After this video, man... their product line is way more complex and harder to get into than Marvel Champions. FFG really learned a lesson and streamlined it with their newest LCG. Guide really needed and appreciated.
Well FFG definitely tried to make things as confusing as possible. First they named the flimsy campaign starter boxes "deluxe expansions", making it seem as if there are "regular" versions of these as well. Then they release "Return to X" boxes which are neither sequels nor repackaged campaigns - the two most common misconceptions - but rather "nightmare upgrades with some player cards". After that "starter decks" get released, even though FFG already used the term "starter deck" for their horrible suggested decks for each Investigator. Finally they introduce a completely new (re)release model which, while being much more customer-friendly, now gets mixed up with the old release model, it being often discounted and looking much more attractive to newcomers. The game *is* worth the hassle though - everything (maybe apart from the awful last campaign) is of top notch quality, best LCG by far.
I tried to find a way into the world of Arkham Horror in 2024 knowing nothing before and struggling to understand the mount of products and editions and expansions. THIS VIDEO HAS IT ALL! Thank you for your work and effort, highly appreciated!
Thank you! I'm brand new to Arkham Horror, but have been looking at it for ages. This makes things very clear with regards to the revised editions and reprints. I have just received the Revised Core Set and can't wait to get started. I now know what to be looking at next!
I started with the LOTR Revised Core Set and currently that division of LCG can honestly last me for a lifetime. But I'm always intrigued by the Arkham Horror, considering how much more challenging it is from what I've seen and researched and I love the theme. I'm thinking of Marvel Champions too, but probably try it on the latter stage of my LCG experience. There's just so much content to delve through and LCGs are expensive investments in board gaming, let alone board gaming itself in general. But the great thing about LCGs, and this is partly from my style or genre preference, is they play so well for solos (2 handed). If you happen to have someone else interested, it plays best at actual 2p up to 3p. 4p is good too, but a there's a considerable downtime. But if you really have that consistent group of friends who are into the hobby and cam spend weekends playing these, it's probably one of the best products out there.
I recently bought one copy of the old core, the complete Carcosa cycle in the old format, and four of the five investigator packs. While ai know the revised are better options, buying all of this to start with for under 100 was much easier entrance point. Glad to hear Carcosa is a viable starting o-ti0n, and that I can then be free to choose any other expansions afterwards, if I like the game. Thanks!
Hi Nelson, great video 🙏 Can you help me with one extra question? I just want to play the campaign, but I still think maybe gonna be a good ideia buy at least 1 investigators expansion, which one do you recommend?
Could you possibly try to make some guide on how to build decks, or find decent ones on arkhamdb, for people like me, to whom it's a complete mystery and totally overwhelming? I own the Revised Core, plus the Dunwich investigators expansion, plus Jacqueline & Winnifred. But whenever I think of building a Deck, I'm totally crushed and I don't know what to do. I'm not a strategist person, I don't understand advanced card interactions, I'm not a kind of a person like the MtG gamers I met who had super complex and advanced understanding of the systems of the game - to me it was always too much. I want to explore the story and have some basic fun, and not be totally streamrolled by all the enemies, try to have some fighting chance in the game. I tried picking decks from arkhamdb, but I found it super confusing and difficult to understand what's possible with my "non-typical" set of investigator cards. Usually, the deck descriptions there assume much more knowledge and understanding than I have, and also often assume e.g. Carcosa scenarios players will also have Carcosa investigators, plus all the investigators from all the earlier cycles. Which is totally not correct for me, so again I find it super difficult to find some decks there I could actually *build* first of all, and then *use* in a relatively effective way without understanding their "tricks" and "special things". And that's kinda the reason why I struggle to get back to this game, after only really playing (and failing) the Night of the Zealot, plus maybe 2 first scenarios of Dunwich (I remember I got totally steamrolled by the Museum scenario thing, after having barely survived the previous few scenarios, with mixed effect; the Museum scenario I just failed at the entrance already, with the monster there just completely obliterating me...)
Dude, You're a life (Wallet) saver, 2 questions... There seems to be new ones scheduled this year, looking at expansions filtered by newest - last on BGG, also, there's a few not in this video from 2023, and, confusingly, the date released goes 1. Edge of Earth Cam + Inv Exp 2. Dunwich Cam + Inv Exp 3. The Path to Carcosa Cam + Inv Exp and so on, why does BGG say that Edge of Earth was released before Dunwich? I have revised Core Set and about ready to buy more, but I'm concerned I'd be buying them out of order... (I'd prefer to keep it in release order as to not become confused or potentially miss out on things no longer being printed as they're older).
The Investigator starter decks are packs with prebuilt decks and characters only available in that pack. If you are familiar with Marvel champions then it is very similar to a Hero pack!
