kroen said:

Still, there's not one herald per Ancient One, and there are at least some who'd really deserve a personal herald.

Well they can alway release a small box sized expansion that contains nothing but many heralds and guaridans (and ofcours decks and tokens for some of them). Just had an awesome idea: If there will ever be such expansion, it should include the Dark Pharaoh and Dunwhich Horror heralds.

Yeah, I could get behind that. A super-herald expansion. But if given the choice I would vote for Unification expansion.

ummm, so if they made a mountains of madness expansion with a new board you are saying you wouldnt but it? Or how bout if they made a severin valley board, or a post awaking arkham board? come on there are so many good ideas left i will buy any expansion they release they have been all good so far, why say no more expansions how about you dont but more and let me make my own choice.

but=buy sorry typo

I'm pretty sure he is letting you make your own choice, pittplayer. This is a discussion of the merits of the expansions so far, and how much bigger you can make the game before you get diminished returns. This discussion will have no material effect on whether or not FFG do release more expansions, I'm quite sure of that.

The fact that IH contains no items is probably a sign that they've realized they're pushing up against the limit of what you can use in any one game. New investigators, AOs, heralds and guardians are a great way to expand the game, because they make a huge difference and if you don't use them they're totally non-intrusive.

Funny you should mention Severn Valley boards though... I was already pondering that as my next custom content project...

I have all the expansions (so far) and have to say that putting them all together can sometimes be fun, but in general it does tend to feel watered down. As Tibs remarked, occasionally one gets really surprised, but as it stands today, there are many game effects one can just ignore without peril because the odds are so low it's not worth worrying about.

Adding a set of cards that "fixed" these problems would be nice, but we've reached a limit where the 35-40 mythos cards typically drawn during a game (as well as other world encounters, items, etc.) is just a small fraction of the total available -- no matter how many cards get added, it will still seem watered down unless cards are removed to highlight the effects one wants.

What I'd like to see are "Scenario Packs," i.e., small expansions that use predefined parts of the existing (or new) box expansions and that add theme related cards, allies, game effects, etc. I am really enjoying the League right now. Adding Calvin and making some rules modifications has been a blast!

Playtested scenarios with broken cards like Calvin matched with challenging new features (like the League's twist with Ithaqua to lose maximum stamina when stuck in the streets) are a lot of fun. Such scenarios would make use of our current investment and the scenarios could add many new twists to the game and (hopefully) be relatively inexpensive. For example, one could imagine a scenario centered around Velma's Diner with a few additions to the location cards, a new character or two and some fun game dynamics. We might never look at Velma's the same again.

We could do this as a community ourselves too, since there are a -lot- of creative folks here. We'd need a way to organize individual efforts into a community-driven program, but that wouldn't be too difficult if people liked the idea. Good scenarios could be weeded out from the mediocre by voting and the best could be given some community standard of approval. Who knows, FFG might even be willing to pick some of them up and publish them.

Granted this means separating components into individual expansions, which I know some people hate because of the time it takes, but I'm getting used to it and I find it worth the time to get a more focused game.

i on the other hand do think it matters if on the offical ah message boards there are a bunch of people saying NO MORE EXPANSIONS! if this was disscussing the merits of each fine but a little extreme to say no more. and i was think of making a post goo waking up board that has arkham in ruins!

No I would totally buy any expansion this game throws at me Mountains of Madness and Severn Valley sound like a great time. (Except maybe a Catapult expansion)

But that's because I'm a compulsive expansion buyer. Clearly, thecorinthian has a point: there will be diminished returns, and after a point I would have to consider going against my nature and only playing some expansions at any given time. I already experimented with that, and it wasn't that satisfying. Not as much as having all the boards eat you simultaneously anyway. But I digress—

Severn Valley would awesome as hell. Corinth, I actually bought a huge collection of Ramsey Campbell books so that I could begin work on a Severn Valley expansion. Clearly nothing came of it, but the stories are great nonetheless. I was going to have three or four Other Worlds that didn't mix with the original board's (colors like orange and gray and purple). Each Other World could only be entered via random encounters and not by gates, but each had two or three dimensional symbols printed on the gate, so that when you returned you could come back at any open gate with that symbol. There would also be dangerous tracks like in Dunwich and Kinsport, where to relieve them you had to visit the new OWs.

I had a list of workable locations and wrote out some encounters based on what I'd read. At the rural church there's an angel statue holding a weird sign: you can take an Elder Sign but you must be Cursed. At that same location, you can find a secret path in the pews and enter The Labyrinth (new OW). Guess who you can bump into in The Labyrinth? Guess!

