Dear all,

After a few days of heavy thought and profound doubts I've decided to run a Solo game of Arkham Horror. It took me a couple of months to read and especially to learn the labyrinthine rulebook. Two more months and I am ready to go!

In the meantime, I will really appreciate if anyone can help me with some answers.

A) So I've started the game with two investigators. I know people recommend three investigators but I thought to learn it step by step. The first problem occurred with the Game Turn. I am speaking about the turn of the second investigator. With the first one things have been clear, me things, no problems detected. However, once I've started playing the second one, things become muddy.

Let's take an example.

First investigator's turn (Gloria Goldberg, starts at Velma's Diner) :

1. Movement ----- I move three spaces, from Velma's Diner to the Graveyard. On the Graveyard there was a Clue Token. I took it.

and that was it.

2. I draw a Mythos Card. It says a gate opens at the Witch's House. I draw a Gate Marker and I put it on Witch's House. Spawn Monster. I draw a Monster Card and put it on the Gate Marker placed on the Witch's House.

3. I move the Monster, a Cultist, black border. I moved it one space. I think the black border monsters moves only one space.

Here ends Gloria Goldberg's turn.

What have I done wrong?

Then comes second investigator's turn (Michael McGlen, the Gangster):

1. Movement

2. Do I draw one more Mythos Card?

How do I proceed with the second investigator? What is he doing?

When exactly do I draw a Mythos Card? Once per round? Once per two rounds? When exactly.

I do have some Arkham Horror flow-charts but they only confuse me more. Maybe someone can help me with a less complicated explication of an investigator turn.

B) Another question concerns the Location cards, the cards for the nine Locations. Seven cards per location.

What happens with a Location card once I've resolved it (99% I fail to resolve it, no surprise...)? Do I put it back in its deck?

C) And the third question: the arrows out of some locations are black on one side and white on the other side. How do I move a black bordered monster in this case? I simply ignore the white side and move it as it is a black side arrow? I think so. At least that's what I do.

There are some other questions too but I think these ones are the most important for me for now.

Thank you a lot!

A) All the Investigators take their turn before drawing a Mythos card. For example: Gloria moves, then Michael moves. Gloria has an encounter, then Michael has an encounter. Then you draw one Mythos card and resolve it. The round ends. Now you have an upkeep, and Michael now is first player. Michael moves, then Gloria moves. Then Michael has an encounter, then Gloria has an encounter, then draw and resolve one Mythos card. Repeat.

B) Yes, you put it back in the deck. You are supposed to shuffle the location deck every time you draw from it.

C) Yes. The dual-colored arrows are just to tell you that a monster will always move out of a location when its symbol shows up, regardless if it is black or white movement (except yellow bordered monster don't move, obviously).

Common error... You only draw one Mythos Card per turn, after every Investigator has taken their turns. Here's how the turn sequence goes...

UPKEEP: Every player, in turn order

MOVEMENT: Every player, in turn order

ARKHAM ENCOUNTERS: Every player, in turn order

OTHER WORLD ENCOUNTERS (if applicable): Every player, in turn order

MYTHOS PHASE: Draw ONE Mythos card and resolve.

I'd recommend checking out this video tutorial series: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/483961/arkham-horror-11-part-video-tutorial-series-now-av

ok, lets try to take this step by step. Some of this the other posters were already kind enough to cover. First, it's important to realize that while players don't exactly take their turns at the same time, it might be helpful to think of it that way. Consider each game turn to be broken up into the "Player Phase" and the "Mythos Phase". Nothing called the 'player phase' actually is ever mentioned, but I'm just trying to get the point across that there won't be any mythos between Gloria and McGlenn's turn, for example.

Player Phase begins:
Gloria Moves (to the Graveyard, and picks up a clue).

Michael Moves: (Perhaps he moves to the Silver Twilight Lodge, and picks up a clue).

Gloria has an encounter at the Graveyard. It seemed like you weren't doing this, Gloria ought to have an encounter here, and resolve a location card. Yes, after it is resolved, it will be shuffled back into the purple location encoutner deck.

Michael should then have an encounter at the SIlver Twilight Lodge (blue location deck), follow the same proceedure as before.

Assuming no Other World Encouters, the 'player phase' ends.

Mythos phase: Draw a card and open a gate on the corresponding location (the Witch House in your case). It spawns a monster. Next, check to see if the monster moves. I think you may be slightly confused here.

Black Border: Normal Movement, move according to the standard rules.

Green Border: Special Movement, move according to the instructions listed on the back of the monster token.

Yellow Border: No movement.

Blue Border: Flying Movement. Move according to the rules for flying creatures.

Red Border: Fast movement, move acocording to the standard rules, but two spaces at a time instead of one.

