Objective

The objective of Betrayal at House on the Hill is to explore the mansion, survive the haunt, and achieve the goals set by the haunt scenario, either as heroes or the traitor.

Components

• Game board tiles (Room tiles)

• 6 Explorer figures and character cards

• 80 Cards: 45 Event cards, 22 Item cards, 13 Omen cards

• 149 Tokens and markers

• 2 Haunt books: Traitor’s Tome and Secrets of Survival

• Rulebook

• 8 Dice (six-sided with two blank sides, two sides with one dot, and two sides with two dots)

• Plastic clips for tracking character stats
  

Setup

1. Select Characters: Each player selects a character card and the corresponding figure. There are six character cards, each with two characters to choose from (front and back of the card).

2. Set Starting Traits: Adjust the plastic clips on the character card to the starting values for Speed, Might, Sanity, and Knowledge.

3. Place the Starting Tile: Place the Entrance Hall, Foyer, and Grand Staircase tiles in the center of the playing area.

4. Shuffle the Decks: Shuffle the Room tiles, Event cards, Item cards, and Omen cards separately. Place them face down within easy reach of all players.

5. Determine Player Order: Decide who goes first by any agreed-upon method.
   

Gameplay

The game is played in two phases: Exploration Phase and Haunt Phase.

Exploration Phase

1. Take Turns: Players take turns exploring the house by moving through rooms, discovering new rooms, and collecting items and omens.

2. Movement: On their turn, a player can move a number of spaces equal to their current Speed value. Players can move through discovered rooms and can discover new rooms by moving through doorways leading to unexplored areas.

3. Discovering Rooms: When moving into an unexplored area, draw a Room tile from the stack and connect it to the current room. Each Room tile has an indicator showing which floor it belongs to (Upper, Ground, or Basement).

4. Drawing Cards: Some rooms have symbols that indicate drawing a card (Event, Item, or Omen). Follow the instructions on the card.

5. Omen Cards and Haunt Roll: When an Omen card is drawn, the player must make a Haunt roll by rolling six dice. If the result is less than the number of Omen cards drawn so far, the Haunt begins.
   

Haunt Phase

1. Revealing the Traitor: The Haunt scenario is determined based on the room where the Haunt was triggered and the Omen card that triggered it. Consult the Haunt Chart in the Traitor’s Tome to find the matching scenario. One player becomes the Traitor.

2. Separate Instructions: The Traitor takes the Traitor’s Tome, and the heroes take the Secrets of Survival book. Each side reads their objectives and rules for the Haunt scenario.

3. Play the Haunt: The game continues with the heroes trying to complete their objectives and the Traitor working against them.
   

Winning the Game

• Heroes: The heroes win if they complete their objective as described in the Secrets of Survival book.

• Traitor: The Traitor wins if they complete their objective as described in the Traitor’s Tome.
  

Additional Rules

• Character Death: If a character’s trait drops to the skull symbol, they die and are removed from the game.

• Dice Rolls: Use the special dice for combat and other challenges, adding the total number of dots shown.

• Item Limits: Characters can carry any number of items unless stated otherwise.

• Room Effects: Some rooms have special rules or effects that come into play when a character enters.