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Table of contents

I hate reading rulebooks and compiled this How to Play Horrified rules to help get your game started quickly with minimal hassle.
If you are looking for an overview, click here to get a quick summary of the gameplay, game mechanics, videos and find out what makes the game fun and suitable for you.

Cooperative game for 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, with a playtime of 60 minutes.

Objective: Defeat all Monsters to win; lose if Terror Level reaches maximum or if the Monster deck is empty.

  • Components:
    • 1 Game Board
    • 6 Monster Mats and Figures
    • 7 Hero Badges and Movers
    • 10 Villager Movers
    • 60 Item Tokens
    • 30 Monster Cards
    • 20 Perk Cards
    • 3 Dice
    • Additional tokens and markers
  • Setup:
    • Board Setup
      • Unfold board and place Terror Marker at 0
      • Shuffle Monster cards and place face-down on board
      • choose Monsters, set up corresponding Monster mats from lowest to highest frenzy and complete monster setup
      • Place Frenzy Marker on the lowest Frenzy order Mat
    • Player Setup
      • Randomly assign Hero Badges to each player. Each player gets corresponding Mover and Reference card
      • Place Heroes at starting location indicated by your badge
      • Shuffle and give each player a Perk card face-up. Place remaining Perk cards face-down in a deck
      • Place 60 item tokens in item bag and randomly draw and place 12 Items on the board.
How to play Horrified - Example Horrified Setup for 3 players

Horrified Gameplay

What is the goal?

  • Win Condition:
    • Players win by defeating all Monsters they are playing against.
    • Each Monster has a unique task to complete before it can be defeated:
      • Creature from the Black Lagoon: Find the hidden lair and drive the Creature away.
      • Dracula: Smash Dracula’s four coffins and overcome him.
      • Frankenstein and the Bride: Teach them humanity to live peacefully.
      • The Invisible Man: Supply evidence of his existence to the police and trap him.
      • The Mummy: Break the Mummy’s curse and return him to his tomb.
      • The Wolf Man: Discover the cure for lycanthropy and administer it.
  • Loss Conditions:
    • Terror Level: Increases each time a Hero or Villager is defeated. If it reaches its maximum, players lose.
    • Out of Time: Each turn, a Monster card is drawn. If the deck is empty when a card needs to be drawn, players lose.
  • Adjust Game Difficulty by setting number of monsters
    • First Game: Creature from the Black Lagoon & Dracula.
    • Novice Game: Any two Monsters.
    • Standard Game: Any three Monsters.
    • Challenging Game: Any four Monsters

Horrified Game Turn

Each turn has two phases: Hero Phase and Monster Phase.

Hero Phase

  • Take as many actions as indicated on your Hero Badge.
  • Actions include:
    • Move to an adjacent space, taking Villagers if desired.
      • You cannot move to water spaces; cross the river only using one of the two bridge spaces.
      • You may take any number of Villagers in your Hero’s space with you when you move.
      • Monsters do not affect movement; you can move into, out of, or end your turn in a space with Monsters, but this increases vulnerability to attacks during the Monster Phase
    • Guide a Villager to or from an adjacent space.
      • Move one Villager from your Hero’s space to an adjacent space.
      • Move one Villager from an adjacent space to your Hero’s space.
      • Villagers cannot move to water spaces.
      • Monsters do not affect Villager movement.
    • Pick up any number of Items in your space.
    • Share Items between Heroes in your space.
    • Advance a task using Items at the specified location.
    • Defeat a Monster using Items in that Monster’s space.
    • Use a special action as noted on your Hero’s Badge.
  • Any player may play any number of Perk cards during this phase.
Things to know about Villagers
Villagers in Horrified
  • Villagers may appear in the village during the Monster Phase, placed at specific locations.
  • There is no limit to the number of Villagers on the board.
  • Each Villager has a designated safe location they are trying to reach.
  • Use the Move and Guide actions to usher Villagers to their safe location.
  • Once a Villager reaches their safe location, the current player removes the Villager from the board and draws a Perk card as a reward.
Things to know about Perk Cards
  • Each player starts with a Perk card; additional Perk cards are earned by getting Villagers to their safe locations.
  • Keep all Perk cards face up and discuss their use with other players.
  • Perk cards can be played on any player’s turn, but only during the Hero Phase.
  • Playing a Perk card does not take an action; follow the card’s instructions and then discard it face up.
Items in Horrified
  • Importance: Items are crucial for advancing tasks, defeating Monsters, and defending against attacks.
  • Characteristics:
    • Color: Indicates the type of Item.
    • Strength: The number at the top of the Item.
    • Location: Indicates where the Item is placed when drawn from the Item bag.
  • Usage:
    • When used, Items are placed in a discard pile unless instructed to place them on a Monster’s mat.
    • Items are not returned to the Item bag unless specifically instructed.
Items in Horrified Board Game

