If you were active on board game social media a couple of years ago, you probably saw a lot of pictures of a game featuring a massive cardboard building right in the middle of the table. That game was called Terrorscape. It became so popular after that first release that the creators are back with a new, improved version called Terrorscape 2.
The theme of the game feels like something straight out of a scary Hollywood movie. One player takes on the role of the killer. The other players are the survivors. The killer has a simple goal: they only need to kill one of the survivors to win. The survivors have a much harder job. They must either find all five keys to unlock the main exit and escape, or repair a radio to call for help and wait for rescue. Their task is definitely more difficult, but they have the advantage of numbers. If that fails, they can try to fix and fuel a vehicle to drive away, or even turn the tables and kill the killer themselves! Plus, the killer cannot actually see any of the survivors. The survivors are hiding out of sight. The killer must use their special skills and abilities to track them down. To hunt. To kill.
A house divided
Let’s talk about the big thing in the room. More specifically, let’s talk about the huge cardboard house sitting on the table. Honestly, it is the size of a small elephant, but it really makes a statement. If you are looking for a game that will catch everyone’s eye at a busy game night or a convention, Terrorscape is the one that will do it.
Now, you might argue that the building is a bit much, and technically, you would be right. However, sometimes there is more going on than meets the eye.
First, and most importantly, it acts as a screen. The killer sits on one side of the table, and the survivors sit on the opposite side. The imposing structure splits the space between them. In a hidden movement game like Terrorscape, it is super important that one person can track their own movement while the other cannot see it.
Second, it is very thematic. Games like Terrorscape live or die based on their ability to convey their theme and feeling. We have all seen movies like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Scream, and many others that play on the feelings generated by being trapped somewhere with something bad. The building is big, moody, and gives off a sense of grandeur. You have not just come to game night for a quick game—this is an experience.
Third, and least important but still pretty cool, the house has a built-in dice tower. Nice.
Fun and games
So, now that we have covered the theme and the massive object on the table, let’s talk about what really matters—the game itself. You can have all the glitz, glamour, and pieces in the world, but if the game is not fun, then it is all for nothing.
The survivors move around the map out of sight of the killer. They can move around, search for items (cards), and try to make the repairs they need to escape. Unfortunately, most of the things they do are noisy, so they have to tell the killer where to place noise tokens on his map. It is not enough for the killer to just think, “Oh, there’s a noise over there, there must be a survivor too,” because there are all kinds of things the survivors can do to muddy the waters. They might find a bottle, for example, which they can throw into an adjacent space as a distraction.
The killer, too, can move around in secret if they happen to be in stealth mode. It lets them spring up unexpectedly and sniff out the fear of a survivor. The killer has a tricky task, for sure, but through a deck of different action cards, they can tip the tables in their favor. Clever use of the killer deck is the key to doing well as the One in the One vs Many battle of Terrorscape. If you manage to completely cycle the deck, you level up and unlock new skills and abilities. It is an awesome feeling when you have to tell the survivors you can now kick their butts in a new, cruel, and unusual way.
You hear the term “beer & pretzels” thrown around when talking about games that are more theme than complicated rules. Terrorscape takes that term and runs with it. It is theme, theme, theme, all the way down. The survivors planning and conspiring in hushed whispers. The killer stalking them and trying to make their lives hellish at every turn. It is great. It feels like a film, and that is just about the biggest compliment you can give a game which is striving to give you the slasher experience on your table.
Final thoughts
If you have been reading Punchboard for any time, you will know that a game like Terrorscape is not really in my wheelhouse. I have played games like Mind MGMT and enjoyed them, but that was a subdued experience in comparison. Terrorscape is unashamedly bold, brash, and in your face, and I think that is what makes it so good. It sets out to be this tabletop experience, this horror film brought to life, and it delivers.
Despite the enormous box and the outrageously big building you need to put together, it is a much easier game to learn and play than you might worry about. There are a few things worth bearing in mind on top of the sheer size of it. First, Terrorscape is built around the idea of one player being the killer and them always being pitted against three survivors. The game’s balance is baked in. If you only have three players at your game night, the two survivor players need to play three characters between them. It is not the end of the world, but it feels a little janky.
I cannot comment on longevity or how all the different killers play, because the demo version I was sent only came with a limited sample. I can tell you that what I have played was great fun, and that it is genuinely as much fun playing as a survivor as it is being the headline act—the killer. I strongly suggest introducing new players to the survivor role first, though, so someone can hand-hold them and help them understand the flow of the game.
