Arkham Horror: The Card Game
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 Cthulhu roleplaying 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.
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| Other name(s) | Arkham Horror: El Juego De Cartas, Horror w Arkham: Gra Karciana, Arkham Horror: Das Kartenspiel, Ужас Аркхэма. Карточная игра |
|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Nate French & Matthew Newman |
| Publisher(s) | Fantasy Flight Games |
| Publication date | Q4 2016[1] |
| Years active | 2016 – present |
| Genre(s) | Co-operative Living Card Game (LCG) with Deck Building |
| Language(s) | English, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Polish, Czech, Russian, Ukrainian |
| Players | 1 – 4[1] |
| Setup time | 10 - 15 minutes (excluding deck building) |
| Playing time | 60 – 120 minutes |
| Random chance | Some (card drawing, deck building, skill tests) |
| Skill(s) required | Card playing, Deck building, Logic, Strategy |
| Material(s) required | All included, expansions optional but most require base game. |
| Media type | Playing cards |
| Website | Arkham Horror: The Card Game — Fantasy Flight Games |
Release
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
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, Intelligence, Combat and Evasion) which will be tested throughout the game. Players build their decks, 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, the forces against the investigators, represented by the Agenda deck and encounter deck, work against the investigators. 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 number of the agenda card, the agenda will advance, often to negative consequences.
During the Investigation phase, the investigators each take up to three actions from a list of choices. On their turns, investigators may play asset cards from hand into their play area by paying the resource cost of the asset which will then provide a permanent or temporary bonus for the investigator. Some assets have limited uses - for example, firearms have limited ammunition. These assets may bolster skill tests. Events can also be played from hand (again by paying the cost of the card in resources), providing one-time powerful effects. Cards generally require an action to play, but some cards 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.
Player characters will be eliminated from a scenario if they receive horror equal to or above their sanity, or damage equal to or over their health. Characters eliminated in this way will start the next scenario with permanent trauma in that respective stat. Thus, 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 greatly improve that investigator's deck. At certain points in a campaign, failure can lead to some – or even all – investigators being killed or driven insane.
Expansions
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
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Dunwich Legacy | January 2017 | deluxe |
| The Miskatonic Museum | February 2017 | mythos pack |
| The Essex County Express | March 2017 | mythos pack |
| Blood on the Altar | April 2017 | mythos pack |
| Undimensioned and Unseen | May 2017 | mythos pack |
| Where Doom Awaits | June 2017 | mythos pack |
| Lost in Time and Space | July 2017 | mythos pack |
The Path to Carcosa cycle
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Path to Carcosa | September 2017 | deluxe |
| Echoes of the Past | October 2017 | mythos pack |
| The Unspeakable Oath | November 2017 | mythos pack |
| A Phantom of Truth | December 2017 | mythos pack |
| The Pallid Mask | January 2018 | mythos pack |
| Black Stars Rise | February 2018 | mythos pack |
| Dim Carcosa | March 2018 | mythos pack |
The Forgotten Age cycle
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Forgotten Age | May 2018 | deluxe |
| Threads of Fate | June 2018 | mythos pack |
| The Boundary Beyond | July 2018 | mythos pack |
| Heart of the Elders | August 2018 | mythos pack |
| The City of Archives | September 2018 | mythos pack |
| The Depths of Yoth | October 2018 | mythos pack |
| Shattered Aeons | November 2018 | mythos pack |
The Circle Undone cycle
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Circle Undone | January 2019 | deluxe |
| The Secret Name | March 2019 | mythos pack |
| The Wages of Sin | April 2019 | mythos pack |
| For the Greater Good | May 2019 | mythos pack |
| Union and Disillusion | June 2019 | mythos pack |
| In the Clutches of Chaos | July 2019 | mythos pack |
| Before the Black Throne | July 2019 | mythos pack |
The Dream-Eaters cycle
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Dream-Eaters | September 2019 | deluxe |
| The Search for Kadath | November 2019 | mythos pack |
| A Thousand Shapes of Horror | December 2019 | mythos pack |
| Dark Side of the Moon | January 2020 | mythos pack |
| Point of No Return | February 2020 | mythos pack |
| Where the Gods Dwell | March 2020 | mythos pack |
| Weaver of the Cosmos | April 2020 | mythos pack |
The Innsmouth Conspiracy cycle
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| The Innsmouth Conspiracy | Upcoming | deluxe |
| In Too Deep | Upcoming | mythos pack |
| Devil Reef | Upcoming | mythos pack |
| Horror in High Gear | Upcoming | mythos pack |
| A Light in the Fog | Upcoming | mythos pack |
| The Lair of Dagon | Upcoming | mythos pack |
| Into the Maelstrom | Upcoming | mythos pack |
Stand-alone scenarios
| Expansion Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Curse of the Rougarou | November 2016 |
| Carnevale of Horrors | December 2016 |
| The Labyrinths of Lunacy | June 2018 |
| The Eternal Slumber | Gencon (2018) event scenario, released as part of Guardians of the Abyss, December 2018 |
| The Night's Usurper | Arkham Nights (2018) event scenario, released as part of Guardians of the Abyss, December 2018 |
| Guardians of the Abyss | December 2018 – Scenario Pack that includes The Eternal Slumber and The Night's Usurper[5] |
| The Blob that Ate Everything | Gen Con 2019 |
| Murder at the Excelsior Hotel[6] | November 2019 |
| Barkham Horror: The Meddling of Meowlathotep[7] | 2020 |
| War of the Outer Gods | December, 2020 |
Upgrade Expansions
| Expansion Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Return to the Night of the Zealot | June 2018 |
| Return to the Dunwich Legacy | January 2019 |
| Return to the Path to Carcosa | September 2019 |
| Return to the Forgotten Age | August 2020 |
Investigator Starter Decks
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey Walters | 2020 | starter deck |
| Winifred Habbamock | 2020 | starter deck |
| Jacqueline Fine | 2020 | starter deck |
| Stella Clark | 2020 | starter deck |
| Nathaniel Cho | 2020 | starter deck |
Novellas
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.
| Expansion Name | Release Date | Investigator focus |
|---|---|---|
| Hour of the Huntress | October 2017 | Jenny Barnes |
| Ire of the Void | December 2017 | Norman Withers |
| The Dirge of Reason | February 2018 | Roland Banks |
| To Fight the Black Wind | April 2018 | Carolyn Fern |
| The Deep Gate | June 2018 | Silas Marsh |
| The Blood of Baalshandor | June 2020 | Dexter Drake |
References
- "Enter the Mythos". Fantasy Flight Games. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- "Leaked Image of Arkham Horror Card Game". www.polyhedroncollider.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- "Enter the Mythos". www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- "Uncovering the Truth". www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- "The Eternal Slumber". www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
- "Murder at the Excelsior Hotel". www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- "Barkham Horror: The Meddling of Meowlathotep". www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.