Fantasy Flight Games

Children of Blood

Published 21 May 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Children of Blood

A First Look at a New Small Campaign Expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game

The sun sets on the city of Arkham. Citizens hurry home in the growing twilight, eager to find safety behind locked doors. Arkham has always played host to strange occurrences, but this time, something is different. Detectives respond to reports of disturbances, finding spilled blood and torn clothes but no sign of any culprit…or victims. As the reports and cases pile up with each passing week, one thing is abundantly clear: something is stalking the streets at night. Something dangerous.

Fantasy Flight Games is excited to announce Children of Blood, a new expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game!

In this small campaign expansion, one to four investigators tackle a chilling mystery that unfolds across three scenarios. Track monsters through the streets of Arkham, plumb the depths of the caverns below for clues, and crash a swanky party in Northside as you confront the culprit behind it all. With scenarios that can transform based on your chosen difficulty and a new chaos token that slowly turns the investigators into monsters themselves, this campaign invites you to challenge it again and again. Are you up to the task?

No Time to Bleed

When you and your fellow investigators finally get a lead on the recent string of disappearances, what you discover is a bit…concerning.

A worried Arkham citizen named Christopher Stern spins a tale of his wife Julia’s disturbing transformation. He claims to have found her in the alley behind their home, greedily feasting upon their neighbor’s fresh corpse. When Christopher called out to her, she darted away with inhuman swiftness, and when he returned to the alley, the body was gone, leaving nothing but unanswered questions and a pool of blood. Now, you and your allies must track down Julia as she stalks the streets of Arkham’s Waterfront District, desperately trying to find her and stop her before anyone else suffers a bloody end.

You’ll find that “blood” is a central theme in this expansion (which only makes sense, given its name), and nothing embodies that more than the new type of chaos token: the blood token! Throughout the campaign, depending on the decisions you make and the events that unfold, blood tokens can be added to (or removed from) the chaos bag. When a blood token is drawn during a test, it applies -1 to the test result, and then you must draw an additional token (which could be another blood token, causing the sequence to repeat). The more blood tokens are in the bag, the more chances you have of drawing multiple tokens at once, but the dangers run deeper than just that.

You see, if you fail a skill test in which you drew one or more blood tokens, then one of those blood tokens is sealed on your investigator (to a maximum of 3). The more blood tokens sealed on your investigator, the more dangerous several encounter cards will become. For example, the treacheries Torturous Transformation (Children of Blood, 95) and Grisly Compulsion (Children of Blood, 100) both have effects that scale to the number of blood tokens sealed on your investigator, while enemies like the Child of Blood (Children of Blood, 103) and Blood-Crazed Mongrel (Children of Blood, 109) both target the person with the most sealed blood tokens. Having even a single blood token sealed on you can make you susceptible to Blighted Blood (Children of Blood, 99), while the grisly Feeding Grounds (Children of Blood, 111) treachery treats every blood token in the bag as another autofail token.

From Dusk to Dawn

Those are just a handful of ways that blood tokens can affect a scenario, but what about the scenarios themselves? We mentioned earlier that Children of Blood can transform depending on your chosen difficulty, and we meant it.

For example, the campaign’s first scenario, “River of Blood,” has two versions of each location card: a Dawn version and a Dusk version. If you choose to play on Easy or Standard difficulty, you’ll use the Dawn versions of each location, whereas if you choose to play on Hard or Expert difficulty, you’ll use the more challenging Dusk versions instead. Sometimes, these different versions can have completely different effects, such as Water Street (Children of Blood, 8) having a helpful effect at dawn but a hindering effect at dusk (Children of Blood, 9). Other times, the different versions may have the same effect but different “costs,” as is the case with the dawn version of the Back Alley (Children of Blood, 22) versus its dusk version (Children of Blood, 23).

This difficulty scaling goes beyond just the location cards. The boss of the scenario, Julia Stern, has three different versions depending on what difficulty you are playing: one for Easy (Children of Blood, 24), one for Standard (Children of Blood, 25), and one for Hard or Expert (Children of Blood, 26). Even the encounter deck itself can change, with entire encounter sets being added or replaced at higher difficulties, or even at different player counts!

Each scenario in Children of Blood has its own modifications for different difficulties, adding even more variety to the experience—and more reasons to revisit the campaign. That said, what do you get for actually completing the campaign?

A Bloody Reward

Back when we first revealed Chapter Two for Arkham Horror: The Card Game, we talked about the addition of a new type of player card: reward cards. These cards are “unlocked” for deckbuilding by winning a campaign, and can be used for other campaigns beyond the one you unlocked them in.

For Children of Blood, the reward card is Chosen of Zburamoarte (Children of Blood, 93a). This special asset allows your investigator to harness a bit of dark, monstrous power, which comes at the cost of adding blood tokens to the game. At the beginning of a scenario, this is strictly a hindrance, but once a blood token is drawn during a test, it gets sealed on the asset, which then flips to its Compelled to Feed (Children of Blood, 93b) side. On this side, Chosen of Zburamoarte makes you stronger and faster, and it even lets you drain the health of your enemies, so long as you’re willing to release blood tokens back into the chaos bag. With this power at your disposal, you’ll have an all new way of facing the forces of the Mythos; just take care not to turn into a monster in the process!

Frenzied Hunger

Between some people disappearing and others turning into blood-crazed monsters, the investigators certainly have their work cut out for them. Get to the bottom of the mystery and save Arkham’s Waterfront District when the Children of Blood small campaign expansion arrives in stores this August!

You can pre-order your own copy of Children of Blood (AHC106) at your local retailer or online through our webstore today!

Written by Peter Schumacher

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Mission Briefing

Published 14 May 2026 | Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game

Mission Briefing

Caleb Grace on the Origin of Mission Cards in Star Wars™: The Deckbuilding Game

After the enthusiastic response to the debut of Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, there was a strong desire to see more content for the Empire and Rebel factions. Fans immediately began speculating about future expansions and started filling online forums with lists of what they wanted to see added to the game. That was both exciting and encouraging to me because I already had a wish list of my own, and it included all the names that kept appearing on the different forums: R2-D2, C-3PO, Emperor Palpatine, Yoda, Home One, the Executor, and many, many more. There are so many iconic characters and starships in the Star Wars setting that coming up with additional content was never going to be a problem. However, determining the best way to seamlessly integrate that content into the game would take some imagination, and that creative process is what led to the new mission card type.

Now, to understand the important role of missions in the game, we must first outline the specific problem they were created to solve: Each faction is set to receive an additional 25 galaxy cards, but we can’t just add 50 cards to the galaxy deck. Not only would that upset the carefully constructed balance of the game, but it would swell the galaxy deck from an already impressive 90 cards to an unwieldy 140. At that size, the galaxy deck would be in genuine danger of falling over during the game and spilling cards everywhere, especially if sleeved. What we needed was a way to give each player access to their faction’s 25 new reinforcement cards without adding them to the galaxy deck, and that is where missions come in.

Mission cards are the means by which you add your faction’s set-aside reinforcement cards to your deck. Each mission is linked to a reinforcement card and must be completed in order to unlock its corresponding unit or capital ship. To complete a mission, its controlling player places resources on that card equal to its mission point value. This value is highlighted in gold and found at the bottom of the card frame. Missions stay in play until they are completed, and resources placed on them persist as well so that players can invest in them over a series of turns. When a mission is completed, it is added to its controller’s victory pile and its corresponding reinforcements card is placed on top of its controller’s deck.

For example, the Empire mission, Hyperspace Trap , has a mission point value of 9, which means it is completed when there are 9 resources on it. Once completed, the Empire player adds the mission to their victory pile, searches their set-aside stack of reinforcement cards for the capital ship, Interdictor , and places it on top of their deck. That card is now a part of their deck for the rest of the game.

But how do we get missions into play? Before the game begins, each player shuffles their faction’s 25 mission cards together to create their mission deck and places it facedown next to their base deck. Then, each player examines the top 2 cards of their mission deck, chooses one to put into play faceup on top, and places the other one facedown on the bottom. If a player does not have a mission in play at the start of their turn, they repeat this process until they have completed the maximum number of missions for that game. The maximum number is equal to the number of bases required to win the game, so if the players are playing a standard game to 4 bases, then each player can complete up to 4 missions.

During testing, players responded very positively to mission cards, with most noting how easy it was to add them to the game. This was critical to me because a key feature of Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game has always been how quickly you can set up and play a 1v1 match, and I didn’t want missions to complicate that. Fortunately, testers said they didn’t notice an increase in setup time or game length when playing with missions, especially after their first couple of games with them.

Something they did notice, however, was how much they enjoyed having somewhere to invest their unspent resources each turn so they didn’t feel wasted. Testers also reported how much they liked the way missions guaranteed them access to a card of their faction even when there were none in the galaxy row. The fact that the unlocked reinforcement card was placed directly on top of their deck as a result of completing its mission was viewed as icing on the cake. Testers consistently commented on how much they enjoyed having immediate access to the cards they had invested in.

But by far the most common piece of feedback testers shared after playing with missions was: “I don’t think I’ll ever go back to playing without them.” I literally could not have asked for a better response than that! I hope that our players feel the same when they get their copy of the Rebel & Empire Reinforcements expansion.

Written by Caleb Grace

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The Man Without Fear

Published 12 May 2026 | Marvel Champions: The Card Game

The Man Without Fear

Previewing Daredevil, One of the Two New Heroes from Fear No Evil

“I cannot see the light. So I will be the light. I am Daredevil, and I am not afraid.” – Daredevil

Just last month, we revealed the scenarios for Fear No Evil, the latest campaign expansion for Marvel Champions: The Card Game. A couple weeks later, we showed off Echo, one of the expansion’s heroes. Today, it’s time to finally take a look at the other hero in this box: the long-awaited, one-and-only Daredevil!

