Welcome to the World of Arkham Horror!

I’m glad you’re interested in diving into the mysterious and captivating realm of Arkham Horror. This atmospheric game will transport you to the eerie streets of Arkham, a place teeming with otherworldly creatures, inexplicable events, and ancient horrors lurking in the shadows.

So, what is this game all about? Arkham Horror is a cooperative board game that focuses on investigation, strategy, and teamwork. You and your fellow investigators will assume the roles of brave heroes, battling against the encroaching darkness that threatens to consume Arkham and unleash chaos upon the world.

The objective of the game is to prevent a sinister Ancient One from awakening and wreaking havoc. To achieve this, you’ll need to gather clues, explore the city, defeat monsters, and uncover hidden secrets. Each investigator possesses unique abilities, and it will be up to you to utilize your strengths and coordinate with your teammates to overcome the challenges ahead.

Arkham Horror offers an immersive experience with its rich narrative, detailed artwork, and intricate gameplay mechanics. Within the game, you’ll encounter a variety of encounters, including solving puzzles, facing terrifying creatures, and making critical decisions that will shape the outcome of your adventure.

But beware! The path to victory is treacherous, and the odds may seem insurmountable. The forces of darkness are relentless, and they will stop at nothing to crush your hopes. As you progress, you’ll face countless obstacles and setbacks, but don’t lose heart. With perseverance, cunning, and a dash of luck, you can stand against the impending doom and emerge victorious.

So gather your friends, sharpen your wits, and prepare to confront the unfathomable in the world of Arkham Horror. Will you prevail against the encroaching darkness, or will you become another victim lost in the abyss?

The horrors await, investigator. Are you ready?

I’ve got a cool game for you to check out called Arkham Horror. It’s a board game that involves some dice rolling and investigation. Let me break down what you’ll find in the box:

– First up, you’ll get a game board and five dice. These dice are what you’ll use to determine the outcome of your actions in the game.

– You’ll also find a first player marker, which will help you keep track of whose turn it is.

– Now, here’s where things get interesting. You’ll get 16 investigator sheets, each representing a different character you can play as.

– To go along with those sheets, you’ll also receive 16 investigator markers and plastic stands to hold them up.

– There are 196 investigator status tokens that you’ll use to keep track of your character’s health, sanity, and other important stats.

– Next, we have 189 investigator cards. These cards will give you special abilities, items, and other things to help you in your investigation.

– Now, let’s move on to the ancient ones. You’ll get eight sheets representing different ancient ones that you’ll be up against.

– To keep track of the ancient ones’ progress, you’ll have 20 doom tokens. These tokens represent the doom that is slowly building up and threatening the world.

– There are 179 cards that represent the ancient ones’ powers and abilities. You’ll need to be prepared to face these challenges.

– Additionally, you’ll find 60 monster markers and 16 gate markers. These markers represent the creatures and portals that will be causing trouble throughout the game.

– Finally, you’ll have three activity markers, three explored markers, one terror track marker, and six closed markers. These markers will help you keep track of the game’s progress.

– Oh, and of course, there’s a rule book that will guide you through the game and explain all the details.

Now that you know what’s in the box, let’s talk setup. Here’s what you need to do to get started with a game of Arkham Horror.

Step 1: Get Ready to Play

First, unfold the game board and place it in the middle of your playing area. Make sure there’s enough space around the edges of the board for the investigator sheets and card decks. Take the various tokens and dice and put them near the board. And don’t forget to put the terror track marker on the starting space.

Step 2: Set Up the Clues

Now, it’s time to place clues. Put a Clue token on each location with a red diamond symbol on the board. These locations are dangerous and where monsters can show up. Look for circular illustrations on the Arkham part of the game board, like the Silver Twilight Lodge and Ma’s Boarding House.

Step 3: Pick the First Player

Next, decide who will go first. You can choose randomly or whatever way you like. Give the first player marker to the lucky person who gets to go first.

Step 4: Choose Investigators

Let’s begin by shuffling the 16 investigator sheets. Afterwards, each player will receive one sheet without looking. This includes you! Alternatively, the players can take turns choosing their investigators, starting with the first player and going clockwise until everyone has selected one.

Step 5: Discover the Ancient One

Next, it’s time to reveal the Ancient One who will threaten Arkham in this game. The first player should shuffle the eight Ancient One sheets and then select one at random. Place it face up near the board. Now, if the Ancient One has any abilities that affect the start of the game, like Nyarlathotep’s “Thousand Masks” ability, resolve them.

