Troisdome: Arkham Horror VS Elder Sign VS Arkham LCG

@Shellhead: I don't think it plays like PATHFINDER GENERICALLY NAMED ADVENTURE CARD GAME much. I have only played the LCG once thus far, but it's far enough different that I wasn't thinking of PGNACG at all when playing. I like it, but don't think I need to get nuts with the expansions.

Listen to all you shitheads crying about ARKHAM HORROR. Jesus. What a bunch of pissy babies. Do you all find ELDRITCH HORROR easy to set up?! It's like the exact same except there are fewer cards in each pile. At least the cardbacks look distinct for AH locations and not just the "mottled green with red tentacles I think" motif on like half the EH decks.

ARKHAM is also "open" enough from a rules perspective that you can do interesting things and maintain the play and difficulty at whatever level you see fit. I have worked on rules for simultaneous AH games with one in the present day and one in the 1920s with gates/rifts letting players get from one to the other (ie, switching tables). The way the game is structured allows for this and I don't think EH could as easily handle this given its focus on, essentially, solving rumors to advance/win.

Everyone dismissing it so thoroughly seems out of place for this crowd.

//edit
The red stuff above is dickish, and I apologize for it. Here more than anywhere else, we should appreciate folks playing what they like in the way they like it. I lost the thread.

We don't often get the chance to compare a board, dice, and card game version of the exact same setting (Arkham Files) that have also all been out long enough for people to have played them and they've all been developed with a bunch of expansions. Seemed pointless to include 2 board game versions when one of them is a reimplementation of the other. Also I ran out of room in the subject line.

Josh Look wrote: It’s 2018. Why are we still talking about Elder Sign? Why Elder Sign and not the excellent Eldritch Horror?

Partly because Elder Sign is well supported by FFG. A new expansion was released just a few weeks ago (Omens of the Pharaoh).

I wouldn't pick Elder Sign over Eldritch Horror, but ES is still a favorite - and is definitely shorter. Or it should be, anyway. Of course, ES should never be played with more than 4 players. And 2-3 is preferred.

And for people still complaining that ES is too easy, you should play Omens of Ice or the aforementioned Pharaoh release. Plus, as a twist, the Omens releases are more cooperative (you can purchase cards for other players, e.g.), which is nice.

Vote: Eldritch Horror w/ all small deck expansions (no big ones).

P.S. I never play EH expecting to win. Ever. For me it's a carnival ride with fun, goofy stories, blinding light effects, and partial nudity. If we accidentally win that's just gravy. Reminder: If players are reading their own encounter cards (silently or out loud), they're playing one of the worst games ever. That's a fixable problem.

wkover wrote: P.S. I never play EH expecting to win. Ever. For me it's a carnival ride with fun, goofy stories and blinding light effects. If we accidentally win that's just gravy. And to restate the obvious, if players are reading their own encounter cards (silently or out loud) they're playing one of the worst games ever.

This is true--when we play AH, you never read your own cards, and any tests are offered without context, so you don't know the stakes involved if you pass/fail. You have to make a call as to how important it is to pass that Sneak check in Lost Carcosa--would failing just reveal a monster you could easily best? Or would it make you Lost In Time And Space and fuck up all our plans? Should you spend that Clue token or not?

Shellhead wrote: I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the cost of the Arkham LCG. For a game with scenarios with limited replay value, it seems structured like a conveyor belt that delivers money to the Asmodee/FFG bank account.

I did.

Jeb is right, setting up Eldritch Horror is almost as difficult at setting up Arkham Horror. And to be honest, it wasn't that difficult when I played it after years of hiatus this fall.

And yes, AH maybe had its time, but it is still the best adventure game made. What it lacks in big arching story, it makes up for in little stories that somehow connects and more often than not create a wonderful narrative. And a major reason for that is that Arkham feels like an actual place where you can go on adventures, meet people, discover terrible secrets about yourself, and defeat horrors from beyond. Eldritch horror lacks that. Oh, it's in some ways a better game - the conditions are especially wonderful - but not a better experience. EH doesn't feel like it's taking place in a real place. Part of that is because of scope, but the utter blandness of the boards also helps.

The living card game is also a fantastic game, especially if you like stories in your gams. And I like how you don't have to do excessive deck building in order to win as you did with Lord of the Rings. I've only played the base campaign so far, but as I play more (and I most likely will) I might change my mind, but for now my vote goes to ARKHAM HORROR:

I Plano box everything. Setting up Eldritch Horror isn’t much more difficult to set up than most other games I’m going to be playing for that amount of time.

Jeb, the openness of AH doesn’t mean shit when it still a tedious chore to play and outright bad in more areas than is acceptable. It’s always going to be a situation where it gets easier once you start doing well and it’s going to get harder once you start doing poorly. Oh, and you probably had very little control over that happening WOW WHAT A GOOD TIME WE’RE HAVING. “But Josh Look, if you add Dunwich, you can have the difficulty ramp back up after you start sealing gates!” Awesome, just what I want, this potentially difficult to achieve accomplishment I made to be undone by a random card draw! Yeah! Awesome! Good times! Let’s add more time to this utter shit game!

Sorry for not fitting in with “This Place.” Ameritrash is dead anyway. Good fucking riddance.

Josh Look wrote: Sorry for not fitting in with “This Place.” Ameritrash is dead anyway. Good fucking riddance.

Ugh, I fucked up again. Sorry all, I am in a tough spot these last few months and it shits out over me and anyone around from time to time. Josh, I apologize, it was an uncool thing to say, and I can't even say I believe it. This place has always been more about thoughtful, heartfelt comments than any kind of groupthink about what is or isn't a decent game* or time to have with friends. I need to be better at thinking before typing.

*(barring REEF FUCKING ENCOUNTER).

Dammit, jeb, you can't apologize in the Dome!

No fighting in the War Room,
No sex in the Champagne Room,
And no apologizing in Trash Dome.

A piece laid is a piece played.

Josh Look wrote: Ameritrash is dead anyway.

Now, that's just jibba jabba.

Jeb, no offense was taken on my end. No need to apologize. Sorry you’re having a rough go of things, I’m having the worst fucking time of my life right now. If you ever need someone to be miserable with, you know where to find me.

I stand by the statement about Ameritrash being dead. Been dead for awhile. We’ve got hybrids now and we’re all better for it.

Josh Look wrote: Jeb, no offense was taken on my end. No need to apologize. Sorry you’re having a rough go of things, I’m having the worst fucking time of my life right now. If you ever need someone to be miserable with, you know where to find me.

I stand by the statement about Ameritrash being dead. Been dead for awhile. We’ve got hybrids now and we’re all better for it.

What is dead may never die

Arkham Horror (4) / Eldritch Horror (3)
Shellhead
SuperflyTNT
edulis
jeb
Southernman
wkover
mads. b

Elder Sign (1)
hotseatgames

Arkham Horror LCG (5)
repoman
drewcula
Jackwraith
Michael Barnes
Josh Look


WINNER: Arkham Horror board game.

LCG put up a valiant fight but it just wasn't enough. Elder Sign was crushed. By this I can declare the following.
Board Games > Card Games > Dice Games