Barkham Horror

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a living card game produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It is a cooperative game set in the universe of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhuroleplaying game which is itself based on the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and other cosmic horror writers. The title refers to Lovecraft's fictional town of Arkham, MA which is mentioned in many Mythos stories.

Barkham Horror is an alternate universe in which the conflict between humanity and the eldritch forces of the Mythos takes a back seat, and the conflict between dogs and cats takes center stage. The fur will fly in Barkham Horror: The Card Game - The Meddling of Meowlathotep! Inspired by the 2019 April Fools article, this 100% real, playable standalone adventure gives players the chance to step into the role of canine investigators hot on the trail of a catspiracy.

Arkham Horror is a cooperative adventure board game designed by Richard Launius, originally published in 1987 by Chaosium.The game is based on Chaosium's roleplaying game Call of Cthulhu, which is set in the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and other horror writers. The game's second edition was released by Fantasy Flight Games in 2005, with a third edition in 2018. Barkham Horror is an alternate universe in which the conflict between humanity and the eldritch forces of the Mythos takes a back seat, and the conflict between dogs and cats takes center stage. In The Meddling of Meowlathotep, a 78-card standalone scenario pack, the investigators must stop Meowlathotep, the Prowling Chaos, Meowsenger of the.

Release[edit]

News of the game was originally leaked in May 2016,^[2] before being officially announced in August of that same year.^[3] It made its first limited public release at Arkham Nights 2016 to a sold-out crowd.

As a game in Fantasy Flight Games Living Card Game line, there is a regular release of non-random Deluxe expansions that start a story or campaign, followed by multiple smaller expansions (known as Mythos packs) that continue and conclude it.

Mechanics[edit]

Campaign play is the default mode of the game,^[4] allowing a player to progress through a series of scenarios. In campaign play, choices made in scenarios have lasting effects, altering the story and how later scenarios play out. Each scenario has multiple paths of divergence offering multiple playthroughs with differing experiences each time.

When players prepare to play, they first choose an investigator of a particular class (Guardian, Survivor, Rogue, Seeker, Mystic or Neutral). Each investigator deck receives cards that represent weaknesses of their investigator, one specific to each investigator, and one 'basic' - drawn at random from a general pool. Investigators will also possess one or more unique cards that represent that individual's specific advantages or abilities, often complimenting the backstory of that investigator. Each investigator also has different starting statistics (Willpower, Intellect, Combat and Agility) which will be tested throughout the game. Players then build their decks from cards in their collection, conforming to the deckbuilding limits outlined by their investigator.

During the game, the investigators work together to progress their investigation towards a positive outcome by fulfilling the requirements set out by the Act deck. However, there are forces working against the investigators, represented by the Agenda deck and encounter deck. Each turn, a doom counter is added to the Agenda deck, acting as a timer for the investigators to complete their objectives. When the total number of doom in play reaches the doom threshold of the agenda card, the agenda will advance, often to negative consequences.

During the Investigation phase, the investigators each take up to three actions. Among other options, actions include playing cards from hand or activating those already in play, moving to or investigating locations and fighting or evading enemies. Depending on the card, cards played from hand during the investigation phase may enter an investigator's play area as an ongoing bonus (an 'asset') or simply provide a powerful one-time effect and be discarded upon use (an 'event'). Many cards have a resource cost which must be paid to play the card. While cards generally require an action to play, some are 'fast' and do not require an action to be played.

The Investigation phase is followed by the Enemy, Status and the Mythos Phase, representing the forces working against the investigators each round. Investigators may have to deal with effects or enemies that attack their sanity, health or simply their progression towards their main goal (the Act deck).

Investigators will be eliminated from a scenario if they receive horror or damage equal to their sanity or health respectively. Investigators eliminated in this way will receive permanent mental or physical trauma. This means investigators repeatedly defeated in scenarios can become progressively weaker as the campaign progresses. Investigators will, however, receive experience from scenarios (even after defeat), which can be spent to improve each investigator's deck. At certain points in a campaign, failure may lead to investigators being killed or driven insane.

Fantasy Flight Arkham Horror Lcg

Expansions[edit]

Expansions are grouped into cycles that contain a complete campaign for players to go through. Each cycle is divided up into one deluxe expansion followed by six mythos packs. Deluxe expansions contain new investigators, about 60 new player cards, and the first two scenarios of a campaign. Mythos packs contain about 24 new player cards and a single scenario of a campaign. They are listed below in order of release date which is also the order in which to play a cycle's campaign.

Stand-alone scenarios are scenarios that exist outside of a campaign/cycle and are self-contained. As such, a player doesn't need any other expansions to play them or encounter cards from the core box—only the investigators. Stand-alone scenarios are printed in house at Fantasy Flight Games and are referred to as Print on Demand (POD). This means the card quality is generally lower than the packs shipped from overseas but Fantasy Flight Games can push these packs faster out to players at conventions or for general release.

Upgrade expansions are akin to the 'Nightmare Packs' from the Lord of the Rings LCG. However instead of just increasing the difficulty, these expansions provide an alternate way to play through the campaign with alternate story effects. They also provide player cards with the first one providing 20 player cards. They are also not the Print on Demand quality that is found in the stand-alone scenarios.

The Dunwich Legacy cycle[edit]

The Path to Carcosa cycle[edit]

The Forgotten Age cycle[edit]

The Circle Undone cycle[edit]

The Dream-Eaters cycle[edit]

The Innsmouth Conspiracy cycle[edit]

Stand-alone scenarios[edit]

Upgrade Expansions[edit]

Investigator Starter Decks[edit]

Novellas[edit]

Arkham Horror: The Card Game also has novellas where each novella is focused around a specific investigator and come with 5 promo cards. These promo cards include 1 alt-art investigator card, 1 alt-art mini investigator card, 1 replacement signature card, 1 replacement signature weakness, and 1 card with instructions for the replacement cards.

References[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'Enter the Mythos'. Fantasy Flight Games. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
2. ^'Leaked Image of Arkham Horror Card Game'. www.polyhedroncollider.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
3. ^'Enter the Mythos'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
4. ^'Uncovering the Truth'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
5. ^'The Eternal Slumber'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
6. ^'Murder at the Excelsior Hotel'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
7. ^'Barkham Horror: The Meddling of Meowlathotep'. www.fantasyflightgames.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.

External links[edit]

• Arkham Horror: The Card Game at BoardGameGeek

Game Description

Barkham Horror Comic

From BoardGameGeek:
Barkham Horror is an alternate universe in which the conflict between humanity and the eldritch forces of the Mythos takes a back seat, and the conflict between dogs and cats takes center stage. In Barkham Horror: The Card Game – The Meddling of Meowlathotep, a 78-card standalone scenario pack, the investigators must stop Meowlathotep, the Prowling Chaos, Meowsenger of the Outer Feline Gods, who is terrorizing the city of Barkham. Only a few precious pups can defeat the various Meowsks of Meowlathotep and prevent them from destroying Barkham and the world!
When this adventure kicks off, you are hot on the trail of a cat conspiracy. A catspiracy, if you will. Dogs all across town report seeing strange, unnatural cats prowling the streets of Barkham, and each day more and more pigeons are going missing. You've picked up the scent of something big, and once you sink your teeth into a story, you just can't let go. A little wet fur has never stopped you from finding the truth. Perhaps if you investigate the areas of Arkham most plagued by these sightings, you can root out the cat‐monsters that dwell within.