Game: Arkham Horror - Kingsport Horror Expansion

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ckirkman — 2008-11-26T04:28:06+00:00

Tulzscha High Res Scan

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ckirkman — 2008-11-26T04:24:50+00:00

Nodens High Res Scan

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ckirkman — 2008-11-26T04:23:48+00:00

Hypnos High Res Scan

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ckirkman — 2008-11-26T04:22:25+00:00

Ghroth High Res Scan

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ckirkman — 2008-11-26T04:21:07+00:00

Bast High Res Scan

Thread: Re: Evasive monster attacking

jodokast — 2008-11-25T08:32:48+00:00

Regarding Dunwich turning into a ghost town, how about a house rule that if a mythos card was drawn that involved a rift marker being placed and that card did not open a gate in Dunwich, another Mythos card was drawn and the text / gate opening of the second card would take effect. This would have the effect of cycling through more Mythos cards giving a stronger propability of gates opening at Dunwich.

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linz241 — 2008-11-24T03:12:40+00:00

Eihort High Res Scan

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linz241 — 2008-11-24T03:11:07+00:00

Atlach-Nacha High Res Scan

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linz241 — 2008-11-24T03:09:27+00:00

Y'Golonac High Res Scan

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linz241 — 2008-11-24T03:07:50+00:00

Yibb-Tstll High Res Scan

Thread: Re: Hidden Ancient One

Seppuku — 2008-11-21T14:48:15+00:00

Hmm, interesting idea. I'll be sure to give this a go next time AH hits the table.

Thread: Re: A Couple of Gamers review Kingsport Horror

mageith — 2008-11-18T20:36:45+00:00

Wow! Great Review.
One game, in particular, taught us the value of keeping rift tokens in check, as a rift tore open and zig-zagged its way through Arkham on almost every turn.
Sounds like a bit of bad luck. A rift will bring out a doom token only about every 6th turn. I usually ignore rifts and never have had more than one doom token added. There is a mythos card that brings them all out. At that point I stop ignoring them.

Charlie Kane, the Politician
- Special Abilities:
Charlie can gain allies that have been returned to the box. That's a very subtle special ability that becomes more and more useful as the game progresses. However, he can also keep the terror level from growing. If he does so, his other special ability doesn't come into play. As a politician, he can either help the city or help himself. A genius way of demonstrating a theme through game mechanics.
There's quite a debate on how Charlie works. It appears that you play him like he always has the 11 investigators that start the game always available to him unless some other investigator has obtained them. Note that when the original 11 allies are selected, the other allies are returned to the box too. Another small groups thinks Charlie gets the allies at the moment they are returned to the box. That really creates a moral dilemna for Charlie.

I agree that some of the investigators are a cut above. IMO Daisy and Wendy are the two best if your goal is to seal or close.

Rita is a great fighter.

I've never had that good of luck with Rex or Luke, though others have. I like playing Luke though and even though he's a struggle he usually contributes his share.

Lola and Tony don't have much new or interesting to offer.

Kingsport will offer even more for those players who truly enjoy the thematics behind Arkham Horror. The story of the sleepy seaside town plagued constantly by heavy fog and mists in which any manner of evil could lurk is horror at its best. We'll be paying a visit to Kingsport many more times - as long as our sanity holds out, that is.

It has a lot of theme, that's for sure. But the mechanic itself has relegated it to the bottom of the expansion heap for me. The difficulty and expense in obtaining the goodies also is a downer for me.
The upside is that it can be added to any other combination of expansions without its effect being diluted (though it will dilute other expansions).

We have two houserules that make Kingsport more dangerous.

1) The rift paths fill up faster: We ignore this: "If both spaces next to the monster movement pattern are already full, do not draw another rift progress marker." We simply place the RPM in one of the other spaces next to the rift marker. This means the first rift will pop out by the 10th turn at the most (if we ignore the rifts) and more likely around the 5th or 6th turn. We've had games where no rift ever came out because of the distribution of the Mythos cards. This rule will make the rifts more than twice as common.

2) Everytime the rift moves it adds a doom token. In other words, the color on the rift marker doesn't make any difference. This doubles the chance of a Doom Token to approximately once every three turns.

Thread: Re: Comments on the epic final battle (Spoilers?)

Riggler — 2008-11-13T17:59:32+00:00

As it shoudl be. It's Cthulhu.

Thread: Re: Rift Progress at a gate location

Riggler — 2008-11-13T17:53:23+00:00

mageith wrote:
Dam the Man wrote:
If I've grasped the Task & Mission rules correctly, if you get knocked to the street by an encounter, you don't get a token for that location.

(simpler for Missions, since you have to be there during Upkeep)
Tasks and Missions, page 5 Dunwich:
"...The investigator must end his movement
at each listed area and then perform the proper
action (see below)...For Tasks, merely spending an Arkham Encounter Phase in the listed areas is enough to complete each step.”

It seems pretty clear, but not perfectly clear, that you must spend the [entire] Arkham encounter phase to complete the step of Mission. The requirement is a bit tougher, in some ways, than merely having an encounter which is the rift rule.

On the other hand, having an encounter (or even using the special rule or doing an odd job for $1) is fully spending your Arkham encounter phase for that turn, so in that respect its easier (unless you are going to count everything as an encounter which seems to be the majority opinion.)

Looks like this needs a little reviving. I guess I'd never thought about the Tasks issue before. So, if you end your movement in a location (not on your task list) and have an encounter, wherein you are offered a ride to any location and are able to have an encounter there, and that location is on your task list, it wouldn't allow you to get a clue token toward your task becasue you didn't 1) end your movement (during movement phase) there and 2) didn't spend an (whole) Arkham Encounter Phase there. The entire I assume because the lack of the word whole suggests whole.

