Haunted Mansion Board Game How To Play

Disney Haunted Mansion board game — Allow's trip the light fantastic with the ghosts in The Haunted Mansion!

When was the concluding time your family unit spent some time in The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland or Disney Earth?

It'southward a archetype ride that Disney fans flock to the world over.

And now you tin live information technology up on your own kitchen table!

Last year, while all the Disney parks were close down, Funko Games published Disney: The Haunted Mansion – Telephone call of the Spirits Game.

Players explore all the classic rooms of the ghost-infested manor, from the festivities-filled Ballroom to the Cranium and out to the Graveyard and beyond in search of ghosts.

Are you ready for those grim grinning ghosts to socialize?

How to play Disney: The Haunted Mansion – Telephone call of the Spirits Game

The main goal of The Haunted Mansion game is to score the virtually points past collecting sets of ghost cards from around the mansion. Simply they'll likewise take to watch out for Haunt cards because the most haunted actor will lose points.

The centerpiece of the game lath is the Endless Hallway — which rotates in the centre of the board. Each player places their mover in the Séance Room (very center) and the Hitchhiking Ghosts mover is placed in the Crypt to begin.

The Ghost cards, Haunt cards, and Upshot cards are also shuffled in their individual decks and placed face down.

The game is played over a serial of rounds that consist of 2 phases: Outcome stage & Action phase.

Event Phase

At the start of each round, the top Effect card is placed face up adjacent to the deck. The Hitchhiking Ghosts are then moved the management and number of rooms indicated on the carte du jour. Each player that is in a room the Hitchhiking Ghosts laissez passer through draws 1 Haunt card. And each histrion that is in the room the Hitchhiking Ghosts end in draws ii Haunt cards.

In addition, each Event card lists a condition that applies for the duration of that circular.

Next, Ghost cards are drawn and placed face up upwards in the various rooms. The number fatigued is equal to the number of players plus 3. The first 2 cards are placed in the aforementioned room as the Hitchhiking Ghosts. Then, moving clockwise, one bill of fare is placed in each room until all have been placed.

And so it'due south fourth dimension for action!

Activity Stage

Outset with the First Thespian for the round, each histrion volition take 1 plough and and so the round ends. On their turn, a role player may take 3 of the following actions in any club (and may take the same action multiple times).

Move

The game board is divided into 6 different rooms. Nevertheless, player's movers remain on the center dial on the lath — either in the very centre Séance Room or on a Hallway space aligned with a specific room. For an action, a thespian may move their mover to an adjacent room (by placing it on the aligned section for that room) or between the Hallway and Séance Room.

Rotate the Countless Hallway

For ane action, a player may rotate the Countless Hallway as far as they'd similar.

Collect a Ghost Card

A player may take ane Ghost bill of fare from the room they're in. Player may take more than 1 Ghost card from a room, but each card taken requires ane action. If the bill of fare has an Consequence, the effect is performed immediately. The player places the nerveless menu confront up in front of them.

If a player collects a card from a room with the Hitchhiking Ghosts, they also must draw a Haunt bill of fare.

Duel

If a histrion is in the same room as another player, they may declare a Duel to attempt to steal one of their cards.

The actor announces who they are dueling and which of their Ghost cards they are trying to steal. And so each dueling player takes ane of the Duel Dials. They each secretly chose a number on the dial — 0, 1, 2, or 3. This represents how many Haunt cards they are willing to describe to get the Ghost card they're dueling over.

When both are set up, they simultaneously reveal their bids. Whoever bid the college number, gets the Ghost carte du jour. If there is a tie, the Ghost card remains with the defender.

Regardless of the outcome, both players depict the corporeality of Haunt cards they bid.

Players can only accept the Duel action in one case on their plough.

Discard a Haunt Card

If a actor is in the Séance Room, they may utilize an action to discard one of their Haunt cards to the lesser of the Haunt deck. Like a Duel, a histrion may simply take this action once per turn.

Later on each player has taken a turn, the round ends. The First Player marker is passed to the left and a new circular begins.

During the Upshot stage, if the Event carte revealed is the "Final Round" carte du jour, this will be the final round of the game. In the final round, 3 additional Ghost cards are placed on the board.

Once the final round is over, players add upwardly their points.

First, players add upward the value of all their Haunt cards. The actor with the highest value must discard all of their Ghost cards of the blazon that they have the most of.

Then players add up all the points from their Ghost cards and the player with the nigh points wins!

Scoring Ghost Cards

In that location are 8 different types of Ghost cards plus 5 Special Ghosts.

