Arkham Horror -- Scary? How?

I'm getting Arkham soon, and I read some reviews for it and some of them mentioned that it's a creepy game. I did a double take on that.

How the heck can a boardgame be scary? It doesn't have music, which I think is the single most atmosphere-inducing element anything can have.

Then again, some books are scary, but still.

It's not scary. Atmospheric - sure, frustrating (in terms that it can be hard) - yes. Creepy? Certainly not.

Crap. I was hoping it would. Too much to ask I guess.

Why not dig up a corpse and put it next to the board? That would make it creepy.

The price is scary. Fortunately, I've just been buying the supplements as they come out, not all at once like one of my friends did recently.

For somebody just getting into Arkham Horror, the base set is just fine. Eventually, you will find it too easy, and even a small box supplement like The King in Yellow should make the game challenging again. The Dunwich Horror is the single best supplement, but almost as expensive as the base game. Eventually, if you get enough supplements (at least 3 of them), you will have a game that is almost endlessly entertaining, due to the sheer variety of possibilities.

I'm getting the base game and all the expansions (except Dunwich and Innsmouth) on Sunday.

I'll play the base game to death, then add expansions when I find it too easy.

1-player games fit perfectly into my gaming schedule. Won't need friends anymore! (Yes, I know how sad that sounds.)

I am very very very excited.

kookoobah wrote:

I'm getting the base game and all the expansions (except Dunwich and Innsmouth) on Sunday.

I'll play the base game to death, then add expansions when I find it too easy.

1-player games fit perfectly into my gaming schedule. Won't need friends anymore! (Yes, I know how sad that sounds.)

I am very very very excited.

At least once a month, if I have time, I play an epic solo game of Arkham Horror, with all expansions and four characters. My girlfriend thinks that it's a little odd, but no worse than her watching tons of anime.

AH has drama and tension. Toward the end of a game you can get the "Oh crap we're screwed" and "Be a nice event. Please."

I'm guessing some people mistake that for fear.

Arkham Horror is creepy - several suboptimal plays can certainly make you cry.

I'd say it does a decent job of maintaining tension and atmosphere. I know some folks have the game totally licked, but I am in a nigh-constant state of getting my ass handed to me. Here's some tips:

• If playing just the base game (which you should at least a couple of times), use the flowchart too keep yourself from actually going insane. I didn't find Headless guy--WTF, head guy--what's his name?--anyway, the guy that makes all the rules handouts--I didn't find his AH handout helpful. The flowchart is amazing.
• When you graduate to an expansion or two, use the other flowchart .
• If playing with more than one person--have them read the Encounter cards for you and vice versa, and leave off the impact of decisions until resolved. E.g., "You enter the Library and hear only a subtle shuffling. You may do a Will [-1] check." What you don't know is if passing that check is good, a la, the sound is coming from a Tome that seems to breath, go find a Tome in the Unique Items deck; or if it's bad, like a Dimensional Shambler you disturb with your shrieks. This adds a lot of atmosphere.
• The easiest "bosses" to solo are Azeroth, Yig, and Ithaqua.
• The House Rules from the designer are also recommended.

The flowcharts are awesome. I do not find it scary like you do a quality horror film but it is tense and has a great "horror atmosphere"

I hadn't seen the designer's optionals. His game master idea is interesting and I'll use it next time I run the game for a large group of newbies.

jeb wrote:

I didn't find Headless guy--WTF, head guy--what's his name?--anyway, the guy that makes all the rules handouts--I didn't find his AH handout helpful. The flowchart is amazing.

It's a funny thing ... but this is 180 degrees, totally opposite, couldn't disagree more for me.

Not saying one is better than the other; I just found it a bit ironic. Actually, the important point is that it's cool that AH has generated so many good player aids that there's something helpful for everyone.

TheDukester wrote:

jeb wrote:

I didn't find Headless guy--WTF, head guy--what's his name?--anyway, the guy that makes all the rules handouts--I didn't find his AH handout helpful. The flowchart is amazing.

It's a funny thing ... but this is 180 degrees, totally opposite, couldn't disagree more for me.

Not saying one is better than the other; I just found it a bit ironic. Actually, the important point is that it's cool that AH has generated so many good player aids that there's something helpful for everyone.

Headless hollow once complained that my flowcharts had more thumbs than his AH player aids.
True story, and possibly the scariest thing about AH.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

Headless hollow once complained that my flowcharts had more thumbs than his AH player aids.
True story, and possibly the scariest thing about AH.

He does seem a little too "into it," I'll grant you that. I've caught him being pretty dick-ish to people over at The Leading Boardgames Site, too. I would have said something, but I appear to have signed up for some form of "no forums posting for you!" account over there.

Great player aids, though, to give him his due.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

TheDukester wrote:

jeb wrote:

I didn't find Headless guy--WTF, head guy--what's his name?--anyway, the guy that makes all the rules handouts--I didn't find his AH handout helpful. The flowchart is amazing.

It's a funny thing ... but this is 180 degrees, totally opposite, couldn't disagree more for me.

Not saying one is better than the other; I just found it a bit ironic. Actually, the important point is that it's cool that AH has generated so many good player aids that there's something helpful for everyone.

Headless hollow once complained that my flowcharts had more thumbs than his AH player aids.
True story, and possibly the scariest thing about AH.

I do prefer UH's player aid to your flowchart, but I can see how your flowchart would be more popular with more BGGers.