Consider, "I would like an egg." I don't say "I'd like a whole egg." Because it is understood I want a whole egg unless I say, "I'd like half an egg," or "I'd like an egg white."

This game is so subtle with its wording.

Thread: Re: Bast- protector of cats

coronacolada — 2008-11-02T03:20:46+00:00

This ability is demonstrated constantly. Creepily. I am now wary of never saying "Boy I hope [x] doesn't happen this turn...", because invariably it does. I just play in silence. It's safer.

-tom

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linz241 — 2008-10-31T00:25:32+00:00

Wendy Adams's Full Investigator Card

Thread: Re: A Couple of Gamers review Kingsport Horror

Dam the Man — 2008-10-26T08:02:15+00:00

After reading your detailed input on the investigators, I'm even more convinced that KH Investigators are pretty much a cut above AH + DH ones (barring a few good one, Joe and Mandy for example). At least AH and DH ones were comparable on a same level, you had your Hits (see above + Leo and Jacqueline) and no-so-Hits (Dexter [who is made even worse with the intro of "do everything better and saner" Daisy], Jim Culver for me). I was already of the opinion that Charlie, Wendy, Lily and Daisy were über in comparison (or at least rulemanglers for some parts), but seems like Tony Morgan is the only one that is of a similar level to AH + DH invs.

Thread: Re: A Couple of Gamers review Kingsport Horror

ckirkman — 2008-10-26T00:32:42+00:00

mummykitty wrote:
Awesome review!

Thanks!

mummykitty wrote:
At least one of your team will need to deal with the happenings in Kingsport during a game if this map is in play.

Exactly, and that's worth the price of admission right there. The theme and flavor of Kingsport is good enough that anyone who isn't chosen to go up there and deal with things almost wishes they could. Sometimes, two or three investigators will jot up there for a turn or two, just to get into some of the great story elements that can turn up!

Thread: Re: A Couple of Gamers review Kingsport Horror

mummykitty — 2008-10-26T00:26:22+00:00

Awesome review!

I think the actual location of Kingsport is a bit of a sideshow, but it's an interesting side show, and as you pointed out in great detail, the expansion itself adds a lot of new things to the game. I really like the characters that are added with this one, especially the Dreamer. Of course, with new things that can go wrong, it also offers additional challenges to experienced investigators. At least one of your team will need to deal with the happenings in Kingsport during a game if this map is in play.

Thread: A Couple of Gamers review Kingsport Horror

ckirkman — 2008-10-25T20:59:38+00:00

A Couple of Gamers
[username=ckirkman]

[username=linz241]

My girlfriend Lindsay and I have been playing and absolutely loving Arkham Horror for a few weeks now. A couple of weekends ago, we were out shopping and happened to be near our local geek haven and game shop. I turned to her and said we might as well stop by while we're out. Lindsay, always the frugal shopper, was hesitant, as she knows that I'm likely to blow our entire mortgage payment on board games. Her hesitation turned into anticipation, however, when I mentioned that they'd likely have an Arkham Horror expansion that we could pick up. Indeed, they did - both Kingsport and Dunwich Horror. After some deliberation, Lindsay decided she liked the box art on Kingsport better (product designers out there take note - box art matters!), and so the choice was made. I threw in the Curse of the Dark Pharoah expansion right before we hit the cash register, and we were all set.

A few sessions later, we feel confident that we know Kingsport well enough to share our thoughts on the expansion and what it adds or detracts from the core game of Arkham Horror. We hope many of you out there find our ramblings entertaining, informative, and, above all, useful.

OVERVIEW
Something strange is afoot behind the swirling mists of the seaside town of Kingsport. Just inside the haunted harbor, small cracks in the walls between worlds have begun to form. If left unchecked, these cracks may deepen, eventually crumbling into a swirling rift - an open gateway through which the evils of beyond may spill forth, bringing terror and doom down upon Arkham and quickening the arrival of the Ancient One.

The Kingsport Horror expansion adds another board section that represents the town of Kingsport, with new encounter locations and two new Other World locations for the investigators to explore. Aiding in that exploration are 8 new investigators and quite a few new common items, unique items, spells and allies. A few intriguing and especially nasty monsters have been added into the mix, as well as 4 new and incredibly ghastly Ancient Ones. The game also includes and introduces Epic Battle cards - a new way to add some thematic spice to your final showdown against the Ancient Ones.

KINGSPORT

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Overall, the Kingsport board is a beautiful addition to the Arkham Horror base game. There are four new groups of encounter locations, including the centerpiece of the town - the Kingsport Head. The Head consists of three locations: the Causeway, Wireless Station, and the wonderfully mysterious Strange High House in the Mist. The Head is notoriously difficult to traverse, and this is represented by a new location function called Hard Going. Basically, whenever an investigator enters the Causeway or the Wireless Station, they must end their movement. This new function turns a trip to the Strange High House in the Mist into an arduous five-turn trek. Why would any sane investigator go on such a journey? Well, sanity is subjective in Arkham Horror, but upon reaching the Strange High House, an investigator can spend gate trophies or monster toughness to acquire the Changed card. This basically adds +1 to maximum Sanity and Stamina. The Changed card can also be exhausted instead of using a clue token. Very handy. An investigator will also receive The Great Seal, which allows any gate to be sealed permanently without risk of gate bursts or other effects. Clearly, these grant an investigator some fantastic bonuses, but are they worth the time-consuming and often-difficult voyage? Thematically, yes; technically, no. Thematically, the rough journey makes you feel as though your investigator is up against the mystery that IS Arkham Horror, and it almost becomes a test of wills. It also adds to the story and drama that is an essential element in the game. Technically, however, it's very difficult to fit a trip up to The Strange High House into a game. As mentioned, most trips will take at least 5 turns for a payoff, and you are only able to get the Changed card if you are stocked with gate trophies and/or monster trophies. This usually only occurs when the game has gone on for quite some time and the Ancient One may be close to awakening. By that time, most investigators are scurrying about trying to close or seal that last gate before doomsday. On one hand, though, a trip up the treacherous Head would be worth an investigator's time if the awakening was inevitable and the investigator had time to travel up and get stocked for the final battle.

