Arkham Horror LCG to me is the best board/card game out there. It has all the deck building depth and synergies of a card game but plays like a board game making it easy to follow and feel more interactive instead of the cards playing themselves. The only problem with the LCG is its prohibitive cost and stock issues.
It’s great that the new model of one investigator expansion and one campaign expansion per cycle seems to be improving stock availability and also making cycles cheaper (provided you were going to buy the whole cycle under the previous model).
@maxque2841 know im late to the party, but it stands for Living Card Game.... its a fancy title telling you that you get what you buy... for instance, if you buy a pack of cards it will tell you the cards you will be getting and how many of them.... as you probably already a CCG ( collectible card game... not trying to insult your intelligence) you take a chance of getting a certain card you might want
Arkham Horror LCG combines everthing I love in board games. Flavor, heavy on story telling, deck building, tension, many dificult levels, playing solo or with friends, counless ways you can aproach the game. It's 100% the best board game I've ever played. WARNING: Once You get too deep into the game, there is no turinng back :D Addiction is the best word for me.
I would really enjoy it if you ranked the Arkham Horror card game expansions. Like which expansions are the most flavorful, most player-friendly, Maybe also based around a set that has better player cards to have in your inventory.
Loved this video, I’m a big fan of the Arkham Horror Files. Third Edition is my favourite and always find it interesting how much hate the game gets in general, usually from fans of 2nd or Eldritch.. the use of other mechanics from other games I don’t think is a negative as it works well in the game and creates something new. Like any FFG game the game isn’t complete without expansions, but it seems people only judge this game on the base game, as you pointed out the first expansion added a lot, and the last two have grown the game is such a great way that it’s finally showing it’s potential and makes it stand out from the others. Would love to hear your thoughts after playing this game with the latest expansions. Keep up the awesome work!
About Mansions of Madness and replayability: Get Valkyrie and download tons of new, professionally made mod-scenarios. So far I played more than thirty excellent adventures. And you get tools and instructions on how to build your own scenarios.
Regarding Mansions of Madness, I don't know if it is mentioned somewhere in the comments but there is an excellent free fan made app called Valkyrie, that provides -to this point-about 50 english scenarios (more in other languages). Many of them are excellent, some of them better than the original published ones - including the expansions. Also the app is very well made, it adds additional functionality , like the much needed "saves" and "undo" functions. If you own the game , definitely give it a try, it will reward you with a lot of quality content and lots of extra game time to enjoy. It also comes with an editor if you wish to create your own scenarios. Cheers!
Glad I found your video, super helpful for a new gamer like me. My friends and I jumped in with Arkham 3rd edition. It took hours to learn to play but now we're pros. I know one thing we like about the 3rd edition over Eldrich is the monster fighting... so much simpler, even more simple than mansions. One thing we try to do for replayability is choosing different characters. After we win against an ancient one, we try to switch up the characters and win again. With an expansion this has added more hours of play. Thanks again for this. It helps consider which fantasy flight game to try next
Mansions of Madness is my favorite of these, though the card game follows very closely behind. I just wish they'd release some premium scenarios that capitalize on the fact that you have all the expansions and incorporate pieces/rules from all of them, to make all these purchases feel like they're actually part of a whole rather than individual paths off the main box.
They try to that or something like that in eldritch horror, Ah 2nd edition, both times it did not work, and it tank so bad coz the reviews, but I do agree with you that would be nice
@@adan5511 a big difference is that Mansions uses an app, unlike the other two, and the app already knows which components you have access to. But the premium scenarios they do don't really capitalize on that, at least not that I've noticed.
I wish they would capitalize on how many configurations you could put the map tiles in Mansions into. There's so few scenarios when there could be dozens.
Watch you fellas all the time. Typically after I finish an Arkham scenario, but keep up the good work. Strangely enough, I started collected board games long before I started playing them. Arkham horror second edition and all the expansions are still unplayed on my shelf from 2012 lol Witch of Salem has been sitting there in it's protective wrap for over a decade. But then again, I struggle to get fellas out for boardgames, other then AH Card game. But love all the stuff you do ! Cheers
Something worth mentioning is some of these games play better at particular character counts and some are generally better with other people. AH lcg can be played with 1 character and is enjoyable solo. Ah 2nd/3rd are better with 3+ characters regardless if you are doing solo or not. Although for different reasons in each. 3rd is better running at least two characters because you will doing mostly what your roll is good at. The game play for each roll is kind of on rails if you want to win. Game play with one character is pretty repetitive and boring, particularly for mystics. 2nd its more about having 1 portal open most rounds, but it taking several rounds to close a portal. MOM I think is just a better experience with more people. Its not as hard as most of the others but has a nice social feel. Elder sign I think also is better with others because its a bit light for solo play. Have no idea on Final Hour. Looked terrible I haven’t tried it.
Great points. I agree with all of this. Eldritch Horror wants you playing at least two investigators when playing solo too, because it allows you to impact the game more. I do enjoy solo Elder Sign and have played a lot of it, but I agree, it is more enjoyable with others. And yeah, ditto on Final Hour.
having played AH 2nd and 3rd (although 2nd edition only once) I got much more flavour and story out of 3rd (both on the first play trough and on subsequent plays) than I got out of 2nd. 3rd is all about playing trough a branching story where the direction of the story changes depending on how well you do, and in some cases what choices you make, and on top of that you have flavour from all regular encounters which are just the general weirdness of the town, and then scenario-specific encounters from the event deck that further draw you into the setting for the specific scenario/story you're playing. Meanwhile 2nd edition you have one old one you need to worry about, but nothing in the game really seems to connect to that all too much, and although it does a great job at drawing you into the theme, there's really not much of a story there. 2nd might provide more room to create your own story, but you also kind of have to create your own story, it's more of an setting and system in which you can role play your character, whereas 3rd is actually giving you multiple rich branching stories in a well crafted thematic setting and system but with only limited room for role playing and creating your own story. Although even then, it's up to you whether you wish to play more strategically or more take a more role playing approach, and whether you want to try to push for the good stuff, or if you wish to take some time to explore the city, at some possible cost;. If you want more breathing room, there are official rules to make the game a bit easier, namely by trading a doom token for a blank token in the mythos cup, you have just a tad less stuff to worry about overall, giving you time to explore a bit more. But I'd also argue that being pressed to really keep pushing forward and keep bad stuff under control fits the theme really well. If an old one is looming, you don't have time to just lull around a bit, it should feel like every second, every move, every decision should matter, you should feel that doom creeping up on you, because that's what your investigator would experience. Mechanically it is similarly pushy like pandemic, and there are some mechanisms that seem very much inspired by pandemic (the way gate bursts work is pretty much how epidemics work, and you you have mechanics where too much doom in a space or neighbourhood causes trouble similar to how an outbreak might work, especially in one of the base scenarios which doesn't use anomalies), but it's so much more thematic and story-rich than pandemic, and that comparison seems really off. Pandemic even has a Cthulhu themed version, which is nice and reasonably thematic for a game of its length, but not anywhere near the amount of theme, let alone story, that AH 3rd has. Heck, even later in your video you yourself say they're going for a more story telling system (at the cost of re-playability), yet somehow you also think 2nd edition is more story-driven; those two things seem very contradictory. As for replayability, I think replaying a scenario is not an issue because there's branching in the stories, so even though you play the same scenario again, you might take a different branch, sometimes it gets back to the same part eventually, and other times you end up with a different ending (there's often even more than 1 success ending and more than 1 fail ending), and they can be tough to beat, so you'll also want to play again to see if you can win. And obviously the various characters you can choose can also add to replayability.
