I found the game very fun and tension filled. I felt interested in everyone else’s turn, seeing what they did, the discussion. The gsme has a clear goal but I don’t think it’s “on rails” as they imply. I found all the actions to be interesting and boiled down to the most important ones, games tend to go too action and choice crazy giving 30 actions that you’ll have to teach to new players but may never get used. Also found The restriction of not being able to repeat an action to add a good amount of tension and make the decisions count. Many times in games we think “oh whatever if I fail I’ll just try again”, here I have to make sure that action is worth the risk. All in all, I really enjoy this game.
I think this is much better than Eldritch Horror. In Eldritch a lot of your turns feel really weak. I believe this will only get better with expansions.
yea in most games at least one person seems to feel usless and can feel like wow I got delayed .. then one investigator has to take 3 damage well ill do it.. then rest …
Yes. This game is way better than any of the other Arkham games. Each choice now has real meaning to the narrative of the game. It's a far better designed game, and a more engaging experience.
I can't wait to see how it's expanded. Hopefully they do it right, with a bunch of small box expansions that simply add more scenarios, with bespoke encounters, monsters, and items.
I really enjoy it and think it will really shine with expansions. I love the mythos bag and the codex etc. Imo you really can’t compare AH 2e or EH with this or other Arkham file games as they all are unique and enjoyable in their own way. I do wish the games were a bit darker and “scarier” but still they are each tons of fun
The previous Arkham Horror being "bloated" with so many expansions is one of the things that made it so epic and great. There is a really good video on UA-cam of how to play it with ALL expansions... Doesn't get any more epic than that!
I can't see playing this over the card game (or MoM 2nd Ed), which is unfortunate. I think they might have hit Arkham Files saturation. I feel AH TCD and MoM do a good job of presenting a cohesive narrative while also still giving you agency in the story. I'm not sure they should have gone that route with AH 3rd Ed. It probably would have been better to keep it more of a sandbox. That said plenty of people post on the AH TCG forums talking about how they don't like building decks and buying packs of cards. This might be a good fit for that segment of the Cthulhu buying population.
Meh, I have enjoyed my plays and that is all that matters. will I play each scenario more than 2-3 times? Probably not, but if I get 8-10 plays in from the base game I am good.
I don't really agree that there is no decision making. Not to mention you get more out of this box than paying nearly the same amount for the LCG. The biggest complaint I could see is that the player phase is a small amount of what is happening but honestly, many games can feel that way when things aren't going correctly. I certainly see enough differences in Elder Sign, Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, and Arkham Horror 3E that I can own all three and get different things from them.
From watching the live gaming, I immediately felt this is similar to the LCG. if you have all of that then why get this. Again based on the live play, I felt that second edition had wayyyy more theme than this but yes the story in 3rd edition is tighter. But for a tight story LCG already there. (I've never played eldritch horror).
Lets compare to Gloomhaven. How any things can u do on a turn i GH? 2? Top half and bottom half of 2 cards? Move and attack, move and move etc..If u have 4 monster types on the board and all have a greater Initiative than u, are you waiting for your characters to do 1 or 2 things? They seem very similar as far as turn structure and character input on a turn by turn basis.
Im a pretty new board gamer and i've tried both AH 2nd edition and Eldritch and i have a hard time coming into the game or what i need to do or what choices i have that would benefit my group. This is perfect for me as i know and can see more clearly what i can and need to do.
Great idea to offer this "exterior" counterbalancing point of view guys, thank you. And I'd like to use an opportunity offered by Sam to explain something about these games, if I may. "It's not spooky" : indeed it's not. And it's not intended to. The universe described by Lovecraft isn't filled with action stories, that's why the 1981's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game was more oriented investigation than epic combat (it was always better to avoid monsters than to fight them). With its growing success, some new players more used to heroic-fantasy themes started to ask for more epic stuff, and the stories evolved. Two ways to play this game emerged, and now they're even addressed separately in the books (although the rules are the same, the differences will be in the strength of the characters and in the stories). There is the original investigative feel, and there is the "pulp" version, which is more in the spirit of Indiana Jones meets Cthulhu. The Arkham Horror boardgames come from this second category : you attack many monsters up front, you are powerful enough. The first edition (the 1987's) was labeled "The Boardgame for Monster-Hunters", it was clearly said so. ... Mansions of Madness is a bit more like the original investigative thing, where you could try and avoid combat. Yes of course I'm more from the "inside" of the fan base. I discovered the RPG in '84, and it immediately became my favourite fantasy universe. I bought all these FFG games (and a few others), and I know I will continue to do so. But I like what you said, and I agree with you there. FFG has great designers and I'm sure they can release more good games with the franchise, but it will become harder and harder to top what they've already made. So, is there a point ?
