Arkham Horror 2nd Edition: 20 years later, still a good game?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Appendix M - part one “The Sect of the Idiot,” by Thomas Ligotti “The Call of Cthulhu,” by HPL “The Return of Hastur,” by August Derleth “More Light,” by James Blish “Born of the Wind,” by Brian Lumley. “The Shambler from the Stars,” Robert Block “The Haunter in Darkness,” HPL “The Shadow from the Steeple,” Robert Block “The Bane of the Black Pharoah,” Robert Block “The Curse of Yig,” HPL (revision) “Andrew Doran and the Journey to the Serpent Temple,” by Matthew Davenport “Through the Gate of the Silver Key,” by HPL and E. Hoffman Price “Lords of Pain,” by Richard L. Tierney “The Winds of Zarr,” by Richard L. Tierney

[@jonathandavis4819]

When you have time do you mind listing the books these are collected in? Thank you! The books you listed in your video. *

[@TheDungeonDive]

It's best to just google the title of the story. A lot of the books I showed are quite expensive, and the stories have been collected in other volumes that are cheaper!

[@jonathandavis4819]

Thanks for the tip!

[@TheFooferdoo]

@@jonathandavis4819 If you want to find the Robert Bloch stories, the "Mysteries of the Worm" anthology published by Chaosium can be found, not too expensive depending on the printing. Which actually, I realized that Daniel shows in the video around 1:00:00!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep! It's a great volume.

[@vanghard]

I still have it with all expansions, 20 years later, it's still in my Top 10 game

[@brady9592]

Wake up babe, it’s more Arkham Horror from Dungeon Dive

[@jonathandavis4819]

I finally figured out how to play this game last year. It was a great session. I woke up in the asylum the next day. Can't remember how to play...

[@wagner594]

What a great game! 10/10. All time favorite. Me and my wife play it regularly

[@TheDungeonDive]

It’s so good. A total classic

[@hariszark7396]

I just LOVE Arkham Horror (2ed). One look at the box and I want to spend my evening (or night...😨) playing this game again and again. Although it has many many things I find great, what I like the most and find it most immersive is the sentence "The Story So Far" at the back of every character sheet. It makes me feel that this character has a real past and a life in Arkham. It makes him/her feel more alive and relatable to me. Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror are two of my top 5 games ever.

[@TheDungeonDive]

They’re both great.

[@orihuela666]

For our group it's a 10, we're still playing it every time we can, even having a lot of newer games, and we haven't got any of the expansions, only some thematic dice. Inmortal game.

[@jonathanstutzman7757]

Excellent stuff as usual! The skill sliders are fiddly but for me that add a level character immersion missing in other editions. You get to make choices on where you focus your energy based on the circumstances, on what you anticipate will happen. Responding dynamically to the game in character (or at least within the limits of character skill sets). Its one of my favorite aspects that I wish existed in Eldritch.

[@michaelrubino1]

Big shout out to Universal Head! Amazingly, it's just Peter - one guy designing all of those outstanding player aids.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep! But I never know if he's ever had help with anything, so that's why I say they / those guys. One never knows, so it's better not to assume and leave someone out. :)

[@michaelrubino1]

@@TheDungeonDive Totally! Universal Head summaries are also one of the first things I discovered when I got into the hobby as an adult (this game was one of those gateways for me as well). Now 20 yrs later I'm still into it, and still watching Peter's channel!

[@TheDungeonDive]

I do ALWAYS forget that he has a channel! I need to watch it more. Thanks for the reminder! :)

[@mondkalb9813]

I am glad that the art of the game gets some love here. The illustrations are among the best of all games I own. I also treasure the more decorative elements e. g. on the back of the location cards.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Couldn't agree more!

[@Keldroc]

I have heard R'lyeh pronounced many different ways in my time, but that is a brand new one.

[@TheDungeonDive]

That’s the cool thing about totally made up words that aren’t meant to be pronounced by human mouths! Lol. :)

[@Twineandribbon]

Thanks for the review!!! One of my all time favorites. Terrific review!

[@TheDungeonDive]

My pleasure!

[@itsallfunandgames723]

I remember my first game went really well, but then my second game, something seemed off. And I realized I had punched the monster tokens straight into the box lid to be pulled out randomly during the first game, and all the monsters are printed off on those sheets in order of strength, so I finished up by punching out the lighter enemies, the witch, warlock, madman, ghouls, onto the top of the pile. And so the first game we had those more normal seeming enemies come out first, and then crazier monsters coming out toward the end of the game, which just felt completely right. So now that's my house rule when I play this game, I put the monster tokens in starting with the strongest, and ending with the weakest, so you're more likely to start the night with madmen and warlocks, and then things ramp up from there.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I like that!

