Well it sure sounds like it and it's a die Game which I usually hate.Then again it's Lovecraft & it looks cool.I could see this getting a lot more play than AH or MoM simply because of the set up time.I'm In!

I also can see the potential for expansions & it's potential to attract Board Gamers who haven't bought into the Card Game.This will be something to watch.I must say that the 3rd Quarter of 2011 is going to kill my wallet.

OD

I too see the potential for expansions. The problem with introducing Arkham Horror to non-gamers imho is the steep learning curve and the total time it takes to finish a game (at least in most cases, when the investigators asses aren't whooped early on in the game ).

I can see Elder Sign hitting the tables a lot more for some quick games. Hopefullly the rules will be rather clear and easy to learn, and the game time will be somewhere in the 30 - 90 minutes range.

The element of having various dice seems to add a new mechanic and strategy not found in Arkham Horror. Instead of the familiar roll of 5 or 6 for a success, now there are varying requirements for a success and different potential outcomes for each dice roll. I think that will make for an interesting amount of depth and strategy, especially for a quick and easy to pick up kind of game that this seems to be. Can't wait to try it out!

Now this game interests me. It has a nice amount of dice, cards, and tokens and the price is low. It will probably solo really well and is light enough that when people visit it will be easier to get to the table. I think Arkham Horror & Mansions of Madness are too bloated.

This might be a turnoff for some people but I really do hope this is "Arkham Horror Light"

I enjoy board games, Battlestar Galactica being my favorite, so I eargerly picked up Arkham Horror, but after 4 games that took about 5-6 hours each, it was just way to overwhelming, particularly for the non-gamers that decided to join us.

The idea of getting what Arkham Horror seemed to offer in a shorter amount of time is very exciting to me, and could serve as a good segway to getting back into Arkham Horror- because as much as I want to play it the idea of opening that box setting up and re-reading the rules is more terrifying than Cthulu itself!

-Chris

I don't get the impression that this is going to be Arkham Horror lite. For that look at A Touch of Evil. As a dice game I think and hope that this will be significantly different to Arkham Horror.

spirit said:

I enjoy AToE but I don't consider it AH Lite by any means.The Elder Sign seems to fit AH Lite better as it covers the same Theme with a quicker set up & what i'm sure will be a lot less play time.Like taking a highway rather than a country road but you cover the same territory & arrive at the same place.

OD

I'm actually hoping that there is a little of the LOTR LCG feel to the solo of this - specifically the strong enemy mechanic and the story driven elements. The one thing I've always missed with AH is a stronger narrative arc to it. I hope the adventure cards in ES provide some of this,

Amen to Red Room! A stronger narrative arc similar to LotR LCG would definitely be appreciated.

David Spangler said:

Agreed. Perhaps with FFG seeing sales hit new heights with a production of a solo, strongly narrative game based on an extremely popular fantasy milieu to which they have licence, they are (sensibly) going to produce a similar kind of game to fill a similar space in the market, based on an extremely popular horror milieu to which they have licence...?

I sure hope so!

Old Dwarf said:

I think spirit is saying it's not "Adventure Boardgaming Light" because it'll be too different. No one would disagree that A Touch of Evil has a different theme than Arkham Horror. Surely, this game will be AH light if you're thinking in terms of games in the Cthulhu mythos.

Quizoid said:

That's exactly what I'm saying. In terms of the theme and setting then yes Arkham Horror lite. But in terms of the game and game play itself I doubt it will be and I hope it isn't to be honest.

The older i get and the busier my life is becoming

I think once i get this, that it will be situation when i choose to play this more often than my much loved AH

purely due to time allocated

Possibly also looking for successful games when life after AH comes

either way it will be good

I must say, the new preview put my mind at ease about Elder Sign just being AH light.

It seems something entirely different in the way it's going to play. Which is nice

Yeah, looks like it's going to be totally different And I must say I'm looking forward to it.

I believe this game will be similar to Lord of the Rings lcg, in as much as a preset (random) set of Adventures (encounters) must be overcome by chosen or random Investigators (Heroes) before Doom Levels (Threat) gets too high. The differences will of course be the theme - the great Lovecraft Mythos - and the addition of dice. This starter appears to have more variety right from the start. More Investigators, Adventures and players. The theme is well tried and tested, and cooperative games seem popular at the moment, so the only unknown is wether the dice element will work. My own opinion is that cards just have the edge on dice, but many games have adapted well to this mechanic. There certainly seems to be the ability to 'manipulate' these dice.

What I would like now is one of those excellant Tutorials that FFG put out, to get a better idea of game play before I splash out. Still saving up for Lord of the Rings expansion, but I will probably cut back on Warhammer new bits as I have so many already. Cheers!