Wednesday, August 17, 2011

My Arkham horror Boardgame enumerate - Hands On Play

Arkham horror is a boardgame that isn't for the faint of heart. I discovered this after a marvelous Saturday evening of running through a game with my brother and a few beers in tow. Now, I need to spend some more time with Arkham horror to truly learn the depths that it contains, but it is safe to say that this is one heck of a big, fun game.


First, a exiguous history. Arkham horror is a boardgame based upon the works of a writer named H.P. Lovecraft. I won't get into too much information about the writer here, but a quick rundown is that he wrote horror novels with a sci-fi flavor that are set in the 1920s. One of the main ideas behind his short stories and novellas is that there are aged gods who don't even care about our existence. You play as investigators who are attempting to close "gates" that are letting the creatures or gods through. I extremely suggest reading the works of Lovecraft if any of this sounds even the least bit intriguing, as it is of course fun stuff (although the language he uses can be a bit tough to slog through).

Love Craft

The beautiful color gameboard that is included represents locations in the imaginary town of Arkham, a mid-size town that is sort of like a 1920s Boston. On the right side is what is called the Other World, locations that associate to Arkham through the previously Mentioned gates. The Other World represents locations in other planes where the old gods (and creatures) reside. I love the artwork here, it is of course top notch.

My Arkham horror Boardgame enumerate - Hands On Play

Here is a break down of the way things go: each person playing controls a character with differing sets of attributes. These characters go colse to the board trying to close gates or tackle the great old ones head on. The typical game turn is broken down into a few phases, namely: upkeep, moveMent, encounters in Arkham, encounters in the Other Worlds and then finally the creatures (or mythos, as they are ordinarily referred to in this setting) turn. As you a character lands on dissimilar locations they can gain money, buy items, or even gain allies to help them in their fight.

A unique thing about this game is that you and your fellow players are competing against the board and not each other. This makes it more cooperative than head to head. You can also play solo, just you and your lonesome taking on the board and creatures. The randomness of the encounters make it inspiring and give it a ton of replay.

That said, this boardgame isn't for everyone. You don't need to be a Lovecraft fan, but it does help. It has a huge amount of pieces (over 700) so it takes a bit to set up. And the field matter makes it a game you don't of course want to play with the house (unless of policy your house has relatives from Dagoth - slow-witted joke, I know).

But if you love deep boardgames, this one is carefully the pinnacle. The firm has done a marvelous Job of bringing the work of Lovecraft to the tabletop!

My Arkham horror Boardgame enumerate - Hands On Play

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