The Slayers at Preston Manor: Will you Slay or Will You Bite?

Fans of The Traitors will instantly recognise elements of The Slayers, the new social deduction game from Pier Pressure, taking place at Preston Manor in Brighton. There are council meetings where accusations fly, interspersed with fun challenges in which teammates must work together to solve puzzles and gain the upper hand.

The premise is simple. Every player is assigned as either a Slayer or a Vampire. The Slayers must work out who the Vampires are and vote them out before it’s too late. The Vampires, meanwhile, are trying to blend in while eliminating or biting Slayers. They may even have a few other tricks up their sleeves.

I sat down with Phil, who runs Pier Pressure with his wife Philly, to find out more about the thinking behind the game. Alongside immersive experiences like The Slayers, the Pier Pressure team runs a series of award-winning escape rooms across Brighton and beyond.

“[Traitors] brought a very new audience to the kind of games that have actually been around for a long time,” Phil explains, describing how the hit TV show has introduced social deduction games to a much wider audience. Blood on the Clocktower, Werewolf, and Secret Millionaire were among the other inspirations behind The Slayers.

“We’ve taken our favourite bits of all those games, and we’ve smushed them together, and we think it’s great.” The result is a game that takes familiar ingredients and gives them its own twist. 

A trusted partnership

The Slayers is the latest addition to Pier Pressure’s growing portfolio of immersive games hosted with Brighton Museums, since the beginning of their partnership in 2019. “We’re really lucky that they trust us to go into their venues and put on an event, and just say, ‘Cool, you guys do that.’”

From screen to stately home

The challenges show off the creativity that makes Pier Pressure’s escape rooms work so well. They play to different strengths, from word games to more physical tasks. Being in the winning team does bring advantages. But a Vampire may be hidden amongst your midsts, so you’ll find yourself watching your teammates as closely as the task in front of you. Crucially, being eliminated or murdered doesn’t mean your evening is over. “We made sure that in The Slayers, when you are eliminated, you’re still very much part of the game. You’re still taking part in discussions. You’re still taking part in challenges.”

Public games or private bookings

There are two ways to play. At the public sessions, you can come on your own, as a couple or with a group of friends, but you’ll usually be playing alongside strangers too. That makes for an eclectic mix, with some players who know each other well and others who have only just met. Alternatively, you can book a private game, including corporate bookings where it’s just you and whoever you bring along. “We love running them both equally because they are so very different.” Phil explains.

I went along to one of the public sessions and found myself completely caught up in the intrigue. I couldn’t stop laughing when I was accused of sabotage over a badly concealed egg, and I was totally blindsided by a teammate I thought I could trust, who turned out to be a Vampire all along. The team running the experience are fantastic. They explain the rules clearly and keep the game moving, all while staying immersive and good-humoured. The Slayers is a genuinely unique way to spend an evening. It will test your problem-solving and intuition, you’ll meet new people, and if you come out on top, you’ll get a great sense of self-satisfaction. With vampires on the loose in Brighton’s most haunted building, there are few better ways to kick off Halloween season.

The next public session will be on Saturday, 24 October, 6.30pm to 9.30pm at Preston Manor, Brighton and is open for booking.