FFG: Arkham Horror: LCG – Return to The Path To Carcosa Preview
The next revised Arkham Horror adventure is on the way. Can you survive the Return to The Path To Carcosa?
Arkham Horror: The Card Game is one of my favorite card games. Maybe it’s the cooperative nature. Maybe it’s the setting. Maybe it’s the mystery of seeing how the campaign unfolds. Or maybe it’s the sheer overwhelming challenge the game can be – at least at first glance. I really like the creative problem solving players have to come up with to defeat the situations in front it them – that’s why this is a game that is constantly in my rotation.
The “Return To” series for AH:TCG is a set of revamps to existing campaigns. Unlike the stand alone or deluxe expansions, these boxes worth within existing campaigns – like The Path to Carcosa, which is the latest addition to the series. It does require you to have the Carcosa Cycle, but when you combine that set with these cards, you get a revamped (and often more difficult) campaign ahead.
While you thought your enemies dead, they merely slumbered until the moment came for them to strike once again. Return to the Path to Carcosa introduces 81 new scenario cards and 23 player cards for you to integrate into your entire The Path to Carcosa campaign, along with labeled divider cards to organize each encounter set and a premium box to house all the madness. Among the renewed ranks of the Yellow King you will find that Agents of Hastur from the Core Set have been promoted to Hastur’s Envoys, and the Ancient One’s hold on Arkham strengthens as Delusions from The Path to Carcosa become Maddening Delusions and the encounter set that was once merely Decay and Filth in The Path to Carcosa becomes Decaying Reality.
This new set changes the previous campaign in subtle and dangerous ways. It might be a card or two here or there, but when taken as a whole players can (and often will) have a completely different play through compared to previous adventures.
New Twists & Challenges
Along with the subtle tweaks, there are also a whole bunch of new treachery cards to mess with your investigation. You’ll have to overcome things like Bleeding Walls which will challenge your mind based on the shroud of the location:
And speaking of Minds, which are a terrible thing to waste, Fragile Thoughts causes you to discard your event cards from your hand until you reach the shroud value of that location. For some investigators, that can really be a death-blow to their decks. And for those asset heavy folks, don’t worry – you didn’t dodge that bullet, you’ll just have to deal with the surge of having to pull another card.
Clouded Memory is one of those cards that you’ll hate to pull every time. The unlucky investigator will either have to “forget” something from a remembered location – thus slowing your progress – or they will have to take a horror and draw again. Decisions, decisions…
Strangely enough, cards that you might consider a detriment to your progress might turn out to be very handy later. Some folks might remember Clasp of the Black Onyx from the Echoes of the Past scenario. Well, if you happen to get this “weakness” it will aid you in an unexpected way:
An auto evade on the Host of Insanity? That could be extremely useful! But it’s not just new cards that are being added to the game, you’ll also get a set of new achievements and ultimatums you can use to further enhance your play experience.
Achievements are more there for bragging right than any practical reason. For example, can you smuggle the not-so-friendly Daniel Chesterfield out of the asylum? If you can you’ll tick off “The Cuckoo’s Nest” achievement. Ultimatum on the other hand up the difficulty considerably. The Ultimatum of the Unspeakable Name as an example requires you to take 1 mental trauma each time you speak the name Hastur during the scenario. Wanna go crazy? It’s a fast way to do it!
Return to the Path to Carcosa $29.95
Madness returns for an encore performance in the Return to the Path to Carcosa upgrade expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game! You thought the final curtain had closed on your dealings with The King in Yellow. The cursed theater production that came to Arkham all the way from Paris quickly became the talk of the town, but its dark history of disappearances, suicides, and madness drove you to investigate deeper.
Now, The King in Yellow has gained a new legion of followers and you can newly experience the entire The Path to Carcosa campaign with all-new scenario, location, and encounter cards designed to add new surprises and challenges. This premium box can store your entire campaign, along with divider cards marked for each encounter set in The Path to Carcosa cycle. Finally, this expansion contains new player cards that increase the customization options to better prepare you to face the evils ahead. So don your fine clothes or tattered mantel and ready your mind for a new realm of madness. The show must go on!
Return to The Path to Carcosa is up for pre-order today!
