Arkham Horror is an atmospheric, cooperative adventure game set in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft.
21
votes
2answers
626 views
How can we play a shorter but satisfying game of Arkham Horror?
I've only played about half a dozen games of Arkham Horror, and they ranged in length from about 3 hours to aborting after 8. These were all games with 5-6 players, with just the base game (no ...
20
votes
2answers
2k views
Is it possible to play 2-player, 2-character Arkham Horror successfully?
I've tried playing Arkham Horror with 1, 2 and 4 players. I've found that the game seems extraordinarily difficult with less than 4 characters. Simply put, you don't have enough gos to do everything. ...
13
votes
3answers
733 views
Is there a “Campaign Mode” set of rules available for Arkham Horror?
Are there any rules (official or otherwise) that would govern trying to string together multiple games of Arkham Horror into some sort of a campaign structure? The idea would be for the investigators ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
Arkham Horror — multiple investigators assisting in a combat?
Despite Arkham Horror being a cooperative game, one of the glaring holes I noticed the first time I played was that it doesn't appear that multiple investigators can attack a single monster, and vice ...
12
votes
1answer
400 views
Strategies for Bob Jenkins
I'm playing Arkham Horror for the first time and I randomly drew Bob Jenkins as my investigator. With some of the other players' characters, their "purpose" is pretty clear. There's the guy with high ...
12
votes
1answer
358 views
In Arkham Horror, can you pay sanity costs to go insane on purpose?
In Arkham Horror, an investigator must pay the sanity cost of a spell before making a spell check to see whether it would succeed. If the spell's sanity cost is X, and the investigator has only X ...
11
votes
3answers
4k views
How do the various expansions for Arkham Horror change the game? In what order would you recommend buying them?
Currently there are 7 different expansions for Arkham Horror, and I'm need some advice as which to buy.
How does each expansion change the game?
What new components does it offer?
In what order and ...
11
votes
2answers
520 views
Arkham Horror: dominant personality issue?
I recently experienced the problem mentioned here, with myself being one of the enthusiasts pushing other party members around. It wasn't intentional, it's just that the structure of the game lends ...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
How long does it take to play Arkham Horror?
BoardGameGeek says 4 hours, I've heard a lot of people say 5 hours, but some of my friends say they've played it several time in less than 2.
How does the game time vary with different numbers of ...
10
votes
2answers
456 views
The Ancient One awakens fast!
At the end of each player's turn, you draw a Mythos card. The Mythos card (among other things) opens a gate to an Other World. This increases the Doom counter on the Ancient One.
For two players, ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
What is a solid basic strategy for surviving Arkham Horror?
First, I should note I've only played Arkham Horror once in a 2 player game and loved it. I am curious if the game is even survivable, and if so, what factors contribute to that success?
I am ...
10
votes
1answer
156 views
What should be considered in constructing a balanced team of investigators?
I haven't played much Arkham Horror, but from what I've seen it's important to have a balanced team of investigators. What key attributes need to be represented by the team as a whole to have at least ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
If I wanted to buy a card protector for every card in Arkham Horror (and expansions), how many would I need of each type?
I've been considering purchasing a whack of Fantasy Flight Supply board game sleeves for my Arkham Horror game and expansions. Does anyone know how many of each type of sleeve I would need to ...
10
votes
1answer
287 views
Sources for scenarios for Arkham Horror
We've been enjoying playing Arkham Horror a lot but it seems to be lacking in narrative. I've read that there are scenarios that add a story element to the game
Is there a good resource for these?
9
votes
2answers
462 views
Can you sacrifice yourself to use an Elder Sign in Arkham Horror?
The cost to use an Elder Sign to seal a gate is 1 Sanity and 1 Stamina. If you are at 1 on either one of these (or both), can you essentially sacrifice yourself in order to use it? Will the sealing ...
9
votes
2answers
335 views
If you are moved to a location with a clue do you pick it up?
In Arkham Horror I was moved by an encounter to another location. This location had a clue on it, should I have picked up the clue?
9
votes
1answer
139 views
Hound of Tindalos tiebreaker?
The Hound of Tindalos says that it automatically moves to the closest investigator. Which investigator does it target in the case of two equidistant investigators in different locations?
8
votes
2answers
579 views
What's the relation between Mansions of Madness, Elder Sign and Arkham Horror?