After an accident took away his sight, Matt Murdock (Fear No Evil, 1B) discovered that his other senses had been enhanced to superhuman levels. In Marvel Champions, this is represented by his signature Sense deck, a side-deck of five cards that he can wield to his advantage as Daredevil (Fear No Evil, 1A). This deck starts off randomized, but you can look through it and see the order at any time. While in hero form, Daredevil’s Superhuman Senses ability lets you play the top card of the Sense deck as if it were in your hand (so long as you pay its cost). Each Sense card takes the form of an upgrade that you attach to an enemy or scheme, and depending on the exact Sense card in question, you’ll either get an extra kicker for defeating that enemy/scheme, or you can effectively “boost” your other actions. For example, Acute Tactility (Fear No Evil, 2) lets you ready your identity when the attached enemy/scheme is defeated, while Enhanced Olfaction (Fear No evil, 3) gives you a discount on the next card you play. On the flip side, Radar Sense (Fear No Evil, 5) lets you deal extra damage when you attack the attached enemy, Heightened Hearing (Fear No Evil, 4) lets you redirect and soften that enemy’s incoming attack, and Superior Taste (Fear No Evil, 6) lets you thwart some extra threat from a scheme.

One handy thing about Daredevil’s Superhuman Senses ability is that there’s no limit to how many times you can use it in a round. So long as you’re able to pay the resource costs, you could get two, three, or even all five Sense upgrades in play at the same time. This especially helps when you want to get maximum value out of cards like Cross-Examination (Fear No Evil, 8) and Living Lie Detector (Fear No Evil, 10), both of which directly scale to the number of upgrades (Sense or otherwise) attached to the target enemy or scheme respectively. Living Lie Detector in particular is useful because it can also be used to thwart while in alter-ego form, a feature it shares with Deposition (Fear No Evil, 9), which also has the added benefit of letting you play the exact Sense upgrade that best fits the situation. You can actually perform pretty potent combos with this card; for example, if you have Superior Taste attached to a scheme with 4 or less threat, first flip to alter-ego and play Deposition, using its ability to find Enhanced Olfaction and attach it to that same scheme. Then, use the threat removal from Deposition on that scheme, which triggers Superior Taste’s ability to remove the remaining 2 threat. Since you removed the last threat from the scheme, you can then trigger Enhanced Olfaction to gain a discount on the next card you play and keep your momentum going.

Deposition isn’t the only way you can get a specific Sense upgrade into play. The Man Without Fear (Fear No Evil, 18) can also pull a Sense of your choice when you need it, while Daredevil’s player side scheme Focus the Senses (Fear No Evil, 12) can rearrange (and replay) all of them at once. Sometimes, even having Daredevil’s superhuman senses at full capacity isn’t enough to thwart the villains’ schemes; when that happens, Matt can call on his friend Foggy Nelson (Fear No Evil, 13) for some extra assistance. With the Nelson and Murdock (Fear No Evil, 15) legal practice hounding the villains from one side and Daredevil himself dishing out justice on the other, you’ll be able to take on any scenario with confidence born from the absence of fear.

If Daredevil’s super-senses and legal skills don’t provide enough thwarting for you, then his pre-built Justice deck is sure to get the job done. Starting us off, we have Blindspot (Fear No Evil, 19), a handy ally who can confuse an enemy each time he thwarts, so long as that enemy has an upgrade attached. Since Daredevil has near-constant access to his Sense upgrades, that’s a pretty easy condition to meet. The new “discount” keyword allows Daredevil to play Know Your Enemy (Fear No Evil, 23) for free thanks to his Martial Artist trait, while Matt Murdock can use his Attorney trait to do the same with Legal Trouble (Fear No Evil, 26). If things get dicey, De-escalation (Fear No Evil, 24) can slow down the villain’s pace and buy you some extra time, and if you happen to “exactly” defeat De-escalation (meaning remove the last threat without any excess thwarting), you can use Stealth Training (Fear No Evil, 28) to halt the villain’s momentum even further.

Daredevil has joined forces with many people over the course of his storied hero career, and someone he frequently crosses paths with is his sometimes-enemy, other-times-lover Elektra (Fear No Evil, 7). The two of them can often get in each other’s way as much as they help each other, but despite their rocky history, when they engage in a Dance with the Devil (Fear No Evil, 31), you’ll find that it opens up all sorts of strategies for the defender of Hell’s Kitchen.

With his superhuman senses enhancing his efficiency and his legal expertise thwarting the villains’ schemes, Daredevil joins the Marvel Champions roster ready to prove that he was well worth the wait. Take on the Kingpin and his criminal empire with both Echo and Daredevil when Fear No Evil arrives this July!

Written by Peter Schumacher

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FFG Live in May

Published 1 May 2026 | Star Wars: Unlimited

FFG Live in May

Announcing the FFG Livestreams for May 2026

It's FFG Live! Join us this month for more awesome livestreams for our current and upcoming games and expansions. Read on for more information on what livestreams you can look forward to this month!

May 6 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars™ Game Day

GAMEPLAY

Who’s up for a day full of Star Wars™ games? Join various members of the FFG studio as we sit down for some games of Star Wars: Unlimited and Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game in a day of galactic-level fun!

Check out the stream here!

May 12 at 1 PM CDT

Marvel Champions: The Card Game – Fear No Evil Preview Discussion

DISCUSSION

With Kingpin’s crime spree wreaking havoc across New York, it’s up to Daredevil, Echo, and the Defenders to protect the city from harm. Join members of the Marvel Champions design team as they discuss some exciting features from the upcoming Fear No Evil expansion!

Check out the stream here!

May 13 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars: Unlimited – Ashes of the Empire Art Feature

DISCUSSION

We saw a glimpse in the first look article, and now it’s time to take a deeper dive into the art direction of Ashes of the Empire, the thrilling next set of Star Wars: Unlimited! Join members of the team as they talk about some of their favorite art pieces from the upcoming set.

Check out the stream here!

May 27 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars: Unlimited – Ashes of the Empire Spotlight Deck Deep-Dive

PREVIEW & GAMEPLAY

With the release of Ashes of the Empire on the horizon, let’s take a look at the contents of the set’s two new Spotlight Decks! Join members of the Star Wars: Unlimited design team as they play a game or two with these pre-built decks and show off what they have to offer.

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Watch and Learn

Published 30 April 2026 | Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Watch and Learn

Previewing Echo, One of the Two New Heroes from Fear No Evil

“I absorb an arsenal of actions, so when I need to, I can perform them with the same precision.” – Echo

Just a few weeks ago, we provided a first look at Fear No Evil, the latest campaign expansion for Marvel Champions: The Card Game. Today, we’re taking a look at the first of the two new heroes included in that expansion: the martial artist with photographic reflexes, Echo! Read on to learn about her playstyle and how she can copy events for a level of versatility that is entirely her own.

Born deaf and raised by Kingpin after she was orphaned as a little girl, Maya Lopez (Fear No Evil, 37B) has the extraordinary ability to perfectly duplicate any physical movement or action she sees. This lets her “record” the actions of other highly-skilled individuals so she can use their abilities at the right time as Echo (Fear No Evil, 37A), which is represented by her innate ability, Watch and Learn. Whenever you or another player plays an aspect or basic event, you can tuck that event under Echo’s identity card. Then, you can later replay that event at a discount through the use of Echo’s own signature event, Photographic Reflexes (Fear No Evil, 40A-40C)!

This play-record-replay loop is crucial to Echo’s entire game plan, as shown by the fact that she has six copies of Photographic Reflexes among her signature cards. With such a heavy emphasis on aspect and basic events, it’s only natural that the rest of Echo’s kit would help support this approach. For example, her other signature event, Study the Tape (Fear No Evil, 41), helps Echo find the exact event she needs for the situation, even if that event was used as a resource to pay for another card earlier. While the discount from Photographic Reflexes can help when paying for an event a second time, Echo’s proficiency in American Sign Language (Fear No Evil, 43) and her fellow Defender Daredevil (Fear No Evil, 39) can improve your efficiency even further. Finally, her Improvisation (Fear No Evil, 46) upgrade adds additional value to every Attack, Defense, and Thwart event you play, giving Echo some extra flexibility with her actions. Since Improvisation doesn’t exhaust when it triggers, its extra effects can stack up pretty quickly when you play multiple events in a turn, something that Echo excels at.

With her kit being so focused on aspect and basic events, Echo will want her deck to be chock full of them. Thankfully, her pre-built Protection deck comes with plenty of tools that help build off her versatility. For starters, Army of One (Fear No Evil, 48) is a great card to tuck under Echo with Watch and Learn, giving you a nearly on-demand ready for the moment you need it most. Events like Get Their Attention (Fear No Evil, 49) have fantastic synergy with Improvisation due to having multiple traits, and they get even better when you use Photographic Reflexes to play them again. In similar fashion, In Harm’s Way (Fear No Evil, 50) also has multiple traits, along with an effect that scales to your current DEF stat. Since you can boost your DEF with cards like Ronin (Fear No Evil, 53), you’re already getting a solid amount of value from a single card play, and that’s without taking Photographic Reflexes into account!

Don’t forget that you can also use Echo’s abilities with basic events, and one of the best basic events she can use (and reuse) is her team-up event with Daredevil, See No Evil, Hear No Evil (Fear No Evil, 55). With Improvisation in play, this one card can heal 1 damage from Echo, deal up to 7 damage to enemies (6 from the event plus 1 from Improvisation), and/or remove up to 6 threat from schemes. Tuck it under Echo with Watch and Learn, then use Photographic Reflexes to do it all again!

With her unique play pattern letting her get multiple uses out of everyone’s events, Echo is a versatile and flexible hero and a fantastic addition to any team. Keep an eye out for a preview of the other hero in this expansion, Daredevil, in the coming weeks, and look forward to the release of Fear No Evil in July!

