Game Objective

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Setup

Before you begin, follow these steps to set up the table with the Widow’s Walk expansion:

• Combine the expansion’s event cards, item cards, omen cards, and room tiles with those from the base game and shuffle each set separately.
• Place the “Roof Landing” tile on the board, as the first room of the new floor.
• Distribute the explorer tokens (36 circular tokens, 6 of each color) among the players, according to the base game rules.
• Place the obstacle tokens and lock tokens in their designated positions, if any.
• Prepare the monster tokens (4 large circular tokens) and the event/room tokens (36 squares) for use during the game.
• Ensure all components from the base game and the expansion are available and in good condition.

Game Flow

The game follows the basic structure of Betrayal at House on the Hill, with the addition of specific expansion rules:

• When a player discovers a room containing an omen, they can trigger a haunt using the expansion’s new “haunt chart”.
• The haunt chart determines who will be the traitor or the haunt revealer based on the position of the player who triggered the event.
• There is an optional rule for playing only expansion haunts: if a base game omen is triggered in a base game room, the player can discard the omen and continue discarding until they draw an expansion omen, or discard the room and repeat the process.
• The rest of the flow (movement, discovering rooms, using room powers, etc.) follows the base game rules.

Actions and How to Play

In addition to the standard base game actions, the expansion introduces new symbols and mechanics that alter gameplay:

• Dumbwaiter (symbol “”): When a room has this symbol, the explorer can move to the landing one floor above or below, spending 1 additional movement point. Ex.: If the Menagerie is in the basement, moving to the Foyer requires 2 movement points.
• Question Mark (“?”): Upon discovering a room with this symbol, the player must draw the top card from a pile of their choice (events, items, or omens).
• Explorer Tokens: When a player uses a room’s power (Chapel, Gymnasium, Larder, Library, Menagerie, or Study) to gain a trait, they leave their colored explorer token in the room. Afterward, the player cannot use the same room’s power again to gain another trait.
• Obstacle and Lock Tokens: These represent barriers that explorers must overcome. Traitors and monsters ignore these tokens unless the haunt specifies otherwise.

Refer to the manual for complete details on other base game actions and mechanics.

End Game and Scoring

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Tips for Winning

• Use the dumbwaiter strategically: It allows you to quickly jump between floors, saving movement and avoiding dangerous encounters.
• : Discovering a room with the question mark symbol gives you immediate access to a card of your choice, which can be decisive in critical moments.
• : Placing obstacle or lock tokens on critical paths can prevent traitors or monsters from advancing, giving explorers time to prepare.