"'Camp HAPPY Trails' My ASS!" - Final Girl

If you've followed my writings over the past decade, you know that I absolutely adore horror movies. As such, I’m always keen to play through my library of spooky games this time of year!

Despite the generic settings, I couldn’t resist picking up Final Girl with the “The Happy Trails Horror”, since that particular "Feature Film" pack is the closest in theme to my beloved Friday the 13’th film series. I’ve since acquired “Frightmare on Maple Lane” (because, d’uh) and, since then I’ve been sorely tempted by their serial-numbers-filed-off takes on both Alien and The Thing. 

So, what’s the lore surrounding this particular bogeyman? Well, here’s the scary misc-en-scene directly from the scream-writers at Van Ryder Games:

"Playing on a famous horror movie trope, Final Girl is a solitaire-only game that puts the player in the shoes of a female protagonist who must kill the slasher if she wants to survive.

"The Core Box, when combined with one of our Feature Film Boxes, has everything you need to play the game. Each Feature Film Box features a unique Killer and and iconic Location, and the more Feature Films you have, the more killer/location combinations you can experience!

"In game terms, Final Girl shares similarities with Hostage Negotiator, but with some key differences that change it up, including a game board to track locations and character movement. You can choose from multiple characters when picking someone to play and multiple killers when picking someone to play against. Killers and locations each have their own specific terror cards that will be shuffled together to create a unique experience with various combinations of scenarios for you to play!"

Looking for a conveniently-informed, kindly old librarian to help you research the killer’s full back-story? Then click on the following link for a crash course on how to use a microfiche!  

***

Final Girl Play-Through  - "Camp Happy Trails"

Starting Event: 

“Vengeance”...the Victim furthest away from the Killer becomes “The Damned.”

Setup:

"Meditation Hour"

Final Girl:

Reiko

Turn 1

Action Phase 

Knowing how important it is to roll as many dice as possible, Reiko tries to "Focus", scoring a "6" and a "3." She jettisons her "Weak Attack" and "Short Rest" cards to turn the "3" into another Success...netting her two increments of Time and a bump down on the Horror Track!

Attempting a second "Focus", she gets a "6" and a "1", which equals one Success! The Horror Track reduces by one and she loses one Time.

She then tries to "Walk", but rolls a "3" and a "2"...a double failure! She decides to move a single space, lose a Health and go down two increments of Time. She’s now at five Health.

With only one "Walk" card left, she decides to move onto the...

Planning Phase

Reiko buys a "Distraction" card for three Time and a "Sprint" for two, reducing her to zero. She then resets her time to six and places her spent Action Cards back in the Tableau. 

Killer Phase

The Killer Action for Hans doesn't include any Boot symbols, so he doesn’t move!  He then draws a Terror Card and gets “Taking Souvenirs.” With “The Damned” in play, he has to target that specific Victim. There are two equidistant paths to his prey - north and south - but with more potential Victims along the southern path, he goes that way. 

Even though Hans moved through a space with a Victim, the rules clearly state that he “will not stop because they aren’t his intended target”, so he just plows through. Since there’s no-one in the space he arrives at, the double attack is mercifully ignored! 

Panic Phase

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 2

Action Phase

Reiko plays “Distraction” and rolls a "6" and a "4." She can’t afford to throw out two cards, but the single Success does finally nudge the Horror Track into the green three-die range and gives her one increment of Time!

Anxious to rescue a Victim, she plays “Sprint.” Unfortunately, she rolls two "1’s" and a "2"...another catastrophic failure! Begrudgingly, she opts to take a damage and lose two increments of Time. She’s now at four Health! She then tries a “Walk” action and does much better, rolling two "6’s" and a "3"!

This lets her escort a Victim two spaces to the exit! She places the rescued pawn on the “recover one Health” space on her player card, which brings her back up to five Health. 

With her cards all played out she moves on to the... 

Planning Phase

She spends her remaining four Time on a “Guard” and a “Sprint” and then retrieves her zero-cost starting cards! Her tabled cards are then re-added to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Killer Action doesn’t happen. 

The Terror Card reveals “Hans Wants Me. He’s always wanted me.” Again, “Vengeance” kicks in and Hans moves two spaces towards “The Damned.” Since there’s no-one in his space, nothing happens! 

Panic Phase

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 3

Action Phase

In an effort to get “The Damned” moving, Reiko tries to “Sprint.” Once again, completely defying the odds, she rolls three "1’s"! Remind me again...why do I place dice games? 

Soooo, Reiko takes a damage and loses two Time, putting her back down to four Health! She then tries to “Walk” and rolls two "4’s" and a "2." It’s a heart-breaking decision, but she discards a pair of “Focus” cards, as well as a “Short Rest” and “Weak Attack”, to get two Successes and move two spaces, joining “The Damned” in their space. With only a “Guard” left, she opts to end the Action Phase.

Planning Phase

With her remaining three Time, Reiko gets a “Close Call” and a “Search” Card. The “Walk” played last Turn comes back into her hand and the cards she just dropped are returned to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his Killer Action doesn’t happen. 

The Terror Card reveals another “Hans Wants Me. He’s Always Wanted Me." Still driven by "Vengeance", Hans moves one space into where “The Damned” and Reiko are standing...and he attacks! Since Victims always get attacked before Final Girls, “The Damned” takes two points of damage and is killed! This results in a +2 Bloodlust bump which - in turn - drives up the Terror Track by one!  

Panic Phase

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 4

Action Phase

Seeking some defense, Reiko “Walks” to the Cabins, rolling a "1" and a "6" and scoring a single Success. After reducing her Time by one, she then "Searches" that space and gets a "4" and a "1." Frustrated by this result, she plays “Close Call”, which reduces her Time by two and lets her re-rolls both dice...this time she scores a "1" and a "5" - one Success! She finds and picks up the "Pepper Spray"! With only a single “Guard” left, she ends her Action Phase.

Planning Phase

With her remaining three Time , Reiko picks up a “Distraction.” She then takes all of her zero-Time starting cards back into her hand, resets the Time count to six and puts all of her played cards back into the Tableau.

Killer Phase

There’s nothing in Hans' space, so his Killer Action doesn’t happen. 

Terror Card: “Let’s Go See if the Rumors are True!” adds two new Victims to the Lake, the Horror Level goes up by one and a new Event Card is pulled: “Girlfriend.”

Panic Phase

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 5

Action Phase

Desperate to roll three dice again, Reiko plays “Distraction”, dialing up a “6” and a “1.” The Horror level reduces, at the cost of one Time increment. She then plays a “Focus” and gets a "3" and a "4." Still craving another Success, she throws out a “Focus” and a “Weak Attack” to get the Horror Track back into the Green and improve her Time by one. 

She then rolls two “6’s” and a “4” for a "Walk"! She moves northeast two spaces and loses a third Time! Next, she opts for a “Short Rest”, but comes up short with two "4’s" and a "2." Since she has no cards left to throw out, she's forced to lose a Health (!), increase the Horror Track by one, reduce her Time by one and end her Action Phase! Brutal! She now at only three Health! 

Planning Phase 

Reiko gets her zero-Time “Walk” back and then buys a “Sprint” card for two Time. The Time count is then reset to six and all of her played cards are re-added to the Tableau.

Killer Phase

With no potential targets in his space, Hans' Killer Action fizzles. 

