Arkham Horror

[Mckma]

So has anyone played it?  I kind of want to get a copy, but since it costs about $40-50, I wanted to know if there were recommendations either way.

Thanks in advance...

[Wooberman]

Got it, played it a few times and found it really fun. it takes some learning and like most fantasy flight games it suffers from some minor rules issues when it comes to grey areas but all in all fun plus if you were really slack as a DM you can use the encounters on the cards as plot notes in a cthulhu campaign set in Arkham.

I'd give it a 7/10

[Mckma]

I guess to rephrase my original request, I've read about it and I have a number of friends I am almost positive I would enjoy it with, so the only uncertainty I have about it is: Would it be worth me spending $50?

[Wooberman]

If it helps i spent £40 which i believe through currency conversion is approx. $60 so yeah i'd say so

[Mckma]

Went ahead and ordered it.  Figured it was basically the price of a videogame and since it apparently takes an average of 4-ish hours and I apparently can play single player.  So even if I only play it 4-5 times, I get my money's worth I figure...

[FrothyKat]

Let us know what you think, but I greatly enjoy Arkham Horror.

Also, feel free to take the characters and run with them. For instance, I piloted a rather ridiculous and successful HARRVEY WAAALLLTERSSS!!!1 through the mean streets of Arkham. He killed an elder god and just barely avoided going insane!

That crotchety old man was REALLY deceptively good at doing pretty much everything that particular game.


If you're playing in a group, Hooty McBoob (whatever that librarian's name is) is really good for team play to avoid the inevitable moments when the dice are cursed.

[Mckma]

Now I just want to pick up the expansions so I can run the super game (3 add on boards and 4 extra card sets)...

That would probably be the most epic game ever...

[FrothyKat]

I have a question for you: How big is your table?

The board, pieces, cards, character sheets, etc etc etc takes up a lot of space. Adding in just the Innsmouth expansion threatened to spill over the edges of my table, let alone adding more, but I just have a square table. Either playing on a proper dining room table or the floor might give you more space, but possibly less comfort, depending.

Also, perhaps it's just Innsmouth, but as the rules are written there don't seem to be many reasons to actually go to the expansion area unless your character demands it or you get unlucky and the cards dictate that gates open in the Innsmouth area.

[Mckma]

I have a question for you: How big is your table?

The board, pieces, cards, character sheets, etc etc etc takes up a lot of space. Adding in just the Innsmouth expansion threatened to spill over the edges of my table, let alone adding more, but I just have a square table. Either playing on a proper dining room table or the floor might give you more space, but possibly less comfort, depending.

Also, perhaps it's just Innsmouth, but as the rules are written there don't seem to be many reasons to actually go to the expansion area unless your character demands it or you get unlucky and the cards dictate that gates open in the Innsmouth area.

I would dictate my character to go to Innsmouth if just because I love that town and its story.  As far as tables, I think I will be fine over the summer (have my parents house, so we have a real dining room table) and my apartment next year will have a pretty good size table...

[crash2455]

Just played this game today (3 Players).  It was fun, but Goddamn it took 7 hours.  I think each of us got knocked unconscious or went insane at least twice throughout the game, and one player took like 6 rounds to close a gate.

Also, Joe Diamond is an ass-kicking machine.

[The_Last_76]

Arkham Horror:

Pros
- Detailed game mechanics.
- Lovely board and cards.
- Generally well priced.

Cons
- Can take for-fucking-ever to set up.
- Expect the game to eat into your afternoon, morning and lunch for the next day.
- Do not expect to win.

[beej]

Played Arkham Horror for the first time last night....its pretty freak'en awesome.  It did take forever to set up and play but totally fun.   As the one guy who's played CoC at the table, I kept cringing when monsters came out.  Dark Young, Fire Vampires, Elder Things...we killed a Dark Young with a revolver in one round.  I wish I could do that in CoC.

[Snake-Eyes]

I played it years ago and the rules weren't explained well. So I had the a shotgun and a sword and decided to throw down to against some monster. Then I was told that the weapons scores don't stack and I got murdered horribly. So make sure you know the rules before you start or it will be a very short game.

[Mckma]

Hmm...

Guess I never updated my progress.  I did end up getting the Kingsport Horror expansion as a gift.  I've played it several times, and the only problem I have is the pacing.  It feels like the pacing is opposite that of a CoC game (which I love).  In the tabletop, the game starts slowly and you spend time investigating, slowly uncovering the mystery.  Then things ramp up and the game ends in a flurry of craziness and potential eternal doom.  In the board game, it feels like the first few turns are the frantic ones where portals are opening and monsters are all over.  Then once you get 3 or so gates sealed (if you are on the track to win), things slow down and often times you just spend a few turns wrapping it up and cleaning up loose ends...

[Rawtooth]

I would have recommended buying the Dunwich Horror expansion before Kingsport.  Dunwich solves the mid/late-game lull by having gate bursts which open gates at location disregarding seals.  Although I do not recommend using most of the Dunwich AOs while I do recommend the Kingsport AOs.  The characters are a bit of a wash, with the later expansions (Kingsport/Innsmouth) having more interesting/esoteric characters compared to the bland solidness of some of the Dunwich characters.

The main thing is getting an expansion with gate-bursts in it.  That solves all of the issues with gaming pacing slowing as gates are sealed. 

If you have any questions, just ask as I own all of the Arkham Horror sets.

PS - Avoid mixing two of the big-box sets together, you dilute the flavor/mechanics too much for them to matter.