A black border tells you the movement type, and that is all. I think you mentioned something like moving a black border monster along the black arrows? This is incorrect. Monsters move when and only when their dimensional symbol is activated. A cultist is a crescent moon symbol, so you check the mythos card you have just drawn and see if the crescent moon shows up in the bottom right hand corner. If not, the cultist does not move this turn. If so, then the cultist moves on the color of the background shown. It should show either Cross on white, Crescent on Black, or vice-versa. If it is Crescent on black, the cultist moves according to the black arrow, if it is Crescent on white, it moves according to the white arrow.

Other mythos cards have different monster movement. For the card that shows Slash/Triangle/Star/Hex. These four movement types activate. Your cultist would not move (since he is a Crescent). But a Gug (slash), Cthonian (triangle), Star (fire vampire) and hex (Formless Spawn) all would move according to the background color where their symbols are found. Remember that the Cthonian is Special type (green) so look on the back for it's specific movement instructions, and the Fire Vampire is a Flying type (blue) so look in the rules for more details about flying monsters.

After monsters move, the headline, environment, or Rumor (text at the top of the card) resolves, and play continues, beginning again with another "player phase" first movement, then encounters, etc..

Splendid and glorious! Thank you kindly gentlemen!

My questions were answered.

I might have a couple more later tonight but first I need to play around with the game a bit more.

Bestest!

MYTHOS PHASE: Draw ONE Mythos card and resolve.

- Aghhhh, that means the first investigator who starts the game will ALWAYS draw the Mythos card? The other investigators will never draw one? That's what I understand by the whole Mythos turn.

after each mythos card is resolved, the first player icon moves to the left... think of it like poker, the big blind moves over on each new hand

Thank you Magnumopera for bearing with me.

I am playing/testing the game as I write this message.

Color me surprised, but here is another dead-end for me.

Let's say Michael McGlen moves to the Woods. He then draws a Location card. Woods: A gate and a monster appear!

I draw one gate and place it on Woods. Then I draw one monster card and place it on the Gate marker.

Because of the gate - City of the Great Race, btw - McGlen is sucked through it. I've put McGlen in the first part of the City of the Great Race.

Now, what do I do? What McGlen does? Does he draw a Gate card and resolves it? Or is this going to happen the NEXT turn? Or is he not doing any card and then next turn he moves to the second part of the City of the Great Race and then back in Arkham?

Also, what about the monster placed on the Gate marker on Woods? Does it start moving on the street immediately?

Thanks a lot!

It's all clear when you follow the turn phases.

McGlen's Arkham Encounters phase is done. Once everyone else's Arkham Encounters phase is done, you go on to phase 4: Other World encounters. If anyone is in the Other World (McGlen is), they will get an Other World encounter. Don't forget that McGlen has been delayed because a gate opened on him.

The monster produced by the gate will not move, if at all, until the Mythos phase.

Much obliged, Tibs!

So, a Gate opens on my investigator. Then, in the same turn, a monster appears too. I don't have to evade/fight the monster, right? Next turn I am just drawn into Other World, no monster fighting? The monster remains on the Gate marker and then moves into the street, if it can.

I hope I've got this OK.

Later edit: After I've had an encounter in the Other World, is my investigator allowed to immediately return back to Arkham?

When a gate and monster appears, you don't deal with the monster; it stays on the board (or goes to the outskirts).

You do not return from the Other World until you've been to the 2nd space, and then move out of it on the next Movement phase.

One more thing regarding McGlenn and his first Other World experience.

What happened is like this:

Arkham Encounter: A gate opens and a monster appears!

The Gate: The City of the Great Race
The Monster: Warlock (Yellow, Stationary)

While in the Other World, McGlen draw one card. I passed its Fight (-1) check.

Next turn McGlen moves to the second part of the Other World and then back in Arkham Horror.

He do not have enough clue tokens to close the Gate marker. And remember, a monster (Warlock) is there too.

So what is he doing once he returns back to Arkham. There are no other open Gates so he must return to The City of the Great Race Gate marker.

He can not close it yet. And there is a monster on it.

Do I place an Explored Marker on the Gate Marker once McGlen return to Arkham?

And also: does he NOW fight the monster, the Warlock?

I say yes, but I am not sure.

No, your adventure in the Other World should have been longer.

• A gate opens on McGlen. He is drawn into the City and delayed. Investigators are always delayed when a gate opens on them and draws them through.
• McGlen has his first encounter in the City during the OW encounters phase.
• Next movement phase, since McGlen is delayed, he stands up instead of moving forward in the City.
• He has his second OW encounter (during the OW encounters phase)
• Next movement phase, he moves to the second OW space
• He has his second OW encounter.
• Next movement phase, he returns to Arkham and gains an explored token. On the same turn he returns from the Other World, he may choose not to deal with any monsters on the gate if he so desires. In this case, killing the Warlock would give you the clues you needed to seal the gate.
• During the Arkham Encounters phase, you can either choose to try and close the gate, or do nothing. You do not have to try and close the gate, but you may not have an Arkham encounter in the location.