[@vanyadolly]

It is fiddly, but that's part of what makes it special. 😊 I'm relatively new to boardgames and was introduced to the Arkham Files through Eldritch Horror, and I've absolutely loved Arkham Horror. There's no such thing as outdated when a game is good. I wish they would have at least run a limited reprint of the games for the anniversary. The expansions are absolutely brutal to get your hands on now. (And let's not even talk about MoM.) The most frustrating thing about being a fan of this franchise is that FFG refuses to let you buy them!

[@fongstar]

Amazing overview!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks! I had fun putting it together.

[@Jux925]

Wou, fantastic take on AH2 for 1.5h. And every minute was so enjoyable and spot on.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@justanerd1138]

Lolz. We just played it yesterday. We were devoured by Zhar but a great story unfolded and we all had a good time.

[@mightymickey8879]

Finally got around to watching this! AH 2e is an absolute banger every-time it hits the table and I fall into your category of players where this was their first “hobby” game. Two things though, first is that there is plenty of incentive to have encounters at green locations. It’s a common strategy to either take a bank loan or pool money on a player to go shopping early game. Or if you’re not well equipped and there aren’t clue tokens nearby to hit a green encounter in hopes of getting a good one (they are slightly better odds than red for good encounters). Some green places like the newspaper place are almost all positive. Second the houserule for extra clues is really game breaking. You’re effectively doubling the number of clues coming onto the board while also not having a way for the clues to get sucked up (since the ones on red spaces disappear if a gate spawns there). Quickly getting the clues that spawn or not having enough clues is a big part of the game.

[@TheDungeonDive]

For me, it's more fun with the house rule. I play games to have fun, not to really be challenged. I'm super bad at games, so making things easier makes things more fun.

[@travisnaganuma2542]

Damn this was so fun to watch! Loved Appendix M! That was a such a treat and I learned about a lot of great stories I’m going to check out! Thanks so much for this AH series. Can’t wait for the next episode

[@TheDungeonDive]

Right on! Thank you.

[@kevinfitzgerald9319]

27:12 Could always use Arkham standees for Mansions of Madness! I think next time I play either game I'll use the Death May Die minis I painted

[@RecklessFables]

My group still plays it several times a year

[@boatofcar3273]

This just made my weekend!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Woo hoo!

[@RSOULIER75]

Oh I love this game I have all the expansions ....in french. I would love to have an anniversary edition

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh nice! They ended up printing everything in French? That's great!

[@RSOULIER75]

@@TheDungeonDive yes Included the expansion that expand the expansions 😄. In france call of cthulhu ttrpg is a huge hit so it is a very popular ip

[@ShunyValdez]

1:07:34 "Don't step on snakes". In one of the Arkham Horror LCG campaigns, this is good advice. The game tracks how many snakes were killed in the jungle. Then Yig will punish you accordingly. Sure, you can choose not to kill snakes, but the game is very good at putting you in situations where violence is potentially the easy way out. Definitely gave us great stories.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Ah! That's great. SO cool.

[@codemonkeyattack]

Awesome video, I really appreciate the Appendix M section. I'm going to try to pick up some of those for sure. I can say the deals for the base game are still pretty good. Maybe I used up all my luck but just last week I found an opened but unplayed copy (everything was still shrink wrapped inside) for just $25 on eBay, just arrived in time for me to watch this video.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh nice! Yeah. I think they made so many of the base game that deals can still be had.

[@orcyteo4054]

I have a group of friends that are so addicted to this game that they continue to play a couple of games every week for the last 13-15 years... They have played this game so much that the tokens are so worn out that you can't see what's what anymore 😅

[@Mark-gq8ei]

On the note about Twin Peaks S3 - Lynch co-writes it with Mark Frost, and I would be verrrrrrrrry surprised if Frost wasn’t partially influenced by some of the Cthulhu Mythos fiction - he’s very up on his pulp writers & magical history.

[@ScottMaresh]

Great review of one of my favorite games! Where can I find those overlays?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Board game geek.

[@kevinfitzgerald9319]

3:16 Ive got one of those old, dusty, cramped stores in my town. All of my friends hate it, but I could spend all day there

[@TheDungeonDive]

I love discovering weird old games in stores like that.