What's the relation between Mansions of Madness, Elder Sign and Arkham Horror?
All of them are published by Fantasy Flight Games and they are based of Cthulhu Mythos. So my question is, is it ...
8
votes
2answers
166 views
How much control does the first player have when placing multiple monsters?
When drawing multiple monsters and placing them is there a choice in which monsters go to the outskirts?
Do we get to pick what monster goes on what gate?
8
votes
1answer
117 views
What happens when a gate moves onto a vortex?
If a moving gate (from the Lurker at the Threshold expansion) would move into a vortex in Dunwich, what happens? My best guess is that, since the rules say it moves as a normal monster, it moves into ...
8
votes
1answer
194 views
Arkham Horror: exchanging items during movement phase
In Arkham Horror is it possible to exchange items during the movement phase? What are the rules? (people on same place?)
8
votes
1answer
268 views
In Arkham Horror, how many gates wakes the Ancient One?
If the max number of gates allowed on the board is, for example, 6, does the Ancient One wake up on the 6th or 7th gate?
I'm pretty sure that the answer to that should be that the Ancient One wakes ...
8
votes
1answer
292 views
Is the Deputy Card an Item?
Does the "Deputy of Arkham" card count as an item, for the purposes of counting up your total items when forced to lose half your items?
7
votes
2answers
165 views
Does Harvey Walters break the game?
The professor has an ability to reduce san loss by 1. Therefore, he is able to cast any number of spells for free! Is this meant to be so overpowering?
7
votes
4answers
481 views
What can I do to ensure that my friends' first game of Arkham Horror with me is as awesome as possible?
I bought Arkham Horror about 2 months ago and have played 2 practice rounds by myself. I'm confident I know all the rules and understand the game well enough to be able to explain them. However, I ...
7
votes
2answers
247 views
Do Monster Surges Count as a Prevented Gate Opening for the Purpose of Increasing the Deep One Rising Track?
Does a token get added to the Deep One Rising Track for a Monster Surge?
Rule in question:
"There are two primary ways for the Deep Ones rising track to advance. Each time a Gate is prevented from ...
7
votes
1answer
525 views
What do you recommend putting in an Arkham Horror quick reference sheet?
I've played Arkham Horror twice and am still boggled by the complexity of the mechanics and the number of rules. During both games I wished for a quick reference guide to summarize the turn order and ...
7
votes
1answer
215 views
Does Finn Edwards have to pay to upkeep his Bank Loan?
Finn Edwards has a power called Holdout:
Any Phase: Finn never has to discard items or lose money, even when he is knocked unconscious or driven insane. He must still pay costs as usual.
He also ...
7
votes
1answer
102 views
How do the Investigators Collectively Decide?
So in Arkham Horror, we're playing with the "Lurker on the Threshold" expansion. It introduces the idea of 'pacts'. When these pacts are received, cards from the 'reckoning' deck are resolved. We ...
6
votes
2answers
323 views
When can you cast spells?
In Arkham Horror, are there any restrictions on when spells can be cast?
My specific question is about the spell 'Find Gate', it reads:
Movement: Cast and exhaust to immediately return to Arkham ...
5
votes
3answers
831 views
How can I play Arkham Horror remotely?
Having recently moved quite a long distance away from a friend who owns Arkham Horror, we have decided to continue playing games via telepresence (supplied by google+ hangouts).
My first go at ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Arkham Horror - Tips for making the game more dynamic and fun when you play with more than 5 players?
I'm new to this game, but I recently hosted a play with friends. With 8 people the game was very slow and difficult to play. What would you recommend to make the game a little more dynamic and fun ...
5
votes
3answers
297 views
When during your upkeep can you cast upkeep spells?
Certain spells in Arkham Horror can only be cast on upkeep. One example is "Voice of Ra":
Upkeep Phase: You may cast and exhaust to gain +1 to all skill checks
for the rest of this turn.
The ...
5
votes
1answer
506 views
How does Flute of the Outer Gods work in Arkham Horror and when should I use/buy it?
First of all, what's the sequence of events in using this item?
If I would go insane/unconscious before using the flute, does that mean it would be useless to use the flute as I would be unable to ...