It may seem contradictory, but with all the games I've played in both, I feel the same (though I could've explained better in the video): 3rd edition has a "story", but more time is spent playing the game than experiencing the story (to me). 2nd edition has less of a "story", but you feel more like you're living in the city of Arkham (to me). Both are very good games, but 3rd is a tighter gameplay experience at the cost of the world, while 2nd is a looser gameplay experience that feels more like exploring an Arkham sandbox.
@@PlayingBoardGames yeah, that way of explaining it seems more accurate with my experiences, although I don't quite agree that there is less time experiencing the story. For me, pretty much every moment of AH 3rd is experiencing the story on various levels: -You experience Arkham itself trough the regular encounters and headlines, which aren't scenario specific -You experience the character trough their special ability, character-specific starting cards, introduction on the character sheet, and trough choosing your actions based on your character's strengths and weaknesses which fit thematically. -You experience the setting of a specific scenario trough the event deck, monsters*, and anomaly cards (if any) which are scenario specific, but not dependent on where in the story you are (*some monsters do exist in multiple scenario's, but the set of monsters always matches the story/setting) -You experience the story itself trough the introduction on the scenario sheet, and the archive/codex cards -You experience the true Lovecraft experience trough all of the game, all of the above and more, and trough the pandemic-like push to always be doing something towards either managing the bad or progressing the good, which makes you feel like things are creeping up to you, which gives you that mix of curiosity and terror, of nihilism with just a touch of hope. I think it might be less of a question of amount of story, and more of whether you want to tell a story or be told a story. AH 2nd is very thematic but not particularly story rich and instead leaves room for you to tell your own story. AH 3rd is story rich, but densely packed and thus leaving little room for you to make the story your own. AH 2nd is more like a TTRPG packaged as a boardgame, whereas AH 3rd is more like a choose your own adventure book packaged as a boardgame. Both have their appeal and their audience, and its ultimately a matter of preference, but they're certainly quite different games and I can easily see how some people love one whilst hating the other, or vice versa. I do therefore think you were absolutely right in saying that they should've considered calling it something different. Although I'm not sure if I would've found it if that were the case, because it was my first (and only) session of AH 2nd (which lasted deep into the night, but we did eventually succeed at) which got me interested into the Cthulhu mythos and looking into the game, only to find out that a more story-driven 3rd edition had just gone into pre-orders, and so I ended up putting in my pre-order at my FLGS so I would get that awesome deluxe rulebook. If it had been under a different name, I think I wouldn't have gotten it, at least not at that moment. It's now my favourite of all board games I've ever played. I haven't played the LCG, but as a student, I don't think I want to dedicate myself to such an investment, and I also am not a big fan of deck building, so that's another reason why I'm hesitant, because although it's not strictly necessary from what I gather, it's something many seem to think is one of the best parts of the game.
Elder Sign: you mentioned blessed and cursed dice. That is actually in Unseen Forces (which many consider an auto include). Because it just erratas some cards and gives the new entrance format and gives blesses and curses. It feels like game 1.2 but in a good way. I do want to get Gates of Arkham (the game mode inside of it is apparently called Streets of Arkham, just got it delivered because of this video) because it introduced the flipped encounter cards which is how all of the Story based expansions work (which we enjoy both Deep and Pharoh).
I have Arkham Horror 1st/2nd edition and all the expansions, it is amazing. Its random as hell at times and someone will probably get eaten every single game.
For Elder Sign, I'd say the Unseen Forces expansions is a must, just like Forsaken Lore is for Eldritch Horror. It not only adds more variety to the base game, it erratas a few cards, and includes a few new mechanics that while do not change the overall pace of the game, it can add even more replayability. Gates of Arkham is also a really good one, and I'd also recommend it alongside the base game as an almost must buy. The other expansions are fine but I'd only recommend them if you liked the base game. You can even get the Elder Sign Omens mobile game if you want to try the mechanics as it's basically the same as the board version.
Indeed, with Unseen Forces is very good, the base game is still fun but get easy after you master the rules. I also have Omens of ice which makes the game very cool with the Antartica expedition and gathering supplies new bosses and new mechanics. I really want to buy Grave consequences buy can't find it anymore in my country.
I really liked Arkham Horror 2nd Edition. Both times we played it took like 8 hours though, for some reason. So it never comes to the table anymore. I've probably played MoM 2nd Edition the most. All the scenarios at least twice sometimes more if we failed.
Such a good video man. I have arkham horror 3rd and found it a lil too grindy and pandimic ish. Been looking to get eldritch horror and the forsaken lore expansion. Your video really helped me decide on what to pick up.
Great video! I LOVE 3e. For me it fixes all of the problems I have with 2e and Eldritch Horror. It encourages the players to engage with the encounters, which is the best part of these games.
I will forever give your Arkham content as many thumbs ups as I can give. I would also love for you to just gush about Eldritch some more as I feel it needs the love it deserves. I agree with your cons but it was my first big purchase as my friend had Arkham 2nd edition. More videos are never a bad thing as long as you are happy and motivated to do them :)
Thanks for watching! Some of what I said in this video about the card game has changed. They recently released a new core set, removing the need to buy two, allowing even easier access to the game for new players.
I liked this video a lot. I have elder sign, MoM, and LCG. And considering buying 3rd edition (buddy has 2nd edition). Would love to see a MoM expansion review series.
I hated second edition AH. I only played it a few times back in the day and each time it was an awful experience. Biggest issue was the randomness and the instant deaths I was subjected to. Reminded me of AD&D 1e and save vs. death only without the save. Eldritch was great, took the best parts of AH and added a bit more agency and buffer for the devouring. Not a fan of the globe trotting aspect though. Traveling the world in the 1920s - that’s the real horror! Still, I can get past that and enjoy the game. I own every expansion and now play it with my teenaged children. Very good investment. Arkham Horror third edition is really good! I know it gets a lot of hate, and that made me steer clear for a couple years, but it really does a lot of things I like. The storylines are fun, better in the expansions, and feels pretty close to the AH card game. Which is perfect, because even though I own four base sets, several expansions, and a couple of the ‘return’ sets… I don’t like deck building. The RAW Mythos phase is very much a headache. We’ve tried story mode and that’s fine for breathing room but still doesn’t fix the length. The clue burst variant rule seems to be our go to - it really speeds up the phase and doesn’t seem to impact the difficulty.
Yes, this video was extremely helpful in determining my next AH Files game, which turned out to be the AH LCG! Mansions, Eldritch and Elder sign are all awesome. Maybe I’ll try AH 3rd edition down the road. But up next, AH the card game!
Asmodee relasing soon a Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace video game based on his story telling board games, curious about that. Basically, if i want a quick shot of Cthulhu : Elder signs with first expansion that fixes a lot + curse & benediction expansion. Otherwise for a 3 hours game night its the 2nd AH game, even if i still don't dig all the rules and wish a quick clean pdf version of it. :D Also, this is not on the Arkham Horror but Wolfgang Hohlbein's Witch of Salem is a great Lovecraft board game. Such a good oldies.
I felt EXTREMELY cheated when I bought the conversion kits for the 1e Mansions content. It was marketed as a way to incorporate your 1e content into the game, however it only allowed you to play a single scenario using some scavenged pieces. It did not truly add diversity to existing scenarios. It really soured me on the whole game.