[@samyoung2885]

It started my gaming hobby, never looked

[@stanleybarnes8756]

A great review of one of my favourite games! Thank you so very much for sharing. As an aside, you mentioned: "my wife at the time". Did she pass away? If so, I am really sorry and hope that you find solace in time.

[@TheDungeonDive]

She is still alive. :). Just not my wife anymore. Thank you.

[@rinceart]

I love this game so much, I actually own two copies (in case something happens with one) and a bunch of expansions. :)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Haha. I own a duplicate as well. :)

[@joejohnson2291]

Daniel, you should do more book deep dives. While I loved your discussion of Arkham Horror 2nd Edition, Appendix M was beyond excellent.

[@Get_Juju]

He has another channel about books called All Fiction is Fantasy. Go check it out.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thank you!

[@davidhebart-coleman8610]

I sold my copy when I got Eldritch Horror years ago. I do prefer the design of EH, but I miss two things from AH - the buckets of dice that lead to fist-pump in the air moments and the wandering monsters. I now realize that there is a role for both in my collection.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes! The wandering monsters create a totally different kind of vibe.

[@SamBalducci]

It was sad when they went from 2E to 3E and 2E was pretty much cancelled. 3E I feel was good, but they too have killed that game too. I feel they could make a 2E big box with some tweaks and make a ton of money.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I love them all! Except the LCG. :)

[@RSOULIER75]

​@@TheDungeonDivethe lcg is very good it applies imho all the things in the ttrpg arkham horror: hard check coop check your character accumulated xp and trauma check... It is not of course to denied the fact you don't like this game. I mean it is very different from the board game for example. Just as an adaptation it is efficient. But of course that doesn't make it without issues and of course it is a card game

[@RSOULIER75]

Love the second édition but I understand the 3rd to make the game shorter and more "streamlined". I would say it is a different experience. I also favor the second édition. Probably for the fun I had with friends and also the more ttrpg and randomness you find in it

[@TheDungeonDive]

I recognize that the LCG is well made, I just don’t like it.

[@joelkurowski7129]

​​@@TheDungeonDiveI have a copy of 2nd ed that I haven't played yet. I went to my local game store to see if there were any interesting expansions for it, and then discovered that the game had changed completely for the 3rd edition. I didn't like what I saw. It got rid of the fold-out board, there's some kind of MTG-style card game attached to it, and I can't tell if it's required or not... The last five or so years of board game history are going to go down as the industry attempting to ape trends rather than put out quality product, I think.

[@namelessfire]

"Arkham Horror 2nd Edition: still a good game?" It's better than 3rd Edition, that's for sure.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I LOVE 3rd edition. I have zero time for edition wars at the Dungeon Dive! Plenty of love to spread around. Each version offers something different, and I'm super happy to have them all in my collection.

[@SouthernWolf]

Hey Daniel, Awesome video! This and Eldritch Horror are my favorite games of all time! Which expansion for 2nd edition is your favorite? I think for me it is Dunwich Horror, especially since it adds those injury and madness cards, so you can keep using your investigator even though they are gimped. I am glad I got the expansions when I did, I think they are all excellent.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Right on! I like the small box expansions because they're easy to incorporate into the game, and they don't take up more room! I do like a lot of the stuff that comes with the large expansions, but I almost never play with the side boards for a number of reasons which will be discussed. I like the one expansion that comes with the individual stories, and I don't recall which one that is!

[@TheSpr0gz]

Arkham Horror 2e is easily top 5 for me, possibly even top 3. However, Eldritch Horror is my absolute favourite game just because I prefer the wider globetrotting experience of 1920s adventure that it offers over the Arkham-bound (and surrounding area with expansions) of AH 2e. I recently re-purchased 3e again to give it another go and enjoyed myself far more than when I first owned it, for some reason, but it's still not a patch on 2e.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I love EH and AH3e! Each of these games has so much to offer!

[@Table.Fables]

Great overview! Would you say this is worth hunting down if you already own (and enjoy) Eldritch Horror?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Really depends. I enjoy owning them both. If I could only have one, and was just getting into them now, I’d go for EH because the expansions are still available.

[@orcyteo4054]

Btw the yog sothoth cycle and more importantly the yig cycle are both available from Lulu as print on demand. Yig cycle is way better than the yig tome you showed here.

