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Raid on St. Nazaire
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Nightmare House
1983
Rules assistance for Nightmare House
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 90 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Nightmare House
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Nightmare House is a board game released in 1983 for 1–5 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by David Marshall and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Point to Point Movement.
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About the game
Ares Magazine #15. Nightmare House is a two to five player game of ghost hunting and exorcism. (There are solitaire rules). One player (the House) takes the role of the Evil Entity that has spun its web of power over the Darkholm Manor. The other players (called the Hunters) each represent a ghost hunter who has entered the house one dark night to confront and banish its evil. The battle against the House takes place on two planes. On the Astral Plane, the Hunters try to reach and exorcise the Entity hidden in the heart of darkness of the House. The Hunters must advance along the 12 Axes of Power, weakening the House and destroying its web of evil by exorcising the Entity's power from individual rooms in the Manor. The House tries to trap the Hunter's Psyches and cast their Astral bodies adrift on this plane. On the Material Plane, the physical manifestation of the House, the Hunters search for discoveries to help them on the Astral Plane, as the House materializes Physical and Psychic Haunts against them through its Foci of Evil. The House tries to take possession of the Hunter's physical bodies, destroy them, and absorb their souls. The Hunters use various tools and strengths to defend themselves against the Haunts.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- SPI (Simulations Publications, Inc.)
Questions and answers
Nightmare House supports 1–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Nightmare House is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Nightmare House for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Nightmare House has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Nightmare House belongs to these categories: Horror. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Point to Point Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Nightmare House are: David Marshall. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Nightmare House as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.