Today, we’re shooting a Very Special Episode of Not The Flog, where I’m going to share some of my favorite horror-themed tabletop games. I have a pretty big list in my head, but I’m sure there’s something awesome that I’m forgetting, so if you wanted to maybe get onto Not The Flog, tell me the title of the game you love, why you love it, and what your favorite Halloween candy is. I’ll pick some and put them into the show, which is coming out sooooooon.
Soooooon.
Soon.
I LOVE gloom, and we can get some good horror/scary stories going in 😀
We counting Call of Cthullu right? I swear I lose more sanity points than my characters
It’s entirely self-serving of me, since I work for the company, but I’m a big fan of the World of Darkness RPGs.
The Classic World of Darkness (Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion) is getting a new rush of support with the 20th anniversary editions.
The new World of Darkness (Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, etc.) is getting de facto second edition updates, and we’ve got some fantastic new games in the setting, too — Mummy: The Curse and Demon: The Descent.
(D’oh)
I love them because they’re about something. They examine aspects of the human condition from the “outside” — humanity, emotion, memory, hubris — and help us learn more about ourselves, in the best tradition of games.
And with a rich setting spanning 22 years, TV, computer games, board games, and card games, there’s always something new to uncover.
Best Halloween candy is full-size chocolate bars. “Fun-size” bars are not very fun.
I do miss the Old World of Darkness. All the people I knew that played it just said scew it when it was decided that it would be killed instead of fixed because Vampire wrote itself into a corner.
I’d say either Last Night on Earth or Elder Sign would be good horror-themed games. And the best Halloween candy is Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Lol, and candy corn. It’s the best. 😀
My two faves would be Arkham Horror and The Fury of Dracula. Both of them are great cooperative games with the players trying to defeat the forces of evil, whether they be Old Ones or another player (playing as Dracula).
Oh, and give me Nestle Crunch for Halloween any day. 🙂
I guess I could also add _Castle Ravenloft_ (dungeon crawl in a vampire’s castle? Yes, please!) and the old _World of Darkness_ RPG series. 🙂
I second the vote for Arkham Horror. Although every time I say the name, I really think Batman should be in it.
This weekend we will be hitting some favorites: Last Night On Earth; Werewolf (ultimate werewolf set); and Letters From Whitechapel.
Arkham Horror is an honorable mention but it’s just too big for a party.
Nightmare (Atmosfear) … It’s complicated and cheesy. And, who doesn’t love complicated and cheese? I also love all of the subsequent games in the series.
The idea is really interesting. The characters are based on “real” people. The game is a challenge to win. It’s fun to play sober and more fun to play intoxicated. The mental workout you get from trying to remember all of the different rules and keeping track of all of the different cards has to have some sort of benefit…. or maybe not.
My favorite horror themed game is definitely “Betrayal at House on the Hill” It puts together all of the monsters from your favorite old horror movies with a dungeon crawl type aspect, it is tons of fun and just creepy enough to be played on a dark and stormy night. Also the best Halloween candy is those caramel apple suckers.
Oh yea, Little kids summoning demons and killing the party. 🙂
Definitely Arkham horror, it’s just perfect.
Oh, and my favorite candies are the candy corn pumpkins.
City of Horror- amazing.
Forgot to elaborate: City of Horror is amazing because you have to negotiate, backstab, vote, and manipulate all the other players into helping you live while at the same time dealing with the fact that eventually people will be dying all around you as YOU vote them into the gaping maws of the zombie hordes. So much fun and almost no down time as everyone is invested in every decision each player makes.
Favorite Halloween Candy: Candy corn of course.
Nightmare! It came with a VHS tape you had to run while you where playing.
Shrieks and Creaks. That game is so amazing. The green cassette tape paired with the talking tombstone = multiple replays.
Favorite Halloween candy is definitely mini Milky Ways.
It sounds cliché to mention Betrayal at House on the Hill. But we have a tradition of playing it each year at Halloween with the following modifications:
1. costumes preferred.
2. It is played on three floors of the house. The main dice rolling is lit by candles at the kitchen table. If you draw a basement you go to the actual basement etc. If you fall through the floor make some appropriate noises and down you go (thump ow! thump ow!)
