Weekly Trash - Arkham Horror

The only problem is: I (we) win everytime.

Yeah, my friends and I won our first ten games or so pretty easily (not counting the first game in which we basically ran around aimlessly). We enjoyed ourselves well enough but were disappointed that the game was at its most difficult in the first half. Once we could reach a threshold of sealed gates, it would become a cake walk. And when that cake walk can take a couple of hours, the last half of the game could get boring. The pacing was just screwy. I have other niggling issues, but the lack of challenge was making us less inclined to play it after awhile.

DH and KiY address my problems and have elevated AH to being one of my favourites (and it is easily my girlfriend's favourite game, though it was before the expansions as well). The game is a nail-biter now, right up to the end.

Schweig! wrote:

The only problem is: I (we) win everytime.

If you need a challenge use base AH(Hastur), KiY(touring), and the Herald. Don't say I didn't warn you!


Schweig! wrote:

Favourite character: Rita "the Athlete" ;9 . I had 11 movement with her once.

My favorite toon is the psychologist Carolyn Fern. With her ability to restore 1 sanity/turn she's a spell casting machine. The first thing I do is run her to Ye Olde Magick Shoppe.

-Will

I have always been partial to Leo Anderson, the Expedition Leader. He just oozes pulp machismo to me.

I always had a soft spot for the musician also, his powers aren't game breaking, but he has so much flavor. Easier dreamlands, playing Undead back into the grave, and a cool trumpet!

My experience with this game is limited, but in my brief time with it, one of the many aspects I enjoyed about the game is the sense of doom just around the corner. You can never get comfortable because just when things start looking like it may be possible, the shit hits the fan. It isn't an instance of "if" it hits the fan, but "when" it hits the fan and how best to use the limited time before it does.

Oh god yes. I remember a particular game where we had sealed 5 gates, and had everything in position to close the 6th one. Of course we had only one space on the Doom track left, had started act II of the King in Yellow, a nasty rumor eating us slowly, and had 5 current open gates.

We had sealed most of the big gate popping locations; the Woods, Unvisited Isle, Wizards Hill, Graveyard etc, but we still had to get through the Mythos phase without a gate, gatebuster, or monster surge. We actually spent a good 10 minutes trying to think of all the permutations that would lose us the game on the spot.

Finally, we draw the Mythos card for the turn and it was... The Story Continues. One tense lore roll later to seal the gate and one of the most nail biting games ever was won.

Most of the good points have been covered here in game terms...and often hinted at in these descriptions is what I love most about this game...it, like no other game I have played, is ALL about the how and why you play! When everyone involved is anxious when the Mythos card turns, if you feel the anxiety of an OW adventure...if you only have 1 sanity left as you make a horror check with 1 die and can feel the madness creeping in as that die spins forever on the board...THESE are the moments that make this game great! But if no one really cares if they are knocked out, couldn't give a shit about reading the text, think that win or lose they have wasted their time...well those are the ones this game is NOT for! As an experience, a story, and a gut tearing excercise in death by dice this game has it all!

And based on the above, I rarely enter into discussions about the "little things" people complain about...but since we are here;

1. Set up/take down time. Bullshit! This hardly takes 15 minutes at most...and if you want a game of this size and scope than you have to put in. I like games that are involved, STARTING with the set up! This sets the tone for what is to come. And this isn't "wasted" time. We have the character discussions...as the GOO is revealed we start to formulate plans...we settle in as we arrange things as we are about to focus on this experience. Set up compliments that.

2. Fiddly. Fuck off. This is simple stuff once you get the hang of it. Most make out it is like a dentist appointment but with even only one player who knows what to do it is at worst a minute of game time to make the arrangements. Once many know what they are doing it is even quicker. And again I argue it goes to tone. You have just completed a round, a chance for a quick breather, see what the new situation is and prepare for upkeep. It is also part of the "story"! What new monsters have appeared, where IS the new gate problem (or a roaring HUZZAH as a Seal keeps one from opening)...what Ally has run from in town in terror? Mythos phase is not some "bookkeeping" headache...it is THE driving force behind the narrative and should be respected as such. It is also an excellent "pause" on the game to smoke, get drinks, etc. This is a co-op game...so these are the times for those discussions to take place.

3. Spells suck. Whatever. I hate the fact that some people complain that the game isn't "hard enough" yet still tend to pick power characters, stick to "hot spots" and avoid spell casters. I prefer Mandy to be missing, shotguns kept to a minimum and I adore the Great Drake! Spells are tough going I agree...but I like that magic exists at all in this world, and it should be hard.

All up I concur with the general thought that this is one of THE greatest games out there! When I first made a move into board games a few years back I bought a pile of games from a guy off BGG who lives nearby. AH was one of those. I had never heard of it at the time...but just like the first time I lifted the box lid off Blood Bowl...when AH squaked open I knew I had found another jewel in my crown of gaming! (I also knew I would likely rarely game with this person as they gave this away for a song)

Great Game...only getting greater! Now...how do we get that guy who made the custom carrying case to go into production?

