Spooky Games To Get Your October Started Right
Not that we need an excuse to have fun; but October and Halloween are great reasons to play any of these spooky games.
I love Halloween. It’s an excuse to make costumes, watch a ton of horror movies, and get all of my friends together for a spooky game session. And I enjoy all of those things! These days I’m living in Salem, which you may think would be very cool and fun around Halloween. But in reality it turns my normally very chill and artsy little city into an international tourist hub. I don’t get out a lot in October unless it’s worth the traffic. Which means lots and lots of game nights.
1. Betrayal at House on the Hill
This is easily one of my favorite board games and one of the first I suggest for people who don’t want to learn a complex new game. It’s a semi cooperative game where you explore a haunted house and all of its terrifying rooms. Eventually the wrong item will be found in the wrong room, the monster will appear, and usually one of the party members will betray everyone else. It’s half spooky house exploration, half running from and defeating a monster. And between the tile-building nature of the house, and how many haunt options there are, you can play this one over and over and over again.
2. Pick Your Poison
The game itself isn’t really scary as much as it has spooky theming and packaging… Unless unpacking truths about yourself is scary. This is a ‘would you rather’ party game where you have to pick between some of the worst things your friends can find on the handy provided cards. It’s fun and silly, and while it’s not a spooky game, it will definitely be fun at your next get together.
3. Septima
If you think you have what it takes to become leader of the coven, Septima is a witchy competitive strategy game. Use your powers to heal, recruit, and charm locals and grow the coven. Working together may give you boosts, but will attract unwanted attention. And if you can balance those in snappy, fast paced gameplay, you may have what it takes to lead.
4. The Night Cage
This game actually feels like a tense horror game. Players are lost in a dark maze with one candle. This is a tile laying game where the map will constantly disappear from view as your candle grows more and more dim. New pathways will open up, but others will be lost forever in the darkness. But your group can make it through together.
5. Dread
Dread is such a simple tabletop RPG, and I think that helps it be the high anxiety horror movie maker that it is. All you need is your imagination and a tower stacking game (you know, like Jenga). As your character makes choices, you pull blocks to see if you’re successful. A still-standing tower is a success. As the game goes on and the tower loses more and more structural integrity, the tension gets higher.
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