The Head isn't the only intriguing location in Kingsport. The town is stocked with a hospital, a tavern, and a curiosity shop, as well. The hospital is a handy location - not as powerful as St. Mary's back in Arkham, but it allows investigators who have had a rough time in Kingsport the chance to gain stamina AND sanity in one spot. The Rope and Anchor Tavern, however, isn't quite as useful. An investigator can spend a turn here, pay $1, and search the common item deck for a food or whiskey card. The food and whiskey cards can be beneficial one-use cards, but when compared to spending a turn having an encounter somewhere else that may have a big payoff, the time here clearly isn't worth it. Neal's Curiosity Shop is very useful, though. Here, an investigator is able to sell off some of those less-useful items that have been collecting dust. Lindsay and I had already been playing with a house rule that common items, unique items and spells could be sold back to the respective shops in Arkham at half price (rounded up), so having a defined location that allowed that house rule legally and thematically was a welcomed addition.

The final "special" location in Kingsport is the North Point Lighthouse in Harborside. Here, an investigator can spend the requisite amount of gate and/or monster trophies to take the Captain of the White Ship card (and, subsequently, the White Ship herself). These two cards are pretty useful. The captain prevents an investigator from being delayed while in an Other World, but both cards are discarded if the investigator becomes lost in time and space. The White Ship allows an investigator to move to the first world of an Other World from anywhere in Arkham or the Other Worlds, during movement phase, even if no open gates currently lead to that Other World. This card, in itself, is worth the price of the gate and/or monster trophies. The tactical flexibility it affords an investigator can often be invaluable during a game. Compared to the Strange High House, The North Point Lighthouse also has the benefit of not taking five turns for a payoff, giving the lighthouse the edge in this expansion.

One important thing to note about Kingsport and it's locations is that all locations are stable. No gates will open under investigators, drawing them into an Other World, nor will gates open and spit forth monsters. In a sense, it adds to the special charm of the seaside town, but it can also be a hindrance to the investigators, as anyone in Kingsport is unable to help in closing or sealing gates to prevent the Ancient One from awakening. This can be a bit frustrating, at times, but it mostly adds to the difficulty level of the game, which makes for a much tighter and more tense finale, in most cases.

RIFTS

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The main new mechanic that Kingsport introduces, and the reason that investigators are drawn to the town in the first place, is the appearance of rifts. Rifts are tears in the fabric of space and time that can open and roam around Arkham, spitting out monsters and wreaking general havoc. Rifts develop gradually, as special rift tokens accumulate on three different rift tracks on the side of the board. Each time a mythos card is drawn, a rift token is placed on the track that corresponds with the monster movement symbols on the mythos card. The rift tokens are drawn randomly, and contain the picture of a specific location in Kingsport. Investigators can prevent rifts from fully forming by removing rift tokens on the rift track. A rift token is removed every time an investigator has an encounter at any location that is represented by the image on the back of a rift token.

When all the spots in a particular rift track are filled with tokens, a rift is formed and opens in the location indicated by the gate spot location on the last mythos card. On the back of each rift is one of the dimensional symbols that controls monster movement. Each time that symbol appears during monster movement in the mythos phase, the rift moves as well and spawns a new monster in the location where it moved. In addition, a doom token is added to the doom track. Needless to say, open rifts aren't a welcome site in Arkham!

Some players have expressed dissatisfaction with the rift system and with Kingsport, in general, but we thought that the threat of open rifts really added an interesting and fun twist. One game, in particular, taught us the value of keeping rift tokens in check, as a rift tore open and zig-zagged its way through Arkham on almost every turn. The doom track gained four new tokens before we were able to close the rift, and it wasn't long before Azathoth awakened and the world ended with a burp.

INVESTIGATORS
There are 8 new investigators in Kingsport, ready to battle against ancient evil. We'll rate them with a thumbs up or thumbs down in each of five categories: special abilities, starting possessions, skill sliders, usefulness, and thematics - basically if we feel that the character fits in well with the Lovecraftiness of things.

Wendy Adams, the Urchin
- Special Abilities:
Wendy is able to pass any evade checks made in a street area, and with monsters almost always moving into the streets, that's a very, very useful ability. Wendy also cannot be arrested (whatever) or cursed (that's better) while she has an Elder Sign.
- Starting Possessions:
Speaking of Elder Signs, did you know she starts with one? Yeah, you heard me right. Oh, and 3 clue tokens. Did you just say you wanted to play as Wendy? I thought so.
- Skill Sliders:
Her sneak only drops to three when her speed is a the max. of 5. She might be a weak fighter, but with her evade special ability and sneak that good, she shouldn't be a monster hunter anyway.
- Usefulness:
If your strategy is running past monsters on the way to closing gates, then it doesn't get much better than Wendy.
- Thematics:
The idea of throwing a minor into the mix isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't seem very Lovecraftian to us. Think less Call of Cthulhu and more Crow, if you know what we mean.