It does seem quite "samey" after a while. Just watched the Dice Tower live play of this, and at first it seemed very interesting. However, by the end of the game they seemed to be doing most of the same three things they were doing at the start... and that was after 3 hours of play. The mythos phase especially seems to drag. Never thought I'd say this, but compared with Arkham Horror's admin, Eldritch Horror seems fast to me now.
9:59 Minis don't affect the level of abstraction in a game. I'd say warding off doom is pretty abstracted. You're removing Doom counters from locations but what is it that you're actually doing thematically? What do Doom counters represent and what are you doing to remove them? The monsters are not that abstracted. They roam the map and act differently due to abilities and stats. I prefer nice artwork on cards to minis anyway.
I'm quite curious if Sam has played the Arkham Horror card game, and if he likes how that plays over Eldritch Horror or Mansions. But then again, they are different beasts and scratch a different itch, I suppose.
I like Eldritch Horror more because it feels more epic and it has the benefit of all of its expansions. HOWEVER the monsters move again, the warding mechanic is clever and the scenarios are really tense the first time you play it. We had a player who basically did not leave the first tile and just kept buying items and supporting the others. We messed around and did not focus on the objectives and still managed to win. You divide your roles and adapt to the new cards. I really enjoyed my time with it and I'm really excited for new expansions to see how they can twist the mechanics or what new they add.
I'm basically with Tom here, I thought Arkham Horror 3rd edition was good but I like Eldritch Horror better because of the broader, sandbox, world travelling feel to that game. Eldritch and Arkham 3 are about the same game length, so that's not a consideration, and personally in this instance I prefer the pseudo random encounter style of Eldritch over the scripted story telling of Arkham. Also I definitely mechanically prefer the mythos cards in Eldritch Horror over the bag of mythos tokens in Arkham 3. Having to draw multiple tokens from the bag and resolve each one every single round is a slog compared to simply drawing a single mythos card and doing what it says. If I didn't already own Eldritch, and Arkham was my only choice, I'd probably get it and play it. But fortunately I already have Eldritch and all the expansions and some friends who also really like the game so I do get to play it and have little desire to play Arkham Horror 3rd edition over that. P.S. Tom was complaining at some point about not being able to take the same action twice in a turn but that's actually the same rule as Eldritch Horror, both games share that restriction.
If you've only played the Approach of Azathoth, then you really should try Feast of Umordhoth. It has a lot more freedom of action choice as the doom threat is not as pressing. I think it was a poor choice for FFG to encourage Azathoth as the first scenario. Feast is MUCH easier and, for fans of the LCG, it connects beautifully to the story in the core box of the LCG.
Yeah, I am good I have Eldritch Horror and yeah I have 2nd Edition Arkham with almost all the expansions(where are you Miskatonic?) that really is still very fun to play, even with all the bloat. I really don't need anymore Arkham games and if I would get more it would be Mansions of Madness and not this reboot.
Glad to see an 'almost' negative review for once. The River was close but just bland. So many DT reviews seem very positive, it's kind of hard to figure out what's actually good. I have at least 2 games on my shelf right now that I bought on Tom's glowing recommendation that haven't been more than mild interest from myself and multiple groups. I get that tastes are different, but when the channel's taste seems to be... basically everything... it's hard to get much useful info.
My friends hate that you can't buy anything at the shop until you pick the card that says you can. And then it might say you can only pick a curio item and not common. My biggest grip is the headlines. I get so close but then headlines card end the game
The problem that Tom and Sam are trying to explain about "watching a story and not being part of it" happens in a lot of games and lies with the dilemma of 'Catch and Release'. This term refers to the art of getting players hooked to a story and immersing them in a strong theme, yet allowing them enough autonomy to feel like they have control. Too much sandbox/randomness (good for gameplay) and the story feels disjointed or random. Too heavy in narrative scripting and not enough player choice (good for story) and players fell they're being played. Only one mechanism has tackled this to some degree of success and that is Legacy. But this is often at the cost of replayability and still imposes a strict overall campaign. Another upcoming mechanism (as discussed on some forums and by indy designers) is 'Roleplay in a Box'. Here, player characters (the active elements) and the game environment or board locations and event cards (passive elements) influence and interact with each other as they would in an RPG. Locations have different effects depending on the character and events are altered based on what characters choose to do. The game then becomes a living, breathing experience, with story and players no longer 'playing beside' one another but acting and reacting to each other like in a real story (novel).
