Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
The date is May 7, 1896. On this day H.H.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
The date is May 7, 1896. On this day H.H. Holmes was hanged, for the murder of at least 9 innocent victims, but suspected of much, much more. Or was he? Perhaps he succeeded in framing an unknowing employee of his famous Horror Hotel? Let's find out! In Holmes' Horror Hotel players assume the roles of either employees of the hotel, or the owner himself, H.H. Holmes. The roles are secret, so only the player that is dealt the Holmes character knows who is who. The employees know by now that danger is afoot in the hotel, but they don't know who is behind it all. And on this dark night in 1896, they find all the doors and windows of the hotel locked. There is no escape, their only chance is to expose the serial killer before they all die a gruesome death… Players in turn draw 1-3 cards. These cards can be traps, clues or dead ends. Traps hurt you and can eliminate you from the game, clues can be used to identify the killer- or frame an innocent coworker - and dead ends are... dead ends and should be discarded. The employees have to play all their cards truthfully, only Holmes can lie and discard unwanted traps or clues. But when he gets called out on this, it's game over for him. Can the employees survive and identify Holmes as the killer in their midst before time runs out? Holmes' Horror Hotel is a fast game of deduction and hidden identities, for 4 to 7 players. —description from the publisher