If you’re looking to mix things up, you have the option of choosing which Ancient One to face. This is a good idea if you’re short on time or have other considerations in mind. For example, if you want a shorter game, go up against Yig. If you want a real challenge, then Cthulhu is the Ancient One for you.

6. Separate Decks

Take all the investigator and Ancient One cards and split them into separate decks. Put each deck near the board according to the setup diagram.

7. Get Fixed Possessions

On each investigator sheet, there are some items listed as fixed possessions. Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player now gets the items listed on their investigator sheet in the “Fixed Possessions” area. The first player will find the corresponding cards in the investigator decks and hand them out to the players, following the instructions on their investigator sheets.

8. Shuffle Investigator Decks

Okay, here’s the deal. You and the other players need to shuffle the Common Item, Unique Item, Spell, and Skill decks. Once they’re all shuffled up, put them back face down next to the board. Whenever anyone needs to draw cards, they should do it randomly from the top of these decks. No peeking!

9. Get Some Random Stuff

Now, pay attention to your investigator sheet. It might say that you get some random possessions. Cool, right? Here’s how it works. The first player goes first and then you all take turns clockwise. Each player draws the number of cards indicated on their investigator sheet from the correct decks. Make sure you check out the “Random Possessions” area on your sheet to know which decks to draw from. Trust me, it’s important to follow the rules.

Oh, and by the way, just so you know, anything that affects drawing cards from the decks, like Monterey Jack’s Archaeology ability, still works when you’re drawing random possessions at the start of the game. Cool beans, right?

10. Finish Setting Up Your Investigator

Now, I’m going to give you a thorough rundown of what needs to happen next in this game. First things first, let’s talk about Sanity and Stamina. These are important aspects of your character that affect how you play the game. You’ll need to keep track of them by using tokens. To start, you’ll receive a number of Sanity tokens equal to your investigator’s Sanity value, and a number of Stamina tokens equal to your investigator’s Stamina value. You can find these values on your investigator sheet. Make sure to place the tokens near the appropriate area on your sheet so you can keep track of them easily.

Next up, each player gets three skill sliders. These sliders are used to track your skills in the game. You’ll need to place one slider on each of your three skill tracks. Each slider can be placed on any one of the four positions on each skill track. This allows you to adjust and improve your skills as you progress in the game. Take your time to consider where you want to place each slider for maximum effectiveness.

Now, let’s move on to creating the Monster Cup. This is an important part of the game that you’ll need to set up.

So here’s what you do: take those monster markers and put them in a container. Anything opaque will work – a coffee cup, plastic container, or even a cloth bag. From now on, we’ll call it the monster cup. When a monster shows up in the game, the first player reaches into the monster cup and pulls out a marker at random. Then, they put it on the game board following the instructions in the rules or on a specific card.

But hold up! There’s a special exception. If Nyarlathotep is the Ancient One, you don’t put the five “Mask” monsters in the container. If any other Ancient One is in play, you just take those Mask monsters out of the game (put the markers back in the box). You can tell the Mask monsters apart because the word “Mask” is printed on the combat side of their markers.

12. Shuffle the Ancient One Decks and Gate Markers

Now it’s time for us players to mix up those Gate and Mythos decks and put them back where they belong, right next to the game board. After that, let’s shuffle up those 16 Gate markers and put them face down in a pile next to the board.

13. Put our Investigator Markers in Place

Alright, it’s our turn to take the marker that represents our investigator and put it on the game board where our investigator sheet tells us to in the “Home” area. Now we can remove the other investigator sheets and markers, along with any unused Ancient One sheets, from the game.

14. Time to Draw and Deal with a Mythos Card

So here’s how it works: I draw the top card of the Mythos deck and see what’s in store for us. But hold on, if it’s a Rumor, I discard it and try again until I get a regular Mythos card. These Mythos cards, they tell me which place is about to go crazy. Look for the ones with red diamonds on the game board – those are the unstable locations where gates and monsters will pop up.

Now, here’s the important part: each time a gate opens, we need to put a doom token on the Ancient One’s doom track. Keep an eye on that! Once the Mythos card is all dealt with, it’s time for the first turn to begin. And guess who gets to go first? You do!

