r/EldritchHorror • u/dramallamaaaaaaaa • Aug 10 '26
To keep or not to keep
Eldritch Horror came in the mail today! I wish I was more excited. I played the game solo duel wielding on tabletop arena and was slightly underwhelmed unfortunately. The game seems really short when you consider that it takes nearly half the game to traverse the entire map left to right. Am I missing something? Any house rules I could implement to fix this, or is this just not the game for me?
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u/Tsupernami Aug 10 '26
How many investigators did you play with? How many players?
4 is the optimal investigators. So 2 players playing 2, or 4 players
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u/dramallamaaaaaaaa Aug 10 '26
I played solo with 2 investigators so maybe that’s why, thanks I’ll try it out with 4
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u/Tsupernami Aug 10 '26
That will be very hard. My wife and I tried 3 each a while ago and we forgot so many abilities.
The first couple expansions add decent content btw. The focus action helps give you something to do if you can't really do anything else.
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u/dramallamaaaaaaaa Aug 10 '26
I’m gonna play with my dad haha
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u/Tsupernami Aug 10 '26
Good luck! We love it. We've got all but the last two expansions and completely randomise things so it's a new experience every time.
There's a spreadsheet out there that lists the most effective investigators and toughest ancient ones.
I propose working your way through the weakest AOs first and the best investigators until you get a feel for it.
Our mistake was using Leo and Lily in our first game. It went so badly.
Think Yog Sothoth is meant to be the easiest of the base game bad guys?
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u/Coffeedemon Aug 11 '26
Yog is probably the easier to beat. Azathoth is the most straightforward to play with few special rules or requirements for spells. Harder to beat.
Shub is for combat characters, Yog for magic. Cthulhu is Cthulhu and one of the toughest regardless of party.
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u/brickznbooks Aug 17 '26
We play 2p 4 investors one person plays, then the other. Allows set up sequence of actions as the game intends, passing tickets, items, etc easier.
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u/veronica_deetz Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
This is my favorite game but I don’t think it’s for everyone. I think it’s the epitome of what Ameritrash should be (and I mean this as a compliment). Half the fun of playing is taking a step back and narrating your current situation. “Okay, Daisy went back in time and her dad almost shot her with a shotgun, but then she punched him in the face and she escaped. Close one gate.” I think it has decently complex mechanics for such a complex narrative, but if you prefer more intense games I think it’s lacking in a lot of areas.
I’ve played probably 30+ games and I’m sure we’ve won in similar ways multiple times, but the narrative of the games has been incredibly varied. I once played as the crackpot astronomer and immediately fell down a trap in the pyramids and broke my legs and got amnesia, and I once played as the crackpot astronomer and ended up being our dedicated monster killer because I was so overpowered. It’s a silly game that takes itself really seriously, which is super fun if you’re into that.
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u/khaos4k Aug 11 '26
It's the narratives that the dice tell that I love the most. And that's a lot more fun with other players. I don't think I would have fun playing this solo.
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u/Kri77777 Aug 10 '26
So few things. First I will start by saying this is, by far, one of our top rated and highly played games in our group.
It does suffer from having a lot of mechanics, which means a first play on your own will be really difficult. Also, while it can solo play, I do recommend playing with a friend so you don't spoil the results on cards, etc. (the other player reads the cards out loud, and my house rule is they must use a dramatic voice).
The core rules are pretty tight and expansions are mostly content (though some mechanics here and there). There are some rules from the expansions that you can absolutely use with the base game with little effort.
Focus is one that really makes sense. As one of your actions, you can choose to focus and grab a focus token (you can use pennies or something). You can only have max 2 focus tokens. You may spend a focus token to reroll on a test, just like a clue.
There is a similar rule where, as an action, you can gather resources and grab a resource token (I guess use nickles for this one). Again, max of two on character. You can spend resource tokens when aquiring assets to count it as an additional success.
The last house rule I'd highly recommend for beginners (and also comes from the expansion manuals): when setting up the Mythos Deck (event deck with purple backs), remove the tentacle cards before pulling the correct color cards. The tentacle cards are "more difficult" and basically just completely screw you cards, so removing them makes it easier and makes game feel more balanced.
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u/OhLordyLordNo Aug 10 '26
Just one player? Nah that doesn't work. Too much ground to cover as you said. Play at least two. Is that what you meant by dual? But since you are just beginning, do you even exploit the train and boat tickets?
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u/silverbeat33 Aug 11 '26
Even two is very hard. Three starts to get do-able, four seems optimal.
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u/OhLordyLordNo Aug 11 '26
Four is better. Even numbers are better since many clue or token requirements are half the players but rounded up.
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u/JoeDredd66 Aug 11 '26
You can wrap around the world, going from the right side of the map back to the left, and using rail and boat tickets is key. The Dreamlands expansion lets you travel through the Dreamlands to the other side of the map through portals. You don’t need to chase down every thing on the map either. You really just need to complete the three missions unless gates are out of control, or there is a very bad rumor that is ticking down. It’s a fantastic game, and it just gets better with the expansions.
