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6. Create Headline DeckW E HAVENO ON E TOBLAM E BUT OU RSELVESOpinion: Ourthis path New choices have placed us oncivic engagem Advertiser deseentrves its share of requiredblameby Doyle Jefferies,editor in chief.Arkham, Mass.HeadlinePlace twounless you gaindoom in your spacea dark pactcondition.(If you are ina street space,place thedoom in an adjacent neigspace instead.) hborhood1Headline CardsShuffle the headline cards and deal 13 of them into a facedown deck. These 13 cardsare the headline deck. Return the other headline cards to the game box.7. Prepare Assets and DisplaySeparately shuffle the item cards, ally cards, and spell cards to form three decks andplace them in the play area. Keep the special cards and condition cards sorted andplace them off to the side (see the sidebar for more information).Take the top five cards of the item deck and place them in a faceup row next to theitem deck. This row of cards is called the display. The items in the display can begained or bought by having encounters during the game. Certain locations—suchas the general store—allow you to buy items from the display by spending money.326BlessedCond itionWhile resolvingand 6s count a test, 4s, 5s,as successes.After you fail a test,discard this card.If you wouldbecome cursediscard this card,d instead.Special cards can be items, allies, spells,or talents, but all share the same cardback shown above. Conditions aredouble-sided. You will be instructed tofind specific special or condition cardsby name, so keep each deck organizedalphabetically.38 RevolverAlliesSpells3Item — Common WeaponAction: An investigator orally in your space recovers onehealth. (You are an investigatorin your space.)You get 5 as partof an attack action.ItemsEach 6 you roll as partof an attack action countsas two successes.The DisplaySeparate all tokens by type and keep them nearby for easy access along with the dice.Horror TokensFocus TokensMoney TokensDéjà VuThe day dawns thecolor of hamwith a stillnessAnomAliesand chill tha mered lead ,gabledt settroofs ofles overgo through you Arkham and lingers. As theyour morning rouPeople walk with theirshakheadsdown, shoulderstinee thefeelof having don , you cannothunched.With each new oddity,it ingbecomese breakfase it before— theeakto pretend thatsamt, er warning of disappearaes in thethe n,gs-onces andAndains dra creatures,a note, in youof inhumantheyingaren.notsomethingshut, curtthe streetsreadr handwritin oddWindows are s hurthatDaelong.ry throg,moncanughbe ignored atleast,“Thnote forsinisterlocked. Citizen over their shoulders. A at the train station .” Sultan approaches. Meetcasting glances in the city, lurking on theAsersow.gathshadaseyunehastthreedoom or ain ever a spaces reacWheninpooling Whentheandremaltopsareaniroofthree or morehas ascentotalof five doom,andpeopleneighborhoodarioclues onsheet, add cardlashing outdread mounts, ways, placeinthatfleeinganoranomaly(Do4 to the codex.thenotneighborhood.remove thisunpredictable them . And with each new Onadditionalwoulde be placed incard from the codex.)Ancientat those around andIfviolence, the dooma neighborhood with an anomaly, placeoutbreak of fearr. that doom on the scenario sheet instead.When theregrows strongeis three or moscenre doom onarioIf you wouldresolveencounterinm, ansheet, flipthethis card.r or more doowithfouneighborhoodan anomaly, youthat space.If a space hasadoom fromeerthreresolveananomalyinstead.othremovem in each encounterdoooneeoneplacThenrhood andhboWhena neighborhoodhas zeroneigtthainspacesheet.the anomaly from thatdoom,removescenariodoom on theneighborhood.1Each archive card has a number inthe top-left corner of the front of thecard. Because archive cards can have32many different appearances, thesecard1 to identifynumbers are the best wayarchive cards.The side of the card with the number inthe top-left corner is the front.6ShotgunItem — CommonYou get 2 as partof an attack action.8. Prepare Token PoolsDamage Tokens2First Aid KitItem — Common WeaponRemnant TokensClue/Doom Tokens9. Prepare the ArchiveThe archive is a collection of cards that are used by scenarios to create an evolvingnarrative during the game. Archive cards have an assortment of different fronts andbacks, but all share a large card number in the top-left corner of the card. Keep allarchive cards in a single stack in numerical order until you are instructed to use them.

