Santa's on his way in the new Betrayal at House on the Hill expansion, but he… well, he doesn't seem OK. I'm pretty sure he doesn't normally have mangled Christmas tree arms and murder on his mind, for example.
Announced at Gen Con (the year's biggest event for board games and tabletop RPGs), 'Evil Reigns in the Wynter's Pale, The Yuletide Tale' will apparently launch on November 1. Starring twisted versions of Santa and an elf who've been hit with some sort of magical curse, they've both been turned into monsters who come with their own miniatures. As per other Betrayal at House on the Hill expansions, this set adds new room tiles, cards, Haunt books for Traitors and Survivors, and a story prologue to what is arguably one of the best board games. Intriguingly, the elf actually comes with a character board of his own. Can you actually take control of him? It seems that way, but I've reached out to developer Avalon Hill to see if they can clarify.
As you may have guessed by now, you shouldn't think this Santa is a jolly old fellow; according to the backstory offered on the rulebook, it's something of a Tim Allen 'Santa Clause' situation where someone takes over from the old St. Nick. Unfortunately for us, this Father Christmas accidentally inherited the mantle after robbing the last one, which is presumably why he looks so hideous.
Designed for the game's third edition (which we said was a "fantastic update to a beloved classic" in our Betrayal at House on the Hill 3rd Edition review), it sounds as if players will be stalked as they explore the mansion. We'll all need to watch out for their unnatural abilities, too. As the expansion's blurb says, "because of a magical mishap, the cold-hearted visitor and his henchman have assumed identities of other beloved holiday characters and have acquired numerous magical powers." We don't know what those powers will be, but it's likely that they'll change depending on the Haunt / mission you draw.
This is the second Betrayal at House on the Hill expansion for the game's latest edition; the last one, announced for Gen Con 2022, turned you into a werewolf. If you want to preorder this new pack, you're in luck - here's where you can get it:
Want something new to play? Check out these board games for adults, or the top board games for 2 players.