Tony Morgan, the Bounty Hunter
- Special Abilities:
Monster troughies are worth one extra toughness when spent, and Tony can trade in monsters for money in the streets. They're not bad special abilities, but they don't necessarily stand out, either. Tony tends to compare heavily to Michael McGlen, and, in that respect, he loses out with Michael's additional toughness ability and his tommy gun & dynamite.
- Starting possessions:
3 clue tokens is very nice, but the handcuffs are only useful in very specific situations. Of course, when I played Tony they did come in handy, just not as handy as, say, a tommy gun.
- Skill sliders:
For a bounty hunter, he's not terribly fast, stealthy, or tough in a fight.
- Usefulness:
The man has his uses, and his character is a cool concept, but there are many more characters who could do far greater things in Arkham.
- Thematics:
Bounty hunters belong in Star Wars, not in the cursed streets of Arkham.

Luke Robinson, the Dreamer
- Special Abilities:
Luke gains clues when he enters Other Worlds or is lost in time and space, plus his valuable Gate Box cannot be lost or stolen. Very handy.
- Starting possessions:
Six bucks, two spells, and the Gate Box, which can't be lost or stolen. 'Nuff said.
- Skill sliders:
He's not very fast, and there are better Lore sliders in the game, plus he only has Focus of 1. Unfortunately, this is his weakness.
- Usefulness:
Luke starts in the Dreamlands, he can travel out of any gate he likes with his Gate Box, and he gains clues when he's in Other Worlds. This is your ultimate gate crasher.
- Thematics:
Luke is basically a native or citizen of the Dreamlands. How much more Lovecraftian can you get?

Lola Hayes, the Actress
- Special abilities:
We wanted to give this one a thumbs up, but just couldn't. During play, the skill-changing ability just didn't prove that useful.
- Starting possessions:
She gets a little bit of everything, but, as a result, nothing really shines.
- Skill sliders:
Average, at best. She has a focus of 2 and a max. speed of 5, though, so she's not a total loss.
- Usefulness:
We like Lola and her concept, but there are investigators better suited for saving the world.
- Thematics:
An actress who has just gotten out of rehab in Arkham Asylum only to be thrown into an even more maddening world is delightfully appropriate.

Charlie Kane, the Politician
- Special Abilities:
Charlie can gain allies that have been returned to the box. That's a very subtle special ability that becomes more and more useful as the game progresses. However, he can also keep the terror level from growing. If he does so, his other special ability doesn't come into play. As a politician, he can either help the city or help himself. A genius way of demonstrating a theme through game mechanics.
- Starting possessions:
He starts with $9 and an ally. I'd say that gives him the thumbs up edge.
- Skill sliders:
The 5 in fight and a Focus of 2 give him a slight edge for a thumbs up.
- Usefulness:
Charlie is a "finesse" character, which requires a player with some experience in order to get the most out of him. It's for this reason alone that he gets the thumbs down, and it's a very slight one.
- Thematics:
We love the concept and especially the game mechanics, but Charlie and politics just doesn't seem to fit.

Rex Murphy, the Reporter
- Special abilities:
Rex gains an extra clue token anytime he gains one or more clue tokens - that applies even when picking up clues on locations. Think about that. We did, and the guy turned into a clue machine. Of course, he has his downside - the guy is cursed from the very beginning, and he can't discard his curse by rolling for it in upkeep. That can be a real pain in the neck, but it makes Rex a very interesting character to play.
- Starting possessions:
We're giving this a thumbs up despite the curse because of the 3 clue tokens and all the items he receives.
- Skill sliders:
With a high Lore, a Focus of 2, and the ability to be fairly speedy while still retaining some sneak, Rex has an edge.
- Usefulness:
Surprisingly, Rex turns out to be very useful during games despite his curse. And once his curse is removed, he really becomes a force to be reckoned with.
- Thematics:
HUGE thumbs up here. A reporter that's almost seen too much and carries a family curse? It's like Lovecraft himself came up with this character.

Lily Chen, the Martial Artist
- Special abilities:
Whoa. Lily has the ability to adjust her max. stamina and sanity as if they were set on a skill slider. Also, if she increases one or the other, she gains 1 stamina or sanity, depending on which stat increased. Essentially, she can adapt to any situation, and potentially heal herself.
- Starting possessions:
Starting with the Martial Arts skill is very handy.
- Skill sliders:
Did we mention that you can adjust your max. stamina and sanity as if they were a skill slider?
- Usefulness:
Lily has proven very useful during some sessions, as she is a very independent character who can take on multiple assignments.
- Thematics:
We want to give her a thumbs up, but martial arts in a Lovecraft setting? We like the eastern mystic flair, and appreciate the scope that the designers are trying to introduce, but Lily just doesn't quite fit.

Daisy Walker, the Librarian
- Special abilities:
Daisy doesn't lose sanity when reading a Tome (and she starts with Livre d'Ivon!), and any Sanity she might lost in casting costs for spells is reduced by one. Yup, those get a big thumbs up.
- Starting possessions:
She gets a little bit of everything: $5, a clue token, the Livre d'Ivon, a spell, a skill, a unique item and a common item. Pretty nice.
- Skill sliders:
A focus of 2, a Lore of 5, and a speed/skill ratio of 4/1 gives Daisy a definite edge.
- Usefulness:
You'd better believe it. Many people have been saying that Daisy is one of the most powerful investigators in the game, and they are right.
- Thematics:
A librarian that stumbles across the ancient tomes that are the key to understanding the mythos is very Lovecraftian.

