Lumley is, in a way, everything wrong with people trying to write mythos tales. Lumley’s hero and his sidekick have encyclopedic knowledge of mythos matters and they just rattle it off. There’s no suspense except that the hero - although he knows everything - often dispenses the info one piece at a time for the benefit of story pacing. In other words, he withholds critical information without apparent reason, from the standpoint of people around him
Thanks for the video! I especially enjoyed the connections to Brian Lumley whom I’ve never read. That needs to change. Eldritch Horror is my number two game and is my favorite overland adventure game. Coming from Arkham 2nd, for me (and I think for you) it’s easy to admire and see the improvement in streamlined mechanics that really make the game flow well. It’s an elegant game with so many smart little design choices. You give a great overview of what makes the game good. I love that there is always choices to be made (often many) and with the huge variety in randomness, it feels dynamic and roguelike in the best way. Always a new experience and the vast amount of expansions really make this game feel limitless to me. Agree that the four small boxes are essential. The big boxes do feel like it might be a bit too much. But for me, I love the game, and I love exploring these expansions too. If you ever did get Dreamlands, I’d be interested to hear your opinion on that, that expansion more than any other is steeped deeply in Lovecraft’s work, especially his early work influenced by Dunsany. It’s a cool unique expansion with a very different feel. Also side note: I believe Mountains of Madness was the first expansion to use the focus tokens and Strange Remnants (pretty sure at least).
I'm finally playing this game. It's a great, somewhat random, lovecraftian story engine. So much theme. It sort of encourages, maybe requires, the player to mentally connect the dots to round out the stories that it's generating, but I enjoy that. I'm learning to like when games (either intentionally or unintentionally) require a little extra effort on the part of the player to mentally organize all the 'snapshot' game events into a cohesive narrative. For some reason, this game hits that sweet spot for me. I sort of wish the mysteries were sequential (like, Acts 1-3). But that'd mess with replay value a bit. Once again, these are narrative dots that the player can be asked to connect. The small expansions are great too. Easy to plug into the core engine without increasing footprint. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this fun game. I need to read some Brian Lumley.
Great video, and glad to see you’re into Eldritch Horror. I’ve got everything for this game, but you’re right, the small box expansions are definitely where it’s at. I stumbled across your channel randomly, and I went down the Shadows of Brimstone rabbit hole playlist you have. I jumped in and spent $300, and I’m looking forward to exploring that game more. Cheers, Daniel!
Awesome!! The small expansions just seem to add so much for what you pay. I’ve been thinking a lot about SOB lately. Really want to start up another campaign. Hope you’re enjoying it. :)
Brian Lumley's Titus crow, primal land series etc are the main reason we have the Lovecraftian games we have today, these books aren't literary masterpieces but they are fun to read and I always recommend them!
I LOVE your comparisons of Lovecraftian based stories and Loveceaftian themed games--and your breakdown of Arkham Horror and Eldrith Horror🙂👍! New board gamers need more videos like this.
Agreed. It’s vastly better with Gates of Arkham expansion. That plus Grave Consequences mini expansion emulates about 90% of the mechanics from Arkham 2nd and really captures the feel of that in small box form.
The Necroscope is a great series. The book “The Source” took the protagonist to the vampyri Worlds. They were amazing novels. Harry Keogh is one of the greatest characters in horror. I still think that Titus Crow is one of the greatest additions to the Mythos.
@@TheDungeonDive I tend to re-read the series myself every couple of years. The series really is a grab bag of crazy stuff. It starts out really fast and weird and never slows down and only gets more weird.
I own everything for Eldritch Horror and definitely only recommend buying the small boxes. The one big box I kind of like is the Dreamlands. Instead of expanding a single area, it adds a layer of an other-worldly feel on top of the physical world. The times where the game feels like a slog is when there are too many reckoning effects in play at the same time.
You have the same combo of base game and expansions that I have and I'm very satisfied with it. Just not called to the other content and feel "settled" in Eldritch Horror. Everyone will find their own combo although I think Foresaken Lore is a must to expand the core game contents to an acceptable level for replayability. Wonderful game.
I've pretty much just read the 'H.P. Lovecraft, Omnibus 1, At the Mountains of Madness' and the Novella's for the 'Arkham Horror: The Card Game' (my favourite game). Would you recommend starting with any particular Brian Lumley book or are they all very much independent stories?
I must say that I have a serious case of DAW envy! How did you get such pristine copies?! DAW books were my favorites in the eighties but sadly went downhill after the death of the publisher Donald A Wollheim (DAW).
@daniel - How do I send you a private message? BGG? I have something for a potential giveaway. (I have a few sets of “CuCu Dice”. For people who know what they are, they are really sought after by Arkham/Eldritch fan.). I could never find a good way to get rid of them or sell them.