Well - first game (4 player) under my belt last night and it was a great success and a pretty top experience.
But here comes the 'did we do it right or am I mising something' obligatory question ....
- are you meant to add a doom token everytime a gate opens (the forums at BGG seem to confirm this) or just during the Mythos phase ?
We didn't initially but even after this mistake (?) the game seemed to speed through to the end - admittedly the Doom track was only 10, but gates were opening quite frequently and this seeming time constraint (Doom track filling up) meant we unsure if we should be closing gates or fighting monsters or accumulating clues/items.
The guy who owned the game had the first three expansions in it so I don't know if that helped produce more gates opening.
And with the rate at which the gates were opening it is hard for me to see how you could collect enough clue tokens before exploring a gate and then sealing it, and doing this six times - and even less chance to close all the gates.

So - lets here some collective wisdom ...

Every time a new gate opens, no matter the phase, a doom token is added.

The only exception is gate bursts, and only if there was a seal their previously.

Mr Skeletor wrote:

Every time a new gate opens, no matter the phase, a doom token is added.

The only exception is gate bursts, and only if there was a seal their previously.

Buring the Midnight Oil mate ?

Cheers for that - but do gates open as frequently as it seemed for us, i.e. how many rounds would you expect a game to go before a 10pt Doom track is filled ?

So as suspected this thread got me to finally order the game. Actually I ordered the base game, Dunwich, and Dark Pharoah. Dunwich seemed like it'll definitely be good to have after I get the hang of the base game. I only got Pharoah because I really like the theme. Despite ordering those two right away (I won't open them until I use them), I'm not an expansion collector and may end up never getting the others. Particularly since I don't expect to play the game too often.

Southernman wrote:

Mr Skeletor wrote:

Every time a new gate opens, no matter the phase, a doom token is added.

The only exception is gate bursts, and only if there was a seal their previously.

Buring the Midnight Oil mate ?

Cheers for that - but do gates open as frequently as it seemed for us, i.e. how many rounds would you expect a game to go before a 10pt Doom track is filled ?

Anyone feel free to correct me if you think I'm mistaken, but...
I think it may have been a case of (bad?) luck. There are some locations (which I refuse to memorize) that produce gates much more often than others. Consequently, you're likely to have a fair amount of gates open during the early game, then have to deal with less gate openings (and many more monster surges) during the mid-game. Experienced players used to "game the game" and take advantage of this, making sure to seal the gates at their most common locations, hence slowing the game down and greatly increasing the odds of winning. FFG tried to correct that by adding more locations in the expansions as well as mythos cards that "burst" sealed gates open.
The beauty of the game, though, is its variety and consequent replayability. For instance, in my last game, (AH base only, as I was teaching it), we had a similar experience to yours. There were gates all over the board and we only had two monster surges for the entire game (the terror level moved once I think). We ended up having to move to the final battle, just because too many gates were open at once. I guarentee if you play this again, you will have a completely different experience and a different story to share with us.

Yeah, the Old One with the 10 slot Doom Track (Yig I think?) can be a pain, as it does make the game go pretty fast compared to the more sedate 13-14 Doom Track Old Ones. Unless you get super lucky and get an Elder Sign (or two) in your starting equipment you are most likely looking at a final battle rather than winning by gate sealing.

I've got this game (base only) on the shelf unplayed. Right now, my 12 year old son would be my one opponent, most likely. We've played Lord of the Rings, War of the Ring, and Twilight Struggle...so he should be able to handle it.

That said, I've been curiously intimidated in trying out this game---perhaps it is the sheer number of bits and cards, but it seems almost impossible to grasp reading through the rules (at least for me).

Any suggestions on learning the game (for those like me that have it or those considering it? Advice and/or critiques of two player games of AH?)

Merkles wrote:

I've got this game (base only) on the shelf unplayed. Right now, my 12 year old son would be my one opponent, most likely. We've played Lord of the Rings, War of the Ring, and Twilight Struggle...so he should be able to handle it.

That said, I've been curiously intimidated in trying out this game---perhaps it is the sheer number of bits and cards, but it seems almost impossible to grasp reading through the rules (at least for me).

Any suggestions on learning the game (for those like me that have it or those considering it? Advice and/or critiques of two player games of AH?)

It's co-op only, so there's no competition. You and your son are on the same team. The best way to play with two is to have each person take two characters. The two character game is too swingy--one bad roll and it's all in the crapper.

Here's a link to Mr. Skeletor's superhot flowchart to the base Arkham Horror game . Read the rules, fail to understand them, use the flowchart and have fun. Don't get so swamped by the rules that you don't have fun. It seems more complicated than it is, I guess, as most everything is resolved by "Roll X dice, count the number of 5's and 6's." Figuring out what X is is the hardest part.

I disagree with the assertion that the best way to learn with 2 players is to take 2 characters each. While that is a fun thing to do LATER...if you are already confused about rules and mechanics the LAST thing you need to do is double the trouble with 2 characters!

Each of you take 1, expect to get your ass kicked...and go slowly but surely through each phase. There will be some sticky interactions that test your rules application...but in general just try to get each phase down and what it represents. Once you have this grasped you can start worrying more about "winning".

Also take notes on your questions. What I did early was just jot down the concern on a pad, make a decision that worked for the game, and then read up about your question later.

One ting that is almost always helpful in making decisions about the rules...if it makes it HARDER for the players that is likely the right way to do it