3. we banned cell phones cause it ruins the fun although I hate being in the basement by myself for long and will break that rule if I get scared enough in the dark.
4. Appropriate eeire music and dimmed lights and a fog machine for the stairs.
Good times, Good times!!!!
Boo
Dave
Forgot to mention my favorite Halloween candy. Hands down it is carmel popcorn balls homemade by my aunt Dawn. Super tasty gummy enough to maybe pull a tooth out but worth the effort.
Wil….super fun that you like our LARP version of Betrayl! Trying to Wrestle with my new moniker “horseface” may need a new costume for tonight! more nose room!
The Werewolves of Thiercelieux http://www.loups-garous.com/ Seriously wicked game (for all ages too!)
Which is totally unrelated to World of Darkness and co. Old school werewolves here.
Arkham Horror – the theme is awesome and creepy. I love Reese Peanut Butter Cups and resist stealing my sons’
I’m sure you’ve already thought of it, but I adore Betrayal at House on the Hill. Many a night has been spent with my gaming group playing Betrayal, to the point where we KNOW if my husband turns out to be the traitor, we’re screwed. (He’s devious – like “block all the open passages with zombies so you don’t want to land the Mystic Elevator there” devious.) Cue up some Midnight Syndicate or Nox Arcana in the background, dim the lights just a little bit, and voila, instant awesome.
Fave Halloween candy? Chocolate! (Or Halloween Peeps. Yum.)
Trust me on this:
Fearsome Floors
It’s fun. It’s flexible. It’s easy to learn. It’s strategic without being imposing. It’s beautifully themed with teams of just-barely-copyright-avoiding characters.
Please check it out. Seriously. 🙂
I didn’t have one until I watched the Betrayal at House on the Hill TableTop. So cool! Must buy!
The Gothic Game.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2016/the-gothic-game
“The object of the game is simple… to kill every other player on the board!”
It looks a bit like Cluedo, but you get to use the weapons. 🙂
I’m sure you have these on your list already but I am a fan of Elder Sign or Arkham Horror and Betrayal at House on the Hill. (You know how much fun it is to be the traitor!) My preference is for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. One year as my own “trick” I ate them all out of the bag and left the empty papers behind for the trick or treaters. It didn’t end well.
Betrayal at House on the Hill and Arkham Horror!
I outbid everyone for an unpunched first edition of BaHotH at Kublacon a few years ago and don’t regret it! 🙂
Mansions of Madness. It is almost a stripped down RPG. I absolutely love lulling investigators into a false sense of security before springing some new and terrible horror on them.
Hi Wil,
I think, by far, the most terrifying game out there is Dread.
Dread is an amazing RPG that creates suspense not only by the story itself, but by making the players pull pieces from a Jenga block. If the Jenga topples, you’re done for. It adds that extra level of terror that many games lack.
Ad for my favorite Halloween candy, I have to go with candy corn. While it’s essentially sugary wax, it’s tasty sugary wax!
Thanks,
Jen the Red
I love EFTAIOS, or Escape From The Aliens In Outer Space (http://www.escapefromthealiensinouterspace.com/). It’s the most suspenseful, atmospheric and anxiety-inducing game I’ve ever played, and it is of course extremely fun.
Currently I am playing board games with my five-year-old. Our Halloween themed games would be Secret Door, a mystery matching game where you are trying to beat the thieves to the treasure before midnight. It is a fun coop board game for those kids who hate to lose. Clumsy Witch by Haba is a fun potion mixing game. It is good at teaching movements around the board as the dice require you to move in several different directions. Mini Shiver-Stone Castle is a neat game where you use a magnifying glass to find items as well as having to move a ghost around the magnetic board through the different rooms.
Would welcome more idea on young kids Halloween board games. 🙂
My favorite Halloween candy would have to be skittles or starburst, a few of the safest candies for nut allergies for my daughter. Starburst candy corn is actually a thing, so win/win!
When I was younger there was this game called Atmosfear, which I remember to be quite scary for a couple of playthroughs (as there was a VHS casette included with a gamemaster who appeared from time to time on the screen, it became repetitive very fast).
And the of course, there was this one game which introduced me to your Tabletop show and the Geek and Sundry channel… Elder Signs!
