hey there-

along with being new to the world of H.P. Lovecraft's "Arkham", i'm new to the board games as well.

after seeing Mansions of Madness, which i immediately fell in love with due to it's eerie nature and rpg-like elements, i decided to purchase it, and then force my loved ones to play. easily, they fell in love with it as well. i like to add a nice sense of darkness to the game by dimming the lights, and also lighting candles or playing very ambient music, i.e., 20's swing, drone music, storm sounds. i'm wondering what some of you do to get people into the mood and make things more intense or frightening, so that it doesn't feel like your typical board game. i'm not simply referring to out of game effects either. for instance, in game as The Keeper, saving up a threat tokens and not bombarding the players with swarms of creatures, but instead focusing on mentally chipping them down before going in for the kill.

as being brand new to the game, i'd also like to know some house rules you may use to keep the thematic element of each mystery present, and instill an overall chill to playing the game.

=eo=

Lol like you I love to set up the creepiest ambiance possible. I found and fell in love with this game on you tube a few years ago on a drakkenstrike preview and on that components break downs opening he plays Charlie Clouser's dead silence theme. I found that incredibly creepy and perfect, so I am not afraid at all to say I instantly ripped it off. Lol bought the song on iTunes and play it in an endless loop from explaining the game to new players thru set up. It really creates the mood going into the scenario.

i've got some other good background ambience such as dripping noises, the sounds of wind, rain, thunder, the creaking of floorboards.. gives the mansion the players are in some life. drone music, or again, 20's music also adds to the ambient feeling by giving it a unique quality.

for call of the wild, i find a mix of bird, crickets, and wind is suffice for setting the mood.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ArkhamHorror/comments/1blsxo/i_present_to_you_my_3hourlong_arkham_horror_music/

The above link is a download of a very long 20s music mix that was posted on the Arkham Horror reddit page. I really like it!

I've got an 8-hour ambient playlist (and a 1-hour playlist for Arkham final combats) but I don't know how to share this gigantic set of files.

Wouldn't it be great if everytime you played this game, the clouds outside darkened and a wicked rain storm ensued?