The town would have its own hospital and asylum for going insane/unconscious, and it would take a while to go between Arkham and Severn Valley. On your way there you would get "ocean" encounters. (Stormy seas—you're delayed) and such. Good ideas: no motivation :-P

As someone who has been playing Arkham for several years now, I am going to have to go out on a bit of a limb, and say that I whole heartedly disagree with the general veteran opinion that the game has been diluted. I find that there is so much stuff in the game that it is different every time. In my last three games (every game using every expansion), I have had one where there was much Kingsport rift closing, and not a single corruption card, another with almost the entire game taking place in the southern half of arkham, with nothing but corruptions, and another game with blights a plenty and nearly every **** exhibit item! I personally feel that there is so much stuff, that the game is different every time. I have never had two games that I could compare. I cant see what more big boards they would release, but there are several small boxes I would love to see:

One with a name like Machinations of Evil or something like that, and it would revolve around two things, Reanimator and being able to play against the other players. In my group, we occasionally turn evil just for fun, and try to get cult memberships, and Summon Ancient One and cards like that for fun. So official rules on being against the other players I´d love, and some good Experiments of Science cards! That would be awesome.

I`d buy a dream lands based expansion for sure, and I`d love one with a board! Sarnath, Ulthar, etc, there are many places that would be tons of fun, and some good monsters too!

How about an expeditions based expansion? Who wouldn`t love an expansion that let you travel abroad to find clues? Egypt, Romania, Antarctic, Peru, so many great lovecraftian expeditions, even if there were no board and it were card based somehow.

What about something based off the old Chaosium stuff? Spawn of Azathoth, Masks of Nyarlathotep and SHADOWS OF YOG SOTHOTH!!! (excellent campaign) would make for great expansions.

You anwered you own question. Why would you feel the dilution if you play with each expansion seperately? Those of us who play with all expansions combined rarely see corrutpions, exhibits, next acts and dunwich gates.

And please don't tell us to stop playing like that, because this is what we like.

kroen said:

Oh...as politely as I can...right back atcha. Maybe those of us that don't play with everything we own dumped on the table don't quite appreciate the presence of a thread topic title that suggests to FFG that they stop making expansions, eh?

I don't have a dilution problem because I don't invite one. As such, I want expansions to keep coming until I have a Herald and Theme for every Ancient One I own.

pittplayer said:

::Laughter:: if an Ancient One wakes up, it's not the end of Arkham, it's the end of the world ;'D

You can play with every expansion and have no dilution of Dunwich gates or Next Act Begins if you trim the mythos deck before the game. There are some trade-offs involved, but they're minor. Corruptions won't dilute if you use the "Praises and Abundance" part of the Black Goat herald. Not sure about Exhibit Items.

Hello -

I am going to put my vote in for endless expansions. Marketing research is important, and Fantasy Flight Games does follow customer wants.

Arkham Horror is a huge seller, with a rabid fan base, so why would they kill the golden goose? Why won't they release expansions that people actually want? They might surprise us now and then but over all they want us pleased, praising the game, and most importantly buying. Fantasy Flight Games is a business after all.

My main want for an expansion and has been since the day I purchased the base game is to make the Other Worlds fun! A Dreamlands expansion has been desired by many of us, so that seems like a realistic option for an expansion. The Other Worlds ought to seem completely strange and weird. Does anyone recall reading, "Dreams in the Witch House?" The description of Other World travel was amazingly intense and totally insane. When I pass through a gate I want it to feel like I have entered a wild astral, Doctor Who on acid, "Break on Through the Other Side" ride. I want to do more then the two step dance.

(Maybe, for all of you that crave a traitor, here would be the chance. The traitor stomps around the Dreamlands doing all types of nasty things that filter down to Arkham through dreams, visions, and manifestation, and unless the Investigators cross into the Dreamlands things are going to get worse.)

I would love a small box cross expansion. If the accountants at Fantasy Flight don't think the market is big enough for this, then they might offer it to us as download. It certainly doesn't hurt to thank your customers.

Where are the wizards, necromancers, sorcerers...? Curwen. Wilbur Whately. Ephraim Waite.

Lastly, scenario packs based around specific Lovecraft stories, just seems like a no brainer. "The Color Out of Space," "Dreams in the Witch House," and "The Thing on The Doorstep," all could be totally cool stories, to base the larger game around.