Note that Explored markers are associated with the returning investigator, not with the gate. If a second investigator walked over to McGlen, that investigator would have to enter the gate during the AE phase (unless McGlen closes it first).

Aahhh, I am blind! THE LIGHT!!!!

Tibs, you are grand! Thanks a lot! You've answered my questions.

Well, I still do not understand why I must have TWO encounters in the Other World but I will do as you say.

Thanks once again.

Orientalist said:

I haven't really been paying attention to this three so I'm not sure what the question is and, will give you three possible answers.

1)Game design wants you to have two encounters in Other Worlds

2)A gate opened on you so you were delayed— meaning that you are going to have either three or two other world encounters, depending on if it opened during Arkham Encounters or Mythos (you gotta learn your phase order). You won't move the next turn to the second level of the Other world, hence two or three encounters.

3)Because the proto-FAQ has ruled that you can't use find gate if you're delayed or if you just moved into a gate with Nightgaunt or Captain of the White Ship (no wait, that's one encounter— ****, I know I had a third possible reason).

4)Um, I don't remember what we're talking about again.

5)Aha, possibly you should reread the rulebook, because two encounters per Other World is a basic rule :') but again, this is just one of five possibilities— actually number four is not a possibility, so four possibilities. [i really do get the impression that you should give it a careful readthrough or two, especially if you are the first in your group of gamers to play this game, although of course the forum will be here to field any questions you have— if you don't realize you're making a game error, you'll never come to ask].

---

Hey guys, why don't we have a FAQ here? Like a *real* FAQ? Just for gates opening, phase order, clue bonuses, first player token, and I think those are the questions that come up the most (I feel like we get at least one of these a week)? Then we could just copy paste that instead of having the same discussion over and over again ;') I believe that's the point of FAQ outside Arkham.

if you look at the icon for the otherworld it should look like a circle with a single line through it making it two half circles...

after moving to the otherworld, you have an encounter on your otherworld encounter phase, next turn you move from the first half circle to the second and have another otherworld encounter. After that, on your following turn you move from the second half back to arkham, and can appear from any gate linked to the otherworld location you came from.

if you're sucked into a gate because it opened on top of you, you are delayed so your would have your first encounter, your next movement is just used to stand up meaning you'd have a second encounter on turn two, your next turn you'd move to the second half and have a third encounter and your fourth you'd make it back to arkham

Hello all,

After playing some rounds with the basic game I thought it would be interesting to see how the Dunwich Horror mechanics work. I understand that many of the Arkham Horror acolytes liked a lot the Injury / Madness cards. I loath them. But that's not the issue I wanted to speak with you. The subject is the Green border Monsters. Let's imagine a Hound of Tindalos spawns in Cold Spring Glen, together with a Gate. Currently, there are no investigator in the Dunwich zone, but there is one investigator at Independence Square. Does the Hound teleports on the main board or does it has to "take the train" to pass between a map and another map?

I would also be interested to hear if there are any of you who are not playing with the Terror Track. To my shame, I totally ignore it.

Thank you all.

First of all, Injury/Madness cards are awesome! If you dislike them because they seem to go too easy on the investigators, you could ignore one or both of the effects of taking them when you go insane or unconscious: restoring sanity/stamina to full and not discarding items.

That said, the answer to your question is that the Hound "takes the train" for the purposes of counting distance to investigators on other boards. A Hound in Dunwich, therefore, would always move to an investigator in Independence Square before one at the Woods.

I additionally play that the Hound will move to investigators on the same board it's on before considering other boards, regardless of total spaces. In this case, a Hound at Bishop's Brook Bridge will move towards an investigator at Cold Spring Glen (3 spaces away on the same board) before moving to an investigator at the Train Station (one space away, on another board). This also applies if the investigator on the other board is also 3 spaces away. I'm not sure if this is official but it makes the most sense with regards to the Hound's movement being based on "distance."

Thanks for the fast and illuminating response, Tibs! It seems I was playing the Hound correctly after all.

Last night I had to stop playing the game - after three hours! - because of two Mythos cards. Very confusing cards, to say the least.

The first Mythos card: Strange Waves Subside! Headline.

It reads: The first player chooses one open gate and closes it, returning its gate token to the gate token pile.

OK, sounds simple enough but: what if on that gate there is a monster? In my case, there was a Tcho-Tcho. Do I also return the Monster to the Monster cup or only the Gate? And so the Tcho-Tcho remains on its place.

The second Mythos card was a hard one.

http://www.arkhamhorrorwiki.com/Riots

It says: When this card enters play, place 3 Stamina tokens per player on it. Any player may pay Stamina while in the Northside streets during the Arkham Encounters Phase to remove Stamina tokens from this card on a 1-for-1 basis.

