In need of some Arkham Horror Advice

[Dredd Stev]

Ok, in an effort to keep my game group from burning out on heroscape (Blasphemy I know, I know... but we can't ALL be Heroscaper's fo’ life right?) I've been picking up some new games with slightly different focuses.

I got LNoE about a month ago, and found it to be a simple yet VERY fun game. My group loves it and I'm hunting around town for the expansion. Some of my more strategic and hardcore gaming friends (My DnD group in fact - the elite geeks of my general game group) found that while a blast to play, LNoE tends to be a little less strategic and in-depth than we would like sometimes.

Also while I am an avid Catan player, I've sold out my share in the game (we split the cost of all 3 sets) to a friend who is leaving town... and If I want to play a game I can always just log on to asobraingames.

I looked at Decent: But I don't think that the 80 dollar start up can be justified by the time it takes to play, and by the number of games I'd get to play in a month... even more so considering I'd pick up an expansion along with it! I'd love to pick it up all the same, for now it's on my wish list.

I settled on Arkham horror after reading several solid reviews. Basically it's game mechanics are a lot different than anything else I've got and it seems to offer both strategic depth and an excellent RPing horror experience (One of the best things about LNoE if you ask me).

Anyway I'm confident I'm going to like the game, and since I have the opportunity to get the "Master Set" I was wondering if anyone has some advice on some of the expansions. I'm thinking of getting both today, but figured I'd do one last bit of research and ask my fellow scapers if they had any insights? Are the expansions worth it? Do they bring anything significant to the game?

I have access to both "Dunwich Horror" and "KingsPort Horror", which is the better set for a player new to the game?

All feedback is greatly appreciated!

[Dredd Stev]

*bump*

Awe man, I'd hoped to get a little feedback before the day is out. I'ma go pick it up in a few hours... maybe I'll hold off on an expansion till after I play a few times... MAYBE.

[wdgrant]

I'll try to give you some advice, even if it is a few days late.

I bought AH at Gen Con last year, and just recently bought Dunwich Horror.

I would start with just the basic game. One great thing about it, is that it is fabulous without any expansions. Granted it may start to wear thin, but that is when you can add expansions. I haven't played Dunwich yet, because I play a lot of 2 player games with my wife, and Dunwich creates a board that is too big in that scenario. I have read a ton about it, and just reading through the rules, can see what it will add. I'm just waiting for my next 4 to 6 player opportunity. I have probably played about 20 games and just now want some new stuff, because it takes that long to start to see repetitiveness. I'm going to pick up a card only expansion (King in Yellow, etc.) to spice up my 2 player games while I pine for Dunwich games.

I know that was totally rambling, but I guess I am saying start with just the basic game. If you like that and start to see to many repeat cards/games, then look at an expansion. Hopefully by then I'll have some Dunwich action under my belt and I can give you some better insight into it.

[Dredd Stev]

Cool, thanks wdgrant!

I actually picked up both (AH and DH) but haven’t opened DH yet, as I've only played a few games of Arkham and still want to get a hang of the game before cracking open the exp.

Arkham is a TON of fun though, if not a little too long. I think that as we get more experience with the game the play time will drop to 3 hours MAX...

[wdgrant]

You're right about the time. My wife and I can play a game in 2 to 2.5 hours now that we rarely have to refer to the rulebook.

Glad to hear you are enjoying it, and I'll let you know about any future expansions I pick up.

[Hex Sinister]

Dredd Stev, welcome to the madness. Oh, I agree with what you said about LNoE by the way. After around 15 games or so I've completely fallen out of love for it. The honeymoon was great though. Arkham on the other hand keeps going strong and there is so much variety in it that I can't see getting bored with it for a long time. The replay value is unparalleled IMO.

Dunwich is really awesome and you will love it as it adds more challenges and variety to the base game. Just having the new characters alone adds spice. More monsters, more of everything really.

My only advice would be to not rush to squeeze in expansions too rapidly. If you pick up the card only expansions, be sure to play them exclusively (by themselves) to give them the focus they need. After you get a feel for them then you can mix it up a bit but there tends to be too much dilution if you get overboard. For instance, in Dark Pharaoh there are special exhibit items you can acquire. They aren't so easy to get in the first place and once you add Dunwich to the mix you might not see any the whole game. And forget getting any allies.

Both of the card only expansions are a must have. Nice and cheap, too. I would actually recommend adding in one of those before trying out Dunwich because once you get used to having Dunwich tacked-on it's really hard to find the willpower to exclude it from your games. Yes, you can just plop any expansions in however you want - but it's not as pure an experience.

Finally, stop resisting the Descent urge. You know you want it. Challenging game, lots of tension and teeth gritting. Yeah, it takes a long time to play and it's not as "deep" as D&D. But it's a great hack 'n slash boardgame that will be a hit with tactics lovers.