And you just gave me an idea… I´m going to ask some friends over for a tabletop evening on Halloween!
Favourite candy:
You didn’t say your favorite candy! On purpose?
Or should we wait in anticip
ation.
Nailed it.
I just love Last Night On Earth, and here’s why: it’s a board game that is easy to set up and requires little to no preparation, but lends it self beautifully to storytelling. I have yet to play a game where nobody came up with at least one or two backstories for the characters, or described an elaborate action scene to explain card plays or dice roll outcomes. The variability of the board and the different scenarios give the game high replay ability, too. It’s like starring in your own zombie movie each time you play.
I’d also love to play WoD Changeling: The Lost, because the idea of being kidnapped by fairies strikes me as particularly creepy and Halloween appropriate (or maybe I’m a bit of a folklore geek), but haven’t found anyone to play it with.
Favorite candies: nerds or milky way. I also made a batch of sea-salt caramels this year, but will wait to try them until Halloween.
I’m jus’ gonna go low key and say Zombie Dice. I like it because it is easy to throw in my purse and whip out when the opportunity strikes. The real horror of the game? When the bottom flies off mid shake and dice go tumbling everywhere. I created little grey brains (that look like butts) and they fit nicely in the container. My son loves to play and we’ve invited a friend of his, or two, to play with us while we are hanging around school (parochial, but they’re cool like that)!
Candy? PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPS, but candy corn is a close second.
I love Gloom and Night of the Vampire. Gloom is a lot of fun to play with adult friends, it makes me feel like I’m part of the Adams Family. The stories people come up with are always stupid and silly. Night of the Vampire is fun to play with anyone and it’s simple enough to just pick up and play. Beware foul smelling garlic. Favorite Halloween candy has got to be Mars Bars, they are ooey gooey goodness.
Gloom, Munchkin Bites, Munchkinomicon, Munchkin Tricky Treats, Munchkin Apocalypse, Zombie Munchkin, and Last Night on Earth.
Of the two horror tabletop games I’ve actually played (Mansions of Madness & Ghost Stories) I’d say Mansions of Madness takes the scary cake home! And the best Halloween candy is candy corn, definitely candy corn.
My browser and PC crashed while typing, so here´s my favourite candy: “Magic Gum”, which looks like some coarse-grained powder. It starts to prickle on your tongue, and slowly turns into bubble gum when you chew it.
We’re talking about board games, right? I’m a sucker for tricorn hats and monsters, so I have to vote for “A Touch of Evil” as there is no “Brotherhood of the Wolf” tabletop game.
(If we count RPGs, then it’s Savage Worlds and my own homebrew setting, “The King is Dead.” http://www.wineandsavages.blogspot.com/)
For candy…? Umm, the expensive dark chocolate I don’t share with the kids.
My favorite horror-themed game (and possibly my favorite game ever) is Zombies!, plus and any all of the expansions available.
It will be either a 1-hour game or a 6-hour game, and you will either love the people you play with or (like Catan), hate them all like you’ve never hated anyone else before.
I like the tile-based board, the combination of strategy and pure dumb luck, being able to both help and screw over your friends, and the fact that it’s always different every time you play. And I also like making my tiny plastic zombies square dance, do the conga, or attempt crazy feats of acrobatics while I try to kill as many of them as possible to win the game.
A couple of honorable mentions, in the more cooperative game space, are Innsmouth Escape (especially fun to make gurgling fish people noises while you play) and Arkham Horror.
Love all of the ones mentioned, but have to give a special shoutout to Atmosfear the Boardgame. It’s a lot of fun to play with a group of friends. We played with 8 (two tokens had teams of two). It was a disaster, but so much fun!
Other than that? Last Night on Earth or WoD!
Our favorites are Spooks (card game by Steve Jackson) and Ghost Stories. Candy corn is my favorite.
Munchkin Cthulhu
Fast paced and gives great opportunities for introducing the kids to Lovecraft.
Oh and my favorite candy is the pumpkin shaped Reece’s peanut butter cups for their perfect chocolate to peanut butter ratio. Although the candy corn M&Ms that taste like buttercream frosting are climbing the chart…
CANDY CORN M&M’S?!?!?!?! WHY HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS?!?!?!?!