Written by Peter Schumacher

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Rebels and Imperials

Published 23 April 2026 | Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game

Rebels and Imperials

Announcing a New Reinforcements Expansion for Star Wars™: The Deckbuilding Game

Countless conflicts have spanned the storied history of the Star Wars™ galaxy, from ancient duels between Jedi and Sith to climactic battles between the Resistance and the First Order. That said, to many fans, the most iconic of all the wars that have taken place among the stars is the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. It is this very conflict that stood center stage when we launched Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game in March of 2023, and today, we return to that conflict for its next expansion.

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the Rebel & Empire Reinforcements Expansion for Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game!

Serving as a direct expansion to the original edition of the game, this box intensifies the conflict between the Rebels and the Empire with new units, capital ships, and bases joining the fray. Also included are new mission cards that let you add reinforcements mid-game and new game modes that shake up how you play.

Note: This is not a standalone expansion. A copy of the original edition of Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game (SWG01) is required to play.

Familiar Faces

Of the 140 new cards included in this expansion, 50 of them are “reinforcement cards”; 25 for Rebels, and 25 for the Empire. Unlike normal cards, reinforcement cards are not shuffled into the galaxy deck at the start of the game. Instead, you earn them by completing special “mission cards,” a new card type introduced in this expansion.

Each reinforcement card has a corresponding mission card. While setting up the game, you shuffle all of your faction’s mission cards into a mission deck and set the faction’s reinforcement cards off to the side. At the end of setup (and the start of every one of your turns during play), if you don’t have a faceup mission card in front of you, you reveal the top two cards of your mission deck, pick one to keep, and place the other on the bottom. You can only complete a certain number of missions per game, so make sure you choose wisely. From then on, that mission stays in play until it’s completed and its reward is claimed!

To complete a mission, you must place resources on it during your turns, similar to how you would spend resources to purchase a card from the galaxy row. The main difference here is that any resources you spend on a mission remain on that mission card until it is completed, which means you can work toward the mission’s completion over multiple turns instead of having to do it all at once. Once you have a number of resources on the card equal to its mission value (designated by the number at the bottom of the card), you complete the mission and immediately add its corresponding reinforcement card to the top of your deck.

For example, the Rebel mission Renounce the Empire will earn you the Mon Mothma unit as a reward. Likewise, the Imperial mission Restore Imperial Order will add the Admiral Thrawn unit to your deck. Other Rebel reinforcements include iconic heroes like Yoda , R2-D2 , and C-3PO , while the Imperials can call on the aid of powerful villains like Emperor Palpatine , Grand Inquisitor , and Dedra Meero . Mission cards can earn you more than just units; you can also gain access to capital ships like Home One and Redemption for the Rebels and Chimaera and Executor for the Empire. There are many powerful tools to be found within each faction’s reinforcement cards, but keep in mind: there’s a limit to how many missions you can complete during a game!

Outside of the reinforcement and mission cards, the Rebel & Empire Reinforcements Expansion also comes with 10 new bases and 10 upgraded starter cards for each faction. Some of the bases—such as Klatooine and Death Star II —have abilities that either interact with your current mission or scale off the number of missions you’ve completed, while other bases—such as Ryloth and Scarif —have more “traditional” base abilities for added variety.

As you might expect, the upgraded starter cards are used to replace the cards in your starter deck. These add more variety to the early game, since there are five different upgraded starter cards per faction as opposed to the three different standard starter cards per faction. On the Rebel side, you’ll find the Rebel Astromech , Tauntaun Rider , Smuggling Ship , A-Wing , and MC30 Scout Frigate , while the Imperials will have the Probe Droid , Dewback Rider , VT-49 Decimator , TIE Striker , and Arrestor Cruiser . It’s important to note that these upgraded starter cards were specifically designed for use in the new campaign mode. Speaking of which…

New Ways to Play

As we alluded to earlier in this article, the Rebel & Empire Reinforcements Expansion comes with a number of new game modes! Each of these modes combines elements from this expansion with the original edition content to create new ways to experience the game, ensuring that you have even more reasons to put the game on the table.

The most notable of these modes is a campaign mode, which transforms Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game from a fast, one-and-done skirmish into a five-part series of games where the results of each match carry into the next. At the end of each game, you and your opponent score points based on the number of bases you destroyed and the number of mission cards you completed during that game. You can then use those points to buy upgraded starter cards for your starter deck, gradually replacing the old cards as you do so. You can also swap out cards from the galaxy deck between games, replacing them with the reinforcement cards you earned. Since you’re updating both the galaxy deck and your own starter deck between each game, it makes each campaign a completely unique experience. Whoever manages to destroy 5 enemy bases in game 5 wins the campaign!

We’ll provide more information on campaign mode (and the other new modes) on a later date, so stay tuned for even more ways to play!

A Reinforced Game

With 140 new cards, new strategies to explore, and new modes to play, the Rebel & Empire Reinforcements Expansion is a must-have for any fan of Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game. Look forward to adding this expansion to your collection when it arrives in stores this July!

You can preorder your own copy of the Rebel & Empire Reinforcements Expansion (SWG04en) at your local retailer or online through our webstore today!

Written by Peter Schumacher

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FFG Live in April

Published 22 April 2026 | Star Wars: Unlimited

FFG Live in April

Announcing the FFG Livestreams for April 2026

It's FFG Live! Join us this month for more awesome livestreams for our current and upcoming games and expansions. Read on for more information on what livestreams you can look forward to this month!

April 1 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars™: Unlimited – Twin Suns Preconstructed Gameplay

PREVIEW & GAMEPLAY

As we head toward the release of the first Twin Suns Decks for Star Wars™: Unlimited, it’s time to show them off and see what they’re made of! Join members of the team as they play a game with the upcoming decks for the first time on stream.

Check out the stream here!

April 8 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars: Unlimited – Ashes of the Empire First Look

PREVIEW

It’s time to unveil the next set of Star Wars: Unlimited! Join us for an official first look at the game’s eighth set, Ashes of the Empire, as we discuss some of the new mechanics it introduces.

Check out the stream here!

April 15 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars: Unlimited – Eternal Format Meta Check-in

DISCUSSION

With the release of A Lawless Time, Star Wars: Unlimited saw its first instance of set rotation, and the launch of the Eternal format alongside it. Join members of the game’s design team as they walk through what the balance philosophy of the Eternal format will be going forward.

Check out the stream here!

April 22 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars: Unlimited – Trivia Day

DISCUSSION

How much do you know about Star Wars: Unlimited? Join members of the team as they come together and compete in a trivia contest to see who knows the most about the game we all love!

Check out the stream here!

April 29 at 1 PM CDT

Star Wars: Unlimited – Galactic Championship Prizing Preview

PREVIEW

With the 2026 Galactic Championship fast approaching, it’s time to reveal what sort of swag you can expect to earn at it. Join the team for a first look at this year’s Galactic Championship prizes!

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Fear No Evil

Published 16 April 2026 | Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Fear No Evil

A First Look at the Next Campaign Expansion for Marvel Champions: The Card Game

“Crime is on the rise—and with it, our profits.” –Kingpin

Everyone knows the Avengers and how they save the world on the regular. But for every cosmic tyrant threatening the planet, there are six superpowered criminals threatening the streets. It’s these day-to-day villains that most often endanger the people, especially when they organize beneath a powerful ringleader. To take on such a dastardly team of criminals, the city needs a team of fearless Defenders.

Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to announce Fear No Evil, the next campaign expansion for Marvel Champions: The Card Game!

Taking place on the streets of New York City, this campaign sees our heroes taking on the city’s superpowered criminal underbelly, resolving various crises as they work up to a face-to-face confrontation with the man behind it all. This expansion stands out from its peers by having six scenarios instead of the usual five (a Marvel Champions first), and not only that, but five of those scenarios can be mixed and matched with different villains from the box to create a unique experience with each playthrough. Like past campaign expansions, each of these scenarios can be played individually or in variable order as part of a larger campaign. This box also kicks off a new wave of playable heroes for the game, beginning with Echo and the long-awaited Daredevil, both of whom come with fully pre-built and ready-to-play decks from the get-go.

Today, we’re providing a first look at the scenario content for this expansion. We’ll go over the heroes in their own dedicated previews in the near future. There’s a lot to cover for this box, so without further ado, let’s take a look at the story of Fear No Evil!

Five Underlings, One Kingpin

As we mentioned above, Fear No Evil breaks new ground for Marvel Champions by being the game’s first campaign expansion to have six scenarios instead of the usual five.

The story of this expansion sees the rise of a new crime spree in New York City, orchestrated by Kingpin and carried out by five of his greatest underlings: Bullseye, Electro, Hammerhead, Purple Man, and Typhoid Mary. As you may have guessed, each of these five underlings can be fought as standalone villains, and each of them is deadly in their own right.

Take Bullseye (Fear No Evil, 65), for example. This bloodthirsty assassin adds an extra boost icon to every card in his deck, making his attacks a bit stronger and his schemes a bit trickier than you would normally expect. This, of course, stacks with amplify icons on cards like Deranged Bloodlust (Fear No Evil, 73), and it gets even nastier when a card already has several boost icons of its own, such as Unerring Desire (Fear No Evil, 75).

You may have noticed an additional effect on that last card: if you choose not to give Unerring Desire to Bullseye as a boost card, you are forced to remove one of your Persona supports from the game. Bullseye is an assassin, after all, and he knows how to hit his enemies where it hurts most: their friends and family. Unerring Desire is bad enough, but Bullseye can take things a step further and go after your allies with Raise the Stakes (Fear No Evil, 69) and Incessant Pursuit (Fear No Evil, 71), gradually whittling down your forces until it’s just you and him left. Bullseye isn’t all offense, either; after revealing Bullseye’s Stage II, he gains access to his Adamantium-Laced Spine (Fear No Evil, 68A) for the rest of the game, significantly reducing the amount of damage you can do to him in a single instance. You’ll have to either rely on multiple small hits to get anything through, or hit him hard enough to flip the attachment to its Damaged Spine (Fear No Evil, 68B) side, giving yourself the opportunity you need to finish the job.