I think that mythos bag is a real factor here, having to resolve multiple tokens per player all the time gets to be a real drag. By comparison in Eldritch you just draw one mythos card, resolve it and you're done.
Imo, AH 3rd is a game that grows on you when you play multiple games. The main reason is that when you know the game better, you aren't behind and you can make "real" choices before the game gets out of control (which kinda forces you to do a set action). Also, I think they chose the wrong "introduction" scenario as to me it was the most boring (I have played three) and the hardest to play.
I agree and honestly I think I like it better because I’ve played the lcg so much so I love the characters and story I would almost say this one might be a bit too easy other than that one scenario
I am in the opposite here. I found it mediocre at the beginning and right now I really hate this game. I will never play it again because of the repetition of gameplay right from start.
I LOVE AH 2nd edition and Eldritch. I own lots of expansions for both. But similiar to the LCG, it was boring to watch a playthrough. I think AH2 and Eldritch has way more tense turn by turn, and you have more pressure and decision making opportunity in those. In about 2 weeks I'll try it at my office, will see.
I hated 2nd but loved mansions of madness and loved the lcg Loved this one as well, the game is a ton shorter than 2nd...usually my wife and I play it and it runs around 2 hours, one scenario seems to run a little bit longer
I agree. I was really pumped about this 3rd edition. And it has clever ideas, it is a good mix... but it's feels too tight, too strict and bit too predictable (to me ofc). So I feel the same about the game. However this game a better solo experience than EH or AH 2nd.
My thoughts on your coomplaints through the first half of this review: This game feels like Pandemic but with a lot more story and variety. Its generally fairly obvious what you SHOULD do in Pandemic or you'll just get smacked down. Not always though, and that's where pandemic shines. I'm not really sure how you could like a game like base Pandemic and not enjoy this, unless you really hate the theme, or you're just bored of such games and ideas.
As a newcomer in the hobby (less than 2 years), my question would be: is this a good entry point in the genre? I do have EH, so no use for me, but if I didn't had it and wanted to try a FF cthulhu game, would this be better than, lets say, EH?
@@wilpuriarts5895 The LCG is for 1-4 players. I personally enjoy all the player couts. To play with more than 2 players you need atlest 2 core/base games.
You can really speed up the game by playing multiple characters up to the full 6. Two player is way too long but if you each play 3 characters it moves at a good pace.
That mythos bag sucks. You have to draw and resolve multiple tokens from the bag per player every round. It's WAY longer to resolve that than just drawing a mythos card, not even close.
Doug Rosengard oh no doubt it’s still slower than the mythos cards but this still speeds the game up for people who might’ve turned off to a long game. I played a two player game that was close to losing and it was like 3 1/2 hours
Do you like Lovecraft games? i think that this is the main question. I love arkham horror 2nd edition, and obviously this is very light if we compare with it..but i think that you do not like this kind of games. Am i right?
@@TheDungeonDive No. By far the weakest if you want decision making in your games. I really do not like games that tell you what you have to do that obvious. And the story telling is good in theory but it is not immersive here as well. A really weak game.
I don't care for chthulu theme. I just see it and think...... "When's that new FF Lord of the Rings game coming out" and "I wonder if they will make something like this or previously mentioned LOTR in star wars theme"
To me this game is just a bunch of mechanisms taken from other games and smashed together to create a new Akrham Horror version. It feels like FFG wanted to create the new version and then people just took what was good in other games. The story card part is mostly from the Fallout, and the mechanisms are coming from the (superior) card game. The game lacks any originality, and there is far too much upkeep and everything else compared to the actions players are taking. Overall I would never play this over the Card Game or Eldrich Horror.
But the good news, they could "patch" this in the expansions, and cut 30-40 min boring phase from the game time, they could improve it by making it 1 token per player instead of 2. There are 3 op action phase booster in the box, Marie with the action copy ability, the teacher ally with +1 action and the poket watch item +1 action, with them the game is faster, but easier at the same time.
This was good to watch. The second edition felt mechanical to me; dealing with tokens on the board rather than stopping a great evil from entering the world. I couldn't even play it without the fan-made flowchart. This sounds easier to play than that, but every bit as mechanical.
@@thedicetower Such as? The two actions I can think of that aren't here from EH is shopping for items and resting. There are multiple spots on the boards to do either. I don't miss them at all. Base box Eldritch didn't even have the focus action, by the way.