What’s the Goal?

In Arkham Horror, a super creepy creature from another world is starting to wake up. Dimensional gates all over the city are opening and it’s up to us to join forces and close them before this ancient monster fully wakes up. If we fail, Arkham is done for.

We need to work together as a team of investigators in order to close all the gates, seal them shut, or if nothing else works, defeat the Ancient One when it finally wakes up.

How to Play

A turn in Arkham Horror is divided into five phases. Every player, including me, takes turns during each phase. We start with the first player and go clockwise. Once everyone has completed a phase, we move on to the next one. At the end of the last phase, the first player marker is passed to the player on the left, and a new turn begins. Here are the phases of each turn:

Phase I: Upkeep

Phase II: Movement

Phase III: Arkham Encounters

Phase IV: Other World Encounters

Phase V: Mythos

Let’s talk about the first phase, which is the Upkeep Phase. During this phase, I need to do a few things in a specific order.

First, I refresh any exhausted cards I have. This means I make them ready to use again.

1. Refresh Exhausted Cards

Sometimes, when you use certain cards, they get tired and need a break. This means they have to be turned face down for the rest of the turn. But don’t worry, you can bring them back to life during the Upkeep Phase! Just remember, you can only use cards that are face up, and you have to turn them face up again during the next Upkeep Phase if you want to use them.

Let me give you an example: Last turn, Richard, who was playing as Harvey Walters, cast his Wither spell. This made him tired, so he had to turn the card face down. But during the Upkeep Phase, Richard can turn the Wither spell face up again, and it’ll be ready for him to cast once more.

2. Do Upkeep Actions

After you bring back your tired cards, it’s time to check if any of your investigator’s cards have an Upkeep action. If they do, you have to do all of those actions every turn.

When it’s time for upkeep, you can do your actions in any order you want. There are four types of cards – Bless, Curse, Bank Loan, and Retainer – that don’t require an upkeep roll the first time you get them.

Let me give you an example: I’m looking at my cards and I see that I have a Retainer card. This card needs an Upkeep action. First, I get $2 for having the Retainer. I take two money tokens from the pile in the play area. Then, I roll a die to see if I get to keep the Retainer card. Luckily, I roll well and I get to keep it for another turn.

3. Adjust Skills

Now it’s time to fine-tune the skills of your investigator. You have three skill sliders that you placed on your investigator sheet earlier. Let’s see how this process works and how the skill sliders function.

But wait! There’s an exception. During the game setup, you have the freedom to set your skill sliders on any of the four stops on your skill tracks. This initial setup doesn’t follow the usual rules that limit slider movement each turn.

Phase II: Movement

Now, let’s talk about movement. In the Movement Phase, you’ll have two options: either Arkham movement or Other Worlds movement. Which one you choose depends on whether your investigator is in Arkham or an Other World.

Let’s take a closer look at both types of investigator movement.

Welcome to Arkham Movement

Hey there, if you find yourself in Arkham, you’re in luck! You’ll receive some movement points based on how fast you are. Just take a look at your investigator sheet to find your Speed value.

Whenever you want to get around, you can spend one movement point to move your investigator marker between different areas on the board. Just make sure the areas are connected by a yellow line. One movement point is enough to move from a location to a street area, from one street area to another, or from a street area to a location.

Now, let’s talk about what these areas look like. Locations in Arkham are represented by round illustrations on the game board. On the other hand, street areas are represented by rectangular boxes, one for each neighborhood in Arkham. For example, you’ll find Miskatonic U. and Rivertown represented as street areas.

Escaping Those Monsters

Hey there! Let me tell you about something really cool. There are these locations and street areas that have these monster markers, and they can really mess with your movement. Here’s what happens: when you try to leave a place with these markers, you gotta either fight or evade each of the monsters there. And if you end up in a spot with these monsters, well, you gotta fight or evade them too.

Now, if you try to avoid a monster and you fail, guess what? That monster is gonna hit you with its combat damage right away! And you’ll be stuck in a fight with it.

Here’s another thing to keep in mind – once a fight starts with a monster, you can’t move anymore. You lose all your movement points, win or lose, and you’re stuck where you are.

Now let’s talk about picking up clues.

If I stop moving in a place that has Clue tokens, I can grab them right away. But if I just pass through the location and keep going, I can’t take any Clue tokens. I have to actually end my movement in the place where the tokens are.