I have around 80% of whats out there for this game but I find I play LOTR and Marvel more. Arkham is great though, feel like I'll enjoy it more with my wife when we get done with the LOTR board game. I have return tos for NOTZ DL and PTC and I'm not buying anymore return tos. Never even cared for the ones I have save for the extra player cards.
Oh no, I completely gave up on this game after buying a lot of content because I was so frustrated with tracking down the third deck of a cycle when every other one was in stock... now you're telling me they fixed it?? My poor wallet.
@@NelsonAllOverCards Definitely! I got into my first LCG (MC) around 8 months ago. All your buying guides have helped me make sense of all three LCGs. Without videos like this I'm not sure I would've got into it in the first place. There's just so much content and no marketing to help guide you.
As a person thinking about getting into Arkham Horror: The Card Game, this guide was just what I needed. A great and comprehensive overview of all the products with solid advice on what to get, and in which order. Excellent video.
Crazy coming back after a break lol. I have all the legacy stuff you said not to buy including missing blister packs lol. Probably going to buy Worlds End. Forgotten Ages was great and the last expansion I played
Also at MM, Starter Desk $2 apiece (one of them is $3). Sorry! Not a shill for Miniature Market! But these are giveaway prices from a source I've been using for many years. :)
$24 USD for two core boxes and five investigator packs was enough to finally convince me to give this game a try. My wallet is going to cry between this and Marvel Champions lol
If I have the earthly core set and the early Dunwich expansion, what’s the best approach? Buy a second early core? What about Dunwich as tracking down all the myth is packs could be challenging? Or do I just start again?
Thank you so much for this Buyer's Guide! Greatly enjoyed watching and am happy that I seem to have mostly made the right choices when I gifted this to myself for Christmas :D (Got base, 5 investigators and Dunwich) I also got the Return to the Zealot Box quite cheap and thought it would be a fitting carry-around for whenever I bring a scenario to my friends house :D Love the Deck box format and wish the Sets and Expansions had such a box instead of the flat square ones ... Wish you a Happy New Year rich with gaming fun!
Very good and informative video. Would it be so hard for these fucking game companies to release an upgrade set for people who own the original core set? No because that would mean they care about their customers and aren't simply money grabbing fekkers.
Hey! Ran into your content today. I recently started content creation myself. I like your set. Do you have a cyc curtain behind your kallax or is it just a black wall that you're projecting light onto? I'm not gonna steal the set but I may borrow a similar idea
Its just a white wall that the lights are on - the trick is to pull the shelf (that the lights are attached to) otu from the wall a few inches! Good luck with your content!
@@NelsonAllOverCards what kind of lights are you using on the ground, projecting up of course; right? Would you be able to snap a pic for me or...just trying to understand but I appreciate you taking a second to help. I'll pay it forward
@@Hot2Trotsky I am using Govee lights - two floor lamps on each side of the shelf (amzn.to/3ASP6qX) and then two rope lights which are stuck to the back of the Kallax (using all the supplied hardware that came with the lights) amzn.to/3APdWb7 I have also used this set up: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yOYYDK9qOjo.htmlsi=nngR_-OO4IUffO8y which are two of these on the floor shot up towards the wall! amzn.to/4gaAmnz
In 2016 i bought the 2016 core set and I'm still mad about it. I clicked this link because I was curious how the revised stuff is going, but now I'm thinking about that old core set and I'm still too mad about it to buy in. Gonna watch this anyway because I really do like the game as a game.
I wish we could get more Investigator "starter" decks, I've played AH for years and I think they are brilliantly done. I've managed to get more casual players to experience AH with the precons and a standalone scenario for that 'shuffle up and play" experience
5:09 So, do the investigator expansion sets have cards specifically for those new investigators? Or are those cards for any investigators? I was wondering why (for instance) the Carcosa player expansion carries the name Carcosa, even though you can play them with any campaign, but from what I understand from this video, that is because those investigators originally came with the Carcosa cycle?
The original core is still perfectly playable! The reason that people typically end up buying multiple old core sets is they can then get enough cards to have a full play set of cards - the original core only comes with one copy of some cards so a second core set gets you another copy of the card!
12:37 was missing the Barkham Horror: The Meddling of Meowlathotep and yes this is not only a april fools joke. This is actually a rare scenario pack ,-)
Watching this video, it dawned on me how much I would LOVE an Arkham Horror-like LCG based on the Doctor Who franchise. It would be so amazing! The show is so rich in characters, stories, lore, extended universe stuff… plus, the show itself is kind of a “living TV show”, with a storyline that will never end as long as there is an audience to it. Doctor Who is the perfect IP for an LCG, and an LCG would be the perfect kind of game for Doctor Who. Fantasy Flight, BBC, please!
that would be a dream come true :D All the Doctor Who Games out there are so meh ^^ and this would lend itself to an amazing story experience and possibly be less punishing than Arkham :P Sadly Lovecraft is a free IP and DW is owned by the BBC which might make this already a challenge to produce. But there is hoping.
