Man-Eating House

About this board game

Man-Eating House is a haunted-house trick-taking game for 3–4 players, featuring unusual card combinations, honor cards, and different team objectives depending on the player count.

The game uses a 44-card deck divided into three suits and numbered from 1 to 14, with a Green 0 Dog and a Red 15 Old Man. Cards ranked 1–3 show children, while cards ranked 12–14 show ghosts; these cards, along with the Dog and Old Man, are honor cards worth collecting.

Each trick follows a must-follow structure with no trump suit. The highest-ranked card wins the trick, regardless of suit, but special combinations can change how cards are handled. For example, when players play children of the same suit, those child cards can escape the usual trick resolution and be scored by the players who played them.

• Three suits and ranks from 0 to 15
• Honor cards featuring children, ghosts, the Dog, and the Old Man
• Must-follow trick-taking with no trumps
• Special card combinations that create exceptional effects

In a four-player game, players form two teams and compete to collect more honor cards than their opponents. The three-player game changes the structure: whoever plays the Old Man becomes one side, while the other two players form a team. The Old Man wins by capturing three children of different ranks or by taking 11 honor cards; otherwise, the opposing pair wins.

With its shifting objectives and exceptions to standard trick-taking, Man-Eating House turns every played card into a possible twist. Players must watch the ranks, suits, honor cards, and emerging combinations while trying to determine which side is truly in control.