I've played Arkham Horror 2nd edition since it first came out and I've never won a single game. I have to agree with Shut Up And Sit Down when they reviewed it. It has some good things about it but it's not fun and more like pulling teeth than having a good time. I actually like Lord Of The Rings Journeys In Middle Earth over Mansions. The random events really mix things up and adding the Moria expansion really makes it better than Mansions. Otherwise I like the Arkham LCG but it can be very frustrating at times.
Arkham Horror 2nd Edition was my intro to this series, and boy was it rocky to play as a beginner to modern board gaming. But i can def seeing it being the 'pure' Arkham Horror experience. Eldritch Horror being more simplified got me excited to pick it up. I see it as like a gonzo random story generator with globetrotting theme. Which is less coherent, but adds replayability in each game being unique atleast. I feel like if theres one game i would recommend someone to get into and invest in learning a modern board game it would be Arkham Horror LCG (or, it looks like Marvel Champions is the alternative if ya prefer pop culture comic book theme instead). The storytelling and thematic experience is peak here. And honestly the cards arent that confusing once ya play the game (the monster rules is what confused me the most), and that deck building adding a reason to redo scenarios. To me, Eldritch Horror + Arkham Horror LCG seems like the best combo to get. Eldritch Horror being great for a gonzo random, and LCG for pure story and theme. Im still trying to figure out what would be best for newbies. Seems like Elder Sign would be most approachable. But it needing that Unseen Forces and probably an Omens to be more of a rich experience than just chucking dice. Arkham Horror 3rd edition seems most confusing on what it should be for. It does seem like it should be approachable, and that it has great ideas for it, but everyone seems disappointed by the base game. And there doesnt seem to be a clear expansion winner like EH's Forsaken Lore. Will be curious on state of game after its final expansion is released.
thanks for this, Mansions was a big fail fir me. puzzles were biring/repetitive and the lack of replay ability made it a bad value. eldritch on the other hand is turning out to be a great hit.
I might also add that some of the LCG goes between prints for AWHILE. So if you pick up a cycle and want to go and buy at a slower pace, it might be worth getting a recent cycle. Another option might just be to focus on the standalone scenarios but they tend to be way harder.
I really enjoyed how you explained all the games in the series (and their expasions), but I must confess that I am still in doubt about which one I should buy (if any). I am very much concerned about two things: 1. my playing party and myself are beginners, so we might not enjoy a game with a lot of mechanics (maybe Elder Sign would be best in this case?); 2. the duration of the game (3-4 hours seem a lot to spend on only one game). Thanks for the video!
It does sound like Elder Sign would likely be the best option with what you said in mind. It's fun and simple, but the theme may still not be for everyone. :)
Hi Justin, thank you! You are one of the only channels I could find that does comparisons of 2nd edition vs 3rd edition. Would love to see a video on the expansions like Dead of Night and Under Dark Waves.
Thanks for the comment. I haven't played Under Dark Waves yet, but the two scenarios in Dead of Night have been my favourite scenarios so far in Arkham 3rd edition. When I play Under Dark Waves I can make a video discussing those in detail too!
We’ve slowly collected most of AH:LCG over the past year and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I played this video bc I was considering getting AH:3e or MoM:2e as an option that would be more accessible to non-LCG players and allow single experiences into the Arkham Files. I’m not sure either is a better option than just keeping the individual investigator decks separate and playing single LCG scenarios.
If I did have to point to one as the best single experience into Arkham for new players, it'd be Mansions of Madness. It's very flavourful and tells a great story and after playing you can say "now do you want to try the more strategic version of that with just an awesome story?!"
Hey I'm so glad I found you!!! Btw was wondering when are you guys going to do a Harvey Walters new player deck profile. Thank you again for your videos!!!!
I recently bought Arkham Horror the Card Game and fell in LOVE with it. I’m already itching to buy more content, but I’m not sure where to start! Does anyone have any recommendations or quick rankings of expansions to buy next?
Hey, thanks for the comment! We have a video breaking down each of the cycles with our personal pros and cons for each of them. You can find that video here: th-cam.com/video/wuWiR6FQ3zk/w-d-xo.html We also are breaking down each cycle individually, but we just started that. I hope the video I linked does provide a bit of help to you though. :)
Regarding you saying AH 3rd edition should be rather called a new game. I've have not played it, but heard, original AH from the 80's was very different as well, more of a roll & move game.
1. I agree with Gates of Arkham being more or less essential to get more out of the game, but that expansion does rely on Unseen Forces or having another expansion that adds similar mechanics. And needing the base game and two expansion to get the most out of a game is always a hard sell. 2. My biggest issue with Eldritch Horror is its randomized story. I get what they were going for, but the overarching story makes little to no sense most of the time. Despite this I did buy all of its expansions and I think it's the best of the bunch from what I've played. 3. Mansions of Madness second edition requires you to use an app. I despise phones when playing games, so I skipped it completely. Would have been nice if they included rules for playing with a Dungeon Keeper instead (like in the first edition). 4. Arkham Horror 3rd was too much non-game for me. Eldritch Horror plus 1-2 expansions takes about 10-15 minutes to set up, Arkham Horror base game exceeded that. Even during the game it feels like brakes are being pumped every few actions. I always play the Horror games solo, so the amount of time spent not actually playing is really noticeable. 5. I never really got into the LCG due to the deck-building part way through. Building a deck beforehand is fun, deck-/engine-building games I find enjoyable, but I strongly disliked swapping cards multiple times in between scenario's. I also found many of its mechanics obtuse which didn't help, specifically the resource management and needing luck in both drawing cards and tokens. I ditched my copy after playing it thrice.
I think for four players just starting out, 1 core and 2 investigator decks would work. However, if you want more freedom in deck building, I'd get 3 investigator decks instead of 2.
I like Elder Sign for the time slot it can fill, 45min to 1hr is great. But Arkham Horror LGC is THE game for me, that and Lotr LGC are so much fun in similar but different ways. Sadly my wallet heavily disagree and hate me.
I have to disagree on the point of AH 3rd ed replayability and upkeep compared to other games. I haven't played Mansions of Madness, but compared to Eldritch Horror, replayability is the same IMO. In EH, after you play two (maximum three) times vs same ancient one you kinda remember what you have to do if you play against him again, after all there are only 6 mysteries (8 for some) for each Ancient one. In 3rd edition the scenario can go different ways, especially the ones from expansions (the Shots in the Dark from the small expansion demonstrates this the most), but still after 2-3 playthroughs of each scenario you understand how it goes through and what to do and how to prepare. The randomness adds a ton of replayability, Eldritch Horror has huge replayability cuz of 8 expansions it has (seriously, 55 or so investigators, 16 Ancient ones, additional boards and all that). AH 3rd ed only has 2 expansions so far and 3rd is on its way, if you add both to base game card pool, you still have pretty small encounter decks and items/spells decks. Each base board region encounter deck in EH has 48 (!) cards, compare it to 16 or so for neighbourhoods in 3rd edition. Also, 3rd edition right now has 10 scenarios and I believe Secrets of the order will add 4 more which means it's on the pace to have way more scenarios than EH has Ancient ones. Now about up upkeep. In EH all upkeep you do is mythos phase, but say you have 4 players, the moment you get a myth card with reckoning on it, you will need to spend an eternity resolving all the red markers on the board (monsters, item cards, conditions, Ancient one, rumors, etc). Meanwhile in AH3 FFG decided to lighten it by dividing the upkeep in different phases. Monsters take seconds to resolve after you played a single game. Mythos phase isn't just more fun (IMO) compared to EH, it's also easier and faster to resolves than in EH. Sorry, this turned out a bit too long, thanks for reading.
