An Arkham Horror tabletop RPG is on the way, and it's set to launch in just a few months.
The long-running series based on Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos (which includes numerous board and card games) is expanding this August with an Arkham Horror tabletop RPG that introduces a brand-new 'Dynamic Pool System,' or DPS. According to the press release, its mechanics will be "easy to learn but contain strategic depths that are sure to entertain even expert TTRPG players."
Kicking things off is 'Arkham Horror The Roleplaying Game Starter Set – Hungering Abyss.' This will be demoed for the first time at Gen Con, and will feature all the staples of the franchise: ancient horrors, a race against time, hard-boiled investigators, spooky cults, and, of course, tommy-guns.
There aren't many details about how the system works or what the story will be about, but one way it seems to differ is by taking inspiration from the best board games – publisher Edge Studio has included the usual battlemap, but this is filled with tokens for characters and monsters. The box set includes prop handouts like puzzles and letters, too.
Notably, the addition of an Arkham Horror pen-and-paper game means that it'll be going up against a few of the best tabletop RPGs. The Lovecraft-based Call of Cthulhu is the most obvious, but that list also includes supernatural turn-of-the-century investigations such as Candela Obscura and Vaesen. However, it seems to be taking a slightly different approach with a more accessible system. Indeed, the press release is at pains to point out that DPS is easy to learn but still packs strategic depth. In addition, "no prior knowledge of tabletop RPGs, board games, or Arkham Horror" is required. The average runtime of a 'scene' is one hour too, so it certainly won't outstay its welcome.
That's something I've been waiting quite a while for – a more accessible route into the pen-and-paper world of Cthulhu. I've always wanted to tackle Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu (it's a classic, after all), but it feels a bit dense and slightly intimidating for newcomers. As such, this alternative being beginner-friendly is actually the best move the Arkham Horror RPG devs at Edge Studio could have made. Rather than going after the same slice of pie, there's a reason for both systems to exist without treading on each others' toes.
Arkham Horror The Roleplaying Game Starter Set – Hungering Abyss will launch in the USA and UK this August 2 for $34.99 USD.
For ideas of what you should play before then, check out our guide to the best card games and must-have Dungeons and Dragons books.
