Hey, everybody, I'm new here, but I've been playing Arkham since summer '08. I've gotten the rules and gameplay down to almost a science... but there are some things that just aren't clarified in the rulebook. Here are the ones that have been bugging me lately.

1. Elder signs say "any phase". So, after you explore the gate, can you wait til Mythos phase... or even movement phase of the next turn to use your elder sign?

2. There is a Mythos Card headline from Curse of the Dark Pharaoh that says, "Escape from Arkham Asylum! .... Collect up to 3 Maniacs, drawing them first from the monster cup, then from the Outskirts, then from those claimed as trophies. Place them all in the Downtown streets. Investigators who defeat all 3 Maniacs before the end of the mext turn may draw 1 Exhibit item. Leave this card in play until then to indicate this." Do these monsters count against the monster limit? Do they remain in play after the end of the next turn if nobody defeats them? There's at least one other Mythos headline like this.

Kriiztos said:

1. As I just wrote in another thread, the wording on Elder Sign cards are somewhat ambiguous due to lack of space. The rules in the book are much more concise as to the use of them. And the "any phase" bit is erroneous. Elder signs are used instead of the closing and sealing actions of the Encounter Phase, they can't be used anytime you want to.

2. Any such monsters created by these cards are subject to the monster limit, and do stick around after the card's conditions have been passed or failed. Clothing Drive is the only one that is different, because it doesn't actually place monsters on the board.

The Elder Sign says "any phase" because you are sometimes afforded an opportunity to close a gate during the Outworld Encounters phase as a result of specific gate encounters.

-Frank

Frank said:

Frank has it right. When a card says "Any Phase" it typically does not mean you can use it whenever you want. It means that you still have to use it during specific conditions but those conditions can occur during any (or more correctly, "many") phases of the game.

Awesome! Thanks guys. I was mostly confused about #2 because it wants you to take them from the outskirts. Ok, I'll probably have more questions somewhere down the line.

~ Kriiz

thorgrim said:

What happens if this would put more monsters in Arkham than the monster limit allows? Do excess maniacs go to the outskirts? If all three maniacs go to the outskirts are they considered defeated?

Shad0wdrag0n said:

they would be placed int eh Outskirts as normal and possible sent back to the cup just like any other monster. If the maniacs go to the outskirts, then you don't have a chance to defeat them. So you would fail to obtain the rrewards of that Mythos card.