Hi,

I am a recent player of Arkham horror and am finally getting all the small questions answered :-)

But after reading the official FAQ v1.2, i am a left a little confused about the number of Other World (OW) encounters that an investigator has. I understood (also from users on BGG) that if I follow the phases correctly, an investigator would normally have 2 OW encounters:

"normal" case:

Turn 1 - moves to gate location and enters it, ending movement on first OW space (movement phase) and then has the first OW encounter (OW encounter phase)

Turn 2 - moves to second OW space (movement phase) and then have the second OW encounter

Turn 3 - returns to Arkham (movement phase)

Total of 2 OW encounters

"Gate opens "on top of" investigator" case:

Turn 1 - move to any location in Arkham (unstable location, movement phase), reveals an Arkham encounter that says "Open Gate", investigator is drawn into OW first space and delayed (Arkham Encounter phase), after which the investigator has the first OW encounter

Turn 2 - investigator is stood up and no longer delayed (movement phase), and has the second OW encounter (OW encounter phase)

Turn 3 - moves to second OW space (movement phase), and has the third OW encounter (OW encounter)

Turn 4 - returns to Arkham (movement)

Total of 3 OW encounters

This is how we have been playing and understood to be correct... however in the FAQ it has the following Q&A

Q: Why is an investigator delayed when a gate opens
up in their location, but not delayed if he enters the gate
normally?
A: If the investigator was not delayed by a gate opening
up in his location, he would be able to get through
the Other World having only one Other World Encounter
rather than two.

This clearly says that an investigator can get through OW with only one encounter, but i cant understand how it is possible if we follow the phase order?

I was hoping to get a definitive answer from FF!

I personally love this game but some niggling questions ruin the experience for my gaming group, who some have little patience for multiple in-game pauses to look things up in rulebook, check forums, etc - its a real game killer :-( But we can get there!

The gate could open under you in the mythos phase, and then if you were not delayed during movement you would move to the 2nd stage, and have only 1 encounter before leaving.

Case solved.

Uh... Right, the FAQ is saying that you'd have only one encounter IF you weren't delayed when a gate opened on you (it's explaining the rationale for the delay, don't worry about it, you're playing correctly).

FYI, you can only have one encounter if you have Find Gate or certain random draws.

If you're really lucky, you can enter the OW and leave the very same turn with an explored token!

I moved to a gate location that had a Nightgaunt standing guard. I "lost" to the Nightgaunt, which sent me through the gate. Then my OW encounter (from CotDP) said I had to fight any monsters that are at the gate I entered the OW through. So I fought the nightgaunt again, "lost", and was sent back through the gate and into Arkham, ready to close next turn. Of course, with the Nightgaunt still there (OW encounter puts the monster back if not defeated), I had to use my weapons against it this time to make sure I wasn't sent back through the gate a third time.

Night-Gaunts are insane. But that's a pretty fortunate encounter!

But i thought that if a gate opens under you, that you are automatically delayed on the first space of the OW location?

Yes, you are delayed at the first area of the OW if a gate opens at your location during the Mythos or Arkham Encounter phases.

Some items though(like the Telescope, for instance) may be used to avoid being delayed. Also, if you're playing with Mark Harrigan, the soldier, you're never delayed.

Okay, so if we all agree that you are delayed at the first OW location if the gate opens "under" / "over" you, then is it clear that you would need to do a minimum of 3 OW encounters to get back to Arkham? (instead of the usual 2 OW encounters?)

It depends at which phase of the turn you were delayed.

If you were delayed during the Mythos phase, then no, only two OW encounters. Here is why: after the Mythos phase a new turn begins starting with the Upkeep phase, afterwards comes the movement phase. Any delayed characters during the movement phase don't move, but stand their markers back up.

The delayed investigator in the OW then returns his marker to its upright position during the movement phase, then proceeds to have his encounter in the OW phase . On the following turn during the movement phase he will cross over to the second area of the OW and have a second encounter.

Now, if you were delayed due to being drawn through the gate in the Arkham Encounters phase,(as a result of a gate-opening encounter only), you have your first OW encounter in the immediately following OW phase while delayed. During the movement phase of the next turn, you will stand your marker back up, and then have a second OW ecounter in the same(first) area. So, under normal circumstances, in this scenario, if you don't get any boons to your OW explolration(whether via spells like Find Gate or some lucky encounter that sends you back to Arkham), you'll have to have three encounters in the OW.