must also complete his personal secret objective. This secret objective could relate to a psychological tick that's fairly harmless to most others in the colony, a dangerous obsession that could put the main objective at risk, a desire for sabotage of the main mission, or (worst of all) vengeance against the colony! Certain games could end with all players winning, some winning and some losing, or all players losing. Work toward the group's goal, but don't get walked all over by a loudmouth who's looking out only for his own interests!
Dead of Winter has players making frequent, difficult, heavily- thematic, wildly-varying decisions that often have them deciding between what is best for the colony and what is best for themselves.
QUICK THOUGHTS: This game is thematically immersive to the Nth degree for a board game. The personal secrets and objectives coupled with an overall group objective as well as the possibility of a traitor turns this game from a 10 to an 11! The inclusion of the use of the Crossroads Cards is pure brilliance - it really makes you feel like your decisions are true life-or-death, us-vs-them and brings a level of intensity to the game most others cannot conjure. Another aspect of the game which is rather unique is finding other survivors and helping them to live through this zombie apocalypse. The fat if you die one of your followers steps up and allies you to continue playing is a breath of fresh air in consideration to most board games. Personally, this game feels more like an episode of the Walking Dead than any Walking Dead board game on the market. This may just be the perfect zombie game for a cold Halloween night.
• ULTIMATE EDITION OF ESCAPE FROM THE ALIENS IN OUTER SPACE:
Published By: Osprey Games Number of Players: 2 - 8 Suggest Player's Age: 13+ Game Length: 30 - 45 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space is a card game of strategy and bluff set on a badly damaged deep space research ship. On-board systems have failed, plunging the ship into darkness. But even worse: A mysterious alien plague has crept aboard and is transforming the human crew into horrendous monsters! The remaining crewmen desperately try to save their lives by escaping from the derelict spaceship, but in the darkness the aliens are lurking...hungry for human flesh.
The game is played on a hexagon-based map that represents the spaceship. Each player is given a map sheet and a pencil. Map sheets must be of the same zone, and every zone has its specific name. Starting from the first player and continuing clockwise, every turn, each player must make a movement. To do so, the player must write on their map sheet the coordinates of the sector to which they are moving. Every time the players move to the gray (dangerous) sectors they have to draw a card; these cards make the players tell the others their position or lie about it, depending on the card. Every card is kept secret from other players.
The humans' objective is to save themselves using the escape hatches, while the aliens' objective is to hunt down the humans. Each player's identity and position is kept secret; you will need to interpret the movements and behaviors of the other players to learn who and where they really are.
QUICK THOUGHTS: A great bluffing game steeped in tension and anticipation. This is a surprisingly simple game to learn but much more completed to master. The dark art images invoke a thick atmosphere of dread befitting this game. Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space is a very strong example of a logic and deduction game. A true cat-and-mouse manhunt where nobody knows who are the cats and who are the mice and everyone is running around in the dark.
• ELDER SIGN:
Published By: Fantasy Flight Games Number of Players: 1 - 8 Suggest Player's Age: 13+ Game Length: 90 - 120 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Elder Sign is a fast-paced, cooperative dice game of supernatural intrigue for one to eight players by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson, the designers of Arkham Horror. Players take the roles of investigators racing against time to stave off the imminent return of the Ancient Ones. Armed with cards for tools, allies, and occult knowledge, investigators must put their sanity and stamina to the test as they adventure to locate Elder Signs, the eldritch symbols used to seal away the Ancient Ones and win the game.
QUICK THOUGHTS: Elder Sign combines Co-operative Play Mode, Dice Management, Dice Rolling, Dice Management, Modular Board, and Variable Player Powers to create a brilliant, streamlined version of Arkham Horror. Because of the style of dice management and re-rolling to increase your successes Elder Sign has been called the Yahtzee of Mythos games and that is quite an accurate description of this game. The cards played help make this a story-driven version of Yahtzee which definitely takes that game system to the next level. This game is addictive even though each sitting could take 2 or 3 hours to finish. Then again, it is so deadly I've had games end in blood and insanity in about or just under 30 minutes. Elder Sign can be a cruel mistress.
• SANITARIUM:
Published By: Asmadi Games Number of Players: 1 - 4 Suggest Player's Age: 14+ Game Length: 30 - 45 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: You awaken in a cold, dark and dreary room. You know, somehow, that you're in a sanitarium, but you don't know why you know, or how you got here. All you want to do is escape. Dark hallways extend in all directions, and the shadows themselves seem to swirl and twist menacingly. Fear and confusion grips you, but before you succumb to insanity, a memory returns. Safe things...things that you need...things that will make you whole, and let you escape. They are what you need to find, what you must find...
Sanitarium is a card-driven horror escape game. At the start of the game, each player is dealt three to six (of 13, depending on the number of players) 'Safe Things' cards. Finding those specific items will allow escape from the Sanitarium.
The cards form the map of the winding hallways, items scattered all over. Players must explore the layout (which will differ with each play) to find items that provide them useful powers, and also their Safe Things. Dark Hallways within the Sanitarium will spawn shadows, which will in turn chase the players. Getting caught by a shadow might earn you a hallucination. Hallucinations...are bad.
The enemy of the players is time. The deck of item and event cards is the timer for the game -- when it runs out, everyone still inside succumbs to their madness!
QUICK THOUGHTS: This is a very easy game to learn and teach. Do not let this fool you though as the game is deceptively strategic. This game works in several styles; Everyone for themselves, co-op, or even solo. The game play is fairly atmospheric and through gaining items you feel improvement similar to an RPG style board game but it doesn't have the fidgety, fiddly rule system most true RPGs in a box have. Sanitarium is a light, fast-paced game of uncertainty and insanity, perfect for a Halloween get-together.
• BETRAYAL THE HOUSE ON THE HILL:
Published By: Wizards of the Coast Number of Players: 3 - 6 Suggest Player's Age: 12+ Game Length: 60 - 90 minutes
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Betrayal at House on the Hill quickly builds suspense and excitement as players explore a haunted mansion of their own design, encountering spirits and frightening omens that foretell their fate. With an estimated one hour playing time, Betrayal at House on the Hill is ideal for parties, family gatherings or casual fun with friends.
Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile game that allows players to build their own haunted house room by room, tile by tile, creating a new thrilling game board every time. The game is designed for three to six people, each of whom plays one of six possible characters.
Secretly, one of the characters betrays the rest of the party, and the innocent members of the party must defeat the traitor in their midst before it’s too late! Betrayal at House on the Hill will appeal to any game player who enjoys a fun, suspenseful, and strategic game.
Betrayal at House on the Hill includes detailed game pieces, including character cards, pre-painted plastic figures, and special tokens, all of which help create a spooky atmosphere and streamline game play.
QUICK THOUGHTS: Although the player character cards used to keep track of your abilities is a bit under part there are some great apps you can download to take over that role. Betrayal at House on the Hill has an advantage over most other 1 vs. All types games, the traitor player doesn't know they are the betrayer until the final scenario begins. This ramps up the excitement as one player who has been helping everyone since the start suddenly is out to defeat/kill/sacrifice everyone else. This game has been a very popular request at my game day get-togethers and is perfect to play for Halloween.