Heading to Other Worlds

Imagine you’re playing a game, and you come across something called “Other Worlds.” These are special places that stand out on the game board, represented by large circular spaces along the edge. These spots are all about strange dimensions, bizarre locales, and alternate worlds that are important to the game’s story.

Now, here’s the interesting part: You can access these Other Worlds by exploring special gates in the game. When you land on one of these circular spaces, you’ll notice a line running through the middle, dividing it into two areas.

When the Movement Phase begins and you happen to be in an Other World, something different happens. You won’t receive any movement points like you normally would. Your movement within the Other World actually depends on which area you’re in.

• If you find yourself in the first area of the Other World, you’ll move to the second area.
• You know what happens when I’m in the second area of the Other World? I go back to Arkham. But before I can do that, I have to make a choice. I have to pick a location that has a gate to the Other World I’m leaving. Once I’ve made my decision, I put my investigator marker at that location. And just to show that I’ve explored the gate, I put an “explored” marker underneath my investigator. That marker stays there as long as I stay at that location. But if there’s no open gate leading to the Other World I’m in, well, I’m lost in time and space. Not a great place to be, I can tell you that.

Delayed Investigators

Now, here’s something you need to know. Sometimes, things happen in the game that can cause me to get delayed. When that happens, my investigator marker gets placed on its side. That’s how everyone knows I’m delayed.

When I’m delayed as an investigator, I can’t move during the Movement Phase. It’s like I’m frozen in place. But don’t worry, in the next round, I’ll be able to move again just like before.

Phase III: Arkham Encounters

Now let’s talk about the Arkham Encounters Phase. If I’m in a location that’s not a street or Other World area, I have to take action. What I do depends on whether there’s an open gate in my location or not.

1. No Gate: What Happens?

So, picture this: you arrive at a location, and there’s no gate in sight. Well, in that case, get ready for an encounter! What happens next is this: you grab the deck of cards that corresponds to the neighborhood you’re in and draw one. Simple as that.

Now, here comes the interesting part. You take a good look at the card you just drew and follow the instructions written on it. Maybe it tells you that “a monster appears.” Uh-oh! Now you have to make a choice: either you try to dodge the monster and maybe sneak away, or you face it head-on and get ready for a fight.

Once you’ve dealt with all the actions from the card, simply put it back in the location deck. Oh, and just a little side note: sealed locations are off-limits to monsters and gates, no matter what any card says. So, no need to worry about unwanted guests showing up uninvited!

When you encounter monsters as a result of a location or gate encounter, they don’t stick around after the encounter is resolved. If you manage to evade one of these monsters, you simply put it back in the monster cup.

2. Gate

If the location you’re in has a gate, you’ll be drawn through it. You’ll be transported to the first area, which is the left area, of the Other World that the gate marker points to.

However, there’s an exception: Once you’ve gone through a gate and returned to Arkham, you’ll place an explored marker beneath your investigator marker. While you’re still in the gate’s location, you won’t be drawn through it anymore. Instead, you’ll have the option to try and close or seal the gate. But if you leave the location before closing or sealing the gate, you’ll discard the explored marker.

Hey there! So, here’s what happens if I go back to the same spot in the game. I’ll be pulled into the gate once again. But before I can do anything there, I have to deal with the Other World Encounters Phase all over again. Once I’ve resolved that, then I can finally try to close or seal the gate at that location.

But wait, there’s something important to note! If I get pulled through a gate that shows up during an encounter, like when it says “A gate appears!” or “A gate and a monster appear!”, then I’m stuck for a bit. It’s like being delayed, just as if I had been pulled through a gate during the Mythos Phase.

Phase IV: Other World Encounters

When I’m exploring Other World spaces, I get to have encounters there during the Other World Encounters Phase. It’s pretty exciting! The spaces on the board that represent Other Worlds have these cool circular icons in different colors.

We call these colorful circles “encounter symbols”. Whenever I have an encounter in an Other World, I get to draw cards from the gate deck, one by one. I keep drawing until I find a card that matches the color of one of the encounter symbols. If I draw a card that doesn’t match any of the symbols, I put it face down at the bottom of the gate deck.

But once I draw a gate card that matches the color of an encounter symbol, I take a closer look at it. I’m trying to see if there’s a specific encounter that matches the Other World I’m currently in. It’s like a mini adventure just for me!