I pretty much avoid buying FFG product nowadays. All their Cthulhu games literally have the same mechanics. Move here deal with this - move here get a clue. It’s just so samey and I feel like that’s what happened to Tom and Sam they’ve played a similar game so many times already that this does nothing new
I doubt it. There are some actual reasons, including game mechanics and setting, that some people like myself and apparently Tom and Sam like Eldritch better.
It is refreshing to see Tom say that he does not like a game that is backed up by a huge company. I hope FF takes a hint and changes their publishing politics, which are worse every day.
Man, the crossroads system is so cool in theory, but in practice it always seemed like it never triggered enough and just kind of distracted whoever had the crossroads card from talking with the other players and thinking about their own future turn. I did like the app version of the crossroads card narrated by Eric Summerer though. :)
The analysis is really good here in some aspects. But the overall conclusion is far too positive. Arkham 3 is so much trimmed down that you do not have any decision making at all. It is really dumb to play for that reason. The action limitation is the same problem as it is in Eldritch. If you want a freedom of choice, real decision making, Arkham 3 is not a game for you. Arkham 2 is still the best.
I love them all have all 2nd edition most of eldritch horror and some of the card game I think people need to stop crying about the setup how hard it is ect.. its like that for a reason but if u want a game to complain about play twilight Empyrium lol
How is it possible for someone to find a miniature or a card or something disgusting/revolting? Or a theme for that matter? I can't understand it. This comment has nothing to do with the video, besides one sentence or two that made me think about it.
The Dice Tower not really no. A lot of your complaints can also easily be registered against all of the other Arkham games, and the scenario system now adds more to the game by creating an actual ebb and flow to the narrative while also offering up just as many choices as any of the other Arkham games. On top of this, the choices in 3rd edition have more meaning because of the way it all impacts the placement of and gathering of the clues.
2 plays of AH3e was enough to know I will not pick up the 3rd edition for myself and stick with Eldritch Horror. Eldritch still sits atop the Arkham throne for me.
Other people who have played it are posting and agreeing with Tom and Sam. So I guessed they missed the boat too. At least they won’t be lonely on the docks.
Board game fatigue eventually hits every one. Symptoms : - can't stand downtime. One should understand that this comes with the territory. Board games are supposed to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. It's a turn-based system, right? - "been there, done that" feeling - can't seem to scratch the itch. Every session starts out with some hope or anxiety but ends with a bland 'meh'. - have no time to spare. Only plays casual. Goodbye Twilight Imperium, Dead of Winter, Star Wars Rebellion, War of the Rings, Axis and Allies, Imperial Settlers, etc. Hello as usual Sushi Go, Azul, Pandemic, Pokemon TCG, etc. Rx: Transition to video games and enjoy or at least tolerate the extremely toxic and salty gaming community (e.g. Low-Tier God, Tyler1, etc). Play frantic real-time video games (e.g. Starcraft, League of Legends) and compete with +200 actions/minute Koreans. Surrender back to the real world and ultimately realize life is boring and pointless in general. Everything sucks and all human endeavor is for naught.
I absolutely LOVE the "Miami Dice" intro! Really glad you guys continue to use it and don't try to re-invent the wheel with a new one!
I found the game very fun and tension filled.
I felt interested in everyone else’s turn, seeing what they did, the discussion. The gsme has a clear goal but I don’t think it’s “on rails” as they imply. I found all the actions to be interesting and boiled down to the most important ones, games tend to go too action and choice crazy giving 30 actions that you’ll have to teach to new players but may never get used. Also found The restriction of not being able to repeat an action to add a good amount of tension and make the decisions count. Many times in games we think “oh whatever if I fail I’ll just try again”, here I have to make sure that action is worth the risk.
All in all, I really enjoy this game.
I think this is much better than Eldritch Horror. In Eldritch a lot of your turns feel really weak. I believe this will only get better with expansions.
yea in most games at least one person seems to feel usless and can feel like wow I got delayed .. then one investigator has to take 3 damage well ill do it.. then rest …
Yes. This game is way better than any of the other Arkham games. Each choice now has real meaning to the narrative of the game. It's a far better designed game, and a more engaging experience.
@@TheDungeonDive The stories in the scenarios are pretty awesome. Sold my EH copy for this.
I can't wait to see how it's expanded. Hopefully they do it right, with a bunch of small box expansions that simply add more scenarios, with bespoke encounters, monsters, and items.
@@KutaPuta i got delayed +10 times in a row in eldritch horror and sold it right after that game.
I really enjoy it and think it will really shine with expansions. I love the mythos bag and the codex etc. Imo you really can’t compare AH 2e or EH with this or other Arkham file games as they all are unique and enjoyable in their own way. I do wish the games were a bit darker and “scarier” but still they are each tons of fun
The previous Arkham Horror being "bloated" with so many expansions is one of the things that made it so epic and great. There is a really good video on UA-cam of how to play it with ALL expansions... Doesn't get any more epic than that!
