Arkham Horror: The Card Game

ARKHAM HORROR: THE CARD GAME is a COOPERATIVE INVESTIGATION LIVING CARD GAME (LCG) published by FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES (2016) — designed by NATE FRENCH + MATT NEWMAN. Set in the H.P. LOVECRAFT-inspired ARKHAM HORROR FILES universe (shared with Eldritch Horror, Elder Sign, Mansions of Madness). 1-4 players (best at 1-2) play INVESTIGATORS solving occult mysteries across MULTI-SCENARIO CAMPAIGNS. HELD BGG TOP-10 SINCE 2018 — peaked #2; currently #5-8 in 2026. Considered THE BEST COOPERATIVE CARD GAME + THE BEST H.P. LOVECRAFT / CTHULHU MYTHOS GAME ever made. GAMEPLAY: Each player picks an INVESTIGATOR (Roland Banks the FBI Agent, Daisy Walker the Librarian, Skids O'Toole the Ex-Con, Agnes Baker the Waitress, Wendy Adams the Urchin, Ashcan Pete the Drifter — 30+ investigators released) with unique starting deck + signature cards + weaknesses. Build 30-card DECK from investigator's CLASS (Guardian, Seeker, Rogue, Mystic, Survivor + neutral). Play through SCENARIO (individual game) → CAMPAIGN (linked 6-12 scenario arc with persistent consequences). GAMEPLAY LOOP: Each scenario has ACT deck (player progression) + AGENDA deck (villain/doom progression) + ENCOUNTER deck (random terrors + enemies). Turn: (1) MYTHOS phase (advance doom, draw encounter card, enemies attack); (2) INVESTIGATION phase (players take 3 actions each: Move, Investigate location, Fight enemy, Evade enemy, Play card, Draw card, Gain resource); (3) ENEMY phase (enemies engage + attack); (4) UPKEEP (draw + refresh). CAMPAIGNS have branching narratives: choices in one scenario affect later scenarios (investigators may die permanently, mental trauma persists, cards added/removed from decks). SANITY + HEALTH TRACKED SEPARATELY — mental collapse from Cthulhu horror as scary as physical damage. CAMPAIGN LIBRARY (each = boxed set + 6 mythos packs): (a) NIGHT OF THE ZEALOT (core box, 3 scenarios); (b) DUNWICH LEGACY (2017, 8 scenarios); (c) PATH TO CARCOSA (2017-2018, 8 scenarios, considered greatest); (d) FORGOTTEN AGE (2018, 8 scenarios, jungle Mesoamerica); (e) CIRCLE UNDONE (2019, 8 scenarios, witch cult); (f) DREAM-EATERS (2019, 8 scenarios); (g) INNSMOUTH CONSPIRACY (2020, 8 scenarios, ocean horror); (h) EDGE OF THE EARTH (2021, 8 scenarios, Antarctica expedition); (i) SCARLET KEYS (2022, 8 scenarios, globetrotting spy noir); (j) FEAST OF HEMLOCK VALE (2023-2024, 8 scenarios); (k) DROWNED CITY (2024-2025, 8 scenarios, current). Plus RETURN TO series (revised original campaigns), PARALLEL investigators, STANDALONE scenarios. AWARDS: Golden Geek Best Cooperative Game 2017-2020; Origins Award 2017 Best Card Game; consistently top-10 on BoardGameGeek; considered a masterpiece of narrative game design. DIGITAL VERSION on iOS + Android via Fantasy Flight (2020+).

Each scenario: complete narrative objectives (defeat monster, gather clues, solve mystery). Campaign: track XP + narrative choices + investigator survival. No traditional VP.

Win condition · Complete scenario objectives (Act deck advances to resolution). Full campaign win = complete all scenarios with investigator surviving.

Modular card-based layout: LOCATION cards form the map (connected by movement), investigator play area (deck, hand, resources, damage, horror), scenario reference cards, encounter deck, act/agenda deck.

• Arkham Horror LCG Revised Core Set (2021)

  $60 USD; 5 investigators + Night of the Zealot 3-scenario campaign + all core cards

• Campaign expansion boxes ($60-80 each)

  Complete campaigns (8 scenarios) in single box (2020 onward)

• Individual investigator packs ($10-15 each)

  New investigators + signature cards

• Custom chaos tokens

  Included in core; drawn from bag for skill tests

• Damage + horror + resource tokens

  Included in core

• Card sleeves (competitive quality)

  $20-40; heavy shuffling wears cards

• ArkhamDB (arkhamdb.com) — deck-building site

  Free web tool; industry-standard

• Digital version (iOS/Android)

  $10-30; official FFG app

• Balance clue-hunters + fighters

  Multi-player teams need mix: Seeker for clues + Guardian for combat + Mystic for spells + Rogue for evade.

• Chaos bag math

  Track token distribution; know pass odds for skill tests.

• XP investment in signature cards

  Save XP for high-impact upgrades to signature/2-XP cards.

• Trauma minimization

  Physical + mental trauma persists across campaign — avoid heroics if not needed.

• Chaos token 'Auto-fail'

  The tentacle token always fails; plan around it.

• Campaign narrative choices

  Choices affect future scenarios; some 'evil' choices grant power at moral cost.

Investigator

Player character with unique starting deck + signature cards + weaknesses.

Class

Guardian / Seeker / Rogue / Mystic / Survivor — deck-building card pools.

Act deck

Player progression cards; complete to advance scenario.

Agenda deck

Villain progression; advances via time/doom; too far = defeat.

Encounter deck

Random terrors + enemies drawn each mythos phase.

Chaos bag

Token pool drawn from during skill tests; scenario/campaign difficulty adjustment.

Trauma

Physical/mental damage persisting between campaign scenarios.

Signature card

Investigator's unique 1-of-a-kind card.

Weakness

Investigator's mandatory 1-of drawback card.

XP

Experience points earned per scenario; spent on card upgrades.

• Golden Geek Best Cooperative Game 2017-2020

  annual · worldwide · since 2017

• Origins Award Best Card Game 2017

  once · USA · since 2017

• BGG Top-10 Ranked 2018-2026

  ongoing · worldwide · since 2018

• ArkhamDB deck-of-week features

  weekly · worldwide · since 2016

• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇬🇧United Kingdom
• 🇩🇪Germany
• 🇫🇷France
• 🇮🇹Italy
• 🇪🇸Spain
• 🇵🇱Poland
• 🇦🇺Australia
• 🇨🇦Canada
• 🇯🇵Japan
• 🇸🇪Sweden

• Fantasy Flight Games (publisher)

  Founded 1995 · Roseville, Minnesota, USA

• Asmodee (parent)

  Founded 1995 · France

• Fantasy Flight Games — Arkham Horror LCG— FFG
• BoardGameGeek — Arkham Horror LCG— BGG
• Wikipedia — Arkham Horror: The Card Game— Wikipedia
• ArkhamDB (community deck-building site)— ArkhamDB