Fantasy Flight Games [News] - What's a Few Ancient Ones Between Friends, Eh?

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News for May 2010

What's a Few Ancient Ones Between Friends, Eh? 10
A Look at Relationships in Lurker at the Threshold

Arkham Horror | Published 03 May 2010

Rating

37 votes

The Lurker offers unbridled power, tempting those who are weak and alone. As the walls of reality are slowly torn apart in Arkham, its time to stand together and resist the whisperings of false salvation. United we stand...a much better chance of surviving.

Those looking for a wicked dose of terror to add to Arkham Horror are in luck! The Lurker at the Threshold expansion will add many new twists and challenges to your survival horror experience when it hits your tabletop this summer. In the coming weeks leading up to the release, we will take a closer look at some of the exciting (and often terrifying) new additions The Lurker at the Threshold delivers. Today we will explore the benefits of the new Relationship deck.

The co-operative experience of Arkham Horror has always been a major hallmark of its appeal. Gathering together a band of unlikely heroes to face a horrifying threat inspires a unique form of camaraderie between players. Some players even tend to take on the persona of their chosen investigator, bringing an element of roleplaying to the game through dramatic exchanges with other investigators. One of the elements The Lurker at the Threshold adds further encourages team play while also providing a great new way for investigators to interact with each other.

(Three Relationship Cards. Click to enlarge.)

The Relationship deck consists of a number of benefit-providing cards that gives each investigator a unique backstory. At the beginning of the game (with 2 or more players), a Relationship card is dealt between players, binding each player to another player (or 2 players in games with 3 or more players) in a way that is described on the card. The benefits provided by each relationship will only be available as long as one of the paired investigator is alive. Once one of them is devoured, that relationship is gone and, since the new investigator drawn will be a stranger to the group, no new Relationship card is drawn.

While the benefits of relationships are helpful, they might not be enough to hold off the encroaching threats. Even with the help of old friends, some investigators may be too frightened to face the fathomless power of the Ancient Ones. Will you risk a terrible fate to come for a chance at power now? Next time we will look at the temptation of Dark Pacts!

Arkham Horror is a board game of mystery and madness set in Arkham in the 1920's. 1-8 players cooperate to investigate the strange happenings about the town, and race to prevent ancient evil from surfacing.

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Comments (10)

Hida Mann
Published: 5/10/2010 6:10:55 PM

#10

Drool drool! I'm always up for more AH, keep churning out the expansions!

When can I get Lurker?

greenlantern92
Published: 5/3/2010 7:00:13 PM

Wow, I just completed my collection, and now I have another to buy. Guess I better work some overtime so I can pick this one up on release. I think the relationship cards will add a little more comraderie, and since playing this by yourself would be lame, it's a welcome addition.

JerusalemJones
Published: 5/3/2010 6:06:14 PM

I wonder. If Agnes Baker is on one end of "Practioners of the Art", can she spend the other person's stamina too? Can your partner use the Crystal from KH on a spell you cast? If you're partnered with someone like Daisy, or PS-passed Harvey, can you cast 1 sanity spells for free?

Agnes could spend her Stamina, but not her "partner." The card just allows either person to to contribute to the spell's sanity cost. Your partner could use the Crystal but by paying the cost themselves, then using the crstal instead. Not sure about Daisy off the top of my head, but Harvey doesn't help as it is a payment, not a loss, so his ability doesn't prevent it.

cim
Published: 5/3/2010 3:34:57 PM

Interesting. Looks like it will make devouring/retirement slightly more inconvenient, if you lose the relationship cards. Of course, no less inconvenient then not having them in the first place...

Avi_dreader
Published: 5/3/2010 1:58:21 PM

I'm not really crazy about guardian type mechanics... However relationships do look pretty cool (and they'll add to the game theme). So I'll probably incorporate them. But I think I'll house rule that there's only one relationship card per two investigators (maybe). It seems almost like every player is getting two free skills as starting equipment now. They're cool... But gameplay wise, they're a bit much... Heh... Perhaps I should hold my tongue until I see the rest of the expansion and the new gate mechanics though :')

paradiddlebob
Published: 5/3/2010 1:49:24 PM

I love this game, but won't buy expansions until I find people to play with!

Partizan
Published: 5/3/2010 1:08:47 PM

Actually, I believe the prediction is that there will be no more extra big box expansions with new towns (ie Kingsport, Innsmouth). I think a BIG box expansion with an entirely new board, but uses the AH components is still on the table, at least in my imaganiary universe. But I may be wrong on that.

ColtsFan76
Published: 5/3/2010 12:55:12 PM

No, the prediction was no more BIG box expansions. i suspect we will see lots of small expansions still.

moonbeast
Published: 5/3/2010 11:26:09 AM

More expansions? I thought everyone already "predicted" that no more AH expansions will come.

Castorp
Published: 5/3/2010 10:24:59 AM

That looks very interesting...

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