Hi!

I bought AH and played it for the first time saturday night, and I had a lot of doubts. Could you please help me?

1. I played with a spellcaster that received Shrivelling as a bonus spell. The card says the character receives a +6 combat bonus.

• Is this bonus a physical or magical one? I consider it to be magical.
• If Am I fighting more than one monster, the bonus will last for all combats? That is, I cast the spell before dealing with the first monster. The bonus will still be working until the last monster?

2. I encounter a monster. At that precisely moment, is it valid to cast any spells I want just before start rolling dice?

3. In the Mythos Phase, the first thing to do is open a portal and get one or two monsters from the cup, right? Later, still resolving the Mythos Card, I have to move the applicable monsters. If the monster I just put in the board is entitled to move by its icon, I should move it in this same moment?

4. I am rolling dice to achieve, let's say, 3 successes. I rolled the dice and scored only one. Can I spend all my clues to try scoring the needed successes? For example, I roll 4 dice and get 2, 3, 1 and 5 - it's one sucess. I spend a clue and roll again, getting a 6. Two successes. I spend one more clue, roll again and got a 4. I still need another success. I spend again a clue, roll again and this time I obtain a 5, and, at last, the three successes I needed in first place. Is this correct?

5. I enter a gate and go to other world. Next turn, I walk to the second place in the other world board and resolve the encounter, coming back to arkham, receiving the 'explored' mark.

• Can I try to close the gate in this same turn or should I wait till next one?
• If there is a monster there, we will not face each other till next turn, right?

6. There is a Mythos Card called 'The Stars Are Right', if I am not mistaken. Its text says simply to reshuffle the deck. What is the purpose of this card?

Thank you very much and please forgive my poor english writing skill.

Tropical regards,

Rodrigo

1) Magical, but it only lasts for the one fight, and then the spell is exhausted until you can refresh it (usually, next Upkeep)

2) Yes. It's useful to know if your spells are going to work before deciding whether to fight or run

3) Yes, but monsters placed by "Picnickers Panic!" or similar don't move that turn.

4) Correct.

5) You can usually only close gates in Arkham Encounters (there are a couple of OW encounters that specifically close the gate immediately). So, you come back in OW encounters and take your Explored marker, wait through the Mythos, do your Upkeep, fight the monster in Movement. If you're still there after all that, then you can try to close the gate. "Return to arkham" from the second OW space is usually more of a hinderance than a help, because you don't get the free turn before the monsters notice you.

6) Say you've had both the Historical Society gate cards already (there's only 2 in the base game). Without this, you now know you won't get another gate there all game, unless you somehow manage to wrap around the entire deck. With this, you can get them unexpectedly reappearing. It's just to add a little extra bit of unpredictability. (Dunwich's Jacqueline, King in Yellow's Arcane Insight, and Kingsport's Bast all add additional value - in very different ways - to this card)

1. I played with a spellcaster that received Shrivelling as a bonus spell. The card says the character receives a +6 combat bonus.

Is this bonus a physical or magical one? I consider it to be magical.
If Am I fighting more than one monster, the bonus will last for all combats? That is, I cast the spell before dealing with the first monster. The bonus will still be working until the last monster?

Spells and Magical Weapons deal magical damage.

If you fight more than one monster, you are facing several 'combats' as far as the game is concerned. Shriveling works untill the end of the combat you cast it in, so the bonus is gone if you defeat it and move on to the next monster. If you have another Shriveling, you can cast that, pay the costs, and get a bonus against that monser.

Thematically, the spell doesnt make you stronger, it Shrivels the enemy monster. Seeing as it only affects one monster, the bonus is gone after defeating a single enemy.

2. I encounter a monster. At that precisely moment, is it valid to cast any spells I want just before start rolling dice?

You encounter the monster, then decide to either evade or fight. If you evade, make the evasion check and proceed according to the results. if you fight or fail the evasion, you enter combat immediately. From that point onwards, you may cast any spells labeled 'combat' to gain bonusses etc. (Keep in mind you usually only have two hands to cast with though!)

3. In the Mythos Phase, the first thing to do is open a portal and get one or two monsters from the cup, right? Later, still resolving the Mythos Card, I have to move the applicable monsters. If the monster I just put in the board is entitled to move by its icon, I should move it in this same moment?

The order of mythos cards is as such;

1. Open a gate, apply a monster surge if needed, place Deep One Rising tokens etc.
2. If a gate just opened, place a monster at the gate.
3. Place a clue token at the location specified.
4. Move ALL monsters according to the movement icons on your mythos card and their movement type. (remember to check the sky monsters)
5. Apply whatever the headline, environment, or rumor text says.

So, Yes. You move the monster you just placed. This can have very, very bad consequences by the way

4. I am rolling dice to achieve, let's say, 3 successes. I rolled the dice and scored only one. Can I spend all my clues to try scoring the needed successes? For example, I roll 4 dice and get 2, 3, 1 and 5 - it's one sucess. I spend a clue and roll again, getting a 6. Two successes. I spend one more clue, roll again and got a 4. I still need another success. I spend again a clue, roll again and this time I obtain a 5, and, at last, the three successes I needed in first place. Is this correct?

Yes.

