Arkham Horror: The Card Game Buying Guide

Dive into the chilling world of Arkham Horror: The Card Game, a cooperative deck-building experience where you and your friends collaborate to conquer unspeakable horrors. This engaging game, part of the expansive Arkham Horror Files universe, offers a customizable and deeply replayable adventure. Since its 2016 release, it's evolved with numerous expansions and revisions, creating a rich and ever-expanding gameplay experience. Building your perfect deck is half the fun, with various ways to personalize your journey through the dark and mysterious world of Arkham.

This article showcases a range of options to enhance your Arkham Horror: The Card Game experience.

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The Base Game

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MSRP: $59.95 USD Players: 1-4 Playtime: 45 mins per player Ages: 14+

The core set provides everything needed to begin your investigation. It includes five pre-built investigator decks, allowing immediate entry into the "Night of the Zealot" campaign. This offers a compelling introduction to the Arkham Horror: The Card Game universe, with ample replayability. Further expansion awaits with a wide array of add-ons.

Arkham Horror Card Game Expansions

Unlike the board game counterpart, Arkham Horror: The Card Game expansions differ in their approach. Board game expansions contain complete stories, scenarios, and new investigators. The card game separates campaign expansions (new stories) and investigator expansions (new characters). While this might not suit everyone, it allows for flexible investment, enabling players to enjoy new scenarios with existing investigators or vice-versa.

The Dunwich Legacy

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The first expansion, The Dunwich Legacy, serves as a gentle progression from the base game, featuring user-friendly scenarios. The search for lost investigators mirrors the game's expansion structure, with new investigator packs released alongside each expansion.

The Path to Carcosa

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This expansion introduces a theatrical production to Arkham, offering scenarios accessible to newcomers while still presenting a challenge for experienced players. The second edition offers updates even for owners of the first edition.

The Forgotten Age

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Explore the ruins of an Aztec city in this challenging campaign, where a mystery threatens the fabric of time itself. Its difficulty makes it best suited for players with experience in other campaigns. Also available in a second edition.

The Circle Undone

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Affectionately known as "the witches pack," this expansion introduces powerful investigators to counter its challenging campaign. Acquiring the investigators is highly recommended when purchasing this campaign.

The Edge of the Earth

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Brave the perilous Antarctic tundra in this expansion, where lurking horrors threaten at every turn. The coordinating investigators offer a strategic advantage, but the campaign remains challenging even without them.

The Scarlet Keys

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Embark on a globe-trotting adventure to unravel an international conspiracy involving a collection of keys and a race against the Red Coterie. This expansion offers a less linear exploration compared to others.

The Dream-Eaters

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This campaign features two four-part storylines: "Dream Quest" and "Web of Dreams," playable separately or combined for a longer eight-part adventure.

The Innsmouth Conspiracy

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Experience a dynamic world in this expansion, where water levels impact location accessibility, adding a strategic layer to gameplay.

The Feast of the Hemlock Vale

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In this newer expansion, investigate strange happenings in Hemlock Vale during a festival, facing mutated wildlife and a sinister presence. Day and night cycles impact gameplay dynamics.

The Drowned City

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The newest expansion, where a powerful entity has awakened, challenging players to save the day.

Other Ways to Expand Your Arkham Adventures

Starter Decks

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Add investigators without committing to full expansions. While less powerful than campaign investigators, these offer a cost-effective way to expand your roster. Investigators include Harvey Walters, Nathaniel Cho, Jacqueline Fine, Winifred Habbamock, and Stella Clark.

Scenario Packs

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Standalone scenarios offering shorter gameplay experiences than full expansions. Murder at the Excelsior Hotel is considered a good entry point for newcomers. Other packs include Fortune and Folly, Machinations Through Time, War of the Outer Gods, Labyrinths of Lunacy, and The Blob That Ate Everything.

Return to Boxes & Parallel Investigator Packs

Return to boxes offer revamps and additions to select campaigns, requiring the base campaign for play. Parallel investigators provide alternate versions of existing investigators with unique abilities. Both are considered more specialized and may be harder to find at major retailers.

The Bottom Line

Arkham Horror: The Card Game offers a compelling Lovecraftian experience playable solo or with friends. The extensive universe and numerous expansions provide endless replayability. While challenging and incorporating elements of chance, the card game offers a more streamlined setup than its board game counterpart, making it a captivating and endlessly replayable adventure.