Game Activity Log: Eldritch Horror

Brian Schubert
Sep 2, 2018 · 3 min read

Eldritch Horror is a complex board game made for one to eight players. The goal is to play cooperatively with the other players and prevent the end of the world or at least the end of Humanity. It is highly recommended to have at least one person familiar with the game because of all the different variables and board setup. To begin the game you decide which Horror you want to face, each having their own level of difficulty and recommended amount of players. Then, each player chooses the character they wish to play. Each character has their own unique abilities, starting items, and starting location on the game board. You will also have to place a set number of ‘clues,’ ‘gates,’ and items around the board in the appropriate places. Depending on the Horror you chose their may also be adjustments made to the starting condition of the board (in our game all the ‘clues’ were moved to the nearest ‘wilderness’ spaces).

Some items available in game.

Once the board is set up and all players are ready, it is time to begin the game. The person ‘running’ the game will read out the story behind the Horror you chose and any effects it may have on the board, as well as the first objective you will be working together to achieve. First the action phase begins, where each player is allotted 2 actions they can preform. These actions include movement, rolling for items, acquiring train/boat tickets (for extra movement in the future), trading, and resting to heal. After this phase, the encounter phase begins. If a player is on a space with a monster then they will fight that monster. Otherwise, they will resolve an encounter card based on what is on their space (clue, portal, nothing). An encounter card will be read aloud by the player and they will often have to roll a number of dice based on a certain attributes of their character to resolve it. If successful the player is rewarded, or the gate is closed (preventing monsters from spawning their). If the player fails, then the consequences could be very bad. When fighting a monster you will also be rolling dice to both block and damage the enemy. If you die, then you choose another character and any items on your dead character remain on the board for someone to come and collect. After the encounter phase the Mythos phase begins. The person running the game will read a Mythos card, which will often advance doom (a count down to everyone losing), spawn monsters, and open new gates. Then a new round begins and this takes place all over again.

Needless to say, this game can take a very long time, which is why it is important to have someone familiar with the game keeping turns running smoothly. The game doesn’t end until you lose or you win, and the doom

Encounter card.

counter doesn’t always go down and there are a few ways it can be lengthened. I think a big reason this game is fun is how cruel it is. We won our campaign, but from turn 1 we were expecting to lose. During our first round 2 of us died and 1 of us was detained (unable to use actions next round), but luckily we were able to finish the first objective and were all conveniently located for the second phase of the Horror. Cruelty can only be so fun though, what highlights each event is the narratives it has. Each player reading about a paragraph of story and the results of their encounter is very entertaining and it’s all well written. Overall, I highly recommend gathering a group of friends and trying out this game; just make sure you have 2–4 hours to spare and someone who has read through the rule book.

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