Dunwich Horror

In 2006, the Dunwich Horror expansion became the second supplementary product released for the Arkham Horror board game. Unveiled at Gen Con, the game drew elements from H.P. Lovecraft’s celebrated short story “The Dunwich Horror” and added a number of new twists to the popular horror board game.

Unlike the first supplement, Curse of the Dark Pharaoh, the Dunwich Horror expansion adds an additional board meant to be used alongside the original Arkham Horror board. By entering the train station on the Arkham side, investigators can move to the Dunwich board and experience new rules and encounters, as well as additional Ancient Ones to blast your mind and leave you a gibbering mess. The Dunwich Horror monster is even included, which can prove tricky considering that its powers vary with each combat.

Arkham Horror: Dunwich Horror Expansion ReviewThis page details the various elements of the Dunwich Horror expansion. Additions to the rules are explained, as well as a detailed rundown of the new cards included in the set. If you’re looking to expand your Arkham Horror gaming experience, this supplement provides a horrific experience.

Story of the Dunwich Horror

The events that permeate this expansion were first introduced in a 1929 short story by H.P. Lovecraft titled “The Dunwich Horror.” Set in the fictional town of Dunwich, Massachusetts, it deals with a dark individual named Wilbur Whateley who attempts to break into Miskatonic University and steal a Latin copy of the ancient spell book the Necronomicon. When he’s torn to pieces by an unusually aggressive guard dog, a group of investigators view the dissolving body of Whateley and come to the conclusion that he’s something other than human. This leads to a series of revelations about the Whateley residence, a ramshackle farmhouse holding an unspeakable terror within.

Components for the Dunwich Horror Expansion

Upon opening the box, you’ll find the following components for the Dunwich Horror expansion:

All of these items are thoroughly explained in the Dunwich Horror rulebook, but several are worth mentioning to potential buyers. These include:

7 Arkham Replacement Cards - Several cards from the Arkham Horror base set have been revised for improved gameplay. These include Flesh Ward, Healing Stone, and Lantern. Simply remove the cards that came with the original version of Arkham Horror and add these in their place.

Game Board - Divided into three neighborhoods, the expansion board notes important places in the Dunwich area. The rampaging Dunwich Horror monster is tracked at the top, and two new Other Worlds (Lost Carcosa and Another Time) are included on the right side of the board.

Task/Mission Cards - Short-term quests that allow investigators to gain benefits for successfully completing an objective.

Injury/Madness Cards - When your health or sanity reach zero, you no longer have to lose items or clue tokens. Instead, you can draw one of these cards that restores your statistic but also bestows a lingering disability.

Investigator Sheets - Eight new investigators are introduced into the game, including Jim Culver, Professor Rice, Corinna Jones, Ammi Pierce, and Earl Sawyer.

Spawn Monsters - These creatures are not added to the monster cup. Instead, they appear when certain conditions are met. The Dunwich Horror, for example, appears to terrorize the countryside when the horror track on top of the Dunwich board is full.

Dunwich Horror Expansion Rules

While most of the Arkham Horror rules are still in effect, a few new wrinkles are added to the Arkham Horror: Dunwich Horror expansion set. These include:

Monster Limits - Monsters appearing on the Dunwich board do not count against the monster limit.

Flying Monsters - Dunwich streets are considered adjacent to the sky for the purposes of flying monsters.

Lost in Time and Space - If an investigator becomes lost in time and space, they can return to a street in Dunwich just as they could in Arkham.

Movement between Towns - To move from Arkham to Dunwich (and back), an investigator must be at either a train station or a depot and then spend $1 and a movement point.

Stalker Monsters - If an investigator is in a nearby street location or unstable area, stalker monsters ignore normal arrow movement and head towards the player.

Retiring Investigators - If a player gets two or more madness or injury cards, they may retire their investigator and draw a new one.

Gate Bursts - Mythos cards with red gate locations can cause a gate burst. This is especially notable for gate locations with an elder sign token, as the elder sign is removed and a monster appears. This does not, however, cause the doom track to advance.

Scoring Additions - In addition to the rules for scoring in Arkham Horror, the following modifiers are added for Dunwich Horror: -1 for each retired investigator, +1 for each completed mission or task.

Additional Ancient Ones

The Dunwich Horror expansion adds four new Ancient Ones to test your skills and your sanity. The following section includes a brief description of each.

Glaaki - A Great Old One who resembles a massive slug covered with metallic spines. By driving one of these spines into a victim’s body, his cult can create an undead host for their master to control. Glaaki can serve as the boss battle at the end of the game, and his fanatical servants are also available to make life more difficult for the investigators.

Abhoth - A gray protean mass responsible for all abominations in the world. Existing in a fetid pool of liquid, Abhoth constantly gives birth to malformed creatures, devouring many of them before they’re able to venture into the world. During the final battle in Arkham Horror, this Ancient One will devour three possessions of each investigator (including clue tokens, monster and gate trophies, and items).

Tsathoggua - A toad-like Old One who’s served by a race of cave-dwelling humans known as Voormis, as well as polymorphic beings called the Formless Spawn.

Shudde M’ell - A massive chthonian capable of burrowing underground at great speeds and dissolving solid rock by exuding powerful acids from his body. During gameplay, he is able to destroy locations by tunneling beneath them.

Dunwich Horror Review

If you’re a devoted fan of Arkham Horror or horror board games in general, collecting the Dunwich Horror expansion is a must. It was the first supplementary product for Arkham Horror to feature an extra game board, and the inclusion of new cards and Old Ones allows for a fresh experience every time. Fans of H.P. Lovecraft are also encouraged to give it a try, as the game simulates the rising dread in Dunwich, from the vile Whateley family to the destructive monstrosity they harbor.

With a suggested retail price of $55, this one is more expensive than some of the other supplements, but you also get a lot more for your money. I've seen it on Amazon discounted significantly, too--when I looked today, you could buy a copy of Dunwich Horror for just $36.