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You can currently get a healthy amount off one of my favorite horror board games for Halloween spooky times, but time is running out. Why? Because it's since been replaced with a newer version, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find.
2nd edition Betrayal at House on the Hill is $21.90 via Amazon at the moment, and its original MSRP was closer to $50 back in the day. Since being replaced by the 3rd edition (which has completely different scenarios and an all-new look) a couple of years ago, this version has become increasingly difficult to get at a decent price. If I had to guess, it's being phased out. Which is a real shame, honestly. I'd argue that this is/was one of the best board games for any time of the year, but particularly Halloween. See Exhibit A: it's out of stock almost everywhere in the UK.
Should you buy Betrayal at House on the Hill 2nd edition?
As a series, I wouldn't hesitate to say that Betrayal at House on the Hill ranks amongst the best adult board games overall. It puts you slap-bang in the middle of your own horror movie and sets everyone loose on a haunted house. Because its rooms are randomly drawn and placed when you enter, you never know what the building will look like ahead of time.
The same goes for its random encounters, not to mention the scenario you'll play. There are around 50 missions available, and the one you get depends on where it's triggered. This may then turn the house or one of your allies against you… hence the title. You may discover that your 'friend' has actually lured you all here as a human sacrifice, for example, and you now need to escape. Or maybe the mansion is slowly sinking, so you have to get out. There's really no telling what will happen. While these scenarios aren't always balanced perfectly, it's a tremendous amount of fun regardless. Each 'team' gets their own secret objectives, for instance, so you're working against the clock to complete yours even as you guess what your rival is up to. So far as Halloween board games go, it's atmospheric.
For me, whether you should dive in or not depends on how expensive the more modern equivalent is. Betrayal at House on the Hill 3rd edition improves on the formula in pretty much every way in my opinion, from accessibility to art design. However, it doesn't usually dip so low as this in price. (As a case in point, it's currently $35.74 at Amazon rather than the MSRP of $55.)
With that in mind, I wouldn't say to avoid 2nd edition by any means if you can find it for less. As I said in my review, Betrayal at House on the Hill 2nd edition is "innovative, memorable, and unsettling" enough to be the perfect game this spooky season. And despite its successor being easier to get into, that doesn't mean this version is overly complex.
Crucially, its scenarios are entirely different. Even if you've played the new Betrayal to death, you'll still discover dozens of unseen stories here. I really respect developer Avalon Hill for that; the team could have just copy/pasted those 2nd edition missions across to 3rd, but they chose to start fresh instead.
Not feeling it? If you'd rather get something more meaty, check out Mansions of Madness. This is cut from very similar cloth and is currently $86.99 at Amazon rather than $110.
Big savings should be on the way thanks to next month's Black Friday board game deals, so regardless of whether you want 2-player board games or something else, be sure to keep an eye out.