10. Choose Investigator(s)Each player chooses one of the investigator sheets. There are many investigators,and each one has unique abilities and skills.Investigator RolesEach player takes their respective investigator token (inserted into a plastic stand),one activation token, and one reference card. As a group, choose one player to be theleader. That player takes the leader activation token (the one with the flashlight onit) as their activation token. Players are hereafter referred to as “investigators.”Each investigator has one or two rolesdescribed on the back of their sheet. Theseroles offer advice about the strengths andeffective strategies for that investigator andhave no mechanical effect.dan iela reyesT h e M eChan iCLove For the Job—After you perform agather resources action, you may focusone skill of your choice.“You got a job that needs doing,I’m your girl.”Player actionsYou can perform each action no morethan once per round.Move up to two spaces. Spend up to 2 to move that many additional spaces.Resources: Gain 1.Focus one skill of your choice. Ward: Test to remove doom equal to yourtest result from your space. If you remove twoor more, you gain one remnant. *Attack: Engage one monster in your space.Test to deal damage equal to your testresult (the number of successes rolled). *Evade: Test to disengage and exhaustmonsters equal to your test result. If youevade all, perform one additional action. Research: Test to place clues equal toyour test result on the scenario sheet. Trade: Exchange any number of possessionswith other investigators in your space. Some components have Actions: on them. Move: GatherWe recommend choosing at least onemystic and one guardian for your firstgame, but feel free to experiment and havefun with different combinations! *Focus:Focus Limit: 37331335LoreInfluenceObservationStrength*While engaged with a monster, youcan only focus, attack, or evade.WillStarting Possessions—Each investigator gains the cards and money tokensindicated in the “Starting Possessions” section on the back of their sheet.Investigator starting cards are easily identified by that investigator’s portrait on theback of the card (see sidebar). Some investigators must choose between two or moreof their possessions. You may review your options before making a decision. Returnthe unchosen cards and all unused investigator starting cards to the game box.Starting Space—Place all of the investigator tokens in the starting space indicatedon the scenario sheet. The starting space for the “Approach of Azathoth” scenario isthe Train Station in Northside.rCalvin Wright Da niela ReyesAgnes BasskeThe HauntedTheThe Wa itreMecha nicAn investigator’s starting cards featuretheir character portrait, name, andoccupation on the back of the card.11. Final PreparationsWith everything in place, all that remains is to set up the clues and doom that awaitthe investigators in the coming story.Spawn Starting Clues—Draw the top three cards of the event deck one at atime. For each card, place one clue token in the central area of its correspondingneighborhood tile. Then, add that card to its corresponding neighborhood deck bytaking the top two cards of that deck, shuffling all three cards together, and placingthem on top of that deck.Place Starting Doom—Place one doom token on each space indicated on the backof the scenario sheet. (For “Approach of Azathoth,” these are Arkham Advertiser,Independence Square, Velma’s Diner, the Unvisited Isle, and the Black Cave.)Spread Doom Once—Draw the bottom card of the event deck and discard itfaceup next to the deck. Place one doom token in each space that has a doom iconnext to its name on the card (see sidebar).Final Scenario Setup—Resolve any effects in the “Finalize Setup” section on theback of the scenario sheet. (For “Approach of Azathoth,” take cards #2 and #3 fromthe archive and place them faceup next to the scenario sheet; this area is known asthe codex. Create the anomaly deck by shuffling the “Temporal Fissure” anomalycards together and placing them in the play area. Return all other anomaly cards tothe game box.) Cards in the codex provide scenario-specific rules and narrative.The codex is explained in detail later. For now, read those cards aloud in order,starting with the front of card #2 (the side with the number on it). Hibb’s RoadhouseThe liquor and conversation in the roadhousework wonders for your weary mind. You or an allyrecovers two sanity. You hear a distinct clackingsound and look around for the source ( ). If youpass, you see a figure with cloven hooves slip out thedoor; yougain Nextone cluetofromyour neighborhood.DoomIcon“Hibb’sRoadhouse”Police Station“They’re a strange lot,” says Sheriff Engle. “Werounded ‘em up by the river.” You interrogate therobed figures in the holding cell ( ). If you pass,they won’t talk, but you notice a symbol on theirrobes, a swirling ribbon threaded through a circle;you gain one clue from your neighborhood.TemporalFissure 0-1A one-armeduniform rattlesbeggar in a dirty silver milimoon. You mayhis tin at you and babblestarycup. If you do, spend 2 to drop a few about thecoins in hisMoon” that “herhe warns you about the “Neone doom from alds the Daemon Sultan;” mesisremany space in your neighborhoooved.Velma’s Diner“Slice of pie, hon?” offers Velma. You or an allyrecovers two health. Velma returns a moment later. 