Overview

Arkham Express is a cooperative print-and-play dice game for 1-4 players set in the Lovecraftian Arkham Horror universe. Players work together to gather clues, kill monsters, close gates, and ultimately defeat Cthulhu. Each player controls a character with a unique special ability. The game distills the Arkham Horror experience into a quick, dice-driven format.

Components

• Game board (print-and-play: map of Arkham with locations)
• 5 custom dice (with symbols: Movement, Clue, Combat, Heal, Monster, and Wild)
• Character sheets (each with a unique special ability)
• Gate tokens
• Monster tokens
• Clue tokens
• Player pawns

Setup

1. Place the game board in the center.
2. Each player selects a character and takes the matching pawn and character sheet.
3. Place starting gates and monsters on the board as indicated.
4. Place player pawns at their starting locations.

Turn Structure

On your turn:

1. Roll all 5 dice.
2. Lock Monster dice: Any dice showing the Monster symbol are locked and cannot be re-rolled.
3. Re-roll: You may re-roll any unlocked dice up to 3 additional times (4 total rolls).
4. Resolve dice: Use the symbols rolled to perform actions.
5. Check for gate opening: If 3 or more Monster symbols are showing after any roll, a new gate opens and a monster appears.

Actions

Movement (Movement symbols): Move your pawn to an adjacent location on the board. Each movement symbol moves you one space.

Gather Clues (Clue symbols): Collect clue tokens at your current location. Clues are used to close gates.

Combat (Combat symbols): Fight monsters at your current location. Each combat symbol deals damage to a monster. Monsters require a certain number of combat symbols to defeat.

Heal (Heal symbols): Restore health/sanity to yourself or another player at the same location.

Close Gates: Spend collected clue tokens to close an open gate at your location. Closing a gate earns the team progress toward victory.

Monster Symbol: Locked when rolled. If 3 Monster symbols appear, a gate opens with a monster.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win: Players win by closing 6 gates and then defeating the Great Old One (Cthulhu) in a final battle.

Lose: Players lose if:

• 6 gates are open simultaneously on the board.
• Any player is eliminated (reduced to 0 health/sanity with no way to heal).
• The Great Old One awakens before players are ready.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Character Abilities: Each character has a unique special ability that modifies dice or provides bonus actions (e.g., extra re-rolls, bonus movement, combat bonuses).
• Monster Dice Lock: Monster symbols cannot be re-rolled once they appear. This creates escalating tension as more dice get locked.
• Cooperative Play: Players should coordinate movement and clue-gathering to efficiently close gates.
• Gate Surge: If a new gate would open on a location that already has a gate, a monster surge occurs, placing additional monsters.
• Solo Mode: One player controls a single character. The game is fully soloable.
• Print-and-Play: This is a fan-designed print-and-play game, not a commercial release.

Player Reference

Dice Symbol	Effect
Movement	Move 1 space
Clue	Collect 1 clue token
Combat	Deal 1 damage to monster
Heal	Restore 1 health/sanity
Monster	Locked; 3 = gate opens
Wild	Use as any symbol

Victory	Close 6 gates, defeat Cthulhu
Defeat	6 gates open, or player eliminated