Halloween is not just for trick-or-treating and costume parties; it is also the time for families and friends to gather and play games at home or elsewhere. The most suitable and popular games played during this season are card and board games with Halloween theme. If you’re looking for games you and your family or friends would love, you might find the recommendations below helpful.
Avalon Hill’s Betrayal at House on the Hill is one of the popular game choices on this occasion. This game is designed for three to six players, ages 10 and up. The name itself is intriguing, isn’t it? The game starts with all the players drawing out their characters from the cards, indicating their strengths and weaknesses based on the 4 stats tracks (Might, Speed, Knowledge and Sanity). The players will then begin to explore a creepy old place, which reveals a haunted house as the game progresses. As the players explore different room tiles (which marks the floor they are supposed to advance), a traitor shall emerge and betray the group. This game enhances suspense and excitement as the players begin to think of strategies to survive. Betrayal at House on the Hill includes 6 painted character miniatures, 6 double-sided character cards, 45 room tiles, 80 cards (Items, Events, and Omen), 291 tokens, 30 plastic clips, 8 dice, turn/damage marker, rulebook, Traitors Tome booklet, and Secrets of Survival booklet. Various haunt scenarios are available, making the game more thrilling.
Arkham Horror is another famous adventure board game, themed around H.P. Lovecraft’s Ctuhulhu Mythos. The players draw out their character cards randomly, and one picks out the Ancient One who is bound to destroy the world. The other players investigate for clues, weapons, and tools that can help them locate and defeat the Ancient One. This game requires teamwork and strategy to win, but it can also be played solo if you want to practice. It may take a long time to finish but with all the adventures you’ll encounter along the way, you might not notice it at all and get too engrossed!
“Are You a Werewolf?” is an exciting card game you might also enjoy. The players draw out character cards which indicate if they are villagers, a seer (a villager with a special ability/advantage) or werewolves. Dubbed as “a game of deception, paranoia, and mob rule,” the villagers must reveal who the werewolves are before they get killed! The game is moderated by another person who knows beforehand the characters each player have. The game is divided into night phase, when the moderator asks everyone to close their eyes and ‘sleep’ while calling out to the werewolves to point at their victim. After that, they will be asked to ‘sleep’ again and the seer will be woken up. The seer will gesture at who he believes is a werewolf, and the moderator will gesture back if he’s right or wrong. During the day phase, the victim of the werewolves will be announced, and the villagers will choose who they suspect is the werewolf. The chosen one will be eliminated, but his real character won’t be revealed unless it ends the game. The game is finished when the werewolves outnumber the villagers or when all the werewolves are dead. This game is designed for 7-15 players (odd numbers are better), ages 10 years and up.