Arkham Horror Card Game - Mystery Cooperative Card Game for Ages 14+, 1-2 Players, 1-2 Hour Playtime by Fantasy Flight Games

This is an excellent game for two folks holed up together trying to survive a pandemic – with a couple assumptions: 1) You either have to have at least one person who is fairly confident with tabletop games and will be responsible for learning a pretty complex rule system – or at least be willing to dedicate a pretty decent amount of time understanding the rules. 2) You understand that this game is a whole system, where you will continue to buy new scenarios and campaigns and is absolutely not a one-time investment Provided the above are true, this is a very fun strategic co-op game. This core set is actually our second set. We have been playing as a couple for about a year and a half now and we finally gave in and bought a second core set. Unless you are a person with a lot of money on your hands who wants the absolute best experience, don't buy two core sets for two players right off the bat. Definitely start with just one core set, do those scenarios and see how you feel about the game. This review will talk about the game as a system, not just the core set. TYPE OF GAMEPLAY This is technically a deck-building game, however it is very easy to find suggested decks online so if that isn't your thing, that's okay. I don't like deck-building so I often do that and then tweak as I go on. My partner loves deck-building, so he builds his own. Sometimes he manages to make terrible decks and we struggle, but that’s fun for him. There is a lot of cohesion opportunity with mechanics so if you are the kind of person who likes to maximize systems you will probably find that very satisfying in this game. You can pick a type of character you really like and keep rolling with that style, or you can try new things. If you want to play a character that's all fight you definitely can. You DO have to consider team composition though and will struggle if you play with two players and both want to be all fight all the time. LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY I'll be real, the rules are complex. We have been playing for over a year and while we understand the game well we do still sometimes have to stop and look up the exact order a certain event may happen in. Every scenario we play there is at least one quick google search to see how other's thing a particular card interaction should work. It's not bad, but it is cumbersome. Most of the time you don't notice it once you get in a groove, but when you have to stop to look something up it can bring the game to a grinding halt which has been frustrating before. LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY I would recommend this game for people who are already tabletop gamers, or are willing to be a good sport. You might fail in this game, and you might fail a lot. The good thing is that there are multiple settings for difficultly. If your crew is the type that wants to do everything the hard way then they can play with the hard rules, if you want to just enjoy the story and not feel like you could lose at any minute then play on easy. We play on standard and it's usually fine. We have had a couple scenarios that just seem totally unnecessarily punishing but that's okay. It's normal to not succeed at every single scenario in a campaign. The rules and the campaigns are laid out very well that your choices, your successes and your failures all matter and that can be really fun to see payoff later in the campaign. TEAM You will have to select a "lead investigator" who will take their turn first. At the beginning I'd recommend having that be the person most comfortable with the rules. There is also some notetaking that has to happen, so having the other person take charge of that is a nice way to split responsibilities. SPOOKINESS The content of this game is obviously inspired by the world of Lovecraft. If you don't like the Occult, you won't like this game. If you don't like spooky, you might not like it or you might be fine with it. There's always "Barkham Asylum" which is a cute spinoff of this game that is with dogs and cats. If you have a friend who might want to play but is put off by the content, maybe start with that. If they end up finding the gameplay compelling enough you might get them to join the regular game later. The Forgotten Age is also more tomb-raidery/Indiana Jonesy so that might also be a good entry point for those folks. DIVERSITY IN MAIN CHARACTERS Board games can be hit or miss when it comes to showing varied and complex characters that don't all look the same. I am a woman (a white cis woman if that lens is helpful to you as a reader), and I like to play as women in games if I can. I have played as a woman character in every campaign we have done. I have enjoyed every single one of those characters. The core set comes with three female characters and two male. Further campaigns seem generally balanced, sometimes having slightly more male characters or slightly more female characters. I believe in the core set and the first campaign (Dunwich Legacy) all the women are white. That does change later but it's still a little limited. That being said, you don't have to do the campaigns in order of release, so if you want a particular character, you can buy that campaign and play with her in any other campaign. To my knowledge there are no explicitly mentioned non-binary characters and sexuality isn't mentioned for any characters except if it’s a part of their backstory (I can only think of one person off the top of my head and that's Mark Harrigan who seems to be straight). Racism, sexism and homophobia do not appear to have been used as plot points at all in this game (at least in the campaigns I have played). While I would call this game dark and gritty, I wouldn't say it’s the type of dark that is used as an excuse to be gross to groups of people so that's nice. There are a couple cards that borrow from themes of Native Americans without a lot of context. The campaign I am currently playing (The Forgotten Age) does discuss indigenous peoples. I believe the people in that campaign are fictional and because I haven't finished the campaign I can't say whether I think there are any missteps with how it's been handled. CONCLUSION All in all, I love this game. It's challenging, its interesting, but it can be cumbersome. If it's worth it for you to do a bit of work and pay quite a bit of money, then it's a nice way to spend quality time with the person you are stuck social-distancing with. Much to our chagrin, our cats love it too and often cause havoc at the table (there are some little bits and pieces that they find attractive). In the pic I included we are using special upgraded tokens that we purchased. This set comes with cardboard tokens. Because the campaigns are long and interesting I think we will replay them once we have finished all the ones that are currently out, so long term there is some replay ability but probably not right away. Playing as different characters would definitely add some novelty as well.