Terror Card: “He Just Keeps Coming!” This moves Hans a space towards Reiko. He doesn’t quite reach her, and there are no Victims in his space, so there’s no attack!

Panic Phase

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 6 

Action Phase

Attempting a “Sprint”, Reiko rolls a “6” and a “4” and moves two spaces, hooking up with her "Girlfriend." She can now roll three dice! 

Planning Phase

She decides not to move anymore, choosing instead to buy a “Sprint” for two Time and a "Distraction" for three. The Time count is reset to six, all of her zero-cost cards come back into her hand and her played “Sprint” card is returned to the Tableau. 

Killer Phase 

There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen. 

Terror Card: ”He’s Just Standing There!” The Terror Level is increased by two - dammit! - and then Hans is moved two spaces towards Reiko.

Panic Phase 

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 7

Action Phase

Reiko needs to haul ass, so she plays her “Sprint” card, rolling a “2”, “4” and “6.” She throws out her "Focus" and "Weak Attack" cards to generate two Successes, reduce her Time by one, move three spaces and arrive just southeast of the Lake. 

After playing her “Walk” and rolling two “3’s” and a “1”, she converts one of these into a Success by discarding a “Focus” and a “Guard”, reducing her time by one and escorting two Victims to the exit! She covers up the two single space Move spaces, backtracks to fetch her Girlfriend and then attempts a “Distraction.” She rolls two “6’s” and a “2”...moving the Horror Track back two spaces and gaining two Time! 

Planning Phase

She spends a whopping six Time to pick up a “Critical Blow”! The time count is reset to six and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen. 

The Terror Card drawn is "He Kept Swinging his Hammer and Killing and Killing...”, which requires Hans to target Victims specifically. Three groups are two spaces away from him, but he heads towards the Lake / Makeout Point because there are more Victims in that direction. After arriving at the Cliffs, he’s tasked to move again, and picks the Lake. He then attacks, murdering a Victim, which drives up both the Bloodlust and the Horror Level by one.  

Panic Phase 

On a roll of “5”, the remaining Victim swims to shore at the Dock!

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 8

 Action Phase

Reiko plays “Short Rest” and rolls two “2’s” and a “6”...resulting in one Success and -1 Time! She also gets a Health back, bringing her back up to four! She then plays a “Walk” and scores a “5”, “3” and a “2”...which gives her another Movement at the cost of one Time.  

Planning Phase

Reiko spends four Time on a “Sprint” and a “Search.” The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen. 

The Terror Card "He Wants Fresh Blood!” moves Hans onto the Dock but Reiko immediately “Pepper Sprays” his ass and the rest of the Killer Phase is skipped! 

Panic Phase 

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 9

Reiko tries to “Sprint”, rolling a “1” and a “2”! It's another outright failure that forces her to takes a wound and lose two Time! She’s down to three Health! She then tries to “Walk” and gets two “1’s”! FFS!!! She moves one space, loses two more Time and goes down to two  Health! At least she delivers two more Victims, gaining two Time back as well as the “Planning” card! With her last card slot filled up, Reiko unlocks her Special Ability!   

Planning Phase

Reiko spends four Time on a “Sprint” and a “Guard.” The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

Hans has no company, so the Killer Action doesn't trigger. 

Terror Card: ”Unholy Rage” gives Hans one extra damage per hit and two more Health! Wonderful! 

Panic Phase 

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are still Terror Cards left, so the Finale isn’t revealed. 

Turn 10

Desperate for a “Short Rest”, Reiko rolls two “3’s” and a “5”, throws out a “Focus” and a “Weak Attack” and heals two damage! She’s back up to four Health! She then attempts a “Sprint”, and gets a “1”, “2” and a “3”! This forces her to throw out a “Focus” and a “Guard” to move two spaces and reduce her Time by one. She then attempts a “Planning Action”, rolling a “3”, a “5” and a “6”, which nets her +3 dice for her next roll! The subsequent “Walk” turns up three “1’s” (!), a “2”, a “5” and a “6”! Time reduces by one and she finally arrives at the Utility Shed! Finally, she tries to “Search”...but rolls a “1”, “2” and “4.” Sadly, she doesn’t have enough cards to generate a Success, so she just reduces the Horror Level by two and loses two Time. Another heartbreaking result!

Planning Phase

Reiko spends two Time on a “Sprint” Card. The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

With no Victims or the Final Girl in his space, Hans doesn't move and his Killer Action doesn’t trigger. A tender mercy, for sure! 

Terror Card: "I Fell Asleep. What did I miss?" places a Victim in the Cabins and the Horror Level plummets two more spaces! 

Panic Phase 

n/a

Upkeep Phase

There are no Terror Cards left, so the Finale Card - “Bloodbath” - is revealed! It also unlocks "Feed!", I.E. the Killer’s Dark Power. Things aren't looking promising for our girl!

Turn 11

Action Phase

Reiko tries a “Sprint”, rolls two “5’s and a “1.” She escorts the Victim in the Utility Shed two spaces west, intent on the due north exit.    

Planning Phase

Reiko spends three Time on a “Distraction” and another two on a “Sprint." The time count is reset to six, she gets her starting cards back and her spent "Sprint" card is returned to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

With the removal of the last Terror Card, Hans has become a lot more mobile! He lopes two spaces towards the Firepit and murders the Victim there, which bumps up his Bloodlust to three Damage and two Movement. Yikes!

There’s nothing in the Killer’s space, so his main Action doesn’t happen. 

Panic Phase 

n/a

Upkeep Phase 

n/a

Turn 12

Action Phase

Reiko’s “Distraction” roll is a “1” and a “6”. She improves the Horror Level by one and acquires one Time! She attempts another “Sprint”, rolling a “2”, a “4” and “5.” In order to unlock two Successes for three moves, she reduces her Time by one and discards a “Walk” and a “Weak Attack.” She's now at the Dock, close enough to Hans to trigger her Special Ability and move into his space! 

With a “Critical Blow” result of “2”, “4” and “6”, our heroine discards two “Focus” cards to get a pair of Successes. Hans loses four Health in total (+1 thanks to the Knife), which scraps his “Unholy Rage” card before it deals extra damage! This also improves the Horror level by one! She then attempts a “Short Rest”, rolls a “3”, “4” and “5”, reduces her Time by one and congeals back to five Health.  

Planning Phase

Reiko spends four Time on a “Retaliate” and one on a “Close Call." The time count is reset to six, she gets her zero-Time cards back and all of her spent cards are returned to the Tableau.

Killer Phase 

There's a valid target in his space, so Hans doesn’t need to move. He attacks two times, giving priority to Victims. First he deals three Damage to the Girlfriend, killing her outright. Thanks to his Dark Power, Hans recovers one Health. Awesome! This then triggers a -5 (!) Horror downgrade. Two are soaked up, but now the Bloodlust track is driven up by the remainder. This crosses yet another Horror benchmark, nudging the Bloodlust meter up one more space! This, in turn, also unlocks another +1 bump on the Bloodlust track! The meter is now totally maxed out!

Well, that was only his first attack! Another five damage is coming Reiko’s way! In response, she plays “Retaliate” and gets a “2”...I.E. an outright failure! Reiko is reduced to zero, but flips her Health Marker and gets a surprise +2 Health! 

Panic Phase 

n/a

Upkeep Phase 

n/a

Turn 13

Reiko knows that she can’t outrun Hans, so she does nothing.