The replayability in EH isn't from the mysteries, it's from the emergent gameplay. Player actions and events from encounters and mythos cards, even the monsters and gates you spawn, make up a larger part of the game in AH2 and EH than it does in AH3, and that's what makes them different every time you play them.
I would love to see a buy guide for Arkham Horror 3rd edition, and I would also love to see a storage solutions video for various games in the Arkham files series. I wish I had seen your binder video before I bought into another solution :-)
I have never played a CCG before, and I'm curious about the Arkham Horror one, due to the theme of course. Does every player have to buy their own copy of the expansions, or do you just buy one and add to the existing game?
I can't stand Eldritch Horror, but have been bitten hard by AH Lcg during the pandemic (solo play). My summary? Save money by not buying any of these except the Lcg (then spend all the money you saved on this new addiction!). Your channel has been a real boon too, J. X
Which of these games has the most replay value out of the box without expansions? (Im looking for something which has a high replay value while being low complexity and shorter game length wise)
The game with the lowest complexity and shortest game length (usually 30-45 minutes) is Elder Sign. It has good replay value right out of the box. The gameplay is the most shallow of the games, but it is still very fun and probably the complexity and length you're looking for.
How does Eldritch Horror compare to Arkham Horror 3rd Edition. If someone has everything for Eldritch would there still be something worth getting iin Arkham 3rd edition? Thank you!
Eldritch Horror is a lot more replayable. 3rd Edition is scenario based, while Eldritch you battle ancient ones and there is a difference to the mysteries you face each game. I personally prefer Eldritch to 3rd Edition because of this. Because of this though, 3rd Edition is more of a thematic experience.
You did not touch on The Call of Cthulu The Card Game, would like your thoughts. It will be available again as all decks will be released again,for buying since it has been completed the series.
Agree on 95%. 3% I recommend (for $$$ costs) buying just the base game as a trial and waiting to exhaust the content before getting expansions. Forsaken Lore is great, but I would wait to buy it. 2% I'm less of a fan of Arkham 3rd, Elder Sign, and Mansions. They're approachable, but I've introduced them to new-ish players who commented mid-game on how each turn seemed very similar to the previous one.
@@PlayingBoardGames Honestly, I haven't defeated all 15 Ancients yet, but I'm looking for something more lighter in term of time consuming. Mostly I play solo so it's not a problem, but now and then my family have some interest in board games. Last time we spent like 4-5 hours playing EH (loose to Azatoth) and this was to much for them. So my point is AH more time friendly less punishing and is it different enough for me to also have some flavor? P.s. sry for my English ))
@@SamwaUA I would say that Arkham is more engaging because the story and objectives change in a more thematic way than Eldritch Horror. I think, generally, the game of Arkham Horror 3rd Edition is shorter, but some of the mechanics (such as the mythos phase) are more time-consuming in Arkham. I think, from what you describe, you'd probably find something good for you and your family in Arkham 3rd edition. It does have less replayability than Eldritch. Just something to be aware of too. Still replayable, but more structured than Eldritch so there are less random variables.
@@SamwaUA Definitely get AH3. EH is my favorite game ever, but I also wanted something a little bit faster to play and friendlier for family and friends. Love having both games in my collection, since they feel very different to me
It's been a while since I've played, but I don't believe the monster deck runs. When you defeat a monster, I believe you put it on the bottom of the monster deck.
Ok. Three years after. Arkham LCG is indeed a very good game. However, I think it is important to mention it is a real and tough deckbuilder. You really need to commit to deck building to enjoy it. That's personally why I moved on. Amazing stories, great mechanics, but if you want to avoid losing all the time, you need to carefully build your deck. And the deckbuilding apps are not a solution for me.
AH LCG killed all other Arkham Files games for me. I can see myself playing MoM or AH3 if asked, but it's a pale shadow of the actual Arkham experience.
I don't believe it was released when I recorded this video. Unfathomable is a good time, but doesn't fit with the others in terms of a co-op experience. I enjoy it a bunch though.
@@PlayingBoardGames its got that brutal semi coop element. Less narrative, but more social deduction and roleplay if you want. Technically its just a bsg reskin too. But if its lovecraft i am sold lol!
Arkham Horror 2nd is superb. Third edition is a waste of cardboard. 2nd is also much better than EH and makes so much more thematic sense. How does a waitress travel round the world? Or an Urchin? EH is good chicken AH 2nd is a fine steak Ps Pandemic Cthulhu is better than AH third edition!!
I have elder sign, arkham horror lcg, mansions of madness and eldritch horror.❤ Eldritch my least favourite of those games😅 always held off from buying arkham horror 2nd and 3rd edition because i think they are very difficult to learn.. but i looooove pandemic. So should i buy 3rd edition?🤔🫣
Instructions unclear, bought everything
Sound like you understood them perfectly, I heard them the same way and regret none of it.
😂😂
Arkham Horror LCG to me is the best board/card game out there. It has all the deck building depth and synergies of a card game but plays like a board game making it easy to follow and feel more interactive instead of the cards playing themselves. The only problem with the LCG is its prohibitive cost and stock issues.
It's definitely my favorite.
And the storytelling is very good and sometimes completely off the scale.
Okay what is LCG dude
It’s great that the new model of one investigator expansion and one campaign expansion per cycle seems to be improving stock availability and also making cycles cheaper (provided you were going to buy the whole cycle under the previous model).
@maxque2841 know im late to the party, but it stands for Living Card Game.... its a fancy title telling you that you get what you buy... for instance, if you buy a pack of cards it will tell you the cards you will be getting and how many of them.... as you probably already a CCG ( collectible card game... not trying to insult your intelligence) you take a chance of getting a certain card you might want
Just bought Arkham horror 2nd for like 12$, can't wait to play it
Congrats! You totally scored! Rules are intimidating but stick with it! Even unexpanded, 2md edition is an amazing game.
Thanks Justin, you are very underrated and I wish more people knew about your channel. Thank you again for all your hard work
Arkham Horror LCG combines everthing I love in board games. Flavor, heavy on story telling, deck building, tension, many dificult levels, playing solo or with friends, counless ways you can aproach the game. It's 100% the best board game I've ever played. WARNING: Once You get too deep into the game, there is no turinng back :D Addiction is the best word for me.
One might say you "delved to deep". Add to your victory display.
I would really enjoy it if you ranked the Arkham Horror card game expansions. Like which expansions are the most flavorful, most player-friendly, Maybe also based around a set that has better player cards to have in your inventory.
Loved this video, I’m a big fan of the Arkham Horror Files. Third Edition is my favourite and always find it interesting how much hate the game gets in general, usually from fans of 2nd or Eldritch.. the use of other mechanics from other games I don’t think is a negative as it works well in the game and creates something new. Like any FFG game the game isn’t complete without expansions, but it seems people only judge this game on the base game, as you pointed out the first expansion added a lot, and the last two have grown the game is such a great way that it’s finally showing it’s potential and makes it stand out from the others. Would love to hear your thoughts after playing this game with the latest expansions. Keep up the awesome work!
