Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy October 2020 HORROR GAMING · Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy...

Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy October 2020

RICARDO’S 2020 GUIDE TO  HORROR GAMING

This Halloween, the selections are bigger than ever!

Every year I come across the same problem, “There are only so many hours in a day — but so many boardgames I want to play” on Halloween, or on Halloween Eve that I usually end up with analysis paralysis and disregard the whole thing. Sometimes I start to think about the style of game I would like to bring to the table either at a party or alone, do I want to play something quick and easy, often cute in nature…or immerse myself in a slow burn thematic game that takes me well into the early hours of November 1st? This season, the selection of horror games has exploded with all sorts of games, and I will use my expertise of the genre to provide you with a concise shopping guide full of variety and hopefully suggestions that you can use to navigate your way to a successful night of haunted tabletop gaming for you or your group of friends! Keep in mind, this year the name of the game (pun intended) is social distancing so I will be featuring more games of that nature.

Growing up in the 90’s there was a small boom targeted at us young millennials for quick, gimmicky games that were more toys than decent attempts at the genre; who can forget the chaotic mystery of 13 Dead End Drive or the lesser known Ghost Castle? I recall the production these games made us do with their flimsy cardboard walls and uneven ramps making us come away from the experience as seasoned production designers. In the 80’s Gen X’ers were treated to the joys of bundled cassette/VHS tapes that

Ricardo’s Guide to Horror Gaming 2020 �1

ESSENTIALS:

ARKHAM HORROR

HORRIFIED

BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL


promised an “immersive experience you’ll swear was real” gimmick with such classics as the bombastic Nightmare or the unintentionally terrifying Shrieks & Creaks. Luckily those days are long behind us and the golden age of boardgames has brought us the next evolution of cardboard entertainment without the need for gimmicks or other marketed materials; and what was once a very niche seasonal curio has matured into a vast field of choices we can play all year round! Here are some standout selections played by and approved by yours truly, to get you in the spirit!

If you are looking for that “classic feel” in your games — retro artwork and gaming style I really suggest taking a good look at Horrified by Ravensburger.

Horrified There is a small group of people that will tell you that a “game using licensed properties isn’t really a good game at all” hasn’t given this one a good look. Horrified is a game based off the classic Universal Monsters properties such as Dracula, the Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein and his Bride… you know the drill. This game brings it in the art style. When you open this box you are greeted by a fantastic statement that looks like it was taken from a silent film. This is a game that will take your breath away in art style. The goal if the game is very simple, you are a group of Investigators trying to stop the monsters from overrunning the town and scaring off the villagers. This miniatures game has you solving unique puzzles based off the creatures character and personality. You can mix and match each monster

to your liking to increase the difficulty. This is a great lighthearted game that isn’t very scary or gory, with some beautiful artwork for the whole family that you will want to play again and again! Great Co-operative action and plays in about 1 hour. 1-5 Players 



If you’re a graduate of the “lighthearted” and are looking for something a bit more…meaty, then I got just the games for you!

Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein Honestly, everyone is sleeping on this title. This one’s for those that want the heavy thematic elements of gothic horror, but also prefer the Eurogame style of play. Now that I think about it, I don’t recall there being many Euro style horror games out there, so Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein by Plaid Hat Games is unique in that sense, which is a lot to say since this game comes out of the same company that publishes Dead of Winter!

In Abomination, Frankenstein’s monster is in search of a mate, and you take on the role of a scientist tasked with the duties of

harvesting body parts to bring his creature to life. I picked this game up early in the year expecting an unbalanced game that was more Euro than theme but

I was shocked at how well it plays. At its core, Abomination is a worker placement game that has you send your workers to various locations around Paris: The University — which allows you to teach and gain renown, The Morgue — which allows you to harvest organs from the dead to build your creature, The Slaughterhouse — which provides you with animal parts to use instead of human organs, The Gallows — where only the freshest and bloodiest bodies will be found, you know… choice cuts, or the Dark Alley — Where you can take murder into your own hands. You and your fellow scientists will race against each other as you try to build and bring your creature to life first, but be careful as organs you harvest will degrade over time, causing you to lose points and delay your victory! This game is not for the faint of heart and the artwork is pretty R-rated; but make no mistake, Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein drips with story and theme wrapped up in a very Euro package that even the most seasoned of gamers will enjoy. Plays around 2-3 hours 2-4 Players.



