*Witch cackle Werewolf howl. Ghost noise creaking door. Chain rattle chain rattle* Sounds like its October to me and you know what that means! Halloween is coming around the corner and spookiness is seeping out of the very air. With the chill starting to set in and clowns running amok sounds like it's the perfect time to fine some nice indoor activities. But seeing as this is October a person can't just entertain themselves with whatever they have lying around. It's the scariest time of the year after all and you need to find for yourself something to do that matches the season scare for bone rattling scare! So I am of course talking about board games. Not just any boards games though, I speak specifically about the scariest board games. Well at least some that are kinda scary. Mostly scary. Kinda spooky?
So! What board games can you play this October to really get into the season? Why not start with an evening stroll through a haunted mansion? I speak of course of Betrayal at House on the Hill. Players will take on the role of varied characters as they explore wicked corridors and rooms full of devilish surprises. Each turn of the game draws players toward some cruel paranormal disaster as they attempt to work together and defeat whatever lurks within the mansion.
In addition to the terrible things the players know are waiting for them the game has the added mechanic of one player being a secret betrayer! Surviving horror after horror might be challenging enough as it is but when one player finally turns on everyone else the real fun begins. As a Halloween game its really hard to go wrong here. It's got all the spooky and scary things one needs for a night of entertainment from demons to the betrayal of your closest friends.
If haunted houses aren't so much your thing there are other avenues which you could go down. Maybe then some epic struggle against the power of the Old Ones? In the game Eldritch Horror a group of players take on the role of investigators who must work together in order to stop the destruction of earth by H.P. Lovecraft's most wicked creatures.
As a co-op game Eldritch Horror provides an experience not unlike others of the genre but with a very strong sense of style. The game understands itself and its material which shows through by the game's ability to create a unique and engaging story each play through. The spooky factor for this one though doesn't end with the Cthulhus and Nyarlathoteps. For some the around two hours you have to commit to playing this game may just be scarier than they bargained for.
Heading into some more familiar ground we come to a zombie game. That's right zombies, cause it's not Halloween if there's none of those undead walking around. The game Dead of Winter forces players into an desperate struggle for survival against the dead and harsh weather. Much like other games mentioned above this one functions mostly like a cooperative game as well with each player working to keep their group stocked on medicine or food and such necessary supplies, but all is not as it seems.
Each player has their own secret objective and may even possibly be a traitor whose intention is to sabotage the rest of the group. There is a lot of fun to be had as you work to try and keep your little group of survivors from being eaten or killed by the cold all the while attempting to complete an hidden objective and knowing everybody else is doing the same as you. The added threat of the traitor makes for a good time as players struggle against the game and each other. This game may sound somewhat similar to Betrayal at House on the Hill, but one should know that they are not. Whereas Betrayal is a game of exploration Dead of Winter relies more on resource management and possible deception.
