Terrifying Tabletop: Favorite Spooky Board Games
Hello everyone, Meepline here! It’s my favorite time of year: the spooky season! The weather’s turning crisp and cool, the leaves (here in Massachusetts) are changing color, and everywhere you look there’s something creepy going on! I love love love Halloween, and there’s nothing better for the season than a terrifyingly terrific game! And here are some of my favorites!
Mr. Bones and Skeletina enjoy a lovely date each year on Meepline’s porch.
Mansions of Madness Second Edition by Fantasy Flight Games- If anyone has read our blog posts before, you know my love of this game. Easily one of the BEST Lovecraftian horror games I have ever played, you and your friends take on the roles of investigators trying to solve one of several mysteries that all have eerie twists. My favorite thing about this game is the fact that you need the app to play it. Instead of having multiple books telling you how to set up the board, tell the story, and give the many options, the app guides you through. There are a bunch of expansions, and they’re always releasing more. It’s a monetary investment, but one I feel is totally worth it! (And The Broken Token sells a beast of a box that fits every piece, with room for more.)
The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 by Mondo Games- Based on John Carpenter’s cult sci-fi classic, you take on the role of one of the members of the Outpost 31 crew (I personally enjoy playing Wilford Brimley). One of you has been replaced by the alien entity. Who is it? No one knows. Your goal as a human is to stay alive and escape. Your role as the alien entity is to replace everyone and take over. Who will succeed? Not even those who have seen the movie can tell you.
Ghostbusters: The Board Game by Cosmic Games- Another game based on an already established universe, it gives you the chance to live out every 80s/90s childhood dream; being a Ghostbuster. All of the art is done by Dan Shoening, who worked on the Ghostbusters comics, and is based on the art of the New Ghostbusters cartoon. And if you get the chance to play the exclusive Kickstarter version, DO IT. Lady Diceacorn has it, and it is so so good. There are more ghosts (including toilet ghosts), more storylines to play, and more Ghostbusters to choose from (you can play as Janine. JANINE). The rules can be a tad confusing (we played it wrong twice before figuring it all out), but it doesn’t interrupt how fun the game is! (And you are required to make the Ecto-1 sound effects as you drive it around the board.)
The Ghosts Betwixt by Innocent Traveler Games- Now, this is a little different, because this game doesn’t actually exist yet. That’s right, I’m plugging a Kickstarter. This game looks amazing. It’s an RPG in a box type game, where you choose a character, play through a storyline, and improve you character throughout the gameplay. Set in the 90s in the US heartland, you play as members of a family looking for one of your members, Richie, who was last seen taken into the mysterious Bennert family’s Worlds of Terror Haunted House. It looks so fun, the mechanics are simple (from what I’ve seen and read), and the art is whimsical and adorable! There’s one week left (as of the day of posting), so go throw some money at them! And I’ll have this game for people to play at ELS Day sometime next year!
And now, for our featured game for our Halloween-themed ELS Day on October 27!
There was once an attempt made to play Betrayal by candlelight… Great for atmosphere, terrible for actually seeing anything.
Betrayal at House on the Hill by Avalon Hill Games- Along with the expansion, Widow’s Walk, this is my favorite of all spooky games ever. You play just like you were in a horror movie. You and your friends explore a creepy house, uncovering rooms, items, and general spookery. At some point the Haunt is triggered, and one of your friends turns against you. What Haunt is triggered is based on what Omen card is drawn, and what room it was found in. The replayability of this game is bonkers; it’s highly unlikely you will trigger the same Haunt twice. It’s a long game, but so so much fun!
We hope to see you gals and non-binary pals on October 27 from 12pm-6pm at Comicazi. Costumes are not required, but they are certainly encouraged!