Overview

Arkham Horror is a cooperative adventure board game designed by Richard Launius and published by Chaosium in 1987. Set in H.P. Lovecraft’s fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts in 1926, players take on the roles of investigators trying to prevent an Ancient One from breaking through into our world. The game is based on Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game and takes place in the Cthulhu Mythos universe. It won the Origins Award for “Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1987.”

Components

• Board map of the town of Arkham
• 99 playing cards (events, items, spells, encounters)
• 50 monster counters
• Two 4-page investigator rules sheets
• 8 investigator cards (pre-generated characters)
• 8 investigator pawns
• Various markers (Doom Track, gate markers, clue tokens)
• Dice

Setup

1. Place the Arkham board map in the center of the table.
2. Each player selects one of the 8 investigator cards, taking the corresponding pawn.
3. Set each investigator’s starting Strength Points and Sanity Points as indicated on their card.
4. Equip investigators with any starting items, spells, or abilities listed on their cards.
5. Set the Doom Track to its starting position.
6. Shuffle the card decks and place them in their designated areas.
7. Place initial gate and monster markers as specified.
8. Place investigator pawns at their starting locations in Arkham.

Turn Structure

Each turn represents a period of investigation in Arkham:

1. Movement phase: Players roll dice to determine how far they can move their investigator across the Arkham board.
2. Encounter phase: Investigators at locations draw encounter cards or interact with the location’s features (shops, institutions, etc.).
3. Mythos phase: A new gate opens at a random location, and a new monster appears. The Doom Track advances by one.
4. Monster movement: Monsters on the board may move toward investigators.
5. Combat/Evasion: Investigators in the same location as monsters must fight or evade them.

Actions

Investigation

• Visit locations around Arkham to acquire items, spells, weapons, and allies.
• Locations include shops, the university, the hospital, and various Arkham landmarks.
• Encounter cards provide narrative events with skill checks and rewards or penalties.

Combat

• When encountering a monster, investigators can fight or attempt to sneak past.
• Combat uses the Fight statistic and dice rolls.
• Sneaking uses the Sneak statistic.
• Taking damage reduces Strength Points; encountering horrors reduces Sanity Points.
• If either reaches zero, the investigator is incapacitated (sent to the hospital or asylum).

Gate Exploration

• Gates to Other Worlds open at locations across Arkham.
• An investigator can enter a gate, traveling to an Other World.
• In the Other World, the investigator must survive two encounters (taking two turns).
• Upon returning to Arkham, the investigator can attempt to close and seal the gate.
• Closing a gate requires a successful skill check.
• Each closed gate reduces the Doom Track by one.

Using Items and Spells

• Investigators can use items and spells acquired during the game.
• Weapons improve combat effectiveness.
• Spells provide powerful but risky effects (some cost Sanity).
• Clue tokens can be spent to add bonus dice to skill checks.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Victory: Players win cooperatively by closing all gates currently on the board. Sealing gates permanently prevents new gates from opening at that location.

Defeat: If the Doom Track reaches its end, the Ancient One awakens and breaks through into Arkham. In the 1987 first edition, this immediately ends the game — all players lose. (Note: the later 2005 Fantasy Flight Games edition added a final battle mechanic; the original Chaosium edition does not have this.)

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Cooperative game: All players work together against the game system. There is no player-vs-player competition.
• Doom Track: Each turn a new gate opens and the Doom Track advances. Players are racing against this timer.
• Sanity loss: Encountering Lovecraftian horrors reduces Sanity Points. At zero sanity, the investigator is committed to the asylum and loses items/spells.
• Strength loss: Physical damage reduces Strength Points. At zero strength, the investigator is hospitalized.
• No final battle: Unlike the 2005 FFG edition, the 1987 Chaosium edition ends in automatic defeat if the Ancient One awakens — there is no last-stand combat.
• Solitaire capable: The game can be played solo by controlling one or more investigators.
• Gate sealing: Permanently sealing a gate (not just closing it) prevents future gates at that location, which is critical for winning.
• Origins Award winner: Won “Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1987.”

Player Reference

Investigator Stat	Type	Description
Fast Talk	Static	Social interaction skill
Fight	Static	Combat ability
Knowledge	Static	Lore and research skill
Sneak	Static	Evasion and stealth
Strength Points	Variable	Physical health (0 = hospitalized)
Sanity Points	Variable	Mental health (0 = asylum)

Win condition: Close all open gates on the board Lose condition: Doom Track reaches its end (Ancient One awakens) Key strategy: Balance between acquiring equipment and closing gates before doom advances too far