Betrayal at House on the Hill
Introduction
The old Nesiot Manor, built by the raving mad Lord Ukiss Nesiot, has stood above your small town for over a century. Everyone in town believes it is haunted and home of unknown danger and evil. Something has drawn you and five others within the Entrance Hall of the Nesiot Manor, and regardless of why you came, it is certain your life is about to change forever…
For those unaware, Betrayal at House on the Hill is a board game, fairly mixed between strategy and RPG, which is rather fantastic. So fantastic, that I adapted it for forum-game playing. Also because I can’t get enough people to play more than one full game with me in real life. The premise is essentially a group of six people enter into a well-known haunted house, one of them (at least) will be revealed to have an agenda of his or her own. At the midgame mark, the traitor and his evil plot is revealed and one of the players switches sides and must achieve victory at expense of the others. Otherwise, this is a fairly cooperative game, right up until the point where it isn’t.
Only six players will be accepted. All others will be put on a waiting list for if one of the active players drops.
This game will be run as the NESes of old, with daily updates. The rules are fairly simple, and under extreme circumstances this may be relaxed. Due to the nature of the game, I cannot “NPC” a character. Should orders not be received, your character will remain motionless, as if in a coma. If you cannot spare a couple minutes each day to play a turn of this game, you’ve been warned.
Create Your Character
You have 15 points to distribute among the stats of your character as seen below. Speed is the number of rooms you can move through in a single turn, Might is used for physical combat and challenges, Sanity is used in challenges wherein your spirit is tested, and Knowledge is used when puzzles need to be solved. When you create your character, you cannot have more than six points in any single category, and must have at least one in each. Simply fill out the below stats. Remember, if during the game you reach “0” in any stat, your character will die.
Character Name:
Speed:
Might:
Sanity:
Knowledge:
Items: None
Rules, Orders, and Manner of Play
Your Stats and What They Do
Each stat’s number is the number of die that will be rolled when you confront a challenge relating to that stat. They also can have other purposes as well.
Speed is the number of rooms you can move through on a single turn. It is also used in checks that challenge your overall agility and flexibility.
Might is used when you are physically attacking someone. The higher the might, the more die used in your attack. It is also used in any challenges relating to strength or stamina.
Sanity is important as the Nesiot Manor is a place that rearranges itself, and is full of all of the usual tropes of a haunted mansion. Keeping sane keeps you alive and is used in any checks relating to keeping your head.
Knowledge is your accumulated education and ability to deal with anything relating to science and eldritch lore. It is important in any checks that involve solving puzzles or gathering information.
Items and Omens
Items and Omens are physical objects that can be discovered when a new room is found. They can provide direct aid to you, or be used in manners to harm others or the monsters that can arise in the mansion. They can be weapons, devices, and ancient relics. Their descriptions and manner of use will be provided when the items are recovered, and will handily be kept in your stats.
Omens are a unique form of item. Each omen discovered increases the odds of the Haunt becoming active. They are also some uniquely powerful items, which can greatly assist you in surviving the manor. Each time an omen is discovered, there is a chance that the Haunt will begin.
The Layout of the Manor
The mansion begins almost completely unexplored and has no set layout. The layout will be determined randomly based on the actions of the players. Some rooms have special effects and requirements, and these will be detailed below at the Current Map section and in the updates where they are introduced. Moving through each room counts as the use of one Speed, unless otherwise stated. All players start in the Entrance Hall.
Orders and What You can do in a Turn
All orders, except those of the traitor must be posted on the thread. Orders will be executed in the update based on the order in which they were received on thread. The sole exception is the traitor, who will always move last, along with any monsters under his control. In a turn you can do any (or all) of the following:
1. Move through any number of rooms equal to or less than your Speed stat.
2. Attack another player or monster within range (Can only be done once per turn). Attacks can only be made after the Haunt is revealed.
3. Use any number of items, though each item can only be used once per turn, unless otherwise specified.
4. Conduct any skill checks relevant to your current position (each can only be done once per turn).
5. Enter into an unexplored room. Simply go through one of the doors that does not yet currently lead to a room, and it will be revealed. This will end any and all movement you can take this turn.
Updates and Winning
As stated, there will be nightly updates, and orders will be expected on a daily basis, except when otherwise stated. Due to the rather easy nature of this game to moderate, and the fact that most of the stuff is randomly done, I have full belief that it should be no problem for me to keep up with this. Each update is a single complete turn by all characters.
How to win the game will be revealed when the Haunt is revealed. In the meantime, assume that you are cooperating with your fellow players. Cooperation can be the key to victory. Good luck.
The Haunt
The Haunt is when the entire game changes. When enough ill omens have been found or discovered by the party, the game changes and the way to win will be revealed. Typically, one of the players will be revealed as a traitor with a dastardly scheme of their own. This player will receive a Private Message detailing how to win, which will remain secret from the other players. Unlike in the board game, the traitor will not always been immediately revealed to the rest of the party.
The Haunt has not yet been revealed, but when it is, all rules and information relating to it will be posted right here.
Current Map
The house begins with only a sparse few rooms visible and known to the party. There is no immediate access to the basement, and only one way up to the upper floor. When a player discovers and enters a new room, it is added to the map. The map itself should be self-explanatory, and any special rules relating to a room will be added here.
Spoiler :