Ballroom Ghosts each score 4 points (but players must draw a Haunt bill of fare each time they collect a Ballroom Ghost).
Groom Ghosts are each worth i point. When collected, the player as well collect the top card from the Ghost deck.
Dancing Ghosts are individually worth 0 points. But a pair of dancing ghosts is worth 7 points.
Tea Party Ghosts each score 2 points. When nerveless, the player must move the Hitchhiking Ghosts the number of rooms indicated (the role player chooses the direction).
Grim Grinning Ghosts each score 2 points. When nerveless, the player discards a Haunt bill of fare of their choice.
Musician Ghosts are worth the squared value of the number of musician ghosts nerveless. For example, 3 musician ghosts grant 9 total points and 4 musician ghosts grant xvi total points.
Painting and Artifacts grant points based on how many are nerveless. 1 scores 3 points. A pair scores 0 points. And a set of 3 scores 12 points. If a player has more than than 3, extras are scored as a split up set up.
Stretching Portraits come up in iv different types (denoted past icons). A set up of 3 identical stretching portraits score 15 points. A ready of 4 unique stretching portraits score 18 points. Each stretching portrait may only be included in one set. And whatsoever that don't fit in a gear up are worth 0 points.
The v Special Ghosts score in unique ways as described on their cards.

Can the whole family savour The Haunted Mansion?

Disney: The Haunted Mansion – Telephone call of the Spirits Game is a fun game most members of the family can enjoy playing together. I say "most" considering understanding the different ways the types of ghosts score may be difficult for young kids. The recommended age for the game is 9+ and that feels pretty accurate to the states.

Equally we similar to encounter in board games focused on family play, The Haunted Mansion has a proficient mix of luck and strategy. Players are faced with choices that brand a divergence in the upshot, yet they're also impacted by the luck of the card draws. And of form, all players are impacted by the choices others brand.

And we notice the level of player interaction in the game a perfect fit.

Since everyone's collected ghost cards remain face upward in forepart of them throughout the game, information technology'southward easy to meet how other players are trying to score points. And players can make choices based on trying to keep certain cards out of reach of their opponents (like by shifting the Endless Hallway to move them away from certain rooms).

The simply cards players keep secret are their Haunt cards. They range in value from 1 to 3 and players want to steer articulate of having the highest total value at the finish of the game because they'll have to surrender their nigh-collected type of cards and not score them.

The most directly player interaction are the Duels — where players try to steal cards from each other. It'south a very interesting dynamic because ghost cards volition have differing values based on what the players have collected so far. For case, 1 card may exist simply okay for one role player, simply very valuable for another player because they could score a set.

Just knowing that the thespian trying to steal may score big points if they become the card, the defender may choose to secretly bid high on the Duel Dial just to keep it from that player.

Withal, the draw back is that, regardless of the result, both players in a Duel have to depict the number of Haunt cards equal to their bid. Then y'all may get the card you desire, simply it may seize with teeth y'all in the finish if you lot get loftier value Haunts that make you lose those fought-over ghost cards in the terminate.

The secret bidding can be a very engaging part of the game. But nosotros also know others that don't care to Duel at all. The great news is that it'due south upward to you and your group dynamics on how it plays out.

Nosotros've also plant that, because of the luck of the carte draws, players aren't able to plan too far ahead in the game. Every round the Hitchhiking Ghosts will motion around, a new Upshot card may change a status, and new Ghost cards volition exist randomly set out in the rooms. And so you'll have to adjust each round on what you're going to exercise based on the options in the moment.

You can set your sights on collecting certain sets of cards, just should be prepared to be flexible and opportunistic too.

Possibly our favorite chemical element of the game that also feels and then thematic is the rotating Endless Hallway in the heart of the game board. It's a separate board piece that sits in the middle of the lath so it can spin freely. And it totally captures the feel of the Disney ride.

Plus the artwork on the cards also match perfectly with the theme park ride.

How does The Haunted Mansion score on our "Let'due south Play Once again" game meter?

Disney Haunted Mansion board game Disney: The Haunted Mansion – Call of the Spirits Game scores well on our "allow's play again" game meter considering it's a fun family lath game that's well-produced, gives players interesting choices, and captures the theme of the ride very well.

With so many means to score points from the various cards, it'south fun to play again and try different strategies.

We've reviewed a number of Disney ride-themed games over the concluding few years and The Haunted Mansion has been our favorite among them.

We'd like to give thanks Funko Games for a review copy of Disney: The Haunted Mansion – Call of the Spirits Game.