LEARN TO PLAY Beyond Time and Space… Using This Book This Learn to Play book is written as an introduction to Assuming that I was sane and awake, my experience for new players. It should on that night was such as has befallen no man before. Arkham Horror: The Card Game be used as a guide while learning and playing the first game. It was, moreover, a frightful confirmation of all I We recommend that new players learn the basics of the game had sought to dismiss as myth and dream. using the introductory scenario and the pre-constructed –H. P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Out of Time decks described in “Investigator Starter Decks,” on page 4. The end of this book also contains an introduction to Game Overview campaign play and rules for customizing original decks. A quick reference of keywords, icons, and important game Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a cooperative symbols can be found on the back cover of this book. Living Card Game® (LCG®) in which one to four The complete rules of play can be found in the Rules Reference investigators work together to unravel arcane mysteries book, which also addresses more advanced topics such as the and conspiracies, while simultaneously overcoming interpretation of card text, the resolution of timing conflicts, the personal demons that haunt their past. and a detailed phase sequence. We recommend that new players Each player takes on the role of a single investigator and builds a become familiar with the game using this Learn to Play book and deck around that investigator’s abilities. A series of interrelated only look up details in the Rules Reference as they occur in play. scenarios creates a narrative campaign through which a broader mystery is unraveled. In each of these scenarios, the investigators move through and explore a number of menacing locations, look for clues that enable them to advance the story, and attempt A Living Card Game to evade or defeat the treacherous forces of the Mythos. Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a one-to-four- As progress is made in the campaign, each investigator gains player cooperative game. One to two players can experience and insight, which allows the character to develop play using just the contents of this core set, and up in a variety of ways by adding powerful new high-level cards to four players can play the game using a second to his or her deck. But beware: as one’s exposure to the arcane copy of the core set. In addition, Arkham Horror: world increases, so too does the risk of insanity. The investigators The Card Game is a Living Card Game® (LCG®), must protect themselves against this tightening grip of madness, and the experience of the game may be customized all the while attempting to survive and solve the mystery. and enhanced through the purchase of regularly released expansions. Expansions may introduce new investigators, additional scenarios or campaigns, and new player cards that can add variety and depth to investigator decks. While playing through an entire campaign creates the best experience, each of the scenarios in a campaign may instead be played as a standalone adventure. Unlike collectible card games, all LCG expansions have a fixed distribution; there is no randomization to their contents. Components Examples of the components in the game are presented here for identification purposes. A complete card anatomy can be found on pages 28–31 of the Rules Reference. 44 Chaos Tokens 27 Damage Tokens (1s and 3s) 30 Resource Tokens 30 Clue/Doom Tokens (double-sided) Roland Banks 3 3 4 2 The Fed Agency. Detective. After you defeat an enemy: Discover 1 clue at your location. (Limit once per round.) effect: +1 for each clue on your location. Everything by the book: every “i” dotted, every “t” crossed. It had worked, until now. 9 5 Illus. Magali Villeneuve © 2016 FFG 1 18 Horror Tokens (1s and 3s) 5 Investigator Cards 5 Investigator Mini Cards 119 Player Cards 4 .45 Automatic Vicious Blow 1 Round Sequence ASSET SKILL EVENT I. Mythos Phase (skip during first round) = Place 1 doom on the agenda. = Advance agenda if doom threshold is satisfied. = Each investigator draws 1 card from the top of the encounter deck. II. Investigation Phase = Each investigator takes a turn, performing three actions. III. Enemy Phase = Enemies with the Hunter keyword TREACHERY move toward nearest investigator. Evidence! Haunted = Each engaged enemy attacks, if able. Item. Weapon. Firearm. Uses (4 ammo). Insight. BASIC WEAKNESS IV. Upkeep Phase Practiced. Fast. Play after you defeat an enemy. Curse. = Reset actions (flip mini cards). Spend 1 ammo: Fight. You get +1 for this If this skill test is successful during