What are they use for? I mean, I know what they "do", but I don't understand why they're needed. When the terror level rises, I can either draw a blight or add 1 doom token to the doom track. Why do I need yellow sign tokens for?

The answer is that they're not needed. You can indeed just draw a blight or add a doom token. The only thing that I can think of is that Diana's ability only activates when a doom token is added, but when a yellow sign acts "exactly like a doom token" then isn't that the same thing?

Maybe they included the tokens to justify having to create the Riot chits. They had extra space on the cardboard sheet or something.

I love the Yellow Sign tokens; I use them for everything from marking uses of the Enchanted Jewelry to marking how many rounds have passed during final combat, so that we know how low the modifier is.

Diana. That is an interesting question. Anyone?

Also yeah, using the yellow signs as markers is a good idea. Not for things like Encanted Jewelery, but for things that don't specify a token type. Also the best use of them is to mark the throne, the temple and the warding. Especially warding.

Doesn't hurt to have them I guess, I just thought there are mybe Mythos cards that refer to the number of yellow sign tokens in play...

They basically help you back track as well...I usually forget to add a doom token, because of the fast paced gameplay and then I start counting gates and seals on the map to figure out if I added the correct ammount of doom tokens, so the yellow ones remind me it was not due to a gate opening.

I like them for bookkeeping purposes. We generally only have them around when playing against the King, but they're good to have to figure out how reamed you got by terror that game. If you max out terror and have 10 blights, it's nice to have a record. It's as if to say, "Note to self: don't do that again."

Since we don't like blights we generally add them to the doom track, so we play that if you use an elder sign, that one investigator's abilty, or whatever and the last token is a yellow sign then the doom track does not go down by one. Doesn't happen often but if gives the yellow sign more purpose.

In my opinion they act as thematic eye candy for the board, serving to highlight the direction and extent of the malign and insidious influence of the herald upon the game.

Btw, did anyone ever used the throne or the shrine to sacrifice sanity/stamina and gain stamina/sanity? it's bad enough you have to sacirifce stamina/sanity, but you also have to end your movement! seriously, did anyone ever used one of them?

I've never even seen that card but I'd assume you would use it if a) you're the psychiatrist and have full san. but need stamina b) you have 7 san and 1 sta and are either can't get to the hospital or don't want to waste two turns/money c) a stalker's on your tail/lowest sneak/have a feeling a monster's coming to get you and it does more damage in the area you have less points in (i.e -4/2 horror -2/2 combat and you have 1/4 san and 5/6 stam)

The way I see it now, only Vincent and Carolyn would even consider using one of these. I still doubt someone had ever used them.

My experience is that many of the counters in Arkham Horror are simply optional extras, as many of the effects they denote could be worked outt in other ways. The effect of the 'first player' token, for example, would in most games simply be resolved by taking turns with people remembering whose turn it is. Likewise, we often don't bother with the exploration tokens for gates. Particularly for new players an excess of tokens can be daunting or spoil the flow of the game.

oldthrashbarg said:

Well in a game of this complexity, with players doing multiple phases in player order, the First Player token is extremely helpful. We can't even keep straight whose turn it is in a game of Catan (we don't use the dice). I think once we used Amanda Sharpe to remind us whose turn it was.

I've never used the explored markers. Not once.

kroen said:

Neither have I! They have found their uses as reminders of if Mandy or Leo have used their abilities in any given round.

Tibs said:

Good idea. I'm gonna steal it if you don't mind.

I like to use my explored tokens as itty bitty coasters. For small drinks.

I think there might be a case for using them on the terror track.

1. If you place one of the "Yellow Sign tokens" on the terror track every time it bumped up.

2. Then the terror level drops (i'm guessing there are a couple ways to do this)

3. Then the terror level increases, there would already be a Yellow Sign token on the "Space vacated by the terror marker"

A "rules lawyer" might argue that this space isn't vacated, so in this context you would HAVE to put the Yellow Sign token on the doom track.

Personally, I just draw a blight card and don't waste my time but that's the only reason i could think of for this...

I do use them on the Doom Track when appropriate, just so i can double check gates = doom tokens

Lord_Nerdhammer said:

Hate to smite your entire theory, but the terror level never decreases. And Kevin made it sound like no published expansion ever would allow it to.