1. Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a cooperative Living Card Game® set amid a backdrop of Lovecraftian horror. As the Ancient Ones seek entry to our world, one to two investigators (or up to four with two Core Sets) work to unravel arcane mysteries and conspiracies.
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Across the five cycles of Arkham Horror: The Card Game, you’ve encountered new investigators in each new deluxe expansion, giving you more and more options for building your decks and exploring the mythos. Now, you have the chance to invite a new faces to your games with the Winifred Habbamock Investigator Starter Deck.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a living card game produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It is a cooperative game set in the universe of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhuroleplaying game which is itself based on the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and other cosmic horror writers. The title refers to Lovecraft's fictional town of Arkham, MA which is mentioned in many Mythos stories.

Release[edit]

News of the game was originally leaked in May 2016,^[2] before being officially announced in August of that same year.^[3] It made its first limited public release at Arkham Nights 2016 to a sold-out crowd.

As a game in Fantasy Flight Games Living Card Game line, there is a regular release of non-random Deluxe expansions that start a story or campaign, followed by multiple smaller expansions (known as Mythos packs) that continue and conclude it.

Mechanics[edit]

Campaign play is the default mode of the game,^[4] allowing a player to progress through a series of scenarios. In campaign play, choices made in scenarios have lasting effects, altering the story and how later scenarios play out. Each scenario has multiple paths of divergence offering multiple playthroughs with differing experiences each time.

When players prepare to play, they first choose an investigator of a particular class (Guardian, Survivor, Rogue, Seeker, Mystic or Neutral). Each investigator deck receives cards that represent weaknesses of their investigator, one specific to each investigator, and one 'basic' - drawn at random from a general pool. Investigators will also possess one or more unique cards that represent that individual's specific advantages or abilities, often complimenting the backstory of that investigator. Each investigator also has different starting statistics (Willpower, Intellect, Combat and Agility) which will be tested throughout the game. Players then build their decks from cards in their collection, conforming to the deckbuilding limits outlined by their investigator.

During the game, the investigators work together to progress their investigation towards a positive outcome by fulfilling the requirements set out by the Act deck. However, there are forces working against the investigators, represented by the Agenda deck and encounter deck. Each turn, a doom counter is added to the Agenda deck, acting as a timer for the investigators to complete their objectives. When the total number of doom in play reaches the doom threshold of the agenda card, the agenda will advance, often to negative consequences.

During the Investigation phase, the investigators each take up to three actions. Among other options, actions include playing cards from hand or activating those already in play, moving to or investigating locations and fighting or evading enemies. Depending on the card, cards played from hand during the investigation phase may enter an investigator's play area as an ongoing bonus (an 'asset') or simply provide a powerful one-time effect and be discarded upon use (an 'event'). Many cards have a resource cost which must be paid to play the card. While cards generally require an action to play, some are 'fast' and do not require an action to be played.

The Investigation phase is followed by the Enemy, Status and the Mythos Phase, representing the forces working against the investigators each round. Investigators may have to deal with effects or enemies that attack their sanity, health or simply their progression towards their main goal (the Act deck).

Investigators will be eliminated from a scenario if they receive horror or damage equal to their sanity or health respectively. Investigators eliminated in this way will receive permanent mental or physical trauma. This means investigators repeatedly defeated in scenarios can become progressively weaker as the campaign progresses. Investigators will, however, receive experience from scenarios (even after defeat), which can be spent to improve each investigator's deck. At certain points in a campaign, failure may lead to investigators being killed or driven insane.

Expansions[edit]

Expansions are grouped into cycles that contain a complete campaign for players to go through. Each cycle is divided up into one deluxe expansion followed by six mythos packs. Deluxe expansions contain new investigators, about 60 new player cards, and the first two scenarios of a campaign. Mythos packs contain about 24 new player cards and a single scenario of a campaign. They are listed below in order of release date which is also the order in which to play a cycle's campaign.

Stand-alone scenarios are scenarios that exist outside of a campaign/cycle and are self-contained. As such, a player doesn't need any other expansions to play them or encounter cards from the core box—only the investigators. Stand-alone scenarios are printed in house at Fantasy Flight Games and are referred to as Print on Demand (POD). This means the card quality is generally lower than the packs shipped from overseas but Fantasy Flight Games can push these packs faster out to players at conventions or for general release.