Bullseye is already a tough customer on his own, and he’s just one of five underlings on Kingpin’s payroll. Francine Frye, also known as Electro (Fear No Evil, 76), is another one of those underlings, and her dangerous electrical powers are only matched by her explosive temper. She begins the game with Electric Charge (Fear No Evil, 79) in play, stacking two per player charge counters on it to represent her initial electrical buildup. Electro gains additional boost cards on her attacks by spending charge counters from this attachment, and she adds additional charge counters whenever she schemes or her Charging Up (Fear No Evil, 82) side scheme is defeated.

Thankfully, the heroes are able to remove charge counters from Electric Charge at the cost of a few resources, and this is definitely something you’ll want to do. Dealing with extra boost cards is already bad enough, but if you aren’t careful, Electro can devastate your entire team with a burst of Chain Lightning (Fear No Evil, 83). The most efficient way to clear charge counters is through the use of printed “energy” resources, but holding onto too many of those in your hand can make you susceptible to an Energy Overload (Fear No Evil, 84). Even if she can’t punish you directly for negating her charge, Electro can always leave your upgrades Drained of Power (Fear No Evil, 80), forcing you to make a hard decision on where you’re spending your extra resources.

Crime Spree

By now, some of you may have noticed that we have yet to reveal a main scheme for either of these villains. That’s because neither of them actually has a main scheme of their own—in fact, none of the Underling villains in this box do. Instead, each of the scenarios in this expansion (with the exception of the last one, which we’ll get to in a moment) exists independently of the villains, and you can mix and match them to your heart’s content!

One of these scenarios is The Getaway (Fear No Evil, 128B), which sees you and your fellow heroes engaging in a classic high-speed car chase with the chosen villain. The goal of this scenario is to keep the main scheme clear of threat, since every bit of threat on it represents distance that villain pulls ahead of you. In that vein, the villain gets a head start by beginning the scenario Out Front (Fear No Evil, 129A), which turns all the damage you would deal into threat removal off the main scheme. Clear all the threat off the scheme, and you’ll pull up Alongside (Fear No Evil, 129B) the villain, allowing you to take a few swings at them before they drive away again. Just take care not to get run over in the process!

As the scenario progresses, the main scheme will gradually build up “speed counters” to represent the…well, speed of the chase. These don’t do anything on their own, but much of the rest of The Getaway’s encounter set scales to the number of counters on the main scheme. For example, the treachery Burning Rubber (Fear No Evil, 132) can cost you a lot of resources (or place a lot of threat) if there are lots of speed counters on the main scheme. Similarly, Pedestrians (Fear No Evil, 133) can force you to slam on the breaks, which only gets rougher the faster you’re going.

Another scenario you’ll have to deal with is a Protection Racket threatening New York’s local shops. This scenario has multiple crimes going on at once, which means the heroes will have to divide and conquer if they want to bring the chaos to a halt. Each player has their own main scheme to deal with, each one representing a different shop to protect, and they all have certain conditions that add additional threat to them. For example, excess damage while dealing with a Bull in a China Shop (Fear No Evil, 135) can end up destroying the shop’s wares. In a similar fashion, Hung Out to Dry (Fear No Evil, 136) takes place in a cramped laundromat, which means the more combatants are present, the messier it gets. And while it might be tempting to grab something off the shelves to smack your foes with in the Pawn Shop Showdown (Fear No Evil, 137), you have to remember that that’s the shop’s inventory! Even beyond the shop itself, you’ll also have to protect the Proprietor (Fear No Evil, 139) from getting caught in the crossfire, and if things get especially hectic, you may suddenly find yourself in a Change of Venue (Fear No Evil, 141).

Heroes can still assist each other by thwarting main schemes other than their own, and they’ll definitely want to do so, since if any of these main schemes complete (or if any hero is defeated), the players lose the game. Any game effect on a card you resolve that refers to the “main scheme” specifically will only work on your own main scheme, but any effects that target “a scheme” will still work on any main scheme. This means you’ll have to be strategic about what thwarting abilities you use and when you use them, and depending on what encounter cards each player has to resolve, you might find one person’s main scheme building up threat faster than another’s! Thankfully, anytime an enemy schemes (including both the villain and their minions), they only add threat to the main scheme of the player they’re activating against, which means you still have a fighting chance even if things take a turn for the worse.

Speaking of fighting, the last of these interchangeable scenarios that we’ll show you today is The Raft Breakout (Fear No Evil, 142B). As you might have guessed from its name, this scenario revolves around a mass breakout from the S.H.I.E.L.D. supermax prison, the Raft. This prison is chock full of enemies that you took down in previous Marvel Champions campaign expansions, and they’re all itching for a chance at some payback.

First up is our old friend Rhino (Fear No Evil, 149) from the Marvel Champions core set. As strong and tough as ever, Rhino’s ready to do more breaking than taking this time, and his attacks hurt. Hailing from Sinister Motives is the dangerously crafty Mysterio (Fear No Evil, 147), whose illusions will dish you extra encounter cards for as long as he’s outside of his cell. Jumping ahead to a more recent foe, we have Baron Zemo (Fear No Evil, 145) from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who cunningly manipulates your allies into turning against you. These are just three of the six Elite minions this scenario pits you against, and that’s not even taking the villain’s own encounter set into account! Assisted by the Master Key (Fear No Evil, 143), which is attached to the villain during setup, you’re going to have to fend off an unrelenting torrent of escaped convicts if you want any chance of quelling the chaos at the Raft.

The Man Behind It All

Finally, we have the one responsible for the surge in crime in New York: Kingpin (Fear No Evil, 159A).

As the final boss of this expansion, Kingpin’s scenario breaks convention in a few different ways. A master of manipulation with unending influence and connections, Kingpin starts his scenario off by immediately calling in each player’s set-aside nemesis minion. You read that right: from the very first turn of the fight, you’ll be dealing with not only Kingpin’s schemes, but your worst enemy fighting alongside him! There’s no Standard set used in Kingpin’s scenario; instead, cards from his own encounter set can bring more of your nemesis’s cards into play. For example, Kingpin’s Influence (Fear No Evil, 173) can bring in your nemesis side scheme, while Bag of Tricks (Fear No Evil, 175) can gradually reveal the rest of the set.

As if dealing with your nemesis wasn’t bad enough, Kingpin himself can’t even be touched. If you want to be able to bring the big boss down, you’ll have to garner Public Support (Fear No Evil, 163A) first. The citizens of New York have had it with this crime spree, and if you can take down enough of Kingpin’s minions, then the people will have your backs in the final fight. Get Public Support flipped to its “high” side (Fear No Evil, 163B), and you’ll cause Kingpin (Fear No Evil, 159B) to flip as well, letting you finally take him on directly and bring an end to his schemes.

Of course, Kingpin’s not going to just sit there idly. Armed with his Bear Hugs (Fear No Evil, 164), his Cane (Fear No Evil, 166), and his Mountain of Muscle (Fear No Evil, 167), Fisk is more than happy to demonstrate why he is a man to be feared. Even once you’ve dealt with your nemesis minion, Kingpin still has plenty of other Underlings on his payroll, such as the tricky Spot (Fear No Evil, 171) and the reluctant Black Cat (Fear No Evil, 169). At least in Black Cat’s case, with some careful convincing, you can have her join your side as an ally—just keep in mind that her villainous keyword will still work even while she’s on your side! This is due to a rule change that Fear No Evil introduces for the villainous keyword, allowing it to work with friendly characters as well. One has to wonder why we did that…

Heroic Defenders

As with all campaign expansions, Fear No Evil marks the beginning of a new wave of playable heroes. Since today’s article is focusing on the scenario content for the box, in the coming weeks, we’ll preview the two heroes that come in this box: Echo and Daredevil!

The talented martial artist Echo enters the fray with a pre-built Protection deck, and her playstyle revolves around mimicking the techniques of her allies and fellow heroes. Meanwhile, the long-anticipated Daredevil joins the battle with a pre-built Justice deck alongside a special “Sense” deck that lets him double up on his actions. Both of these heroes are core members of the Defenders, and we’ll be seeing the rest of the team join in the months to come!

We first teased the hero packs for the Fear No Evil wave back in November during our In-Flight Report. In case you need a refresher, the remaining heroes for this wave are: Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Elektra, and Iron Fist!

We’ll share more details of each of these heroes (plus the Shadowland Scenario Pack that we also teased in the In-Flight Report) on a later date, so stay tuned!

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Crime is on the rise in New York City, and Kingpin and his underlings are to blame. Can you put a stop to all the chaos and restore peace to the Big Apple? Take on Kingpin and his criminal underworld when Fear No Evil arrives in July!

You can pre-order your own copy of Fear No Evil (MC60en) at your local retailer or online through our webstore today!

Written by Peter Schumacher

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The End of a Legend

Published 9 April 2026 | Descent: Legends of the Dark

The End of a Legend

Announcing the Discontinuation of Descent: Legends of the Dark

Like many creators, we at Fantasy Flight Games like to dream big. When we launched Descent: Legends of the Dark in August of 2021, we knew we had something special on our hands. With its compelling narrative, tactical combat, and ever evolving app-assisted gameplay, we called the game “the definitive dungeon-crawling experience,” and we meant it. The designers poured their hearts and souls into the game, and we all dreamed of an extensive, ever-expanding game line that would take Descent and the Terrinoth Legends brand into the future.

Unfortunately, some dreams are just too big, and when reality comes knocking, it often means we have to make hard decisions.

It is with heavy hearts that we must announce the discontinuation of Descent: Legends of the Dark. We love this game and are proud of what we were able to achieve with it, so this decision was exceptionally difficult to make. We understand that many fans will be disappointed by this news, so without further ado, let’s go over some key points about this announcement.