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a fantastic experience that blends the mechanics of established living card games, the strategy of cooperative games, and the role-playing aspects of pencil-and-paper RPGs. Playable either solo or with a partner (more players can be added with additional core sets), the game puts you right into the role of investigators tasked with determining the cause for strange events in the town of Arkham, Massachusetts. As you move from location to location, you must investigate to discover clues that will advance your act deck and lead you to victory. However, the forces of evil are advancing their own agenda and will throw numerous challenges and enemies in your way. The basic mechanics are fairly simple: investigators will spend up to three actions to equip assets, fight or evade monsters, draw cards or resources, or investigate locations. To accomplish these tasks, they will often need to pass skill tests which can be modified - positively or negatively - by tokens drawn from the random "Chaos Bag." The core strategy of the game comes in determining the most efficient use of your three actions each round and learning how to maximize your chance of success in skill tests. The wide variety of actions available to each investigator, as well as their varied card sets, means there may not always be one best answer. "Alpha player" syndrome is minimal, as each investigator will usually have several equally valid and effective options available to them. Arkham Horror: The Card Game brings a rich storytelling experience to the realm of LCGs. Not only do the scenarios offer flavor text which put you in the spirit of the scenario, but the gameplay itself lends itself to interpreting the card outcomes as a narrative. While you may simply be playing a "Knife" card, the game's atmosphere lends itself to imagery of your brave investigator pulling the weapon from a coat pocket in a desperate act of defense against a supernatural beast. In fact, not since my days of playing the original pencil-and-paper Call of Cthulhu RPG have I ever been this engaged in a Lovecraftian adventure. The storytelling and role-playing aspects are assisted by gorgeous artwork that captures the same feel as other Cthuhlu Mythos-based games such as Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, and Elder Sign. Every card is a work of art filled with a colorful depictions of the subject matter, clear game mechanics, italicized flavor text, and other useful gameplay and setup symbols. It's always a disappointment when a game's mechanics are solid but are diminished by mediocre components. That's not the case here - if anything, the components elevate an already good game into greatness. Arkham Horror is a living card game, which means we can expect to see a flood of expansions, Mythos packs, and stand-alone adventures that will help continue and flesh out the campaign. While the strong storytelling aspects of the game may limit replayability of certain scenarios, it's encouraging to know that we will continue to get new content. I for one can't wait to continue my adventures in Lovecraft's eerie supernatural setting.

This game is pretty complicated, but if you are willing to spend some time with the rule books it is an interesting one to play. I have been playing it solo, and enjoying it very much. The role-playing and cooperative aspect is somewhat lessened, but there is no reason you can't go through the stories and continuing set of scenarios by yourself playing a couple of characters. I am through the three scenarios contained in the base set, and I am looking to purchase a few of the expansions. it is really great that all the cards needed are contained in the set (no booster packs to suck your wallet dry). I also think that the ability to play several different characters (an combinations of characters) is a huge attraction, and that this will provide enough replayability to justify the price of the set. FFG makes quality components and captures Lovecraft themes with such skill that any fan of gaming and the Lovecraftian horror genre will enjoy this game. I also like the expansion of the character decks in between sessions. There are some deck building elements to the game that provide an interesting mechanic and some difficult decisions as you progress. It is not a really intense deck building game (you spend more time playing than building, which is nice), but how you stack the character decks will really affect how the game plays. I tried a few different strategies for the same two characters, and I found that the level of challenge remained moderate, but winnable, and that the game was versatile and balanced enough to make it fun no matter what tactic I employed. I don't mean to imply that card selection doesn't matter, but I didn't find that any cards were so overpowered or beneficial that they posed an obvious choice for inclusion that would really increase the chance of success. The only bad thing I have to say about the game is that it is not quick to set up, quick to play or simple enough to call up a friend and just jump right in to a session. These are features of a lot of the more rules intense, "heavy" games available, and I figure that anyone that is buying a game like this one will appreciate and admire these same features that a more casual games would find unappealing. In short, it is very fun and fulfilling if you like a complex challenge and you are willing to spend time to learn all the rules.

