Hooked on Arkham Horror

[Sinister]

Yes I've been playing this game everyday for a week. Can't ...put....down....game.....

[Da Black Gobo]

Lol! have you started to grow scales yet?

[Sinister]

No but I'm thinking about marrying a fish

[TrimChris]

How does it compare to Shadows over Camelot?

[Sinister]

Um it's more complex, it's more dark, much more randomness. I like shadows alot but I'm inclined to like arkham for the better replay value.

[CreepingDeath]

Um it's more complex, it's more dark, much more randomness. I like shadows alot but I'm inclined to like arkham for the better replay value.

I was waiting for a follow up review after you played some more. Is this game fun for those that have no prior knowledge of the Ctuhululululululu stuff?

Is it fun for the casual horror fan board gamer? Just wondering if my wife and 8 yr. old son would enjoy it. I'm sure I would.

Thanks!!

[Sinister]

here's the basic run down...

Arkham is a city made up by lovecraft, most famous perhaps because miskatonic university is there. In the game you play one of 16 possible investigators from the 1920's trying to close gates before a great old one comes into play. You can choose (or randomly decide) the Great Old One before you play. Every time a portal opens it spawns and monster that you must either sneak past or fight the monster. If you fail to sneak past or move to fight the creature you must make a sanity check, something all to common in lovecraft writings, and in particular, the role playing game.

If you can close a specified number of gates (depending on the number of players) you win. you can also win by defeating the great old one if you weren't able to close enough portals. This is not the better of the two choices as all the old ones are very very difficult to beat and if they win the game is over.

So basically you move around arkham attempting to close portals, buy equipment (spells, items, skills, etc...). To close a portal you must travel through it and it takes you to another word for two turns and you resolve encounters using a deck of other world cards. These cards can help or hinder you.

The game is very complex, epecially in regard to the monsters. There's about 8 different notations on the monster that all correspond to something different and the first few games are spent dechipering all that information. I'm not so sure this is a kids game. I would recommend house on the hill for that. The game is quite a bit more complex than house on the hill and it can take up to 4 hours to play. I also recommend using between 3 and 5 players. Less than that and it's too hard, more than that and it's way to easy.

There are alot of comparisons to House on the Hill being made but I think house on the hill serves the beer and pretzels zombie flick crowd, and arkham is more for the strategy freakish horror fans. I own both like them for different reasons. House on the Hill is great for a quick one hour game with Shaun of the Dead on in the background. Arkham is more horror for the player looking for a more complex experience. Also there is no traitor UNLESS you get my rules for the madman varient from the geek.

As for its comparisons to Shadows over Camelot this is a tough one. I LOVE SoC and I feel that there alot less randomness in it than arkham but I feel there is MUCH MUCH more replayablity in Arkham than SoC.

You don't need to know the mythos to play the game. There are common monsters such as witches, zombies, and such, but there are also mythos monsters such as byakhee and nightgaunts. The monsters aren't nearly as bad as having to face a Great Old One (called GOO for short).

It's a great game just for the pieces. Quality componets and very sound game play if you keep the number of investigators around the 3-5 range. I enjoy the game very much and would most likely own it if I wasn't a cthulhu fan, but since I am, it makes the game all the better.

If you are interested in learning more about HP lovecraft then I encourage you to read his writings. In particular, the short novel "shadows over innsmouth" which is a very creepy and bizzare story. The movie Dagon is loosley based on this story and is a very good movie, perhaps much more gory and less creepy, which I think Lovecraft would have despised, but the elements of the story are very close to the actual short story.

[Doctor Strategy]

I ordered Arkham Horror and eagerly await its arrival. I read the books also and used to play the RPG. At least you have a chance to defeat the GOO in the boardgame.

[Moderator Sinister]

tell us what you think of it doc! You'll be happy just looking at all the goodies you get.

[Doctor Strategy]

Mod Sinister,

I ordered over $100 worth of games to take advantage of free shipping. I pre-ordered Heroes of Might and Magic 4 CCG game set to get the computer game and the release date has been set back. :mad: Unfortunately, I will have to now wait until mid to late August to get my game.

Oh. Well. Arkham looks worth the wait. I also ordered Monsters Menace America.

[Moderator Sinister]

I love the heroes of might and magic series.# 3 was my favorite. I'm not sure a card game can do it justic but I'll still check it out. It there a heroes of might and magic v comming out?

[Doctor Strategy]

Mod Sinister,

Why yes there is a Heroes of Might and Magic V coming out. It is supposed to come out early in 2006. It will be published by Ubisoft. The makers of Warlords Battlecry and Warlords IV. I am currently hooked on playing Warlords IV. HOMM3 is also my personal favorite of the series.