For a while I've touted my "training regimen," in which new players are introduced to Arkham Horror via a series of games, each centering on one specific expansion and one specific Ancient One. The idea is that the theme of the expansion/Ancient One is maximized, and that after experiencing each expansion on its own, the players are ready to play with whatever combination of expansions they please.

Well I recently decided to fine-tune and codify this regimen, for your entertainment. Here are the suggested rules for the regimen:

• Always use Injury/Madness cards, Epic Battle cards, Personal Stories, and Relationship cards if you own them. In lieu of simplicity, these features are perfectly adapted to maximize theme.
• Kevin Wilson's "clues-per-seal" rule is encouraged, to help discourage players from early final-battle-gearing.
• Allow the players to choose their investigators before each scenario (or at the very least, the first scenario). Random is fun for when the players are more acclimated with the game. Each scenario sheet will have a list of allowed investigators, and in some scenarios, an investigator or two will be required (if you own that expansion). If your player choose their investigators each game, discourage them from using the same investigator again.
• If an investigator starts with a possession that is not included in the scenario, give it to them anyway. It is theirs, after all.
• Any investigators who are devoured, even as a result of losing the scenario, are out of the pool permanently, even for later scenarios! But if you run out of available investigators because of this, the devoured investigators are all allowed again. It's no fun having to sit out.
• These scenarios are created with the assumption that you own every expansion, so some scenarios "borrow" an item or two from an expansion that is not the one being focused on. If you don't own that ancillary expansion, don't panic; only the "required expansions" part of the scenario sheet will tell you which ones you absolutely need.
• In general, use the monsters from every big-box expansion. But just in case you don't have a particular big-box, the scenarios offer a breakdown, by expansion, of which monsters to remove. Again, no big deal if you don't own a particular expansion.
• Expansion boards and heralds are never used unless specified.

Here is Scenario 1: The Serpent Escapeth Eden .

Don't be scared by the loads of text: the left side is just flavor text and almost all of the right side describes what cards to remove. The only special rules for a scenario, if any, are printed all the way at the bottom-right.

The idea of this "league" is to introduce new players, and not to compete against other teams for score. But if you are interested in keeping score, then use these guidelines as well:

• If you used Relationship cards, you get –1 point .
• If you won final combat and used Epic Battle cards, you get +3 points .
• If you won final combat and used KW's clues-per-seals spending limit rule, you get +1 point .

Enjoy playing Scenario 1!

Another league is starting; so many going on these days. I wasn't even able to follow one properly :-). Always got distracted by other things to test.

Anyway, it sounds like an inyteresting idea.

Hi, I am new to the game, only played 3 games this last week. Only using Azathoth so I had time to learn rules better. Next game tomorrow will use different AO and will practicing fighting him first just to learn rules better then play a game with him. I am not familar with League Play. Is this something my wife & I can play at home and then send results. I don't have all expansions yet but can get them if that will help. We really enjoy this game and think it may become our favorite. I really want to learn how to play better and not look up rules so often. I think I got the basic game down pretty well, just haven't used may spells yet.

This particular "League" I have here is only in the interest of introducing the game to new players. Since you are new, this works very well. However, you will need expansions to do any scenarios past the first.

Feel free to post your score in any case.

Scenario 2 is ready:

Curse of the Dark Pharaoh

Good luck, investigators!

I don't get it Tibs, the scenarios don't seem to alter the game structure (except by taking stuff out). Do you really think it'd be helpful for a newbie to play with all those missing components, and why? Seems like a lot of bother to me, but maybe I'm missing something. Although I also have the educational philosophy that thinks a good way to teach people how to swim is to throw them in a pool with sharks.

Game structure is supposed to be the same as normal, but components are being removed that aren't thematically concurrent with the Ancient One and/or Expansion in play. This way, items and monsters that follow the theme of the expansion are showcased more frequently than normal. These scenarios are supposed to guide experienced players into setting their game up so that newer players will get the full experience of Nyarlathotep and the Dark Pharaoh.

Tibs said:

Ah, so it's really for introducing theme, not strategy.

Theme, definitely. The strategy part just unfolds naturally, like it would in any game. I've arranged them in order of difficulty, so a Dark Pharaoh game will still be on the easy side. These scenarios were designed so that you weren't forced to thrust a new player into a multiple-expansion game and have to explain both the motivation and the mechanics behind each expansion component. It's way too much to learn in your first game.

Scenario 3 is ready:

The Show Must Go On

In this scenario you add the yellow/blue gate cards from Dunwich Horror, and you count Yuggoth as Lost Carcosa instead.

Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't get around to posting Scenario 4. Anyway, here it is:

The Woods So Dark and Deep

Hope you like Dark Young!

Here is Scenario 5:

There's Something In The Mist

How do you know or figure out all this stuff? ... ( asking with a confused face, hands spread with palms out, shoulders shrugged)

It took a lot of research into the Lovecraft mythos, including reading a bunch of his stories, and spending a good chunk of time on the internet (Wikipedia is very helpful).

Nice work, Tibs, but why does the expansion count jump from 0 to 3 instantly? Shouldn't new people be given 1 expansion at a time?

They are essentially one at a time. But a card or two might be borrowed from other, "lesser" expansions. For example, in the Dark Pharaoh scenario, you're supposed to include the Staff of the Pharaoh item from Lurker in your Unique Item deck. Essentially, the Dark Pharaoh expansion is still the one on display, but I thought I'd include absolutely every expansion needed to accommodate 100% of the setup.

Scenario 6 pits players against:

The Dunwich Horror

Just got in the Lurker and King in Yellow today. I now have all expansions and looking forward to starting this league next week. So far I have only played with Curse of the Dark Pharoah and Black Goat. However I am looking forward to the theme in this league and learning this great game better. My wife & I just love it.

Cool to hear! But note that King in Yellow and Lurker are only cited as "required" expansions because they each add one item to the Unique Items deck. You could play the Dark Pharaoh scenario perfectly well without those two items... I only felt that "Illuminated Manuscript" and "Staff of the Pharaoh would be thematically sound additions

That said, Scenario 7's going up tomorrow!

Where can I find Tib's & Chris Jennings investigators? Also, do you print out the scenario sheets and keep them by the board or are the sheets just for instructions. How are you printing your investigators, do you use cardstock?

I print these scenarios out, mostly so that I can reference all the material to be removed/added when setting the scenario up. I also read the flavor text on the side at the start of the game. After that you shouldn't need to use the scenario card at all, unless you need to remember any special rules (but there are usually none).

The 16 custom investigators can be found at this link .

I used to prepare my files by printing them on cardstock and then using spray adhesive to stick them together. Now I just print one side on cardstock and the other side on sticker paper, to save me the mess of using the adhesive. But you have to be very careful when sticking sides together!

Chapter 7: A Deal With The Devil

Something fishy's going on here...

Chapter 8: The Shadow Over Innsmouth

Clouds are gathering, investigators...

The end is nigh!

Chapter 9: The End of Everything

Thanks! These are all very cool!

These are great, very thematic.

There are much nicer than your orginial list of suggested order for adding in the expansions (and i found that list really useful!)

one question, is there a list somewhere of what creatures come in which expansion, i guess specifically what creatures are from BGotW?

Cheers