MONSTERS
For the most part, the mix of monsters that get added to the cup from Kingsport is pretty good. A couple of standouts are the Leng Spiders (nice to see those mysterious creatures popping up from out of the Dreamlands) and the deadly Shan that can devour investigators on the spot. Yeah, that's right - DEVOUR. Let me tell you there have been a few nerve-wracking moments when one of our investigators has come face to face with those critters.

The Kingsport monsters also add two more Mask monsters, which make taking Nyarlathotep as the Ancient One more interesting.

Kingsport expands on the types of monsters, as well. In this expansion, aquatic monsters are introduced, which can travel from one location that is marked as aquatic to another aquatic location closer to an investigator. They're sort of like limited flying monsters without a sky, and are denoted by an orange border. As a result of the new aquatic baddies, the game comes with two aquatic tokens to place on the River Docks and the Unvisited Isle back in Arkham. We think this is a nifty concept, but the game only introduces four aquatic monsters into the mix. With so many monsters in the cup and so few aquatic monsters and locations, they don't really affect the game very much. Personally, we can probably assume that since there haven't been any Deep Ones in the expansions just yet (unfortunately), the aquatic theme will have a much larger impact with a Shadow over Innsmouth expansion. That's gotta be down the pipeline.

EPIC BATTLE
Besides the rifts, another great component that's introduced in this expansion is the Epic Battle card deck. These cards are only brought out when the Ancient One awakens. Each turn before upkeep, a new card is drawn, and it details bonuses or detriments that may occur during the final battle that turn. The Epic Battle cards start out fairly benign, but they grow in severity and maliciousness as the battle wears on. There are also instances when a Sinister Plot card should be drawn. These are a set of cards - 3 each for every Ancient One - that brings some specific flavor into a battle. These can really zero in on an Ancient One's particular nastiness, and add even more thematic flair to the showdown.

All in all, the Epic Battle cards seem to be a welcome addition to the game. The weakest part to us has always been the constant dice rolling in the final battles, which always lacked a lot of the storytelling elements of the main game. The Epic Battle cards continue the story until the very grisly or heroic end.

CONCLUSION
Overall, we believe that Kingsport is definitely worth the money, especially if you are looking to add some extra spice or difficulty to the base game. Although there are no unstable locations in Kingsport, there is still more than enough to keep investigators occupied with unique encounters and the ever-increasing threat of the rifts. The additional mythos cards also add a lot of extra twists to the game - one moves all the monsters on the board at the same time! Another finds the first player Lost in the Mist, and sends the investigator straight to The Strange High House in the Mist. The extra location encounter cards for Arkham are great additions, as well, and ensure that there is a lot of variety and replay value across several games. And, of course, the new investigators - for the most part - are intriguing and useful.

Kingsport will offer even more for those players who truly enjoy the thematics behind Arkham Horror. The story of the sleepy seaside town plagued constantly by heavy fog and mists in which any manner of evil could lurk is horror at its best. We'll be paying a visit to Kingsport many more times - as long as our sanity holds out, that is.

Cheers,
Chris and Lindsay

Thread: Re: Hidden Ancient One

jgt7771 — 2008-10-22T22:20:58+00:00

Besides, by the time you're looking for something like a "Hidden AO Variant", you've likely progressed to the point where Azathoth isn't much of a challenge anymore.

Thread: Re: Yibb-Tstll and Clue tokens

HuckmanT — 2008-10-01T02:42:20+00:00

I've found Yibb to be a VERY tough GOO. I've almost beaten him twice before waking him up, but once he's awakened, it's been curtains for me. His "insta-devour" attack is really hard to deal with, particularly for a team (like mine) that had 2 characters with only a single Focus. Urp.

Thread: Re: Are you a Cultist? (Werewolf game variants)

ced1106 — 2008-09-25T17:10:31+00:00

Oh, that was posted on the FFG AH forum...

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffgforums/posts/list/14681...

Thread: Re: Are you a Cultist? (Werewolf game variants)

beri — 2008-09-25T01:14:29+00:00

Funny, I thought you were going to take this a different way. It would be really cool to have a game of Arkham Horror crossed with a game of Werewolf - basically, a hidden traitor. Each turn, the cultists choose an investigator to lose a life or sanity point. Every few turns, the investigators can choose someone to be Lost In Time And Space. If they choose a Cultist, the Cultist is Devoured, and returns as a loyal investigator. If all the Cultists in the game are devoured, every investigator gains one life or one sanity, and the Cultist cards are recollected, reshuffled, and dealt again. A Cultist wins by being a Cultist (living or dead) when the game is lost.

That's just a quick and dirty thought.

Thread: Re: Eihort Final Battle -- suggestions?

bill_andel — 2008-09-24T22:02:23+00:00

Kobold Curry Chef wrote:
Thematically, any time the GOO wakes up, I feel like we've failed. If we drive off the GOO during the final fight (not that we've managed to do that since we added the Kingsport Epic Battle variant), it feels like a Pyhrric victory at best. True victory, to us, is keeping the big jerk from waking up at all.

So, I've seen a lot of people make this claim. But have you read the original "Call Of Cthulhu"? Cthulhu awakens and is dispatched by a harpoon-wielding sailor, IIRC.

Thread: Are you a Cultist? (Werewolf game variants)

ced1106 — 2008-09-24T21:22:40+00:00

Introduction: I was a little disappointed that "Are You A Worshipper" is straight-up Werewolf, with the standard Werewolf variants. You can play a more Mythos-themed Werewolf game, using the picture-sided backs of the Kingsport Ancient One cards. This post is a rough draft.

