Arkham Horror: RPG – Core Rulebook Review
Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game has a new Core Rulebook coming soon and I got a preview copy to check out!
Back in July I got a chance to dive into the Starter Set for the new Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game from Edge Studio. I was impressed with the starter and I couldn’t wait for the full rules release. Well here we are right in the middle of spooky season and I got a preview copy from the folks at Asmodee. The timing couldn’t have been better. On top of that I was far from disappointed — If you’re an Arkham Horror fan this is the RPG for you.
Return To The Dynamic Pool System
Before we go too deep I want to talk about the core rules of the system first. I’ve covered this in the Starter Box review already but if you didn’t read that review or this is your first time hearing about the new Arkham Horror: RPG this is kind of a big deal.
Above is one of the pre-constructed Investigators from the Starter Set. But his character sheet is a good example. Now, if you’ll allow me to quote myself:
The core mechanical system that makes this game function is the Dynamic Pool System (or DPS).
Each one of the core stats has a number associated with it (typically between 2 to 6). DPS uses a D6 die for all your checks. So you’ll want to get a pool of dice for each player as well. These dice pools represent the player’s health status and also their action economy.
To perform a check, you simply use one of the dice from your pool and roll it vs your stat number. If you meet or beat it you’ve succeeded in the check. There are ways to add more dice to the roll but that’s the basic mechanic you need to know.
The core mechanics of the game haven’t change between the Starter Box and the new Core Rulebook (shocking, I know). However, there’s a LOT more details and options in the Core Rulebook.
Scenes And Actions In Arkham Horror
The Arkham Horror RPG also still uses Scenes and Actions as part of the system. The scenes are divided into two types: Narrative and Structured. Narrative scenes are a bit more free-flowing and lower stakes in terms of things like combat. This is where a lot of the talking and exploration happens in your story. Structured scenes are for the more intense moments of gameplay — think combat or when the there’s a time crunch.
Both scenes offer the players the ability to do either basic or complex actions. For Narrative scenes only complex actions will require you to spend dice to perform them while basic actions do not. For Structured scenes, both types of actions require dice to be used. And if you haven’t guessed by now that means your dice pool is also your action economy in a scene. It’s a neat system that works to add tension as you get lower on your dice pool.
Damage and Horror In Arkham
With DPS as the core system and this being an Arkham Horror game you know you’re going to suffer both damage and horror. The way this is implemented in the game is how these two types of injuries impact your dice pool. Damage (or physical injuries) will reduce your pool of available dice. While Horror is more mental damage. This actually adds special Horror Dice to your pool that you must roll when making checks. And you don’t want to roll 1s on those dice…
Now that you’ve got a basics of how the core mechanics work let’s actually dive into the Rulebook. There’s a LOT of great stuff in here for players and game masters alike. But even if you’re just a fan of Arkham Horror, this book has a TON of lore worth checking out. So let’s get into it!
Arkham Horror: The Core Rulebook
Let’s take a quick look at the Table of Contents so you can see the map of the journey we’re about to embark on.
Chapter 1 is really a re-introduction to the world of Arkham Horror. Chapter 2 is relatively short as it’s roughly 23 pages of rules that cover the mechanics of the game. Character creation kicks off in chapter 3 while chapter 4 covers the equipment you might use or find in your games. Chapter 5 covers the locations within Arkham and also explores the neighboring cities/towns in a fair bit of detail.
The Game Master section picks up in Chapter 6 and this is where players don’t really want to read past. Otherwise you risk getting into spoiler territory as Chapter 7 goes over a bunch of the Ancient Ones from the mythos and chapter 8 covers a bunch of NPCs (both friends and foes) you might come across. Finally, chapter 9 has an adventure for you to run. You can use this as a guide to develop your own stories set in the Arkham Horror universe.
Character Creation In Arkham Horror
Since we already tackled the mechanics I’m going to assume you’re familiar with the setting…So let’s talk character creation.
Here’s where we get into some fun stuff with the system. Character creation is always a big deal! This game is no different and it’s got a pretty straightforward list of steps — but with a lot more nuance. I’m not going to get into the first two parts as those are pretty self-explanatory. They are still important and add a lot of the flavor to your character. However, what really I want to talk about is something that I found exciting and new for the Arkham Horror universe in terms of archetypes.
Edge Studio has added a few more archetypes to the Arkham Horror Universe and I’m really glad they did it! We still have the classic Guardian, Rogue, Mystic, Seeker, and Survivor. But they have added three new classes or archetypes: Adventurer, Believer, and Hunter. Above is an example of the Adventurer from their website. It reads like a blend between Guardian and Seeker. Believers remind me of a hybrid of Mystic and Seeker. Where as Hunters are definitely Guardians in terms of combat but with some Survivor mixed in.
