Board Game Review: Betrayal at the House on the Hill

First of All: I first played this game around a year ago, give or take a couple of months, and immediately fell in love with it.  It was first introduced to me by a friend who loves the horror genre and highly recommended it to me.  Sadly, I didn't purchase it myself at the time due to being a poor college student, and I regret it all the time, since it's now between printings, which drives up the scarcity and the price.  Still, that friend still has a copy, and so therefore tonight I thoroughly enjoyed myself with a spooky night of spontaneous spooky hilarity!

Second of All:  The game is based on the horror genre in general, but designed in a way so that no two sessions are the same.  The players are a group of brave (and pretty stupid) explorers who decided to go check out that creepy house on the hill, and wander around exploring.  The fun part is that the only rooms you can see at the beginning are the entry way and the first room of the upper floor.  As you enter each room, a tile is drawn randomly from the deck of room tiles for the ground, upper, or basement floors, making the layout of the house change every time you play.

As you explore, random events will happen to your character, which can be either good or bad, but most are pretty spooky (though some are downright hilarious if you have the right group of friends to play with).  As the players explore the house, they'll trigger certain events which may reveal the Haunt, which is a horror scenario that is determined by the room and the item which triggered the event.  Usually, one of the players (who didn't know it until that moment) is revealed to be the traitor, who has led the other explorers to their potential death at the hands of monsters.  A frantic rush to either kill or survive ensues, leading to usually dramatic endings.

The game is for 3-6 players, and generally runs at about an hour of play time.  Also, it's recommended for people aged 10 and older.

Third of All: The review!
This game is absolutely fantastic in its design, as it allows each and every session of play to be a unique and exciting experience.  What adds to the spontaneity is that the combination of lots of character options and the randomization of the item and event decks, and the different traitors and Haunts that occur.  In all the many times I've played this game, I've never had the same Haunt happen twice, which has drastically increased the replay value for me.

Also, it makes the characters incredibly vulnerable, which fits well with the horror genre, as well as the challenge of the game, as differing scenarios will pit you against a huge variety of monsters and perils.  This may be a point of frustration for some people, but to others it's a thrill.

There are a few downsides to the game, though.  First and foremost is the price.  Even while in print, the game is expensive at close to $50.  Currently, though, with available copies rapidly dropping in number, the laws of supply and demand have hijacked the price to a whopping average of $170, with the high end ranging over $200.

Secondly, as difficulty goes, it falls into the medium range, which can make it hard for very causal board game players to ever win.  Beating the game takes cunning and teamwork, with a good bit of luck.  Kids and the elderly--not to mention the easily frightened or those with very overactive imaginations--may not enjoy the game as much for this reason.

Thirdly, due to the limited amount of event cards and room tiles (and the lack of any expansion packs), returning players can become familiar with the possibilities of the house's regular events, which can take the edge off the excitement of discovery.  This is balanced out with the huge variety of Haunts and the random nature of the game, but too much playing of the game may cause some people to grow tired of the game-play that happens before the Haunt and traitor are revealed.

Overall, I still consider this to be a great game that most people can enjoy.  I give it a Four and a Half out of Six Nerd stars.