User Manual

2
The year is 1926, and it is the height of the Roaring
Twenties. Flappers dance till dawn in smoke-filled
speakeasies drinking alcohol supplied by rum runners
and the mob. It’s a celebration to end all celebrations in
the aftermath of the War to end all Wars.
Yet a dark shadow grows in the city of Arkham. Alien
entities known as Ancient Ones lurk in the emptiness
beyond space and time, writhing at the gates between
worlds. These gates have begun to open and must be
closed before the Ancient Ones make our world their
ruined dominion.
Only a handful of investigators stand against the
Arkham Horror. Will they prevail?
Arkham Horror is a game for 1 to 8 players (3 to 5
recommended), playable in 2 to 4 hours. The game is set
in the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts, made
famous by H.P. Lovecraft in his writings about the
Cthulhu mythos.
In Arkham Horror, a terrible creature from beyond
time and space is waking, roused by the dimensional
gates that are opening all over the city. The players must
join forces to close all of the gates before this Ancient
One awakens. If the Ancient One defeats the players, all
of Arkham is doomed.
The players must work together as a team of investiga-
tors to close all of the dimensional gates, seal them per-
manently, or if that fails, defeat the Ancient One when it
awakens from its slumber.
In Arkham Horror, the investigators explore the city,
encountering places, people, and creatures both normal
and mundane. Through these adventures, the investiga-
tors hope to gain the clues and resources needed to con-
front and ultimately thwart the mythos threat.
Early in the game, investigators seek to avoid more pow-
erful monsters while moving around the city to gather
weapons, spells, clues, and other items they will need.
Later, the investigators attempt to close a few gates and
seal some of the most active gates.
Finally, once several gates have been sealed and the
investigators have acquired valuable weapons, spells,
clues, and allies, they make one last, desperate assault on
the mythos, attempting to close or seal the final gates.
Either they succeed and the world survives, or they fail
and the Ancient One awakens for the climactic battle.
Be warned: If the Ancient One awakens, the investiga-
tors are in for the fight of their lives!
Enclosed in your Arkham Horror box, you will find
the following game components:
1 Rule Book (this book)
1 Game Board
1 First Player Marker
5 Dice
16 Investigator Sheets
16 Investigator Markers
16 Plastic Investigator Stands
196 Investigator Status Tokens
56 Money Tokens
34 Sanity Tokens (10 “threes” and 24 “ones”)
34 Stamina Tokens (10 “threes” and 24 “ones”)
48 Clue Tokens
24 Skill Sliders
189 Investigator Cards
44 Common Items
39 Unique Items
40 Spells
20 Skills
11 Allies
35 Special Cards
8 Retainers
8 Silver Lodge Memberships
8 Bank Loans
8 Blessing/Curse Cards
3 Deputy Cards
8 Ancient One Sheets
20 Doom Tokens
179 Ancient One Cards
63 Location Cards
67 Mythos Cards
49 Gate Cards
60 Monster Markers
16 Gate Markers
3 Activity Markers
3 Explored Markers
1 Terror Track Marker
6 Closed Markers
Before you play your first game of Arkham Horror,
carefully punch out the cardboard pieces so that they do
not tear. Next, slide the 16 plastic stands onto the bases
of the 16 investigator markers. Be sure to keep all com-
ponents out of the reach of small children and animals.
The following is an introductory summary of the various
components included in Arkham Horror. This summary
should help you identify the components and understand
the ways they are used as you read through these rules.
Game Board
The game board depicts the city of Arkham and the
“Other Worlds” to which investigators may travel during
the game. See “Game Board Breakdown” on page 21 for
a complete discussion of the game board.
F
IRST PLAYER MARKER
This marker is given to the player
who acts first in a turn. The marker is
passed to the left at the start of each
new turn.
DICE
Players roll the dice to make skill checks, fight
battles, and determine other random outcomes.
Component Overview
Game Components and
Preparation
Game Overview
Object of the Game
Welcome to Arkham!
This copy of Arkham Horror is from Fantasy Flight’s
second printing of the game. This rulebook has been
revised from the first printing to incorporate the errata
listed in both version 1.1 of the Arkham Horror FAQ
(available at www.fantasyflight games.com) and in the
Dunwich Horror expansion rulebook. Three cards (Flesh
Ward, Healing Stone, and Lantern) and the starting pos-
sessions of two investigators (Bob Jenkins and Jenny
Barnes) and have also been revised according to the
FAQ v1.1 errata. Otherwise, there are no changes to this
version that affect gameplay.