Planning Phase

Reiko spends four Time on a “Retaliate” and two on a “Guard.” The time count is reset to six and she gets her zero-Time cards back.

Killer Phase

With Hans’ first attack, Reiko responds with “Retaliate” and rolls a “5”! However, even with the -2 damage reduction, it’s still enough to kill her, thus ending the game!   

***

NOTES

Pretty much every “Sprint” I played blew up in my face! In fact, my overall luck in this game kinda sucked. Oh well, at least this inspired the "Strategy Tips" I've listed below...

Failing to get “The Damned” in motion quicker was my probably my first error in a long series of errors. Having said that, they're an annoying albatross to tote around 'cuz they can’t be rescued until there are literally no other Victims on the board. That turn I was hoping the Terror Card draw didn’t move Hans but - as was clearly self-evident - luck was not on my side in this game.

The Girlfriend's +1 die boost might have been handy, but the Killer’s attack priority towards Victims makes her a liability. Her death resulted in an absolutely brutal Horror Track death-spiral! In retrospect, I should worked at getting the Horror meter back into the green and left her behind whenever I attacked.  

STRATEGY TIPS

There’s a temptation to do a million things on your turn, but don’t leave yourself card-poor. The ability to flip a “3” or a “4” to a Success can sometimes spell the difference between a decent turn and a disastrous turn.

Yes, it makes sense to try and unlock three dice dice by improving the Horror Track, but don't pursue this to the detriment of all else. The early acquisition of an “Improvise” and / or “Planning” card might allow you to mitigate bad luck when attempting a clutch Horror Roll. 

It might make sense to do some early hit-n’-run attacks on Hans before he beefs up and becomes aggressively mobile.

PROS

Even though the game’s art design is a tad “intro to Photoshop”-y, I do like the magnetic boards, the dice and all of the little bits n’ bobs.

You definitely can't accuse Final Girl of being unambitious; it literally attempts to simulate everything in a slasher film. The character powers, the Terror Cards, the Items, the possible Actions and the Events all make you feel like you’re doing exactly what it says on the tin.

If the best games are the ones that ask the player to make heart-rending decisions from round to round, then Final Girl is absolutely stellar. For a solitaire game, it’s surprisingly deep. Should I rescue Victims for a few early perks and deny the Villain his Bloodlust? Should I just arm myself with a few “Guards” and “Retaliates”, find a decent weapon and then start swinging? Should I get my character's special ability up and running before taking on the big bad? There’s a lot to consider!

It’s challenging and exhilarating! I haven’t won this game too often, but when I do, it feels like a real triumph. Unlocking a bonus card when you beat the game with a specific character is also a fun little bit of incentive. 

The game is a very interesting and challenging exercise in mitigating risk and bad luck. It's as if Blood Bowl had a baby with Horrified.  

THE M’EH

Traitorous dice are one thing, but you can actually find yourself behind the 8-ball even before the game begins "thanks" to a crappy Setup, some lame revealed Items and a brutal starting Event. Having said that, I dig a challenge, so I don't see this as an outright negative. 

Between the elaborate “circle of life” with the cards, monitoring active Events, keeping track of the Horror level, maintaining two Health tracks and the Killer's Dark Power, it's a lot for a solitaire gamer to remember! Often you'll find yourself asking 'Hmmmm, did I already remove that Heart for that last attack? And which cards did I play last turn?'   

CONS

As written, the rules are actually pretty good, but when your game’s got as many moving parts as this one does, confusion and misinterpretations are bound to creep in. With a whopping 750 (and counting) rules threads about this game on BGG as well as a dedicated, designer-compiled FAQ, this one clearly needed a more comprehensive guidebook right out of the gate. 

Related, here are just a few critical rules to remember:

• You can move to and from the Killer’s space without restriction.
• Victims won’t move with you into the Killer’s space.
• Weapons can be used with reaction cards like "Retaliate."
• A Killer will not move unless a Boot Icon is shown on a Killer Action or Terror Card.
• The Killer moves towards his intended target and won't stop for lower priority targets. He will, however, attack anyone in the space he ends up in that turn, with preference given to Victims before the Final Girl.
• You only get your Adrenaline Rush bonus die when you literally have one final Health Token left!
• You can’t buy a card if it puts you below the zero Time space.
• Reaction cards can’t be used to defend Victims. 
• You can voluntarily discard cards to gain +1 Time for every one chucked out.
• You have a hand limit of ten cards.
• When a Final Health Token keeps a Final Girl or Killer in the game, any excess damage generated that round is ignored. 
• If the Dark Power is still unrevealed when the Finale happens, reveal the Dark Power as well.

***

FINAL THOUGHTS

Given how often I gripe about incomplete, vague or sketchy rule books, you'd I would eviscerate this one like Jason Voorhees mangling a horny, stoned camp councilor. 

Sure, it's irksome to pause the game fairly frequently to seek out clarifications on things like Killer attack priority, Event adjudication and Item usage, but I can deal with that. Why? Well, it's because the game is so thematic, engaging and comprehensive that I'm willing to put in the extra effort to experience the illusion.

Speaking of illusion, there's a scene in the otherwise-ludicrous Jason X (yes, the one that launched our beloved murderboi into space) where one of the ship's crew distracts Monsieur Voorhees via a holographic simulation of Camp Crystal Lake. Well, playing a game of Final Girl is so immersive it feels like stepping into a slasher movie holodeck as Sidney Prescott, Laurie Strode, Ellen Ripley, Nancy Thompson, Sally Hardesty or - my own personal favorite - Amy Steel's delightful Ginny Field.

For its slavish devotion to the source material and display of absolute audacity, I'm giving Final Girl five pips out of six.     

 

Shape-ter Ops: "Halloween"

Greetings, Final Girls n' Guys!

Welcome back to the blog formally known as "Yet Another Friggin' Gaming Blog." From here on in we'll be going by the following new name: 

"Horror Board Game Play-Throughs and Reviews"

Sorry, I know the content here has been kinda, um...genre specific lately, but hey...you gotta go where the bloody heart leads.

Much of the reason for this trend is because purveyors of spooky merch Trick or Treat Studios announced that they were gonna bankroll a series of IP-based board games a few years ago. Then, when I heard that they were actually hiring professional game designers to make these macabre titles, I went from vaguely interested to "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!" 

First out of the gate was the Scott Rogers-helmed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which I love irrationally simply because of the theme (TCSM is definitely one of my top five favorite horror moves of all time) and the press your luck / bag builder elements. But it was the next announced title that really caught my eye.  

Waaaaay back in 2015, I reviewed Spectre Ops: Shadow of Babel, a sci-fi themed hidden movement game by Emerson Matsuuchi, who also brought us the not-even-vaguely-related Century trilogy as well as the obscenely-opulent Foundations of Rome. I liked Spectre Ops fine enough, but the generic sci-fi setting failed to ignite my imagination...ergo it didn't translate into a buy for me.

But what if you took the solid mechanical foundation of that game, integrated nearly a decade's worth of rules streamlining and then married it with John Carpenter's seminal horror classic Halloween? Well, you get a slick, suspenseful "one versus many" hidden movement game that makes me forget all about top-heavy affairs like Fury of Dracula.

So, what's the police report on this one? Welp, here's the 918A straight from the source:

It was the night HE came home... and one player must take on the role of Michael Myers! The others will control Laurie and her friends as they scramble to find weapons, the kids, and a way to escape. Their task will be made more difficult because Myers can only be seen when you're looking right at him!

