My friends and I have been playing AH for a while - and after playing a game with another group - I noticed a bunch of discrepancies between the way I play and the way that the other group plays.

Most of the issues I found in the FAQ/forums (and we were about 50/50 on which group was doing it right) But I can't find a good wording of the flying monster movement.

Heres the order my group does:

1. Mythos Phase: Monster is in location, mythos card with appropriate movement on it is drawn, the monster takes off to the skies (since there are no investigators in the streets)

2. Movement Phase: Investigator moves out of location into street area, then triggers the flying monster by moving out of the street location and has to fight it. (which means that you don't step outside without planning on being attacked by the flying monsters - we've been trapped and stuck by the flying polyp a couple of times)

The other group has step one the same but

2. Movement Phase: Doesn't affect the flying monster.

3. Next mythos phase: Investigator has ended their movement in the streets and the next mythos card is a gate burst or causes the flying monster to move - then you fight the flying monster.

Wow that would make our game easier. . .

Let me know!! We have a lot of changes to make to our Friday night game - and this change will make a huge difference to us.

Here's how I understand flying monster movement:

1. Mythos card with appropriate symbol is drawn.

2. If the Flying monster is in the streets, it checks if there are any investigators in the streets with it or adjacent to it **, if so it moves to the investigator. If there are no investigators on or adjacent to its space, it moves to the sky.

2b. If the flying monster is already in the sky when the Mythos card is drawn, it looks for an investigator anywhere out in the streets and goes directly there (I forget the tie breaker if there are more than one investigator to choose from.) If there are none it remains in the sky.

3. Combat occurs when the investigators move. Only flying monsters who are currently in the streets will fight. Those in the sky remain there and do nothing.

Before I get riddled with criticism, it has been a long time since I played AH so I may be mis-remembering certain things, but this is how I remember it working, more or less.

** The bit about moving to an adjacent street space with an investigator may well be my imagination, but I think that's how it works.

Monsters, including flyers, only move when their symbol is on the Mythos card (Flyers also when a gate burst is drawn, regardless of the symbols). Their movement also takes place during the Mythos phase (step 3 in the Mythos phase).

Steve-O: Flyers head to the Sky from street or location, if they can't pop to an investigator. FAQ clarifies this.

"2. Flying monsters will not leave a space that already contains
an investigator.

3. When a flying monster in a street area or location
moves, it will either move to an adjacent street space that
has an investigator in it, or failing that, move to the Sky.

4. When a flying monster in the Sky moves, it will move
to any street space on the board with an investigator in it.
If there’s more than one investigator to choose from, the
monster moves into the space of the investigator with the
lowest Sneak value. If the investigators’ Sneak values are
the same, the first player chooses which investigator the
monster moves toward, as usual. If there are no investigators
in a street space, the monster remains in the Sky." (FAQ, p. 3)

Dam - you're kinda missing the point (movement ISN"T what I'm asking except in a circular manner) Steve-O actually said exactly what I'm asking (but if you address it definiatively, I would appreciate it):

" Only flying monsters who are currently in the streets will fight. Those in the sky remain there and do nothing."

Also,

Say there are 2 moon/crescent flying monsters in the sky - 1 investigator ends movement in the street - Mythos card with crescent is drawn - monsters move to the street . . . .

Which monster attacks the investigator first? Or is it up to them?

Thanks!

crock2579 said:

Monsters in the Sky just sit there, they don't do anything (apart from hope an investigator ends his movement in a street or Devil's Reef and the right symbol comes up AND no Mythos ability restricts/limits Flyer movement). You don't fight them.

Investigator can choose which order to deal with the monsters. If one is Nightgaunt and the other Flying Polyp, I'd adjust my Sneak to below 2 and just evade the NG, fail and get a free lift through a gate.

crock2579 said:

In that phase, neither flying monster attacks the investigators first. They only move durning the mythos phase. No combat takes place until the next investigators movement phase. Combat only takes place during the player's movement, or as a result of an encounter, not EVER during the mythos phase in which the monsters move.

Nghtflame7 said:

Hehe, as ever, saying "ever" = insta-exception reply:

Corpses Preserved Mythos (okay, CotDP, but still ):

"Mythos Ability: Monster trophies come to life! Each investigator in Arkham must randomly choose one of his collected monster trophies. That monster [[surprises]] him. If the investigator defeats the monster, he may draw cards from the Exhibit Item deck equal to its toughness, take one, and discard the rest. Only monsters that are defeated may be taken as trophies again; if the investigator flees or the monster defeats him, the monster is returned to the box."

thanks Dam,

that was the clarification I needed:) I have this sneaky suspicion that our win rate is getting ready to go up:)

Dam said:

There is some contributor on this forum that refuses to believe in KH, and thinks it is such a mess that he won't get it. Can't remember who that is though.

In the same vein, I do not believe in CotDP. It doesn't exist in my mythos. I close my eyes, thus it is not there! And that isn't REALLY what I meant by EVER. Mythos text is almost like an encounter. I meant that monster movement during mythos never triggers combat in and of itself. But I think you knew that and were just picking on me because I've been away from the forums for the past two weeks.

Dam said:

The way YOU play, perhaps. But this is still an unFAQed question. It is still not immediately obvious that a Nightgaunt's Special Text relates directly to its "Combat Damage" for purposes of a failed Evade Check.

jgt7771 said:

Playing either way, you never tussle with the Flying Polyp though . Assuming you can down-shift your Fight low enough.