As a recap, the Kingsport Ancient One cards are:
* Eight green cards: Investigators.
* Eight red cards: Weak-Willed Citizens.
* Fifteen three-card sets of Ancient One cards: Cultist Priests.

Setup: The picture-side of the Ancient One cards are used. While the text side of the cards are different, it's not easy to distinguish which card has which picture side, just from the text side of the card.

Variant: Are you a Cultist?

Setup: Create the Werewolf role deck with one card per player using cards in this order: four green cards, any one of the Ancient One cards, four red cards, then repeat. So a ten-player game would have one Ancient One card, five of the eight green cards, and four of the red cards. Shuffle the cards picture-side down, text-side up, and give each player a card, to remain hidden.

End game: The game ends when either all the Investigators or all the Cultist Priests have been killed off.

Victory: If all of the Citizens have been killed off, the game is a minor victory for the winning side. (The Investigators want to keep the residents of the town alive, and the Priests wanted to keep them around for later sacrifices.) If, somehow, the Citizens are the only ones left alive, the game is a minor victory for them.

Special Powers (optional): Priest phases are performed in alphabetical order. Only the player identified in this phase may open their eyes and act during this phase. If a player dies, the moderator does NOT explain the cause of death.

* Cthulhu: You give other players disturbing dreams that drive the weak to death. You have a special phase between Day and Night. You may physically tap another player during this phase, to convert an Investigator into a Weak-Willed Citizen. The moderator will secretly tell this person before Night if he has changed. However, if you tap a Weak-Willed Citizen, he dies at Night.

* Hastur: You start the game with the King in Yellow tome. The possessor of the book has a special phase between Day and Night. The Hastur Priest may give this book to another player during this phase; otherwise, the player must give this book to another player during this phase. Players need not show the book at Day or Night. An Investigator holding this book, or killed while holding this book, is treated as a Weak-Willed Citizen. A Weak-Willed Citizen holding this book, or killed while holding this book, is treated as a Cultist. If a player dies while holding this book, the moderator gives you the book during your special phase.

* Nyarlathotep: You have many masks. During your special phase, you may give your role card to another player and take his. You have now switched roles with the other player. But if the other player dies this turn, you die as well, at Night.

Okay, the "There's an Invetigator in our Midsts!" variant, if I have time. This time, there's only one Investigator, but all the Priests are against each other...

Thread: Re: GOO's 'Sinister Plot' cards

Luke the Flaming — 2008-09-20T23:10:43+00:00

Some Epic Cards (green and red) tell you to draw a Plot Card (of the proper GOO) and follow what it says.
They're a sort of "Epic Cards personalized for each GOO".
Have fun!

Thread: GOO's 'Sinister Plot' cards

Greendan — 2008-09-20T18:25:14+00:00

How do these work? The rule book says to put the green cards on the red cards and set the Sinister Plot cards to one side. I can't seem to find what happens with them next, can anyone help?

Cheers!

Thread: Re: Hidden Ancient One

bill_andel — 2008-09-20T11:18:21+00:00

Kobold Curry Chef wrote:
Neat idea, but there's no cards for Nyarlathotep. You'd have to proxy it with something else.
You mean Azathoth, don't you? And, yeah, he'd be out of the mix. Didn't claim it was perfect. But you still have 15 other AOs there to be surprised by.

Thread: Re: Hidden Ancient One

Kobold Curry Chef — 2008-09-20T07:43:17+00:00

Neat idea, but there's no cards for Nyarlathotep. You'd have to proxy it with something else.

Thread: Re: Evasive monster attacking

Kobold Curry Chef — 2008-09-20T07:27:50+00:00

That's been our experience too. We've seen Dunwich turn into a ghost town. I think the Horror has appeared 1/13, with vortices triggering maybe once a game. I'm starting to rethink using both towns all the time.

Thread: Re: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

Kobold Curry Chef — 2008-09-20T07:20:14+00:00

I agree that it's a freebie. The rules for monster surges require gates to be open. No gates, no surge! If it feels too easy, don't worry. The next Mythos card is likely to open a rift or erase your hard drive...

Thread: Re: Evasive monster attacking

kungfro — 2008-09-18T20:07:38+00:00

Kobold Curry Chef wrote:
This is one of the few places where adding an expansion will give the investigators a break.
Now that all those gates are opening in Arkham again, the Dunwich Horror has been hurting for work.

Thread: Re: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

kungfro — 2008-09-18T20:06:49+00:00

I've had this as the first card.

Nothing happens. No clues, no rift tokens (because none match the monster movement), no gate, no monsters. You lucked out! Breathe a sigh of relief and start collecting clues.

Thread: Re: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

agentzen — 2008-09-16T06:16:50+00:00

Josh, I think that's the right way to handle it, as it is the only answer that doesn't require bending the rules or creating new ones.

I was going to go to the same "this could also arise in the middle of the game" scenario. You wouldn't treat it any differently. A monster surge causes monsters to appear at all open gates. There aren't any, so 0 monsters appear.

Thread: Re: Question about C.Kane, the politician.

Sneaky JoJo — 2008-09-15T19:03:13+00:00

Yeah, I realized that this morning after thinking about this more.

Thread: Re: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

Sneaky JoJo — 2008-09-15T19:01:15+00:00

The more I think about it, the more I want to go with the option of not adding any monsters. Putting monsters in the Outskirts seems wrong, since I am not currently at my monster limit.

