Expanding the Expansions

By Deek, in Arkham Horror Second Edition

I hesitate to say this, as my Arkham Horror storage solution is absolutely busting at the seams with all 6 expansions shoehorned in there, but am I the only one who would like to see an expansion that bolsters the existing locales and mechanics?

For instance, Arkham encounters are up to ... what? ... 35 cards with all 6 expansions in the mix? Dunwich, Kingsport and Innsmouth are all languishing at a "mere" 14 encounter cards a piece. I'd love to see the number of expansion location encounters brought up to par with Arkham, or at least in the same neighborhood (HA!). I'm the kind of player who will gladly sacrifice theme for variance (though I do enjoy the occasional stripped down theme game); I mix it all in and practice good Mythos/Gate deck management to ensure the expansion boards see action. These new encounters could make use of all the special rules introduced by later expansions: monsters surprising investigators, being barred from locations, conditions, detriments/benefits, etc. More importantly, I'd love to see certain "fixes". For instance, a new Cult encounter deck would be absolutely awesome - with encounters that actually make joining the Cult worth it. Sure, you become corrupt, but there should be benefits, a reason to spend all those trophies to gain membership. I'm sure there are other aspects of the game that could use a goose. Reissued Arkham GOOs, bring them up to speed with their more powerful and frightening expansion brothers and sisters. Drawing Cthulhu should send a chill down your spine. As it is, compared to some of the more recent Ancient Ones, he's a schoolgirl.

Of course, this seems like an extremely niche product. Only those who own all or most of the expansions would consider it a must-buy.

That said ... you'd get my money! gran_risa.gif

Deek said:

I hesitate to say this, as my Arkham Horror storage solution is absolutely busting at the seams with all 6 expansions shoehorned in there, but am I the only one who would like to see an expansion that bolsters the existing locals and mechanics?

For instance, Arkham encounters are up to ... what? ... 35 cards with all 6 expansions in the mix? Dunwich, Kingsport and Innsmouth are all languishing at a "mere" 14 encounter cards a piece. I'd love to see the number of expansion location encounters brought up to par with Arkham, or at least in the same neighborhood (HA!). I'm the kind of player who will gladly sacrifice theme for variance (though I do enjoy the occasional stripped down theme game); I mix it all in and practice good Mythos/Gate deck management to ensure the expansion boards see action. These new encounters could make use of all the special rules introduced by later expansions: monsters surprising investigators, being barred from locations, conditions, detriments/benefits, etc. More importantly, I'd love to see certain "fixes". For instance, a new Cult encounter deck would be absolutely awesome - with encounters that actually make joining the Cult worth it. Sure, you become corrupt, but there should be benefits, a reason to spend all those trophies to gain membership. I'm sure there are other aspects of the game that could use a goose. Reissued Arkham GOOs, bring them up to speed with their more powerful and frightening expansion brothers and sisters. Drawing Cthulhu should send a chill down your spine. As it is, compared to some of the more recent Ancient Ones, he's a schoolgirl.

Of course, this seems like an extremely niche product. Only those who own all or most of the expansions would consider it a must-buy.

That said ... you'd get my money! gran_risa.gif

This seems to come up a lot lately... So once again, I will point to my photobucket page...

http://s622.photobucket.com/albums/tt307/avi_dreader/

There you can find theme and difficulty enhancing heralds for most of the original Ancient Ones (I will finish off the last one in the next few days— I've already designed it, I just need to set aside the time to make sure that the wording is correct, do the flavor text, and find and touch up pictures). Go ahead. Try them. I dare you :')

Oh... My Shub Niggurath herald (the one I'll probably finalize this weekend) is going to make corruptions and cult memberships active (It's going to be a remake of the Black Goat— that won't suck— it will raise the monster limit by four, double monster creation (for teams of four and under), have moving Dark Young (and they're *really* going to feel endless now, cultists will be altered so they feel more like Dark Young and neither Dark Young or Cultists will be affected by the monster limit), allow you to trade five toughness worth of trophies or a gate and 2 stamina for cult membership at the Woods instead of having an encounter, not rely on an annoying alternate monster cup creation, enhance final combat, and most importantly, remove the doom token per gate surge ability (it just ruined games by forcing players to constantly gear up for final combat) . I'm actually really looking forward to making it :') there're reasons why I saved it for my last original ancient one herald fix:I'd been really annoyed by how I barely used any Black Goat of the Woods components, even though I thought it was so cool when I first opened it— I love the whole cults and corruption idea; I also have been annoyed at how playing all the extra boards destroys monsters in Arkham. It's ridiculous to play a three player team and have the monster limit at *four* The double monster appearances will also make terror a greater issue, and more importantly, make Innsmouth and Dunwich both *much* more threatening. I think it'll be lots of fun :'D