So good. So so good. Candy corn colors outside, white chocolate inside and they taste like buttercream frosting. You need them right now before they go back into the damn vault.
If we’re talking RPGs here, then I have to cast my vote for Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic – who doesn’t want to work for a super-secret government organization of monster/ghost/demon/alien/anything else-bashing, magic/psi/gun-wielding badasses? Heck, it gave us the X-Files before even Chris Carter knew what X-Files was. (Yeah, sure some people groan about its old-school crunch, but really: who doesn’t want to know that their favorite PC put a silver bullet through that man-shredding werewolf’s left eye? Am I right?)
Oh, and Reeses’ Pumpkins. Mmmmm…. Pumpkins….
Grave Robbers from Outer Space (although it needs more strong older female characters) – while eating Minties or Fantales (well, we are in Australia)
For games I love Elder Sign, Cthulhu Gloom, as well as the Call of Cthulhu role playing game. For candy, my favourite is Rockets!
Dread. Because you have never, ever been so terrified of a Jenga tower in your life.
And Swedish Fish FTW!
Atmosfear is always a classic.
I like the new DVD version since it is a bit less predictable… Still difficult as all get-out. One thing that makes it Slightly easier is adding time onto the beginning of the game if playing with more than 4 people (not sure why this feature wasn’t included in the DVD)
I also like playing Vampire Hunter. It’s a bit simplistic so it might be good to play with younger children. I still love the play-in-the-dark aspect where the board changes from day to night. Yes it’s a bit of a gimmick, but still fun for a few play-troughs.
My regular favorite has been Ocean by Jake Richmond of Atarashi Games. It’s one of the few table-top games that I’ve found that really captures the feel of survival horror exploration video games, while giving you the freedom to really build your own story and plot twists. Not to mention you really, quickly get a feel for how ultimately vulnerable your characters are in the face of unknown horrors.
And favorite Halloween candy for me would probably have to be Twix.
A little late, alas, but a group of my friends organizes a yearly Halloween tabletop RPG session, custom written and run for twelve hours on a Saturday afternoon. This tradition has been going on for ten years. I cannot divulge details about the current game (save that it was excellent, used Fate CORE, and was a space horror game), but the game before was a Vietnam-era horror game in the Call of Cthulhu system, with a mission to rescue POWs (and the pulpish horrors of war) meeting the supernatural. A lieutenant was fragged, the f***ing new guy had people blow up before his eyes, and the radio operator called in an airstrike on his own location. It was fantastic.
I love everything about this.
Mansions of Madness!
“Arkham Horror lite” doesn’t quite do it justice. 5 different storylines, with 3 possible endings for each, along with actual puzzles to solve (to turn on lights or unlock doors), great looking (though unpainted) figures of cultists and monsters, and all your favorite characters from Arkham Horror and Elder Sign, makes Mansions of Madness a great game. Even my non-gaming friends love it.
Favorite Halloween candy: Sixlets!
I’d say that board game wise I’d got for Arkham Horror, for an RPG I think I’d pick Kult.
My favorite horror-themed board game comes from Disney, and we used to own a copy way back when I was a kid: The Haunted Mansion Game. I loved the attraction at Disneyland, so the game was a no-brainer. Move your Doom Buggy through the mansion, trying to escape from the ghosts while avoiding the turntables which would spin you away from where you actually wanted to go. Sadly, we lost it when I moved away for college.
Favorite candy: Whoppers
If we are talking Roleplaying I would say Dread or Directors Cut Survival Horror. Both give you a sense of on the edge of your seat the way a horror movie should do. We gave you the rough version of Directors Cut a few years ago at GenCon.
The best RPG hands down ever that I’ve played is Kult. Only a few books was released in English. Unfortunately the best campaign (six parts) “The Black Madonna” was not released in English, but there’s word that it may. This game is a must buy for those into horror RPGs.
http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Kult
http://www.amazon.com/Kult-Beyond-Veil-Roleplaying-Game/dp/0971860513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383251391&sr=8-1&keywords=kult+rpg
Word of caution: should not be played by people younger than 17.
It’s AAAAAWWEEESOOMME