Why is the game being discontinued?

Simply put, the game is too expensive to make. Between ever-increasing manufacturing costs, lengthy and pricey app development timelines, and global economic shifts making everything more expensive to produce, it became abundantly clear that continuing to make this game is just not feasible. This is far from the outcome we wanted—again, we all love this game and hoped to see it grow for years to come—but even if we were to sell every last copy, we would still ultimately be doing so at a loss. In a fiercely-competitive board game industry, that simply isn’t sustainable, and because of circumstances outside of FFG’s control, there are no adjustments we could make that could lower costs enough to continue printing the game.

What about Act III?

Act III of Descent: Legends of the Dark is no longer in development. This is the part that saddens us the most. We could fill a novel with the number of discussions, proposals, and “what-ifs” that happened behind the curtain, all of them trying to find a way to deliver Act III—in any form—to the fans. Unfortunately, none of those methods—not even the digital-only ones—proved to be feasible, and so the only path left to us is to cancel the expansion outright.

Will the app continue to be supported?

Yes, the app will continue to be supported. Though there will no longer be any additional content added to the app, you can continue to use it to play through the first two acts of Legends of the Dark as much as you want.

**What’s next for the Descent / Terrinoth Legends universe?**

Thankfully, though the story of Descent: Legends of the Dark ends here, the Descent and Terrinoth Legends universe itself will have more in the future. Back in February, our partners at Artefacts Studio unveiled Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent, a brand-new video game in the Descent universe coming to PC, Mac, and consoles later this spring. This standalone game captures the classic dungeon-crawl feeling of the Descent board games in a whole new medium, complete with eight heroes, 20 dungeons, voice acting, an epic campaign, and the tactical combat we all know and love. If you missed the game’s initial announcement, you can read more about it here.

As for future board games, while we don’t have anything to share at this time, there is always a possibility that we will revisit Descent in the future. It would take a different form and would not be Legends of the Dark, but this game universe is near and dear to FFG’s heart. The future is always uncertain, and even though we have to close the book on Descent today, we hope that, someday, we’ll be able to dream big with it again.

Written by Peter Schumacher

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Available Now: March 20

Published 20 March 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Available Now: March 20

Arkham Horror: The Card Game Core Set is Now Available

Check out the latest product from Fantasy Flight Games, now available in the United States at your local retailer or online through our web store!

Arkham Horror: The Card Game Core Set

The world has changed. The page has turned. And now, a new chapter awaits.

Introducing the newest core set for Arkham Horror: The Card Game! Serving simultaneously as both a continuation and a fresh starting point, this new core set heralds the beginning of Chapter Two for the game. Taking place several months after the city of Arkham suffered a devastating calamity, this box provides a new introductory campaign, five mechanically-new investigators, and a fresh card pool to expand your collection—or start a new one!

Whether you’re an Arkham Horror veteran or a newcomer looking to get into the game, you won’t want to miss out on this new core set. This core set will replace the Revised Core Set from 2021 and become the new evergreen core experience for the game going forward. That said, all player content in this box is fully compatible with all previously-released Arkham Horror: The Card Game products—it is still the same game, after all!

You can pick up your own copy of Arkham Horror: The Card Game (AHC100) at your local retailer today!*

*Available now in select markets. To find updates on this product's release in your territory, please follow this link.

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Hidden Truths

Published 18 March 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Hidden Truths

Announcing the Release of the Arkham Grimoire

Greetings, investigators!

After digging through the long-forgotten archives of Orne Library, the Arkham Horror: The Card Game design team is pleased to present the Arkham Grimoire. This is a collection of guidelines, player aids, and comprehensive rulings that aims to cover all known situations in the game. The Grimoire contains detailed information pertaining to advanced topics, such as the interpretation of card text, the resolution of timing conflicts, frequently asked questions, and all keywords and other rules in the game. It will be maintained online and updated regularly as new cards are introduced and new interactions are discovered. The previous Chapter One Rules Reference and FAQ will remain online for legacy content, but the Arkham Grimoire is intended to be the definitive resource for all current and future rules clarifications, FAQs, and other reference materials.

The first part of the Grimoire contains an extensive glossary with various terms, rules, and keywords. It is followed by detailed timing charts for setup and gameplay, along with diagrams for card anatomy and each card type. Expanded rules for campaign play and deck customization can also be found here, along with rules for standalone play.

The back half of the Grimoire contains several familiar sections from the Chapter One FAQ. Here, players can find a list of errata and card clarifications, frequently asked questions, and references for set (and now scenario) icons. A number of previous clarifications and/or rulings from the old Chapter One FAQ have also been incorporated as official rules in Chapter Two.

This section also contains the new list of “modified reprints.” Longtime players may recognize a handful of player cards that have returned to the card pool from Chapter One products, some of which are now sporting modified and/or tweaked abilities. Some of these changes were made in the interest of rebalancing certain card types, such as with Melee weapons like Machete. Others, such as core skill cards like Perception or Manual Dexterity, have received new art and mechanical text that slightly changes the card's function while retaining its classic identity. If players wish to play in the Legacy environment with both Chapter One and Chapter Two products, they cannot mix and match a reprint with its previous iteration; only one version of each of these cards may be used in a player's deck.

The Arkham Grimoire also presents official guidelines on how to play within the game’s Current, Limited, and Legacy environments. These environments determine the card pool from which players will assemble their decks and offer a variety of different play experiences for both new and returning players to explore. A list of products that compose the Current environment can be found here, and this list will be updated regularly as new products are released.

Finally, optional rules variants such as the Taboo List, Ultimatums, and Boons have been incorporated into the Grimoire as well. While the design team has not included any taboos in this initial release, this optional list will eventually include adjustments to card abilities and power levels as the game evolves and new, strange, and daemoniac harmonies emerge between cards in the current environment.

Read Or Die

With the Arkham Grimoire at your side, you will be equipped to take on any number of terrors, timing questions, card interactions, and unknown keywords. Happy investigating, and good luck!

Written by the Arkham Horror: The Card Game Design Team

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FFG Live in March

Published 3 March 2026 | Star Wars: Unlimited

FFG Live in March

Announcing the FFG Livestreams for March 2026

It's FFG Live! Join us this month for more awesome livestreams for our current and upcoming games and expansions. Read on for more information on what livestreams you can look forward to this month!

March 4 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars™: Unlimited – Meta Check-In

DISCUSSION

With the launch of A Lawless Time at the end of this week, it’s time to take a look where the game currently sits before its first instance of rotation. Join Jack Broomell and the Star Wars: Unlimited design team as they do a check-in on the current metagame before the set launches, and also discuss what the first set of the Eternal format will look like!

Check out the stream here!

March 6 at 9 AM CST

Star Wars: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Launch Day

GAMEPLAY & DISCUSSION

It’s launch day for A Lawless Time! Join various members of the FFG team as they celebrate the release of Star Wars: Unlimited’s latest set. Tune in for some gameplay (including a first look at the Eternal format in action), live chats, and more!

Check out the stream here!

March 11 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Premier Gameplay

GAMEPLAY

Players around the world are excited for A Lawless Time, and we at FFG are no exception! Join members of the team as they sit down and play some games with their favorite post-rotation Premier decks.

Check out the stream here!

March 18 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Eternal Gameplay

GAMEPLAY

A Lawless Time marks the first instance of rotation for Star Wars: Unlimited, and with it comes the launch of the Eternal format! Join members of the FFG team for our first dedicated Eternal livestream. Come cheer for your favorite team member to win as they show off the decks they can build with seven sets’ worth of cards.

Check out the stream here!

March 20 at 1 PM CST

Arkham Horror: The Card Game – Chapter Two Launch Day

GAMEPLAY & DISCUSSION

The release of Arkham Horror: The Card Game’s new core set is finally here! Join us in celebrating the launch of the new core set and the official start of Chapter Two with an afternoon of discussion and gameplay.

Check out the stream here!

March 25 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Sectors and Regionals

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

With the release of A Lawless Time comes a new season of Sector Qualifiers and Regional Championships. Join members of the Star Wars: Unlimited team for a first look at the amazing prizes you can compete for at these upcoming, high-level events!

Check out the stream here!

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Available Now: February 20

Published 20 February 2026 | Marvel Champions: The Card Game

Available Now: February 20

The Wonder Man Hero Pack and Hercules Hero Pack are Now Available

Check out the latest product from Fantasy Flight Games, now available in the United States at your local retailer or online through our web store!

Wonder Man

Simon Williams, the former industrial rival of Tony Stark turned superpowered movie star, first got his powers by agreeing to undergo an experiment crafted by the Masters of Evil. After meeting and subsequently being defeated by the Avengers, he changed his ways and became a consistent, part-time member of the team. Now, the flashy hero Wonder Man blasts into your games of Marvel Champions: The Card Game! With his ionic physiology allowing him to manipulate energy in incredible ways, Wonder Man is a unique hero and a fantastic addition to any team. In this hero pack, you will find Wonder Man, his sixteen signature cards, and an assortment of Justice cards—with a mix of other aspects—inviting you to thwart the enemy’s schemes.

Anyone looking to fight for their ideals will want to add the Wonder Man Hero Pack to their collection! This expansion comes with a 40-card pre-built deck, giving you the chance to start playing from the moment you open the box.

Not a standalone expansion. A copy of the Marvel Champions: The Card Game core set is required to play.

You can pick up your own copy of Wonder Man (MC58) at your local retailer today!*

Hercules

He is a man known by many names. Born Alcaeus, renamed Herakles, then—to distance himself from Hera—he was renamed again to Hercules. Now, his friends just call him Herc. This son of Zeus has had a tumultuous relationship with Olympus throughout his long life; sometimes he is their glory, other times their disgrace. But no matter what, there are few problems that he doesn’t first try to solve with his immense, godlike strength. Now, the mighty hero Hercules muscles into your games of Marvel Champions: The Card Game! With his immense strength and his ability to take on herculean tasks in exchange for mighty rewards, Hercules is a unique and powerful hero worthy of the fame his name brings. In this hero pack, you’ll find Hercules, his fifteen signature cards, his special side decks of gifts and labors, and a full assortment of Leadership cards inviting you to lead his fellow Avengers into battle.