When you come across a specific encounter, go ahead and read it out loud. Follow any instructions mentioned on the card. But if there’s no specific encounter listed, just read the “Other” entry aloud and do whatever actions are mentioned on the card.

For encounters in Other Worlds, the card text might bring a monster into play. In that case, you’ll need to either fight or evade the monster. Once the encounter is resolved, you can put the card face down at the bottom of the gate deck.

If a monster appears due to a location or gate encounter, it won’t stay on the board after the encounter is resolved. If you manage to evade such a monster, just send it back to the monster cup.

Phase V: Mythos

During the Mythos Phase, the first player draws a Mythos card and does the following:

As the game begins, you’ll need to follow a series of actions in order to progress. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it may seem. Let me break it down for you.

First, we have the Open Gate and Spawn Monster action. Here’s how it works:

1. Open Gate and Spawn Monster:

The Mythos card is the key to determining what happens next. Look at the lower-left corner of the card to see which dimensional forces are coming to Arkham this turn. Based on what you find, one of three things will happen at a specific location.

A. Location Has Elder Sign:

If there’s an elder sign token at the location, you’re in luck. Nothing happens! The gate is sealed, and no monsters will spawn here.

B. Location Has Open Gate:

If there’s an open gate at the location, things get interesting. A new monster will appear! Keep an eye out for it.

Remember, this is just the first step. There’s more to come, so stay tuned.



Hey there! So, here’s the deal. If there’s already a gate wide open at a certain spot, a creepy monster appears from all the open gates that are currently scattered across the board. And when this spooky event happens, it’s called a monster surge. Pretty fitting name, isn’t it? Now, when a monster surge takes place, the number of monsters that will come crawling out is going to depend on how many gates are open or on how many players are in the game. Whichever of the two is greater, that’s the number of monsters you’re dealing with.

Now comes the fun part. The first player gets to draw these monster markers from a cup, all random and such, and place them on each spot where there’s an open gate. But wait, there’s a little rule here – the monsters need to be spread out as evenly as possible among the open gates. We don’t want any gate feeling left out, you know? So, no gate can have more monsters on it than the gate where the monster surge actually happened. After all, fairness is key, even for spooky monsters!

When there are more monsters to put than the monster limit allows, we need to figure out where to place them. We have to make this decision before we draw any monsters from the cup. If we can’t agree on where to put the monsters, the first player gets to decide.

For example, let’s say there are 3 gates open (at the Black Cave, Science Building, and Unvisited Isle), we have 7 players, and there are no monsters in play. Then, we draw a Mythos card that opens a gate at the Black Cave.

When this happens, it’s like a sudden influx of monsters. Seven of them come rushing out of the cup and onto the open gates. They have to be spread out evenly, so each gate gets two monsters, and the seventh one goes to the Black Cave where the surge happened. Now the Black Cave has three monsters, while the other two gates have two each.

C. No Elder Sign or Gate

If there’s neither an open gate nor an elder sign marker in that area, a new gate opens up and a monster comes out. So the following things happen in order:

The Doom Track Advances

When we start a game, I, as the first player, will put a doom token with an eye symbol on the Ancient One’s doom track. This token goes in the first empty space on the track. If it happens that I put the token in the last space on the track, it means that the Ancient One has awakened and the game is about to end. In this case, we skip the rest of the Mythos Phase and go straight into the final battle. It’s worth noting that the Ancient One can also awaken if there are too many gates open in Arkham at the same time.

A Gate Opens

As the first player, I will draw a gate marker from the stack of markers near the board. Then, I’ll place it face up on the specified location. Any Clue tokens that were on that location will be discarded since the investigators missed their chance to follow up on those leads.

1. A Monster Appears I start by drawing a monster marker from a cup. I then place the monster on a location on the board. However, if all the locations are already occupied by other monsters, then I place the monster in the Outskirts instead. But here’s an exception: if there are five or more investigators playing the game, then I draw and place two monsters instead of just one. It’s important to note that investigators never draw monsters through gates.

Gates Opening On Investigators

If a gate opens at a location where there is an investigator, they are immediately pulled through the gate to another world. This can be quite disorienting for the investigator, causing them to be delayed. Their investigator marker is placed on its side to indicate this delay. During the next Movement Phase, the investigator will not be able to move.