About Mansions of Madness and replayability: Get Valkyrie and download tons of new, professionally made mod-scenarios. So far I played more than thirty excellent adventures. And you get tools and instructions on how to build your own scenarios.
Valkyrie is great!
Regarding Mansions of Madness, I don't know if it is mentioned somewhere in the comments but there is an excellent free fan made app called Valkyrie, that provides -to this point-about 50 english scenarios (more in other languages). Many of them are excellent, some of them better than the original published ones - including the expansions. Also the app is very well made, it adds additional functionality , like the much needed "saves" and "undo" functions. If you own the game , definitely give it a try, it will reward you with a lot of quality content and lots of extra game time to enjoy. It also comes with an editor if you wish to create your own scenarios. Cheers!
Glad I found your video, super helpful for a new gamer like me. My friends and I jumped in with Arkham 3rd edition. It took hours to learn to play but now we're pros. I know one thing we like about the 3rd edition over Eldrich is the monster fighting... so much simpler, even more simple than mansions. One thing we try to do for replayability is choosing different characters. After we win against an ancient one, we try to switch up the characters and win again. With an expansion this has added more hours of play. Thanks again for this. It helps consider which fantasy flight game to try next
Mansions of Madness is my favorite of these, though the card game follows very closely behind.
I just wish they'd release some premium scenarios that capitalize on the fact that you have all the expansions and incorporate pieces/rules from all of them, to make all these purchases feel like they're actually part of a whole rather than individual paths off the main box.
Hella agree
They try to that or something like that in eldritch horror, Ah 2nd edition, both times it did not work, and it tank so bad coz the reviews, but I do agree with you that would be nice
@@adan5511 a big difference is that Mansions uses an app, unlike the other two, and the app already knows which components you have access to. But the premium scenarios they do don't really capitalize on that, at least not that I've noticed.
@@kellynine7438 download valkyrie from github. Fanmade scenarios of 4-10 on a scale of 10 where the originals range 7-9.
I wish they would capitalize on how many configurations you could put the map tiles in Mansions into. There's so few scenarios when there could be dozens.
Watch you fellas all the time. Typically after I finish an Arkham scenario, but keep up the good work. Strangely enough, I started collected board games long before I started playing them. Arkham horror second edition and all the expansions are still unplayed on my shelf from 2012 lol Witch of Salem has been sitting there in it's protective wrap for over a decade. But then again, I struggle to get fellas out for boardgames, other then AH Card game. But love all the stuff you do ! Cheers
Something worth mentioning is some of these games play better at particular character counts and some are generally better with other people.
AH lcg can be played with 1 character and is enjoyable solo.
Ah 2nd/3rd are better with 3+ characters regardless if you are doing solo or not. Although for different reasons in each.
3rd is better running at least two characters because you will doing mostly what your roll is good at. The game play for each roll is kind of on rails if you want to win. Game play with one character is pretty repetitive and boring, particularly for mystics.
2nd its more about having 1 portal open most rounds, but it taking several rounds to close a portal.
MOM I think is just a better experience with more people. Its not as hard as most of the others but has a nice social feel.
Elder sign I think also is better with others because its a bit light for solo play.
Have no idea on Final Hour. Looked terrible I haven’t tried it.
Great points. I agree with all of this.
Eldritch Horror wants you playing at least two investigators when playing solo too, because it allows you to impact the game more.
I do enjoy solo Elder Sign and have played a lot of it, but I agree, it is more enjoyable with others.
And yeah, ditto on Final Hour.
having played AH 2nd and 3rd (although 2nd edition only once) I got much more flavour and story out of 3rd (both on the first play trough and on subsequent plays) than I got out of 2nd.
3rd is all about playing trough a branching story where the direction of the story changes depending on how well you do, and in some cases what choices you make, and on top of that you have flavour from all regular encounters which are just the general weirdness of the town, and then scenario-specific encounters from the event deck that further draw you into the setting for the specific scenario/story you're playing.
Meanwhile 2nd edition you have one old one you need to worry about, but nothing in the game really seems to connect to that all too much, and although it does a great job at drawing you into the theme, there's really not much of a story there.
2nd might provide more room to create your own story, but you also kind of have to create your own story, it's more of an setting and system in which you can role play your character, whereas 3rd is actually giving you multiple rich branching stories in a well crafted thematic setting and system but with only limited room for role playing and creating your own story.
Although even then, it's up to you whether you wish to play more strategically or more take a more role playing approach, and whether you want to try to push for the good stuff, or if you wish to take some time to explore the city, at some possible cost;.
If you want more breathing room, there are official rules to make the game a bit easier, namely by trading a doom token for a blank token in the mythos cup, you have just a tad less stuff to worry about overall, giving you time to explore a bit more.
But I'd also argue that being pressed to really keep pushing forward and keep bad stuff under control fits the theme really well. If an old one is looming, you don't have time to just lull around a bit, it should feel like every second, every move, every decision should matter, you should feel that doom creeping up on you, because that's what your investigator would experience.
Mechanically it is similarly pushy like pandemic, and there are some mechanisms that seem very much inspired by pandemic (the way gate bursts work is pretty much how epidemics work, and you you have mechanics where too much doom in a space or neighbourhood causes trouble similar to how an outbreak might work, especially in one of the base scenarios which doesn't use anomalies), but it's so much more thematic and story-rich than pandemic, and that comparison seems really off. Pandemic even has a Cthulhu themed version, which is nice and reasonably thematic for a game of its length, but not anywhere near the amount of theme, let alone story, that AH 3rd has.
Heck, even later in your video you yourself say they're going for a more story telling system (at the cost of re-playability), yet somehow you also think 2nd edition is more story-driven; those two things seem very contradictory.
As for replayability, I think replaying a scenario is not an issue because there's branching in the stories, so even though you play the same scenario again, you might take a different branch, sometimes it gets back to the same part eventually, and other times you end up with a different ending (there's often even more than 1 success ending and more than 1 fail ending), and they can be tough to beat, so you'll also want to play again to see if you can win. And obviously the various characters you can choose can also add to replayability.
It may seem contradictory, but with all the games I've played in both, I feel the same (though I could've explained better in the video): 3rd edition has a "story", but more time is spent playing the game than experiencing the story (to me). 2nd edition has less of a "story", but you feel more like you're living in the city of Arkham (to me).
Both are very good games, but 3rd is a tighter gameplay experience at the cost of the world, while 2nd is a looser gameplay experience that feels more like exploring an Arkham sandbox.
@@PlayingBoardGames yeah, that way of explaining it seems more accurate with my experiences, although I don't quite agree that there is less time experiencing the story.
For me, pretty much every moment of AH 3rd is experiencing the story on various levels:
-You experience Arkham itself trough the regular encounters and headlines, which aren't scenario specific
-You experience the character trough their special ability, character-specific starting cards, introduction on the character sheet, and trough choosing your actions based on your character's strengths and weaknesses which fit thematically.
-You experience the setting of a specific scenario trough the event deck, monsters*, and anomaly cards (if any) which are scenario specific, but not dependent on where in the story you are (*some monsters do exist in multiple scenario's, but the set of monsters always matches the story/setting)
-You experience the story itself trough the introduction on the scenario sheet, and the archive/codex cards
-You experience the true Lovecraft experience trough all of the game, all of the above and more, and trough the pandemic-like push to always be doing something towards either managing the bad or progressing the good, which makes you feel like things are creeping up to you, which gives you that mix of curiosity and terror, of nihilism with just a touch of hope.
