Board games are making a comeback. The steady release of boutique board games and the cult status of party games and European imports has brought us to a sort of renaissance in board gaming.
We could argue all day about what’s responsible for this new interest in board gaming: dwindling entertainment budgets forcing families to stay home, the Internet as a trendsetting medium allowing people to find games easier, etc. The point isn’t why we love board games again, but to celebrate our newfound love of games by trying out new titles and adding to our collection when we find a game we love.
Horror board games are a small subgenre of board gaming. There aren’t a ton of board games with a horror theme, classic or modern. Traditionally, board games are more about trivia, luck, and teamwork than a focus on genre like we see with horror board games. Still, we can think of three horror board games that deserve the title “best horror board games of all time.” Here’s a quick look at three classic horror board games.
This adventure board game is based on the writings and the fictional worlds of HP Lovecraft. Originally released in 1987 and re-released in revised editions in both 2005 and 2007, Arkham Horror puts players in the roles of various types of investigators in Lovecraft’s fictional town of Arkham. Arkham Horror, especially in the two more contemporary versions, is more like a tabletop roleplaying game than a board game, though because the game is played on a board with cards and other traditional game pieces, it is most definitely a board game. If you like the creepy monsters and gods of the Lovecraft universe, check out Arkham Horror.
2. Zombies!!!
Zombies!!! is a strategy board game celebrating zombies in contemporary fiction and movies. With nearly a dozen expansions and other spin-offs, Zombies!!! is one of the most popular horror board games, though the horror is downplayed in favor of general zombie silliness. New maps, characters, and game rules are released all the time, providing a ton of support for fans of this addictive zombie horror board game.
Listed as a “survival horror board game,” Last Night on Earth is a massive game that comes with an audio CD to help set the mood. The graphics of the board and cards are photo-realistic, giving this game a true horror feel, especially compared to the more funny / sarcastic horror found in Zombies!!!. Plenty of expansion and supplements exist to expand the scope of the game’s universe.