The Next Chapter: Announcing Chapter Two of Arkham Horror: The Card Game

It’s been months since the calamity. The people of Arkham, Massachusetts slowly work to put their lives back together in the aftermath of Cthulhu’s rampage. Rivertown is still underwater, once-prominent leaders have fallen from grace, and much of the city remains in a state of ruin. Despite the upheaval, life goes on, and when a new wave of disappearances casts its shadow over this broken town, it’s up to a handful of determined investigators to solve the mystery before it’s too late.

The world has changed. The page has turned. And now, a new chapter awaits.

Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to announce a new core set for Arkham Horror: The Card Game!

Serving simultaneously as both a continuation and a fresh starting point, this new core set heralds the beginning of what we’re calling “Chapter Two” for the game. Taking place several months after where The Drowned City left off, this box provides a new introductory campaign, five mechanically new investigators, and a fresh card pool to expand your collection—or start a new one!

Note: This article is primarily geared toward existing fans of Arkham Horror: The Card Game. If you’re a newcomer who is looking to learn more about the game itself, we’ll provide that alongside an in-depth preview of the new core set at a later date, so stay tuned!

Okay, first things first, let’s address the elephant in the room…

Is This a New Edition?

Nope! This is the same Arkham Horror: The Card Game you know and love. If you’re a longtime fan of the game, you could almost think of this new core set as simply another expansion to add to your collection. You can mix and match the player cards from this box with everything that came before it and everything that will come after it; it’s all fully compatible because it’s all the same game!

That said, if you or your friends are completely new to the game, then this new core set serves as the perfect starting point for launching your Arkham Horror adventure. This core set will replace the Revised Core Set from 2021 and become the new evergreen core experience for the game going forward. This does mean that scenario content released after this core set will draw from the new core’s encounter sets rather than those of the 2016/2021 cores, so that will be something to keep in mind if you’re on the fence about taking the plunge.

So, What’s New About This Core Set?

In short, a lot! Even if you already own everything for the game, you’ll still want to pick up this new core set, since its contents are fairly different from the cores that came before. While there is a handful of familiar cards from the old core sets and/or previous expansions, the vast majority of player cards in here are completely new. Let’s take a quick peek at some of them!

For starters, let’s look at the Bodyguard (Core Set, 16). This sturdy Guardian ally can help protect more than just your own investigator, and he’s able to take a pot shot on his way out of play. Pair him with Resilience (Core Set, 21), and you’ll be able to keep your investigator in the fight for a long time.

On the Seeker side of things, we have the Local Map (Core Set, 33), a handy investigation tool that can also help move you around more quickly. Pair that with Sharp Rhetoric (Core Set, 35) and the classic Magnifying Glass (Core Set, 34), and your investigator will be able to gather clues like never before.

As for our dashing Rogues, the M1903 Hammerless (Core Set, 45) is a potent little pistol that lets you fight with your agility instead of your combat skill. This, naturally, combos well with the agility-boosting Olivier Bishop (Core Set, 46), who can also save you an action when you want to move to a connecting location.

Mystics, meanwhile, gain access to the Cloak of Resonance (Core Set, 58), which can not only offset the horror you take from your spells—such as the classic Ward of Protection (Core Set, 65)—but also let you deal a bit of damage on the side. With Cosmic Flame (Core Set, 59) letting you wield your willpower in a fight, you can match the mysterious powers of the Mythos with some arcane forces of your own.

Finally, the Survivors welcome the addition of Aleksey Saburov (Core Set, 72) to their roster of allies. With the ability to heal himself over time, Aleksey is a solid friend to have who can help your Survivor…well, survive. Add in some Hunter’s Instinct (Core Set, 74) to help you retrieve a handy level 0 event from your discard pile—such as the classic Emergency Cache (Core Set, 89)—and you should be fit to weather the horrifying storms on the horizon.

As we alluded to before, a new core set also means a new introductory campaign, Brethren of Ash! A string of disappearances has cast a shadow over Arkham, lighting a fire under you and your fellow investigators as you work to get to the bottom of the mystery. Consisting of three scenarios, this mini-campaign serves as a great way to bring new players into the game, while also serving as a compelling, bite-sized tale for veterans. What new horrors will you discover within, and what rewards will you reap for solving this case?

And speaking of rewards…

One new feature for the game that you’ll see a lot in Chapter Two is the introduction of “reward cards!” These special player cards are—as their name implies—earned as rewards for winning a campaign, finishing a specific scenario, or fulfilling some other special condition. You can’t include a reward card in any of your decks until you’ve officially unlocked it in-game, which means these rewards serve as a form of permanent progression as well as proof of your investigating chops.

The new core set introduces the first of these reward cards: Collector (Core Set, 181), which you can earn by completing the Brethren of Ash introductory campaign. In exchange for increasing your deck size, this special neutral asset lets you include a Relic or Charm card from any class in your deck, opening up all sorts of new deckbuilding opportunities. Anyone who wants to build around a specific Relic or Charm will find this to be a potent reward indeed!

Who Are the Investigators?

As we mentioned earlier, time has passed within the narrative of Arkham Horror. Because of this, Chapter Two’s expansions will see a mixture of new faces and returning favorites joining the game’s playable roster of investigators. That said, even though some characters are returning, you’ll find them sporting new stat lines, abilities, and/or deckbuilding restrictions, making them almost entirely new characters. After all, people grow and change over time!

We’ll provide more in-depth details about the investigators in the new core set at a later date, but for now, here’s a sneak peek at two of the playable characters that will kick off Chapter Two:

Joe Diamond returns to the scene as a Seeker investigator who can hold his own in a fight. While his class remains the same, his abilities are very different: gone is the hunch deck, in favor of a new emphasis on straightforward investigations. What does this mean for Joe’s playstyle? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out!

Introducing Isabelle Barnes, sister to the dilettante Jenny Barnes. Where Jenny was a Rogue, Isabelle joins the roster as a Survivor, and she certainly means business. Izzie throws herself down the path of vengeance with everything she has, even willing to use her own sanity as a resource to achieve her goals. Look forward to finding out more about Isabelle Barnes in her own dedicated preview at a later date!

What Comes Next?

Everything we’ve shared today is just a taste of what’s to come. We meant it when we said this new core set is the beginning of the next chapter for the game, and there is a lot to look forward to starting next year.

If you’re hungry for more info about the new core set, Chapter Two, or Arkham Horror in general, then be sure to tune into the In-Flight Report on November 22during PAX Unplugged!

See you then.

Written by Peter Schumacher