So I watched the whole thing now (sorry for the individual comments). One question I have didn't get discussed and that is: what do I do with all the empty space in those big campaign boxes???
Good question! I know people who store their player cards in those boxes (they are a bit better than the investigator expansions) but then again mine are just empty lol
I went on and bought the core set cos it was cheap. Then I realised there is a revised core set. 😮 Anyways after 4 plays of The Gathering at easy mode, my brain shuts down. Not easy to play and I almost gave up. 😢 Need some downtime before I pick it up again. Toughest game to play for me.
If the Legacy version of the core set is on Miniature Market for 6 dollars is it worth it to buy that set? If I plan on playing mainly two players and sometimes 3 do I need one or two of the legacy core sets? Thanks!
Wrong covers for most of those novellas, but we got what you were going for. 😉 I'm lucky enough to have gotten my hands on all seven of the original novellas with investigators, as well as the Barkham Horror pack (which you didn't even mention!). But, I never got enough plays in to justify buying the Return to boxes, so even us old-timers dont have it all. Now I'm just happy that my kids are now old enough to enjoy playing with me so this stuff isnt all just collecting dust!
As a new fan of the Arkham Horror, about to finish the revised core set, and this is exactly the video I am looking for. Better, easier than Reddit answers.
man I think i'm just missing one investigator pack. I got all the return to box's and only really would say if you want to get one the dunwich one because of cards like Resurgent Evils which is better imo than ancient because it gives you the option rather than just slapping you with one doom XD
I would love to give it a go at some point. I play a lot of champions but from what i can tell this is a lot more narrative right ? I'll have to find a way to give it a go before I buy into it. got enough card games cant afford to get into another that I'm not going to play lol
I dont think I would, there are some extra cards that come in the revised set, but it is probably not worth going out and buying a whole box worth of cards for them If you plan on playing at higher player counts you may want to entertain the idea of grabbing the revised core as you would need to buy a second legacy core box to have enough cards for, lets say 4p, to play - but just buying a second box is still goign to be much cheaper!
I would avoid Circle Undone as well for new players. And existing players. And everyone really. At least Forgotten Age gets better and less punishing as it goes on. Circle is a nightmare beginning to end.
Wanted to ask about scenarios- seen on wiki, that there 12. But 3 can’t find on Amazon and you didn’t bring their image with others. Its - The Eternal Slumber, The Night's Usurper and Barkham Horror: The Meddling of Meowlathotep. Can you explain why? There something different about them?
Thank you so much for this video! It's absolutely helpful. Decided to get the revised core set + Dunwich Legacy campaign + investigator expansions in the end. 🎉
I loved Arkham Horror. But I preferred it as multiplayer rather than solo. And unfortunately my group did really badly in the Dunwich campaign and we didn't even make it to the last scenario. It was quite punishing how the negative modifiers to health persisted from scenario to scenario. I appreciated the punishing nature of the game as it fits into the Arkham style and in a way the failure of our group told its own story. However, my group was not interested in giving the game another chance. So, I sold my copy. The advice on the video seems very reasonable. Though as always, just buy the base game first or try the game somewhere if you can before spending money on expansions. Same advice goes for any LCG really.
@@NelsonAllOverCards Well, I'm happy I found Marvel Champions. That I love to play solo and I have a friend who also enjoys the campaigns. Playing through the campaigns is so much fun multiplayer because the game is so different then. For example Storm in multiplayer vs. Storm in solo requires a whole new approach. Who knew that giving -1 to everyone's attack could hamper other players. 😆 It's not quite the story experience that Arkham Horror LCG is though.
Are you sure you didn't misplay something? Unless you play TFA, the Trauma should be pretty rare (and is commonly avoidable by Resigning). Also, don't forget that damage/horror tokens from Trauma are healable during a scenario - the game doesn't distinguish between Trauma tokens and "regular" tokens you acquire while playing.
@@DrMcFly28 Could be that we misplayed some rules and most likely our decks were horrible. It's almost two years ago since I played the campaign and over a year since I owned the game so cannot remember the details clearly. I remember having some bad luck like drawing the Angered Spirits and then getting defeated before having an opportunity to get rid of the treachery and then ending up taking two physical trauma. For me, it was all funny and thematic. My friends didn't quite like the brutality of the campaign. Or the deckbuilding.
