How Long Will You Survive in the ‘Friday the 13th’ Board Game?
With the eponymous date on the horizon, find out if this Friday the 13th could be your last board game night!
Happy Triskaidekaphobia, everyone! With Jason’s favorite date on the horizon, today we are looking back at the Friday the 13th board game.
In Friday the 13th: Horror at Camp Crystal Lake, players take the role of movie clichés like The Nerd, The Jock, or The Diva. They must survive five nights alone in the camp cabin being hunted by the machete-wielding murderer, Jason Voorhees! If they can search the surrounding woods and gather enough supplies to protect themselves, they just might survive.
Friday the 13th Board Game Overview
Friday the 13th: Horror at Camp Crystal Lake is a competitive push-your-luck board game with set collecting and hand management. The goal of each player is to earn the most points by the end of the fifth round. Points are earned by gathering supplies, which are represented by pulling random supply tokens from the bag.
However, pulling 2 Jason tokens causes the player to lose all supplies they have collected in the round. Each supply type is worth a certain number of points. Players can collect bonus points by collecting certain sets of supplies as well.
You’re Doomed If You Stay Here
On each player’s turn, they are able to do one of three things:
- Search for supplies
- Use a Fear card
- Return to the cabin
Searching for supplies requires the player to reach into the bag of supply tokens. There are six different types of supply tokens, plus the Jason token.
Each supply token has a different point value and quantity of tokens in the bag. Thankfully, this is all helpfully laid out on each player’s personal board as well.
Players keep all collected tokens in their play area, including Jason tokens. However, as soon as a player draws their second Jason token, they drop all supplies they are currently carrying and return to the cabin with nothing, earning 0 points that round. However, as a consolation prize, that player will earn an Escape token, which will allow them to discard one of their Jason tokens in the following round.
Instead of searching for supplies, players can use one of their Fear cards, which have a variety of different effects.
But eventually, fear will get the better of the players, and they will want to return to the cabin. Once a player returns to the cabin, they gain a Bravery bonus based on cowardly running back early versus bravely staying out longer.
You’re Cursed!
Points are totaled up once all players have returned to the cabin. Each player has the option to earn certain set bonuses based on the collection of supplies. For example, collecting 3 of a kind allows the player to double the points they earn from one other type of supply. All of the set bonuses and the point values are listed on the back of each player board. After points are tallied, players draw new Fear cards, and the next round begins.
At the end of the fifth round, the game is over, and whichever player has the most points wins the Friday the 13th board game!