This situation could arise in the middle of the game, if all gates have been closed and this card is drawn.

This could be a situation where the heroes are lucky to draw a card that triggers a monster surge.

Thread: Re: Question about C.Kane, the politician.

Jedit — 2008-09-15T17:42:36+00:00

Sneaky JoJo wrote:
I assumed that the 11 allies for the game were the only ones anyone has access to, including the politian. I used his ability to snatch allies that were headed for the box due to a Terror level increase. I would also have used it if another player had discarded an ally, but that hasn't happened yet.

Whoa, whoa, whoa... you're definitely playing it wrong. Charlie doesn't get to snag any Ally that gets returned to the box. What he can do is take an Ally that is in the box if the game would allow him to take that Ally. So if Charlie gets an encounter that lets him take Erich Weiss as an Ally, Charlie can take Weiss even if he is in the box. All other characters can only take Weiss if he's in the Ally deck for the game.

Thread: Re: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

Luke the Flaming — 2008-09-15T17:29:43+00:00

Either put Monsters (equal to the number of players) in the Outskirts or just ignore the card and draw a new one.
I'd choose the former (the game could alreay begin with no gates, when the "no gate but 2 doom tokens" cards were introduced in the first expansion).

Thread: Re: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

Sneaky JoJo — 2008-09-15T15:59:44+00:00

I'm not sure about that. This particular Mythos card says that no new gate opens. It doesn't even have a gate location in the lower left corner.

If a gate is supposed to open, where would it go, since there isn't a gate location?

Thread: Re: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

DrFaust — 2008-09-15T14:58:41+00:00

The first thing a mythos card does is open a gate. The Strange Sightings effect is that last thing it does. So by the time the card tells you to conduct a monster surge, there will be a gate open.

Thread: Re: Question about C.Kane, the politician.

Sneaky JoJo — 2008-09-15T13:09:50+00:00

My interpretation has been much more restrictive (up until now).

I assumed that the 11 allies for the game were the only ones anyone has access to, including the politian. I used his ability to snatch allies that were headed for the box due to a Terror level increase. I would also have used it if another player had discarded an ally, but that hasn't happened yet.

After reading this thread and re-reading the rules, I think I have been wrong.

The rule about determining allies during setup, which limits the number of allies to 11, says to return the others to the box.

As was noted earlier, Charlie's Connections ability says he may gain Allies that have been returned to the box.

Both rules use the terminology of returning to the box. So, I guess I have been wrong. He must have access to all allies.

However, certain rules refer to the Ally deck, such as the special encounter at Ma's Boarding House. For those situations, I believe he is restricted to the Allies in the deck, which excludes the ones returned to the box.

Thread: Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card

Sneaky JoJo — 2008-09-15T04:24:58+00:00

I just drew Strange Sightings! as the first Mythos card during setup. It does not open a new gate. Instead, it triggers an automatic monster surge.

Since this is the first Mythos card, I don't have any gates for the monsters to surge out of.

Does this mean that nothing happens with respect to the monsters?

Do I just put X monsters in the Outskirts (X = # of players)?

Should this card be treated as a Rumor card and simply be discarded if drawn during setup?

I'm going to go with the first choice and just do the secondary action, which gives the first player a clue. I feel so lucky.

Thread: Re: Question about C.Kane, the politician.

mageith — 2008-09-13T23:37:32+00:00

I think he has his choice of any ally that is not in someone else's possession. Per Ma's he has a choice of any ally in the "ally deck". His ally deck is every ally that doesn't belong to someone else.

Thread: Re: Question about C.Kane, the politician.

fnord3125 — 2008-09-13T21:12:39+00:00

What does he do when acquiring an ally from the Boarding House?

Thread: Re: Evasive monster attacking

Kobold Curry Chef — 2008-09-11T15:34:30+00:00

This is one of the few places where adding an expansion will give the investigators a break.

Thread: Re: Yibb-Tstll and Clue tokens

Grimwold — 2008-09-08T21:39:26+00:00

Brian is right... leave the clues on the board if you can't 'carry' them...
This is particularly relevant since Yibb's combat modifier when he awakes is dependant on the number of clues left on the board!!

Thread: Re: Evasive monster attacking

ColtsFan76 — 2008-09-08T19:27:57+00:00

Consensus is that you must pass an Evade check to enter combat. If you choose not to, or fail an evade, they are returned to the monster cup.

Thread: Re: Yibb-Tstll and Clue tokens

ColtsFan76 — 2008-09-08T19:13:05+00:00

a) Stays on the board. It is the same as if you enetered a location and (for whatever reason) didn't want to pick up the Clue.

You most definitely have the option to leave a Clue on the board.

Thread: Re: Question about C.Kane, the politician.

ColtsFan76 — 2008-09-08T19:11:47+00:00

Sverre wrote:
With the other questions, I lean toward what Jedit says: He's able to get any ally (from all 34) throughout the game, except whem he is to draw a card at random. That makes the most sense to me, anyway.
I agree as well. I don't think he was meant to be the all-powerful Ally magnet. He is to break one simple rule and that is he never has to use the "If your ally is not available, do option B" because the Ally is always available. But unless an Ally is actually named, he is stuck with a random draw of the original 11 dealt to this game.

I was merely posing the questions to illustrate that there is a lot of open questions on this investigator and it is not as definitive as Jedit originally answered.

Thread: Evasive monster attacking

Sverre — 2008-09-08T19:11:08+00:00

I have a question around Evasive monsters. I understand that you normally have to do an Evade check to fight them, as they are, well, evasive... But what if you draw an Encounter that says something like "A monster attacks you!" Can you still choose to ignore it? Do you still have to roll an Evade check if you want to fight it?