This 1 vs Many game by renowned designer Emerson Matsuuchi is the first time the original Halloween movie has been made into its own board game.

Player Count: 2-4

Play Time: 60 min

Wanna read Loomis's psyche report on this l'il nutter? Well, click on the following link to bone up on the full portrait of evil.

PLAY-THROUGH

Michael starts out on space J14, Annie Brackett on L18, Lynda on M6 and Laurie is on E19.

TURN ONE

Annie moves four spaces, Searches on L16 and finds a "Telephone." She then faces west,  looking out the window onto J19.

After moving four spaces to reach K8, Lynda Exerts to move onto L8, facing towards L10. She then Searches, taking another Exertion to use her special ability to keep the "Knitting Needles" and bury the "Shovel." 

Laurie moves four spaces onto B20 and Searches, locating a "Board Game." How meta!

Michael uses his Pursue action to move all the way from J14 to J8. After using an Infiltrate action to move through the window onto K8, he’s literally standing right next to Lynda!

TURN TWO

Annie Searches again on L16, exhausting that space and locating "Matches." She then Moves four spaces to O15, facing towards O14. 

Lynda suddenly gets a case of the heebie-jeebies and moves four spaces to N8, facing back towards N9. After moving once again onto P8, she opts to face the window and look out onto P10. 

Laurie Searches again on B20 and steps painfully onto some "Action Figures." She then moves three spaces onto C22, facing towards D22. 

Michael uses a double Stalk action to end up standing directly behind Lynda on P7! Ruh-roh!

TURN THREE

Annie makes a phone call, dialing up "Ammo", a "First Aid Kit" and a can of "Hair Spray." She puts the latter on top of her house's search pile and buries the others, taking care to put the bullets on the very bottom. She then spends her second Action to move onto O16, changing her facing to look out the window onto Q16.

Again, Lynda’s sixth sense kicks in and she uses two moves to back-track to L8, facing the window between K and J8.

Discarding Action Figures as an Action, Laurie picks up "Ammo", a "Doll, "Matches" and - HUZZAH! - "Lindsey"! Naturally, she puts the latter on top of the deck followed by the Doll, Matches and the Ammo. She then uses her second Action to Search the spot and find Lindsey! Since she didn’t move, she retains her current facing.

Feeling slightly toyed with as well, Michael uses a double Stalk action to end up standing next to Lynda again in the gloom of M8! 

TURN FOUR

Annie Searches her current space and (not surprisingly) gets a can of "Hair Spray." She searches again, cleaning out that space by finding a "Kitchen Knife." Again, since she didn't move, she doesn't change her facing. 

This time Lynda stays where she’s at, takes an Exertion Token and Searches L8, picking up a stack of "Vinyl Records" and an "Iron." She keeps the Iron, buries the Records and then spends a Rest Action to remove all of her Exertion. 

Laurie Searches again and retrieves a "Doll." Now intent on a different house, she moves four spaces to E22 (facing towards E21), Michael suddenly springs up out of nowhere on M8. Before he can attack, however, Lynda instinctively uses her Knitting Needles...scoring two hits! Michael strikes back with three dice..rolling one hit! He Attacks again...but not before Lynda whips out the Iron! This time she misses and Michael’s second slash causes another single hit!

TURN FIVE

Annie double moves to P19. 

Lynda double moves to L12 then Exerts to move one more space, ending up on M12 and facing west towards L12. 

Laurie double moves to I20, facing north towards I19.

Michael double moves to N12, putting him right behind Lynda. Since it's now the end of turn five, Michael draws one of his special power cards! 

TURN SIX

Annie Searches twice on P19, first discovering a "Frying Pan" and then the "Yellow Car Keys" this time! Awesome...all they need to do now is locate Tommy!   

By some miracle, Lynda moves away from Michael instead of turning towards him. She double moves, making it all the way to G10.

Laurie wriggles her way through the hedge (NOTE: check out the "Important Rules To Remember" section at the end of this play though) for an Action and then Exerts to move through the window, ending up on K21 and looking back outside onto J20!

Michael Pursues to I12 then Stalks to H10. 

TURN SEVEN

Annie goes out through the window from P19 to P20 and then Moves 4 spaces to Q21, facing towards the door to the west.

Lynda double moves all the way to D5 and then turns towards the door leading to D6.

Laurie uses the Doll to look at the top four items of the white house's Search Deck. Finding nothing new, she then Moves through the house, ending up on N19 and facing towards N18.

Michael double Pursues Lynda to E10 and then all the way to E6. 

TURN EIGHT

Knowing that the white house has been pretty much turned upside down, Annie double moves, joining Laurie in the hallway. Their goal: get to the barely-explored blue house!

Lynda Moves to C4 and Searches, Exerting to use her special ability to draw two cards. She keeps the "Bat" and buries the "Bullets."          

Laurie jogs past Annie, double moving a total of eight spaces, ending up on O12 and facing towards N12. 

Michael Stalks to D4 and then Attacks Lynda. But before that happens, P.J. swings her Bat at the Shape, connecting for a solid two hits! Michael counter-attacks, striking for two damage that TOTALLY kills his quarry. He then spends his free Action card to Heal one damage. 

Looking to ensure that “evil dies tonight” (and prevent a distant sequel from being killed by cringe), Dr. Loomis appears at space A12. 

TURN NINE

Annie double moves, ending up at L10 and facing down the street at K10. 

Loomis double moves to E8, facing towards E7. 

Laurie double moves to O8, Exerts to move one more space onto P8 and then faces west back to the space she just left.

Michael Infiltrates through the window at D3 and Pursues all the way over to I3. 

TURN TEN

Annie double moves to O5 and faces towards the door she just passed through.

Loomis moves, Exerts to push himself to G5 and then Searches, finding "Coffee." He then changes facing towards G6. 

Laurie Searches twice, finding "Blue Car Keys" and "Bed Sheets." 

Michael does a double Infiltrate, first passing through the hedge and then through the window at K3. He also picks up a brand new card.

TURN ELEVEN

Annie makes it to P4, faces towards the east door and then Searches, locating "Bandages." This puts her at her six-Item limit. 

Loomis Searches G5, locates a "Blanket" and then Exerts to reach G8, facing H8. 

Laurie double moves to L4, coming to rest facing M4. She has no clue that Michael is lurking in the room just a few spaces away!

Michael Stalks to M4 and (in an on-brand move) Attacks Laurie! Reflexively, Miss Strode clobbers him with her copy of Twilight Imperium. By some miracle, this doesn't kill him outright, he just flips his card to the "Staggered" side. Undeterred, Michael continues his assault, now rolling only two dice. Despite this handicap, he still manages to dial up two Knives! Yikes! Laurie would love to use her re-roll special ability, but unfortunately she’s capped out for Exertion. Monsieur Bogeyman then flips his Action card back to its "Ready" side. 

TURN TWELVE

Annie Searches and finds a "Coat Hanger" but immediately trashes it since she’s at her max capacity. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, she then runs screaming out of the house and ends up on R2, facing the direction she came from.

Loomis drinks his Coffee for a free Action and turfs his two Exert Tokens. He then searches G8 twice, finding "Bandages" and - WOOT!!! - "Tommy", who - I guess- decides to go with this slightly-less-creepy stranger! He immediately discards the Blanket to accommodate his hand limit. 