I'm the kind of player who will gladly sacrifice theme for variance

I'm not...but I'm certainly curious to see if an "all-in-one" expansion will actually do what all-expansion players want it to. And it looks like I would buy just about anything Arkham, so...

monsters surprising investigators, being barred from locations, conditions, detriments/benefits, etc.

"Surprise" was a good idea; "Barred from Neighborhood" was so NOT. If I never see any of those again, I'll be happy...and since my Dark Pharaoh has been mothballed, I guess I'm happy. I would like to see if the Detriment/Benefit mechanic was only weak because it was just the same eight cards being recycled through two dozen Encounters. Maybe a deck of them...except then it's kinda bumping up against the superior Madness/Injury deck, and aren't ALL Investigator cards more or less a "benefit"? More Conditions could be fun...if we ever really activated the four we already have...I've still never activated Darke's Blessing.

More importantly, I'd love to see certain "fixes". For instance, a new Cult encounter deck would be absolutely awesome - with encounters that actually make joining the Cult worth it.

gran_risa.gif Absolutely. Anything to get that BG Cult mechanic to work. I am extremely interested in Avi's Black Goat Herald "fix", since the official one isn't all that fun for my games.

Reissued Arkham GOOs, bring them up to speed with their more powerful and frightening expansion brothers and sisters.

I wouldn't mind a good Nyarlathotep update, or something to give Hastur a bit less of a "glass jaw" if you keep the Terror Track in check. Some of Avi's other Heralds actually do a decent job of making the old Old Ones a bit less hobbled.

Drawing Cthulhu should send a chill down your spine. As it is, compared to some of the more recent Ancient Ones, he's a schoolgirl.

If it gets people to stop saying junk like that--DAM!--I'm all for it.

Of course, this seems like an extremely niche product. Only those who own all or most of the expansions would consider it a must-buy.

.......that could be the critical problem, eh? preocupado.gif

jgt7771 said:

I wouldn't mind a good Nyarlathotep update, or something to give Hastur a bit less of a "glass jaw" if you keep the Terror Track in check. Some of Avi's other Heralds actually do a decent job of making the old Old Ones a bit less hobbled.

Heh... I have a Nyarlathotep herald, but it's not one of my more balanced ones (I actually expect players to go for final battle while playing it). I'm going to change it soon though, so it will have a partner herald, incorporate exhibit items, and alter the behavior of a few of the newer masks).

However, that's not what I wanted to say. Have you seen Tiborvadovan's new Nyarlathotep herald? I thought it was brilliant. It leaves Nyarlathotep beatable in final combat, but makes him rather difficult at that point. It also makes the pre-final battle rather exciting. Well :') you'll see. I think it will make him one of the harder Ancient Ones (not the hardest, or anything, but *difficult*), and playing him like this will be great fun.

For some reason it wouldn't let me post the picture so here is the direct link (you can also just head down to the heralds section in fan creations to see it).

thecrawlingchaosfrontfa.jpg

direct link: img252.imageshack.us/img252/1717/thecrawlingchaosfrontfa.jpg

Deek said:

...my Arkham Horror storage solution is absolutely busting at the seams...

I know it is off-topic, but just what IS your AH storage solution?...

Oh, the Crawling Chaos IS good. Using Ghatanothoa's trick to put Spawn Masks in play...not to mention the constant cycling of the Masks...that's fantastic. And the new conditions completely solve the Roland vs Nyarlathotep problem. Definitely gonna try this one!

This seems to come up a lot lately... So once again, I will point to my photobucket page...

Wow! Nice work. I'm actually the freak who went to the local print shop with my resized, high rez Dunwich/Pharaoh jpgs to commission double-sided prints on glossy card stock. You've now presented me with a potentially daunting task.

If it gets people to stop saying junk like thatDAM!I'm all for it.

