There are a lot of great horror games out there to stock on retail shelves. However, as Summerween only comes around once a year (see “Selling Summerween“), it is imperative that retailers be fairly choosy when it comes to stocking these games. Horror games, although they have year-round appeal, are still most sought after upon their initial release date (which crowdfunding sometimes dampens demand for up to a year out of the street date) and in the months leading up to Halloween. ICv2 dove into the genre, and here are some of the best of the best for Horror tabletop games to stock, as broken out by category:
Board Games. The top three Horror games in this category are fairly simple and easy to remember: Betrayal at House on the Hill 3E, Zombicide 3E, and Arkham Horror 3E. These three are pretty evergreen and their popularity has stood the test of time. Beyond that, the category becomes a “Choose Your Type of Scary” scenario. For fans of slasher horror, Van Ryder’s Final Girl seems like a no-brainer. For a good ol’ fashioned Sci-Fi thriller, The Thing: The Boardgame by Pendragon Games seems like a great choice. If classic monster movies are the flavor of the month, Ravenburger’s Horrified fits the bill.
As for newer games that appeal to both adults and kids, try out Scorpion Masque’s Flashback: Zombie Kidz for a truly well-designed board game thrill (see “‘Flashback: Zombie Kidz’“). And for party games, try out MonsDRAWsity from Friendly Skeleton. This draw and deduce game, for ages 8 and up, can double as both a kids game and a party game. It is available in distribution via Asmodee (see “Friendly Skeleton“).
RPGs. The RPG category seems to be rich with horror games at this moment. Evergreen choices in this category include old standbys like the World of Darkness books from Renegade Game Studios, Call of Cthulhu by Chaosium, and Deadlands by PEG. The new hotness in the Horror RPGs pretty much comes out of Free League Publishing. ALIEN RPG has been on fire for quite some time, and will build up more steam headed into its 2E release (see “‘ALIEN RPG 2E’“). Free League also publishes the Nordic horror RPG Vaesen and the art punky RPG Mork Borg (see “‘MORK BORG’“), which are both worth a look. Beyond that, Monte Cook’s Old Gods of Appalachia RPG has quite a bit of buzz around it.
TCGs. This is an interesting category for horror at the moment, as it is expanding every so often. In general, there hasn’t been too much in this category beyond the Innistrad sets, but WotC is seeing more and more value in putting out different horror Magic sets. The set coming up on September 27, 2024, Duskmourn: House of Horror, is a straightforward haunted house set. They have even planned out a Trick or Treat event for this set (see “New Deets for ‘Magic: The Gathering’ ‘Duskmourn’ Set“). Beyond that, there is also UVS Games’ Godzilla Challenger Series that features the King of the Monsters and his atomic age foes (see “‘Godzilla Challenger Series’ Decks“).Source: ICv2
