Take on the role of a real FBPI agent! FBPI? That’s the Federal Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, of course! Who doesn’t know them… The X-Files you you probably have in fact heard of. You might be familiar with several ‘monsters of the week’ in particular. And I’m not talking about Mulder, Scully and their enigmatic romance! Often these involved so-called Cryptids, mysterious and inexplicable creatures, such as Bigfoot and the Jersey Devil. In Horrified American Monsters, players go hunting for such monsters and other Paranormal Activity that typically represent the U.S. of A.
Background and goal
Horrified American Monsters is a stand-alone sequel to the first game in this series simply known as Horrified. The first Horrified is a game where players collectively take on two or more monsters known from horror literature, particularly 19th century, and/or the Universal Classic Monster movies, which were very popular in the first half of the last century. Players took on Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein’s Monster and His Bride, the Mummy, the Wolf Man and the Invisible Man in this game. Very European monsters in an equally European setting.
Horrified American Monsters, as the title strongly suggests, revolves around monsters from America. These monsters have their origins in (urban) legends, folklore, local myths and campfire stories. These typical American monsters attack a typical American town with all the stereotypes you expect in this town. All the Horror cliches pass by and of course we feast on them. The jock is present, the American Diner and everything typically Americana.
Setup
The gameplay and game design largely follow the same lines as the first Horrified. The biggest difference is in the playable characters and especially the monsters players will face off against. Have you already played the first Horrified loads of times? Then you can skip review’s explanation of the game setup and game play and peek right at the scary Monsters!
Players set up the game board, choose their favorite monsters to chase down, are assigned a character and place random items in the appropriate locations on the board. Depending on the monsters chosen, special game elements are also prepared during the setup. Each player receives a perk card and is ready to hunt. During their turn, players start performing actions to defeat monster. Will players manage to defeat the monsters in time or are not the monsters, but time their biggest enemy? Do you know how to save the American dream?
Gameplay
Each turn always proceeds in two phases: the hero phase and monster phase.
During the hero phase of a turn, the player whose turn it is can perform several actions (the amount depends on the character chosen). The player has a choice of the following actions:
- Move to an adjacent field and possibly take villagers;
- Guide villagers on an adjacent field to your field;
- Pick up objects;
- Exchange objects with another player;
- Perform the corresponding task of a monster (often by using objects;
- Fighting a monster with various items.
Each character also has unique actions or properties.
The game board consists of several spaces inspired by typical elements you would expect to find in an American town. During the game, locations will contain objects (which are drawn from a cloth bag) as well as civilians. If a monster manages to defeat a civilian (or a player), you are one step closer to your doom. By moving a civilian to a safe spot (which varies for each civilian, by the way), you can protect it and remove it from the game board. If you manage to save and civilian, you get a perk card with additional actions.
Objects are needed to defeat monsters. Objects come in different colors: yellow (for example a bullet free vest or pistol), blue (for example a knife) and brown (animals or hunting tools).
After a player completes his/her hero phase, it is the monsters’ turn. A card is drawn from the monster pile indicating whether items are placed, which villagers, if any, come into play, or what actions the monsters or a monster performs. Often, 1 or more monsters will move across the game board toward the nearest player or villager. If a monster lands on a space with a player or villager, the monster attacks. Players roll the indicated amount of dice.
If an exclamation mark is thrown, this monster performs his/her special action. If a damage symbol is thrown, the monster attacks. Villagers disappear. Players have the chance to protect themselves by discarding items, or else end up in the hospital. If a monster has successfully attacked, its terror level goes up. If the last terror level is reached, players collectively lose.
Monsters
Each monster has a specific task and way to be defeated. First the task must be completed and only then can players try to attack the monster directly. Which monsters are housed in America?
The Chupacabra appears in a lot of folk tales particularly in the southern U.S., but also Central America and is a monster/demon that particularly targets sheep, goats and other livestock. The Chupacabra was probably used as an explanation for particularly aggressive predators, jealous neighbor farmers or scary livestock diseases. Players first try to bring 6 goats (brown items) safely to the farm and then they can defeat the Chupacabra with yellow items.
The haunted Banshee of the Badlands can be compared to other ghost stories about tormented women who died prematurely and bespoken an area as revenge: in this case, the Badlands. Try to stop her fiddle-playing friend and then you can defeat her.
Bigfoot. Who doesn’t know him. The legend about a large and hairy creature on two legs who is said to wander all kinds of forests on particularly large feet. Did you know that there is a Star Wars story where Chewbacca and Han Solo crash on Earth and that is how the legend of Bigfoot is said to have originated? A recurring element of the legend are the blurry photographs that would provide evidence of Bigfoot’s existence. In this game, Bigfoot mainly tries to escape while players try to take (blurry) pictures.
Mothman was reportedly spotted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. A giant man with wings. This urban legend was the inspiration for many stories, comics and movies. Players try to trap the Mothman by activating traps.
The Ozark Howler is a large creature said to live and hunt in the Ozarks. In most versions, this Cryptid would be a large bear/cat-like creature with horns. Players hunt for the Howler by first discovering its trail.
An episode of the X-Files once featured an elaboration of the popular urban legend about the Jersey Devil. This urban legend is said to involve a two-legged goat with antlers and wings. The Jersey Devil is said to have been born rather unnaturally from a forbidden love with a witch (from the so-called and locally feared Leeds family). The Jersey Devil can take human form and is said to be found particularly in the overgrown portion of Pine Barrens in South Jersey. In the game Horrified, one of the villagers is the 13th child of the Leeds witch and thus the Jersey Devil. Each time a villager is saved by one of the players, those players get a hint as to the identity of the Jersey Devil.
Verdict
Horrified remains a very fun and genuinely enjoyable cooperative game. The different monsters may make the game seem complex, but it is actually quite simple. The cooperative gameplay can be compared to Flash Point or Pandemic. Players are given a number of actions per turn and try to use them as efficiently as possible. Therefore, the game is mainly a race against the clock. Because of the different monsters (and combinations of monsters) there is more than enough variety and you can make the game as easy or difficult as you want.
American Monsters introduces new game mechanics that make Horrified even more interesting through the various new challenges. Terrific fun!