Don't get me wrong. I love me some Cthulhu. The fact that his depiction as a terrifying AO in AH leaves something to be desired pains me. I simply wish his end game demanded the respect it most certainly deserves.

.......that could be the critical problem, eh?

Yup. From a business standpoint, somewhat hard to justify. Still. A man can dream.

I know it is off-topic, but just what IS your AH storage solution?...

****. It's sitting right here. Wish I could snap some photos. In the absence of that, it's a 1363 STOW 'N GO™ TOOL BOX . All six expansions fit, no problem, no components have been trimmed. It holds all of the tokens partitioned in the shallow standard tray, all of the "small cards" fit in one of the partitioned deep trays alongside all of the female investigators (makes finding them easier), and all Mythos and Gate cards are stored in the bottom deep tray with the male investigators.

Tangent time: I keep the Gate deck separated into two decks; one with the base Arkham + small box OW encounters, the other with all the big box OW encounters. At the start of the game, I shuffle the big box deck together with an equal-sized (random) portion of the larger Arkham/small box deck. The Mythos deck is stored in a similar fashion: Arkham base + small box in one deck, all the big box expansion Mythos cards in the other. These decks are never combined. I place a little Cthulhu figure on the top of the smaller deck at the top of the game and switch it back and forth each time a card is drawn, only drawing from the deck not "guarded" by Cthulhu. This ensures the expansion boards see action, and all four of these decks fit perfectly in the bottom of the deep tray.

In the top portion of the tool box I store all of the Investigator, Ancient One, Herald and Guardian sheets along with the monster "cup" (bag) and all of the location encounter cards plus additional stuff. Two plastic 150 card boxes for all my Arkham enounters, two 100 boxes for my Epic Battle/Sinister Plot cards and my Innsmouth/Dunwich encounters (includes Look and Horror cards), and a few smaller boxes for my Kingsport encounters and my "misc" cards (Act cards, difficulty cards, encounter cards I don't care for, etc). All this stuff fits with room to spare in the top portion of the Plano box.

This and my original Arkham box containing all of the boards and rulebooks and a binder (fits in the box) filled with rules summaries, flowcharts and whatnot are super easy to transport and setup is crazy fast (for a game of Arkham). The only pain in my ass during transport are the four eight-pocket business card holders I lug around. I suffer, because having them saves a buttload of space and keeps things organized during play, but I need to devise a more elegant transport strategy ...

Off topic for the win!

Oh, the Crawling Chaos IS good.

Couldn't agree more. I'll definitely be playtesting all of these homebrew Heralds. Thanks to all!

Good luck Deek, let me know how it goes. I always like hearing feedback (and giving combat tips if players think something I made is just *too* hard).

Thanks for the storage explanation! I assume the boards fit in the top section?...

Thanks for the storage explanation!

No problem!

I assume the boards fit in the top section?...

Unfortunately not. I guess I didn't factor that in when I said "no components have been trimmed". The top section is totally devoted to a stack of Investigator/Ancient One/Herald cards, six different plastic card boxes of various sizes keeping the majority of my large cards in pristine condition, and the monster cup(bag). Even without that stuff, the top section isn't large enough to accommodate even a single expansion board (not wide enough). The boards are all transported in my original Arkham big box, along with the manuals and a binder containing my cheat sheets and the flowchart.

Double posting, bad form I realize ... BUT, I simply wanted to mention one extremely important modification I would love to see made in a future expansion, one I forgot to detail in my original post: Please, PLEASE reconsider Kingsport. I think the majority can agree: it needs something .

My suggestions? Glad you asked!

1) If a rift opens as normal, but the location is either sealed or contains an open gate, the rift instead opens at the Strange High House in the Mist, in Kingsport. In this manner, all three rifts could potentially open in Kingsport.

2) Maybe add an Environmental Mythos card or a Rumor that somehow causes all monsters in Kingsport to count toward the monster limit, possibly causing a spike in the Terror track. I'd like to see this for Dunwich and Innsmouth, as well.

