Fantasy Flight Games - Arkham Horror: Game Setup lyrics

Follow the steps below to prepare for a game of Arkham Horror. 1. Prepare Playing Area Unfold the board and place it in the center of the playing area. Make sure there is ample space around the edges of the board to place the investigator sheets and card decks. Place the various tokens and the dice near the board, as shown in the setup diagram on page 4. Make sure to place the terror track marker on the “0” space on the terror track. 2. Place Initial Clues Place one Clue token on each location on the board that has a red diamond above it. These locations are unstable and represent the places where dimensional gates can open and monsters can appear. Locations are identified by circular illustrations overlaying the Arkham portion of the game board (for example, Silver Twilight Lodge and Ma's Boarding House). 3. Choose First Player Select one player at random to be the first player. Give the first player marker to that player. 4. Determine Investigators The first player shuffles the 16 investigator sheets. Then, without looking, he randomly deals out one investigator sheet in front of each player, including himself. Alternately, the players may agree to choose their investigators, starting with the first player and continuing clockwise until every player has selected an investigator. 5. Reveal Ancient One The first player shuffles the eight Ancient One sheets. Then, without looking, he selects one at random and places it face up near the board. This is the Ancient One that is threatening Arkham for this game. If the Ancient One's ability lists any actions that take place at the start of the game, such as Nyarlathotep's “Thousand Masks" ability, they are resolved now. Alternatively, the players may choose which Ancient One they face. This is often helpful if there are time constraints or other considerations involved. (Yig makes for a shorter game, for instance, while Cthulhu makes for a particularly challenging game.) 6. Separate Decks Separate the various investigator and Ancient One cards into their respective decks and place them near the board as shown in the setup diagram. 7. Receive Fixed Possessions On each investigator sheet, certain items may be listed as fixed possessions. Each player, beginning with the first player and continuing clockwise, now receives the items listed on his investigator sheet in the “Fixed Possessions” area. The first player should locate the appropriate cards in the investigator decks and pa** them out to the players, as noted on their investigator sheets. 8. Shuffle Investigator Decks The players shuffle the Common Item, Unique Item, Spell, and Sk** decks, then return them face down to their places next to the board. Whenever players draw cards, they draw them randomly from the tops of these decks. 9. Receive Random Possessions Each investigator sheet may indicate that the investigator receives one or more random possessions. Each player, beginning with the first player and continuing clockwise, draws the indicated number of cards from the appropriate decks, as listed on his investigator sheet in the “Random Possessions” area. Note: Abilities that affect drawing cards from the card decks, such as Monterey Jack's Archaeology ability, do work when drawing random possessions at the start of the game. 10. Finish Investigator Setup Each player now receives a number of Sanity tokens equal to his investigator's Sanity value and a number of Stamina tokens equal to his investigator's Stamina value. These values are listed on each investigator sheet. Each player should place these tokens near the appropriate area on his sheet. Each player also receives three sk** sliders and places one sk** slider on each of his three sk** tracks. Each sk** slider may be placed on any one of the four “stops” of each sk** track. See “Adjusting Sk**s” on page 6 for more information on sk** sliders and sk** tracks. 11. Create Monster Cup Place the monster markers in an opaque container and randomize them. A coffee cup, plastic container, or cloth bag works well for this purpose. Throughout these rules, we'll refer to this container as the monster cup. When a monster appears or otherwise enters play, the first player draws a monster marker randomly from the monster cup and places it on the game board as instructed in these rules or in the text of a specific card. Exception: Do not place the five “Mask” monsters in the container unless Nyarlathotep is the Ancient One. If any other Ancient One has been revealed, remove the Mask monsters from the game (simply return the markers to the box). Mask monsters are identified by the word “Mask” printed on the combat side of their markers. 12. Shuffle Ancient One Decks and Gate Markers The players now shuffle the Gate and Mythos decks, and then return them to their places next to the board. Next, they shuffle the 16 Gate markers and place them face down in a stack next to the board. 13. Place Investigator Markers Each player now takes the investigator marker depicting his investigator and places the marker on the game board location indicated on his investigator sheet in the “Home” area. The other investigator sheets and markers, as well as the unused Ancient One sheets, may now be removed from the game. 14. Draw and Resolve Mythos Card Finally, the first player draws the top card of the Mythos deck and resolves it as described in the Mythos Phase section of the rules. If a Rumor is drawn, discard it and draw again until you draw a Mythos card that isn't a Rumor. The Mythos card will indicate an unstable location where a gate and monster appear. Remember, unstable locations are identified by red diamonds on the game board. For more information on resolving the Mythos Phase, see page 9. Important: Remember to place a doom token on the Ancient One's doom track after the first gate opens. After the Mythos card has been completely resolved, the first turn begins, starting with the first player.