I know this goes against the rah rah eldritch horror crew, but I played Eldritch Horror a few times then sold it and went back to Arkham Horror. II'd rather play Arkham Horror 1st or 2nd editions. Eldritch just doesn't have the flavor and atmosphere for me.
I've never understood why people think AH 2e is complicated. One of the simpler games in my collection. Maybe it's just the rulebook. Universal Head really makes it easy to follow.
It’s complicated for a person without rpg experience. Of all the FF Cuthulhu games is the closest to the Call of cuthulhu rpg, both thematically and mechanically. Eldricht Horror is more “board game” like.
eldritch horror is the only game in the arkham files that i have gotten rid of. it just kinda feels a bit dated to me as the only way you have to interact with the game state is movement everything else happens on the encounter phase... i much prefer AH 3rd edition
The game would be a lot more fun if there was just a bit more feeling of the player interacting with the game as it mostly feels like you just react to the game interacting with you.
@@TheDungeonDive It is a draw for me for sure, would just like it to be a little less and feel my actual action phase was a bit more meaningful. Fun games still though.
Yeah for me it is actually an essential ingredient in a Arkham game to have overwhelming chaos that you’re trying to respond to and very rarely feel like you have control of. But it’s still possible to win and victories are always just barely won. All of Cthulhu mythos literature to me feels that way. I like that the characters and choices don’t feel super powered throughout. When you actually accomplish something big, it feels huge. This game works for me solo since I’m controlling three players and therefore feel like I have more effect on the game round than if I was playing with two other people. Multiplayer, I definitely recommend people controlling more than one character.
Love this overview of Lumley works and contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos.
Thank you for introducing me to Brian Lumley. I will definitely seek to find his books.
Lumley is, in a way, everything wrong with people trying to write mythos tales. Lumley’s hero and his sidekick have encyclopedic knowledge of mythos matters and they just rattle it off. There’s no suspense except that the hero - although he knows everything - often dispenses the info one piece at a time for the benefit of story pacing. In other words, he withholds critical information without apparent reason, from the standpoint of people around him
Thanks for the video! I especially enjoyed the connections to Brian Lumley whom I’ve never read. That needs to change. Eldritch Horror is my number two game and is my favorite overland adventure game. Coming from Arkham 2nd, for me (and I think for you) it’s easy to admire and see the improvement in streamlined mechanics that really make the game flow well. It’s an elegant game with so many smart little design choices. You give a great overview of what makes the game good. I love that there is always choices to be made (often many) and with the huge variety in randomness, it feels dynamic and roguelike in the best way. Always a new experience and the vast amount of expansions really make this game feel limitless to me. Agree that the four small boxes are essential. The big boxes do feel like it might be a bit too much. But for me, I love the game, and I love exploring these expansions too. If you ever did get Dreamlands, I’d be interested to hear your opinion on that, that expansion more than any other is steeped deeply in Lovecraft’s work, especially his early work influenced by Dunsany. It’s a cool unique expansion with a very different feel. Also side note: I believe Mountains of Madness was the first expansion to use the focus tokens and Strange Remnants (pretty sure at least).
Arkham Horror and Eldritch Horror are one of my favorite board games.
They're great games, no doubt!
I'm finally playing this game. It's a great, somewhat random, lovecraftian story engine. So much theme. It sort of encourages, maybe requires, the player to mentally connect the dots to round out the stories that it's generating, but I enjoy that. I'm learning to like when games (either intentionally or unintentionally) require a little extra effort on the part of the player to mentally organize all the 'snapshot' game events into a cohesive narrative. For some reason, this game hits that sweet spot for me. I sort of wish the mysteries were sequential (like, Acts 1-3). But that'd mess with replay value a bit. Once again, these are narrative dots that the player can be asked to connect. The small expansions are great too. Easy to plug into the core engine without increasing footprint. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this fun game. I need to read some Brian Lumley.
I'm all about connecting narrative dots. That's where I find the most enjoyment in a game's story.
Eldritch horror is my favorite board game. It's very replayable, thematic and immersive.
Absolutely my choice for a desert island game. It's so much fun even when you play solo.
Great video, and glad to see you’re into Eldritch Horror. I’ve got everything for this game, but you’re right, the small box expansions are definitely where it’s at.
I stumbled across your channel randomly, and I went down the Shadows of Brimstone rabbit hole playlist you have. I jumped in and spent $300, and I’m looking forward to exploring that game more. Cheers, Daniel!
Awesome!! The small expansions just seem to add so much for what you pay. I’ve been thinking a lot about SOB lately. Really want to start up another campaign. Hope you’re enjoying it. :)
Brian Lumley's Titus crow, primal land series etc are the main reason we have the Lovecraftian games we have today, these books aren't literary masterpieces but they are fun to read and I always recommend them!
