This list contains slight spoilers for some of the campaigns in Arkham LCG.
Arkham is present in many shapes and forms throughout the gaming industry. The LCG version of the mythos emerged from the void in 2016 and provided a cooperative narrative deck-building exploration game that continues to grow. And advance. And threaten. And OH MY GOD what was that? I thought I saw something, over there in the shadows. Did you? Here, take my flashlight and go investigate for me. I’m going to just… go buy some groceries in town.
Arkham Horror LCG has spawned eight campaigns after its initial release, including ten standalone scenarios, five upgrade expansions, and a plethora of additional content both official and fan-made. This list showcases ten excellent scenarios from within the game’s nine campaigns (and approximately seventy scenarios). I’ve tried to spread the wealth amongst as many campaigns as I could, and I’ve also provided a bonus “bottom-five” scenarios list to give a sense of where scenario design went wrong.
Choose your investigator. Build your deck. Gather your resources. It’s time to act before the agenda catches up to us. Don’t hesitate to provide your own thoughts in the comments below.
Honorable Mentions: City of Elder Things (Edge of the Earth), Dealings in the Dark (The Scarlet Keys), In Too Deep (Innsmouth Conspiracy)
10: Blood on the Altar
Campaign: The Dunwich Legacy
Memorable Moment: “Ss.. se… eth…?”
Nothing beats some rest after a stressful train ride into the county. Unfortunately, the village of Dunwich is not about to let you relax just yet. Filled with kidnappings, hidden cards, and a creepy locale with a variable setup, this scenario makes each play enjoyable. It’s the best example of scenario design in the Dunwich campaign. Don’t mind the locals eyeing you from behind their dirty windows and torn curtains. Or the servants rustling in the nearby wood. Unlocking the chamber to the secrets is fun, challenging, and as is typical in many Arkham scenarios, filled with surprises.
9. For the Greater Good
Campaign: The Circle Undone
Memorable Moment: The cultists come to an agreement.
What’s more fun than sneaking into the local cultist lodge and searching for clues? How about joining in on the cause and then double-crossing your hosts? For the Greater Good is one of the rare standout scenarios from The Circle Undone campaign. It provides a large location to explore, a brutal encounter deck that plays with a “key” mechanism, and plenty of flavor to thematically ground the narrative. It’s a ticking time bomb as robed fanatics argue over an impending summoning ritual. You do not want to see what’s about to cross into your world. Or do you? Wait, whose side are you on anyway?
8. Search for Kadath
Campaign: The Dream Eaters
Memorable Moment: The Corsairs tighten the net.
The first time I searched for Kadath, the scope of the Dreamlands began to open for me. This campaign is very hit or miss, but it was Kadath on the dream side that provided the most immersion into the setting. Travel to port to procure a ship and set sail for months trying to discover the path forward. Many kingdoms await. While some of the locations you visit are brief, the scenario still feels fleshed out and gives enough space to match the passage of time. Kadath also plays with the setting by including a bevy of unique elite enemies to battle or flee from along the way. All while Virgil Gray seductively watches you from his desk.
7. Depths of Yoth
Campaign: The Forgotten Age
Memorable Moment: Failing the third test at the precipice.
If it had a little more variety in its exploration deck locations, Depths of Yoth’s system would be pure joy to revisit over and over. It’s the truest form of push-your-luck in Arkham LCGs scenario repertoire. How low into the depths can you go? Well… how many serpents are on our tail? And now the Harbinger has joined them? And that loud growl… is that Yig? Yoth uses its cyclical system to ramp up the difficulty, press several threats onto you, and still urges you to see if you can go another round. The encounter deck synergy is amazing. It also utilizes the supply system from The Forgotten Age in unique ways. Yoth is a shining moment in this campaign even with the lack of natural light as you descend.
6: The Last King
Campaign: The Path to Carcosa
Memorable Moment: The definition of madness.
The Last King is arguably the greatest of the early core (first two) scenarios for any campaign—except for one entry below. It doubles down on the theme by taking players further into the darkness of the mind. This experience forms around the aftermath of your viewing of The King in Yellow—the play that went awry. You accept an invitation to a party. At the manor you find cast and crew members mingling throughout the location. But something is not right. As you parley with financiers, producers, entertainers, and perhaps even a cultist hiding in the midst, the evening begins to devolve in spectacular fashion. The Last King creates big moments within smaller spaces. It also leaves players with a thrilling conclusion.
5: A Light in the Fog
Campaign: Innsmouth Conspiracy
Memorable Moment: The telltale click that stops your heart dead.
The Falcon Point lighthouse is breathtaking in the natural sunlight. Even the scenario agenda cards feature a wonderful rendering of birds in flight. All freedom and play. Nothing like us in this moment. We’re here to do a job. The Order of Dagon must be stopped, and they’ve employed this creepy keeper of the lighthouse who’s on to our investigation. This scenario goes all-in on the Innsmouth setting, providing a step-by-step descent into watery depths to seek the truth. Don’t spend too long engaged in sightseeing, looking at a cute little deep one hatchling, or waiting for the flooding waters to pull you down. In the end, there’s plenty of salt for everyone. If you’re still breathing.
