Greetings fellow Arkhamites!

So, I first discovered Lovecraft a couple years ago - enjoyed reading his works, bought some books, and bought Munchkin Cthulhu. Didn't give it much else thought until a friend dragged me to my first games convention a month ago, wherein I played Arkham Horror for the first time.

I fell in love. No game ever captured me the way Arkham Horror did, with it's 20's atmosphere and Lovecraftian monsters.

So, now my base set came from Amazon and I got some games solitair games going, as well as a few with my brother, and I have some questions/comments, if anyone would care to indulge me.

1) Having quickly figured out that the Witch House, the Woods and Independence Square opened up more often, those end up being sealed first. Unfortunately, what then tends to happen is get to a point in the game where the Doom Track has about 7-8 tokens on it... and nothing else ever happens. Any gates still open create monster surges (which, if I understand correctly, doesn't add to the doom track), but no new gates happen, yet we can't quite manage to muster the clues to be able to seal the remaining gates. Am I doing something wrong? It really stalls out the game.

2) Which expansion should I buy next? This question I've noted gets asked a lot, but I can't get an answer satisfactory for my current needs. The thing is, I can only buy the game from Amazon (and I simply can't afford to pay mucho $$$ for Dunwich Horror). So my available choices are King in Yellow, Lurker at the Threshold, Kingsport and Innsmouth. I play mostly for fun, so I want the expansion that will add the most 'fun' to the game - more gates, more monster encounters, and maybe some new play aspects. Which one do you guys find the most 'fun'?

3) This is a more subjective question for the purpose of introducing others to the game. Which Ancient Old Ones (base set only) are the easiest and hardest? On a similar note, which Investigators are the best/worst? I want to sell some of my friends on this game, and knowing them, they'll be more likely to replay if they have an easier time the first go around. I've figured out that artificially shortening the game (by dropping the number of seals for victory) will make them more likely to play, but the ancient ones and the investigators also make the game more or less challenging.

4) Is there a way to get a Retainer other than starting with one? Bank Loans seem like too much of a risk, and save a very few characters, lack of money seems to be a big issue.

So, thanks for your input! Looking forward to more horror!

-edit- Edited to add another question.

Master Fwiffo said:

What are you doing with your trophies? Forget stupid crap like River Docks, South Church, Ma'sPolice Station, get your ass to Science Buildingstart cashing in those trophies for Clues.

We tend to play the 'OH CRAP A MONSTER WILL EAT ME IF I FIGHT IT' way. You can only do the Trophy trade-in once per turn, correct ? (IE, 5 points for 2 clues max). That's usually not quite enough to do some gate sealing.

What happened last game is that Yig was our ancient one,we were at the point where we pretty much assumed we were going to fight the guy - so we began stocking up for the final battle. But those last two doom tokens just took forever to come.

Master Fwiffo said:

You're doing better than most newcomers, having already learned the game has zero to do with fighting with monsters100% about sealing gates (taking a closing win should one be available). Yes, you can only do SB once per but since you're already sealing places, you have gate trophies which you can also cash in. Even if a Mythos card bounces on a seal (doesn't open a new gate), it still deposits its clue. If that location happens to be already sealed, even better, since the seal there allows you to ignore all "a monster appears" as well as "a gatea monster appears) encounters there.

Sealed Gates prevent 'monster appears' encounters from happening? I did not know that!

Speaking of which, another question. If I get 'A gatemonster appears' encounter, what exactly happens? Do I 1) Fight the Monster, 2) Get Sucked in through the gateif 2, 3) Have an encounter in the other world,a combination thereof?

What about if an encounter lets me travel to another location with a gate in it? Do I get sucked inhave an encounter in the other world? What if the first encounter says 'go to locationhave encounter there'?

Questions like these are why I joined this board.

If you get "a gatea monster appear", you add a doomer, draw a gatedraw a monster. Your investigator doesn't fight the monster, but is instead sucked into the OW, delayedwill have an encounter in Phase 4, OW Encounters.

Master Fwiffo said:

Well, to answer your questions:

1.) You're right that different locations open with different frequencies. What's interesting to me is that you don't have all the right ones. Woods And Independence Square are on the list of the worst spots, as are two other locations, but the Witch House is not one of them. The game does slow down once they're sealed, though. To get more clues, go to places on the map with the clue icon, Or trade trophies at the Science Building for more. Alternately, shop at the Curiosity Shoppe for an Elder Sign,go for a Closing Victory close all gates even without sealing.

2.) If you can't get Dunwich, I would go with Innsmouth. As a "big" expansion it adds a lot to the game, most importantly new InvestigatorsAncient Ones. Also, Personal Stories are awesome.