Burdened with three Exert tokens, Laurie is forced to Rest! She then Moves four spaces to L2, Exerts to move one more space (ending up on K2) and wisely looks back behind her. 

Michael Stalks to K3 and then Infiltrates through the window, ending up on J3.

TURN THIRTEEN

Knowing that Michael is uncomfortably close, Annie double Moves from R2 to R10, facing down the street towards Q10.

Hearing the screams coming from the blue house, Loomis Exerts twice to double move onto J11 and face north along the hedgerow. This reveals Michael on J3! 

With the Shape now revealed, Laurie runs in the opposite direction! She Exerts on her second Move to get to N8, glancing back over her shoulder towards N7 in an effort to keep tabs on her pursuer. 

Michael does indeed Pursue (in a straight line from J3 to J10)...but he's now intent on Loomis! He Attacks...but rolls all blanks! He then spends a card to re-roll a die, finally getting one Knife!

TURN FOURTEEN

Seeing the Shape lunge at Loomis, Annie bravely surges ahead four spaces, uses Matches to light up her Hair Spray...and promptly rolls only one measly Knife worth of damage! 

Loomis retreats four spaces to M10, facing towards Michael and guarding Annie! He then uses a Trade action to shot-put Tommy towards her in exchange for the Kitchen Knife.      

Laurie moves to N9 and spends her second action to hand the Blue Car Keys and Lindsey over to Annie, simultaneously swapping them for the Frying Pan and Bandages.  

Michael Pursues and Attacks Loomis, who Exerts to use the Kitchen Knife. Unfortunately, he blanks out! Michael is equally unlucky, scoring only one Knife hit on three dice! The good Doctor is still in it! The Shape ends his turn by scoring a new Myers card!

TURN FIFTEEN

Annie scrambles to P11 and unlocks the van, facing towards P12! 

Loomis is forced to reset his Exertion. He then unloads his revolver, rolling four dice in total thanks to his special ability. Unbelievably, he only scores a single hit!

Urged on by Annie, Laurie Exerts to move five spaces into the back of the van at O11. She then uses her second action to flush all of her Exertion. 

Michael does one final gambit, playing a card that lets him move an extra space! He breaks away from Loomis, moves to P12 and attacks Annie! Unfortunately he only scores one hit!

TURN SIXTEEN

Annie and Loomis use their actions to join Laurie in the van and drive off, leaving the Shape stewing in mute rage.  

***

IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER

• As per the game rules, make sure you split the Search cards into four stacks and then seed one Key Item Card - the two car keys as well as Tommy and Lindsey - randomly somewhere in the bottom four cards. Full disclosure: I'm pretty sure I just shuffled and dealt all of the cards randomly into four piles for this play through. Whoopsie!
• Hedges are completely impassible to Victims...only Michael can pass through them!
• Myers Cards can't be spent on the turn you acquire them.   
• If Victims have three Exert tokens their next action must be a Rest.
• Every time a Victim causes damage to Michael, he is Staggered. 
• If Michael is Staggered, you can move through his space freely.
• Line of sight is only checked when facing is chosen at the end of Victim movement. 
• You can Attack through Doors and Windows. 
• There are three specific spaces on the Van and two on the Car that you can unlock and then enter. 
• Dead Victims place their Item cards back on the top or bottom of the Search deck in the quadrant they died in. 
• Refresh all of the Search Tokens in the house where the Victim died.
• Victims don't block LOS of each other.
• Only starting Victims begin the game on their co-ordinates. Replacement Victims start out either on A12 or R12.

***

REVIEW

PROS

• It makes sense! Whereas the rulebook for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was brief and kinda confusing, I felt like I could jump into this one right away without a lot of questions. Even though I did screw up a few things on my first play, I wasn't constantly rooting around in the manual to figure out how to resolve something.   
• It's tense! Sure, a hidden movement mechanic for this kind of game is a no-brainer, but it's the execution that impresses. At first I thought the rule where characters can only see in an orthogonal straight line right in front of them didn't make a lot of sense. But, as the game progressed, I realized that, not only was it easy to adjudicate, it was  also thematically relevant. Don't believe me? Just re-watch Halloween and take note of how dimly lit all of the rooms are, to the point where Michael just emerges out of the darkness like he's a part of it. This really amps up the game's tension. 
• It's quick! Turns fly by with no fuss or muss!
• It's faithful! The special abilities are all pretty solid. Annie can hold a bunch of crap, Loomis is a crack shot, Sheriff Bracket is a meat-shield, Laurie can off-set damage, Bob's a bit tougher in a fight and Lynda is a good searcher. With his ability to pass through windows and hedges like Homer Simpson and haul ass like the mama dinosaur in Raptor, Michael's in-game capabilities are equally well-realized. 
• It's moody! The board alone is a phreakin' work of art. The mats actually summarize player actions very nicely. Michael's hidden movement mark n' wipe board is a vast improvement over the wasteful ream of paper in Spectre Ops. Not only is it easy to use and clean up, it actually clarifies some "not-so-obvious" geographical elements on the game board. 
• It's adjustable! Props for the designers providing ways to tweak the difficulty for both the survivors and Michael. 
• It's genuinely co-operative! My play-though exemplifies how important it is to fan out, search thoroughly, protect each other and co-ordinate trades. 
• It's variable! With its big board filled with lots of challenging obstacles and lotsa  mechanically-clever items scattered all over the four locations, there's plenty to contend with in each match.  

Less CONS, more CON-cerns

• More plays will reveal just how punishing the Exertion system is for players. I can see characters like Laurie being constantly awash in the stuff, since she has to take a token whenever she wants to re-roll one of Michael's hits. Forcing fully exhausted characters to Rest before doing anything else also seems unnecessarily harsh. (UPDATE: after two more plays I think the Exertion is quite manageble) 
• Towards the end of the late, lamented Friday the 13'th online vidja game, the  councilor characters were so jacked up on perks that packs of them would often band together to "bully" the Jason player. I'm thinking that this might also be possible to do in this game, but I'm just speculating. At any rate, I'm hoping that the in-game Michael is sufficiently tough to the point where he won't become a laughing stock as he's poked with knitting needles, covered in percale sheets and then unceremoniously bludgeoned with a copy of Foundations of Rome. I mean, he's supposed to be Michael Myers...not friggin' Ghostface. (NOTE: after two more games I can safely say that this is definitely a concern. Sadly, the "Murder Myers" strategy is a very, very valid option, especially when compared to splitting up and painstakingly searching the four decks of cards. Having said that, there's nothing preventing Michael from vanishing for awhile, healing, performing quick "hit and run" attacks and anticipating where Victims will go next. Hell, feel free to run out the clock if you think the Victims won't find the cards they need to escape in time! A few more plays will be required before cranking Michael's Health Points to 14 or more.)  
• Even though I love the art design of the board and the characters, the item cards look kinda cartoony. Please note that's a very superficial complaint since the overall package is ridiculously slick. Also, I know this is petty, especially considering how amazing Nathan Milliner's art is, but the portrait of Michael on the cover looks like production designer Tommy Lee Wallace gave up half-way through converting a Shatner mask.    
• The standees are fine but this game really, really should have included the "sold separately" miniatures. 

***

FINAL THOUGHTS

With the release of Halloween, I think we may be entering a Golden Age for horror-themed board games. This particular title is what happens when a publisher has enough respect for the IP to hire a real game designer as well as a top-notch graphics teams to give both movie and gamer fans what they want and expect.

