Betrayal at Home on the Hill has developed right into a franchise that began as a primary of its type horror board recreation with the primary version in 2004. It has grow to be a snowball choosing up steam (growing since Hasbro started distributing it). In 2010, the Second Version was launched, and it was basically an errata version of the primary. Expansions and variations started in 2016 with the discharge of Widow’s Stroll Growth, adopted by a Dungeons & Dragons variant, Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate, and a Scooby Doo Variant with Betrayal at Thriller Mansion. Then the sport obtained the Legacy remedy with Betrayal Legacy, adopted by 2022’s Third Version, a werewolf variant Betrayal The Werewolf’s Journey Blood on The Moon, and a Vacation Horror rendition with Evil Reigns in The Wynter’s Pale The Yuletide Story Growth.
Now, simply in time for HBO’s launch of IT: Welcome to Derry comes an enlargement with Pennywise, Stephen King’s legendary villain from IT, to hang-out the sequence with Betrayal on the Neibolt Home: The Evil of Pennywise. Does shifting the haunted home to Derry reignite the fervour of the unique recreation just like the 2017 movie IT, or does it suck like IT, Chapter Two? Learn on to search out out.
Growth Overview:
For these of you who’ve by no means performed a Betrayal recreation, you’ll be able to learn the gameplay overview from Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate. The gameplay stays the identical. Earlier than the hang-out begins, you construct a mansion, and after the hang-out begins, the sport modifications to attempting to defeat monsters and/or a traitor.
This enlargement requires that you just take away two occasions from the Occasion Deck, provides 4 rooms to the bottom recreation which are very IT impressed, three new massive monster tokens: Georgie’s Ghost, Stan’s Head, and Zombie Hocksetter, three Miniatures for Henry Bowers and two variations of Pennywise, and a purple balloon token.
The largest addition to the sport is the Pennywise Encounters, that are drawn on tiles which have Omen symbols. As an alternative of hang-out rolls being associated to Omen playing cards, you roll one die per Pennywise Encounter card. Some encounters inform you to additionally draw an Omen.
In Betrayal on the Niebolt home, there are 5 extra haunts (sadly, solely impressed by the lower than inspiring IT: Chapter Two), and three of the haunts have a traitor, whereas two don’t have any traitors, so percentage-wise smart there are fewer haunts with traitors on this enlargement.
Recreation Expertise with the Growth:
The brand new rooms are extra difficult, in a great way, than the bottom rooms and add extra to the sport:
- Darkened Hallway has you draw two occasions.
- Outdated Nicely has an merchandise marker and requires a information roll that leads to an opportunity for a further merchandise or to bury an merchandise
- Winding Tunnels splits the tile into two rooms that require a information roll for heroes to cross, however monsters and traitors can cross with no roll.
- Historical Den: Whether it is positioned earlier than the hang-out begins forces you to attract two Pennywise Encounter playing cards and select one to maintain. Irrespective of when it’s positioned, it additionally has you draw 2 Omen playing cards and select one to maintain.
I learn the e-book IT in 1999 whereas touring solo in Prague, on the prepare trip from Prague to Rome, and whereas in a resort room alone in Rome. I’ve by no means been extra scared in my life. I rode the prepare with my foot on the door, so nobody may sneak up on me, and I barricaded my resort room door with chairs and baggage. I hoped for the same expertise with this recreation, and I used to be solely mildly disillusioned.
The Pennywise Encounter deck actually enhances the sport by bringing gamers into the IT universe. Every encounter is taken from the Ebook/Motion pictures and based mostly on trait rolls leads to growing traits, taking injury, or drawing Omen playing cards.
The Haunts are various in issue, provide alternatives to proceed as a cooperative recreation, or twist the sport with the normal traitor mechanic. It’s enjoyable to maneuver Pennywise, Georgie’s ghost, and Henry Bowers round the home and attempt to kill the gamers.
Closing Ideas:
The enlargement works, it’s enjoyable, it provides complexity, the Pennywise Encounters make it really feel like an IT recreation… but it surely’s simply small. It appears nearly all of the $24.99 you pay for this enlargement goes to licensing. Per Tony’s assessment of the unique enlargement Widow’s Stroll, there have been 50 new haunts and 20 new room tiles. On this enlargement, there are 5 new haunts and 4 new room tiles. Additionally, you proceed to make use of the characters from the bottom recreation, as an alternative of characters from the e-book/motion pictures. I really feel like Avalon missed on not making this a variant the place tiles have been areas in Derry, characters have been from the e-book/motion pictures and having extra Haunts. It’s nonetheless enjoyable, and in case you personal the bottom recreation and like IT/Pennywise, choose this enlargement up.
Hits:
• Pennywise is the scariest villain in Horror Ebook/Film historical past and it’s enjoyable to see him in a Betrayal recreation
• The Pennywise encounter deck places you within the IT Universe
• The brand new room tiles are fascinating and add to the gameplay expertise
Misses:Â
• Making this an enlargement as an alternative of a variant
• Not having IT characters for the heroes
• Not including sufficient room tiles or haunts