Anyone looking to fight for their ideals will want to add the Hercules Hero Pack to their collection! This expansion comes with a 40-card pre-built deck, giving you the chance to start playing from the moment you open the box.

Not a standalone expansion. A copy of the Marvel Champions: The Card Game core set is required to play.

You can pick up your own copy of Hercules (MC59) at your local retailer today!*

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Turning the Page

Published 19 February 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Turning the Page

A New FAQ for Arkham Horror: The Card Game is Now Available

Welcome back, intrepid investigators!

Everything seems charged with anticipation as Chapter Two approaches. There’s a warmth in the air, a change in the wind, and Arkham faces a bright new dawn. Because it’s full of hope, naturally. Not because it’s all ablaze.

Not yet, at least.

But as we turn the page and begin a new chapter, it only seems fitting to look back to whence we came and celebrate our history with FAQ 2.5: The Legacy Edition! This updated FAQ includes new errata, rulings, taboos, and even some exciting new ultimatums to spice up your play as you prepare for what’s coming next.

Come with us, and let’s see what secrets Chapter One still has tucked away for new and old players alike!

Errata

The design team works tirelessly to seal the breaches in reality—or at least in Arkham Horror: The Card Game—before they ever reach the eyes of the general public. But on those occasions where the Ancient Ones’ machinations still manage to slip past us, we turn to the errata list to set the record straight and ensure all your adventures continue to unfold as intended.

First, we're digging back in time to the original core Rules Reference itself! The alpha and omega of Arkham Horror: The Card Game’s first decade needed a couple new details to account for our modern range of card abilities—and the mad scientists in our community! We’ve established a more thorough game identity for that ever-ambiguous phrase, “the collection,” and added protections against all the dark sorcery some folks have been trying to do with permanent cards.

Meanwhile, Agatha Crane has clearly been toying with forces beyond our ken; as printed, her signature Ocula Obscura (The Drowned City IE, 9) could seize total control of the chaos bag by repeatedly resolving and re-sealing the same numerical token. A new limitation on the device’s powers should keep it in line going forward.

(Note that the following paragraph contains light spoilers for The Dream-Eaters and The Drowned City Campaign Expansions.)

Finally, both Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu have been undermining players’ success in their respective campaigns, and it was time we put a stop to it. Dark Side of the Moon’s Moon-Beast Galley (The Dream-Eaters CE, 214) is now actually possible to escape unnoticed, and in Sepulchre of the Sleeper, your team’s artifacts will remain charged up when Cthulhu finally awakens Beneath the City (The Drowned City CE, 174).

As always, we are deeply grateful to the community for all your feedback and engagement with the game, helping us catch those wily bugs wherever they’re hiding! There truly is no substitute for the eyes and minds of thousands of devoted investigators.

Hm. That sounded less sinister in my head.

Rulings and Clarifications

We may be a bit late for the holidays, but nevertheless, this FAQ brings with it a veritable cornucopia of new and revamped rulings, ready to save you from the Grim Rule in a variety of situations!

There are far too many to list here, but highlights include ruling (1.32) on Costs and Restrictions during the Initiation Sequence, which finally clarifies just why Spectral Razor (The Dream-Eaters IE, 201) works the way we all think it does. The new version of (2.16) “Farthest from all investigators” should be faster and easier to apply during gameplay. And the new ruling (2.29) really gets into the weeds on Massive Enemy Attacks, making it clear just how good Daniela Reyes (Edge of the Earth IE, 1) is at shutting them down.

Memories of Another Life (The Drowned City IE, 125) also gets the entire ruling (2.28) to itself, because it seemed easier than continuing to answer a different rules question about the card every week. Even if you were a dog handler in a previous life, you can't materialize additional physical copies of Sled Dog (Edge of the Earth IE, 127) out of thin air. It was a noble effort, however, and great fun to watch some ambitious players try!

The Taboo List

Our goal with this update to the Taboo List was to leave the Chapter One cardpool, at least for the moment, in as polished a state as possible. While we did strike down some familiar overperformers, this also took the form of passing a loving hand over a few old friends and hopefully giving them a new lease on life as they transition into the Legacy and Limited environments.

Wither (The Circle Undone IE, 157 & 321) has long struggled to compete with its more successful sibling Sixth Sense (The Circle Undone IE, 158 & 322), not to mention the variety of other offensive spells in the cardpool. This fresh mutation offers new interactions with Bless and Curse, and higher-level withering even persists for the entire investigator phase. Give the new version a try; we're optimistic that Wither can carve out a new niche as a support spell!

In the world of chaining, Monster Slayer (The Dunwich Legacy IE, 300) has been by our side loyally ever since our first outing in Dunwich…but its high level tended to keep it from having a chance to shine. Unchaining it to 3xp will hopefully make it an easier commitment as a tech card for those enemies that just won’t stay down. On the other hand, the more recent show-offs Strong-Armed (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 31) and Bum’s Rush (The Drowned City IE, 55) have received a +1xp slap on the wrist for proving a bit over the curve.

As for repeat offenders, the Rod of Carnamagos (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 85 & 98) has been chained to bring it more in line with Mystic’s other token reveal options. Ravenous Myconid (Sentient Strain) (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 59) has undergone a subtle mutation that weakens its protective capabilities and prevents it from using a 0-shroud location to counter the Mythos Phase entirely. Finally, players who used Spectral Shield (The Drowned City IE, 71) as a direct route to immortality for the low cost of 0xp will find that the spell now only triggers a more reasonable once per round.

This Message Will Self-Destruct

Perhaps the most dramatic addition to this Taboo List is the third and final entry on the Forbidden list for Chapter One: Burn After Reading (Edge of the Earth IE, 76)! And so soon after the last Forbidden card—clearly, we’ve gone mad with power!

In reality, Burn After Reading is an extremely fun card, but one which warps the intended function of many other aspects of the game around itself…sometimes in alarming ways. It has proven capable of opening strange rules loopholes, generating a slew of unintended card interactions, and even threatening the fundamental design space of the Taboo List itself! Burn After Reading is truly a cosmic threat, and one we felt could only be answered by allowing it to burn itself out.

Ultimatums, Boons, and Refractions

This FAQ’s update to the Ultimatums list codifies several popular and long-standing community house rules, as well as incorporating a few challenging Refractions from this year’s set of Designer Dares.

If you’re one of the many players who softens their random basic weakness via the classic “draw 3, cut 1, randomize” technique, the Boon of the Morrígan shows that the Phantom Queen has witnessed your meddling with fate…and approves!

On the other hand, those who see a dire challenge from the Ancient Ones even in the kindest corners of reality may already play with the Ultimatum of Malevolence. This variant is known by the community as “Stanhard,” a custom game difficulty that mixes the strategic flexibility of the Standard chaos bag with the brutality of Hard/Expert symbol token effects.

Our newest Refractions introduce whole new dimensions of difficulty for The Path to Carcosa, The Forgotten Age, and The Drowned City campaigns. Accept the Ultimatum of Spoilage to see your supplies dwindle perilously throughout your next excursion to R’lyeh. Take on the Ultimatum of Ambuscade, and any unwelcome intrusion into parts unknown will be met with deadly Serpent warriors behind every tree and stalagmite. And for those who venture back down the Path to Carcosa, the Ultimatum of the Brass Crown stretches out the long arm of the King even into our reality, threatening your investigators by threatening you, the player!

Go, then, and face these fresh horrors—if you dare!

Current, Legacy, and Limited Environments

Last, but most certainly not least, we’d like to thank everyone who engaged with the “beta” versions of our upcoming deckbuilding environments over the last year. We got some great insight into the Current, Legacy, and Limited environments, and we are looking forward to releasing the official versions soon alongside the Chapter Two core set! We also thought this would be a great place to clear up a couple of questions we’ve seen about the environments going forward.

First and foremost, the original Arkham Horror: The Card Game core set and investigator starter decks from Chapter One will not be included as the foundation of the Current and Limited cardpools in the final release. The official versions of these environments will list the Chapter Two core set and investigator decks as evergreen products instead, with the Chapter One core set and each investigator starter deck remaining viable options for your Limited pools, and a permanent part of Legacy.

As for the beta versions of the environments, those will be preserved for posterity via this FAQ release! If you’ve enjoyed deckbuilding and playing using these cardpools and would like to revisit a “Chapter One” variant of the various environments every once in a while, the rules for doing so will remain available in this document.

Sparks of a Fresh Flame

With all that and more awaiting you inside, we come to the end of the final FAQ for the first chapter of Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Chapter One has been an absolute joy to share with you all, both as designers and as fellow players, and we are beyond excited for you to experience everything we’re cooking up for the future!

We’ll see you all in Arkham very soon! In the meantime, it’s cold out there. You may want to light a fire for warmth…

Written by Josiah “Duke” Harrist, Nicholas Kory, A. Reid Bradshaw, and Alex Werner

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The Miskatonic Masquerade

Published 16 February 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

The Miskatonic Masquerade

Join Us for a Special Arkham Horror Celebration

In honor of our upcoming release of the new Arkham Horror: The Card Game core set, we're hosting an in-person launch party in Saint Paul, Minnesota at the wonderfully spooky (and surprisingly period appropriate) Wabasha Street Caves on the evening of April 4th. This event is intended to be a celebration of the things that make Arkham Horror the great game and setting that we believe them to be.

You will enjoy music inspired by the 1920s, food and drink, fortune telling, and haunted tours all set in an authentic speakeasy at the Wabasha Street Caves. Meet the designers of the game, collect the latest Arkham Horror promo cards, learn how to dance during the Age of Jazz, and indulge in the occult. The abyss beckons; will you answer?

