Should the monsters from every expansion be added to the monster cup if only using certain expansions. For instance if not using Black Goat should i leave out the monsters that came with it, all those dark young. Or with Innsmouth should i leave out the aquatic monsters? I am about to teach a totally new group the game.

Just using the Arkham Town board. I am using the Mythos cards from just AH and Black Goat. The gate cards from all expansions cept King in Yellow and KH. The Arkham location cards from all expansions cept King in Yellow and KH and Dark Phaoroh. The Ancient Ones and Characters from AH, DH, and IH. Injury and Madness, Epic Battle, Corruption and cult of 1000 just encase the cards pop up.

I mixed all Items and Allies from all of the expansions cept King in Yellow and KH also leaving out the blight, barred, and exhibit items.

So my question is should i just use the Base games monsters.

Base Game and Dunwich only

Base Game, Black Goat, and Dunwich.

Should I leave out all of the orange bordered monsters when only using AH board (to me doesn't make sense to have fish people all over th eplace and dark young)

Using the above components that I am using what would you take out or add and why?

I want this game to be as fun and simple as possible. Challenging enough to where descisions must be made, but not so challenging that one player tells everyone what to do. I think I have all of the key components that don't add much complexity to the base game.

This is my expert WoW Adventure Game crowd. They are coming over so that we can test these new characters for my articles for FFG.

If not using KH/IH (esp. latter), leave out the Orangutans . Leaving BGotW Dark Youngs in makes them a more likely draw, which is good IMO, because I hate them, nasty vermits, but they are stationary, so you don't have to worry about them moving in to block paths (unless they get placed on streets of course). After adding monsters from the other sets, it's a huge cup, odds on DYs coming frequently aren't that great. From what I've heard, KH has a few of those devouring monsters, maybe drop them?

I dont have KH or King in Yellow yet. So not a problem, I do have the Epic cards tho and location cards from KH. heh.

darkkami said:

I guess it depends on what your goals are for the new players. If you just want to get them into the game without making it super tough, you might consider taking out the IH/DH monsters (at least some of them.)

I only use one big box variant at a time (don't have any small box variants) but keep all monsters from all the variants in the cup (which at this point is a gallon pretzle barrel about 1/3 full.) I use only the mythos and gate location cards from the variant in use. I use all items, skills, etc. If you aren't using KH or IH, I think I would seriously consider removing the aquatic monsters from the cup, simply because they don't rally get much opportunity to use their special move ability. OTOH, some of them are pretty tough monsters without the special move, so depending on level of diffficulty you, perhaps you should leave them in.

For introducing people to the game, I would definitely remove the KH monsters. Things like Yithian or Shan that LiTaS or devour you just because you failed one check can be frustrating and might turn off people from the game. IH monsters are ok, although aquatic movement might not come in play. For fans of Lovecraft's work, Deep Ones will be a nice treat so I would leave them in. If you want aquatic movement to be a factor, spread the four aquatic markers around Arkham (Unvisited Isle, Rivertown Streets, Uptown Streets and Independence Square would be my on the spur suggestions) DH monsters should be fine.

BGotW's biggest problem would be the Dark Druid, as he has a complicated ability. The correct interpretation isn't completely clear even to veterans. Therefore I would leave out at least the Druid, possibly all BG monsters.

OK i removed Whately (because why would he be in Arkham lol) and the Aqua monsters and I DON"T HAVE KH monsters. I left in the Black Goat and regular Arkham mthos cards so that we get gate bursts. For the 9 Locations I just left in the cards from AH, DH, KH,and IH. 24 card locations decks each. For the Gates cards I am using AH, The Dark Pharoh, DH, and IH. I like the dual color gate cards from Dark Pharoh and I like the other world specific cards from IH.

For the Allies I mixed up the allies from AH, Dark Pharoh, and Dunwich. I don't think IH came with any but if it did they are mixed in as well. I only removed the ally that had to do with Exhibit Items.

I went ahead and mixed up all spell, common, unique, skills from all of the expanions cept King in Yellow and KH.

Still using Injury and Madness and Epic Battle. Also throwing in the corruption and cult of 1000 cards, just encase the opportunity arises.

Oh and Personal Stories.

We play in 6 hours. Personally I want us to lose. As long as they have fun losing it shouldn't matter.

Not to beat a dead horse, but how is the Dark Druid confusing. You move all monsters normally. Then if the Dark Druid was one of the moved monsters and moved on a black arrow that turn (IE the mythos card had hexagon monsters moving on black) all other monsters are moved again as if another Mythos card was draw and showed their symbol on a black path.

darkkami said:

To quote Tibs:

"The problem here is the wording on the Dark Druid. It could either mean that everything--even yellow monsters--move one space, following the black arrow; or it could mean that every monster moves as though its movement symbol came up in black. In that case, yellow monsters wouldn't move, green ones would do something special, etc. "

I agree DD's wording is ambigious.

darkkami said:

It is confusing because it doesn't distinguish what "move on black" means:

For the DD does it mean that hexes were supposed to move on black that turn? Or can it follow a white/black arrow to qualify? Does it even need to move, or like a rift does it just have to have its symbol showing black?

For the other monsters: do they move as though their symbols were on black? Or do they all move as normal-type monsters, in the black direction?

That's how I play it too, darkkami. And I imagine that's what most people do. But the monster piece is a little less than clear. It might mean that even stationary monsters move on black. Or flying monsters move around the board in a circular pattern. Regardless, as long as you have a plan for it, you don't need to worry the newbies about how the rules work and just tell them what happens if he moves.

Fun game last night...won't type out a spoiler or session report, because I just got done typing up a few articles for FFG. I see what you mean about the Dark Druid, lol, I didn't even think about the other way it can be read.

Guess it was like one of those pictures that resemble two things at once. Some see one thing, others see another thing.