2. Place Clue Token

When playing the game, you’ll often come across Mythos cards that tell you where to place a Clue token. These tokens can be found at different locations on the game board. However, if there is already an open gate at the indicated location, you won’t place a Clue token there.

Now, if one or more investigators are at the location mentioned on the Mythos card, they can decide among themselves who gets to take the Clue token. It’s important to reach an agreement, but if the players can’t decide, the first player gets to make the final call.

3. Move Monsters



When monsters first appear, they come out of gates and settle in specific locations in Arkham. But they don’t stay there for long – soon, they venture out onto the streets.

To figure out where monsters go, the person who goes first in the game checks out the bottom-right corner of the Mythos card they draw for that turn. That part of the card tells you which monsters move and which direction they go on the board.

Each Mythos card has two areas for movement, shown as black and white boxes. And on the board, each street and location has either a black or white arrow.

Here’s something else to notice: the movement boxes on the Mythos card have symbols in them that tell you about dimensions. And the monsters have a symbol for dimensions on their movement side too.

Hey there! Let me break it down for you. So, right now, we’ve got some monsters hanging out on the board. And guess what? They’ve got their own little boxes on this card called the Mythos card. Now, these monsters are itching to move around, and they do it based on what’s listed in those movement boxes.

• If a monster’s listed in the white movement box, it follows the white arrow that’s pointing out of its area.
• If a monster’s listed in the black movement box, it follows the black arrow that’s pointing out of its area. Simple stuff!

But here’s the kicker: Some of those arrows leading out of certain locations? They’re tricky little things. They’re black on one side and white on the other. So guess what? Those arrows count as both black and white arrows. Sneaky, huh? That means monsters listed in either the black or the white movement box of the Mythos card will follow those clever arrows.



Monster Movement and Investigators

When I’m investigating, I’ve noticed that if there’s a monster in the same place as me or any other investigator, it won’t move. It stays where it is. But some monsters are fast and can move multiple times. They have a special rule. If one of those monsters enters an area where there are investigators, it has to stop right away. It can’t keep moving. During this phase, there’s no encounter with the monster, but we will have to either run away from it or fight it when it’s time to move.

For example, once I was in Uptown with Joe Diamond and Ashcan Pete. A Star Spawn moved into Uptown too. So, the next time we had to move, either Joe or Ashcan, or maybe even both, had to deal with the Star Spawn.

Monster Movement Specialties

In Arkham Horror, most monsters move in a certain way. However, there are some monsters that have special abilities which allow them to move differently. The game categorizes monster movement into five types. You can identify these types by looking at the colored borders on the monster markers.

The first type is Normal (indicated by a black border). Normal monsters move according to the standard rules.

The second type is Stationary (indicated by a yellow border). Stationary monsters never move. They always remain in the location where they entered the game.

The third type is Fast (indicated by a red border). Fast monsters have the ability to move twice, following the arrows on the board for both steps of their movement. However, if a fast monster encounters an investigator, it immediately stops moving.

Special (Green Border): Monsters that move uniquely, like the Hound of Tindalos, have specific abilities for movement on their markers. Simply flip the monster marker over and follow the instructions provided.

Flying (Blue Border): Flying monsters typically move straight towards the closest investigator in a street area. If they can’t reach any investigators during their turn, they’ll move to the “Sky” holding area.



Step 4: Activate the Mythos Ability

Now it’s time to activate the Mythos card ability. Take a moment to read the special message at the top of the card. Each card will have a different ability based on its trait.

Headline: If the card has the Headline trait, you’ll resolve its special ability right away. Then, discard the card face down to the bottom of the Mythos deck.

Environment: If the card has the Environment trait, its special ability will stay in effect for a few turns, maybe even until the game ends. Place the card face up next to the game board. Any previous Environment card should be discarded face down to the bottom of the deck. Remember, only one Environment card is allowed at a time.

Rumor: I’ve heard a rumor that when a Rumor Mythos card is played, its special text stays in effect until we meet the Pass or Fail condition on the card. Once that happens, we resolve the card and discard it face down to the bottom of the Mythos deck.

Remember, we can only have one Rumor in play at a time. If we already have a Rumor Mythos card in play, the special text of any new Rumor we draw is ignored. We still resolve its other effects for the turn, like opening gates and moving monsters, but then we discard the new Rumor face down to the bottom of the Mythos deck.