I think it might be less of a question of amount of story, and more of whether you want to tell a story or be told a story.
AH 2nd is very thematic but not particularly story rich and instead leaves room for you to tell your own story. AH 3rd is story rich, but densely packed and thus leaving little room for you to make the story your own.
AH 2nd is more like a TTRPG packaged as a boardgame, whereas AH 3rd is more like a choose your own adventure book packaged as a boardgame.
Both have their appeal and their audience, and its ultimately a matter of preference, but they're certainly quite different games and I can easily see how some people love one whilst hating the other, or vice versa.
I do therefore think you were absolutely right in saying that they should've considered calling it something different.
Although I'm not sure if I would've found it if that were the case, because it was my first (and only) session of AH 2nd (which lasted deep into the night, but we did eventually succeed at) which got me interested into the Cthulhu mythos and looking into the game, only to find out that a more story-driven 3rd edition had just gone into pre-orders, and so I ended up putting in my pre-order at my FLGS so I would get that awesome deluxe rulebook.
If it had been under a different name, I think I wouldn't have gotten it, at least not at that moment. It's now my favourite of all board games I've ever played.
I haven't played the LCG, but as a student, I don't think I want to dedicate myself to such an investment, and I also am not a big fan of deck building, so that's another reason why I'm hesitant, because although it's not strictly necessary from what I gather, it's something many seem to think is one of the best parts of the game.
Well said! I hope you are enjoying all the expansions as much as I do.
Elder Sign: you mentioned blessed and cursed dice. That is actually in Unseen Forces (which many consider an auto include). Because it just erratas some cards and gives the new entrance format and gives blesses and curses. It feels like game 1.2 but in a good way.
I do want to get Gates of Arkham (the game mode inside of it is apparently called Streets of Arkham, just got it delivered because of this video) because it introduced the flipped encounter cards which is how all of the Story based expansions work (which we enjoy both Deep and Pharoh).
You just sold a copy of unseen forces, thanks lol
@@SanjuroSan Hope you enjoy. Its just a great "More of the same" expansion.
I have Arkham Horror 1st/2nd edition and all the expansions, it is amazing. Its random as hell at times and someone will probably get eaten every single game.
Delve further into these games? But what if you . . . Delve too deep?
That which you have done, I see.
You will go nuts PA’ 😳🤪🤯
For Elder Sign, I'd say the Unseen Forces expansions is a must, just like Forsaken Lore is for Eldritch Horror. It not only adds more variety to the base game, it erratas a few cards, and includes a few new mechanics that while do not change the overall pace of the game, it can add even more replayability.
Gates of Arkham is also a really good one, and I'd also recommend it alongside the base game as an almost must buy. The other expansions are fine but I'd only recommend them if you liked the base game. You can even get the Elder Sign Omens mobile game if you want to try the mechanics as it's basically the same as the board version.
Indeed, with Unseen Forces is very good, the base game is still fun but get easy after you master the rules. I also have Omens of ice which makes the game very cool with the Antartica expedition and gathering supplies new bosses and new mechanics. I really want to buy Grave consequences buy can't find it anymore in my country.
Elder Sign digital is an excellent adaptation
I really liked Arkham Horror 2nd Edition. Both times we played it took like 8 hours though, for some reason. So it never comes to the table anymore. I've probably played MoM 2nd Edition the most. All the scenarios at least twice sometimes more if we failed.
Such a good video man. I have arkham horror 3rd and found it a lil too grindy and pandimic ish. Been looking to get eldritch horror and the forsaken lore expansion. Your video really helped me decide on what to pick up.
Great video! I LOVE 3e. For me it fixes all of the problems I have with 2e and Eldritch Horror. It encourages the players to engage with the encounters, which is the best part of these games.
This is precisely what I was looking for. Thank you, you sir.
I will forever give your Arkham content as many thumbs ups as I can give. I would also love for you to just gush about Eldritch some more as I feel it needs the love it deserves. I agree with your cons but it was my first big purchase as my friend had Arkham 2nd edition. More videos are never a bad thing as long as you are happy and motivated to do them :)
I like Arkham Horror 3rd Edition and the expansions very much. But I will also have a look on the card game. Thanks for the great guide!
Thanks for watching! Some of what I said in this video about the card game has changed. They recently released a new core set, removing the need to buy two, allowing even easier access to the game for new players.
@@PlayingBoardGames Thank you for your answer!
Great video, my favorite "dumb guy with a mustache". Thank you for the info. That was incredibly helpful.
I liked this video a lot. I have elder sign, MoM, and LCG. And considering buying 3rd edition (buddy has 2nd edition). Would love to see a MoM expansion review series.
I hated second edition AH. I only played it a few times back in the day and each time it was an awful experience. Biggest issue was the randomness and the instant deaths I was subjected to. Reminded me of AD&D 1e and save vs. death only without the save.
Eldritch was great, took the best parts of AH and added a bit more agency and buffer for the devouring. Not a fan of the globe trotting aspect though. Traveling the world in the 1920s - that’s the real horror! Still, I can get past that and enjoy the game. I own every expansion and now play it with my teenaged children. Very good investment.
Arkham Horror third edition is really good! I know it gets a lot of hate, and that made me steer clear for a couple years, but it really does a lot of things I like. The storylines are fun, better in the expansions, and feels pretty close to the AH card game. Which is perfect, because even though I own four base sets, several expansions, and a couple of the ‘return’ sets… I don’t like deck building.
The RAW Mythos phase is very much a headache. We’ve tried story mode and that’s fine for breathing room but still doesn’t fix the length. The clue burst variant rule seems to be our go to - it really speeds up the phase and doesn’t seem to impact the difficulty.
Can I get a link to these variant rules?
Yes, this video was extremely helpful in determining my next AH Files game, which turned out to be the AH LCG! Mansions, Eldritch and Elder sign are all awesome. Maybe I’ll try AH 3rd edition down the road. But up next, AH the card game!
Asmodee relasing soon a Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace video game based on his story telling board games, curious about that.
Basically, if i want a quick shot of Cthulhu : Elder signs with first expansion that fixes a lot + curse & benediction expansion. Otherwise for a 3 hours game night its the 2nd AH game, even if i still don't dig all the rules and wish a quick clean pdf version of it. :D
Also, this is not on the Arkham Horror but Wolfgang Hohlbein's Witch of Salem is a great Lovecraft board game. Such a good oldies.
I felt EXTREMELY cheated when I bought the conversion kits for the 1e Mansions content. It was marketed as a way to incorporate your 1e content into the game, however it only allowed you to play a single scenario using some scavenged pieces. It did not truly add diversity to existing scenarios. It really soured me on the whole game.
A guide to the different cycles in Arkham Horror LCG would be nice.
And at this point useless. :)
I've played Arkham Horror 2nd edition since it first came out and I've never won a single game. I have to agree with Shut Up And Sit Down when they reviewed it. It has some good things about it but it's not fun and more like pulling teeth than having a good time. I actually like Lord Of The Rings Journeys In Middle Earth over Mansions. The random events really mix things up and adding the Moria expansion really makes it better than Mansions. Otherwise I like the Arkham LCG but it can be very frustrating at times.
Arkham Horror 2nd Edition was my intro to this series, and boy was it rocky to play as a beginner to modern board gaming. But i can def seeing it being the 'pure' Arkham Horror experience.
