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With summer behind us and the weather closing in, that can mean but one thing: spooky season is coming, bitches. I'm all for breaking out sweaters and jumping on the pumpkin spice hype train, so now's the time I start thinking about creepy board games that'll get me in the Halloween mood. This week's culprit? D&D Horrified.
I know, I know – the tabletop RPG probably isn't the first thing you think of when someone says "spooky." But flip through the Monster Manual or run a Curse of Strahd session and you'll soon realize that Dungeons & Dragons can be incredibly unsettling if it wants to. Horror really is in the eye(s) of the Beholder, because have you seen those things? Gross. Anyway, the latest entry in the Horrified franchise (which gives some of the best board games a run for their money in terms of accessible co-op strategy) draws inspiration from D&D, so it seemed like a good way to kick off the Halloween season.
I've been a fan of Horrified since 2019, but we've seen numerous installments since then, and I'm not sure the quality has always lived up to that original entry. I was a little wary of the D&D version as a result, especially because this is the first time since Universal Monsters that the series has tackled IP. And to begin with, I didn't feel the pressure I remembered. "This is easy," I thought as we sauntered through the city of Waterdeep.
I learned my lesson soon enough.
As with all Horrified games, and as described in our Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons review, you always play against two monsters at once. These can only be neutralized by completing specific objectives. It's recommended that you go up against the multi-eyed Beholder and panther-like Displacer Beast for your first game, and both need very different approaches to beat; you must destroy each of the former's eyes before providing the coup de grace (all as it tries to blast you with its many magical eyebeams), while the latter tasks you with placing item tokens on its special board. These cover up 20 numbers, and if you roll one of the covered digits using a d20 after supplying tokens worth a certain value, you've succeeded.
Because it's based on D&D, this version of Horrified takes place in the city of Waterdeep - which Baldur's Gate 3 fans may recognize as Gale's hometown. Plenty of iconic locations are included, and you've got to save familiar faces from the franchise like Volo.
Unfortunately, these ne'er-do-wells will do their best to terrorize you and innocent civilians who get in the way. Get knocked out or lose too many bystanders, and it's game over, man.
The thing is, though, you play adventurers with class-specific abilities (from Fighter to Bard, which was my personal choice), activated by rolling a d20. That means your characters feel more capable and powerful than other Horrified protagonists. Plus, you're unlikely to have drawn any civilians to place on the board at the beginning of your session. As such, you'll happily saunter around collecting items like swords and potions while the monsters inch slowly toward you. What's the rush, you'll say. This is OK, you'll say. Oh, my sweet summer child.
As with all good horror movies, we were suckered into a false sense of security. Teleportation circles can warp monsters across the board with alarming speed, and their special powers (which are activated if they're on your space and you roll badly) can do more than send you back to homebase – AKA the tavern – with your tail between your legs. Being forced to give up items or becoming paralyzed for a turn can really mess with your game plan, it turns out. I may or may not have experienced this first-hand. I also darkened the doorstep of the tavern more than a raging alcoholic, because the Beholder took a real dislike to me and kept knocking my character out.
Soon enough, you're racing against time to save townsfolk, outmaneuver the monsters by collecting items you'll need, and avoid a drubbing. Things go from "this is fine" to "arg" worryingly fast.
D&D Horrified hasn't lost any of its edge, then, OK, it's not as novel as the original Horrified. I don't think it's as atmospheric as the scrumptiously gothic original, either (that'll get taken down from the shelf when Halloween draws closer, methinks). But the new monsters, teleportation circles, and character classes shake things up enough to keep even longtime fans like me invested.
Plus, those monsters will still kick the shit out of you.
More spooky board game goodies
- See all horror board game deals at Amazon
- Betrayal at House on the Hill:
$55.99$48.91 at Amazon - Horrified: $39.99 at Amazon
For other recommendations, be sure to check out the best adult board games or the best tabletop RPGs.