Upgrade expansions are akin to the 'Nightmare Packs' from the Lord of the Rings LCG. However instead of just increasing the difficulty, these expansions provide an alternate way to play through the campaign with alternate story effects. They also provide player cards with the first one providing 20 player cards. They are also not the Print on Demand quality that is found in the stand-alone scenarios.

The Dunwich Legacy cycle[edit]

The Path to Carcosa cycle[edit]

The Forgotten Age cycle[edit]

The Circle Undone cycle[edit]

The Dream-Eaters cycle[edit]

The Innsmouth Conspiracy cycle[edit]

Stand-alone scenarios[edit]

Upgrade Expansions[edit]

Investigator Starter Decks[edit]

Novellas[edit]

Arkham Horror: The Card Game also has novellas where each novella is focused around a specific investigator and come with 5 promo cards. These promo cards include 1 alt-art investigator card, 1 alt-art mini investigator card, 1 replacement signature card, 1 replacement signature weakness, and 1 card with instructions for the replacement cards.

References[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'Enter the Mythos'. Fantasy Flight Games. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
2. ^'Leaked Image of Arkham Horror Card Game'. www.polyhedroncollider.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
3. ^'Enter the Mythos'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
4. ^'Uncovering the Truth'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
5. ^'The Eternal Slumber'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
6. ^'Murder at the Excelsior Hotel'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
7. ^'Barkham Horror: The Meddling of Meowlathotep'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.

External links[edit]

• Arkham Horror: The Card Game at BoardGameGeek

Arkham Horror is a cooperative adventure board game designed by Richard Launius, originally published in 1987 by Chaosium. The game is based on Chaosium's roleplaying gameCall of Cthulhu, which is set in the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and other horror writers. The game's second edition was released by Fantasy Flight Games in 2005, with a third edition in 2018.

Overview[edit]

The game board is set in Lovecraft's fictional Massachusetts town of Arkham in 1926. Street, building and outdoor locations are featured. Gates to other planes open throughout the town (represented by tokens placed on the board.) Players take on the role of investigators, represented by a character card. Each investigator has several attributes (such as 'sanity'), and cards representing items, spells, and other things. The investigators travel through the city, avoiding or fighting the monsters that enter through the gates, visiting city locations to acquire tools, and ultimately entering the gates.

After traveling to the other world and returning, the investigator can try to close the gate. While exploring city locations or other worlds, the investigators face random events which may benefit or harm them. As gates open, a 'Doom Track' advances; if the track reaches its end, a powerful horrific creature known as the Ancient One breaks through into Arkham. In the 1987 edition of the game, this ends the game, and all players lose. In the second edition, when the doom track fills, this typically begins a final opportunity for the players to directly defeat the creature and win; otherwise they lose.

History[edit]

Arkham Horror was originally submitted to Chaosium Inc. by Richard Launius as Call of Cthulhu: The Board Game, a new strategic game based on their Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. It was edited in-house by Chaosium, who added such features as the Doom Track, a method to track progress toward the total failure of the players, and was published in 1987 as Arkham Horror. The game won the 'Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1987' award in the Origins Awards,^[1] becoming the first Lovecraft themed board game to achieve significant popularity.^[2]

Arkham Horror was one of several Lovecraft-based board games submitted by Launius, with other designs from the same period including 'The Trail of the Brotherhood', 'DreamQuests', and 'Imprisoned with the Pharaohs'. Arkham Horror was the only of these games to see professional publication.

The original printing of Arkham Horror sold out. Chaosium announced reprints several times, but they never occurred, and Chaosium discontinued production of the game in 1991.^[3]

In 2004 online game company Skotos acquired the rights to Arkham Horror from Richard Launius, and later arranged publication with Fantasy Flight Games. The game underwent several revisions in this process. Skotos reorganized many of the elements in the game for improved cohesion and arranged for it to more carefully follow the maps of Arkham created by Chaosium and used in their own Lovecraft Country: Arkham by Night online game. Launius added several new elements, including clue tokens and some rearrangements to the decks of cards. Finally, Kevin Wilson at Fantasy Flight massively revamped the game, throwing out a roll-and-move system as well as other concepts and also expanding much of the gameplay. The 2005 edition shares art and other elements with Fantasy Flight Games' other Cthulhu Mythos-based game: Call of Cthulhu Collectible Card Game.

The new edition was released in July 2005 and sold out, with a second reprinting also being released in 2005.

