I think me and some friends would really like this game but I have a couple of questions.

1. How much time do you need for set up/ tear down?

2. Do I need to pick up the expansions in a certian order?

For me it was a pretty long time at first. Now that i have everything organized i can get it all together in 10-15 minutes.

I don't think it matters what order you get the expansions in, they are all designed to work with the main game at a variety of levels of integration. You could start off with the more affordable deck expansions before moving to the board based ones.

DeepSix said:

I agree this is pretty much the answer. It's a big game and proper organization is absolutely necessary for a reasonable set up. I might be able to get it set up in 15 minutes (all expansions) but putting it away for the next setup is going to take longer.

One of the exasperations of this game is that apparently the expansions were ONLY designed to work with the main game with only thoughful (as opposed to playtested) interactions with the other expansions. OTOH you'll hear many, many players happy enough to play with all expansions at once.

I usually play with 3-5 friends. I do the setup alone so the game is ready when my friends arrive.

Setup (without friends): 20 min

Game: 1-4 hours (it used to take 4-5 hours but now everyone know the rules so one game can be very quick)

I really recommend Dunwich Horror -expansion because you get Injury and Madness cards from it. They really increase enjoynment! The additional board is ok but nothing compared to the Injury/Madness -system. I have also some smaller expansions but we rarely even use them.

There are pretty much two phases to game setup: separating the components, and then equipping the investigators.

Separating the components and setting up the board usually takes 10 minutes or less, mostly because of all the decks that need to be separated (in the base game there are 9 different Arkham Encounter regions, each with its own deck of 7 encounter cards, along with the Outer World Encoutners, several decks for the different items, skills and allies, a nuber of "titles" and such and the Mythos Deck).

Once players determine who they are playing as investigators, it can take about 5 - 10 minuted to equip the investigators. Some of them start with specific items from the decks which need to be removed and given to the investigator, then all their random items, and their tokens for clues, money, sanity, stamina and skill sliders.

But trust us -- it is all totally worth it. Fantasy Flight could decide to make more games like this one, and I'd buy them all.

Get the big boxes first, so that you have access to all the Investigators and AOs, and the "every game essentials:" Inury/Madness, Epic Battle, Personal Story.

Then start working on the small box expansions. My favorite is Dark Pharaoh, but King in Yellow seems to be the overall favorite.

I picked up a few things to make setup a bit quicker-

I leave everything in the boxes so it's quick to break down and set up again. Organizing and shuffling all the cards could take forever at first, but now i only need to do it once in a while.

DeepSix said:

Hmmm.... Where did you get the plastic case?

The plastic case looks like one of those tool or tackle organizers that you can get at Home Depots or Wal Marts (or your local store of that type).

Our store carries the Chessex Counter Trays:

The nice thing is that they fit inside the box (after you take out the extra cardboard under the plastic trays). We have one tray that holds all the non-card components from all the current expansions, with the exception of the character standees, monsters and gates. And they only run about $3. Pretty much everytime I buy a boardgame with counters, I pick one of these up for it.

Setup could take like 20 mins at first. But once you get the hang of whats quickest, like 8-10. With every expansion? Well, thats a totally different thing haha.

I would pick up the expansions (excluding Innsmouth, cause its not out yet) in this order

1. Dunwich (adds some awesome and nearly crucial additions!)

2. Black Goat of the Woods (who dosnt want to become a cultist? Corruption cards kick ass)

3. King in Yellow (flavourful, atmospheric and fun, with some punishing new stuff)

4. Curse of the Dark Pharoah (nothing terribly crucial, but has some nice new concepts and great items)

5. Kingsport Horror (Really, really, really cool and really, really, really needless. Lots of fun though! Just kind hard)

Avi_dreader said:

A fabrics/crafts store. Joanna's, Micheal's, A.C Moore, etc. You could probably find a good one at a hardware store too. It was $8, and has adjustable dividers. Just fits in the game box, but i have to take out the plastic base. It works ok for now, but with Innsmouth coming out i'm going to run out of space, or have to mix a few components together.

I am recently new to Arkham Horror as well, I bought all the released expansions at once for a steal. I don't want to advertise on the forums as I'm not sure if its against policy or not but if you havent made your purchase yet PM me and I'll tell you where I got them. I think I paid $158 for the whole enchilada minus shipping.

I have only cracked open the base game so far and the first time setup took me maybe an hour but I had to punch all the cardboard too. I had read the rules via the online PDF file posted in the support section of the game three times through before I even made my purchase and this helped a lot. I already had a rough idea of how things went before I even got the game.

Now I have about 8-9 games under my belt, can set up in less than 25 mintues...average playthrough solo about 3 hours, maybe 3.5 to 4 hours when my wife is playing. Clean up 15 minutes solo, 10 if my wife is playing with me as she is fast about getting things in baggies.

If you are on the fence about this game I say it is a must buy, especially if you've never played a Fantasy Flight game before...you will be blown away by the production values...if you have 15 minutes to kill read my thread "First Steps Into Madness." It is a mini review of the game and a report on our first few playthroughs.

Let us know if you decide to pick up Arkham Horror !

Okay, as far as storage goes, I've got all of the expansions (sans Innsmouth) and all of the cards fit nicely in a plastic baseball card organizer that I purchased at Kmart for $10. They also have them at Toys R Us.

For the original poster, the game is great and you will enjoy it. I would recommend you download Skeletor's flow chart on boardgamegeek.com to help you with the turns.

As far as expansions go, if you like the game add Curse of the Dark Pharoah, it's cheaper and adds encounters to the Arkham locations. Dunwich after that. Then whatever you want. They all have unique things they bring to the game. But for newbies it can be overwhelming with just the base game for a while.

Thanks everyone. I just picked up the main game. Going to eat then crack it open.

Ken on Cape said:

Next stop, Dunwich ;')

I got that flowchart from BGG. Any other resources like that around?

Well just tryed my first game. Was solo. I ended up with Jenny Barnes. I got some good equipment. But on the second turn I died to a ghost. That phisical immunity trait can be a pain LOL.

Ken on Cape said:

Well, technically, you didn't die, just went unconscious or insane, ready to bounce back the next turn.

Dam said:

ah ok, I was just going as I read the rules I must have missed that. I was just getting a feel for the game.

Read the manual, Read the manual, and then, read the manual again.

Then play a game, then come post what you did in detail on here so the guys who have played 100+ games can tell you what you missed.

It really worked for me

Vaxsythrakul said:

And none of the seasoned players ever mean it offensively when they say "read page X again." It's good to re-read the stuff that's tricky to miss, and then realize why a rule is the way it is (usually).

Tibs said:

Whaaaaa? Speak for yourself !

(j/k)

Downloadable versions of the rules are handy for doing word-searches.

Vaxsythrakul said:

I don't know if I've played 100+ games ;') or at least I don't know if I'd like to admit to doing so.

I've played 38, and I'm half way through number 39 :-)