Eldritch Horror being more simplified got me excited to pick it up. I see it as like a gonzo random story generator with globetrotting theme. Which is less coherent, but adds replayability in each game being unique atleast.
I feel like if theres one game i would recommend someone to get into and invest in learning a modern board game it would be Arkham Horror LCG (or, it looks like Marvel Champions is the alternative if ya prefer pop culture comic book theme instead). The storytelling and thematic experience is peak here. And honestly the cards arent that confusing once ya play the game (the monster rules is what confused me the most), and that deck building adding a reason to redo scenarios.
To me, Eldritch Horror + Arkham Horror LCG seems like the best combo to get. Eldritch Horror being great for a gonzo random, and LCG for pure story and theme.
Im still trying to figure out what would be best for newbies. Seems like Elder Sign would be most approachable. But it needing that Unseen Forces and probably an Omens to be more of a rich experience than just chucking dice.
Arkham Horror 3rd edition seems most confusing on what it should be for. It does seem like it should be approachable, and that it has great ideas for it, but everyone seems disappointed by the base game. And there doesnt seem to be a clear expansion winner like EH's Forsaken Lore. Will be curious on state of game after its final expansion is released.
Great overviews, thank you it's really helpful. My biggest take away though is buy the game, but you need an expansion! lol
thanks for this, Mansions was a big fail fir me. puzzles were biring/repetitive and the lack of replay ability made it a bad value. eldritch on the other hand is turning out to be a great hit.
Thanks a mil champ! I was totally confused. Now I know what to do
15:45 is my general experience with pulling out the vast majority of my board games with friends 😂
I might also add that some of the LCG goes between prints for AWHILE. So if you pick up a cycle and want to go and buy at a slower pace, it might be worth getting a recent cycle. Another option might just be to focus on the standalone scenarios but they tend to be way harder.
I really enjoyed how you explained all the games in the series (and their expasions), but I must confess that I am still in doubt about which one I should buy (if any). I am very much concerned about two things: 1. my playing party and myself are beginners, so we might not enjoy a game with a lot of mechanics (maybe Elder Sign would be best in this case?); 2. the duration of the game (3-4 hours seem a lot to spend on only one game). Thanks for the video!
It does sound like Elder Sign would likely be the best option with what you said in mind. It's fun and simple, but the theme may still not be for everyone. :)
Hi Justin, thank you! You are one of the only channels I could find that does comparisons of 2nd edition vs 3rd edition. Would love to see a video on the expansions like Dead of Night and Under Dark Waves.
Thanks for the comment. I haven't played Under Dark Waves yet, but the two scenarios in Dead of Night have been my favourite scenarios so far in Arkham 3rd edition. When I play Under Dark Waves I can make a video discussing those in detail too!
We’ve slowly collected most of AH:LCG over the past year and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I played this video bc I was considering getting AH:3e or MoM:2e as an option that would be more accessible to non-LCG players and allow single experiences into the Arkham Files. I’m not sure either is a better option than just keeping the individual investigator decks separate and playing single LCG scenarios.
Loved the video, though =) y’all are the best for Arkham Horror content.
If I did have to point to one as the best single experience into Arkham for new players, it'd be Mansions of Madness. It's very flavourful and tells a great story and after playing you can say "now do you want to try the more strategic version of that with just an awesome story?!"
Hey I'm so glad I found you!!! Btw was wondering when are you guys going to do a Harvey Walters new player deck profile. Thank you again for your videos!!!!
Harvey Walters should be out this upcoming Saturday.
Much needed. Well done.
Do you have any introductory videos or videos that teach you how to play the Arkham Horror Card Game?
I recently bought Arkham Horror the Card Game and fell in LOVE with it. I’m already itching to buy more content, but I’m not sure where to start! Does anyone have any recommendations or quick rankings of expansions to buy next?
Hey, thanks for the comment! We have a video breaking down each of the cycles with our personal pros and cons for each of them. You can find that video here: th-cam.com/video/wuWiR6FQ3zk/w-d-xo.html
We also are breaking down each cycle individually, but we just started that. I hope the video I linked does provide a bit of help to you though. :)
@@PlayingBoardGames Awesome! I’ll check that out and will eagerly await the new video!
I love AH2 and Eldritch Horror, but 2-4 hours?? I still have nighmares about my first 9h Mountains of Madness run.
'If Arkham Horror was a novel series'
Well, I've got news for you, 2021 guy!
Love this! Any chance you could do another one for Mansions of Madness? 🙂
I have Arkham Horror and it's good. Just got into the LCG and ready to commit. Would love some expansion content reviews.
We have a playlist of all of our player card and expansion reviews here: th-cam.com/play/PLXmf8-Jo8F-tXLxXMQZRTViAAlsqbXzaP.html
@@PlayingBoardGames the recent buying guide wasx exactly what I needed, thanks!
Regarding you saying AH 3rd edition should be rather called a new game. I've have not played it, but heard, original AH from the 80's was very different as well, more of a roll & move game.
1. I agree with Gates of Arkham being more or less essential to get more out of the game, but that expansion does rely on Unseen Forces or having another expansion that adds similar mechanics. And needing the base game and two expansion to get the most out of a game is always a hard sell.
2. My biggest issue with Eldritch Horror is its randomized story. I get what they were going for, but the overarching story makes little to no sense most of the time. Despite this I did buy all of its expansions and I think it's the best of the bunch from what I've played.
3. Mansions of Madness second edition requires you to use an app. I despise phones when playing games, so I skipped it completely. Would have been nice if they included rules for playing with a Dungeon Keeper instead (like in the first edition).
4. Arkham Horror 3rd was too much non-game for me. Eldritch Horror plus 1-2 expansions takes about 10-15 minutes to set up, Arkham Horror base game exceeded that. Even during the game it feels like brakes are being pumped every few actions. I always play the Horror games solo, so the amount of time spent not actually playing is really noticeable.
5. I never really got into the LCG due to the deck-building part way through. Building a deck beforehand is fun, deck-/engine-building games I find enjoyable, but I strongly disliked swapping cards multiple times in between scenario's. I also found many of its mechanics obtuse which didn't help, specifically the resource management and needing luck in both drawing cards and tokens. I ditched my copy after playing it thrice.
For starting LCG and wanting enough for 4 players, do I really need two Core Boxes? Could I instead get 1 core box and buy two investigator decks?
I think for four players just starting out, 1 core and 2 investigator decks would work. However, if you want more freedom in deck building, I'd get 3 investigator decks instead of 2.
I like Elder Sign for the time slot it can fill, 45min to 1hr is great.
But Arkham Horror LGC is THE game for me, that and Lotr LGC are so much fun in similar but different ways.
Sadly my wallet heavily disagree and hate me.
