If you’re a fan of Dead by Daylight but not engaged in tabletop games, you may have missed the release of the Dead by Daylight Board Game. It was released in 2023 following a very successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1 million. A few compromises had to be made in order to bring Dead by Daylight into a board game, but overall it’s a very faithful adaptation that nails the feel of the video game.
Different Products
If you’re thinking about picking up the Dead by Daylight Board Game, you should first understand exactly what you’re getting. There are currently three different products on the market, one of which is an expansion for the game and cannot be played without one of the others. You’ll notice that none of the licensed characters are featured in the Dead by Daylight Board Game, and Level 99 Games has made a statement that they will not be pursuing the licensing for those.
Standard Edition
This is the version of the Dead by Daylight Board Game that’s available from retailers and goes for about $50. It has everything that you need to play, including all of the dice, cards, and tokens, a two-sided board, four wound rings, and plastic miniatures and boards for all the characters. There are seven survivors and six killers in the box, which might not sound like a lot, but it makes for plenty of variety. Just as in the video game, the killers in the Dead by Daylight Board Game each have a unique ability that gives them wildly different approaches to the game, not to mention their set of perks. This, of course, can inform the game plan the survivors have going into the fog.
The included survivors are Dwight, Meg, Claudette, Jake, Nea, Ace, and Feng Min. The killers in the box are The Trapper, The Wraith, The Hillbilly, The Nurse, The Hag, and The Doctor. Players can choose to play in either the MacMillan Estate or Autohaven Wreckers. With four survivors and one killer in every game, this brings the total number of possible configurations to 10,080. Factor in randomized starting locations and prop placement, and no one should ever have any reason to experience the exact same game twice. However, maybe your favorite character isn’t on that list, or you truly believe you need more variety than that.
Collector’s Edition
This version of the Dead by Daylight Board Game really is only for serious collectors. Right now, it’s out of print, and Level 99 Games has stated that they have no plans to reprint it. Through the Kickstarter, it was only $99 (MSRP $129), but the copies you can find online are going for more than double that. It contains everything from the Standard Edition and then some, bringing the total number of characters up to seventeen survivors and sixteen killers, and featuring some really neat component upgrades. Namely, it adds 3D plastic generators and hooks to the Dead by Daylight Board Game from which the killer can literally hang survivors.
The additional survivors are Adam, David, Elodie, Felix, Jane, Yun-Jin, Kate, Yui, Jeff, and Zarina. The killers it adds are The Huntress, The Clown, The Spirit, The Legion, The Plague, The Oni, The Deathslinger, The Blight, The Trickster, and The Twins. This makes the Dead by Daylight Board Game character complete up to Chapter 19, which was the release of The Trickster and Yun-Jin. This edition also adds another double-sided board featuring Ormond and Crotus Prenn Asylum. Just to do the math, this brings the total combinations to over 3.5 million, and that’s without including the ability to do custom perk loadouts.
The Malicious Expansion
Recently released, The Malicious expansion adds the next few survivors (Jonah, Haddie, Mikaela, and Vittorio) and killers (The Dredge, The Artist, and The Knight), as well as two more maps (Forsaken Boneyards and Withered Isle). This brings the Dead by Daylight Board Game current to Chapter 26. If support for the game is continued, we can expect the next expansion to bring us up to Chapter 31.
How to Play
The gameplay of the Dead by Daylight Board Game is deceptively simple and can be taught in about ten to fifteen minutes. The goal of the survivors is to repair four generators by adding three progress to each of them and then open one of the two exit gates. Meanwhile, the killer is trying to hunt down the survivors, putting them on hooks to gain a total of eight sacrifice tokens. These objectives never change, and the first side to complete theirs is the winner.
Setup
Players begin by collectively choosing which map they will play on. Props are randomly added face-down to each room according to the icons on the board. Then the killer player selects their character in secret, and the survivor players select theirs. Once all characters have been chosen, the killer is revealed, and all players roll a die to determine their starting location, placing their miniature into the room with the corresponding number. Players all collect their four movement cards (five for the killer) and their starting Blood Points. Shuffle the item cards and they’re ready to begin.
Game Round
At the beginning of each round of the Dead by Daylight Board Game, players will secretly select a movement card and place it face down. The killer takes two turns each round, so they will select two cards. These will determine which color paths they are able to move along on their turn. Players should be mindful that yellow paths are one-way, and some paths will be blocked off at the beginning of the game until the killer moves through them. The killer has the added option of waiting where they are.
On your turn, you must select a valid path to move along according to the movement card you played. If you have chosen an invalid card, you lose your turn. After moving, you must flip over a prop in the location to which you just moved, if there are any left to reveal. You may then interact with a prop or survivor in your location, and your turn ends. At the end of each round, the first player will change, but the killer will always go last.
Rather than interacting with a prop or survivor, the killer may also, once per round, use their unique ability. These vary greatly, but they always allow you to manipulate the board state in your favor. If interacting with a wounded survivor, the killer picks them up and tries to carry them to a hook. The killer chooses a hook that’s revealed and counts the number of steps to get to it, giving their victim at least that many dice (and up to four). The survivor rolls the dice, and if at least one shows great success, they escape. Otherwise, they immediately move with the killer and are hooked. The first time each survivor is hooked, the killer immediately gains a sacrifice token
Each survivor that remains hooked at the end of the round yields another sacrifice token. After all players have taken their turns, they take their movement cards back into their hands and pass the first player token. They’re ready to begin the next round of the Dead by Daylight Board Game.
Skill Checks
Various actions and effects in the Dead by Daylight Board Game will ask survivors to make skill checks. This is done by rolling a single die, and on any result other than the skull icon, it’s a success. On a five, the player achieves great success, which matters sometimes, but not on all occasions. Some effects may have the player roll the danger die, which yields either a failure or a great success. Every failure rolled gives the killer a blood point, so survivors should beware of having to roll more than necessary.
Last Words and Where to Buy
There are a few elements of the Dead by Daylight Board Game rules not discussed here, but the broad strokes were certainly covered. There are loads of nuances and strategies for you to uncover for yourself. As for where to get the Dead by Daylight Board Game, you can find it over at the Level 99 Games Store, where you can also download the complete rulebook. See you in the fog.
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