I think this is the best time of year to play board games. It’s starting to get too cold to go outside, the shadows are getting longer, and everyone is looking for something spooky and scary. Spooky and occult board games are a great idea. Really Although it’s not in rotation in our house, I’m always on the lookout for new additions each year, and Avalon Hill released a fantastic game this year. Betrayal: Lost Souls Deck, The latest addition to their product line betrayal It’s our most condensed and accessible offering to date.
What’s in the box?
- 6 Curse Cards
- 34 item cards
- 4 special item cards
- 18 Minor Omen Cards
- 16 Great Omen Cards
- 5 character cards
- 6 travel cards
- 5 reference cards
The main attraction is Betrayal: Lost Souls Deck The art is there, and to be honest it’s clear that most of the work on this game went into it, but I’m not mad about it. Look. Betrayal. The art in the base game was so-so, so I was a bit shocked to see a really artistic tarot-style deck published by Avalon Hill, with all the cards featuring swirling magic, mystical symbols, and grotesque decorations you won’t find on regular cards. betrayal The game only hints at it. Each playable character is equal parts beautiful and monstrous, befitting a character who can be both a hero and a traitor. Curses add to the sense of horror with plenty of skulls and body parts swirling in shadow and flame. The only downside is that the script they chose is a thin handwritten font amidst the thin, busy art, making the words a little hard to read at times. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great for setting the mood, but you’ll find yourself squinting a few times to see what some cards actually do.
How do I play?
Just like everyone else betrayal title, Lost Souls Deck It’s the story of a group of adventurers taking on the occult, with the twist that one of them might be a traitor seeking power from the darkness. Each player gets an explorer: Alchemist, Merchant, Occultist, Soldier, or Inquisitor (in a 5-player game). Each explorer (except the Inquisitor) can only use a few items to repel the darkness, but other than that the differences are purely cosmetic. The traitor is determined randomly at the start, and the choice is always set to chance. No There is a traitor in the game.
Each player will receive 4 items, 3 minor omen, and 2 major omen (all Betrayal at House on the HillThere are six curses available to the player, evil curses that can be lifted using items, and omens that can warn you off. Some items can be used by the player, while others can only be used by other explorers. Minor omens are usually easier to lift, but not always. It is your job to control the omens, find the appropriate curses, and destroy them before you run out of items or time.
On your turn, you go through two phases. In the cooperation phase, you can use an item, give an item to the other player (and receive an item in return if they want), or discard and draw a card. You need to make sure that the item in front of you is one that you can use. You also need to be careful if the item is a one-time use. The cards in front of you can often be used multiple times to break various omens, but they run the risk of being discarded, which is obvious to traitors. These items may also have secondary effects that point to a specific curse or give you an ability that can be used repeatedly. Some items are of no use to anyone, so they are the main targets for being discarded. The higher the difficulty of the game, the more of these useless cards you will find. And the more cards you have, the more you can see that the game becomes pretty surprisingly difficult.
The second half of the turn is the Omen Phase, where you work with your fellow investigators to defeat Omens by playing Omens from your hand and either playing items or using existing items in front of each investigator. You gain benefits for defeating Omens, but pay a penalty if you fail. There are four special items at the bottom of the item deck that must reach the bottom to defeat certain Omens, most notably the Major Omen.
Relatively simple Lost Souls Deck So, if you have a traitor, your tactics to win are pretty limited. The main ways to sabotage the explorer are to lie about hoarding useful cards and having them, to play Invincible Omen to dispose of useful items, and to make the explorer lose items as quickly as possible. If you are revealed by choice or discovery, dispose of your items and only take Omen, and openly lobby to deplete the items the explorer has. If the traitor has some kind of good game face, the detection part is honestly a little hard, but since there is only so much the traitor can do, it feels a little more balanced. Also, since you can always accuse the traitor when you play Major Omen, you have a good chance of finding out the traitor before he can do any major damage.
There are two ways for the Explorers to win. If there is no Traitor, they simply obtain the items needed to break four of the six curses. However, if there is a Traitor, players must use hints (including those provided by the Traitor himself) to determine which of the six curses is the “real” curse and obtain the items to break it. Part of the Traitor’s strategy is to direct the distribution of hints towards curses that the Explorers cannot break. The Traitors also win (or all Explorers lose) if the Explorers have no cards or items in hand or in play when Great Omen is played.
What’s the verdict?
I really fell in love Betrayal: Lost Souls Deck It’s all about aesthetics. Everything is so well-crafted, so beautiful and terrifying, almost. King in Yellow. From the box, to the artwork, to the font chosen (albeit hard to read at times), it really does make you feel like you’re dealing with a cursed object. The gameplay is easy to pick up, quick to move through, and offers a decent amount of challenge without overtaxing the constraints of a card-based game. betrayal There’s a reason why formula is popular. Lost Souls Deck It’s a great game packed into a pocket-sized package, and with so many ways to customize the game to increase difficulty and complexity, it’s sure to become a long-lasting staple that’s easy to incorporate into your Halloween board game plans.
You can get your copy here Hasbro Shop, Amazonor FLGS with a suggested retail price of $19.99.
Image courtesy of Avalon Hill
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