I have to disagree on the point of AH 3rd ed replayability and upkeep compared to other games. I haven't played Mansions of Madness, but compared to Eldritch Horror, replayability is the same IMO. In EH, after you play two (maximum three) times vs same ancient one you kinda remember what you have to do if you play against him again, after all there are only 6 mysteries (8 for some) for each Ancient one. In 3rd edition the scenario can go different ways, especially the ones from expansions (the Shots in the Dark from the small expansion demonstrates this the most), but still after 2-3 playthroughs of each scenario you understand how it goes through and what to do and how to prepare. The randomness adds a ton of replayability, Eldritch Horror has huge replayability cuz of 8 expansions it has (seriously, 55 or so investigators, 16 Ancient ones, additional boards and all that). AH 3rd ed only has 2 expansions so far and 3rd is on its way, if you add both to base game card pool, you still have pretty small encounter decks and items/spells decks. Each base board region encounter deck in EH has 48 (!) cards, compare it to 16 or so for neighbourhoods in 3rd edition. Also, 3rd edition right now has 10 scenarios and I believe Secrets of the order will add 4 more which means it's on the pace to have way more scenarios than EH has Ancient ones. Now about up upkeep. In EH all upkeep you do is mythos phase, but say you have 4 players, the moment you get a myth card with reckoning on it, you will need to spend an eternity resolving all the red markers on the board (monsters, item cards, conditions, Ancient one, rumors, etc). Meanwhile in AH3 FFG decided to lighten it by dividing the upkeep in different phases. Monsters take seconds to resolve after you played a single game. Mythos phase isn't just more fun (IMO) compared to EH, it's also easier and faster to resolves than in EH. Sorry, this turned out a bit too long, thanks for reading.
The replayability in EH isn't from the mysteries, it's from the emergent gameplay. Player actions and events from encounters and mythos cards, even the monsters and gates you spawn, make up a larger part of the game in AH2 and EH than it does in AH3, and that's what makes them different every time you play them.
I would love to see a buy guide for Arkham Horror 3rd edition, and I would also love to see a storage solutions video for various games in the Arkham files series. I wish I had seen your binder video before I bought into another solution :-)
"the base game of Elder sign is easy" well theres something I thought I'd never hear.. my record is like 5 in 100... and AH:LCG is my absolute fav.
I play elder sign with a friend that knows how to roll dice successfully. This way, I can win on occasion.
I have never played a CCG before, and I'm curious about the Arkham Horror one, due to the theme of course.
Does every player have to buy their own copy of the expansions, or do you just buy one and add to the existing game?
I can't stand Eldritch Horror, but have been bitten hard by AH Lcg during the pandemic (solo play).
My summary? Save money by not buying any of these except the Lcg (then spend all the money you saved on this new addiction!).
Your channel has been a real boon too, J. X
Another con with the lcg, its so popular that it sells like hot cakes and restocks take ages. So its hard as fuck to get the entire cycle in one go.
Do you know anything about the Arkham Files PC Game in development? Information seems to be pretty rare.
For me:
1.Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition
2. Eldritch Horror
3. Arkham Horror 2nd/3rd Edition
4. The LCG
5. Elder Sign
What's the best one to get if you are mostly going to play solo?
For me, I've gotten the most solo play out of Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I play two-handed, not true solo, but it's great.
@@PlayingBoardGames alright thanks man, I appreciate it
Please make an Eldritch Horror Expansion buy guide.
Sure, I can make that.
Which of these games has the most replay value out of the box without expansions?
(Im looking for something which has a high replay value while being low complexity and shorter game length wise)
The game with the lowest complexity and shortest game length (usually 30-45 minutes) is Elder Sign. It has good replay value right out of the box. The gameplay is the most shallow of the games, but it is still very fun and probably the complexity and length you're looking for.
How does Eldritch Horror compare to Arkham Horror 3rd Edition. If someone has everything for Eldritch would there still be something worth getting iin Arkham 3rd edition? Thank you!
Eldritch Horror is a lot more replayable. 3rd Edition is scenario based, while Eldritch you battle ancient ones and there is a difference to the mysteries you face each game. I personally prefer Eldritch to 3rd Edition because of this. Because of this though, 3rd Edition is more of a thematic experience.
You did not touch on The Call of Cthulu The Card Game, would like your thoughts. It will be available again as all decks will be released again,for buying since it has been completed the series.
Agree on 95%.
3% I recommend (for $$$ costs) buying just the base game as a trial and waiting to exhaust the content before getting expansions. Forsaken Lore is great, but I would wait to buy it.
2% I'm less of a fan of Arkham 3rd, Elder Sign, and Mansions. They're approachable, but I've introduced them to new-ish players who commented mid-game on how each turn seemed very similar to the previous one.
Is it worth to buy AH 3rd edition if I have Eldritch Horror (full set)? Thx in advance!
Do you want a more story focused Arkham Files experience, or are you happy with the more game driven Eldritch Horror experience?
@@PlayingBoardGames Honestly, I haven't defeated all 15 Ancients yet, but I'm looking for something more lighter in term of time consuming. Mostly I play solo so it's not a problem, but now and then my family have some interest in board games. Last time we spent like 4-5 hours playing EH (loose to Azatoth) and this was to much for them. So my point is AH more time friendly less punishing and is it different enough for me to also have some flavor? P.s. sry for my English ))
@@SamwaUA I would say that Arkham is more engaging because the story and objectives change in a more thematic way than Eldritch Horror. I think, generally, the game of Arkham Horror 3rd Edition is shorter, but some of the mechanics (such as the mythos phase) are more time-consuming in Arkham.
I think, from what you describe, you'd probably find something good for you and your family in Arkham 3rd edition.
It does have less replayability than Eldritch. Just something to be aware of too. Still replayable, but more structured than Eldritch so there are less random variables.
@@SamwaUA Definitely get AH3. EH is my favorite game ever, but I also wanted something a little bit faster to play and friendlier for family and friends. Love having both games in my collection, since they feel very different to me
What happens when monster deck runs out
It's been a while since I've played, but I don't believe the monster deck runs. When you defeat a monster, I believe you put it on the bottom of the monster deck.
@@PlayingBoardGames you draw from the bottom.
Then you put the discarded cards on top.
Ok. Three years after. Arkham LCG is indeed a very good game. However, I think it is important to mention it is a real and tough deckbuilder. You really need to commit to deck building to enjoy it. That's personally why I moved on. Amazing stories, great mechanics, but if you want to avoid losing all the time, you need to carefully build your deck. And the deckbuilding apps are not a solution for me.
AH LCG killed all other Arkham Files games for me. I can see myself playing MoM or AH3 if asked, but it's a pale shadow of the actual Arkham experience.
Same.
What, no Final Hour? 😂
Call of Cthulhu CCG/LCG?
I have played it. It's an interesting system, but it's been out of print for such a long time that I didn't want to include it on this list.
Unfathomable not get a mention or look in?
I don't believe it was released when I recorded this video. Unfathomable is a good time, but doesn't fit with the others in terms of a co-op experience. I enjoy it a bunch though.
@@PlayingBoardGames its got that brutal semi coop element. Less narrative, but more social deduction and roleplay if you want. Technically its just a bsg reskin too. But if its lovecraft i am sold lol!
👾
Arkham Horror 2nd is superb. Third edition is a waste of cardboard. 2nd is also much better than EH and makes so much more thematic sense. How does a waitress travel round the world? Or an Urchin? EH is good chicken AH 2nd is a fine steak
Ps Pandemic Cthulhu is better than AH third edition!!
I don't have a problem with Agnes, but I usually leave Wendy out of my EH games. It's my favourite in the series so far.
Stowaways, con-artistry, forgery, theft, work permits, inheritances, loans. These are a few justifications that come to mind.
Skip sh.t and just get them all. ñ_ñ
AH 3rd
I have elder sign, arkham horror lcg, mansions of madness and eldritch horror.❤ Eldritch my least favourite of those games😅 always held off from buying arkham horror 2nd and 3rd edition because i think they are very difficult to learn.. but i looooove pandemic. So should i buy 3rd edition?🤔🫣
Yes PA…. Get it! Go nuts! 🤪🤯