That may be the literal interpretation of the rules, but personally I think it feels more in line with the text of the card to ignore the Evade check in this particular situation. (You would then have to do an Evade check to prevent the fight, as with usual monsters.)

Any thoughts?

Thread: Yibb-Tstll and Clue tokens

Sverre — 2008-09-08T19:05:33+00:00

While Yibb-Tstll slumbers in his sleep, no investigator can have more than 5 Clue tokens at once.

So, what happens when an investigator with 5 Clue tokens enter a location with a Clue token? (A) Does the Clue token stay on the board, or (B) is it discarded?

I think this depends on how you interpret the exact limiting mechanism: Are you prohibited from picking up Clue tokens, or do you have to discard all tokens above 5. I don't think it is allowed to leave a Clue token on the board on purpose (in other circumstances, I mean), so I lean toward B.

Any thoughts?

Thread: Re: Question about C.Kane, the politician.

Sverre — 2008-09-08T18:45:34+00:00

ColtsFan76 wrote:

4) The other major point is his starting Ally: random draw from the deck off 11? Random draw from all 34? Select from the 11? Select from the 34? It seems there may be only a very small handful of Allies he would choose if he could select.

I think that question is easier to answer than the other ones. His starting ally is listed under "Random possesions", so he is not allowed to choose one. Also, there is a rule that states that any starting allies are deducted from the original 11. Now, whether you draw a random ally for him from 34, then draw another 10 random allies OR you draw 11 allies and pick one of them for him at random is exactly the same.

With the other questions, I lean toward what Jedit says: He's able to get any ally (from all 34) throughout the game, except whem he is to draw a card at random. That makes the most sense to me, anyway.

Thread: Re: Hidden Ancient One

ced1106 — 2008-09-06T17:18:49+00:00

Yeah, I noticed the Kingsport AO deck, including the green and red cards, can be used for *some* sort of Hidden AO variant. Flip the deck over, and voila, instant AO randomizer.

Here's what I'm looking for in an AO variant, most to least important:
* AO variant plays during the game.
* Players have some incentive to get the AO out.
* Players can influence which AO comes out and when.
* AO variant determines if and/or which Guardian or Herald comes out.
* AO variant is linked to picking up Clue tokens.
* AO variant allows players to accuse others of being cultists (hmm).

While most Hidden AO variants are thematic, I'd like them to give the players some control of the game.

Thread: Hidden Ancient One

bill_andel — 2008-09-06T12:36:25+00:00

Had an idea for a hidden Ancient One variant thanks to the Sinister Plot cards in Kingsport:

GAME SETUP:

1. Shuffle the Sinister Plot cards for all the AOs together and put the deck aside.

2. Place the doom token for the initial gate on top of this deck.

CAVEAT:

Character, item, spell, encounter or any other power which allows doom tokens to be removed from the doom track can not be used until the Ancient One is revealed (see below).

MYTHOS PHASE:

1. At the start of each Mythos phase, before drawing a new Mythos card, roll 1D6. If the number is equal to or less that the number of doom tokens atop the Sinister Plot deck, the Ancient One is revealed (see below).

2. If the Ancient One is not revealed, continue placing doom tokens for gates that open atop the Sinister Plot deck.

REVEALING THE ANCIENT ONE:

1. Set aside the doom tokens from on top of the Sinister Plot deck and cut it. The new top card reveals the Ancient One stirring in his slumber.

2. Put out the sheet for the Ancient One and place the set aside doom tokens on its doom track. Any worshipper or "stirs in slumber" powers described now take effect.

While this lets you get away without the unpleasant effects of the Ancient One for 3-6 turns, it also leaves you uncertain as to how you should be arming yourself for the Final Battle. Comments welcome.

Thread: Re: Darrell Simmons 2 Encounter Cards ability

ColtsFan76 — 2008-08-31T11:27:26+00:00

Yes.

Thread: Darrell Simmons 2 Encounter Cards ability

siliconpsychosis — 2008-08-31T10:49:23+00:00

Does Darrell Simmons ability to draw two encounter cards and choose one apply to Dunwich and Kinsport encounters? (I assume it does since expansion rules state that cards referring to Arkham also refer to the expansion boards.)

Thread: Re: All Expansions

Grimstax — 2008-08-30T15:28:20+00:00

DRGNLRD wrote:
Thanks for the responses. I should also note that I will be playing solo. My wife is out of town this weekend and I am at home with the youngens. After I get them in bed tonight I will be taking on this challenge, When I normally play solo I take two investigators. I find this to be the most challenging and balanced. Tonight when I play I want to throw in everything and see what happens. I figured I would need four to keep up with everything. I'll let you know how it turned out.

Please let us know how it turns out and have fun storming the Mythos!

Thread: Re: All Expansions

DRGNLRD — 2008-08-30T15:20:28+00:00

Thanks for the responses. I should also note that I will be playing solo. My wife is out of town this weekend and I am at home with the youngens. After I get them in bed tonight I will be taking on this challenge, When I normally play solo I take two investigators. I find this to be the most challenging and balanced. Tonight when I play I want to throw in everything and see what happens. I figured I would need four to keep up with everything. I'll let you know how it turned out.

Thread: Re: All Expansions

ced1106 — 2008-08-30T08:15:11+00:00

The number of investigators won't matter much with all these expansions, maybe four or five. The number of players will matter, particularly those who can bring tables for all the table space you're going to wast -- er, need.

aka. Washu! ^O^