This list contains small spoilers for some of the Arkham LCG campaigns.
Arkham comes in many shapes and forms in the gaming industry. The LCG version of the mythos emerged from the void in 2016 and provided a collaborative narrative deck building exploration game that continues to evolve. And forward. And they threaten. And MY GOD, what was that? I thought I saw something there in the shadows. You? Here, take my flashlight and go explore for me. I’m just going to… go buy some groceries in town.
The Arkham Horror LCG has spawned eight campaigns since its initial release, including ten separate scenarios, five upgradeable expansions, and tons of additional content, both official and fan-made. This list showcases ten great scenarios from the game’s nine campaigns (and about seventy scenarios). I’ve tried to spread the wealth between as many campaigns as possible, and I’ve also provided a bonus list of “bottom five” scenarios to give you an idea of where the scenario development went wrong.
Choose your investigator. Create your deck. Gather your resources. Now is the time to act before the agenda catches up with us. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Honorable Mentions: “City of Ancients” (“Land’s Edge”), “Deals in the Dark” (“Red Keys”), “Too Deep” (“The Innsmouth Conspiracy”)
10: Blood on the altar
Campaign: Dunwich Heritage
Memorable moment: “Ss.. se… eth…?”
Nothing beats relaxing after a busy train ride to the county. Unfortunately, the village of Dunwich doesn’t let you relax just yet. Filled with heists, hidden cards and creepy locations with different settings, this scenario makes every game enjoyable. This is the best example of scenario design in the Dunwich campaign. Don’t mind the locals staring at you from behind their dirty windows and torn curtains. Or servants rustling in the nearby woods. Unlocking the Chamber of Secrets is fun, challenging, and, as is typical of many Arkham scenarios, full of surprises.
9. For the greater good
Campaign: Circle cancelled
Memorable moment: The sectarians came to an agreement.
What could be more fun than sneaking into a local cultist’s house and looking for clues? How about joining the cause and then tricking your hosts? For the Greater Good – One of the rare standout scenarios in The Circle Undone campaign. It offers a large location to explore, a brutal encounter deck that plays with a “key” mechanic, and plenty of flavor to thematically underpin the narrative. It’s a ticking time bomb as the robed fanatics argue about the upcoming summoning ritual. You don’t want to see what is about to enter your world. Or you? Wait, whose side are you on anyway?
8. Search for Kadat
Campaign: Dream eaters
Memorable moment: Corsairs tighten the net.
When I first searched for Kadat, the expanses of the Dreamlands began to open up before me. This campaign was very hit or miss, but Kadat on the Dream Side provided the most immersive setting. Travel to a port to purchase a ship and sail away for months trying to discover a way forward. Many kingdoms await. Although some of the locations you visit are short, the script still feels fleshed out and gives enough space to keep up with the passage of time. Kadath also plays with the setting, adding a bevy of unique elite enemies to fight or run from along the way. While Virgil Gray watches you seductively from his desk.
7. The depths of youth
Campaign: A forgotten age
Memorable moment: Failure of the third test near the abyss.
If it had a little more variety in the placements of the research decks, the Depths of Yoth system would be a real joy to revisit over and over again. This is the truest form of luck testing in the Arkham LCG scenario repertoire. How deep can you go? Well… how many snakes do we have on our tails? And now the Provisnik has joined them? And that loud growl…is that a Yig? Yoth uses its looping system to increase the difficulty, push multiple threats at you, and still challenge you to see if you can make it through another round. The synergy of the encounter decks is amazing. It also makes unique use of the supply system from The Forgotten Age. Yoth is a highlight of this campaign even in the absence of natural light during the descent.
6: The Last King
Campaign: The road to Carcoza
Memorable moment: Definition of insanity.
The Last King is probably the best of the early core (first two) scenarios for any campaign – except for one entry below. This doubles down on the theme, plunging players into the darkness of the mind. This experience is formed after watching “The King in Yellow”, a play that went wrong. You accept the invitation to the party. At the estate, you’ll find the cast and crew mingling throughout the location. But something is wrong. As you negotiate with financiers, producers, artists, and maybe even a cultist lurking in the middle, the evening begins to unfold in spectacular fashion. The Last King creates big moments in smaller spaces. It also leaves players with an exciting conclusion.
5: Light in the fog
Campaign: Innsmouth conspiracy
Memorable moment: A pronounced click that stops your heart.
Falcon Point Lighthouse is breathtaking in natural sunlight. Even the scenario cards have a great image of birds in flight. Complete freedom and play. Nothing like us at this point. We are here to get the job done. The Order of Dagon must be stopped, and they’ve hired this creepy lighthouse keeper to lead our investigation. This scenario takes into account the setting of Innsmouth, providing a step-by-step descent into the watery depths in search of the truth. Don’t spend too long sightseeing looking at the cute little deep fry hatching or waiting for the flood waters to pull you down. After all, there is enough salt for everyone. If you’re still breathing.