4: The Vanishing of Elina Harper
Campaign: Innsmouth Conspiracy
Memorable Moment: The Accusation
An eerie fog stretches out over the Innsmouth Square as you consider all your options. Elina Harper could be anywhere within the eroding town, and everyone is a suspect. Your goal is to participate in a mini-game like Clue to narrow the possibilities before time runs out. This has always been a tense scenario, with the midpoint accusation being filled with dread if you’re unable to whittle away all the options. This is a larger location and thankfully there’s a bus in the square to help you get around faster. You’re going to need it as you jump from hideout to hideout and seek your missing partner. Tension increases as you must shuffle some of the leads back into the deck thus muddling future discoveries.
3: The Pallid Mask
Campaign: The Path to Carcosa
Memorable Moment: A force from beyond.
The Arkham LCG dungeon-crawler. This scenario has it all: exploration, randomized locations, a consistent progression rhythm, thematic enemies (just you wait), excellent hazards, and excellent treachery cards in general. It’s infinitely repeatable with added depth by way of the Return To expansion. And all of this is in service of the overall story. The Man in the Pallid Mask, an iconic character from lore, continues to taunt you from the shadows. He must be found. All of this is topped off by excellent card illustration and a continuation of the Carcosa mind tricks telling you it’s all just in your mind. Or is it? I have this strange feeling that something is within me… and it wants out.
2: Threads of Fate
Campaign: The Forgotten Age
Memorable Moment: Eavesdropping on the locals at the diner.
Ah, Arkham. For a game named after the turbulent township, there are not a lot of moments to explore all the local haunts. Threads of Fate knows how you feel about this. It provides a large set of locations, from the University to Rivertown, and even includes a couple of new locations specific to the campaign. While this is all well and good, the true feature of Threads is the setup (which can be a little daunting at first). You’re faced with three act decks pulling you in multiple directions all in service of the narrative while also allowing you to see more of Arkham. And of course, all this happens with a single agenda deck ticking away. Tense, thematic, excellent variability, and even a fourth act deck if you spring for the Return To expansion. There is so much goodness happening in this scenario. And yet the streets are so quiet…
1: The Unspeakable Oath
Campaign: The Path to Carcosa
Memorable Moment: Taking the keys by any means necessary.
Visions. Delusions. Corrosion. All paths lead to the asylum, do they not? Can’t be a game about the hidden horrors of the world without a little madness. Oath is the pinnacle of scenario design for this game. As you search the halls for answers, you feel the walls closing in while the eyes of staff and patients track your movements. Who is truly insane here? Oath provides hidden cards that affect your choices as it worms their way into your hand from the encounter deck. There are several directions the narrative can take you and yet the final escape from the asylum is the icing on top of this dense and difficult cake. Where do you go when you leave this destination? No one can truly be certain.
As a bonus, I thought it would be fun to include a small nod to the five scenarios that I would rather skip than play. I’m certain that some of these are on your list as well, but I’m also certain that at least one of these may be a little controversial. Do you have a least favorite scenario?
5: The Boundary Beyond
Campaign: The Forgotten Age
The shifting locations (present day vs. ancient) are unique, but this scenario piles on the hurt. It’s more fail forward than something you win. The doom clock pressure is increased by all the cultists running around.
4: The City of Archives
Campaign: The Forgotten Age
In a way, this is The Unspeakable Oath pt. II by way of gathering intel, but I’m not a fan of the setting or the fact that certain investigators are punished by the switch into a new form. Players are given a lot of choices here, but ultimately this is a clear dud within a rather fun campaign.
3: The Devourer Below
Campaign: Night of the Zealot
Certainly, a sign of things to come, this scenario features the first massive boss with a hefty health amount, and it’s brutal unless you prepare specifically for it. Unfortunately, it’s in a three-part campaign and there’s no way to build up enough experience to truly compete. Thankfully there’s a very simple solution to slake the Ancient One’s hunger. It’s not as satisfying of an ending, but it’ll have to do.
2: The Wages of Sin
Campaign: The Circle Undone
This scenario can be placed right into the void. The heretic enemies are one of the worst experiences in the game. I’ve never skipped the scenario, but I wonder if resigning may make this campaign more fun. At least the card illustration is excellent here. Something to admire as you struggle against the haunted locations.
1: Undimensioned and Unseen
Campaign: The Dunwich Legacy
Yes, we all know about this one. The struggle is real. Shifting around abominations. Placing clues. Randomness. Rinse and repeat. Even the story feels out of place and pulls away from the forward momentum. Many fans would rather resign immediately than tackle this. It does make the next scenario much harder, but it also saves you some time you won’t get back otherwise.
Source: Board Game Quest