This is a 21+ event.

Get your tickets before February 21^st to lock in early bird prices - Miskatonic Masquerade Tickets

Early bird tickets are $120 ($150 after).

Ticket purchase includes:

Game Demos
Designer signing
Dance lessons inspired by the 1920s
Haunted cave tour
Food and drink
Promotional items
Additional activities
- Costume Contest
- Tarot Reading
- Photo opportunities
- And much more!

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Ever Investigating

Published 12 February 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Ever Investigating

Introducing the New Investigator Decks for Arkham Horror: The Card Game

As the threats of the Mythos only continue to grow, the city of Arkham needs as much help as it can get. With Chapter Two launching with the new core set in just a couple months, the five core investigators—Daniela Reyes, Joe Diamond, Trish Scarborough, Dexter Drake, and Isabelle Barnes—are certainly going to have their hands full.

Thankfully, they’re not alone in the struggle against the Mythos.

During our In-Flight Report back in November, we revealed five new evergreen Investigator Decks for Arkham Horror: The Card Game. These decks will release shortly after the new core set and will help form the new foundation of the game going forward. Each one comes with a fully pre-built, ready-to-play deck featuring its title investigator, as well as a plethora of upgraded cards to help expand your deckbuilding options.

Today, we’re finally able to provide a closer look at what these new investigator decks have to offer, so without further ado, let’s kick things off with Tommy Muldoon!

The Officer

While he was working with the Boston Police Department, Tommy thought there was no such thing as real monsters. When he got loaned out to the sleepy river town of Arkham, he learned he couldn’t have been more wrong. That was almost a year ago at this point, and despite still being “the new guy,” he’s pretty sure he’s seen far more out on the beat than anyone else on the force. Now he’s working hard to prove he’s not a laughingstock to the rest of the police department, all while facing off against half the monsters of Arkham. And he’s learned that not all monsters have fangs and tentacles.

No longer a rookie, Tommy Muldoon (Tommy Muldoon, 1) returns to Arkham Horror as a Guardian investigator with new confidence and a new playstyle. While the previous version of Tommy focused more on taking hits with his assets, this new, seasoned version is all about packing serious heat with firearms. His innate abilities let him load extra ammo onto his Firearm assets, which works great with both big guns like his signature weapon Becky (Tommy Muldoon, 2) and little ones like the handy Service Revolver (Tommy Muldoon, 8).

As you might expect from his focus on firearms, Tommy will want to load his deck with lots of support cards in addition to the guns themselves. Thankfully, his pre-built deck comes with exactly that, such as the Protective Vest (Tommy Muldoon, 9), which offers a bit of armor in addition to helping Tommy arm himself quickly. You can use the vest to pull a Firearm asset out of your deck, or—if Tommy’s already got one equipped—you can grab an Upgrade card instead, such as the new Iron Sights (Tommy Muldoon, 13), which lets you take aim with your gun for a significant boost in accuracy. All that said, with such a hard emphasis on his guns and his propensity to face situations head-on, Tommy will need to be careful not to become a Loose Cannon (Tommy Muldoon, 3) and get his assets confiscated by the higher-ups!

The Psychologist

Carolyn Fern has listened to her patients share their dreams for years, many so vivid they seem like actual memories. But she never expected to experience such things herself. Visions of dark caves deep beneath the surface of the world, of alien creatures creeping in the shadows, and of thousands of strands of glistening spiderwebs. Is her mind trying to remind her of something she witnessed in her past? A place she went? Or is it trying to warn her of something dangerous, something otherworldly, or even something catastrophic still to come?

With her superb intellect and deep understanding of the human mind, Carolyn Fern (Carolyn Fern, 1) returns to the scene as a Seeker investigator. Originally a Guardian, this new version of Carolyn retains her focus on healing horror but otherwise takes a whole different approach to the game. Once per round, after you heal horror from an investigator or Ally asset through any means, Carolyn can automatically discover a clue at your location. This is a potent bit of action efficiency that allows you to split your attention without sacrificing your ability to get clues for the team, and when you equip Carolyn with her Experimental Psychology (Carolyn Fern, 2), she can even use that healing to boost an investigator’s next skill test by a solid amount.

Naturally, Carolyn can benefit from her own horror-healing, which pairs especially well with cards in her pre-built deck like the Dreamer’s Chronicle (Carolyn Fern, 5). By taking 1 horror, Carolyn can use the Chronicle to discover 2 clues at once, and then she can heal that horror with Experimental Psychology or a different card—such as a Psychology Student (Carolyn Fern, 8)—to immediately discover a third clue thanks to her innate ability. Pair that with Private Practice (Carolyn Fern, 7), and Carolyn will net herself some extra resources to help keep the engine going on later rounds. She just needs to make sure she doesn’t dream too deeply, or else the Unbroken Web (Carolyn Fern, 3) of the Dreamlands might halt her momentum at an inopportune moment!

The Film Star

When André turned 13, his parents scrounged up just enough money to buy him a ticket to the Central Paris Theatre. Enamored by the art form, André quickly became obsessed with the silver screen, working tirelessly to act his way to Hollywood. There, while filming A Cosmic Journey, he experienced inexplicable and world-altering happenings. As the lines between reality and fantasy began to blur in his mind, his peer and friend, Betsy Baxter, suggested a change of scenery. At her recommendation, André packed up and moved to the small town of Arkham, Massachusetts for a much-needed break.

Introducing André Patel (André Patel, 1), the latest (some may say greatest) Rogue investigator to join the Arkham Horror roster! First introduced as a supporting character in the Film Fatale Scenario Pack, André steals the show with a smile and a wink, showboating with the versatility befitting a man born for the silver screen. So long as he succeeds a skill test by 2 or more, his innate ability grants him an extra action once per round, and that can be any action he wants! This extremely flexible ability can be leveraged in all sorts of ways, and André’s got three (that’s right, three) signature skill cards to help ensure he wows the audience enough to trigger it each round: Know the Exit (André Patel, 2), Know the Line (André Patel, 3), and Know the Scene (André Patel, 4). Each of these skill cards can boost his skill test by up to 3 when committed correctly, ensuring that André doesn’t just succeed, he exceeds!

Having an extra action each round opens up a lot of doors, especially for a Rogue investigator, and André’s pre-built deck has plenty of tools to take advantage of it. Standing Center Stage (André Patel, 7) works particularly well with André’s playstyle, giving him a boost that scales to the number of actions he’s performed that round. This can help him over-succeed to trigger his innate ability, or it can be used during his bonus action for a whopping +4 to the test. Speaking of over-succeeding, the Polished Cane (André Patel, 13) lets André use his considerable agility while fighting a foe, potentially allowing him to automatically evade them as well. So long as André keeps succeeding, the wealthy benefactor Marcus Sengstacke (André Patel, 12) will keep funding his efforts, and he won’t succumb to the Weight of the World (André Patel, 5) on his shoulders. After all, a star like André Patel simply can’t afford to fail.

The Entertainer

When Marie discovered her Grand-Mère’s dark and sordid legacy of blood magic, she did her best to ignore it. It was much easier to just sing in the smoky lounges and packed nightclubs of Arkham, and far less dangerous. But then times got tough. As crowds thinned and patrons grew surly, Marie found herself embracing her Grand-Mère’s powers to sway her audience, quieting the rowdy ones and enticing the wealthier amongst them to open their wallets. Relying on her dangerous powers increasingly often, Marie felt they were becoming a necessary tool to get through the day. Surely there would be no cost for this newfound power…right?

Hard times call for harder resolve, and Marie Lambeau (Marie Lambeau, 1) returns to the scene ready to rise to the challenge. As a Mystic investigator, Marie’s playstyle revolves around risk and reward, but unlike her previous version—which focused on placing doom on her own cards in exchange for benefits—this new version of Marie is all about turning her pain into power. Whenever damage is placed on Marie’s investigator card—from any source—she immediately draws 2 cards and chooses one to keep. This helps her keep her options open, and since the ability can be triggered once per phase, she can even benefit from it while fending off the hazards of the Mythos.

Marie’s ability can lead to some pretty impressive sequences during a round. With her Grand-Mère’s Charm (Marie Lambeau, 2), Marie can deal herself 1 direct damage (triggering her ability and netting her an extra card) while also replenishing a charge on one of her assets. This charge can get her an extra use out of one of her spells, such as Shadowmeld (Marie Lambeau, 11), which can let her both evade an enemy and move to a new location in the same action. If you play Spiritual Charm (Marie Lambeau, 16) before using Shadowmeld, Marie can net herself an impressive amount of resources before she vanishes, which in turn can help her pay for a pricier bit of magic, such as Infuse Life (Marie Lambeau, 14). This sequence allows Marie to keep her momentum going no matter how much damage she takes, just so long as she isn’t being Called to Guinée (Marie Lambeau, 3)—always remember that power comes at a price!

The Rancher

Miguel never thought he’d find himself managing a stockyard. Having left his native Argentina, he has worked tirelessly to save up enough money to bring his husband Guillermo and their daughter Adonia to Arkham. But now his business is at risk; something has been killing the livestock at night, leaving mutilated corpses in its wake. Stranger still, it’s not even killing them for food. But Miguel is more than capable of fighting back: he has tracked this mysterious predator into the local woods, intent on catching it once and for all.

Last but certainly not least, we have newcomer Miguel de la Cruz (Miguel de la Cruz, 1) joining the Arkham Horror playable roster as a Survivor investigator. Even horrific monstrosities can fall prey to a hunter’s traps, and Miguel’s traps are second to none, a fact embodied by his abilities. His innate ability grants him an extra action that he can use to play an event each round—any event, including ones that synergize well with his Trap and Trick events. And you’ll want to play plenty of those, because Miguel’s Elder Sign ability lets him return expended Trap and Trick cards to his hand, ensuring that he always has something he can use to harry the monsters of the Mythos.

