I'm just getting into this game. I've played it 4x now (3 wins and 1 loss). I was wondering what expansion to get first, and if all of them still use the original map as well. Do all the boards ADD onto the original or do they replace it, 'cuz I really like the original right now. Any advice would be helpful. I just have no idea what to get or in what order.

their really is is lot of threads on here about expansions, but the general consensus is that dunwich/ insmouth / kingsport, are the best to get first, best way i think is to read the fluff on each of them and their contents and decide which one first, i got dunwich first.

Yes all of them still use the original map & board and in my opinion all add to the game. Personally I only ever play the game using all the expansions together. This does add variety & complexity, although dilutes some thematic and game elements of the expansions that seem to be lost in huge card piles. I can't really see the point of paying for an expansion and then letting it sit in the cupboard.

You can add just some elements from each expansion if you like and I can see the advantage of different and more limited combinations - it's just such a pain resorting all the card piles once they are all mixed together.

If you buy the expansions one at a time you can enjoy differnt combinations - I'm not sure I could pick a favorite as I like elements from each but probably Dunwich if I had to go for one.

The first three add a board, lots of cards and use the original board.

Innsmouth is best, but also the hardest and most brutal. Most people aren't really ready for it until they've figured out most of the tricks of the other expansions. It adds 16 investigators, 8 Old Ones and the Personal stories. It's the truth but you probably can't handle the truth if you just have a few games under your belt.

Dunwich adds a lot to the basic game. I'd get this one first because it also loses a lot of its flavor (we called it dilution) when other expansions are added. It adds lots and lots of cards as well as more investigators and Old Ones. The favorite element mentioned from this expansion is the Madness and Injury cards. It adds 8 investigators and 4 Old Ones.

Kingsport is my least favorite of all the expansions, including the small board expansions. It's lots of fiddleyness for little return. It does have the Epic Battle cards which help the original Old Ones live up to their reputations. It adds 8 investigators and 4 Ancient Ones.

These three add lots of cards, but not another board. They use the original board. It neither adds investigators nor more Old Ones.

King in Yellow. A small board expansion that makes Terror something to be afraid of (if you use the heralds) and adds a new way of losing. It too suffers greatly from dilution.

Curse of the Dark Pharoah. A small board expansion that adds an exciting Egyptian theme. It's not as as well done as the above expansions but still very interesting. It doesn't add a lot of difficulty, however.

Black Goat of the Woods. Another small board expansion. Meh. It's arguably a the hardest expansion if you use the herald. It adds a Cult flavor but there's not nutrition. The cult cards neither add a way to win or lose. The corruption cards have a lot of potential but are pretty fiddly. I seldom play it as is.

Get "a big board expansion." It does not matter which.

Each adds an invaluble feature to the game: Dunwich adds Injury/Madness, Kingsport adds (my favorite:) Epic Battle cards, Innsmouth adds Personal Story cards.

Dunwich comes with the most new features, but many are rarely used. Dunwich has some of the coolest Investigators and monsters IMO.

Kingsport has some nasty hard AOs. It also comes with the Guardians feature (which help investigators). Kingsport's encounter cards are pretty cool.

Innsmouth is the hardest. By far. It also comes with the most AOs and investigators, but no items of any sort.

My advice would be to get Dunwich Horror or the Curse Of The Dark Pharaoh first, depending on what you want.

If you want a new board which adds (not replaces) to the main board then get Dunwich Horror. Kingsport Horror and Innsmouth Horror are too hard to get so soon after familiarising yourself with the game. Certain people on this forum might not agree that Kingsport is hard but it forces you to completely change the way you play (in effect, you need to keep one Investigator permanently on the Kingsport board not helping with the gates and monsters in Arkham itself) and thus, I believe, it's of a difficulty that requires knowledge and familiarity with the base game. Innsmouth, on the other hand, is just insane and causes problems for all players - so leave that one for now.

Dunwich effectively just adds more of the same with one new board mechanic (the movement arrows for the monsters in Dunwich can lead them through a vortex, if another monsters move through a vortex then a powerful monster called The Dunwich Horror appears in the middle of the board) and one new game mechanic - Injury and Madness cards.

The three "small box expansions" - i.e. expansions that add lots of cards but no new game board - are of different quality and do different things. The Black Goat Of The Wood expansion tried to introduce a cult membership mechanic but the general consensus is that it didn't do it very well. So unfortunately the chief new idea for the Black Goat Of The Wood falls rather flat. But what it also has is one of the most powerful Heralds in the game (a Herald - I'm assuming you don't know as you only have the base game - is a "mini Ancient One". It is played next to the Ancient One at the start of the game and gives increased powers and abilities to the Ancient One or has a direct effect on play such as changing the way cultists move or making the terror track go up quicker, etc). So purely for the inclusion of the Herald, Black Goat Of The Wood is the hardest small box expansion.

I'd then say that King In Yellow was the next hardest as it introduces a new way to lose the game - there are six Mythos cards called The Next Act Begins which can trigger the next act of the dread play King In Yellow. If you don't prevent the act from starting (by either adding doom tokens or removing elder signs from the board) then after the third act starts, you automatically lose. Given that there are 6 cards that can start just three acts, and given that they come up randomly, it can catch out even the most experienced player with a sudden loss from nowhere.

Which leaves us with The Curse Of The Dark Pharaoh expansion which I think is the best place to start. It has new cards and items and even a new item type, without significantly increasing the difficulty of the game.

So, to cut a long story shot (too late!), get The Dunwich Horror or The Curse Of The Dark Pharaoh, depending on what you can afford and what you are looking for.

Hey, thank you everyone for the great answers. I was thinking of getting the DHorror first even before all these answers simply because I liked the book soo much and have the radio play (which is soo good if none of you have heard it). Thanks again! I'll get back to you on my success.