4: The Disappearance of Elina Harper
Campaign: Innsmouth conspiracy
Memorable moment: Prosecution
An eerie fog hangs over Innsmouth Square as you consider all your options. Elina Harper could be anywhere in the crumbling city, and everyone is a suspect. Your goal is to take part in a Clue-like mini-game to narrow down the possibilities before time runs out. It was always a tense scenario where the average charge was filled with terror if you were unable to discard all options. It’s a big place and luckily there is a bus in the square to help you get around faster. You will need it when you jump from hiding place to hiding place and look for your missing partner. Tensions rise as you must shuffle some of the wires back into the deck, thus confusing future discoveries.
3: Pale mask
Campaign: The road to Carcoza
Memorable moment: Power beyond limits.
Arkham LCG dungeon-crawler. This scenario has it all: exploration, randomized locations, consistent progression, themed enemies (just wait), excellent hazards, and great betrayal maps in general. It’s endlessly replayable with added depth with the “Return to” expansion. And all this is at the service of general history. The Man in the Pale Mask, an iconic character from the story, continues to taunt you from the shadows. It must be found. All of this is complemented by gorgeous card art and Carcosa’s continued mind tricks that say it’s all in your head. Or this? I have this strange feeling that something is inside of me… and it wants to come out.
2: Threads of Fate
Campaign: A forgotten age
Memorable moment: Listening to local people in the pub.
Ah, Arkham. In a game named after a bustling town, there aren’t many moments to explore all the local locations. Threads of Fate knows how you feel about this. It provides a large selection of locations, from the University to Rivertown, and even includes a few new locations specific to the campaign. While that’s all well and good, the real thing about Threads is the setup (which can be a little tricky at first). You’re faced with three decks of action that pull you in different directions, all serving the narrative as well as allowing you to see more of Arkham. And of course, all of this happens with one agenda deck. Intense, thematic, great variety, and even a fourth act deck if you come to the Return to expansion. There is so much good going on in this scenario. And the streets are so quiet…
1: The Unspeakable Oath
Campaign: The road to Carcoza
Memorable moment: Transfer of keys in any way.
Vision. Delirium. Corrosion. All roads lead to asylum, right? It’s impossible to play a game about the hidden horrors of the world without a little bit of madness. Oath is the pinnacle of scenario design for this game. As you search the halls for answers, you feel the walls closing in and the eyes of staff and patients following your every move. Who is really crazy here? Oath provides hidden cards that affect your choices when they enter your hand from the encounter deck. There are several directions the narrative can take you, yet the final escape from the asylum is the icing on top of this dense and complex cake. Where are you going when you leave this destination? No one can be sure.
As a bonus, I thought it would be fun to include a little nod to five scenarios I’d rather miss than play. I’m sure some of these are on your list as well, but I’m also sure that at least one of them might be a little controversial. Do you have a least favorite script?
5: The border beyond
Campaign: A forgotten age
The changing locations (modern vs. ancient) are unique, but this scenario is damaging. It’s more of a failure than something you win. The pressure of the doomsday clock is building with all the cultists running around.
4: City of Archives
Campaign: A forgotten age
In a sense, this is the Unspeakable Oath, part. II by gathering information, but I’m not a fan of the setting or the fact that certain researchers are punished by changing into a new form. Players are given a lot of choices here, but it ends up being a clear dud in a pretty fun campaign.
3: Devourer below
Campaign: Night of Zealot
This scenario is definitely a sign of things to come: the first big boss has a huge amount of health, and it’s brutal if you don’t prepare specifically for it. Unfortunately, it’s a three-part campaign, and there’s no way to build up enough experience to really compete. Fortunately, there is a very simple solution to quench the Ancient One’s hunger. It’s not such a satisfying ending, but it’ll have to do.
2: The wages of sin
Campaign: Circle cancelled
This script can be placed directly into the void. Heretic enemies are one of the worst experiences in the game. I’ve never missed this scenario, but I’m wondering if the resignation would make this campaign more fun. At least the card art here is great. There’s a lot to be excited about fighting ghosts.
1: Dimensionless and invisible
Campaign: Dunwich Heritage
Yes, we all know about it. The struggle is real. Moving around the abominations. Placing hints. Accident. Rinse and repeat. Even the story seems out of place and detached from moving forward. Many fans would rather retire immediately than deal with this. This makes the next scenario much more difficult, but also saves you time that you wouldn’t otherwise get back.