2“Slice of pie, hon?” YouYoumayspend 1 to orderr vision blurburn. You clut s. Buildings fall. Cities quach your headin a loopkeuntilanother. If you do, theyoueventrepeatsand refocus ( ) andpass, it all. Ifremove one doovanishes like evaporating dewm; youfromyou leave; you or an allyrecoverstwohealthandyour space. Ifbodies fall throyou fail,ughsea worsen; you space and your headacheyou gain one clue fromnauyourneighborhood.andsuffer one horror. 3You learn fascinating and helpansecrets, theremove three of the universe to you; youbookone remnant. doom from your space andwriting are hauIf you fail, the messages in gainthenting; you become cursed.obscure bookful( –2). If you things fromEvent Encounter (Approach ofwhiAzathoth)sperspass1An Anomaly Encounter Card71/24

Playing the GameArkham Horror is played over a number of rounds; each round consists of four phases:Tracking Your TurnsDuring the action phase and encounterphase, investigators can take their turnsin any order.After you perform your two actions, flipyour token to its inactive side.1. Action Phase—During the action phase, investigators take turns performing upto two actions each (such as moving or attacking monsters).2. Monster Phase—During the monster phase, monsters activate, attackinvestigators they are engaged with, or ready if they were previously exhausted.3. Encounter Phase—During the encounter phase, investigators take turnsresolving an encounter. Each encounter tells a short narrative about what theinvestigator experiences in their location.4. Mythos Phase—During the mythos phase, each investigator draws two tokensthat can cause clues, monsters, and doom to spread across Arkham.ActiveInactiveAfter you resolve your encounter, flipyour token back to the active side.After the mythos phase, the game continues to a new round starting again withthe action phase. Each phase is described in more detail on the following pages.Winning the GameAt the start of the game, it is not obvious how you win. You should begin byinvestigating every lead and studying the clues to unravel the scenario’s mystery anddiscover a way to fight back against the encroaching doom.The CodexThe codex is the collection of cardsplaced in thearea next to theéjà Vu3 Dplayscenario sheet. These cards add scenarioThe day dawns the color of hammered lead,specificrulestheovergame.with agoalsstillnessandand chillthattosettlestheof ArkhamAs youuntilRulesgabledon roofsthesecards andarelingers.in effectgo through your morning routine, you cannotthe cardis removedfromcodex.shake thefeeling of havingdonetheit before—thesame breakfast, the same headlines in thenewspaper warning of disappearances and oddgoings-on. And a note, in your handwriting,reading “The Daemon Sultan approaches. Meetat the train station.”When there are three or more clues on thescenario sheet, add card 4 to the codex.(Do not remove this card from the codex.)When there is three or more doom on thescenario sheet, flip this card.Many cards show a number of clues youneed to research or a number of doom3you want to prevent from being placed.These show a clue or doom token next tothe text to help you quickly spot them.8The cards in the codex (see sidebar) provide you with objectives that help youprogress the scenario. The first objective in “Approach of Azathoth” on card #3 isto have three clues on the scenario sheet. After you complete your first objective, acard is added to the codex that provides you with a new objective. Continuing tocomplete these objectives eventually leads you to victory.Researching CluesThe “Approach of Azathoth” scenario begins with three clues that are spreadthroughout neighborhoods on the board. By moving to any spaces in thoseneighborhoods and having encounters (which you will learn about later), you areable to gather those clues. However, it may take a few encounters to find them.After gathering the clues, use the research action (which you will also learn aboutlater) to research your findings. This is how you place the clues you gathered ontothe scenario sheet to make progress toward your first goal.Warding DoomThe cards in the codex also have conditions under which the eldritch forces workingagainst you can hinder your progress. In “Approach to Azathoth,” card #3 is flippedover if there are ever three or more doom on the scenario sheet. You can remove doomfrom the board to prevent this by using the ward action (which is described later).You must not become too obsessed with your investigation because if doom is leftunchecked, it can spread across Arkham and quickly overwhelm the entire city,causing you to lose the game. Balancing your approach of researching clues toachieve your goals while also warding off doom is your key to saving Arkham fromultimate peril!

