The Lurker at the Threshold
The Lurker at the Threshold, the seventh expansion for the Arkham Horror board game, was released in 2010. It once again pits investigators against the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos, as our heroes attempt to protect the fictional city of Arkham, Massachusetts from almost certain doom. Like previous versions of the game, The Lurker at the Threshold is suitable for one to eight players, with an average gaming session lasting around three hours.
The story begins with the strange tale of Tyne Glancy, a 38-year-old author of some renown. Stricken with a heart condition, Glancy disappeared while receiving treatment at an Arkham hospital. Six days later, she reappeared in perfect physical condition, although the same couldn’t be said of her mind. Glancy complained of seeing a nightmare realm, even telling a reporter for the Arkham Advertiser, “There will be a reckoning.” It turns out that the author was right, as a foul being begins throwing open portals to other worlds while attempting to squirm into ours. Can the investigators stop the menace in time, even if it means making dark pacts that threaten their very souls?
Game Components for The Lurker at the Threshold
Like
all Arkham Horror expansions,
The Lurker at the Threshold includes several new components. The box
includes the following:
New Common Items - The Lurker at the Threshold includes a few new common item cards, including a sledgehammer, hand camera, fine clothing, and a King James Bible. The latter costs $3 and allows players to spend 2 movement points in order to regain one point of sanity and a +1 modifier to horror checks until the end of their turn.
Relationship Cards - Previously unseen in any Arkham Horror expansion, relationship cards explain the connections between investigators and grant benefits. For game purposes, the player to your left will be the investigator whose relationship is detailed on your card. The Skullcrackers card allows you or your partner to exhaust the card before combat to gain a +1 check, while the Friendly Rivals card (my favorite) allows the player with fewer monster trophies a +1 combat check and the player with fewer gate trophies a +1 on combat or lore checks (to close gates). A total of 12 relationship cards are included in the set.
New Spells - There are six new spells for The Lurker in the Threshold. These include Control Gate, Call Down the Storm, Intervene, Curse of Darkness, Plumb the Void, and Sigil of Hermes Trismegistus. The latter is my favorite, as it grants a +2 to any check to close a gate.
Reckoning Cards - Another first for an Arkham Horror expansion, the Reckoning cards are used whenever the Lurker at the Threshold is active as a herald for the Ancient Ones. After the initial gate opens to begin the game, any other opened gates will result in one of these cards being drawn. Twenty-eight cards are included in the set, and they range from annoying (investigators with a Blood Pact lose 2 sanity) to downright devastating (one player must take a Dark Pact or be devoured). In other cases, the Reckoning cards can prove advantageous for those who’ve entered into an agreement with dark forces.
New Unique Items - The Lurker at the Threshold expansion includes the following unique items: Zanthu tablets, Staff of the Pharaoh, ritual candles, and the Key of Tawil At’Umr. The staff is ideal for anyone who does a lot of fighting, as it grants a +3 bonus to all combat checks (although it does require two hands to wield).
New Herald Sheet - The herald is a being dedicated to the rise of the Ancient Ones, and they provide a greater challenge for the investigators. This expansion includes one new herald in the form of the Lurker at the Threshold.
Dark Pact Cards - Players may make Dark Pacts when the Lurker at the Threshold is used as the herald. The Dark Pact cards are broken into three types. Those entering into a Blood Pact may restore their stamina, and future increases in stamina can be converted into power tokens (which can be used to fend off sanity loss). The Bound Ally Pact allows you to take the top card from the ally deck and gain the services of the character. The downside comes when the Ancient One awakes, as each Bound Ally increases the number of successes needed to remove a doom token by one. Finally, there’s the Soul Pact, which allows you to restore sanity to full and substitute power or clue tokens for lost stamina. 24 cards are included.
Arkham Horror: The Lurker at the Threshold Rules
The Lurker at the Threshold rules are the same as the rules for Arkham Horror--it's an expansion, not a new game. New twists, such as the relationship cards and gate markers add some variety to the game, but players can also choose to ignore them. The same goes for variants such as the herald. In fact, one of the strengths of Arkham Horror is the ability to customize the game to suit your preferences and style of play.
Gate Markers
Besides the components listed above, The Lurker at the Threshold also adds new gate markers meant to replace those from Dunwich Horror, Kingsport Horror, or the original set. These gates function normally in most regards, although there are a few additions that players should be aware of:
Gate of Doom - A token is added to the Doom Track if an investigator is in the same space when it opens.
Devouring Gate - Any investigator in the same space when this gate opens is immediately devoured.
Monstrous Gate - If an investigators fails to close a gate with this symbol, a monster appears.
Endless Gate - These gates are reshuffled when closed and cannot be collected as trophies.
Gate of Madness - Investigators failing to close these gates lose one point of sanity.
Gate of Blood - A failed attempt to close this type of gate results in the loss of one stamina point.
Moving Gate - These gates move around the board like monsters.
Arkham Horror expansions are released at a steady pace, and The Lurker at the Threshold is a good example of the quality put into each product from Fantasy Flight Games. You’ll need the basic Arkham Horror set in order to play, but even veteran gamers will be surprised by the replay value added from a few extra cards and markers.