I can't see playing this over the card game (or MoM 2nd Ed), which is unfortunate. I think they might have hit Arkham Files saturation. I feel AH TCD and MoM do a good job of presenting a cohesive narrative while also still giving you agency in the story. I'm not sure they should have gone that route with AH 3rd Ed. It probably would have been better to keep it more of a sandbox. That said plenty of people post on the AH TCG forums talking about how they don't like building decks and buying packs of cards. This might be a good fit for that segment of the Cthulhu buying population.
Meh, I have enjoyed my plays and that is all that matters. will I play each scenario more than 2-3 times? Probably not, but if I get 8-10 plays in from the base game I am good.
yea delayed should just be one move stands you up. not don't move at all
I don't really agree that there is no decision making. Not to mention you get more out of this box than paying nearly the same amount for the LCG. The biggest complaint I could see is that the player phase is a small amount of what is happening but honestly, many games can feel that way when things aren't going correctly. I certainly see enough differences in Elder Sign, Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, and Arkham Horror 3E that I can own all three and get different things from them.
From watching the live gaming, I immediately felt this is similar to the LCG. if you have all of that then why get this. Again based on the live play, I felt that second edition had wayyyy more theme than this but yes the story in 3rd edition is tighter. But for a tight story LCG already there. (I've never played eldritch horror).
Lets compare to Gloomhaven. How any things can u do on a turn i GH? 2? Top half and bottom half of 2 cards? Move and attack, move and move etc..If u have 4 monster types on the board and all have a greater Initiative than u, are you waiting for your characters to do 1 or 2 things? They seem very similar as far as turn structure and character input on a turn by turn basis.
Im a pretty new board gamer and i've tried both AH 2nd edition and Eldritch and i have a hard time coming into the game or what i need to do or what choices i have that would benefit my group.
This is perfect for me as i know and can see more clearly what i can and need to do.
Great idea to offer this "exterior" counterbalancing point of view guys, thank you. And I'd like to use an opportunity offered by Sam to explain something about these games, if I may.
"It's not spooky" : indeed it's not. And it's not intended to. The universe described by Lovecraft isn't filled with action stories, that's why the 1981's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game was more oriented investigation than epic combat (it was always better to avoid monsters than to fight them). With its growing success, some new players more used to heroic-fantasy themes started to ask for more epic stuff, and the stories evolved. Two ways to play this game emerged, and now they're even addressed separately in the books (although the rules are the same, the differences will be in the strength of the characters and in the stories). There is the original investigative feel, and there is the "pulp" version, which is more in the spirit of Indiana Jones meets Cthulhu.
The Arkham Horror boardgames come from this second category : you attack many monsters up front, you are powerful enough. The first edition (the 1987's) was labeled "The Boardgame for Monster-Hunters", it was clearly said so.
... Mansions of Madness is a bit more like the original investigative thing, where you could try and avoid combat.
Yes of course I'm more from the "inside" of the fan base. I discovered the RPG in '84, and it immediately became my favourite fantasy universe. I bought all these FFG games (and a few others), and I know I will continue to do so. But I like what you said, and I agree with you there. FFG has great designers and I'm sure they can release more good games with the franchise, but it will become harder and harder to top what they've already made. So, is there a point ?
I really liked the new format!
I usually skipped the explanation anyway
It does seem quite "samey" after a while. Just watched the Dice Tower live play of this, and at first it seemed very interesting. However, by the end of the game they seemed to be doing most of the same three things they were doing at the start... and that was after 3 hours of play. The mythos phase especially seems to drag. Never thought I'd say this, but compared with Arkham Horror's admin, Eldritch Horror seems fast to me now.
I’m one of those mythos fanboys, and I too think that Eldritch and Mansions 2 are way better.
9:59 Minis don't affect the level of abstraction in a game. I'd say warding off doom is pretty abstracted. You're removing Doom counters from locations but what is it that you're actually doing thematically? What do Doom counters represent and what are you doing to remove them? The monsters are not that abstracted. They roam the map and act differently due to abilities and stats. I prefer nice artwork on cards to minis anyway.
I'm quite curious if Sam has played the Arkham Horror card game, and if he likes how that plays over Eldritch Horror or Mansions. But then again, they are different beasts and scratch a different itch, I suppose.