[@iskandersantosh5067]

What are those amazing dice? Also, great series, loving the book recommendations!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thank you! And thanks for mentioning the book segment. Thats my favorite, and no one had mentioned it yet. The stories are the most important part of these games. The games wouldn’t exist without them!

[@TheDungeonDive]

The dice are called CuCu dice.

[@AceneDean]

Yep, still an amazing game! 🎉

[@JonG1970]

Fantastic video as always. Some of those books cost more than the game!😂 I love Eldritch Horror but missed this one. I’ll be trolling eBay for it😅

[@TheDungeonDive]

Luckily you can find a lot of the stories in more affordable volumes. They've been anthologized in different places.

[@the_Mike_d]

I know it's a weird comment to make given the depth of your review here, but I was happy to hear that you're going to do an episode just on the Arkham art - it's definitely a *huge* part of why I like so many of the Cthulhu-themed games and books. I had this game years ago (10+) but I ended up getting rid of it and now I kinda wish I didn't. It's funny how your tastes can change over time and you suddenly have a greater appreciation for something that you didn't originally.

[@TheDungeonDive]

The art is such an important element to these games! I really can't believe that FFG didn't mention a single artist in the rule book. What a massive failure!

[@xenoblad]

I hate that I lost my 2nd edition copy. I'm so disappointed. This game is expensive online since it's not sold in retail anymore.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yeah. Sucks that it’s OOP.

[@Lordno.]

Il reste et restera excellent ! Le tient est en excellent état.

[@Mr_J1984]

Haven't watched the video yet, but the answer is YES. :)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Spoiler!

[@-Markus-]

Its leagues better than third edition. A nice sandboxy adventure that needed a revision, not a new edition. I did play board games before AH2 but it was absolutely the game that ignited the hobby in force and the game that helped me introduce a whole bunch of new players to the hobby!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Third edition is great! Love it.

[@pseen]

1:07:27 Just got home from a walk in the woods, where I barely avoided stepping on a snake.

[@TheDungeonDive]

You’re lucky! ;)

[@davidg.1387]

Wondering if you could give the bgg link for the locations sheet which is amazing ? I can't find it and I dig through the files section really deep.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Part of the main Universal Head package.

[@davidg.1387]

@@TheDungeonDive ah thanks. I knew i saw it before but I forgot it was included in it. 👍

[@volvoguy804]

I took this game over to a friend's house to play. They haven't invited me over since.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Haha. The great filter.

[@bagger245]

There are alot of files in the AH2 BGG, which ones do you recommend?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Universal Head.

[@erikpeters7072]

This is my good news bad news game 😂. Good news is I got the complete collection from local seller years ago for $80. Bad news is it's so much that I pretty much never get it to table 😢

[@TheDungeonDive]

Just focus on the base game, then introduce a single small expansion. I don’t like mixing everything together with this. Set up is so fast and easy that you can be playing in just a few minutes.

[@rhubahb]

Yea!! Great Sunday. I'm staring at my AH 2ed + Dunwhich Horror Expansion boxes. Time to get it to the table...Daniel, might you have the links to the BGG files / printouts you show in the video? As you know, there are 26 pages of files. I went through a few of them, but haven't find them yet.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks, Tom! I don’t have the links. Not sure. I think they’re all part of the main Universal Head package.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Tom, I believe this one has everything I showed in the video. boardgamegeek.com/filepage/22286/universal-head-arkham-horror-rules-summary-and-ref

[@rhubahb]

@@TheDungeonDive oh cool, Daniel! The Universal Head page was the one I found and downloaded, BUT didnt realize it contained the other summaries, player aids and board overlays! Thanks!!!

[@rhubahb]

@@TheDungeonDive also just opened my Dunwich Horror expansion box and found Innsmouth and King in Yellow expansions in there! Big Win! Can’t wait for your 2nd edition expansion video!! Btw, can I say that this was a friggin’ amazing video, Daniel! SO well done!

[@TheDungeonDive]

What? NO WAY! Dude - what a discovery! That's amazing.

[@coppershark1973]

Just FYI ‘Universal Head’ is just one man not a bunch of guys.

[@kevinb9675]

Best game ever made

[@TheDungeonDive]

It’s very good.

[@ExMortis00]

I always voted for Azathoth for the GOO as well... just get it over with!! The final battle was the worst (only bad?) part of the game by a long shot.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep.

[@franksutton3544]

Where can I find those dice? Thanks.

