In Dracula vs Van Helsing, you’ll play as either the infamous vampire or the vampire hunter in a rematch for Whitby, England.
In Dracula vs Van Helsing, you either play as Dracula or Van Helsing – your friend will play as the other – to see if Dracula can be defeated before he turns all of the inhabitants of Whitby, England into vampires. It’s a fast-paced, super competitive 1 v 1 strategy game of life or un-death.
| Quick Guide | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | Area Influence, Card Play, Hand Management, Conflict Resolution | |
| Players | 2 Players, Age 10+ | |
| Playing Time | 20 – 45 Minutes | |
| Similar Games | Jekyll vs Hyde, Raptor, Watergate | |
| Publisher | Mandoo Games |
Dracula vs Van Helsing Overview
It’s been many years since the infamous fight between Dracula and Van Helsing, and the vampire has appeared in Whitby, England. The locals don’t want to spend their time hoping they don’t get bitten walking down the street, so they enlist the help of Professor Van Helsing once more.
Dracula vs Van Helsing is a fast-paced game for two players. One takes on the role of Dracula, while the other plays as Van Helsing. And both have a simple set of goals. Dracula wants to turn four inhabitants of Whitby into vampires. And Van Helsing wants to kill Dracula before that happens.
This card game is played in five rounds, and rounds are designed to feel tense. Both characters feel menacing and dangerous to the other as both draw, play, and bluff their way through the deck in a race to win.
How To Play Dracula vs Van Helsing
To start, players determine who is playing as Dracula and who will be Van Helsing. Then the deck of cards is shuffled and each player gets five cards.
Games are made up of up-to five rounds. And in each round, players will alternate drawing, playing, and discarding cards in order to trigger their effects. There are eight numbered cards and each will trigger a different effect when discarded. For example, a 1 has you reveal one of your cards, with a 3 you will reveal one of your opponent’s cards, and with an 8 you immediately end the round.
Rounds are ended when a player ends it or when the deck is depleted. Then players will go around the various districts of Whitby, comparing their cards and seeing who wins the various districts. This can by done determining who has the trump card or higher value card for that area. For every district Dracula wins, one human is turned into a vampire. And for each district Van Helsing wins, Dracula loses one health point.
The game ends when Dracula turns four humans in the same district, or Van Helsing removes all of Dracula’s health points.
Should I Buy This Game?
There are so few fantastic two-player games out there. There are games that are fine or even fun with two players, but are really optimized for larger groups. But Dracula vs Van Helsing is a game that’s designed specifically for two players to face off, head-to-head. That’s not the only reason to play this game, of course, but it’s something that I truly love this game for doing.
The reason you should check this game out is simply that it’s a good time. Gameplay doesn’t change much between games. And once you’ve played both Dracula and Van Helsing, you’ve more of less done it all. But to me, this is fun over and over again for the same reason I’ll never not challenge my brothers to pinball. Friendly, high stakes, fast-paced one-on-one competition is fun.
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