By Sean Winningham

on October 17, 2023

There are many places where people can find games, such as a major retail store or your local gaming store. One area that tends to get overlooked, however, is self-published games that launch on Kickstarter. If you’re a hardcore gamer, you probably check this site regularly (and thus not really new for you), but if you are a casual gamer, this is a great way to find unique and exciting games that may have flown under your radar.

One game that just recently launched on Kickstarter is a card game called Head Hauntcho. I had the opportunity to do a demo play with the creators at my local gaming store, Valkyrie’s Vault, to get a hands-on experience with the game.

According to the Kickstarter page:

Head Hauntcho is a small box card game where two to five players compete to haunt as many locations as possible. The gameplay revolves around constructing spirit chains of different ghostly patterns, as well as using special powers to gain the upper hand and steal victory from opponents. With adjustable mechanics and alternate scoring rules, Head Hauntcho can be enjoyed by nearly all ages and skill levels.

GAME INFORMATION

Players: 2-5
Play Time: 30 minutes
Ages: 10+
Mechanism: Tug Of War, Pattern Building, Deck Building, Hand Management,
Genre: Card Games, Ghost-themed
Designer(s): Ben Bertoli
Artist(s): Bethany Bertoli
Publisher: Radish Games

REVIEW

How It’s Played

The objective is to be the player that has the most points by the end of the game. To earn points, you need to claim Location Cards which gives you the ability to gain full points listed at the top of the card, or you can decide to claim partial points that will also include an additional ability that you can use during your play. You use Spirit Cards to build a pattern on a Location Card in order to claim that card.

Every player will select a character to play. Each character has 2 locations listed as their favorite haunts on its character card. If you claim those locations, you gain additional points on top of the Location points options (+2 for one favorite haunt, +5 for both favorite haunts).

Every player will start with 3 Spirit Cards in their hand (and will always end their turn by drawing more Spirit Cards to fill their hand back up to 3). During each player’s turn, they have 3 actions that they can play.

In addition to playing your Spirit Cards, you can also use a Grave Card to tap into a certain ability. Once you use all four Grave Cards, you can use an action to refresh your Grave Cards.

To claim a Location, you will need to use your Spirit Cards. You play your Spirit Card on a Location to create a chain. The chain must match the pattern listed on the Location card. If you complete the pattern on that Location before your opponents do, you get to claim that Location.

Once there are only 3 Location cards left in play, the game is immediately over and each player tallies their score to determine the winner.

For more detailed instructions, read the Kickstarter page for “Head Hauntcho.”

The Playing Experience

As I mentioned, I got to play this game with the designer, Ben Bertoli, and two other players at a gaming store. After playing a couple of turns, it was really easy to pick up and follow along. I learned very quickly that you have to derail other players from time to time to claim a location, so you have to be ready for the fact that other players will play moves that will change your hand or chains that you are creating. Because the mechanics were straightforward and simple, it wasn’t a struggle to learn how to play, and halfway through the game, you pick up on strategies on how to maximize the most on your actions and situation in order to gain location cards.

After we finished the game, we had an opportunity to give feedback to Ben. Overall, we thought it was a great game and a lot of fun. We discussed if the point value differential between the full points and partial points for Spatial Abilities (the additional ability you get for claiming the location if you select partial points) made sense and gave it enough balance. I personally thought that for the most part, it was definitely well balanced, although some Spatial Abilities could be used every round (while others were single-use) and in those cases, I thought the partial points should be lower since you gain an advantage over the other players.

One other suggestion I gave was to make sure the Location deck had 3 non-Favorite Haunts on the bottom. This would help ensure that everyone would have a chance to try to claim their favorite haunt before the game ended.

Overall, this game was a lot of fun and enjoyable. It’s definitely family-friendly, a great party or travel game to add to your collection, and can be played all year round but lends well as a game to play around Halloween time.

Artwork

The artwork for this game is wonderful. It has a simplistic style for the main cards that are very attractive as well as matching the theme of the game very well. Each location shows a ghost doing something that describes the location which is a lot of fun to see. The characters have different main colors associated with them that are used as visual cues during the game but they also work really well as ghostly figures (except for Norman, who is a human). It also has that chalk look to the art that somehow really works for its theming. The art alone is very stunning for the game and is definitely one of the biggest highlights of the game.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’re looking for a unique game that’s different from other games you’ve played, a fun card game that you can take with you on trips, or just something new that is independently created, then this game should be at the top of your list. Very fun and easy to learn, and at a very reasonable price (the starting price on Kickstarter is $15 for the game).

The Kickstarter ends on October 31st, with an expected delivery date of October of next year.