Core ConceptsBefore you learn more about the phases of the game, it is important that youunderstand some core concepts that are commonly referenced throughout the game.Skill TestsA skill test (or “test”) represents a physical, mental, or social challenge you are facing.Cards instruct you to resolve tests, either by directly instructing you to or by simplyshowing a skill icon in parentheses (as shown in the first sentence of the sidebar).To resolve a test, roll a number of dice equal to the value shown next to the skillon your investigator sheet. This value can be modified up or down by various gameeffects, or by a test modifier next to the test declaration (such as “–1”). Even if themodifier reduces your skill value to zero, you roll a minimum of one die.Each five or six you roll is a success. If you roll at least one success, you pass thetest. If you roll zero successes, you fail the test. The total number of successes yourolled is called your test result, which may be referenced by effects on the card.After passing or failing a test, follow the card’s instructions for the matching result.If a matching results is not listed, the card has no further effect.Modifying TestsSome components allow you to reroll dice, manipulate dice, or directly addsuccesses to your test result. For example, you can spend a clue token or focustoken to reroll one die. These occur after your initial roll but before your finalresult is determined.Damage and HorrorBoth your physical and mental endurance will be challenged on the streets ofArkham. When you suffer damage or horror, place that many damage or horrortokens on your investigator sheet, respectively.Your investigator sheet shows your health and sanity values (see sidebar). If youhave damage greater than or equal to your health or horror greater than or equal toyour sanity, you are defeated.When you recover health or sanity, you remove that many damage or horror tokensfrom your sheet, respectively.Being DefeatedWhen you are defeated, remove your investigator token from the board and discardall of your cards and tokens.Not only do you lose your investigator and equipment, the city of Arkham suffersas well. When you are defeated, you must place one doom on the scenario sheet.You will need to select a new investigator to control. Return your defeatedinvestigator sheet and token to the box and choose a new investigator that has notbeen played yet during this game.As in setup, gather your new investigator sheet, investigator token, and uniquestarting possessions.After the mythos phase is over, place your investigator token at the starting space(the Train Station for “Approach of Azathoth”). You are ready to continue theinvestigation.Example TestDexter Drake is instructed to test lore( ). He has a lore of four, so he rolls fourdice and gets the following results.He has rolleda singlesuccess (the five).d exTerd rakeOne success is enough to pass the test,T h e M agiCianbut he was hoping for more.Magical Gift—Once per round, whileresolving a test, you may reroll one orall of your dice.“You don’t want to see real magic, kid.Nobody does.”Your focus limit is equal to the numberDexter’sof spellsmagicalyou have.gift ability allows himto reroll one or all of his dice. He doesn’twant to reroll the five, so he decides toreroll only one of the dice.57Lore4Influence3After2the reroll,Dexter has rolled both aObservationfive and a six, a total of two successes. Heiela r eyesStrengthhas passedtest.2 dthisanTMWill2Love For the Job—After you perform aheeChan iCgather resources action, you may focusone skill of your choice.Health“YouandSanitygot a jobthat needs doing,I’m your girl.”Your health and sanity values are shownon your investigator sheet.Focus Limit: 375Lore3SanityInfluenceTo recoverand sanity, try having3 healthencounters at locations with iconsmatchingon your sheet, such as1 thoseObservationVelma’s Diner.Strength3Will3HealthWhile DefeatedBetween your old investigator beingdefeated and your new one being placed,you do not have encounters and areunaffected by headline cards; you stilldraw two mythos tokens during themythos phase as normal. (The mythosphase is explained later.)9

Action PhaseMap SpacesEach neighborhood tile features threespaces (locations) that are separatedby white lines. The central area of aneighborhood tile is not a space; youcannot move into it. Each street tile is asingle space.During the action phase, investigators move around the city, gathering resourcesand fighting off the encroaching evils. Each investigator takes on

The Rules Reference contains the complete rules of the game and addresses all exceptions that are not addressed here. Questions that arise during play are best answered by the Rules Reference. Sidebars Sidebars like this one appear throughout this booklet to provide context for rules,