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Designed by Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim from Wet Ink Games ^[2], Home: House of Broken Promises is a game offered for Free RPG Day 2026 that can be played by itself or with Home ^[3].

Home: House of Broken Promises is a two-player map building game offered sealed in a box of cards. Condensed rules are printed on the front and back of two cards, and a QR code is printed on the back, linking to a free rule set.

To start the game, you choose from one of two Archetypes: The Best Friend and The Left Behind, answer three questions, and choose from one of two Needs on the card to help distinguish your character.

The rules proceed through set-up for Wound cards, X-card safety mechanic, and the additional Need cards. (This was designed by John Stavropoulos in 2013, and is broadly used in TTRPGs today.)

The broad selection of Needs, three options printed on each card, offers nuanced play. For example, I found this Need compelling: “You find something that makes you physically ache to pursue your Need.”

Following this, three random Outside and Midnight cards are removed from this game. I can only assume the reason behind the discard, is because these cards are intended for use with Home. The last thing you need to set up the game is to grab paper and pencils for your map.

I was surprised when I read that instruction, because I had assumed the cards themselves would build the map. Turns out, this is a hybrid game that’s part-RPG and part-bespoke map building. On your turn, you take on the role of Director and describe the scene. In the condensed rules, I’m not sure who goes first, how many cards are drawn, or when I’m supposed to draw a room. I booted up DriveThru and downloaded the free rules ^[4] to help me better understand how to play the game. Turns out, you draw the rooms when you flip over a card that says “Establish a new Room.” Per the condensed rules, you can draw a room at any time, however. This is a bit confusing to me, because “draw room” not listed in the Turn Order (pg. 15).

The Haunted House is structured neatly into different zones that are entered at unique times. First, you’re preparing to explore Outside of the sprawling mansion. Here, with a Transition card, you receive a theme: anticipation and mystery. From there, you play through three rounds (three cards) before you declare you’ll “pass the scene” to the next player.

Then, at Dusk, you’ll enter the mansion and draw your first room. As the clock ticks, you build your narrative with your fellow player. Together, you’ll draw more cards that have detailed instructions (drawing rooms, Needs, and Wounds) and questions until the game ends at dawn.

What I like about this game is that it’s designed with is a cross between a map building game and an RPG. (Experienced players could play this game without ever drawing a single map.) Pacing is going to be a challenge, because in a two-player game recommending that the next player draws their card to prepare affects the other player’s ability to narrate what’s happening–which also impacts the mood.

To hold tension and dread, especially between two players, clearer instructions in the round would be helpful. For example, I would make it clear that each card (minus the Transition cards read as a group) represent a round of play. So, at the beginning of a round, both players draw their cards face down. Then, switch the turn order in each round, so the same person isn’t kicking off the scene every time.

It’s explained in Home’s rulebook that players might split up, but can refuse exploration in a scene. (I’m not sure how many players the game was designed for, and can’t find that information.) That said, I can tell that the game was initially designed for a larger group, because when you condense the rules for two players some aspects of the flow are affected. Gameplay is always faster with two people. To accommodate the flow, there’s approximately twenty cards (fifteen individual and five group turns) that map out the House of Broken Promises.

Unlike other RPGs, where the game’s narrative mushrooms and sidequests blossom, Home: The Haunted House has a tight narrative with sharp transitions, phases, and endings. There is no possible way for zombie squirrels to invade and derail this game.

In summary, Home: The Haunted House Map Building RPG is a clever design and well-paced narrative tool to explore a haunted house with no GMs, no dice, and minimal set-up. The game’s art is thematically-appropriate, the card text is clear, and each phase in the game possesses a spooky theme. (Yes, I love the font!)

Who would like this? This is a great, well-packaged game for players who have never tried an RPG before, because it doesn’t “feel” like a traditional, pen-and-paper TTRPG. It also has a ton of appeal for veteran players, too, for GMs who never get a chance to play, for players who struggle investing in a horror game, and for storytellers of all stripes. This, in short, is the beauty of Home: The Haunted House. Once you understand how the story, cards, and rooms, flow, it has the potential to spook almost anyone.

Home: The Haunted House Map Building RPG was offered as a free, sealed deck of cards for Free RPG Day 2026. You can download the rules to play Home (and House of Broken Promises) for free ^[4]. You can also download print and play Home ^[3] today.




This post contains DriveThruRPG.com ^[5] affiliate links.