I like Eldritch Horror more because it feels more epic and it has the benefit of all of its expansions. HOWEVER the monsters move again, the warding mechanic is clever and the scenarios are really tense the first time you play it. We had a player who basically did not leave the first tile and just kept buying items and supporting the others. We messed around and did not focus on the objectives and still managed to win. You divide your roles and adapt to the new cards. I really enjoyed my time with it and I'm really excited for new expansions to see how they can twist the mechanics or what new they add.
"We had a player who basically did not leave the first tile and just kept buying items and supporting the others." Sounds awful.
I'm basically with Tom here, I thought Arkham Horror 3rd edition was good but I like Eldritch Horror better because of the broader, sandbox, world travelling feel to that game. Eldritch and Arkham 3 are about the same game length, so that's not a consideration, and personally in this instance I prefer the pseudo random encounter style of Eldritch over the scripted story telling of Arkham. Also I definitely mechanically prefer the mythos cards in Eldritch Horror over the bag of mythos tokens in Arkham 3. Having to draw multiple tokens from the bag and resolve each one every single round is a slog compared to simply drawing a single mythos card and doing what it says.
If I didn't already own Eldritch, and Arkham was my only choice, I'd probably get it and play it. But fortunately I already have Eldritch and all the expansions and some friends who also really like the game so I do get to play it and have little desire to play Arkham Horror 3rd edition over that.
P.S. Tom was complaining at some point about not being able to take the same action twice in a turn but that's actually the same rule as Eldritch Horror, both games share that restriction.
If you've only played the Approach of Azathoth, then you really should try Feast of Umordhoth. It has a lot more freedom of action choice as the doom threat is not as pressing. I think it was a poor choice for FFG to encourage Azathoth as the first scenario. Feast is MUCH easier and, for fans of the LCG, it connects beautifully to the story in the core box of the LCG.
And even more boring. We aborted after 90 minutes...
Yeah, I am good I have Eldritch Horror and yeah I have 2nd Edition Arkham with almost all the expansions(where are you Miskatonic?) that really is still very fun to play, even with all the bloat. I really don't need anymore Arkham games and if I would get more it would be Mansions of Madness and not this reboot.
Great review. I haven't played it myself, but I have watched a couple videos and I almost fell asleep.
Glad to see an 'almost' negative review for once. The River was close but just bland. So many DT reviews seem very positive, it's kind of hard to figure out what's actually good. I have at least 2 games on my shelf right now that I bought on Tom's glowing recommendation that haven't been more than mild interest from myself and multiple groups. I get that tastes are different, but when the channel's taste seems to be... basically everything... it's hard to get much useful info.
My friends hate that you can't buy anything at the shop until you pick the card that says you can. And then it might say you can only pick a curio item and not common.
My biggest grip is the headlines. I get so close but then headlines card end the game
The problem that Tom and Sam are trying to explain about "watching a story and not being part of it" happens in a lot of games and lies with the dilemma of 'Catch and Release'. This term refers to the art of getting players hooked to a story and immersing them in a strong theme, yet allowing them enough autonomy to feel like they have control. Too much sandbox/randomness (good for gameplay) and the story feels disjointed or random. Too heavy in narrative scripting and not enough player choice (good for story) and players fell they're being played.
Only one mechanism has tackled this to some degree of success and that is Legacy. But this is often at the cost of replayability and still imposes a strict overall campaign. Another upcoming mechanism (as discussed on some forums and by indy designers) is 'Roleplay in a Box'. Here, player characters (the active elements) and the game environment or board locations and event cards (passive elements) influence and interact with each other as they would in an RPG. Locations have different effects depending on the character and events are altered based on what characters choose to do. The game then becomes a living, breathing experience, with story and players no longer 'playing beside' one another but acting and reacting to each other like in a real story (novel).
After playing a dozen times. I agree with everything. The game plays you. And time between turns is really long.
I think that mythos bag is a real factor here, having to resolve multiple tokens per player all the time gets to be a real drag. By comparison in Eldritch you just draw one mythos card, resolve it and you're done.
Imo, AH 3rd is a game that grows on you when you play multiple games. The main reason is that when you know the game better, you aren't behind and you can make "real" choices before the game gets out of control (which kinda forces you to do a set action). Also, I think they chose the wrong "introduction" scenario as to me it was the most boring (I have played three) and the hardest to play.
I agree and honestly I think I like it better because I’ve played the lcg so much so I love the characters and story
I would almost say this one might be a bit too easy other than that one scenario
I am in the opposite here. I found it mediocre at the beginning and right now I really hate this game. I will never play it again because of the repetition of gameplay right from start.
