I plan to buy Arkham Horror, but have some question about it !! Please help

By dosan, in Arkham Horror Second Edition

I plan to buy Arkham Horror since a long time, now i plan to do it , but just recently, i saw the Call of Ctulhu Card Game, and i am in love with the art.

My question is: does the art quality and quantity is the same in both games, or not? Also , i plan to play the game with my girlfriend and family, and in case of the expansions, i am in latin america, we dont have the games in my country so maybe will buy expansion at a slow rate. Replayability is very important also, so , what game do you recommend me, according to you experiences? thanks !

Fantasy Flight Games does a great job in making the board game and the card game seem like they're from the same world. You'll find the same characters, similar (if not the same exact) artwork, similar symbols, etc. It's a great job. Now, with the card game, you can play only 2 player. There are 3 player rules but they're a bit awkward in my opinion. And while you can play with the cards in the base package, you'll need to buy more and more of the expansion boxes to get more cards to build your decks with. So in that regard, it's more like Magic the Gathering where it's all about taking the time to build a good deck.

The board game, however, can be played out of the box by 1-8 people, and can be played over and over and over and it'll never be the same game twice. On the flip side, it's a MUCH MUCH more complex game, much harder to learn, than the card game. So you gotta figure what the people you'll be playing with are willing or able to learn.

Arkham Horor may be a bit difficult to learn, but not to the point of discouragement. And it's infinitely replayable, especially with all expansions.The amount of game effect combos is innumerable. Some may complain that it's a bit too random and that there are too many cards, but I think that's part of the fun, and once you learn the game, the rules become second nature, and you may win at times even against all odds. Victories are often close, as you walk a thin line between triumph and defeat. The base game(without the expansions) can be exploited for easier wins, so don't let anyone here spoil it for you. AH becomes increasingly more difficult with each expansion you add.

Thanks for the replies! The only reason i am considering also Call of Cthulhu the card game is because i really like the art of the core box, also the art in the cards seems good! But if Arkham horror has good art too, it is excellent!

It's the same artwork. If you put Arkham Horror and Call of Cthulhu side-by-side, you will find cards and sheets with the exact same artwork, but with different titles and mechanics appropriate for each game. A quick example off the top of my head: Norman Blackwood Jr., a Call of Cthulhu Agency faction card, has the same artwork as Mark Harrigan, an Arkham Horror Investigator.

Call of Cthulhu would likely have MORE artwork, however, by virtue of simply having MORE cards printed. But both games have the BEST production values you will ever see. I promise you, once you crack open your Arkham Horror box, it will BLOW YOUR MIND with all the stuff to look at in there. If I'm wrong, I will fly down to you, and you can slap me.

Come on, dosan...come join the Carnival. gran_risa.gifbabeo.gifaplauso.gif

Yep, both games have some artwork in common, and in general both are great under this point of view. Between the two.. I'd say go with Arkham. It offers you the greatest range of possible challanges ever seen in a board game, and the possibility to play solo or with a huge bunch of friends / relatives. The games can be very easy and quick (or incredibly difficult and quick) or well balanced for an epic adventure of 3-4 hours, the atmosphere is great and there are tons of different strategies and possibilities allowing you the greatest flexibility for completing your tasks. Never ever found a game like this one.

Not to forget the fact all people involved play together against the game, while in the LCG it's basically you against another person and, you know, you cant' have two people winning the same game, if they are one against the other. In Arkham everyone wins or loses the game, and I think that's one of the greatest achievement ever in a board game.

As JGT said.. hope you would join the Carnival corazon.gif

Two more lines just to give you an idea of the "replayability" of the game (considering the complete Arkham experience):

There are 286 Ancient Ones / Heralds combos; adding the 4 possible Guardians you have 1144 different games possible.

If you add some of the custom AOs / Heralds you'll find in the Fan creation section of this forum (I have downloaded a part of them, and the numbersfollowing refers to the material I have, so, in fact, there are much more combos possible), you have 1784 AO / Heralds combos, that, thanks to the 4 official guardians, become 7136 possible games (not to mention that there are even some custom guardians, so this number increases consistently).

If you play once a week, you can play for 137 years before you are forced to repeat an already played combo. Not that bad, is it?

Besides, the game is easily customizable via scenarios.

Oh, nevermind about the numbers. (edit)

Thank you for all your answers! I believe i made a choice: Arkham Horror. It is for me, and i love it! The Call of Ctlhulhu card game obsession that i had, was just a summer love :) , i just love the art in the box! Thanks

The numbers are growing! Groooowiiiiing!

dosan said:

i am in latin america

Just out of curiosity, where in Latin America? I am in Peru!

Hi, i am from Santa Cruz, Bolivia! We are brothers, Peru and Bolivia. Glad to see you, although is sad that i dont saw someone from Bolivia yet.