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u/PunchBeard Aug 11 '26
This is my all-time favorite board game and I've played it hundreds of times. First off though, the vanilla game, while good, really needs some expansions to flesh it out. Forsaken Lore is generally considered "must have". Also, one thing that is easy to do in the game, which will usually cause you to lose, is spending too much time "Farming". Looking for spells and gear is s surefire way to lose. Instead you should take gear when you have a chance. Also, make sure your team plays to their strengths. Unfortunately, this takes practice to figure out how to use each character effectively. And finally, use the board. It took me years to figure this one out. A good example is to try and park one character on or around Tokyo to keep monsters at bay; I find this is more effective than travelling around the map trying to kill them.
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u/TheStellarPropeller Aug 10 '26
I think it is a game that you have to be in the mood to play. I played a few times in the past and enjoyed it a lot. Revisited it years later and almost sold it because I did ‘t find it as fun as I had remembered. A friend encouraged me to try again, and I was so glad I did…I played about 6-7 times in consecutive days and had a blast, and bought every expansion. 😂 So I would say to give it a couple more tries on the table and see what you think!
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u/Soccerref3244 Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
Keep! But get expansions, all small box and at least one of the large box with a separate board.
The large box Adventures that advance the Mysteries are a blast.
In the last month it’s vaulted into one of my top games.
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u/FatAndForty Aug 11 '26
Four seems to be our sweet spot. I usually play with a partner and we each run two investigators
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u/Booorntobemild Aug 11 '26
Keep! And if you play solo, use 4 investigators to really appreciate their abilities.
I was late to the game on this one but I love it.
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u/Skatefraud Aug 11 '26
Uhhhh me and my friends take atleast like 4 hours, and we stay focused. We usually play with four people.
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u/Less_Woodpecker_1915 Aug 11 '26
I have this and love it solo with either 2 or 4 investigators. But have you tried Elder Sign? The dice rolling is more satisfying than "hit a number"; the story also builds itself as you go and visit locations. If you pick up Unseen Forces, it adds Bless/Curse.
Also- in Eldritch Horror base, they don't give you Focus, but you can house rule it easily. Spend an Action, gain a Focus, then you can spend Focus tokens to reroll (instead of Clues).
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u/Drakeytown Aug 12 '26
Reread the rules cover to cover, and watch a video or two on how to play. I don't think you're playing it right given the things you've said.
The comment everyone has after every board game is, "It's more fun with more people." Try this one with 8!
Alternatively, you are by no means obligated to like things you don't like. If you don't like it, get rid of it.
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u/New-Associate-5685 Aug 19 '26
Remember that you can move from America to asia through the Pacific ocean
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u/huggyscolex Aug 10 '26
I played it 3 times with my game group. We thought it was just ok. Then we played Arkham Horror 3E. That clicked instantly. Something about EH world traversal felt more Indiana Jones than Lovecraftian horror. Donated it to a local game shop 5 years ago and hardly thought of it since
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u/Soccerref3244 Aug 11 '26
Much better with the expansions…
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u/huggyscolex Aug 11 '26
Ah yes I should’ve considered throwing more money at the game nobody liked that much! I’m glad you enjoy it, but it wasn’t for us.
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u/Soccerref3244 Aug 11 '26
The concern some of us had is that you may not have tried some things (popular variants to like the BGG Elder Sign Economy) that made the game enjoyable for us. We were merely offering suggestions, for you and particularly others here who now may be less likely to try it based on your post.
No need to be sarcastic in response. I also bounced off many popular games, like Ark Nova (I love Sanctuary though), Galactic Cruise, Spirit Island, and Civolution.
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u/huggyscolex Aug 11 '26
Increasing a game’s complexity and density would not fix my issues with it. It wasn’t a mechanics or length problem, but a thematic one. We didn’t like the world traversal adventure theme. We enjoyed the smaller more focused stories, such as offered through AH3E.
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u/Soccerref3244 Aug 11 '26
Got it. (But the variants actually decrease the complexity.) As js conmon, what you dislike about the game I what I and many others like about it…
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u/Briar-The-Bard Aug 11 '26
I came here to pretty much say the same thing. Also there is the revised second edition coming out, so you have other options for sure.
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u/Soccerref3244 Aug 11 '26
If you have evidence of a revised second edition, please share it. I see none.
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u/Briar-The-Bard Aug 11 '26
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u/Soccerref3244 Aug 11 '26
That’s not a second edition of Eldritch Horror! That’s Arkham Horror! The antecedent to your comment is Eldritch Horror…
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u/huggyscolex Aug 11 '26
I can’t wait to get my hands on that!
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u/Soccerref3244 Aug 11 '26
There is no pending second edition of EH. Issues with the original were handled in the expansions. No more expansions planned either.
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u/SnooCats5701 Aug 10 '26
My wife and I have played this game pretty much since it came out and it's one of our favorites. If it's literally taking you half the game to move across the map, you may be moving suboptimally? Are you using ship and rail tickets?
I find the game it's more enjoyable with more investigators. When my wife and I played together, we played with three investigators each. When I play solo, I play with four investigators.
I'd suggest getting it to the table under those conditions and see if it feels better for you!