In early 2011, Fantasy Flight released Elder Sign, a game based on Arkham Horror but which provides a much faster paced alternative. By streamlining many of Arkham Horror's mechanics and using dice to solve encounters, games of Elder Sign lasts 90 minutes on average, rather than 2–4 hours.

In 2016 at Arkham Nights, a celebration of Cthulhu games by Fantasy Flight Games, the original designer Richard Launius returned to host a special event using a modified version of the original game. Multiple games were held over the course of the weekend.^[4]

In November 2019, Aconyte Books announced a-tie in novels based on the world of Arkham Horror, titled Arkham Horror: Wrath of N’Kai. The novel is set to be published in May 2020.^[5]

1987 edition[edit]

The 1987 version of Arkham Horror has the following game components: a board map of the town of Arkham; 99 playing cards with various events; 50 monster counters; two 4-page investigator rules sheets; eight investigator cards; eight pawns; and markers.^[3] The cards and tokens are illustrated with black and white drawings and silhouettes. The map of Arkham consists of a set of intertwined routes with a large number of spaces.

There are several locations off the routes, such as Miskatonic University or Dark's Carnival, where a player's investigator may have encounters, or where a gate to another world may appear. The other worlds themselves are in a row at the top of the game board. Encounter events in Arkham are determined by rolling a die and consulting a table for that location.

Investigators usually move a random number of spaces based on the roll of two six-sided dice. The investigator cards are pre-made, with four fixed attributes: Fast Talk, Fight, Knowledge, and Sneak. To successfully use an attribute, the player rolls one six-sided die to get a value equal or below the attribute's value. Paperclips are used to track two numbers that frequently change: Sanity and Strength.

The turns of the investigators are preceded by the 'Mythos Phase', where a gate and monsters may appear. Monsters that appear move throughout the town, attacking any investigators they happen upon; seeing some monsters results in a sanity loss. In true Lovecraft fashion, if an investigator in the town loses all Sanity or Strength, they are ignored by the monsters. The collapsed investigator is transported to the Sanitarium or Hospital, as appropriate, for treatment. Such vital losses in the other worlds result in the death of the investigator, and the player must start a new one.

For each new gate that opens, the Doom Counter increases by one; the 'Doom of Arkham' occurs if the Doom Counter reaches 14. If this happens, all players lose.

Victory is achieved by closing all of the gates that have opened. Closing a gate requires passing into it to another world, and taking two encounters there; upon return to Arkham, the investigator must attack the gate successfully to close it. Closing a gate reduces the Doom Counter by one.

Reception[edit]

In the April 1991 edition of Dragon (Issue 168), Ken Rolston called the game his 'first choice for a board game with [fantasy role-playing game] feel. It has everything I want in this respect.' Rolston was saddened that Chaosium had just discontinued production, saying, 'If you see a copy of this gem, buy it. Period.'^[3]

2005 edition[edit]

Gameplay[edit]

Each player selects an investigator character that is provided with the game. These characters have three pairs of statistics to represent their strengths and weaknesses, and the ability to 'slide' their current focus on each scale towards either extreme or keep it relatively average. For example, Lore and Luck is one pair - if you maximize your character's Lore, you simultaneously minimize his or her Luck.

Arkham Horror Card Game How To Play

Characters are further defined by a starting inventory and special abilities. Most importantly, each character has the stats of Sanity and Stamina. These respectively measure the character's mental stability and physical health (i.e. hit points). The back of each card includes a brief history for the character, in case players wish to add an element of roleplaying to the game.

Each player's character is placed on the game board at the location specified on their card. They are given any items specified as well as their starting Sanity and Stamina tokens. At this time, the players should also pick which Ancient One they will be attempting to defeat. This is usually done by randomly drawing the Ancient One's card, but can also be selected intentionally if the players choose to do so.

The basic resolution mechanic is to roll a number of six-sided dice equal to the statistic, plus any modifiers. Results of a five or a six on a die is considered a success. Most checks only require a single success, with the general exception of Combat rolls when fighting monsters. For instance, a card may require a Lore -1 roll. If the character has a Lore stat of 4, they would roll three dice and if at least one die lands on a five or six the character has passed the roll (and may gain a benefit), otherwise he or she has failed (and may suffer a consequence).

