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Heads up: this is a preview, not a review. That will come in due course.
Wouldn't it be great if you were a Private Eye in 1930s Arkham, sniffing around the gothic architecture for clues, picking up anxious rumours about dark gatherings in gloomy mansions, battling for your life against mad cultists as they try to summon beings from beyond your worst nightmares?
Yeah, you’re probably right, that sounds way too dangerous. If I was really in that situation I’d trip over the feet of the first cultist I stumbled into, and find myself on the way to a sacrificial alter with barely an ‘oops’ said. There is, however, a perfect way to enjoy the excitement of this adventure without coming up close and personal with Chthulu and his pals.
Welcome to Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game from Edge Studios, Fantasy Flight Games and Asmodee. The Hungering Abyss is the Starter Set. It isn’t the big chunky Core Rulebook, it’s an all-in-one kit designed to get you into the game with as little friction as possible.
A few factual statements before we get to the opinions. Number one, I am the dictionary definition of a TTRPG noob. I have never played one before. Not even had the customary dabble in Dungeons and Dragons. Number two, I genuinely never saw myself playing one either. So how have I ended up here? This Starter Kit in particular has a specific type of gamer in mind. I know this, because I am that gamer. I am their exact target. I might as well be standing in an open field with my arms wide and welcoming as a sniper whose gun shoots out games gets me in her sights. As mentioned, I’ve never taken part in TTRPGs, but here's the kicker: I started my board game journey this year with Arkham Horror LCG. This product is the most tempting gateway to the world of GMs and character sheets that I've ever seen. It's an expansion of the Arkham stable of games, so it shares the fantastic artwork and the characters. Daisy Walker is here! She's one of the first two characters I played Arkham LCG solo with. It’s like some dark, dangerous destiny has drawn me in…
I've seen some rumblings online about this new RPG - there's always rumblings, it wouldn't be the internet without some level of faintly unnecessary grumbles. What's the point of this, they cry. There's already an RPG out there that covers this subject and is well-supported. I'd argue that there's room for more than one RPG per theme, and this is likely to approach its rules and mechanics in a different way.
I straight up love the Hungering Abyss box cover. There's the familiar Arkham logo, with a piece of artwork that puts me in mind of the first movie in a fantastic new franchise. Hell yeah I'd watch this. It's slightly thicker card than the boxes for most other games as well, and feels that little bit higher quality, like a premium product (surprising when you take the reasonable price point into consideration).
Then comes an excellent moment of thoughtful design. It's a small thing but has quite the impact. There's a notch on each side of the box, making it that much easier to access the reams of booklets, maps and other content without having to tip the damn box upside down. This is a game that really does want to get you playing as quickly as possible.
The print quality and the materials used throughout are high standard, which all adds to the pleasure and the immersion.
Arkham LCG is part deck-builder, part RPG when you think about it, which means I was already partway towards the Hungering Abyss without even realising it. The options were less flexible, but there remains the reliance on teamwork to get through the challenging scenarios (this is also true in solo: you need to dual-hand a couple of characters unless you're a true nutter). It's this familiarity with the source material that draws me in even when I'm unsure if TTRPGs are for me. It's the quality of the product.
And the storytelling! It oozes atmosphere. The campaign opens with a long section that really sets the scene and the tone and does a great job of putting players in the mood. You soon slip into your character, helped along immensely by the great little info folders provided for each of the leads.
So, does this Starter Set provide enough material and information for a total noob to take a stab at being GM? So far, yes. We aren't very far into the campaign – we’ve only had this product a couple of days, which is why this isn't a full review yet. I can tell you, though, that I’m keen to push on and see how the story turns out, and if that isn’t a recommendation for Arkham Horror – The Roleplaying Game, I don’t know what is.
More soon, but in the meantime you can check it out for yourself right about here.
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