Arkham Horror the Card Game – The Scarlet Keys Campaign Expansion
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Awards
Rating
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Artwork
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Complexity
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Replayability
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Player Interaction
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Component Quality
You Might Like
- Innovative take on a well-worn concept
- Works as a standalone game, but also links in well with existing scenarios and campaigns
- Challenging but far from impossible
Might Not Like
- Steep learning curve for novices
- Does need the Investigator expansion as well for the full experiences
- Not all standalone scenarios fully compatible
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Description
The tale of The Scarlet Keys begins in Arkham with a spread of mysterious disappearances. As objects, animals, and people vanish, so too do they disappear from the memory of those left behind. Only you and your fellow investigators remember them—or so you thought. When an enigmatic letter arrives, its author claiming to also remember those who disappeared, it marks the beginning of an epic journey that will take you across the globe and under the scrutinous eye of the mysterious and deadly Red Coterie.
When we say “across the globe,” we mean that literally. The Scarlet Keys Campaign Expansion introduces the game’s very first completely non-linear campaign. After the prologue concludes, you and your party choose where to go next, and wherever you go determines what scenario you play. This means that, with the exception of the prologue and the finale (which always occur first and last, respectively), all of the scenarios in this campaign can be experienced in any order. However, you may not experience all of them in a single playthrough, since one of the greatest threats in the campaign isn’t the Mythos: it’s time.
There has never been a campaign for Arkham Horror: The Card Game of this scale and this scope, and only you and your fellow investigators can travel the globe and unravel the mysteries of The Scarlet Keys before it is too late.
Contains:
-This expansion contains the entirety of The Scarlet Keys campaign.
-Players only need a copy of the Arkham Horror: The Card Game Revised Core Set to dive into the story.
The Scarlet Keys is the newest campaign for Arkham Horror: the Card Game. Just like with Edge of the Earth, you will find only player cards in the Investigator Expansion and only scenario cards within the Campaign Expansion. Whether you want one expansion or both, the world of Arkham Horror just got bigger!
Arkham Horror, with its many expansions, is a great example of a narrative LCG with rich storylines, thematic detail and unknowable gribbly horror. But up until now, it’s all been quite linear. Yes, you can pop standalone scenario packs into your game, and there’s replay value from trying different combinations of investigators and deck builds, but there’s a fundamental similarity to it all… however, The Scarlet Keys is something else entirely. It’s a completely non-linear campaign, where you race against time around the globe choosing where to go (and which scenario to play) in order to unlock the secrets of Red Coterie.
THAT IS NOT DEAD…
This the closest I’ve ever come to experiencing an RPG in card form – no GM, and so much autonomy it’s extraordinary. I am a dreadfully old (great old?)-school gamer and I was worried as to whether this would feel little more than a poor Choose Your Own Adventure with cards, but I was delighted by how much control you have over the experience. It’s a step-up not only from other Arkham Horror campaigns (and don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan – The Dunwich Legacy is particularly good) but other card-driven narratives like Themeborne‘s excellent Escape series. After completing the first scenario, the players choose the next stop on the trail, in part determined by how successful you were, in part by your own whims.
WHICH CAN ETERNAL LIE…
It feels like a proper gripping narrative, torn from the pages of Lovecraft’s journals, and you are invested in your characters and their investigations. You dot all over the world, with only the first and last scenarios (assuming you survive) being pre-determined. And key (ahem) to this is the map. It is a lovely, lovely thing, presented as a TOP SECRET dossier which unfolds to reveal all manner of missions and options. It’s so immersive and will have your entire group pouring over it, trying to decide where exactly should be the next step to unearthing hidden secrets.
AND WITH STRANGE AEONS…
The Scarlet Keys introduces a number of new mechanics, chief among them being the inclusion of Hidden cards: is it an enemy agent? A decoy? Or something… OTHER?), and the meaningful introduction of side missions that can be unlocked using other existing scenario packs, with the Guardians of the Abyss being a particularly good fit for this rollicking, swashbuckling, Dr Jones -style adventure, but even others such as the stone-cold classic Murder at the Excelsior Hotel work without too much bother.
EVEN DEATH MAY DIE…
A fantastically immersive experience, it’s worth mentioning that the Investigator expansion is, unlike other Campaigns, not essential. Of course the additional Investigators enhance it (extra actions from the Butler, and bonus allies from the Newspaper magnate, spring to mind) and the Upgrade mechanic it introduces (being able to tailor some of your resources from the outset) is great, but the Campaign stands on its own two feet. I’m not saying don’t buy the Investigator expansion, just that you don’t necessarily need to… yet.
The Scarlet Keys might just be the best campaign yet for Arkham Horror. Yes, the difficulty is high – but this the Cthulhu mythos, of course at least one of your characters will go crazy – but not impossibly so, and you feel each clue, each treasure and each success all the more keenly. Whether you’re a newcomer to the game, straight off the back of the core box, or a veteran of the mysteries of the mythos, this is must-buy.
Zatu Score
Rating
- Artwork
- Complexity
- Replayability
- Player Interaction
- Component Quality
You might like
- Innovative take on a well-worn concept
- Works as a standalone game, but also links in well with existing scenarios and campaigns
- Challenging but far from impossible
Might not like
- Steep learning curve for novices
- Does need the Investigator expansion as well for the full experiences
- Not all standalone scenarios fully compatible