Paul Young

After Settlers of Catan, Arkham Horror was the first game I purchased when I was first getting into board games. In many ways it was an extreme step up in difficulty and depth but to this day it remains one of my favorite games in my collection.

Arkham Horror is a co-op board game based set within the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft’s collection of “weird horror/fantasy” tales. Fans of Lovecraft’s work will have plenty love with this game as every facet of the game is flushed out with tons of flavor and lore ripped almost directly from the pages of his stories.

Gameplay consists of moving around the board, which represents the fictional town of Arkham, Mass.; dealing with otherworldly encounters both within the town and on other planes of existence; and racing to close gates linking this world to these other worlds before the elder god awakens and wreaks havoc on the players. Along the way, players need to collect spells and weapons to defeat creatures that escape from these rifts. Successes for defeating these monsters, as well as accomplishing various other tasks, are determined by rolling a set of six-sided dice. This is the basic concept of the game but the official rules are much more deep and nuanced than they appear.

My only complaints with the game are the incredibly steep learning curve and the game’s overall difficulty. If all players aren’t completely focused on what they need to accomplished, the game can very quickly become overwhelming. Even if things appear to be going in the favor of the players, it only takes one turn for the game to snap back and screw everyone over.

Overall, Arkham Horror will always be a favorite among my play group. With a play time that typically lasts three or more hours, it’s rarely a spontaneous play and usually requires us to set aside a few hours ahead of time. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a challenge with a great atmosphere.