3.) Look at the "Arkham Horror Statistics" sticky thread, it will tell you which Ancient Ones are most commonly defeatedwhich Investigators are part of winning games. Mandy, Carolyn,Joe are very good investigators; CthulhuYog-Sothoth are the worst Ancient Ones in the base set (though Innsmouth Ancient Ones are almost all much worse.) IthaquaNyarlathotep are usually pushovers (though very bad luck, like drawing a bunch of Masks, will still kill you.)

4.) Yes. Hang out at the NewspaperAdministration Building having encounters.

Thanks!

One more clarification question - if an Investigator is 'delayed', that only means he can't move, correct? He can still have encounters, ect?

Hey, welcome to one of the funnest, most complicated board games ever! I'm not the most experienced person here, but here's a few things I've picked up (in no particular order):

1. Stable location encounters can sometimes be a good source of clues/items/allies when all other tokens have dried up. Tomes can also be useful. Other expansions can also add other things for characters to do if you find yourself at that point, as well as Gate Bursts that cause seals to be removed.

2. The next expansion really depends what you're looking to add to your game. Dunwich really is the best follow-up, but super-hard to find right now. I like Innsmouth for its great theme, sharp difficulty increase, loads of new characters,Personal Stories (individual quests for each Investigator). If you want an easier time of it Kingsport might be the way to go. It introduces Guardians that help out in various ways, but doesn't add any new gate locationsisn't as thematically strong. King in Yellow is likely the best Small expansion to get first, as it adds a lot more items & such, but Lurker is also excellent in general. Don't bother getting Curse of the Dark Pharaoh until the new reprint they just announced.

3. The newspaper is absolutely the best place to find retainers,just earn money in general.

4.Monster trophies are best spent for blessings (SUPER useful!), Deputy (patrol wagon lets you teleport anywhere on the map)Allies (always helpful). I think 2 clues for 5 toughness hardly seems worth it.

4. If it looks like the Ancient Ones is definitley waking up, spend those last few turns equipping your characters for the final battle as best you can. Azathoth is considered "easy mode"Is good for introducing newbies, Yog Sothoth & Cthulhu are BEASTS!

5.yes, delayed characters can still have encounters.

Wow, more long-winded than I was expecting. Anyway, go have fun!

Thanks for all the advice!

I've narrowed it down to either King in YellowInnsmouth for the next one. I'll try for Innsmouth, but with limited copies left, I might not make itI'll get KiY if it falls through.

Do you guys have any other general tipsstrategies I should keep in mind when playing (or introducing new players)?

Vylanis said:

Vylanis said:

I hope you're not deliberately trying to mislead the original poster! In any case, you're wrong: The Woods, Independence Square, Unvisited Islethe Witch House are the four most frequent gate openings in Arkham.

12. Master Fwiffo, you've just come upon the biggest problem with base Arkham. It only has eleven unstable locations, so as long as you don't close gates without sealing, it's nearly impossible for the Doom Track to advance far enough for the Ancient One to awaken! Unless too many gates openyou fail one of the really menacing Rumors, the AO's awakening generally won't be a threat. That's why it is essential that you get an expansion that will speed the Doom Track along. With Dunwich unavailable, Innsmouth is undoubtedly your best bet, though I normally wouldn't recommend it for a first expansion, for several reasons. It does, however, add the most fun to the game of any expansion, in my opinion. Oh, and cashing in gatemonster trophies at the Science Building is indeed one of the best sources of Clues in the game.

3. Yig is probably your best bet, since there's actually a possiblity that he'll awaken, given his special abilities.

4. Administration Building can get you a Retainer, but your best shot for one lies in visiting the Newspaper.

Make sure you've got the rules down cold before you try to introduce other players! There's also a much praised flow chart that helps you remember all of the phases, which I think is posted at Boardgamegeek.com, under Arkham.

This should tide you over until you get an expansion:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efpag=48&efid=113&efcid=1&efidt=22867

And this is the summary of five years playing exp I made for new players a few weeks ago:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=5&efcid=1&efidt=457495

Welcome to the e-sylum :'D

Jayhotep said:

I strongly disagree with this point. While I don't quite agree with Dam's "use trophies for nothing but clues" philosophy (I like a slower game, which I get by deliberately hunting for 1-2 Elder Signs/Eltdown Shards), I usually get one ally per game, just so I can have one investigator who can deal with anything the board throws out (although I prefer to get an ally that does something more than give +2 to combat checks, I'll usually go for the one that gives a retainer, Professor Rice,William Bain. Still... 10 trophies buys 4 clues... That's a huge opportunity cost.

I rarely get Deputized (I'd rather just walk, in real life too!)