3) This one is a little more in-depth and hasn't been playtested nor examined thoroughly for potential balance issues:

Add a new monster type, either as a permanent feature or a Herald. Three monster tokens, green unique movement border, each with a different symbol. Each is Elusive. Each could have different stats and abilities, but that's not terribly important. Call them "The Kingsport Three" or something (I know, not based in existing Lovecraftian literature but hear me out - if someone can think of something more fitting, please do tell!). Each of the Three start in a pre-set location in Kingsport, quite distant from one another. If you manage to trap and hack one or more down in combat, they do not return to the cup, they instead are placed back at their original start location. Unique movement, they move as a Stalker that is capable of entering Stable locations. They possess the ability to destabilize an otherwise stable location and tear a hole in the veil assuming one or more occupy that same location. If ever two of the Three appear in the same location, immediately draw a monster from the cup and place it there. Should the entire trio find themselves together for any reason, a gate opens and a special monster appears at their location or in an adjacent location (if the three have gathered in the street) connected by a movement line (first players choice, cannot choose to place gates at a location already containing an open gate or an active rift). Special monster : Once the gate is opened, the Three are removed from the board and are replaced with a larger, more menacing beast that wanders Kingsport, increasing the Terror level (haven't really considered the mechanics of this). If this beast is defeated, it is removed and the Three are returned to their original start locations, to begin anew! This creates an opportunity for gates to open in KP and gives the investigators something else to balance in town. In the absence of investigators, the little buggers will pinball around the three streets of Kingsport, birthing monsters and potentially tearing open a gate, at which point they combine and rampage through town like Godzilla. Fun stuff.

ANYWHO. Just a thought! Cheers.

Please, PLEASE reconsider Kingsport. I think the majority can agree: it needs something.

My suggestions? Glad you asked!

1) If a rift opens as normal, but the location is either sealed or contains an open gate, the rift instead opens at the Strange High House in the Mist, in Kingsport. In this manner, all three rifts could potentially open in Kingsport.

Or just have the rift open at the location of the last rift progress marker. I've played several games where I actually opened gates in Kingsport this way.

I agree Kingsport needs something, but I wouldn't hold my breath expecting anything from FFG here. Hope I am wrong.

2) Maybe add an Environmental Mythos card or a Rumor that somehow causes all monsters in Kingsport to count toward the monster limit, possibly causing a spike in the Terror track. I'd like to see this for Dunwich and Innsmouth, as well.

I've played where the KP monsters count. Usually it doesn't do much. However if you let the rifts open and a few monsters are generated it might. What sometimes happened is the monsters that would have ordinarily come to Kingsport get sent to the Outskirts. That was irritating.

3) This one is a little more in-depth and hasn't been playtested nor examined thoroughly for potential balance issues:

Add a new monster type, either as a permanent feature or a Herald. Three monster tokens, green unique movement border, each with a different symbol. Each is Elusive. Each could have different stats and abilities, but that's not terribly important. Call them "The Kingsport Three" or something (I know, not based in existing Lovecraftian literature but hear me out - if someone can think of something more fitting, please do tell!). Each of the Three start in a pre-set location in Kingsport, quite distant from one another. If you manage to trap and hack one or more down in combat, they do not return to the cup, they instead are placed back at their original start location. Unique movement, they move as a Stalker that is capable of entering Stable locations. They possess the ability to destabilize an otherwise stable location and tear a hole in the veil assuming one or more occupy that same location. If ever two of the Three appear in the same location, immediately draw a monster from the cup and place it there. Should the entire trio find themselves together for any reason, a gate opens and a special monster appears at their location or in an adjacent location (if the three have gathered in the street) connected by a movement line (first players choice, cannot choose to place gates at a location already containing an open gate or an active rift). Special monster : Once the gate is opened, the Three are removed from the board and are replaced with a larger, more menacing beast that wanders Kingsport, increasing the Terror level (haven't really considered the mechanics of this). If this beast is defeated, it is removed and the Three are returned to their original start locations, to begin anew! This creates an opportunity for gates to open in KP and gives the investigators something else to balance in town. In the absence of investigators, the little buggers will pinball around the three streets of Kingsport, birthing monsters and potentially tearing open a gate, at which point they combine and rampage through town like Godzilla. Fun stuff.

It sounds like the odds of all three in one location would be very slim. All three in the same street would not be all that rare.

It sounds like the odds of all three in one location would be very slim. All three in the same street would not be all that rare.

Yeah. It needs work, but you get the idea ... a mechanic to justify opening a gate or two in KP, taking the Mythos deck out of the equation.