Innsmouth Horror
The Innsmouth Horror expansion was introduced in 2009, making it the sixth release for the Arkham Horror board game. In addition to featuring cards with new monsters, investigators, and locations, the game also includes a board depicting the dangerous fishing village of Innsmouth. Designed by Kevin Wilson and Richard Launius (who also created the original Arkham Horror), Innsmouth Horror is meant to inject new life into gaming sessions.
The fictional town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts was made popular in H.P. Lovecraft’s 1936 story “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” And much like that tale, the Innsmouth in this expansion is depicted as a crumbling fishing village filled with unwelcoming and frequently deformed locals. This is due to the town’s long-standing practice of offering human sacrifice to the creatures in the sea, namely the fish-like Deep Ones. As the investigators enter the town, they have to deal with hostile locals, fend off attacks from every direction, and struggle to prevent one of the Great Old Ones from being roused from their ancient slumber.
New Components for the Innsmouth Horror Expansion
Like
previous releases for the Arkham Horror board game, Innsmouth
Horror offers a number of new cards and markers to be incorporated into
the game. Once you’ve made your purchase and opened the box, here’s a sample
of what you can expect to find:
New Investigators - While the original Arkham Horror set provides a fascinating assortment of heroes to choose from, even more investigators are introduced in the Innsmouth Horror expansion. These 16 individuals include: Agnes Baker (waitress), Akachi Onyele (shaman), Finn Edwards (bootlegger), George Barnaby (lawyer), Hank Samson (farmhand), Minh Thi Phan (secretary), Norman Withers (astronomer), Patrice Hathaway (violinist), Roland Banks (federal agent), Silas Marsh (sailor), “Skids” O’Toole (ex-convict), Tommy Muldoon (rookie cop), Trish Scarborough (spy), Ursula Downs (explorer), William Yorick (gravedigger), and Zoey Samaras (chef).
New Game Board - The Innsmouth game board works in conjunction with the original Arkham Horror board, allowing investigators to travel back and forth. The board is divided into three neighborhoods, with special areas such as Devil Reef and Y’ha-nthlei accessible only by special means.
New Monsters - The Innsmouth Horror expansion includes a number of new monsters to terrorize investigators. These include the Being of Ib, Deep One, Deep One Hybrid, Elder Thing, Mi-Go, Priest of Dagon, Proto-Shoggoth, Servitor of Outer Gods, Wailing Writher, and Tendril of Nyogtha.
New Ancient Ones - The new Ancient Ones included in this expansion are Bokrug, Chaugnar Faugn, Cthugha, Ghatanothoa, Nyogtha, Quachil Uttaus, Rhan-Tegoth, and Zhar. One of the most difficult of the bunch is Zhar, as he begins with magical immunity and later shifts to physical immunity. He must also be defeated twice.
New Heralds - These beings exist to help usher the Old Ones into our world. The Innsmouth Horror expansion introduces two new heralds in Father Dagon and Mother Hydra. If you really want a challenge, you can try playing with both of these heralds at the same time.
New Locations - Half the fun of playing an expansion is getting to explore some of the bizarre sites dreamed up by H.P. Lovecraft. Innsmouth has a wide array of locales, including the Esoteric Order of Dagon, Devil Reef, Falcon Point, Marsh Refinery, and the local jail.
Personal Stories - Investigators from Innsmouth Horror and other previous releases now have their own personal stories. Each investigator has a pair of cards, and these flesh out their background, provide a goal or condition, and explain the effects of success or failure. For example, if gravedigger William Yorick becomes blessed during the game, his focus is increased by one. If, however, he is driven insane or knocked unconscious, then he must draw an injury or madness card or have his stamina and sanity permanently reduced by one. There are a total of 96 personal story cards included in the Innsmouth Horror expansion.
Expansion Rules for Innsmouth Horror
The basic rules remain the same for all Arkham Horror products, although the Innsmouth Horror expansion does include a few modifications. These include:
Getting Arrested - If investigators are arrested in Innsmouth, they’ll go to the Innsmouth Jail instead of Arkham. They will be delayed, as well as lose half their money. Even investigators who are immune to being delayed will be affected. Other investigators may attempt to rescue them by moving to Sawbone Alley and following the instructions printed there.
Lost in Time and Space - Investigators who are lost in time and space can choose to return to a street in Innsmouth as well as Arkham. The only area they cannot return to is Y’ha-nthlei.
Monster Limits - Monsters present on the Innsmouth board do not count against the monster limit for the game. These monsters also never go to the outskirts.
Flying Monsters - Creatures that can fly may move into Innsmouth streets just as they would in Arkham.
Weapon Immunity - Several monsters in the Innsmouth Horror expansion have an ability called Weapon Immunity. This eliminates any combat bonus for physical or magical weapons.
Martial Law - When the doom track is half full, martial law is declared in the streets of Innsmouth. When this happens, the investigator may have to pass an evasion check in streets or locations to avoid being jailed.
Innsmouth Look - A special deck of 10 cards are included in the game. If the player is instructed to do so, he may have to draw one or more of these cards to see if he’s descended from the Deep Ones. If this is the case, follow the instructions on the card.
Deep Ones Rising Track - In addition to the Doom Track, this expansion also adds the Deep Ones Rising track. This track is increased when monsters are returned to the cup after moving into a vortex or a gate is prevented from opening. If the Deep Ones Rising Track become full, the Ancient One wakes up.
Feds Raid Innsmouth Track - If the players are able to fill this track, both it and the Deep Ones Rising track will be emptied.
Innsmouth Horror Review
The Innsmouth Horror expansion allows fans of Arkham Horror to pit their guns, spells and sanity against the half-breed residents of a Massachusetts coastal town. You’ll also need the basic Arkham Horror set to play, although experienced monster hunters also have the option of including supplements such as The King in Yellow and Dunwich Horror.
The suggested retail price for Innsmouth Horror is $55, but you can usually find it discounted significantly via Amazon. I was able to find a copy of Innsmouth Horror there for $33, which is a great value considering the number of components and the additional hours of play that this expansion provides.