Weekly Trash - Betrayal at House on the Hill

I'm definitely in the PRO BETRAYAL camp - as this was one of the games in my only really big game order when I was getting back into board games and I've had great success playing it with casual gamers. All it takes is playing with the right folks who aren't expecting Arkham Horror or Descent.

I want to second Uba's thoughts on it very much being an experience game, and there are TONS of decisions to be made once the haunt starts - The heroes have to deduce what the hell the traitor's up to and how best to try to stop it. Kind of a "hey, you go here and try to make this roll, if you succeed then I'll go do this, but if not we're screwed and I'll try to take out the monster chasing you down."

The fun is in the discovery of what new scenario is taking place. Even once we eventually repeat a haunt I've done before, it's unlikely that the folks I'm playing with will have played it and at least I can enjoy their discovery of what the heck is going on.

Errata and FAQ are here, yes. Get over it. I guess since it's my game and I'm the gamer in the group that I kinda GM it so everything moves along smoothly. MOST things can just be resolved with a "well it might mean this, but THIS makes sense most and would be most thematic" or "okay, on a roll of 1 it means this, a roll of two means this."

Some friends are coming up soon... might just have to break this one out. Not even 30 minutes of rules - most can be understood literally by just playing, drawing a card, and doing what it says. Great, great, great game for what it is! I'd LOVE to see a sequel (that's been playtested even!)

I just reviewed my rating on this game and I can't believe why I rated it so low. It's really a funny, innovative and entertaining game and most of its flaws are cleaned up by printing the errata and both corrected books. Too bad the game goes for so much on ebay, as it's a rather light game which more people should at least try once. I guess this is the Talisman 2nd syndrome. My friend picked up a copy of this when it was on clearance.

Did you get it from MilSims Matt?

I grabbed it because it was cheap over here and OOP everywhere, but really its a pretty half backed game. The first 3/4 are repetitive and dull, and by the time the scenario (haunt) kicks in there are normally only a handful of turns left.

It's a game where that doesn't live up to its concept / ideas.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

Did you get it from MilSims Matt?

I grabbed it because it was cheap over here and OOP everywhere, but really its a pretty half backed game. The first 3/4 are repetitive and dull, and by the time the scenario (haunt) kicks in there are normally only a handful of turns left.

It's a game where that doesn't live up to its concept / ideas.

Yeah, MilSims was my source.

I'm not entirely sure I'll like the game. But like you said, it's OOP everywhere else so I figured I could sell it for a good enough price that buying to try was a risk-free venture.

Matt - I'm sure if you have been breaking out DQ for decades then it sounds like you'll enjoy this game if only for the experience.

And there's a guy over the ether at the other place who has posted another 20 (I think) of his own haunts.

Sigh. This discussion is taking me back to a time when my group would actually play a fun game like this. It may have flaws and require house rulings on the fly, but man, can it weave a good story. Mike Chapel had to take crap from us for years about being a traitorous little girl. I remember another game where we were running through the house as parts of it were getting sucked into hell or something. Good times.

I understand that some people may find the first half of the game to be nothing but an extended setup time, but I always get a kick out of exploring the House. The room tiles look great, and the layout is never the same from one game to the next. Also, thanks to the event cards, the first half of the game tends to have a ghost theme, which I like.

These days, I never suggest playing Betrayal, but it still hits the table from time to time because somebody else wants to play. I don't mind, because I generally enjoy it. It's just that there are other games that I want to play more often.

This game is always an adventure. Sometimes it's a fun adventure with your friends, and sometimes it's like being lost in the Bronx... Not for those who need to prove to their friends how smart they are.

The funny thing is, that as much as I hate playing Betrayal, I love playing Werewolf-- a game that gets seriously cranked around these parts.

So, meh, what do I know.

Who hates werewolf?

I think a respected professional reviewer may have described it as Duck, Duck, Goose for nerds.

Werewolf is not a game, it's a popularity contest with an occasional polygraph moment.

Betrayal totally rocks and is a "Will always play" game for me. Its got a great narrative quality and is head and shoulders above any other horror game out there. No ther game incorperates the descriptive elements into the gameplay with the exception of perhaps Arkham.

I second Shwieg!s assessment of werewolf completely though even a popularity contest can be fun if with the right crowd. It is incredibly redundant though and not that fufilling even when you manage to manipulate popular opinion.

Steve"Viva La Betrayal"Avery

Stephen Avery wrote:

Its got a great narrative quality and is head and shoulders above any other horror game out there.

I agree with this. Reading the "Jonah's Turn" event was the only time I ever felt horror in a board game.