Thank you for a very needed explanation. Fantasy Flight should put a link to this video on their product page. Please keep this video updated as FF releases more stuff. Help us stay on track!😅
I have everything except the return to boxes and hemlock. I laminated and cut every campaign and encounter card. It took 9 hours and now my cards are protected for life. I have issues lol
Are the cards in the starter decks all included in the hero expansions? How about the scenario packs, are all the cards included in the campaign expansions?
Not really any in particular, however just like the later expansions being more complex, the later investigator packs seems more complex as well So there is no need to pair them up! Great question
First, a lot of the theme of the investigators and investigator cards within a cycle can be related to the theme of the campaign. Second, and probably more important for the earlier cycles, the efficiency and the power level of the upgraded investigator cards in a cycle tend to match the difficulty of that campaign. Dunwich cards are very much staples and toolbox-type cards, not necessarily more powerful, but universally useful, while cards from later cycles seem specifically good in that campaign or for those investigators (that were designed for that campaign). Not a hard or firm rule, but an observation...
My friend, I only play solo, and this is my favorite board game. Period. So, yes, this is a fantastic game to play solo. Usually you solo play by controlling two investigators at the same time. Though you can certainly play up to four, if you have the table space. If you want a really deadly challenge, feel free to only use one investigator. But I've found it best with two or three, personally.
Thanks so much for this useful video! I have a question: only the starter decks 11:37 have 0-cost cards that I can use at the start of a campaign? Or the investigator packs also have these kind of cards? For now I only got the core set and Dunwich campaign expansion. I'll also get the Dunwich investigator expansion. I wonder if it would be interesting to also get some starter decks.
@@NelsonAllOverCards hi, yes! cards that can be picked at the beginning, without spending experience points. I have seen that other investigator packs also have 0-level cards, so not only starter decks have those cards. But maybe starter decks have more. Or, at least, they come with a ready-to-play deck.
@@fmaylinch yep! The starter decks include a ready to go pack as well as cards that you can upgrade into! They basically have a deck you start with and then an upgrade path for it!
Best guide for diving deeper into arkham horror. I was confused by all the repackaging. Just finished night of the zealot and I need more. Jumping into Dunwich next. Having read the novels these things feel much more immersive. I recommend doing that to anyone reading this comment. They're short! Audio books make it that much better too (Especially Radio theatre ones on audible). Cheers!
Hey man, great video! I own an original Core Set (which is good enough for me as I intend to play solo and 2 handed at most) and one of the old Dunwhich legacy expansions (with the first 2 chapters only). I was looking at getting the newest Dunwich expansion in order to get all of the story, and use my old Dunwhich box to get all of the investigator stuff from it. Would this be equal to getting the Investigator pack in terms of the cards I get? Would this be a good path for me? I got the base core set for free and I paid £12 for the old dunwhich deluxe box, so I'm trying to figure out my cheapest path to have all of dunwhich complete. Thanks for any info!
@@NelsonAllOverCards thank you for that! However, I feel I still have this question. If I buy the new campaign expansion for Dunwich and also use my old Dunwich "deluxe" for the investigators and some player cards, would that be enough for me to play solo or two handed? Or is the new investigator expansion an absolute must even for solo/2 handed? I'm mostly in for the story, can deal with not having as much in terms of deck building options!
Hey so I was about to edit this in and realized that it was already in there! Now it was super short, but I mentioned cycles that have yet to be repackaged. I probably could have gone into more detail on them, but I wanted to focus on the repackaged content because that is a bit easier to get. I will have content out once we get more information on the repackage. Thank you for the comment!!
@@NelsonAllOverCards nah it’s ok, no need to edit :) .To be honest as a buying guide, I wouldn’t recommend Dream Eaters anyway as it’s really 2 4 scenario campaigns running simultaneously.
@@NelsonAllOverCards Oh you haven't played it? Im sorry. I didnt mean to spoil it for you. But yes, its essentially 2 4 part campaigns with one group in the dream world and the other in the awake world. You do get massive amount of XP to balance this out. But coolest part of the whole campaign IMO is that each story choice effects the 'other' campaign if different ways. Give it a go when you get a round to it.
@@NelsonAllOverCards This is thee difinative buyer’s guide, makes me want to get it all,… quick question, how do you compare it solo vs 2-player? Is the experience just as good solo or better with 2?
@@ValorantRivals I would say this game is best with two players (or one player playing two investigators - which is how I play) there is so much you need to do that with only one investigator, without a large card pool, can make the game incredibly challenging
the mix between legacy and reprint or whatever it's called then keeping campaigns and hero stuff separate and having other stuff in other packs of cards by themselves@@NelsonAllOverCards