Ongoing Effect: Place 1 Stamina token per player on this card at the end of every Mythos Phase (beginning the turn after it entered play).

Hmmm... what? Do I place the 3 Stamina tokens from the current stamina tokens of MY investigators or stamina from the Stamina tokens cup? Because if I am to put 3 Stamina on this card from my own investigator's stamina, then both of my investigators will go insane immediately. Game over, with sure.

This Riots - Rumor card is one of the most confusing I have ever met in the whole deck. I don't understand a thing it says. Most probably I will never use it in my future games.

Tcho-Tcho stays.

For Riots, you take 3 per player from the bank. So if there are 4 investigators, you place 12 Stamina on it. Each Mythos Phase afterwards, add 4, if/when Riots has 24 Stamina on it, it fails.

Thank you Dam, well, that looks simple enough

So the Riots Mythos Card remains in play until it fails or not?

What happens then with the Mythos Card Phase? Do I draw any more Mythos Cards, as normal? And also keep the Riots card in play?

Orientalist said:

Yes and yes, just like with every other Rumor.

From the revised AH rulebook, pg 12:

"Rumor: The Special text of a Rumor mythos card remains in effect until either the Pass or Fail condition on the card is met, at which point the card is resolved and is discarded face down to the bottom of the mythos deck.

Only one Rumor can be in play at once. If there is already a Rumor mythos card in play, ignore the special text of a newly drawn Rumor and discard it face down to the bottom of the mythos deck after resolving its other effects for the turn (such as gate opening and monster movement)."

-Villain

Orientalist said:

Remember that whenever you close / seal a gate (in this case, close) you have to remove from the board monsters whose dimensional symbol matches the one on the gate. The Tcho-tcho has a crescent moon and no gate has this symbol symbol, so no way, the monster stays on the board. But in case you have a Dark young, for example (symbol: hexagon) and the portal you close has a hexagon on it, the Dark young is returned to the cup (as any other Hexagon monster on the board)

Dear all,

I am having the time of my life playing Arkham Horror solo!

However, there are still some thorny questions:

1) After I close or seal a gate, do I also take a doom token from the doom track? Or closing / sealing a gate means nothing to the doom track? The doom tokens on the doom track remains in their place?

2) A Mythos Card is drawn. A Gate open, as usual. I also draw one Monster. The Hound of Tindalos. I place the Hound on the Gate. Then I read the text on the Mythos card: "All Dark Young and Hounds of Tindalos are returned to the cup". Does that means I'll return Tindalos to the cup immediately? Without allowing it to take any action on the board?

3) Despite the special movement of Hound of Tindalos, it moves only when its symbol appears on a Mythos card. Is that right? Or does it move no matter of the movement symbol on the Mythos Card, since he has special movement?

4) Also, can a Hound of Tindalos attack two Investigators in the same turn? Even if the Investigators are quite at a distance one from another.

5) When a Mythos Card says "2 monsters are released into the Soutshide streets", are these monsters staying permanently on the board or only until the next Mythos Card is drawn?

6) What happens with the Monster placed on a Gate once an Investigator returns from an Other World? Let's say one of my investigators is returning back to Arkham from the Abyss. He has enough clue tokens to seal the gate. Does he have to fight the Monster which is on the Gate or can he try to close and seal the gate, ignoring the Monster on the gate? If he successfully close / seal the gate, what happens with the Monster? Is it returned back to the cup? This is how I've played so far.

7) When I go Insane, which are the items I have to discard? Do I also discard Allies, Blessings / Curse (that would be a good idea, to be able to discard a Curse if I go insane!) and Skills? Or only Spells, Common Items and Unique Items?

8) Is it possible to win the game by closing gates only? It seems pretty impossible for me. That's why I am always trying to seal the gates. I wonder if I am doing something wrong here.

Thank you all!

-

Thank you kindly, Julia!

Orientalist said:

Only remove a doom token if you use an elder sign to seal the gate, and it will tell you on the card. Generally speaking, once a doom token hits the track, it stays there.

Orientalist said:

Yes, the hound would return to the cup

Orientalist said:

Yes, it only moves when it's symbol comes up on the Mythos card.

Orientalist said:

No, it moves to the nearest one and there it stays until it moves again

Orientalist said:

They stick around permanantly until dealt with.

Orientalist said:

The monster stays on that location. On the turn during which you return from the other world you can ignore the monster, after that you need to evade or fight it.

Orientalist said:

It's only Spells, common items, and unique items. And exhibit items, I suppose, if you have the Dark Pharaoh expansion.

Orientalist said:

It's possible, but would be pretty hard. Usually anyone who wins by closing all the gates is also going to have some seals laid down.