I LOVE AH 2nd edition and Eldritch. I own lots of expansions for both. But similiar to the LCG, it was boring to watch a playthrough. I think AH2 and Eldritch has way more tense turn by turn, and you have more pressure and decision making opportunity in those. In about 2 weeks I'll try it at my office, will see.
I hated 2nd but loved mansions of madness and loved the lcg
Loved this one as well, the game is a ton shorter than 2nd...usually my wife and I play it and it runs around 2 hours, one scenario seems to run a little bit longer
What is this like compared to the lcg?? (which I love!)
I agree. I was really pumped about this 3rd edition. And it has clever ideas, it is a good mix... but it's feels too tight, too strict and bit too predictable (to me ofc). So I feel the same about the game. However this game a better solo experience than EH or AH 2nd.
A fair review. I would’ve been interested to hear your specific opinion on the addition of the Pandemic-like doom mechanism.
95% of the time you're turning the game's crank so you can take your non-decision turn. It is worse in every way than the LCG.
Yeah I'm good with Mansions of Madness. Don't need this.
My thoughts on your coomplaints through the first half of this review: This game feels like Pandemic but with a lot more story and variety. Its generally fairly obvious what you SHOULD do in Pandemic or you'll just get smacked down. Not always though, and that's where pandemic shines. I'm not really sure how you could like a game like base Pandemic and not enjoy this, unless you really hate the theme, or you're just bored of such games and ideas.
As a newcomer in the hobby (less than 2 years), my question would be: is this a good entry point in the genre? I do have EH, so no use for me, but if I didn't had it and wanted to try a FF cthulhu game, would this be better than, lets say, EH?
Pulling only one mythos token per player turn would make it fairly easy, wouldn't it?
Arkham Horror: The Card Game >>>>>>>>>> Everything else Lovecraftian from FFG.
True
But can you really play it with a group? I never play anything with just one other person.
@@wilpuriarts5895 The LCG is for 1-4 players. I personally enjoy all the player couts. To play with more than 2 players you need atlest 2 core/base games.
Yes! Highly recommended!!
Everyone keeps saying that but I had a really hard time getting into the LCG.
You can really speed up the game by playing multiple characters up to the full 6. Two player is way too long but if you each play 3 characters it moves at a good pace.
That mythos bag sucks. You have to draw and resolve multiple tokens from the bag per player every round. It's WAY longer to resolve that than just drawing a mythos card, not even close.
Doug Rosengard oh no doubt it’s still slower than the mythos cards but this still speeds the game up for people who might’ve turned off to a long game. I played a two player game that was close to losing and it was like 3 1/2 hours
Do you like Lovecraft games? i think that this is the main question. I love arkham horror 2nd edition, and obviously this is very light if we compare with it..but i think that you do not like this kind of games. Am i right?
Having played all of the FF cthulhu games, this is by far the most streamlined and enjoyable
Brian Mikolajczyk yep. By far. So good.
@@TheDungeonDive No. By far the weakest if you want decision making in your games. I really do not like games that tell you what you have to do that obvious. And the story telling is good in theory but it is not immersive here as well. A really weak game.
If you are doing less than Eldritch then I'll be going nuts. I feel like I'm doing next to nothing in that game already.
I don't care for chthulu theme. I just see it and think...... "When's that new FF Lord of the Rings game coming out" and "I wonder if they will make something like this or previously mentioned LOTR in star wars theme"
To me this game is just a bunch of mechanisms taken from other games and smashed together to create a new Akrham Horror version. It feels like FFG wanted to create the new version and then people just took what was good in other games. The story card part is mostly from the Fallout, and the mechanisms are coming from the (superior) card game.
The game lacks any originality, and there is far too much upkeep and everything else compared to the actions players are taking. Overall I would never play this over the Card Game or Eldrich Horror.
Yeah, 3 of the 4 phase is kind of passive gameplay, the token (mythos) phase is the worst in my opinion.
Totally agree on the token phase, it is MUCH worse mechanically than just drawing a single mythos card. That token bag is a real drag. :(
But the good news, they could "patch" this in the expansions, and cut 30-40 min boring phase from the game time, they could improve it by making it 1 token per player instead of 2. There are 3 op action phase booster in the box, Marie with the action copy ability, the teacher ally with +1 action and the poket watch item +1 action, with them the game is faster, but easier at the same time.
There’s no such thing as being “Cthulhued up”... there can never be enough
This was good to watch. The second edition felt mechanical to me; dealing with tokens on the board rather than stopping a great evil from entering the world. I couldn't even play it without the fan-made flowchart. This sounds easier to play than that, but every bit as mechanical.
