Betrayal at House on the Hill

1 Overview

Betrayal at House on the Hill is a semi-cooperative horror exploration game for 3 to 6 players designed by Bruce Glassco, published by Avalon Hill. Players explore a haunted mansion together, revealing tiles to build the house room by room. At some point, a Haunt is triggered -- one player becomes the Traitor and turns against the group. The remaining players become Heroes who must survive or complete an objective to win.

The game ships with 50 different Haunts, each with unique rules, win conditions, and story. No two sessions feel the same. It is one of the most replayable thematic games in the hobby, though it rewards players who embrace the chaos over those seeking tight balance.

2 Components

• Tile sets: 44 room tiles across 3 floors (Ground, Upper, Basement)
• Explorer figures: 6 character figures
• Character cards: 12 (two characters per figure)
• Item, Event, and Omen cards
• Monster tokens
• Two rulebooks: Secrets of Survival (Heroes) and Traitor's Tome (Traitor)
• Dice: 8 custom dice (values 0, 1, 2)
• Trait dials: Speed, Might, Sanity, Knowledge for each character

3 Setup

1. Place the Entrance Hall tile connecting Ground, Upper, and Basement floors.
2. Each player picks a character card. Each character has two sides -- pick whichever you prefer. Note your starting trait values on the dials.
3. Shuffle Item, Event, and Omen cards into separate decks.
4. All explorers start in the Entrance Hall.
5. Place the Foyer and Grand Staircase tiles (always present).

4 Exploration Phase (Before the Haunt)

On your turn, take up to two actions. Actions include moving, attacking, using items, or triggering room effects.

Moving

You can move a number of rooms equal to your Speed trait. Moving into an unexplored doorway reveals a new tile -- draw the top tile from the appropriate floor stack and place it so the doorway connects. If a room has a required location (like the Kitchen can only be on the Ground Floor), keep drawing until you find one that fits.

Room Effects

Many rooms trigger effects when first entered: draw an Item card, an Event card, or an Omen card. Items are kept and used. Events are resolved immediately. Omens trigger a Haunt Roll.

The Haunt Roll

Every time a player draws an Omen card, a Haunt Roll is made. Roll 6 dice (0-1-2 values). If the total rolled is less than the number of Omen cards that have been drawn total, the Haunt begins. Early in the game this is unlikely; late in the game it becomes nearly certain.

5 The Haunt Begins

When the Haunt triggers, the Haunt Revealer (the player who drew the Omen that triggered it) consults the Haunt Table -- a matrix of Omen card and Room combinations. This determines which of the 50 Haunts is in play.

1. The Haunt Revealer reads the Haunt number from the table.
2. Check the Traitor Tableau to determine who is the Traitor (usually the Haunt Revealer, but some Haunts specify otherwise).
3. The Traitor takes the Traitor's Tome to a separate room and reads their Haunt entry privately.
4. The remaining players (Heroes) read their version of the Haunt in Secrets of Survival.
5. Both sides learn their objectives, win conditions, and any special rules.

6 Traitor Phase

During each round after the Haunt, the Traitor acts last. Their goals depend entirely on the Haunt -- they might be trying to summon a monster, collect items, escape, or simply kill all the Heroes. The Traitor's Tome provides all specific instructions.

The Traitor controls monsters spawned by the Haunt. Monster activations usually happen during the Traitor's turn. Monsters move toward Heroes using the Haunt's specified rules.

7 Heroes Phase

Heroes go before the Traitor each round. They take 2 actions per turn and work together to complete their objective from Secrets of Survival. Communication is allowed -- Heroes can share information freely. The Traitor cannot.

Heroes can attack the Traitor and monsters using trait rolls. They can also continue exploring, using items, and helping each other.

8 Traits and Trait Rolls

Each character has four traits, each with a starting value between 2 and 5 and a range shown on their trait card. Traits go up and down during the game based on room effects and damage.

Trait rolls: roll dice equal to the relevant trait value. Each die shows 0, 1, or 2. Sum the results. Most rolls require beating a target number specified by the card or Haunt rule.

If a trait drops to the skull symbol on the dial, the character dies.

9 Strategy Tips

For Heroes

Read your objective carefully. Each Haunt has specific win conditions. Heroes often lose because they fight monsters instead of completing the objective. If the objective is "find 3 items and escape," stop attacking the Traitor and find those items.

Stick together early, split with purpose later. Before the Haunt, cluster near each other so you can share discovered rooms. After the Haunt, designate roles: one Hero collects items, one blocks the Traitor, one races for the objective.

High-speed characters scout. Assign your fastest character to explore the most rooms pre-Haunt. More rooms means more items, which shifts the balance toward Heroes.

For the Traitor

Read every rule in your Tome entry. Traitor rules are specific and easy to miss. Missing a rule that benefits you is more common than you think. Re-read the entry before taking your first action.

Complete the objective, don't just fight. Like Heroes, the Traitor usually has a specific win condition. Killing all Heroes is rarely required. Focus on your actual objective while threatening Heroes to slow them down.

10 FAQ