Other Effects: Sometimes, the Mythos card might also tell us to place “activity” or “closed” markers on specific locations. We just need to put those markers on the mentioned locations. If the card leaves play, we remove the markers from the locations as well.

End of My Turn

When I finish resolving all the steps of the Mythos Phase, I pass the first player marker to the left. That way, the turn is complete and a fresh one starts with the Upkeep Phase.

We keep playing in this manner until the game comes to a close.



Game Over

The game comes to an end in one of two ways: either the investigators triumph over the Mythos threat or they fall before it.

Victory

You emerge victorious in the game by achieving any of the following three methods:

A. Close the Gates

Your task is to be the investigator who closes the very last gate on the board, ensuring that there are no more open gates remaining.

• Once the final gate is shut, you must possess a number of gate trophies equal to or exceeding the number of players. These gate trophies do include the one you just acquired for closing the last gate. However, any spent trophies do not count towards this total.

If you meet these two conditions, you achieve an instant victory. Arkham returns to its peaceful state as the Ancient One returns to its slumber for many more millennia.

B. Seal the Gates

C. Get Rid of the Ancient One

Achieving Success

When it comes to playing the game of Elder Sign, getting rid of the Ancient One is the ultimate goal. But how can I achieve this victory?

Firstly, I need to understand the victory conditions. Each Ancient One has their own unique requirements that I must fulfill in order to be victorious. I must carefully study and take into account these conditions, as they hold the key to my success.

Next, I should carefully choose my team of investigators. Every investigator has their own strengths and weaknesses, which can greatly impact my chances of success. By analyzing their abilities and choosing the right mix, I can maximize my chances of victory.

But it’s not just about the investigators – the items, spells, and allies I bring with me on the investigation are just as important. I need to carefully consider which ones will be most effective against the Ancient One, as well as which ones will provide the best overall strategy for my team.

Once the investigation begins, I need to make wise decisions and manage my resources effectively. Time is of the essence, and every move I make and every decision I take will have an impact on my chances of victory.

And if I’m lucky enough to find clues, I must decipher their meanings and piece together the puzzle. Clues are invaluable in my quest to defeat the Ancient One, and failing to properly interpret them can lead to disaster.

Throughout the game, I should remain vigilant and adapt to the ever-changing challenges. The Ancient One is a formidable foe, always seeking to thwart my progress. But with careful planning and a bit of luck, I can overcome these obstacles and score a victory.

In conclusion, achieving victory in Elder Sign requires careful strategy, wise decision-making, and a bit of luck. By following these guidelines and remaining focused, I can banish the Ancient One and emerge victorious. So, are you ready to take on this challenge?



If we manage to meet one of the conditions for victory, we will have successfully defeated the Mythos threat and saved Arkham. The player who has collected the most gate trophies will be honored with the title of First Citizen of Arkham. In the event of a tie, the title will go to the player with the most monster trophies.

To determine how well we did, we can use the following scoring system. We start with the highest number on the doom track of the Ancient One and subtract the terror level at the end of the game. Then we apply the following modifiers:

• Subtract 1 point for each unpaid or defaulted Bank Loan.
• Subtract 1 point for each elder sign played during the game.
• Add 1 point for each unspent gate trophy at the end of the game.
• Add 1 point for every three unspent monster trophies held at the end of the game.
• Add 1 point for each sane, surviving investigator at the end of the game.

The Devastation of Defeat

Picture this: you and your fellow investigators embark on a perilous journey to battle the menacing Ancient One. It’s an intense battle, where victory hinges on your ability to outsmart and overpower this ancient entity. But what happens if, despite your best efforts, you fail to emerge triumphant?

Well, my friend, let me tell you that defeat in this battle is no small matter. If the Ancient One awakens and defeats all of us in this epic showdown, the consequences are dire. The fabric of space-time itself ruptures, unleashing the Ancient One and bringing about unspeakable suffering for all of humanity.

Yes, you read that right – all of mankind will bear the brunt of our failure. It’s a heavy burden to carry, knowing that the fate of the world rests on our shoulders. But such is the nature of this cosmic struggle.

So, my dear investigator, I implore you to give it your all. Leave no stone unturned, no strategy unexplored. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the outcome of this battle will determine the fate of not only our investigation but the entire world. Failure is not an option – we must emerge victorious or face the cataclysmic consequences that await us all.