[@TheDungeonDive]

They were on KS a few years ago. Cucu dice.

[@JasonHauser125]

for me, this is the best board game ever made. I like 2nd edition better than 3rd because it is more fiddly.

[@TheDungeonDive]

It’s very good.

[@mtnimt4724]

Monsters literally pouring out of the Canadian Whisky Portal.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Gotta watch out for those Canadian horrors!

[@mtnimt4724]

@@TheDungeonDive Yes it's a pretty poor whisky.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Ah, but it's not! They have Northern Harvest version that is amazing. Actually won whiskey of the year a few years ago from the Whiskey Bible! It's AMAZING. But I like all kinds of whiskey. From Wild Turkey 101 and Old Grandad to Laphroiag and Ardbeg. This past April I made the pilgrimage to Islay to visit Laphroiag. It was great.

[@mtnimt4724]

@@TheDungeonDive As a Canadian i have no misplaced admiration of our Whiskys. As an ex drinker i do approve of Ardbeg and Talisker. Jim Murray's annual "Best Whisky" is a very biased book. I had pretty expensive Whisky taste. My friend had a extensive collection of Pappy that i drank deep of.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh nice! I actually don’t like Pappy’s. I’d choose Wild Turkey or Old Grandad over it any old day and twice on Sundays. For me, the cheaper the better. My BIL is super wealthy and that’s all he drinks. lol. I bring over Wild Turkey when I go to his place and just drink that. The best whiskey is the kind you like to drink, and that’s all the matters.

[@goodjessehobbies]

Unfortunately, in my experience Universal Head rules summaries have always been riddled with mistakes and I always end up throwing them away.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Not my experience at all. But hey, we all have different experiences. :)

[@wingy158]

Mandy Thompson is GOAT.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep!

[@drivers99]

I bought this back in the day (about 20 years ago) but the text on one of the first monsters I got was ambiguous so I put it all away and ended up throwing it away eventually. I’d probably make up a ruling these days since I’m probably more used to that from playing RPGs but at the time it was a big disappointment.

[@TheDungeonDive]

That’s extreme!

[@drivers99]

@@TheDungeonDive yeah, I should probably pick it up again and redeem myself for that one

[@bri.g.5105]

How would this edition compare to 3rd?

[@TheDungeonDive]

I have a review of 3rd edition. Love it. Very different though.

[@Unarmed_Shrapnel]

Are you planning to make a video about the Arkham Horror card game?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes. But about why I don’t like it. :)

[@TheDungeonDive]

It will be MUCH later though. First is a video for each of the AH2e expansions, along with some fun little asides videos, then a series on EH and all of it's expansions, then Elder Sign and its expansions, then MOM2e and it's expansions, then AH3e and it's expansions. Lot's of Arkham Files coverage over the next year!

[@Unarmed_Shrapnel]

@@TheDungeonDive Exciting. I love learning about all the arkham files games

[@TheDungeonDive]

They’re so great. I know the LCG is a super well made game, I just don’t really care for it.

[@JasonSetley]

I’ve never played Arkham horror. I have played eldritch horror. I did not like it.

[@fightingfortruth9806]

I just watched all 4 seasons of Stranger Things and it just dawned on my how that series is basically Arkham Horror. Going to have to dust it off again.

[@aariataarmy]

As someone who liked to win games on occasion, this game sucked ass. 10/10 would lose at again

[@Majinai72]

"It's just a big pile of stupid cardboard." I would appreciate it if you didn't badmouth the game. It knows... it hears you... you have just doomed us all....

[@TheDungeonDive]

We’re in trouble!

[@1AngelAlita]

For me it's AHLCG > AH2E >>> AH3E

[@TheDungeonDive]

You will be sorely disappointed with my views of the LCG. :)

[@1AngelAlita]

@@TheDungeonDive Ouch.. but it's OK, no game is for everyone.. for example I can't stand Too Many Bones or Spirit Island but I like Trudvang.. ;)

[@vasiljivkov4879]

the old games that where playd on bord and have a tons of stuff to make ! Now the stupid cheap card games destroy the meaning of the bord gaming.

[@TheDungeonDive]

The LCG doesn't destroy anything. If you prefer the board game version, just play that! I don't care for the LCG so I don't play it. :)

[@vasiljivkov4879]

@@TheDungeonDive really ? How about your favourite card game get 2,3 expansions and the publisher stop making new stuff ? How many time you will play it ?