Kingsport Horror

The Kingsport Horror expansion for the Arkham Horror board game was released in June of 2008 and designed by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson. This was the fourth Arkham Horror expansion, following Curse of the Black Pharaoh, The Dunwich Horror, and The King in Yellow. The setting is the sleepy coastal town of Kingsport, Massachusetts, a place where the fragile boundaries between worlds are growing perilously thin.

If you’ve yet to experience Kingsport Horror, this page is designed to give you a basic idea of what you can expect. Game variants and components are discussed, as well as new Ancient Ones designed to devour your investigator.

Components for Kingsport Horror Expansion

The Kingsport Horror Expansion for Arkham HorrorThe Kingsport Horror expansion comes with a box full of new components. Below is a list, as well as descriptions of some of the more notable items.

Guardian Sheets - Three supernatural entities who oppose the Ancient Ones and their minions. Included guardians are Nodens, Bast, and Hypnos. These beings function as the opposites of heralds.

Herald Sheets - New heralds for the Ancient Ones are introduced, including Tulzcha and Ghroth.

Game Board - The city of Kingsport is broken up into streets, locations, and four neighborhoods. Two additional Other Worlds are also added (Unknown Kadath and the Underworld).

Investigator Sheets - Eight new investigators are included in this Arkham Horror expansion. They include: Charlie Kane (politician), Daisy Walker (librarian), Lily Chen (martial artist), Lola Hayes (actress), Luke Robinson (dreamer), Rex Murphy (reporter), Tony Morgan (bounty hunter), and Wendy Adams (urchin). The martial artists, Lily Chen, is unique, as she gets an extra skill slider.

Investigator Cards - Familiar categories such as spells and common items are included, as well as two new decks: Visions of Hypnos and Blessings of Nodens. The use of these decks depends on which guardian is prominent during gameplay.

Epic Battle Cards - These cards are used only if the players decide to use the Epic Battle variant. After each upkeep phase of the Final Battle, a new Epic Battle card is drawn. Some of these cards give advantages to the investigators, while others favor the Ancient One. There’s even a card called “The End of Everything” that results in all the investigators being devoured and immediately losing the game.

Monster Markers - Locations near water are even more dangerous thanks to the introduction of aquatic monsters such as the moon-beast and skeleton. These creatures can pop up at any aquatic location instead of following traditional routes. They may also move directly to attack an investigator at any other aquatic location.

New Ancient Ones for Kingsport Horror

Like previous expansions for Arkham Horror, the Kingsport Horror edition adds a number of new Ancient Ones to menace the investigators. Below is a description of each, as well as what impact they may have on gameplay.

Y’Golonac - When this Old One manifests from behind his prison of bricks, he takes the form of a headless, bloated man with eyes in the palms of his hands. A god of perversion and depravity, he delights in tormenting the human race. During gameplay, tomes that are drawn from the deck and then discarded cause a token to be added to the doom track.

Eihort - Living in a network of tunnels beneath England, Eihort is a gelatinous nightmare with endless eyes and a system of fleshless legs. Each time investigators seal a gate or defeat cultists, they run the risk of being devoured by Eihort’s brood. When a player gets a brood token, they must roll a die. If they roll less than the number of brood tokens they currently possess, the investigator is eaten. To make matters worse, the dead investigator’s brood tokens are then added to the doom track.

Atlach-Nacha - Resembling a giant spider with a vaguely human face, Atlach-Nacha dwells deep below the surface and spins a massive web that connects our world with the Dreamlands. Thanks to its special ability, all mythos cards are treated as though their gate location areas are red. This means that Elder Signs are removed whenever a sealed gate location is drawn.

Yibb-Tstll - An immobile mass with a vast alien head and bat wings, Yibb-Tstll observes the universe from her spot at the center of time. Due to her advanced sensory abilities, investigators are required to make two successful evasion checks instead of one during gameplay.

Variant Styles of Play for Kingsport Horror

When you play Kingsport Horror, there are two variants to choose from. The first is the Herald/Guardian variant, where powerful forces seek to help or hinder the investigators. Players can choose to add a guardian, a herald, or both to their gaming session.

The other is the Epic Battle variant, which makes the Final Battle with the Ancient One a more exciting event. When the game is being set up, the helpful green battle cards will be placed on top, with the less-than-helpful red cards below them. The investigators will have an advantage during the first eight rounds of combat, as the green cards will give them some manner of assistance. After that, the red cards will come into play and likely turn the tide in favor of the Ancient One.

Using Multiple Expansions for Arkham Horror

It’s easy to combine multiple expansions when playing Arkham Horror. Just place the additional boards next to the original Arkham Horror board and get set to battle the forces of the Ancient Ones. However, for each expansion board in play beyond the first, the number of players should be counted as one less. This helps cut down on the amount of territory the players have to cover, especially as it applies to monster and gate limits.

Like previous supplements for Arkham Horror, the Kingsport Horror expansion allows players to broaden their gaming experience and create an almost endless array of challenges and choices for their investigators. The variant rules also allow players to adjust the degree of difficulty, which is important considering the eldritch might of the opposition.