Characters may also become Blessed, which allows them to succeed on a four or higher; or Cursed, which means they can only succeed on a roll of six. Throughout the game, characters collect Clue tokens; a Clue token can be spent to get a bonus die during a roll (after the original roll fails to produce enough successes). There are Skill cards that can be acquired, increasing a statistic by one as well as granting an extra bonus die when you spend a Clue token on that particular type of roll.

Each turn, the players move their characters on the board and either have Encounters at a location (by drawing cards specific to that board location) or fight monsters. They may also purchase items at some locations, or take advantage of other special features. For example, characters who spend a turn at Arkham Asylum will regain a point to their sanity score, or they may spend $2 in-game to regain their maximum sanity. Either way, it takes the place of their normal Encounter card draw for that turn.

Characters who encounter monsters have the option to sneak past them or fight them. Fighting a monster first involves a Sanity check, needing only a single success but losing Sanity tokens indicated on the monster if the roll fails. After that check, the character may cast spells or use weapons to affect the combat. If the monster is not immediately destroyed or removed from the board, they then roll Fight plus any bonuses from weapons, items or spells. Some monsters only require a single success, while others may require several to destroy.

At the end of each turn, the first player draws a card from the Mythos deck. This causes a gate to another world to open, as well as releasing new monsters onto the board, causing existing monsters to move on the board and often adding a new effect to gameplay. If enough monsters appear on the board, they are recycled, and the terror level of Arkham increases, indicating that Arkham is slowly being completely overrun by monsters.

If the terror level rises high enough, stores begin to close and potential allies flee, and the Ancient One will awaken even faster once Arkham becomes completely infested. Weather may make it more difficult to move through the streets or a rumor might require investigators to complete an action in a certain number of turns to prevent even worse effects from happening. After the Mythos card is resolved, play passes clockwise to the next player to start a new turn.

Certain events add tokens to the Ancient One's card, representing how close it is to awakening. Typically, when a new gate opens a token goes onto the Ancient One's card. Gates may be closed by investigators through a die roll. Alternately, a gate may be sealed by spending Clue tokens, or with an Elder Sign item. Sealing a gate prevents another gate from opening in that location again, and using an Elder Sign removes a token from the Ancient One.

If the Ancient One's card reaches a specified number, it awakens and investigators must immediately deal with the threat. Combat against an Ancient One varies, but typically involves making rolls to remove tokens from it, while the Ancient One lowers their stats each turn or takes certain tokens from them. Investigators who lose all of that token type are immediately devoured and removed from the game. If the Ancient One is defeated, the players win; otherwise, the game is over and they have lost.

Expansions[edit]

An expansion entitled Curse of the Dark Pharaoh was released in June, 2006, with a revised version released in 2011.^[6] This expansion added many new cards to the game, including items and encounters. The theme was that a travelling museum exhibit from Egypt has arrived in Arkham, bringing with it accursed artifacts and strange happenings. Heavy emphasis is placed on Nyarlathotep, one of Lovecraft's iconic Outer Gods.

The second expansion entitled Dunwich Horror was released during Gen Con 2006. Based on Lovecraft's short story The Dunwich Horror, it includes a new board that is placed against the original Arkham Horror board. This new board features locations in the town of Dunwich. Investigators may visit Dunwich by travelling through the Train Station in Arkham or using certain vehicle items. In addition, the game includes new Encounter, Mythos and item cards as well as new mechanics, such as the stalking monster movement, and new Great Old Ones.

When a character loses their last point of Sanity, they may take a Madness card which imposes restrictions on the character and restores their maximum Sanity, instead of losing half of their items and clues. A similar Injury deck is provided for investigators who reach zero Stamina. Plus, a new monster, the Dunwich Horror itself, is provided as a special monster whose powers vary from combat to combat.

A third expansion, The King in Yellow, was confirmed in October 2006 and released in June 2007. Like Curse of the Dark Pharaoh, it is a card-only expansion, which this time focuses on a mysterious play that is being performed in Arkham. Based on the Robert W. Chambers story The King in Yellow, this expansion introduces the mechanic of the Herald — a special card that permanently alters the game rules. The first Herald is The King in Yellow himself, which causes the Doom track to increase every time the Terror track does unless you take a permanent penalty. Support for The Dark Pharaoh has since been added on the Fantasy Flight Games website as a Herald for the Curse of the Dark Pharaoh expansion. A third Herald has also been added on the Fantasy Flight Games website for the Dunwich Horror expansion.