I LOVE your comparisons of Lovecraftian based stories and Loveceaftian themed games--and your breakdown of Arkham Horror and Eldrith Horror🙂👍! New board gamers need more videos like this.
Thank you! Glad you found that useful.
Thanks for this review and for the books suggestions!! I'll certainly try to get them!
Have you played Elder SIgn at all? I really enjoy it with Gates of Arkham and the Egyptian expansion.
I have! And enjoy it with a few of those expansions. Need to make a video on it.
Agreed. It’s vastly better with Gates of Arkham expansion. That plus Grave Consequences mini expansion emulates about 90% of the mechanics from Arkham 2nd and really captures the feel of that in small box form.
The Necroscope is a great series. The book “The Source” took the protagonist to the vampyri Worlds. They were amazing novels. Harry Keogh is one of the greatest characters in horror. I still think that Titus Crow is one of the greatest additions to the Mythos.
Had to stop reading them when my favorite character (the lucky agent) was killed.
I love these explorations of fiction. Kudos.
I love everything Brian Lumley as written.
I'm going to do a big re-read of Necroscope in 2022.
@@TheDungeonDive I tend to re-read the series myself every couple of years. The series really is a grab bag of crazy stuff. It starts out really fast and weird and never slows down and only gets more weird.
@@JamesBrowningII Totally. It's like the fever dream of a 14-year old nerd. LOL.
I own everything for Eldritch Horror and definitely only recommend buying the small boxes. The one big box I kind of like is the Dreamlands. Instead of expanding a single area, it adds a layer of an other-worldly feel on top of the physical world.
The times where the game feels like a slog is when there are too many reckoning effects in play at the same time.
You have the same combo of base game and expansions that I have and I'm very satisfied with it. Just not called to the other content and feel "settled" in Eldritch Horror. Everyone will find their own combo although I think Foresaken Lore is a must to expand the core game contents to an acceptable level for replayability. Wonderful game.
I've pretty much just read the 'H.P. Lovecraft, Omnibus 1, At the Mountains of Madness' and the Novella's for the 'Arkham Horror: The Card Game' (my favourite game). Would you recommend starting with any particular Brian Lumley book or are they all very much independent stories?
The Titus crow books should be read in a certain order. Just confirm via Wikipedia.
I must say that I have a serious case of DAW envy! How did you get such pristine copies?! DAW books were my favorites in the eighties but sadly went downhill after the death of the publisher Donald A Wollheim (DAW).
I have nice copies because I look for them and pay a premium for them. :). That’s pretty much it. And I totally agree with you.
So you like this one but Arkham Horror 3rd edition you like better?
I love them both. Just depends on day.
@daniel - How do I send you a private message? BGG? I have something for a potential giveaway. (I have a few sets of “CuCu Dice”. For people who know what they are, they are really sought after by Arkham/Eldritch fan.). I could never find a good way to get rid of them or sell them.
Email me. twincamakiko (at) gmail.
This game is probably peak FFG when it comes to graphic design. How many investigators do you like to solo with?
I like three.
I know this goes against the rah rah eldritch horror crew, but I played Eldritch Horror a few times then sold it and went back to Arkham Horror. II'd rather play Arkham Horror 1st or 2nd editions. Eldritch just doesn't have the flavor and atmosphere for me.
I've never understood why people think AH 2e is complicated. One of the simpler games in my collection. Maybe it's just the rulebook. Universal Head really makes it easy to follow.
Some people find things complicated that others do not. That’s how human beings work.
It’s complicated for a person without rpg experience. Of all the FF Cuthulhu games is the closest to the Call of cuthulhu rpg, both thematically and mechanically. Eldricht Horror is more “board game” like.
eldritch horror is the only game in the arkham files that i have gotten rid of. it just kinda feels a bit dated to me as the only way you have to interact with the game state is movement everything else happens on the encounter phase... i much prefer AH 3rd edition
The game would be a lot more fun if there was just a bit more feeling of the player interacting with the game as it mostly feels like you just react to the game interacting with you.
@@Naruga I think that's one of the reasons why I like it. My favorite games involve me just reacting to random shit. :)
@@TheDungeonDive It is a draw for me for sure, would just like it to be a little less and feel my actual action phase was a bit more meaningful. Fun games still though.
Yeah for me it is actually an essential ingredient in a Arkham game to have overwhelming chaos that you’re trying to respond to and very rarely feel like you have control of. But it’s still possible to win and victories are always just barely won. All of Cthulhu mythos literature to me feels that way. I like that the characters and choices don’t feel super powered throughout. When you actually accomplish something big, it feels huge. This game works for me solo since I’m controlling three players and therefore feel like I have more effect on the game round than if I was playing with two other people. Multiplayer, I definitely recommend people controlling more than one character.
@@jstutz yeah i may have to try it solo. Only played it 4 players so far.