    Monsters Phase

    Monster Card in Horrified
    1. Draw a Monster Card:
      • Draw a card from the top of the Monster deck.
      • Resolve the three parts of the card from top to bottom.
      • Place the resolved card in a discard pile face up.
    2. Items:
      • Draw the number of Items listed at the top of the card from the Item bag.
      • Place each Item at the indicated location.
      • If the Item bag is empty, refill it with Items from the discard pile and continue drawing.
    3. Event:
      • Events involve Monsters or Villagers.
      • The card’s color and symbol indicate the Event’s subject.
      • Gray cards are about Villagers; colored cards are about specific Monsters.
      • If the Event Monster is not in the game, ignore the Event.
      • If the Event Monster is in the game, read and resolve the Event.
    4. Monster Strike:
      • Monsters move and attack as indicated by the symbols at the bottom of the card.
      • Resolve each Monster from left to right; ignore symbols for Monsters not in the game.
      • The Frenzied Monster moves and attacks if the Frenzy symbol appears, possibly attacking twice in one turn.
      • The Event Monster does not attack unless Frenzied.
      • Monsters move towards the closest person (Hero or Villager) and stop upon reaching them.
      • If a Monster starts in a space with a person, it does not move.
      • Attack one person in the Monster’s space by rolling the indicated number of attack dice.
      • If no people are in the Monster’s space, do not attack.
      • If multiple targets are in the space, the Monster attacks a Hero first, then a Villager if no Heroes are present.
      • The current player chooses the target if there are multiple potential victims.

    When hit by a monster

    • Heroes:
      • To avoid being hit, a Hero may discard one Item per Hit symbol rolled.
      • If the Hero cannot or chooses not to discard Items, they are defeated by one hit.
      • When defeated, increase the Terror Level by one, remove the Hero from the board, and place them at the Hospital at the start of their next turn with all actions available.
      • Defeated Heroes do not lose Items or Perk cards.
      • Resolve each Monster’s move and attack separately; discarded Items do not protect from subsequent attacks.
      • A defeated Hero cannot be targeted again in the same turn.
    • Villagers:
      • Villagers have no Items and are defeated immediately when hit.
      • Increase the Terror Level by one and remove the Villager from the board when defeated.
      • The attack target must be declared before rolling, and Heroes cannot discard Items to save Villagers.

    End of Turn:

    • After completing both phases, play proceeds clockwise to the next player’s Hero Phase.

    End of Game

    • Heroes Triumph:
      • The game ends immediately with a victory if all Monsters are defeated.
      • Players have saved the village and possibly the Monsters.
    • Terror!:
      • The game ends immediately with a loss if the Terror Level reaches its maximum (indicated by the skull).
      • The village is abandoned to the Monsters due to overwhelming horror.
    • Out of Time:
      • The game ends immediately with a loss if a card needs to be drawn but the Monster deck is empty.
      • Players have taken too long, and the Villagers have fled.
      • Note: The game ends only if a card needs to be drawn and none remain. After the last Monster card is resolved, one final Hero Phase is played to attempt defeating any remaining Monsters.

    Playing Solo Horrified Game

    • Increased Fear: Start with the Terror Marker on the “3” of the Terror Level Track.Rules: All standard rules apply.Hero Restriction: Do not play as the Courier, as their Special Action is unusable in solo play.Perk Card Restrictions: Remove or discard and replace “Special Delivery” and “Conduct An Investigation” Perk cards, as they cannot be used in solo play.
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