A fourth expansion, Kingsport Horror, was released in June 2008. It is similar to Dunwich Horror in that it is board-based rather than card-based. This expansion adds the additional locations of Kingsport, a new game element of Dimensional Rifts, and aquatic monsters that may move to any other 'aquatic' location instead of following normal routes. The expansion also includes new Ancient Ones, new Investigators, new Heralds and introduces Guardians which assist the players much the way Heralds hinder them.

A fifth expansion, Black Goat of the Woods, was released at Gen Con in August 2008. Another cards-only expansion, the set adds another Herald, a new membership similar to the Silver Twilight Lodge, a new element called Corruption, and difficulty cards that allow you to make the game optionally easier or harder. In addition, the expansion includes additional Mythos, Gate, Encounter, Spell, Skill, and Unique and Common item cards to be incorporated into the original game.

A sixth expansion, Innsmouth Horror, was announced on the Fantasy Flight Games Website in February 2009 and released in May 2009.^[7] The third board expansion adds the town of Innsmouth as well as 16 new investigators, 8 new Ancient Ones, and two new Heralds. Also included are new personal stories cards for investigators, monsters, and encounter cards.

A seventh expansion, The Lurker at the Threshold was announced in February 2010.^[8] It was released by Fantasy Flight Games in July 2010.^[9] This is a small expansion, including a new herald sheet along with over 100 location cards, new Mythos, Gate cards, spells, etc. This expansion includes 18 Gate Markers, designed to replace original ones, and introduces new challenges for investigators trying to seal them. In addition new special Relationship cards were included, which describe how the investigator to your left is related to you and grants some benefit. Also, a new mechanic of making pacts with the Lurker itself were introduced.

An eighth expansion, Miskatonic Horror was announced in February 2011^[10] and released in July 2011.^[11] The eighth expansion adds nearly 450 new cards, including new Skill, Gate, and Mythos cards. This expansion adds mostly to the other Arkham Horror expansions apart from the main game. Also, new player reference sheets as well as a new Institution variant has been added.

Reception[edit]

Ben Kuchera reviewed the game for Ars Technica, and noted that in a game with 700 tokens 'brevity is not one of its strengths... A short game is still measured in hours, and learning to play the game smoothly takes some time. Even with seasoned players, simply setting everything up can take a while, and once you begin adding expansions, the amount of space you need to enjoy the game is increased.' He concluded that this may not be a game for new players, or players not used to complicated rules systems, saying, 'it's a big, long, complicated game. It's only fun if you have a regular group of gaming friends who get don't mind learning something that's not immediately intuitive. But if you have the space, the time, and the friends... it's worth the investment.'^[12]

2018 edition[edit]

A third edition of Arkham Horror was released by Fantasy Flight Games on November 1, 2018.^[13] This version incorporates design elements from Eldritch Horror and Arkham Horror: The Card Game. An expansion, Dead of Night, was released on October 8, 2019. A second expansion, Under Dark Waves, set to re-explore Innsmouth and Kingsport, was released on September 18. 2020.

Arkham Horror Card Game How To Play

References[edit]

1. ^'1987 List of Winners'. Archived from the original on 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
2. ^Silva, Christianna (7 June 2017). 'H.P. Lovecraft's Monster Is Wrapping Family Game Night Up In Tentacles'. NPR. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
3. ^ ^abcRolston, Ken (April 1991). 'Role-playing review: Game bored? Try these adventure board games!'. Dragon. TSR, Inc. (168): 38.
4. ^'The Gate Has Closed'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
5. ^'Incoming – Here Are Our First Titles!'. Aconyte Books. 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
6. ^'Arkham Horror: The Curse of the Dark Pharaoh Expansion (Revised Edition)'.
7. ^'Innsmouth Horror is now on sale!'. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
8. ^'Announcing The Lurker at the Threshold - an expansion for Arkham Horror'. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
9. ^'Cross the Threshold 3'. Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
10. ^'Growing the Gathering Darkness Announcing Miskatonic Horror, a unique Arkham Horror expansion'. Retrieved 2011-06-10.
11. ^'Miskatonic Horror, an expansion for Arkham Horror, is now available'. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
12. ^Kuchera, Ben (2010-08-05). '700 pieces, 5 hours, 1 Elder God: Hands-on with Arkham Horror'. Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
13. ^https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/11/1/the-end-is-here/

External links[edit]

• Fantasy Flight's Arkham Horror webpage
• 1987 edition, 2005 edition and 2018 edition at BoardGameGeek