The year is 1926, and it is the height of the Roaring Twenties. Flappers dance till dawn in smoke-filled speakeasies, drinking alcohol supplied by rum runners and the mob. It’s a celebration to end all celebrations in the aftermath of the War to End All Wars.
Yet a dark shadow grows in the city of Arkham. Alien entities known as Ancient Ones lurk in the emptiness beyond space and time, writhing at the thresholds between worlds. Occult rituals must be stopped and alien creatures destroyed before the Ancient Ones make our world their ruined dominion.
Only a handful of investigators stand against the Arkham Horror. Will they prevail?
Arkham Horror (Third Edition) is a cooperative board game for one to six players who take on the roles of investigators trying to rid the world of eldritch beings known as Ancient Ones. Based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, players will have to gather clues, defeat terrifying monsters, and find tools and allies if they are to stand any chance of defeating the creatures that dwell just beyond the veil of our reality.
The game is split into a series of rounds made up of four phases.
- The Action Phase
- The Monster Phase
- The Encounter Phase
- The Mythos Phase
The Action Phase sees your investigators fighting back against the dark power of the mythos. During this phase, each investigator can perform two different actions.
- Move – Investigators can move up to two spaces in the city, spending money to hire speedy transport and move additional spaces. The space where you end your turn will determine what encounter card you draw later in the turn.
- Gather Resources – Gain one dollar token, which can be used to purchase items and goods as well as increase how far you can move
- Focus – Focus one of your skills, increasing its value.
- Ward – Attempt to remove doom from your location. Increasing doom means danger for the investigators, and removing doom can delay these apocalyptic heraldings.
- Attack – Attack a monster engaged with you.
- Evade – Try to escape from a monster engaged with you.
- Research – Search for clues at your location.
- Trade – Trade money, clues, items, and more with other investigators at your location.