Announcing the Release of the Arkham Grimoire 

Greetings, investigators! 

After digging through the long-forgotten archives of Orne Library, the Arkham Horror LCG design team is pleased to present the Arkham Grimoire. This is a collection of guidelines, player aids, and comprehensive rulings that aims to cover all known situations in the game. The Grimoire contains detailed information pertaining to advanced topics such as the interpretation of card text, the resolution of timing conflicts, frequently asked questions, and all keywords and other rules in the game. It will be maintained online and updated regularly as new cards are introduced and new interactions are discovered. The previous Chapter 1 Rules Reference and FAQ will remain online for legacy content, but the Arkham Grimoire is intended to be the definitive resource for all current and future rules clarifications, FAQs, and other reference materials.

The first part of the Grimoire contains an extensive glossary with various terms, rules, and keywords. It is followed by detailed timing charts for setup and gameplay, along with diagrams for card anatomy and each cardtype. Expanded rules for campaign play and deck customization can also be found here, along with rules for standalone play. 

The back half of the Grimoire contains several familiar sections from the Chapter 1 FAQ. Here, players can find a list of errata and card clarifications, frequently asked questions, and references for set (and now scenario) icons. A number of previous clarifications and/or rulings from the old Chapter 1 FAQ have also been incorporated as official rules in Chapter 2. 

This section also contains the new list of “modified reprints.” Longtime players may recognize a handful of player cards that have returned to the cardpool from Chapter 1 products, some of which are now sporting modified and/or tweaked abilities. Some of these changes were made in the interest of rebalancing certain cardtypes, such as with Melee weapons like Machete. Others, such as core skill cards like Perception or Manual Dexterity, have received new art and mechanical text that slightly changes the card’s function while retaining its classic identity. If players wish to play in the Legacy environment with both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 products, they cannot mix and match a reprint with its previous iteration; only one version of each of these cards may be used in a player’s deck. 

The Arkham Grimoire also presents official guidelines on how to play within the game’s Current, Limited, and Legacy environments. These environments determine the card pool from which players will assemble their decks and offer a variety of different play experiences for new and returning players alike to explore. A list of products that compose the Current environment can be found here, and this list will be updated regularly as new products are released. 

Finally, optional rules variants such as the Taboo List, Ultimatums, and Boons have been incorporated into the Grimoire as well. While the design team has not included any taboos in this initial release, this optional list will eventually include adjustments to card abilities and power levels as the game evolves and new, strange, and daemoniac harmonies emerge between cards in the current environment. 

Read Or Die 

With the Arkham Grimoire at your side, you will be equipped to take on any number of terrors, timing questions, card interactions, and unknown keywords. Happy investigating, and good luck! 

— The Arkham Horror LCG Design Team