Where to Begin?

"Dr. Henry Armitage pours himself a glass of pinot and sits down at his desk, gesturing for you to sit across from him. 'I apologize for the short notice,' he begins. His face is pale, his forehead sweaty and wrinkled with worry…"
     –The Dunwich Legacy

You tear away the cellophane and open the box. Inside, you'll get your first look at the mysteries of The Dunwich Legacy deluxe expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game—packets of cards, each marked with the same eerie zodiac that you found in the Core Set.

Some of these cards offer you glimpses of different places you recognize. One card depicts Miskatonic Quad,  and another offers a look at Miskatonic University's ivy-covered Administration Building.  You see more of the University revealed on other cards—the Student Union and the dormitories. But you find other images, as well—images of a posh lounge decorated in leather and mahogany, a fully stocked bar brazenly standing in defiance of Prohibition, and a cavernous gambling den that others whisper exists somewhere in Arkham, even though you've never seen it.

You get the sense that whatever terrors await you, they are in some way connected to these locations. The Arkham LCG® is full of secrets you need to bring to light, and whatever you hope to find in The Dunwich Legacy, you'll need to explore the old stone buildings of Miskatonic University and infiltrate a speakeasy so large and lavishly appointed as to suggest ties to the mob and cops on the take.

But even before you get started, you'll have a choice to make.

The Professors Have Gone Missing

Several months ago, three Miskatonic University professors armed themselves with secret knowledge, traveled to Dunwich, and brought an end to the strange and terrifying creature that had been terrorizing the secluded village. Their heroic efforts brought peace to the region—for a while—but also left the men scarred by the horrors they had witnessed. Now, one of those professors, Dr. Armitage, has need of your assistance. His colleagues have gone missing, and he fears the worst…

At the beginning of your The Dunwich Legacy campaign, you'll meet with Dr. Armitage. In this prologue, he'll explain his concerns and then share the last information he knew about his colleagues' whereabouts. Given that information, you'll then have to decide whether to travel to Miskatonic University to look for Professor Warren Rice or if you'll head to the upscale speakeasy known as the Clover Club in search of Dr. Francis Morgan.

Now, as you can see from The Dunwich Legacy Campaign Log (pdf, 1.6 MB), which is already available for download, you can pursue these leads in whichever order you prefer. And in Arkham Horror: The Card Game, this simple decision may dramatically alter your experience of the expansion's scenarios. In the Arkham LCG, your decisions have real consequence. Your adventures may scar you. You may suffer mental trauma. You may be injured. You may swell your chaos bag with eldritch symbols certain to do you harm. You may even be devoured. But whatever doesn't kill—or disable–you will also make you stronger; the experience you gain from your adventures can be invested back into your deck so that you'll have better allies, gear, or talents when you face your next tests.

Accordingly, you may want to head to one location or the other based on the challenges you expect to face. If you're playing as Rex Murphy (The Dunwich Legacy, 2), you might worry about getting roughed up by overly aggressive bouncers, so you might begin by looking for Professor Warren Rice at Miskatonic University's infamous Orne Library. Alternatively, if you're playing as Jenny Barnes (The Dunwich Legacy, 3), you might expect your money to generate more leads in an illicit gambling den than in the musty old halls of Miskatonic University.

There is no correct path to pursue. Neither order is "right" or "wrong." But you won't know what you might encounter in either location until you begin your investigation, and by then it will be too late to change your mind.

Go Wherever the Clues May Lead You

Even beyond your adventures in Extracurricular Activity and The House Always Wins, you'll find that the choices you make in The Dunwich Legacy campaign continue to gain weight as the campaign progresses. Suffering a point of trauma early on might not doom you in your early investigations, but if one point of trauma leads to another, and another, you may very well find yourself in a desperate position by the time you near the campaign's climax.

Alternatively, you might make some early discoveries that set you up for later successes. Escape the Clover Club unharmed, and you might use your newfound experience to prepare yourself for you next adventure, increasing your chances of getting through it with your mind and body intact.

You might even find yourself with enough experience to pursue whatever connections might exist between the professors' disappearances and the events of the side-stories you can add to your campaign, such as Curse of the Rougarou and Carnevale of Horrors. In turn, these adventures may provide you a broader perspective and increased experience, both of which may help you find success in your future endeavors.

There are many ways in which Arkham Horror: The Card Game threatens to cross from the realm of the customizable card game into the realm of the roleplaying game. Among others, it thrusts you into the role of a single investigator, it leads you through campaigns built from multiple adventures, it allows you to level up your deck as you gain more experience, and it ensures that your choices matter.

What choices will you make when The Dunwich Legacy arrives at retailers? Who will you rescue? Who will you sacrifice? Will you delve the forbidden tomes of the Orne Library? Will you cheat your way to victory in the Clover Club? This first deluxe expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game is on its way. Pre-order your copy today!