Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Fantasy Flight Games

Cooperative investigation with an agenda and an act deck, chaos-bag tests and reaction windows. The phase structure and timing windows are modelled.

1–4 co-op vs the mythos · cooperative

Four phases on a fixed timing framework: player windows at named points, 'when' effects that interrupt before the impact, forced effects before reactions. Every skill test is its own subflow with a draw from the chaos bag; actions call that subflow.

One scenario, framework following the Rules Reference. The campaign log and trauma follow the same pattern as the Gloomhaven campaign layer.

Goal and end of the game

Win last act advanced (usually a favourable resolution)
Loss last agenda advanced (usually an unfavourable resolution)
Out damage ≥ health or horror ≥ sanity
Loss all investigators eliminated or resigned

How the game goes

Follow the track from top to bottom. ↻ repeats, a side track is a branch; under every step: what you decide there. Tap a step for what you decide there.

All steps in words

Scenario until resolution reached (act or agenda) or all investigators eliminated
1. 1. Mythos
  1. 1.2 One doom on the agenda
  2. 1.3 Check the doom threshold
  3. 1.4 Encounter card per investigator per investigators
    1. Draw and resolve: treachery, or an enemy spawns
2. 2. Investigation
  1. 2.1 Investigation phase begins
  2. 2.2 Turns per investigators
    1. 2.2.1 Actions until 3 actions used or turn ended
      1. Take an action by investigator
        One of:
        investigate
        Allowed if actions_left > 0.
        move
        Allowed if actions_left > 0.
        Choose connected locations
        draw card
        Allowed if actions_left > 0.
        gain resource
        Allowed if actions_left > 0.
        engage
        Allowed if actions_left > 0 and an enemy at the location.
        Choose enemies at the location
        fight
        Allowed if actions_left > 0 and an enemy at the location.
        Choose enemies at the location
        evade
        Allowed if actions_left > 0 and engaged.
        Choose engaged enemies
        play card
        Allowed if actions_left > 0 and resources ≥ cost.
        Choose playable cards in hand
        activate
        Allowed if actions_left > 0 and a card with an action ability in play.
        Choose action abilities in play
        end turn
    2. 2.2.2 Turn ends, remaining actions are lost
3. 3. Enemy
  1. 3.2 Hunters move toward the nearest investigator
  2. 3.3 Enemy attacks per investigators
    1. Ready engaged enemies attack and become exhausted
4. 4. Upkeep
  1. 4.1 Upkeep begins
  2. 4.2 Reset actions
  3. 4.3 Ready everything
  4. 4.4 Draw 1 card and gain 1 resource
  5. 4.5 Hand limit 8
    - If more than 8 cards in hand: choose cards in hand

On the table

14 zones and piles

map open
player deck per player · face down · shuffled
hand per player · only its owner sees it
play area per player · open
player discard per player · open
threat area per player · open — engaged enemies and treacheries
encounter deck face down · shuffled
encounter revealed open
encounter discard open
agenda deck open
act deck open
chaos bag face down · shuffled — contents depend on the difficulty level
chaos revealed open
committed per player · open

Under the hood

These rules are read straight from the game's model: the same data the engine plays with. For the exact expressions, the rules diagram and the model source:

Rules diagram

Fan model of a game by Fantasy Flight Games: only the rules structure is shown, in our own words. Cards, scenarios and play are not published without the publisher's permission. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.