Halloween scores five pips out of six with a big ol' tilt up to the balcony that Mikey just fell off of. 

Oh, and if you're listening Trick or Treat studios...can you please do this one next?

Chainsaw Battle - Part Two - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse

I have no ides what "Saturn in retrograde" cosmic madness led to both Funko Games and Trick or Treat Studios producing games based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre this year, but it kinda brings to mind the following classic confrontation in the 1986 sequel: 

I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually think Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 doesn't get enough love. If the producers of the film properly recognized the immeasurable contributions of Gunnar Hansen to the first movie and brought him back as Leatherface, I think it would have been the perfect sequel.

Sorry, I digress.

Anyhoo, rather than a-fussin' and a-feudin', I decided to pick up both games. But what if you can't? What if you have to choose between the two? Well, I'm here to compare both of them and help you make an informed decision RE: which one you should add to your bone, er, game collection.

I tackled Trick or Treat's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Board Game last time out and on this occasion I'll be exploring the Funko Games offering: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse. 

So, what's the grave-robbing scuttlebutt on this one? Well, feel free to read the following opening crawl in John Larroquette's stately voice, taken directly from the source:

One person plays as the deranged Sawyer family, dragging victims to their farmhouse and harvesting their meat for a grizzly barbecue. The other players are the unwitting trespassers, doing everything they can to escape a hideous fate. But in this game, there are no winners—there are only survivors. Will you make it out alive, or end up on the menu? 

Looking for the full police report? Then click on the following rulebook link for all the gory details! 

***

TURN OVERVIEW

Trespassers

(NOTE: Trespassers can take their turns in any order)

1. Take Actions

Take up to four Actions, including:

Move: Move into an adjacent space. Generate Noise if you move through a Door.

Run: Make Noise and move two spaces. For each Door you Run through, add one Noise token.

Search: In any space with a Question Mark, you can produce Noise and roll two Dice. For each Success, draw one card from the location-appropriate Item Deck. Keep one and Bury the rest at the bottom of that same deck.

Swap: Exchange any number of Items with one other Trespasser in the same space. This doesn’t generate Noise.

2. Roll two Dice. 

For each success, discard one Noise Token.

3. Give Fear 

Flip all remaining Noise Tokens to the Fear side and give them to the Sawyer Player.

After all Trespassers have performed their own four Actions, reset all of their Actions to four.   

Sawyer Turn Overview

1. Draw Sawyer Family Cards 

One or two for free, dependent on Panic Meter. Additional Cards can be purchased for two Fear apiece.

2. Take Sawyer Turns

One at a Time in any order. Possible Actions:

Move one space.

Hunt a Hidden Trespasser in your space. Roll one die and reveal the Trespasser with a Success. 

Attack or perform a Character-Specific Action as detailed on their individual boards. 

3. Reset Actions 

Back to the Character's full amount.   

***

"Who Will Survive?" Scenario "A" Play Through

Round One

Gray Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Gray Moves out into the Foyer and into the Nook, making a Noise in the process since they moved through a Door. They then Search (generating another Noise), rolling two dice and get one Slash / Success. This allows them to reveal a single card from the Downstairs Item Deck, getting Bandages, which they pocket. A Searched Token is placed in that spot. 

RULES NOTE: Trespassers can only hold four Items, Personal Items don’t count towards this limit. 

They then move northward into the Study and Search again, with this combo generating another two Noise. They roll zero Successes, so nothing is found! 

2. Roll for Noise: One Slash rolled, so one Noise is returned. 

3. Give Fear: The remaining three Noise Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!

Blue Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Blue creeps into the Dining Room, making a Noise in the process since they moved through a Door. They then Search (generating another Noise), roll two dice but get zero Slashes / Successes. A Searched Token is placed in that space. 

They then move westward, further into the Dining Room, revealing the Horror Token! It’s a "Secret Passage", which lets the Cook pop up in that space! (NOTE: a Trespasser’s “move immediately ends” when they reveal a Horror Token)  The Blue Trespasser still has one Action left, so he swings at the Cook with his Pocket Knife! He gets two Slashes...and the Cook loses two Actions!

2. Roll for Noise: Two Slashes are rolled, so both Noise Tokens are returned to supply! 

3. Give Fear: n/a

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Green uses the creaky Stairs to move from downstairs to upstairs, which makes Noise. They then venture from this upstairs landing into the Old Man’s Room, generating Noise when they move through the Door. They then Search (making another Noise), roll two dice and get one Slash / Success, with their Flashlight adding another result! This allows them to reveal two cards from the Upstairs Item Deck, turning up Gasoline and a Bone Shard. After keeping the Gas and Burying the Shard, a Searched Token is placed in that space. 

They then back out into the hall again through the Door, generating one more Noise.  

2. Roll for Noise: Since no Slashes are rolled, no Noise is returned! The Sawyer Player then pays three Fear to play “Should Be More Careful.” Since the Green Trespasser had four Noise before rolling, the Panic Meter goes up by one and each (!!!) Trespasser draws a Desperation Card!  

3. Give Fear: Four Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!

Sawyer Player

1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. 

2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man tries a Wallop on the Blue Trespasser, but misses! Since he only has one Action left, he tries again! This time he scores two hits, drawing a Head and Arm injury. He opts for the Head, forcing the Blue Trespasser to throw out their “Through Broken Glass” Desperation Card!   

3. His Actions are reset back to the full amount.   

ROUND TWO

Grey Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Grey inches into the northern side of the Study, through the Door (making a Noise in the process) and into the Wash Room. In reaction to this, the Sawyer player spends two Fear to table “Unexpected Horrors”, dropping an unused Horror Tile onto their space, which turns out to be “Putrid.” They’re forced to “go back one space”, which I interpret to mean that they have to go back the way they came, I.E. into the Study. I also assume it generates another Noise when they go back through the Door. Since they only moved one space, they still have three Actions left, so they exhaust this to cross the other half of the Study, through the Nook and finally back into the Foyer. This generates two more Noise! 

2. Roll for Noise: No Slashes are rolled, so no Noise Tokens are returned to supply! 

3. Give Fear: The remaining three are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!

Blue Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Blue once again attempts to shiv the Old Man with his Pocket Knife. He rolls one Slash, so his target loses one Action. He then flees into the Kitchen for an Action, with passage through the Door making a Noise. They then Move into the western half of the Kitchen and Search (generating another Noise). After rolling two dice and getting one Slash / Success, they turn up a phreakin’ Machete!!! Finally, a Searched Token is placed in that space. 

2. Roll for Noise: No Slashes are rolled, so both Noise Tokens stay!

3. Give Fear: They're flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: From the hall, Green uses their first Action to move into Leatherface’s Room (generating a Noise) and then uses another Action to Search (for a second Noise). They get a single Slash, but the Flashlight adds one additional Success! A Flask and Gasoline is revealed, so they keep the Flask and Bury the Gas. The Sawyers shift a Searched Token from the Dining Room to that spot. In response, the Green Trespasser plays “Scrounge” which lets them get a free Item from the Upstairs Deck if there’s a Searched Token present! By some good fortune, they reveal and pick up a Green Car Battery!!! 