A blessing can *sometimes* be useful, but I'd usually avoid it unless I have lots of resources to spare. Sometimes I'll bless one or two investigators near the end of the game if they're about to go into gates to try to seal the last gates.

You just have to remember that cluestime are what win you the game, and, well, The Science Building is the best place to get these things, especially after the board dries up (I usually won't pick up clues at the science building until someone has a trophy to trade there, so someone can usually stop off therepick up 4-5 clues in one turn).

Also, there are certain places patrol wagon won't let you teleport.

Avi_dreader said:

Ooh, customs....

Hrmm... is there a place for blank 'templates' so I can create some of my own? I have some ideas!

Solan said:

Does King in Yellow have mechanics that advance the doom track at all? (As I mentioned, it's the other one I'm debating on).

Thanks for the tips!

For custom content, download the "Strange Eons" program. Google it and you should get it easily.

Welcome, Master Fwiffo! I am also new around the forums here, but I fell in love with the game much the way you did. I'm in for good now. You said it best:

Master Fwiffo said:

I'm the same way. ^^

A few people have already chimed in on your questions, but I figure the more answers you get, the more satisfying the results will be in the end.

1. This one has already been covered extensively.

2. I wholeheartedly endorse Innsmouth here. IMO it is by far the most fun you can have with Arkham Horror. With Dunwich going for extreme prices, Innsmouth is a no-brainer choice. However, it is adds much more difficulty than the other expansions. So beware if you go for it first.

3. As others have said, the statistics thread is great for getting data on this. It's not perfect, thanks to the upscales in difficulty with each expansion skewing the results slightly against the core Ancient Ones and_for the core investigators, but it's a really great project with tons of useful information.

At any rate, it's pretty easy to rank the core AOs in a general sense.

Azathoth is an incredibly vanilla game. He has almost no abilities which affect the way the game is playedthe longest doom track, thus giving you the most time to win. Nyarlathotep, Yig_and Ithaqua are also all very easy. Nyarlathotep's Masks make the game interesting, but the difficulty is dependant on how many you draw, so it tends to be easy. And he's a total pushover in final combat if he awakens. Yig has the shortest doom track, but is barely more menacing than a monster drawn from the cup in final combat. Ithaqua is probably the hardest of this group, but still really easy.

Hastur_and Shub-Niggurath come next. They're a little tougher than the last group. Hastur makes seal wins very difficult, but is otherwise pretty unnoteworthy. Shub changes the game quite a bit, making monster encounters more difficult and_being a huge step up in final battle difficulty from the ones previously mentioned.

Cthulhu and_Yog-Sothoth round us out, being far more challenging than the rest of the AOs. They both offer very hard final combats and_their gameplay abilities are both very limiting to the investigators.

4. In the base game, there's a pretty high chance of getting money at encounters at the Newspaper. If you don't get a Retainer, you'll likely just get a flat cash bonus.

Hope the info is useful. Enjoy your Arkham experience! ^^

Master Fwiffo said:

Oh... That's not exactly what I meant. Check reply number 730. I designed that specifically for base game only games.

Oh! That's a good one - I'll definitely print him out - after I finish my own custom. Thanks for the heads up!

Master Fwiffo said:

1. This is a fairly typical problem with the game, but once you get a few expansions it stops being an issue. Clues can be gotten at th Science Building by discarding Gates. A couple of the Allies at Ma's offer clues when you get them too. In the base game, the Police Station, AsylumNewspaper are also pretty good for clues.

2. We suspect that Dunwich will be republished when Miskatonic Horror goes live, & Curse of the Dark Pharaoh is due a reprint as well. Innsmouth is easily the best of the bunch you have named, but it will ratchett the difficult up several levels, so you might want to think about Kingsport for a more sedate game. Both expansions contain new Investigators, Ancient Ones & Monsters. Innsmouth gives you Personal Stories which are pretty cool, plus a tough board. Kingsport gives you an easier board but extra Spells, Unique Items & Common Items.

I would also strongly recommend you check the Fan Creations forum on this site plus the files section on www.boardgamegeek.com It contains plenty of new Investigators, Ancient Ones & other variants, which will keep you busy for quite some time. 16 Investigators: www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/50107/16-custom-investigators is well worth your time & (although I would say this cos i wrote it), the Lovecraft Country Horror - which is currently on the first page of the site - will give you a whole new board to explore. Best thing: both of these are free!

3. Azathoth is the easiestmakes a good intro game. Cthulhu is the toughest. Yig is pretty tough to deal wiht through sealing, but if you tool up 2 fight him, he'll fall down easily (although most players prefer to win through sealing / closing,regard defeating the Ancient through combat as a draw at best.

4. The Newspaper is the best place to earn a retainermoney. It's pretty good for clues too.