5. I enter a gate and go to other world. Next turn, I walk to the second place in the other world board and resolve the encounter, coming back to arkham, receiving the 'explored' mark. Can I try to close the gate in this same turn or should I wait till next one?
If there is a monster there, we will not face each other till next turn, right?

Not completely. You enter the gate. Next turn, you move to the second area and have an encounter there. The turn AFTER that, you return to Arkham during the movement phase, without having to fight or evade any monsters at the gate location. Then, during the Arkham Encounters phase, you get to close or seal the gate. (Elders signs may be used at this moment, and this moment only.)

6. There is a Mythos Card called 'The Stars Are Right', if I am not mistaken. Its text says simply to reshuffle the deck. What is the purpose of this card?

You are not mistaken. It simply serves to randomise the Mythos cards again, making it even less certain what card you will draw each time. Fortunately, Rumors are removed from the stack once resolved, so you cannot encounter them twice. All other cards however, may appear several times during one game.

1. Dexter! On your first game! Note that Spells have the bold words "Magical Spell" printed just below the Sanity cost. This is the same as "Magical Weapon" and "Physical Weapon", so it is indeed a "Magical" bonus.

All combats are considered separate. You are never "mobbed" by multiple creatures; you just find them in different rooms or alleys in the same Location or Street. So if you use Shrivelling against one monster, it is exhausted until the following Upkeep if you encounter another monster later in the current phase or turn.

2. If you are talking about Combat Spells (spells with hands at the bottom), you can cast them once you enter combat. That isn't exactly when you "encounter" a monster, because you still have the option of Evading the monster entirely. If you fail (or don't attempt) to Evade the monster, then you "enter combat", and can choose to cast your Spells any time before you roll the Horror Check or any Combat Check during that combat.

3. Yes. Any monster that is placed on the board by a Gate Opening (or Monster Surge) is eligible to move during that Monster Movement Phase.

4. Absolutely correct. Excellent!

5. I'm not exactly sure. In the "second place in the other world", when you "resolved the encounter", did it tell you to "Return to Arkham"? If yes, then you do indeed return to the Arkham Location with the gate for your Other World and receive an Explored Token. However, you may only attempt to Close a Gate during the Arkham Encounter Phase, which is before the Other World Phase, so you will have to wait until the next turn's Arkham Encounter Phase. However, if the Encounter did NOT say "Return to Arkham", then you need to wait until the next Movement Phase to move out of the Gate normally, receive the Explored Token, and be able to attempt to close the Gate.

As for monsters, you may only choose to not encounter them during the SAME TURN you exited the Gate. If you "returned to Arkham" during the Other World Encounter Phase on Turn X, then you WILL have to face the monster during the following Movement Phase on Turn Y. But if you exited the Gate normally during the Movement Phase on Turn X, then you can ignore the monsters during THAT turn.

6. Heh. Just as it says, its purpose is to reshuffle the Mythos Deck, and prevent all the card-counters from memorizing how many aces...er, Witch House Gates are left in the deck.

Welcome to the Carnival, Chkiron!

#1 & 2, didn't see anybody mention it, so I'll just add my two (well, really just one) bits. If you want to use a spell that requires a hand, let's say Shrivelling, and fail to cast it, it will still "eat" the hand(s) required for the first round of combat, even though you can cast combat spells even before taking a Horror check (in case you want to use Red Sign of Shudde M'ell to remove Nightmarish).

Oh yeah, and Dexter Drake sucks !

Dam said:

Oh yeah, and Dexter Drake sucks !

>smack< Oh, shush. Sez you.

Someone find Dam's meds. He's preaching on the tables again.

From base game, Amanda, Dexter, Vincent and Jenny is my "I hope I never get them all in the same game" team. When adding DH, Jim takes Jenny's place. If we're talking IH, George.

Dex is invisibly cursed, do not mock the afflicted! I like Dex, but then I would, Im a magician. Amanda just kind of bores me. Slowcoaches (speed 3) also frustrate me, especially as the local guide seems to stalk them. I get pissed off at Marie because she never gets her third hand out for me (fnar).

As always, I'll second Dam. Dexter sucks. Everybody knows it, even people who cured him everytime in Jedit voting topics. Come on ! He is not cursed, Rex is, Dex sucks, Rex rocks, one is sucky, one is unlucky.

But I disagree for Vincent, sorry Dam : I love Carolyn, and Vincent is the same but for Stamina, so I kind of like Vincent too.

Hem said:

But Vinny is 5/5 and gets 2 Spells + $2, while Carolyn gets 2 Uniques, has enough money for a Curiositie Shoppe visit AND can actually reach it in one turn. Both have pretty sucky Personal Stories, but Vinny's is absolutely pathetic. And his ability doesn't really come into play that much. Get Carolyn some spells and cast away. Or put Fight to max and take on monsters, she can take the Sanity hit and will heal herself nicely.

I read all posts you wrote and I am marvelled by (at?) the kindness of the forum.

Many thanks to you all! :-)

Rodrigo

Hem said:

I beg to differ, I can never get rid of Rexs curse, something ALWAYS goes bad when a friend heads to the church to lift it. A dhole surprises them at the door. Someone elses encounter screws them over. It is lifted, but then Rex is cursed again immediately. The church turns to rubble. Ugh.