an attack, attack. This attack deals +1 damage. Discover 1 clue at your location. Revelation – Add Haunted to your threat area. = Ready all exhausted cards. that attack deals +1 damage. = The first semiautomatic pistol was produced in the You get –1 to each of your skills. Each investigator draws 1 card and late 1800s, slowly becoming widespread among gains 1 resource. : Discard Haunted. military and police. With a sickening smack, he struck the abomination Just as I suspected! = Each investigator checks hand size over and over…until at last, it stopped moving. (discard down to 8 cards). Illus. John Pacer © 2016 FFG 16 Illus. JB Casacop © 2016 FFG 25 Illus. Mark Behm © 2016 FFG 22 Illus. Magali Villeneuve © 2016 FFG 98 Player Reference Card Asset Card Skill Card Event Card Weakness Card 110 Scenario Cards Agenda 1a Act 1a What’s Going On?! Trapped It is late at night. You are holed up As you leap to investigate, the door to in your study, researching the bloody your study vanishes before your eyes, disappearances that have been taking leaving behind only solid wall. You’re place in the region. A few hours into your trapped inside your study until you can research, you hear the sound of strange find another way out. chanting coming from your parlor down the hall. At the same time, you hear dirt churning, as if something were digging beneath the floor. 3 2 Illus. Mark Molnar © 2016 FFG 2/16 105 Illus. Jose Vega © 2016 FFG 5/16 108 Agenda Card Act Card Study Study Ghoul Priest 4 5 4 The Gathering Humanoid. Monster. Ghoul. Elite. HARD / EXPERT Prey – Highest . Hunter. Retaliate. –2. If you fail, after this skill test, search the encounter deck A figure in red robes wearing a bone mask. and discard pile for a Ghoul It gibbers and snarls before leaping to attack. enemy, and draw it. Shuffle the encounter deck. Victory 2. LOCATION Reveal another token. If you fail, LOCATION 2 2 TREACHERY take 2 horror. ENEMY Rotting Remains Terror. You’ve been investigating the strange events occurring Revelation – Test (3). For each point you –4. If there is a Ghoul enemy at in Arkham for several days now. Your desk is covered in The door to your study has vanished. fail by, take 1 horror. your location, take 1 damage and newspaper articles, police reports, and witness accounts. 1 horror. A sickening display of gore causes you to retch. You’re glad this wasn’t you. © 2016 FFG 1/16 104b Illus. Yoann Boissonnet © 2016 FFG Illus. Yoann Boissonnet © 2016 FFG 8/16 111 Illus. Chun Lo © 2016 FFG 13/16 116 Illus. Stephen Somers © 2016 FFG 1/7 163 Scenario Reference Card Location Card (double-sided) Enemy Card Treachery Card 3 LEARN TO PLAY = Some cards have an upgraded version with one or more white First Game Setup pips in the upper left-hand corner of the card. When building these starter decks, do not include these upgraded versions. To set up the first game, perform the following steps in order. The game is best learned with one or two players. 1. Choose investigator(s). Each player chooses an investigator When building 1 Magnifying Glass and places that investigator’s card in his or her play area. starter decks, 1 Magnifying Glass For the first game, it is recommended that one player use only use cards ASSET that have no ASSET Roland Banks (card 1). If there is a second player, it is white pips in recommended that that player use Wendy Adams (card 5). this area. 2. Choose one of those investigators to be the 4. Assemble token pool. Place the damage, horror, clue/doom, lead investigator for this game, and give and resource tokens within easy reach of all investigators. that player the Campaign Guide. = The token pool serves as a repository for all tokens = The lead investigator is the player who will break ties and Item. Tool. that are not being used at a givenFast. moment. make decisions for the group whenever there is a conflict. You get +1 while investigating. 5. Assemble the chaos bag. Place the 16 chaos tokens indicated 3. Assemble and shuffle the player decks. The cards used below into an opaque container suchA lens into asa world a unseenbag, can bowl, reveal things oryou wish cup. it hadn’t. in each of the recommended investigators’ starter decks This container is referred to as the “chaos bag.” Return the are detailed in the “Investigator Starter Decks” sidebar. other chaos tokens to the game box. Illus. German Nobile © 2016 FFG 30 +1, 0, 0, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –3, –4, ⅻ, ⅻ, ⅼ, ↀ, ⅽ, ⅿ = Throughout the game, the investigators are asked to randomly reveal tokens from the chaos bag to modify their Investigator Starter Decks chances of success or failure in a variety of situations. Roland Banks starter Wendy Adams starter 6.