Let's start with the campaigns:
Path to Carcosa – The reason this is number one is simple: I struggle to read pulpy horror, and when I read horror at all, it's always the psychological/existential variety that makes me nod in appreciation. “Path to Carcosa” is psychological/existential horror, in a game, with agency. Add to this the fact the mechanisms wonderfully fit the story, as well as the existence of two of the best individual scenarios the game offers to date (“The Unspeakable Oath” and “The Pallid Mask”), and you've got a recipe for the best.
The Dream-Eaters – The Dreamlands is a delightful and dreadful place to explore in this integration of two four-part campaigns. It does a great job exploring dreams and nightmares through the lens of fiction and the act of writing . This meta-aspect of the campaign underrated in most commentary, the designers do a superb job structuring two interlinked story arcs that have meaning to one another plot-wise, and beyond the game. The fact there are two good final bosses/scenarios are the cherries on top.
The Forgotten Age – From the internet's perspective, this is the love/hate campaign of Arkham Horror. I love it. Where some people find the difficulty too dynamic, I find it wonderfully thematic. Do you expect to explore a Lovecraftian jungle thinking you've come prepared for everything? Think again; shit happens in the wild. The Explore mechanism, again, nicely thematic. You can't always expect to find what you want in the jungle, but you can certainly expect some pitfalls, figurative and literal, along the way. And the “twist” scenario, awesome. The story is pulpy, yes, but it's easier to forgive for its recognizable Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider motif than some of the other pulp Lovecraft dished out.
- The Edge of the Earth – An ally-focused campaign, "Edge of the Earth" allows players to bond with their helpers as they journey through the frozen Antarctic. With the Freeze mechanic and emphasis on the power of nature, this campaign is an expedition of Weird though an ice cold wasteland. FFG changed up the final boss formula, making for a fresh, new climactic experience. If any campaign has a chance of rising on this list with re-play, it's this one.
The Innsmouth Conspiracy – A murky, claustrophobic campaign, "The Innsmouth Conspiracy" throws players into the deep end (pun intended) then lets them figure out, one watery scenario after another, the backstory, all while trying to keep from drowning. For the first time the chaos bag has some new friends (and foes) that work wonderfully within the game's first principles. Tidal shifts, underwater labyrinths, car chases, and awakening krakens—it's got a lot going for it.
The Feast of Hemlock Vale - This campaign returns to the roots of Arkham Horror but offers something evolutionary. NPCs come to life like no campaign to date as a group of investigators try to sort out the origins of some odd happenings on a lonely island in Maine. Family feuds mixing with the pagan supernatural and beyond, the campaign's semi-open world format gives players choices and options that do no repeat on additional playthroughs.
The Dunwich Legacy – The first full-length Arkham Horror campaign, it still holds strong. While linear in nature, there is variety between scenarios—from casino capers to train adventures, village sacrifices to the horror of the cosmos, it offers a little bit of everything with wonderfully supportive mechanisms. It still has the best final boss/scenario released to date, amking it a must-play even for players coming to the game recently.
The Circle Undone – I imagine this campaign ranks higher for players who like haunted house stories, witch's covens, Masonic conspiracies, and the like. I fully appreciate the new mechanisms, the intro mini-story, the subtle commentary on gender, as well as the healthy quantity of story. It's only that this sub-genre of horror is not my wheelhouse.
The Scarlet Keys - "The Scarlet Keys" is rocking - at least on first playthrough. Given the open world (literally) and the fact most scenarios have a minimum of two setups depending where players are in their runthrough, it feels big and expansive. The potential of FFG's new, big box business model (at least at the time) is fully realized here. Story and theme drip with 'noir detective' and the Illuminati meets Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? vibe is redolent throughout this globetrotting adventure. But the blind playthrough is not as strong as subsequent playthroughs. The main mechanism is based on RNG, which gets old, particularly in the final boss, and there is a lot or reading which really stretches table time.
