4

We played the Voodoo scenario the other night and I as the traitor got killed in an attack. At the end of each traitor turn, the chance of survivors dying gets more and more likely. So I hoped that even though I was dead, the survivors might still succumb to the dolls.

The rules say that the traitor doesn't lose just because their explorer dies, and that the game can continue if the monsters could fulfil the traitor's task to win. I had no monsters (they don't really factor into this scenario), but I feel like the damage track and the voodoo doll effects were in a sense the equivalent of monsters in this case, and so would continue to be resolved at the end of each traitor/monster turn - giving me a chance to still win - the survivors are still in a race against time to find their dolls before the dolls kill them. Otherwise they've effectively won, it's just the laborious task of finding and destroying the dolls with little/no resistance.

Should the voodoo doll effects continue to be resolved at the end of the traitor/monster turn, even if the traitor explorer is dead?

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
6

You should continue.

The rules for winning and losing are defined by the specific scenarios, not the general game rules. The (heroes) rules for haunt #25 state what is required for the heroes to win:

You Win When ... ... you destroy all of the dolls and at least half (rounding up) of the original heroes are still alive.

The main rulebook does NOT say that you must have a monster in order to continue with the traitor dead. What it says is:

The first side (traitor or heroes) that completes its goals for the haunt wins the game. At least one hero must survive in order for the heroes to win. However, some haunts include goals that are written so that the traitor can still win the game after he or she dies. For instance, the monsters that player controls may be able to win the game without the traitor’s help.

(Emphasis mine). The idea of having monsters to help you win is just one example of how the traitor can win after he dies. It is clear that in order for the heroes to win, they need to meet the requirements in their rules. Killing the traitor has no effect on this (unless their rules state that specifically).

3

For the Voodoo Haunt, you should continue to play, and the dolls will continue to deal damage (or otherwise harm the Heroes) until they are destroyed. Thematically, this still makes sense: the Traitor wants everyone dead, and might still succeed posthumously - the magic linking the voodoo dolls to the Heroes doesn't seem to require any maintenance, and all of the dolls are in dangerous places. Regarding your rules quote, where the monsters can still fulfill the Traitor's goal, the voodoo dolls are effectively your monsters: conditions that can cause the Heroes to die, leaving the Traitor as the victor.

Also consider that there's one Traitor, and at least two Heroes. If killing the Traitor means the Heroes win, then the Voodoo Haunt is very easy: even with the Heroes suffering from the Voodoo dolls, it's much easier for two explorers to kill a lone explorer. And this just gets more ridiculous if you have six players, five of whom are Heroes.

2
  • I definitely agree that thematically it would make sense to play on, it certainly feels in the spirit of the game and would agree with how to handle other scenarios. I guess it comes down to the "voodoo dolls = monsters" point - is that ever spelt out anywhere?
    – BeeMo
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:39
  • @GendoIkari's answer covers that: the bit about "the Traitor can win if he's dead" rule uses monsters as an example of what can cause the Traitor to still be active with the potential to win. The main rules don't mention any extra rules for specific haunts, so the only option is to apply logic: just because monsters were the first example of how the Traitor could still win while dead, doesn't mean it's the only example. And in the Voodoo haunt, the chief menace is the dolls, not the Traitor.
    – PotatoEngineer
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 21:19
-4

the game can continue if the monsters could fulfil the traitor's task to win

I had no monsters

Sounds like you've answered your question there

2
  • That's the rule we played on the night, but I was hoping for a rule we hadn't spotted, or an errata document that cleared this up, since thematically, and compared to other scenarios in the game, that we should have continued to play.
    – BeeMo
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:35
  • 3
    This rule doesn't say that the the game can't continue if there are no monsters. (It doesn't say "if, and only if"). It is just meant to point out that a dead traitor doesn't automatically mean that the heroes win.
    – GendoIkari
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:55

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .