Hello, Adventure-Raisers!!! I hope you Labor Day weekend is going well! Now, please don’t read any further because this post is going to have some serious spoilers – and to be fair, it’s about a game that I cannot recommend playing with the little dragons around. It’s also a game that I think a lot of people will be jealous to find out I own… Betrayal Legacy. That’s right! Orin scored a copy at GenCon!! (please don’t hate me for this Session 30: Legacy Betrayal 1 (SPOILERS!!))
Why Little Dragons Can’t Play
First off, it’s a horror game at its surface AND its core. We’ve only played the first chapter so far, but I can promise you that there were some serious psychological themes that most parents can handle, and most children cannot. For example: murder for the sake of plot. Secondly, it involves more complex rules than most kids are going to be interested in learning. That’s not to say that the rules can only be taught by reading them – of course the best way to learn is by playing them out – but they are on a level of complexity that I don’t see many children being interested in before they’re out of the “nuh-uh!” phase of pretending. Finally, and you guys know this is one I watch out for: is choking hazards. One of the biggest obstacles to bringing young dragons to game night is the size of the board pieces. And considering that this game came with about 400+ cardboard popouts, plus minis, plus dice, plus about 5 different card decks… yeah, no, if you have a grabby dragon that is still inclined to experience the world via taste, this is not a good idea yet. All said, this is definitely a game you want to ask Grandma to babysit for.
Why You Should Play
Yes, this game is huge and complex. Yes, this game is based on the legendary Betrayal at House on the Hill – go play that if you haven’t already, here’s a link to order it today!! (link) If you can get your hands on a copy of Betrayal Legacy, or if a friend is happy to let you play, then you should take it out for a spin. I mean, check the date this post was made – THIS GAME WAS MADE FOR FALL!!! If you like Halloween and a forest’s worth of cardboard that tells you what to do, this is just the game for you. Last point I want to make on this, and this is the first real SPOILER: This module is one-time play. You read that right. This game… is good for only one campaign. There is free-play for after the campaign, but the campaign itself cannot be redone. I expect this to be theme throughout the chapters, but at the end of the first chapter all players scratched off individual cards to reveal the witch amongst us, and there’s no way to return the cards to how they were before. Now you may be thinking: ok, so if the first round calls for scratch-offs, I can just put a bit of tape down on the cards and reuse them. While that’s a good idea, you’re going to have to let an entirely new group of players use the cards. Because (leans in closer to whisper) at the end of the chapter, at the end of the haunt and betrayal and at the end of slaughtering each other, everyone trying to “kill the witch,” it is revealed that no one’s scratch off says ‘witch.’ You were all just… madmen killing each other.
How the Game Works
So, thus far, what my party and I have gathered from this game is that each chapter will be from the perspective of another generation in your family tree. There was 4-5 families bound to this mysterious, abandoned house – probably in Maine, if Stephen King has taught me anything. Or Boston, if Lovecraft has taught me anything else. Each player gets a family tree card, to keep track of family heirlooms that each generation has gleaned from the blood-soaked grounds and, I suspect, to keep track of which of the other families has “betrayed” you the most. This leaves you the players freed up to play multiple personalities and take multiple approaches to the problem of that generation. In other words, its sequels done right, haha.
I think that the circle of friends I have for this campaign is actually perfect for this, as we have essentially two couples playing. Myself and Orin, and then Velinda and Drake. Velinda and Drake have been our friends for years, and they just recently leveled up their relationship to Cohabitation. Velinda was actually taking care of me around the office the week before Little Dragon was born, if that tells you how close we are. Drake, Velinda, Orin and I all have distinct play styles. Velinda like to calculate her best chance of winning, and immediately follow that route. Which makes it easy to mistake her as the betrayer, which is what Orin and I did during the witch hunt. Drake likes to either play wildly, with seemingly no strategy, or to play as aggressively as possible for a short time, build up his intimidation, and then retreat. He tries to play the player. Orin prefers steady, consistent shows of might. In D&D he plays paladins, and in Betrayal he plays the character with the best physical stats. Which is why he won the witch hunt that relied so much on PVP… And finally, I like to play utility and I like to play the heart of the party. That means that my characters and I will be struggling this entire campaign in a haunted house, haha. But I’m alright with that, I think it will enrich the story if there are some player victims my friends will regret killing.
Back to an overview of the game, the chapters will begin with the same standard exploration phase we all know and love from the original Betrayal. Items found can either be used of heirlooms are specific to that chapter. And the haunts are, at least for the first chapter, predetermined. I’m actually not sure if the haunts will be randomized after this, but I’ll find out and let you all know! Generational trauma and blood feuds will surely linger over our every move, as we fight for survival and sanity. I can’t wait!!!!
Conclusion
Even if you don’t have a copy of this game, remember it’s officially Spooky Season after tomorrow. It’s time to bust out your scary games, and I don’t just mean an unbalanced round of Commander. I’ll be on the lookout for more games that we can all play with the Little Dragons, too! I’m sure Disney or TTRPGKids has something. Please don’t forget to check out my other posts and drop a comment if it feels right! (link) Have a happy Labor Day!
PS: I had a thought over the weekend, and I want your input; would any of you be interested in reading about tavern food that I prep for Game Day AND that my Little Dragon likes to eat? A handful of recipes that kids of all ages lap up? Let me know on FB, X, Tumblr or here!