GRINDHOUSE Fans of 80’s horror pulp will feel right at home here, Alas! Take the Saw films and marry it with the plot of The House on Haunted Hill and you have Grindhouse by Everything Epic. In Grindhouse you play a character 10 million dollars in debt and your only lifeline to get out of it is a mysterious letter sent by an even more mysterious host inviting you to spend the night at his mansion…if you survive you win 10 million dollars. The point of the game is to survive 5 rooms, with as many limbs attached as possible to score victory points at the end. This is a luck based game that has a certain gameshow quality to it. You might be asked to nominate players to attempt a task, only to have the tables turned against the others just as quickly. This game does provide some fun nods to classic horror tropes that a horror fan would find very amusing but the art style might put off more sensitive people with depictions of bloody severed limbs everywhere. This game comes with

a very nice play mat and components are very good quality! This game will do well for competitive gamers looking for a fun and quick fix. Plays around 15-30 minutes. 2-6 Players.



The “Arkham Files” Series: Cosmic horror has never looked this good! Fantasy Flight has done some amazing things to the world if H.P Lovecraft with their Arkham Files series by Fantasy Flight, consisting of a massive series of

games such as Mansions of Madness, Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, Elder Sign, Final Hour, & the immensely popular Arkham Horror Living Card Game. These games offer a great amount of playtime, cater to various styles of gameplay ranging from RPG, dice throwing, miniatures and card drafting. You are sure to find something for everyone with these sets of games. The best part of this series is that they can be played with a single player, without affecting the deep narrative these games provide. Mansions of Madness

gets a special mention as it’s the only game in the series (at the time of this writing) that implements a digital app. This app is free to download on a wide range of devices and allows the players to setup and hit the ground running in minutes! The app acts as a digital bookkeeper — keeping track of all player and monster stats as well as

generating the rooms and providing the puzzles for each game. The Arkham Files series by Fantasy Flight provides some of the best co-operative narrative play I’ve encountered, and remains my favorite go-to every year, with incredible

replay value as well as the perfect quarantine game. Plays in 2-4 Hours 1-6 Players. 



Dungeons & Dragons Adventure System: Castle Ravenloft

What if your gaming group or your own taste gears more towards the traditional Role Playing Game? You should check out what D&D is doing in the boardgames arena! Wizards of the Coast has created something called the Dungeons and Dragons Adventure System which allows you to take one character, and as you level them up and play, you can take them from one game box to the next, seamlessly! In Castle Ravenloft you play as adventurers exploring the lair of a mysterious count who’s at the

center of wild disappearances and paranormal activity that has been terrorizing a remote village for quite some time.

This game is perfect as a dungeon crawler and thematic adventure as well as the ultimate DM kit

with all the miniatures, tiles, and cards you would need to run your own adventure based off this campaign. This immersive game is perfect for

introducing players into the world of Dungeons & Dragons via an innovative Betrayal at House on the Hill-meets-HeroQuest style hidden room tile system; as well as weaving a classic gothic horror tale told through a progressive chapter scenario book that is sure to delight fans of the genre. No DM needed! 1-5 Players. 1-3 Hours per scenario. 



Betrayal at House on The Hill Betrayal holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the very first games that I played that introduced me into the world of tabletop gaming as I know it. After my first few games, I had seen the garden of paradise beyond Monopoly and LIFE and I wanted more! Just as CATAN did almost 2 decades ago, heralding the first major boardgame renaissance, Betrayal at House on The Hill is currently doing just that for modern gamers, many experiencing the joy of the hobby for the first time. In Betrayal, you assume the role of investigators that wind up at a mysterious rundown mansion with a dark and uncertain past that you will soon

discover as you make your way through this labyrinth of rooms and hallways, revealing items and artifacts that will aid you in the discovery of the mystery

surrounding the house. The core game has 50 different scenarios each with different ways of triggering them that will guarantee a new final act for many sessions to come. The Final Act can vary anywhere from escaping a collapsing house, avoiding a gang of werewolves, and escaping a horde of zombies! Any lover of horror tropes will feel right at home here! (another pun!)

For the sake of brevity, I am currently enjoying my own play through of its reboot, Betrayal Legacy, which dives into the backstory of the same house as you customize its inhabitants and build the rooms that will eventually become the house in the original game, but it requires at least 13 sessions to complete therefore not quite suitable for a single session on Halloween unless you have completed the full story and want to show-off your very own customized board, or you want to begin your own legacy. Original Betrayal 3-6 players. Legacy 3-5 Players. Both games last 1-3 hours per session.

In closing, these are just a handful games that I recommend that can make for a fun and exciting evening alone or with a group of friends that will provide you with many hours of fun! Many of these titles can be found at your local Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy! So come down and tell us what you’re looking for and we will find the perfect game just for you! If you have any questions about these games or want more suggestions, call us! We’re more than happy to hold them for you! This has been your fellow boardgame expert. Until next time…

Ricardo


This Halloween, the selections are bigger than ever!

Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy October 2020 HORROR GAMING · Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy...

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