It can be fun, but this is not a game you open up and start playing right away. If you are not familiar with Lovecraft's work, think a cross between X-Files and film noir in a post WWI world. Be aware though, the provided instructions don't cover all aspects of play particularly well. I highly recommend you watch a video on how to play (Fantasy Flight has one on Youtube) to avoid some frustration. Playing the game once through solo is also helpful. It is not necessary to buy more than one core set (they have individual investigator starter packs) unless you want some additional duplicate cards for each character. One last thing this is a "Living card game" so they release expansion scenarios. There is some replayability with the adventures but if you want to experience new "episodes" you will need to buy the deluxe expansions and the six associated separate adventures for each cycle (it can become expensive fast). The expansions are best enjoyed like a movie night, not something you do every night but you get together with friends on the weekend to do (which makes it much easier on your pocketbook. I highly recommend you search for free fan-made scenarios (some of which are very close to professional grade), as long as you don't mind printing them out yourself.

If you are unfamiliar with the LCG idea, what we have here is a collectible card game, like Magic, except you get everything you need by buying one pack. No rarity, no tradeing, just buy it and play it. Build a deck, and play with a few players cooperatively, trying to survive in the horrific world inspired by H.P. Lovecraft while you uncover mysteries better left covered. Simple to learn by the standards of LCG's and other Collectible Card Games, Arkham Horror combines an interesting setting and theme with surprisingly robust story/RPG component, and core gameplay just as deep and meaningful as big names like Magic, Game of Thrones and Netrunner. Add on a very single player friendly style of play, imaginative use of mechanics as a way to tell a story, a rock solid community, and plain old, nuts and bolts solid design, and you have a game worth getting dedicated to. Quality of components, tokens, and art are all solid, and if you get in now (early 2017), then it will be easy to stay up to date. The downside, as per every Fantasy Flight LCG, is core set waste, and its exasperated here. One Core set is playable for 2 people, but you want 2 to maximize you deck building options for 2 people (And have 4 players be possible), and possibly 4 if you want total control of your deck for 4 players. If you are the one supplying the game to your friends, then you only need 1 core worth of enemy cards and tokens, and maybe 2 core sets worth of neutral cards. Everything else in later cores which you buy for the player cards is pointless, and spending full price when half of what you buy could go in the garbage without you noticing leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and punishes the players most loyal to the game. Seriously, just figure out what you save on materials and printing by eliminating the extras, subtract that from the core set cost, and sell that. I don't care if it saves me 5 bucks, at least it will save a few trees. Note that I have bought 4 of these, and it was still worth it. It's a fantastic game that makes up for this one pointless handicap.

This game overall is excellent! It is a ton of fun. I originally bought it to have a fun H.P. Lovecraft inspired game that didn't quite take as long as the Arkham Horror Board Game (1st Edition) that I could easily play with my wife. Also wanted something Co-op, we often play Dominion but sometimes I'd rather play with my wife and not against her. She will play the more complicated games with me, however I have to walk her through it patiently. I was very impressed with the rule book, as the Arkham Horror Boardgame rule book was extremely complicated and poorly organized/written. I was pleased to have a "Learn How to Play" guide to get you into the game. Then a second Nexis that helps you easily look up terms and rules organized alphabetically. Great job overall on this! Though even with a well layed out rule book, the game is still really confusing to get into at first. It almost feels like some things just aren't fully or clearly explained. Resulting in a few online searches after not being 100% on the intent of the rule book's explanation. This caused my wife to be irritated as we had to stop the game multiple times to check rules during our first play. After we grasped the concept better our second play has been going a lot more smoothly. Some Rules we didn't understand the first play through: "Attack of Opportunity", and "Prey" but a a few forums and videos better defined what happens. Also Skill checks, being able to use other cards like Event, or assets cards without paying their costs. As they mention this in parts of the rule book sometimes it easily gets overlooked your first read though, because its not emphasized enough. Even though this is one of the main things you will be doing in the game. If you're Lovecraft fan this is a must have game! Note: I have yet to play through the entire campaign. I bought the 1st and 2nd Expansion to the game but have yet to play them. I'm curious to how the expansions will play out and if it will seem worth it to buy more expansions in the future.

