I was beaten to the punch on Betrayal at House on the Hill. After a move, it's the only game I still have, and you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands.
I think Betrayal at House on the Hill is one of the most overrated games ever. I can't stand how poorly thought out many of the scenarios are, with vague rules which don't address situations quite likely to come up. I hate the billions of tokens that all look alike-- especially given that you never know which scenario you're playing until well into the game, you've then got to stop and spend half an hour sorting through the tiny cardboard chits to find the ones you need...
It seems like a good idea, but the execution is just terribly flawed. It's not entirely without merits, though. I like the system it uses with the 0/1/2 dice, for example, and as I said it is a good idea. I think one of the things that really annoys me most is that most of my friends absolutely love the game.
So... Yeah, I just had to get that off my chest. Don't take this for any more than it is-- my personal opinion. If you like the game, groovy, just keep enjoying it. That's all that matters. I just can't enjoy it.
I certainly understand why people don't enjoy the game. It can drag on too long, the first half is pretty random and the second half can be one-sided.
On the other hand, I see why people love the game. In my eyes, it is more a game you play to experience than play to win. Knowing going in that the game will probably not be balanced is the best mindset to have. Heck, you might get lucky and have it tilt towards you in your favor.
What it does very well is create vivid images in the players' heads about what is going on and that is why I think it is so popular. My game group still talks about the time the demon threw my guy into the chasm or when we all hid in the room thinking we were safe from the blobs when they suddenly sprinted in and killed us all. That is the appeal of the game and why it overcomes its warts for some people.
As for the counters, the Boardgame Geek page for the game has an excellent way to sort all the counters so that when a particular Haunt comes up it only takes us ten seconds to grab all the counters we need.
So I undestand why some don't like the game and I equally understand why people love it. I'm neutral about the game but anything that gets people to play more boardgames is good as far as I'm concerned (except Munchkin;-)).
__________________ Erik
Last of the Original Nice Guys Second Rat Games
"The second rat gets the cheese."
I have to agree with the above: We play it for the fun "horror movie aspect". It has some serious design problems, somewhat addressed by errata (but not fully), and we spent our first 4hrs w/ it sorting the pieces. But its one of our most requested games.
However, in the thread quoted, I did ask if anyone had experience with similar games they'd recommend. No responses though.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
I agree that the game has some flaws, but I enjoy the game despite those flaws. I LIKE the fact that everyone's just trompin through the house and then BAM! someone's trying to kill you all. You don't know who the bad person is going to be and THAT'S the main thing I like about it. I don't know any other games quite like that, though if you knew of any and suggested them, I'd be willing to check them out.
The numerous cutouts is annoying, but I guess sort of needed in order to cover every scenario.
And sometimes, the game is one-sided, but until the bad guy appears, you don't know WHO the game is going to be lopsided for.
__________________
Quote:
Stupid Firenewt debating Intelligent Ratroo:
Firenewt: cheese no come from cow
Ratroo: Yes, it does
Firenewt: When me eat cow, me no see cheese
Bring back Nightfall Monsters and Villians To Be Updated Soon! Darkness has broken the code of silence and will be illuminated.
I like it, but I couldn't play it very often. Its not like A&A which I played every weekend for a while. Its more of a, pull it out on halloween kind of game that is fun for the mood it creates, but the mechanics need work.
I only played the game3 times, and can never remember the name without prompting, but for an occasional game I really enjoyed it. This might change if I played out/read all the scenario.
__________________ Game Quote:
"Shut up! a giant blue smurf eats your character...zzzz"
(sometimes its important to stop gaming and sleep)
"You all are the worst emissaries, ever!" the silver dragon declares, shaking with rage.
"Its a game, a game, I'm only playing. " E. Wiggen My PbP games , Roll Dice
Closest I can think of is Last Night on Earth: the Zombie Game. Several scenarios, really horror movie theme, and with pretty good mechanics.
Cheers!
I've quoted you before about this game, but I'll do so again for the benifit of those here. LNoE:TZG is a really fun game, for all the above reasons.
As for house of the hill...I'm a little Meh about it, again for the reasons mentioned. However it is a fun game. I really just wished they'd clarify a lot of rules questions that come up during play/balance some of the senarios. It seems rare to find a balanced senario.
I absolutely love House on the Hill............it's one of those rare games for me that it doesn't seem to matter whether I win, or whether the scenario makes sense, or whether the rules work.
We always laugh so hard at the goofy stuff that happens and in general just have such a good time with it that we break it out for a few games each year.
Has someone mentioned that there are revised scenarios available online? Whenever we play, we pull out two massive print outs (one for the good guys and one for the bad guys). I'm not sure where these came from, but my guess is that they're available either through the manufacturer website or BoardGameGeek.com.
Betrayal at House on the Hill is pretty terrible, sure, but its social, plays quickly, is heavily thematic, and overall is a good way to blow an hour with some friends.
It could be a lot better. I kind of think of it like an old Avalon Hill game, except fun and short.
Some of the funnest moments of the game are the "broken" moments when the tiles don't work and you have to use errata or common sense. And I agree that hearing the story is fun, but I generally don't expect to win. I think once you played or read all the scenarios you would spoil the fun.
Just played it again with some boardgame novices. We played RoboRally first, which they enjoyed, but they both took a shining to House. This was especially true for the player who got immediately stuck in the junk room and was never able to leave... and then became the Traitor. She went from "This game sucks" to "This game rocks!" pretty quick.
That said, I agree its got problems, but its a fun, light game. Next time, however, Last Night on Earth.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
The best part of the game is being the traitor. I love it. But, who want's ballanced? It's supposed to be a horror movie game. The best horror movies are sometimes the ones where everyone dies.
Best Betrayal game ever; we pulled the 'Abyss' scenario with less than a dozen room tiles exposed. The house went 'Bye-Bye PDQ and we all went with it.
The root of intolerance against RPG players by some Christians is ignorance. The root of intolerance against Christians by some RPG players is ignorance. It's part of being human, but it's still good practice to not fall into the same behaviour one condemns.
_________________ Looking for a Cthulhu game in Houston.
Linear Mode
And yet another word from our sponsors