I love that this game has divided people.
I would say I don't know how you could critique this on these points and love eldritch horror, but I disliked eldritch and like this, so there ya go.
I think ill stick to arkham horror lcg
Elder Char? Whats Elder Char? Did they mean 'Elder Sign' ?
yeah
Come on. Lots of the complaints you also can apply to eldritch horror. In Eldritch Horror you also can not do the same action twice.
I get that, but there are way more actions to take.
@@thedicetower and fail at them, sure.
@@thedicetower Such as? The two actions I can think of that aren't here from EH is shopping for items and resting. There are multiple spots on the boards to do either. I don't miss them at all.
Base box Eldritch didn't even have the focus action, by the way.
I pretty much avoid buying FFG product nowadays. All their Cthulhu games literally have the same mechanics. Move here deal with this - move here get a clue. It’s just so samey and I feel like that’s what happened to Tom and Sam they’ve played a similar game so many times already that this does nothing new
If this had come out before eldritch , then your opinion might be different?
I doubt it. There are some actual reasons, including game mechanics and setting, that some people like myself and apparently Tom and Sam like Eldritch better.
It is refreshing to see Tom say that he does not like a game that is backed up by a huge company. I hope FF takes a hint and changes their publishing politics, which are worse every day.
Way worse then the Card game.
What if they added the crossroads system?
Man, the crossroads system is so cool in theory, but in practice it always seemed like it never triggered enough and just kind of distracted whoever had the crossroads card from talking with the other players and thinking about their own future turn. I did like the app version of the crossroads card narrated by Eric Summerer though. :)
The analysis is really good here in some aspects. But the overall conclusion is far too positive. Arkham 3 is so much trimmed down that you do not have any decision making at all. It is really dumb to play for that reason. The action limitation is the same problem as it is in Eldritch. If you want a freedom of choice, real decision making, Arkham 3 is not a game for you. Arkham 2 is still the best.
I would play this over Akham Horror LCG...because Arkham Horror LCG always feels like a scam meant to suck endless money from your wallet.
Sorry, it is a way better Arkham Horror second edition.
Zero idea what they're going on about... Everyone is so biased on 2nd edition
I love them all have all 2nd edition most of eldritch horror and some of the card game I think people need to stop crying about the setup how hard it is ect.. its like that for a reason but if u want a game to complain about play twilight Empyrium lol
How is it possible for someone to find a miniature or a card or something disgusting/revolting? Or a theme for that matter? I can't understand it. This comment has nothing to do with the video, besides one sentence or two that made me think about it.
FFG milking the shit as always. But this time its not even a good game.
AH3e is a masterpiece. By far the best Arkham game and the best game FFG has made. You guys really missed to boat on this one.
By "missing the boat" you mean have a different opinion, yes?
The Dice Tower not really no. A lot of your complaints can also easily be registered against all of the other Arkham games, and the scenario system now adds more to the game by creating an actual ebb and flow to the narrative while also offering up just as many choices as any of the other Arkham games. On top of this, the choices in 3rd edition have more meaning because of the way it all impacts the placement of and gathering of the clues.
So basically, yes
2 plays of AH3e was enough to know I will not pick up the 3rd edition for myself and stick with Eldritch Horror. Eldritch still sits atop the Arkham throne for me.
Other people who have played it are posting and agreeing with Tom and Sam. So I guessed they missed the boat too. At least they won’t be lonely on the docks.
Board game fatigue eventually hits every one.
Symptoms :
- can't stand downtime. One should understand that this comes with the territory. Board games are supposed to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. It's a turn-based system, right?
- "been there, done that" feeling
- can't seem to scratch the itch. Every session starts out with some hope or anxiety but ends with a bland 'meh'.
- have no time to spare. Only plays casual. Goodbye Twilight Imperium, Dead of Winter, Star Wars Rebellion, War of the Rings, Axis and Allies, Imperial Settlers, etc. Hello as usual Sushi Go, Azul, Pandemic, Pokemon TCG, etc.
Rx:
Transition to video games and enjoy or at least tolerate the extremely toxic and salty gaming community (e.g. Low-Tier God, Tyler1, etc). Play frantic real-time video games (e.g. Starcraft, League of Legends) and compete with +200 actions/minute Koreans.
Surrender back to the real world and ultimately realize life is boring and pointless in general. Everything sucks and all human endeavor is for naught.
Well, i guess no more Schopenhauer for you....it seems to make you a tad morose and we can't tolerate that in our make-believe western world utopia 😓
@@MrAbnrm Keep on swimming then you 1st World idealist.
Yep