Just keep the expansions coming.

When King in Yellow came we used to play with all (3) expansions together but already then it seemed diluted, as Next Acts and Dunwich gates didn't appear that often. When Kingsport came it was the last straw and we began to play with max 2 expansions at a time ever since. It was great change because now every game has its own theme. Today Farao Exhibition and Kingsport, tomorrow maybe Black goat and Dunwich. I recommend this approach for anyone who feels it's becoming diluted.

Is this in response to my post? If so, you didnt understand. I was saying that I use every expansion, and I dont feel dilusion. Different things pop up in different games, and rarely two games in a row. I find the game is always different and different aspects always come into play.

Hipsu said:

You separatists have way too much free time on your hands. Or something. I for one can't even imagine going through the hassle of separating cards from the decks (or playing as has been suggested, draw and ignore if you're not "using" that card's expansion in the current game). Long live the all-in Empire (Tibs and me, who else) !

Dam said:

You got it, brutha. That's how it's done! Give 4-inch Mythos deck or give me death!

Dam said:

Agreed.

However, I do sometimes separate the decks (it takes a couple of hours, which isn't so bad if you're watching a movie in the background). If I separate the decks for any reason, I tend to leave them separate for several months afterwards.

To get back to the original topic-

No, this should not be the last expansion. This Arkham Horror is an "LBG" a "Living Board Game."

Keep it coming, at least once a year. A book of scenarios, or characters or GOOs or whatever. Expansion or stand-alone boards for the Antarctic, or Severn Valley, or the Dreamlands are all in play. Even a modern Delta Green board is not inconceivable.

If they print it- I will buy it.

sepayne7l said:

OK. But—keep it coming within reason. I'll stop buying expansions if they get too broken, untested, or lame.

Not that I EXPECT this from FFG by any means. But there's a finite limit to how much cool stuff there is in the mythos and how many fun and unique play mechanics you can tack on.

I'm an extreme separatist. Or rather an extreme thematist. I only play one expansion at a time (in terms of the Mythos deck) with at least half the Mythos deck being from the expansion I'm playing. We usually also play the herald or a herald of my own making to emphasize the theme even more.

So, I want all the expansions they can make-big box or little bos, I don't care. I know I'll find something good. I have the Mythos decks laid out separately in big plastic card box I had purchased for MTG. So mixing and matching is a breeze.

On the other hand, the last two expansions have been disappointing as a whole, tho parts of them are excellent. Black Goat especially is disappointing. It just doesn't go anywhere on its own and the herald is too tough and not even creatively tough, just tough. I guess one cannot expect everything to be A+.

BTW, where do the rifts of Kingsport come from, that is, what is the story behind them? Anyone know?

mageith said:

I disagree (a little). While Kingsport wasn't nearly as good as Dunwich it still added alot to the game, so I can't say I disliked it. BGotW on the other hand. Ugh... I feel like I bought some useful components (hey, corruption cards are great to make custom heralds and ancient ones with) but the expansion itself doesn't really hang together well— even in a game where I only played the base set and KiY with it. Bleh. Still... I do like those corruption cards ;') even though I have to make a custom something or other to actually see them! One of the things I liked about Kingsport is that its additions remain fairly constant regardless of how many expansions you play with— investigators, ancient ones, epic battles, monsters, and the rifts. I thought it was a nice touch even though I'm not exactly in love with Kingsport as a location (it's a bit boring). Still, I'm hoping that more aquatic dangers in Innsmouth will spice up Kingsport a bit :')

Avi_dreader said:

I don't think you disagree much. Kingsport's rift mechanic is good and doesn't get watered down, it's just not fun nor does it make much sense to me. The complaints have been made by others. Why do locations in Kingsport relate to rifts in other towns? How come the encounters in Kingsport are so bland? How come there's next to no danger in Kingsport? How come monsters don't count against the monster limit. It would give another reason to go there? How come there's two super investigators in the group?

On the plus side, Luke is my favorite investigator. Someday, I'll even get him to be helpful. The Epic Battle cards, repaired, not fixed, my biggest complaint--The AO's are too easy to beat in the Final Battle.

If FFG does issue more small expansions, I hope they make the little box a little bigger so they can add more Ancient Ones and more Investigators and definitely more heralds. (Or maybe reissue Wendy, Daisy, Mandy, Dr. Vincent, Charlie and Dexter and maybe a few others to put them more in line with the rest of the investigators.)