- BGG rating
- 5.9
The Haunting House 2: The Second Story
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2005
- BGG rank
- BGG #31,278
- BGG rating
- 5.1
The Haunting House
2003
Rules assistance for The Haunting House
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.4/5
Rules assistant for The Haunting House
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Haunting House is a board game released in 2003 for 2–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Kerry Breitenstein and its main mechanics are Modular Board and Action Queue.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 5.9
The Haunting House 3: A Ghost Story
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2005
- BGG rating
- 6.1
The Haunting House 4: They Just Don't Build 'Em Like They Used To
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2007
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About the game
The goal of The Haunting House is to be the first to escape a haunted house that the players have entered. The haunted house is made up by randomly laying out tiles in a 6x6 square making up the floor plan and then adding entrance and exit tiles at opposing edges. Each player then gets a set of cards symbolizing different actions. Each turn consists of two phases: a random phase and planned phase. First, the random phase is where a number of random cards are drawn and executed, throwing the players off track from their plans. During the random phase, a few cards are inserted into each player's card set that cannot be chosen during the planned phase. Apart from normal move cards, there are also special action cards that may for instance move the exit or things like that. After the random phase remove the white bordered cards and perform the planned phase. Now, each player secretly select a sequence of 5 cards that define that player's actions that turn (somewhat reminiscent of RoboRally). Publisher's blurb The Haunting House is a wildly fun, fast paced, strategy boardgame with a twist. The object is simple, players enter the front door and race to be the first to reach the exit. It's not as easy as it sounds. Half the time the players choose their own path. The other half their paths are chosen randomly by opponents. Additionally, the board elements constantly change as the game progresses. The Haunting House features 38 tiles that make up the board, 60 cards and six custom-sculpted pawns.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Raven Distribution
- Twilight Creations, Inc.
Questions and answers
The Haunting House supports 2–6 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 The Haunting House is 45 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 The Haunting 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.
The Haunting House has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light 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.
The Haunting House belongs to these categories: Horror and Racing. Its main mechanics are Modular Board and Action Queue. 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 The Haunting House are: Kerry Breitenstein. 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 The Haunting 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.