For their third Action they leave that room and enter the hall, generating a third Noise. Action four sees them move into the southern part of the hallway. Continuing this momentum, they drink from the Flask to get a free Action and use it to move into Grandpa’s Room, which adds a fourth Noise. Since there’s a Hide symbol in that room, the Green Trespasser immediate goes into stealth mode. In response to this, the Sawyer player tables “Skeletons in the Closet” for two Fear to raise the Panic Meter! This adds Grandpa to any space in the house, so the Sawyers place him in the southern half of his own room!  

2. Roll for Noise: Three Slashes are rolled, so only one Noise remains! 

3. Give Fear: One Token is flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!

Sawyer Player

1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free. They then spend two Fear to pick up another!  

2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man moves into and through the Kitchen for two Actions and then uses his last Action to try and Wallop the Blue Trespasser. They get a single Slash, augmented by one because of the "Bloody" room! After drawing a Heart and Leg injury, they decide to go for the Heart! 

3. His Actions are reset back to the full amount.   

ROUND THREE

Grey Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Intent on scouting the house surroundings for a working vehicle, Grey Moves out onto the porch, generating a Noise in the process. Then they move onto the path space leading up to the front door and strike off two spaces east.

2. Roll for Noise: They roll a Slash, so the single Token is returned! 

3. Give Fear: n/a

Blue Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Blue hacks at the Old Man with his Machete! They roll three Slashes (!!!), so the Cook loses three Actions and three Fear! He then flees into the backyard through the Door, making Noise in the process. Next they Move one space east and through the Barn entrance, generating another Noise. In response, the Old Man plays “Unexpected Horrors” for two Fear. It reveals “Picked Clean”, which moves a Searched Token from the Old Man’s Room to the Barn! He’d love to play “Out of Nowhere” for four Fear, but they aren't in the same Region, with Blue “Outdoors” and the Old Man still “Downstairs” in the House.     

2. Roll for Noise: No Slashes rolled, so both Noise Tokens stay!

3. Give Fear: Both Noise Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Green emerges from their Hiding place and risks moving close to creepy Grandpa for an Action. Thinking that this interloper is intent on his stash of Pokemon cards, the crusty ol' fuck rolls one die and gets a blank...no damage! Green then uses their second Action to Search in the same spot, making Noise. They get one Slash...but the Flashlight adds one additional Success! They get a Flask and an Orange Car Part, so they hedge their bet, keep the wheel and Bury the Flask. This prompts the Sawyers to move a Searched Token from the Study to that same space. She then moves north one space and out the Door for two more Actions, adding a second Noise.   

2. Roll for Noise: One Slash is rolled, so only one Noise is remains! 

3. Give Fear: One Noise Token is flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers!

Sawyer Player

1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free then pay two Fear for a bonus card!

2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his one remaining Action to chase after Blue. He then discards “Look What Your Brother Did!” for a free Move Action to get in front of the Barn Door. After discarding “Despair” for another Move, he then chucks out “Out of Nowhere” for a free Attack Action. The resulting Wallop dials up two Slashes, but Blue lucks out when the Old Man reveals a Brain and a Heart Injury, both of which get Buried!

3. His Actions are reset back to the full amount.   

ROUND FOUR

Grey Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Grey uses all of their Actions to enter the Junkyard, generating a single Noise. Whenever a Trespasser ends their Move or Run in the same space with a face-down Vehicle Card, they reveal it. It turns out to be the Blue Truck! 

2. Roll for Noise: They roll two Slashes, so the single Token is returned! 

3. Give Fear: n/a

Blue Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Blue lashes out at the Old Man with his Machete! He rolls an insane three Slashes (!!!), so the decrepit creep loses three Actions and three Fear! He then flees out the front door, making Noise in the process and then barrels east for his third Action. For his final Action, he Runs into the Junkyard with Grey, generating two more Noise, one for the Action and one for the Door.

2. Roll for Noise: With one Slash rolled two Noise Tokens stay!

3. Give Fear: Two Noise Tokens are flipped to the Fear side and given to the Sawyers! As Blue ends its turn, the Cook pays four Fear to play “Out of Nowhere” (since they are now all in the same “region”) and basically teleports to the Junkyard. 

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Green Moves into the Hitchhiker’s Room for an Action, making Noise as the Door creaks open. For her second Action, she rifles around the room, netting “BBQ” and a Hammer. She keeps the latter and Buries the mystery meat. After using her third Action to Move one space deeper into the creepy boudoir, she makes Noise with her final Action to Search, turning up a whopping three Slashes! This lets her chose between Orange Keys, a Bone Shard, Gasoline and a Flask. She takes the Keys and Buries all the rest, including the Green Car Part. Both of the spaces in this room are now covered with Searched Tokens taken from the first floor of the house. Since this space has the Hidden Icon, Green vanishes into darkness!

2. Roll for Noise: Three Slashes are rolled, so all of the Noise is returned! 

3. Give Fear: No Fear for the Sawyers!

Sawyer Player

1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free.   

2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his one remaining Action to Wallop Blue, but he rolls blanks on both die! He then discards “Home Sweet Home” for a Free Attack Action, rolls again...and whiffs again!

3. Devoid of both Fear and - apparently - luck, the Sawyer player folds for the time being, resetting their Actions to four.

ROUND FIVE

Grey Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Grey uses an Action to move into the other half of the Junkyard. Unfortunately, there's no Vehicle there, just a Search-able spot. They then use two more Actions to Run through the Junkyard through the Door, making two Noise. Their last Action is spent arriving at the Vehicle space to the east of the property. By a stroke of good fortune they reveal the Orange Car! 

2. Roll for Noise: They roll two blanks, so no Tokens are returned! 

3. Give Fear: Both Fear Tokens go to the Sawyer Player!

Blue Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Blue swings at the Old Man with his Machete and rolls two Slashes, forcing the Cook to lose two Actions as well as the Fear he just received! After fleeing out the front door (making Noise en route) he then uses his third Action to Run towards the Orange Car in the southeast. His last Action is ignored. 

2. Roll for Noise: Two Slashes rolled, so two Noise Tokens are returned!

3. Give Fear: n/a 

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Green emerges from Hiding, Runs two spaces into the upstairs hall for two Actions, generating two Noise. She then Moves to the Stairs for one Action and then down the Stairs for their last Action, making one more Noise. 

2. Roll for Noise: Two Slashes are rolled, so all but one Noise is returned! 

3. Give Fear: One Fear for the Sawyers!

Sawyer Player

1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free.  

2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his two Actions to close in on Blue and Gray. Discards “I Got Ya” for a free Move Action, entering their space. 

3. The Sawyer player resets his Actions.

ROUND SIX

Grey Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Grey spends an Action to use their Bandages to Bury Blue’s Brain Injury. Next they use the Swap Action to take the Pocket Knife from Blue! Finally they use an Attack Action to stab at the Cook, getting one Slash, so the Old Man reduces his Actions down to three!  

2. Roll for Noise: n/a 

3. Give Fear: n/a

Blue Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Blue lunges wildly at the Old Man with his Machete, rolling one Slash. The Cook loses one Action and his remaining Fear! He then holds his three remaining Actions.  

2. Roll for Noise: n/a

3. Give Fear: n/a 

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Green bursts through the front door of the house via a Run, generating two Noise. She then Runs towards the Orange Car, making a third Noise, using a final Move action to reach the Vehicle and their fellow Trespassers. Their last Action is wasted since it takes two Actions to try and start the car! 

2. Roll for Noise: One Slash is rolled, so one Noise is returned! 

3. Give Fear: Two Fear is given to the Sawyers!

Sawyer Player

1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free.  