5
votes
3answers
596 views
Arkham Horror: Tokens
This is more a question for the big games with a lot of investigators. A few non-critical tokens seem to be able to run out, and I can't find anything about those specific tokens in the rules.
Do you ...
5
votes
1answer
186 views
It was the end of the world…but we didn't know it!
We played our first game of Arkham Horror last night with the new Miskatonic Horror expansion. Pretty much all the new stuff was used, and we were playing along. All the usual stuff was going wrong:
...
5
votes
1answer
241 views
How much space do I need to play with all the Arkham Horror expansions?
How much table space do I need to play with all the Arkham Horror expansions?
The main game Arkham Horror and the expansions Dunwich Horror, Kingsport Horror, Innsmouth Horror and Miskatonic Horror, ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Tweaking the difficulty in Arkham Horror?
Most cooperative games have methods of altering the difficulty listed in the rulebook, but Arkham Horror doesn't (although it does mention that Cthulu tends to be harder than the other ancient ones).
...
5
votes
1answer
86 views
Can I read a tome in Other Worlds?
In Arkham Horror, tomes require movement points to use, e.g. Old Journal:
Tome
Movement: Exhaust and spend 1 movement point to make a Lore (-1) check. If you pass, gain 3 Clue tokens and discard ...
5
votes
1answer
383 views
What are the changes in the Revised Edition of Curse of the Dark Pharaoh?
I recently picked up a copy of the Miskatonic Horror expansion. In the rules, it says
Note: Miskatonic Horror is designed to be used with the revised edition of The Curse of the Dark Pharaoh. If ...
4
votes
1answer
135 views
Immunities/Resistance, Red Sign of Shudde M'ell and Equipment Timing
The spell Red Sign of Shudde M'ell allows an investigator to ignore one of a monster's special abilities other than Magical Immunity, such as Magical Resistance.
I would like to know how the timing ...
4
votes
1answer
50 views
Should I shuffle the Visage tokens after an investigator gets devoured?
The Ancient One named Ghatanothoa has a power called Annihilating Gaze.
While Ghatanothoa stirs in his slumber, place the eight visage tokens facedown on this sheet. Each time an investigator ...
4
votes
1answer
128 views
Stateful equipment use for Red Sign of Shudde M'ell in Arkham Horror
In Arkham Horror, players may use the spell Red Sign of Shudde M'ell to lower a monster's toughness by 1 (to a minimum of 1) until the end of this combat. In the event that an investigator has ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
When you reset the counter for successes against an Elder God do you stop counting successes for that dice roll?
In Arkham Horror you have to roll a cumulative number of successes equal to the number of players to knock off a doom token from the Elder God's health. If you reach the number of players worth of ...
3
votes
2answers
86 views
Diana Stanley dreams of a sunken city
Does Diana Stanley gain sanity from doom tokens when the environment "Dream of a Sunken City" is in play?
Diana Stanley's unique ability:
Dark Insight - Any Phase: Gain 1 Sanity or 1 Stamina each ...
3
votes
1answer
248 views
How are skill check modifiers prioritized and ordered in Arkham Horror?
Time and time again, skill checks in Arkham Horror have been made without remembering to include certain factors, such as environments and the presence of stat-modifying items. For organizational ...
3
votes
1answer
92 views
Arkham: Harvey Walters Sanity loss for tome or elder sign
Does Harvey Walters prevent the loss of one Sanity when he:
uses an elder sign?
succeed in reading a tome?
Which part of The Dunwich Horror Rulebook (page 10) apply?
The Strong Mind ability ...
3
votes
1answer
102 views
Red Sign of Shudde M'ell hands use and timing against Nightmarish X in Arkham Horror
In Arkham Horror, players may use the spell Red Sign of Shudde M'ell to lower a monster's toughness by 1 (to a minimum of 1) and ignore a monster's special ability until the end of this combat. Can ...
3
votes
1answer
110 views
Is the Elder God Health affected by the number of board expansions in play?
We have been playing that the number of board expansions does not effect the successes required to defeat the elder god, as it does not seem in the spirit of the rule. The rules seem to back this up ...
3
votes
1answer
68 views
Ensuring a game of Arkham Horror runs quickly even with new players [duplicate]
I am teaching the game to a ton of new people this week. I was going to be playing with only 3 others and planned to join in myself, but now that we're up to 8 players including me, I figured the game ...
