Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Other name(s)	Arkham Horror: El Juego De Cartas, Horror w Arkham: Gra Karciana, Arkham Horror: Das Kartenspiel
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
Players	1 - 4 [1]
Setup time	< 5 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
Media type	Playing cards
Website	Arkham Horror: The Card Game — Fantasy Flight Games

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It is a cooperative game set in the universe of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game which is based on the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and other horror writers. The setting of the game is based in the titular (fictional) town of Arkham, MA. 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.

Mechanics

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

This campaign play is the default mode of the game,^[4] allowing a player to start a series of scenarios, and upon completing them gaining experience points that can be used to level up cards in their deck. Experience can be spent by paying the difference between the level of a card - for example the spell card Shrivelling is a zero level card which can be upgraded to level 3 or level 5 - it would cost 3 or 5 XP to upgrade from level 0, or only 2 to go from level 3 to level 5. In most cases the player has to conform to the deckbuilding limits outlined by their character, with the exception that permanent cards (denoted by a - where a card's costs would be) can be bought and do not count towards the deck limit. Permanent cards automatically start in play.

In campaigns choices made in certain areas scenarios can affect later scenarios, allowing replayability. The scenarios will also come with alternate versions of certain locations which adds a further level of variety to the game.

When players prepare to play, they build decks using a pool of cards following deck building limits based on their chosen character. Each deck also receives cards that represent weaknesses of their investigator, one specific, and one drawn at random in addition to one unique card that represents a character specific advantage or ability. There are five classes of characters in addition to one neutral class that can use aspects of other classes.

During the game the players are working together against an Agenda deck and encounter deck that act as a timer for how long the players have to complete their objectives and direct opposition to their actions. Each turn a doom token will be added to the Agenda. When the total number of doom in play reaches the number of the agenda card, the agenda will advance. The players succeed by completing an Act deck - generally a number of clues per investigator are needed to pass each Act - alternatively a specific condition needs to be reached to complete an Act.

The players each take actions (usually three) from a list of choices for each character, then any monsters get to act, and the players then have to face the agenda/encounter deck that represents the forces they are working against. Players will play asset cards into their play area by paying the resource cost of the card that can be used from that point on, or until the 'charges' of the asset are consumed e.g. firearms will consume ammunition. These assets may bolster skill tests. Events can be played (again by paying the cost of the card in resources). Cards that have the fast icon do not require an action to play them.

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 a permanent reduction in their starting health or sanity which is carried over from scenario to scenario (this can be restored in scenario, but will be applied again at the start of the next scenario).

Expansions

Expansions are grouped into cycles which contain a complete campaign for players to go through. Each cycle divided up into 1 deluxe expansion followed by 6 mythos packs. Deluxe expansions contain new investigators, ~60 new player cards, and the first 2 scenarios of a campaign. Mythos packs contain ~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. Meaning you don't need any other expansions to play them or encounter cards from the core box, only your 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 FFG 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 upping the difficulty, these expansions provide an alternate way to play through the campaign with an alternate story effects. They also provide player cards with the first one being announced providing 21 player cards. They are also not the Print On Demand quality that is found in the stand-alone scenarios.

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.

Community

Arkham Horror: The Card Game has an active following, with multiple podcasts, blogs, and YouTube Channels dedicated to discussing gameplay, strategy, deck-building and news, as well as providing custom content.

Podcasts: Mythos Busters,^[6] Drawn To The Flame^[7]

Blogs: Mythos Busters,^[6] Arkham Central,^[8] The Atlas Agency,^[9] Delve Too Deep^[10]

Card List/ Deck Construction: ArkhamDB^[11] CardGameDB^[12]

YouTube Channels: The Whisper In Darkness,^[13] Arkham Chronicle^[14] Twisted Tentacle Inn^[15]

References