2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man uses his Sweet Talk Ability to roll three Dice, getting two Slashes which equals two Fear. He does this again with his final Action, getting two more Slashes for two more Fear. He then discards "Easy Pickins", spends six Fear and raises the Panic Meter by one! This finally brings the Hitchhiker into the southeast corner of the map, one space away from the Orange Car!

3. The Sawyer player resets his Actions.

ROUND SEVEN

Grey Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Grey uses an Attack Action to stab at the Cook and rolls two Slashes, so the Old Man reduces his Actions down to two! After using the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Green, he uses his last two Actions to try and Start the Car, but rolls a blank!

2. Roll for Noise: n/a 

3. Give Fear: n/a

Blue Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Blue hacks away at the Old Man with his Machete! He rolls three Slashes, so the Cook loses his remaining Actions. He has no Fear right now, so that penalty doesn’t even apply. After using the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Gray, he then uses his two remaining Actions to try and Start the Car, but - once again - rolls a blank!

2. Roll for Noise: n/a

3. Give Fear: n/a 

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Green uses the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Gray. She then uses two more Actions to try and Start the Car, but rolls a blank! FFS!!! 

2. Roll for Noise: n/a 

3. Give Fear: n/a

Sawyer Player

1. Draw Cards: They draw a single Sawyer Family Card for free.  

2. Take Sawyer Turns: The Old Man might be out of Actions, but he plays “Home Sweet Home” for a free Wallop on Blue! Unfortunately he pulls two Brains and a Heart... duplicate Injuries which are all Buried! He decides on a different tactic, playing Despair to get a free Move action and using Hogtie to haul Green out of the car one space north! 

The Hitchhiker moves one space for an Action and joins the fray, slashing at Blue with his Straight Razor with his second Action. He gets a Brain, a Foot and an Arm, so he applies the Foot Injury. For his last Action he slashes again...getting three more Slashes!!! This time it’s a Brain, a Heart and an Arm. Naturally, the Hiker picks the Arm, killing Blue and increasing the Panic Meter by one! Both Gray and Green get a Desperation Card!   

3. The Sawyers reset their Actions.

ROUND EIGHT

(NOTE: Trespassers can take turns in any order!)

Green Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Green uses one Action to break away from the Hogtie and get back into the car! He then uses two Actions to try and Start the Car, but rolls a f#@&ing blank! Again!!! 

2. Roll for Noise: n/a 

3. Give Fear: n/a

Grey Trespasser

1. Take Actions: Grey uses a Swap Action to pick up the Machete and attack the Hitchhiker. He gets two Slashes, so the Hiker reduces his Actions down to one! He then uses the Swap Action to take the Gas, Tire and Keys from Green, then his uses his last two Actions to try and Start the Car.

This time he rolls one Slash and the car's engine finally turns over! They speed away, leaving the livid Sawyers in the dust! 

Green and Gray escape!!!

***

REVIEW

THE GOOD

• It's innovative! There are so many clever ideas on display here, all adding up to a tense and immersive horror game. The first edition of Zombicide is the first time I encountered the concept of "noise" in a game, but its use there seemed more ham-fisted than harrowing. Here, adding Noise Tokens from Searching, Running and passing through Doors, and then trying to offset said Noise, is actually kinda fun. What remains is flipped to Fear which, in turn, is the currency the villains use to play cards and get extra Actions. It's simple but brilliant! Using a finite pool of five Search Tokens also prevents spamming the same spot over and over again with an elegant "cool down" system.
• It's thematic! I can't describe how many little touches from the film are baked right into the game's mechanics. For example: the Old Man can "Hogtie" Characters and drag them away, but then the Trespassers can break away on their own turn, just like Sally did during the movie's dinner scene. I also love seeing Trespassers try and creep past a dead-looking Grandpa, only to have him "come to" and vulpine hammer them in the noggin. All of the Items, especially the Personal Items, work in a very sensible intuitive manner and the Injury / Death card system is appropriately gruesome.    
• It's tense! I've only played the first scenario twice, but both times came down to a panic-filled finale where the Trespassers were frantically trying to start the car with a pair of lunatics bearing down on them. Sorry, but certain horror movie cliches exist for a reason and this game celebrates that!
• It's narrative! All of the scenarios link together, essentially acting as a prequel to the 1974 film! Hey, all of those abandoned cars and human remains had to come from somewhere...clearly these previous Trespassers didn't have that patented Sally Hardesty's will to live!  
• It's final! As I've previously mentioned, horror games like Alien: Fate of the Nostromo really suffer because it eschews player elimination. Welp, this one actually had the balls to follow through on that premise and - for that - I give the designers a respectful * slow clap*.
• It's mad and macabre! The Horror Tokens - as well as the game's grisly production design - really set the tone. Sure, the art in the Trick or Treat studios version is wonderful but, save for the hideous bag prop, it isn't particularly horrifying. This game's artwork, board, Sawyer minis, Panic Meter, Desperation Cards, Injuries...hell, even the friggin' dice...all adds up to a psychologically-discordant experience. Honestly, the only game that's more unconsciously creepy is the 70's version of Clue.  
• It's engaging! Whereas the Trick or Treat studios game is more light strategic, this one is downright tactical, with a lot more minutia to consider. Which Trespasser should take their turn first? Should you split up? Should I seek out Hiding spots? How do I deal with Injuries? The Sawyers are equally challenged. Should I burn Sawyer Cards for extra Actions and Attacks or try and time things perfectly for their main game effect? Should I drive the Panic Meter for reinforcements or just multi-task with the Old Man? There are a lot of interesting and surprisingly immersive choices here.  
• It's snappy! Turns fly by and using cubes to count down Actions really helps to keep things organized and clipping along! 

THE BAD

• Nothing to report...at least not at this stage. My only niggling concern is over game balance. In my solitaire play through, the Machete kept the Sawyers Fear-poor and the Cook couldn't hit a cow in the ass with a shovel, resulting in two of the three Trespassers getting out alive. In my follow up game with Chad, all three Trespassers survived. Now, that's not entirely surprising, since Chad's a wily dude and he also started the car on his first attempt! As I get a few more plays in, I'll be sure to update this space.

THE M'EH

• The Trespassers (and their lame, one-sided standees) are completely generic and have no asymmetrical powers to speak of, which will surely disappoint hard-core gamers. Given my theory that this game is actually the spiritual prequel to the 1974 film, I just view the Slaughterhouse Trespassers as generic walking sausage links, while The Board Game features the iconic characters we all know and love! 
• From this day hence, my meta-game is just to get Leatherface out on the board. I really tried to drive the Panic Meter in my game against Chad, but Ol' Junior still didn't show his apron-ed ass on the battlefield. And, trust me, there a lot of motivation to get him out there since he's exactly the sort of murderous juggernaut that you'd expect him to be.  

"So...What Game Do I Get?"

Are you a casual or inexperienced gamer and you just wanna experience the general vibe of the OG 1974 film? Then get The Board Game.

If you're a veteran of the hobby and you wanna pick up a well-designed, tactical, horror-themed game that delivers the goods on the creep-factor while presenting players with interesting choices, then snag Slaughterhouse! 

As for me, the two are different enough from one another that I plan to keep both. In fact, I can't wait to play both back-to-back for a Texas Chainsaw Massacre double feature! 

***

FINAL SCORE

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Slaughterhouse scores five pips out of six with a slight tilt down into that dodgy-looking "storm cellar".