Arkham Horror LCG is a very complex, deep, fun and rewarding game. First, in response to my title. This is the original release and is really not what anyone wants. Look for the revised core set. Even if you intend to play solo or with only two players you want the larger amount of cards for deck building. On to the game. This game takes some learning. I've made several mistakes playing and broken some rules mostly out of inexperience. But you learn and you pick it up as you play. You tube helps alot. The core set is the first campaign. It is a shorter one and good for introduction. But even with it being. A shorter campaign there is alot of replay value. You can choose diferent investigators. You can modify your decks. You can change the difficulty. There's so many options to play it differently. Also, you have to learn to lose. Or settle with it some time. What's unique about Arkham LCG is that the story doesn't stop just be abuse you failed an objective. It keeps going on. And Arkham has a way of letting you feel like your in control and then flipping your world upside down. I play this regularly with my Jr high daughter and my brother in law. We all look forward to it. It's a great group game with so many possibilities. We've played hours and hours on just the revised core set.

I am a huge fan of Eldritch Horror and Mansions of Madness. The Fantasy Flight line of Lovecraft games are well made, beautifully designed, and story rich experiences. When the pandemic started I had heard so many good things about this series that I went out and bought the base as well as the Dunwich cycle (all 7 expansions) assuming that I would like it as much as the others and it would be a good solo experience. In the end, I only played the base game and found it very lacking. There are a lot of cool cards and story elements, but only a few hours of play for $40. Add to that you have to buy each expansion to build out your deck and experience a new story, and this gets very expensive very fast. On top of that I found the game to be incredibly difficult. I know a lot of people like that, but I would like to feel that there's a chance I could win, not that it's a seemingly hopeless endeavor. That said, it's a great game that just isn't for me. I can't get into games that involve a lot of strategy in building a deck (like Magic) or ones that are punishingly difficult. If you're into that, you'll love this. The game is well designed and very cool if that's your thing.

Good packaging and quality of the product is top notch

Took hours of reading and watching and playing to understand the game. Do not buy if you're not patient with learning games as this is the hardest table top game I've learned. The instructions and manual books are clear, but there are MANY rules and technicalities to learn. That said, now, after 2 scenarios complete, I understand the game well enough that I do not need to refer to the Rules book while playing. The deck building with a single core box is quite good for 1-2 players but made better (or just wait for the revised box) with a second - and necessary for 3-4 players. All 5 investigators are unique in multiple ways and have their own personality. The Lovecraftian theme is present from the introductory scenario and sets the tone for the game. While you won't lose the game in a traditional sense, you may not get a favorable outcome. The artwork is also great across the cards. This has become my favorite table top game for the time being.

Great Co-op card game. It highlights the feeling of dread greatly.

Es un juego que mezcla roles ocultos y cartas como Dixie, es muy entretenido. Ideal para 4 personas. Bonitas cartas y presentación, no le falta detalle.

Es un juego excelente. Tiene una gran narrativa, arte increíble, jugabilidad magnífica y un modo historia muy completo. El único problema que encuentro es que si no estás dispuesto a gastar en las expansiones te quedarás corto en la experiencia. El juego base trae lo necesario para que dos jugadores puedan "rascar" un poco la superficie. Esta cajita trae varias cartas con sólo una copia lo que impide tener un mayor control en lo que se "avecina" en tu mazo por ello muchos jugadores recomiendan que se compren dos juegos bases (este). Por otro lado es importante mencionar que no trae una "bolsa de tela" en la que se tienen que colocar las fichas del juego, una gran falla de FFG. En general si te gustan los juegos con una gran narrativa, la capacidad de ir mejorando tu mazo y eres fan de los mitos de Cthulhum es altamente recomendado y más a este precio.