I’m being generous with those descriptions and a lot of how you end up playing them will come down to how you build them. What really separates each archetype is their available skills and knacks they have access to. As the characters level up, they get access to new Knacks. They can also improve their base skills so that they have better odds of success with those types of checks. But trust me when I say that the Knacks are where it’s at for these archetypes. They add some really cool flavor to the characters and game. Oh…and of course there’s multi-classing, too.
Now, I could absolutely go on about how I think these additional classes are the bee’s knees. But we still have a LOT of ground to cover. But I will say that I probably spent the most time in this section. As a big fan of the LCG for Arkham Horror, I could absolutely see these new archetypes as the “blended” decks for characters in the game. I just think this is a really great addition to the universe overall.
Equipment And Relics In Arkham Horror
The Core Rulebook has a BUNCH of cool gear to snag and use. Obviously, there’s going to be a Tommy Gun so I had to show that off above. This also showcases how weapons work in the game as well as the costs of equipment. And yes, most equipment does have a cost in dollars and income/money can be a resource that the GM can leverage in the game — it’s part of character creation. That said there’s a bunch of time period appropriate equipment you can shop for here.
Aside from the more mundane items there are of course more …interesting options. It wouldn’t be Arkham Horror without a little magic in the mix! There’s special relic items as well as tomes to read — if you dare.
Obviously these relics and tomes offer up some rather powerful and McGuffin levels of fun for your games. There’s loads of iconic items from the Arkham Horror Universe in these pages with rules to play with, too.
Arkham In Arkham Horror
Chapter 5 covers the locations of Arkham itself. This section is probably the section where I spend the second most amount of time. I’m a bit of a lore junkie so reading up on not just Arkham but also the neighboring areas was great. I really liked the way this section added more context to the areas I had read about in the books previous. Or areas I had encountered in the card game.
While Arkham does have a map, the rest of the sections have artwork as well as info on the area. This is going to be a potent resource for GMs as they paint the picture of where the adventures are taking place.
If you’re just a fan of Arkham Horror and the history/lore this book has a TON of it in this section as well as the Ancient Ones chapter. If you just want to explore the setting by yourself these are fun reads all on their own.
Game Master Resources
From here on out these sections are more geared for the GM running the game. There minor spoilers ahead so consider this your spoiler warning.
I’m going to blaze through this stuff fairly quick. That said, I did want to call out some of the neat stuff this Core Rulebook has for the GMs specifically. The entirety of Chapter 6 is dedicated to resources the GM can use and tips on how to plan and run your games. It’s also got more tips on making sure you and your players are playing in a fun and safe environment. Some of themes and subjects of Arkham Horror can be, well, horrible. Fear of the unknown and cosmic terror are woven in the essence of the mythos. So it’s probably a good idea to check with your players before hand to ensure you all know what you’re in for.
The Ancient Ones section is exactly what you think it is. It covers all the major players and some of them even come with mind-bending artwork, too. If you’re just a Lovecraft lore junkie (like me) this section is amazing and worth spending more time in.
The Allies and Enemies section introduces a bunch of generic NPCs your players can encounter. There’s friends and foes alike in this section and even some named characters, too. I like that each NPC also has a die pool as well as stats, skills/knacks, and equipment. These are perfect to pull out to use in your games or if you want to use them as templates for other NPCs.
The final section is the adventure “Terror at the Tick-Tock Club” and it’s a good intro for both GMs and players. Personally, I’d use this a template to create my own adventures if I was just getting started. Between this and the Starter Box, you’ll have tons of examples of how to plan, write, and run an Arkham Horror RPG session and campaign.
Well if you’re still here you can probably guess how I feel about this one by now: I highly recommend it! Arkham Horror: The RPG not just a fantastic setting but the core mechanics of the game are easy enough to get into as well. Now, I’m totally biased for this one because I’m a sucker for Arkham Horror. But I’m also pretty picky about my RPG systems. If the mechanics are too clunky or crunchy I’m out. But I also don’t want something that’s devoid of dice either. This system has enough complexity and resource management to be interesting without getting in the way of the story. And the setting really sells it for me.
The Arkham Horror: The Roleplay Game Core Rulebook is current up for pre-order and will be in stores on November 22, 2024.
Arkham Horror RPG Core Rulebook $49.99
It is the height of the Roaring 20s, and the world has gone mad. Dive into the glamour, danger, and mystery of Arkham Horror in this brand-new roleplaying game! With intuitive, exciting mechanics enabling tough choices and immersive storytelling, all you need is this book and a handful of six-sided dice to start telling stories with your friends! Become one of the few investigators brave and resolute enough to step into the shadows behind our normal world and face the crawling horrors beyond. If you fail, your sanity will be shattered and your body consumed by eldritch forces. But if you succeed, you just might save the world from total destruction!
I’m SO in on this one.