And that is the campaigns to date. On to the stand-alone expansions:
- Guardians of the Abyss - Of all the stand-alone scenarios, this is the one which immediately pops into mind each time I ask myself which is the best. The Egyptian setting begs for a full-length campaign, but this two-part, mini-campaign packs a huge amount—Cairo, the sphinx, and an ever darkening abyss. If I could only own one, this would be it.
- Fortune & Folly - Ocean's Eleven in Arkham Horror form, "Fortune & Folly" asks players to perform a bank heist. Separated into two acts, players need to case the joint, collecting information, before trying to pull off the heist. And what are they stealing? Something numinous and something mysterious. And so while the theme feels mashed together, the scenario itself is proper rich. There is just the right amount of mechanisms to give players options while keeping them on their toes. Replayability is likewise excellent.
Midnight at the Excelsior Hotel – The most 1920s' detective story released to date, players truly feel like investigators in this whodunnit of Agatha Christie meets H.P. Lovecraft. Some people point to the ten possible endings (i.e. replay value) as its most positive aspect, but I would argue the endings are more the result of mechanical necessity than organic story. (They are dictated by random card shuffles, that is, rather than a variety of endings reingsult naturally from story). The real value of the scenario is, I feel, its noir mood—interrogating hotel guests, the arrival of the police, the midnight rain, the Agatha Christie-esque mystery, all are combined to great effect.
Carnevale of Horrors – Venice is not the typical scene of otherworldy horror, but this scenario manages to squeeze a spot of Lovecraft fun from parade-goers, mask-wearers, and canals. It feels fully fleshed out. The developers had a solid idea and they implemented it well. It should also be noted this scenario follows an atypical path. Where most steadily ramp into a grand finale, this chooses a different course - which I won't spoil here.
The Curse of the Rougarou – The first act is a too fast and going true solo is extremely difficult, but beyond that, this spot of werewolf hunting offers an excellent Cajun bayou vibe. Shapeshifting and following tracks is hound dog fun, and one of the possible endings is thematically superb. The chase through the swamps is on!
The Night of the Zealot – Many of you are probably wondering why “Night of the Zealot” is here and not in the campaign list above. Simple, length. It contains three scenarios, which is five less than any of the full-length campaigns, and only one or two more than the stand-alones here. Moreover, it truncates the Arkham Horror campaign experience. Only one of its three scenarios, “Midnight Masks”, is comparable to anything in the other campaigns. (The first scenario “The Gathering” is purely a teaching game, as is the last “The Devourer Below”, i.e. teaching you how to get your ass kicked many, many times in a row.) As such, it's unfair to compare it to the full campaigns. It feels more at home among the stand-alones.
Labyrinths of Lunacy - This scenario can be summed up in one phrase: the film Saw in Arkham form. Stuck in various death traps, players must figure their way out of situations with more than just clues and guns. While there are three phases to the scenario which makes for a longer than usual experience, it's difficult to play again once each trick is known. This one is likely best played epic multi-player.
War of the Outer Gods – This scenario, like “Labyrinths of Lunacy”, is best with epic multi-player. In other words, it's tough to compare apples to apples with the scenarios higher on this list. The idea is interesting, however. Rather than player vs game, it's player vs game vs game. Enemies attacking one another (when played correctly), players need to find ways to make the factions war each other if the objectives are to be completed. Interesting, but still an orange in an apple world—at least the way we typically play.
Unfortunately, I have not played “Barkham Horror”. I would love to, but it seems the only way is to pay someone (aka an extortionst or shrewd businessman, depending on perspective) $100 on ebay. I keep waiting, hoping FFG will reprint—as slim as that hope is. Also, I have not played “The Blob that Ate Everything” or "Machinations through Time". I own them, and once I have the right group, I will play and add them here.
And a final note regarding the stand-alones. Clearly my bias is toward 2-4 players. This is relevant given some of the stand-alone scenarios have been designed for larger groups, and thus not entirely fairly judged here given I have never tried epic multi-player. Please bear that in mind.
And that's it. One person's overview to Arkham Horror: The Card Game. As mentioned, this will be a live page, updated as new campaigns and stand-alones are released.
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