Each Trap and Trick event in Miguel’s deck attaches to your location, most often triggering their effects when an enemy enters that location. Take Lie in Wait (Miguel de la Cruz, 16), for example, which lets you spring a surprise attack on any enemy that enters its space—even if you’re currently somewhere else on the map! This works especially well with Miguel’s Knapsack (Miguel de la Cruz, 2), which lets him set up his traps on connecting locations before any enemy is bearing down on him. He can also use his knapsack to set up a Hidden Shelter (Miguel de la Cruz, 15) to give his fellow investigators a much-needed safe space away from danger, or even utilize some Guerilla Tactics (Miguel de la Cruz, 14) to fight or evade an enemy from up to 2 locations away. All these hunting tools are a necessity if Miguel ever wants to bring down the Feline Hybrid (Miguel de la Cruz, 3) plaguing his ranch, since normal methods won’t work on such a malicious fiend. Still, if anyone’s got the grit, determination, and patience to trap the biggest beasts in Arkham, it’s Miguel de la Cruz.

Evergreen Investigating

With these five investigators joining those from the new core set, new players and veterans alike will have a strong backbone for their collection as we kick off Chapter Two for the game. Look forward to adding the Tommy Muldoon, Carolyn Fern, André Patel, Marie Lambeau, and Miguel de la Cruz Investigator Decks to your Arkham Horror collection when they arrive this April!

Written by Peter Schumacher

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Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent

Published 10 February 2026 | Descent: Legends of the Dark

Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent

Announcing a Brand-New Dungeon Crawler Coming to PC, Mac, and Consoles This Spring

Dark forces are drawn to the lands of Terrinoth. Somewhere hidden lies a forgotten relic that could turn the tides. Such power cannot fall into the wrong hands, lest the fate of the world plunge into unending darkness.

Fantasy Flight Games, New Tales, and Artefacts Studio are proud to announce the legendary board game series comes for the first time to PC, Mac, and Consoles in the video game Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent! The first video game adaptation of the Descent universe, Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent invites players into a brand-new chapter of the saga.

Delve into its deep and dark dungeons right away with a demo available starting today on Steam, ahead of the full game release later this spring! Launching on PC, Mac, PlayStation® 5 and Xbox Series X|S, the game blends real-time exploration with deep, turn-based tactical battles, playable solo or in online co-op.

Form your company of ragtag adventurers, journey into the perilous dungeons of Terrinoth, face the mysterious upheaval of an occult master and unfold a fully original storyline set as a standalone prequel to Descent: Legends of the Dark.

Your Legend Continues

The Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent demo opens the doors to the tutorial and first dungeon of the game: The Crypts of Aerendor. Meet some of the heroes you’ll take on your journey and answer the call of Baroness Harriet the Willful to investigate the crypts below Aerendor Keep, hoping to find the source of an undead incursion.

Play the Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent demo on Steam, available now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4162860/Terrinoth_Heroes_of_Descent_Demo/

Master your Heroes

Choose from 8 signature adventurers, each with their own background and combat style. Hone your skills and perks through leveling; upgrade your equipment at the Forge; and become an undefeated company of heroes.

Authentic dungeon crawler

Explore 20 massive dungeons with unique environments and full-voiced storylines. Meet characters with dynamic dialogues that adapt to your party and complete side quests with narrative highlights.

Accessible Turn-Based Combat

Tactical combat without steep learning curves or complex rulebooks! Use positioning, elevation, line of sight and timing to your advantage against cunning foes and ruthless bosses. Unleash multi-character combos and finish them with devastating Synergy attacks. Easy to pick up, but with deep tactical depth, there’s always another strategy, synergy, or build to discover.

Full Campaign, One-Night Missions

Unfold an epic story-driven campaign spanning four themed Chapters split into multiple self-contained Missions. Each can be completed in a one-night session and offers a unique, replayable experience. Perfect for game night!

Play Solo or Co-Op up to 4 players Online

Face the forces of darkness alone, or team up with your friends online, with full controller support included. They can even join mid-dungeon!

Once again, Terrinoth calls for its unfaltering heroes. Get ready to experience the definitive dungeon-crawling video game with the release of Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent, planned for Spring 2026.Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent has been created for both long-time tabletop fans and players discovering Terrinoth for the first time, with no prior knowledge required to follow the story.

You can play the demo of Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent on PC (Steam), and wishlist the full game on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S starting today: https://linktr.ee/HeroesofDescent

Written by Artefacts Studio

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Intro to Arkham

Published 5 February 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Intro to Arkham

A Guide for New Players Looking to Get into Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Dark entities work maliciously in the city of Arkham, doing everything within their power to realize unspeakable goals. Many of the city’s residents stand idly by or live in blissful ignorance of this growing darkness. Others, however, stand up and fight against these threats and do what they can to keep the city of Arkham and its citizens safe.

As an Arkham Horror: The Card Game hopeful, maybe you are interested in joining this defense against the Mythos, but you aren’t sure where to start. Or, perhaps, you have all the tools you need but aren’t sure how to put them to good use. Luckily, with proper guidance and understanding the basics of Arkham Horror, you’ll be confident to join the fight against the Mythos in no time.

All you need to start playing Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a copy of the core set. Within this core set, you’ll find five different investigators, a collection of player cards to build decks with, and a three-scenario campaign to play. Though the box contains pre-built decks for each investigator that you can play with immediately, you can also build your own decks with the cards included in the core set. While playing with the pre-built decks is a perfect way to jump in and start playing, understanding deckbuilding opens up more options to you as a player to express yourself through the game.

It is this player expression that makes Arkham Horror’s deckbuilding so exciting to delve into. Each investigator has a card pool with restrictions, but players are free to explore as they wish within those restrictions. One player can build Daniela Reyes (Core Set, 1) as a defensive support for the team, using cards like Bodyguard (Core Set, 16) to soak damage for others. But another player can build Daniela as a reckless damage dealer, using a Meat Cleaver (Core Set, 77) paired with Resilience (Core Set, 21) to maximize her damage output.

It’s this openness in deckbuilding that enables such deep exploration, letting players play the three-scenario campaign included in the core set multiple times, trying different decks and investigators. Different builds and team compositions can handle the campaign’s challenges in distinct ways, and discovering the strengths and weaknesses of each class and investigator is a key aspect of learning Arkham Horror.

The challenges will change from scenario to scenario, but for a better understanding of Arkham Horror: The Card Game, it’s important to know the foundational form that these challenges take. Deckbuilding can be daunting, and having the knowledge of how the game confronts you and your deck will provide a solid base for the decisions you make while building it. Let’s take a look!

The Three Pillars of Arkham Horror

When playing a scenario of Arkham Horror: The Card Game, the players will find themselves challenged by constant threats. There are enemies and pitfalls lurking around every corner, and players will need to find clues to unravel the mystery around them. These three aspects (enemies, survival, and finding clues) make up the three pillars of an Arkham Horror scenario. Managing all three is key, and knowing how they challenge you is an important baseline to learn.

Enemies can show up at any time, and they are threats that must be dealt with. If even the weakest enemy is left alone, it will cause chaos, hurting the investigators every turn. Hellhound (Core Set, 122), a monstrosity rampaging through the Miskatonic campus, is a terrifying creature that shows the risk an enemy can pose. With every attack, it will deal 1 damage and 1 horror to an investigator and also burn away the cards they control, costing valuable resources and setup time. This is why enemy management is crucial. An unchecked enemy will cause great stress for the investigators, but players have a variety of methods at their disposal to help manage them.

Enemies can be fought against their fight value, designated by the red number next to the fist symbol on the enemy’s card. Successful attacks—such as the Fight action on Machete (Core Set, 20)—can deal damage, and when enough damage is dealt to match the enemy’s health value (the black number in the center), that enemy is defeated. Instead of fighting the enemy directly, investigators can also evade enemies, testing against an enemy’s evade value (the green number next to the shoe symbol). This will exhaust the enemy for the turn, meaning that they won’t attack this round, but it also means they will eventually ready and become a threat again for the next one. Some enemies, like the aforementioned Hellhound, have keywords that pose additional challenges. In Hellhound’s case, it has the “hunter” keyword, which means it will continue to chase you down, even if you manage to temporarily escape from it.

The next pillar of an Arkham Horror scenario is survivability. This challenge asks how much physical and mental strain an investigator can take before they are defeated. While enemies can deal damage and horror when they attack, survivability is tested more commonly through treacheries drawn during the Mythos phase. Each player must draw a card during this phase, meaning that each player’s survivability will be tested in some way. Most treacheries, like Noxious Smoke (Core Set, 130), demand that the players take a one-time test and will punish them if they fail. Other treacheries, like Unspeakable Truths (Core Set, 125), will remain in play and pose a threat over multiple turns.

Each investigator needs to build a plan for how they will survive these treacheries, and it is important to keep their risk in mind both while deckbuilding and playing a scenario. Isabelle Barnes (Core Set, 13) can lean on Aleksey Saburov (Core Set, 72) to take damage and horror for her, while Dexter Drake (Core Set, 10) can use a Ward of Protection (Core Set, 65) to cancel the treachery at the cost of 1 horror. There are very rarely “wrong” ways to protect yourself in Arkham Horror, but it’s important that you have a plan and don’t go unprotected against the Mythos.

The final pillar of an Arkham Horror scenario is the act of investigating and discovering clues. Unlike enemies and survivability, investigating doesn’t have to do with how you lose, but rather it’s how you win. During a scenario, the agenda deck is how the game advances and attempts to defeat the investigators. The act deck, on the other hand, is the investigators’ method of advancing through and succeeding a scenario. Acts are often advanced through the collection of clues, so a team of investigators must strive to discover clues, and the pace at which they do so determines how many threats they may have to face.

Your Friend’s Room (Core Set, 113B) is a location you’ll come across in Spreading Flames, the first scenario in the new core set. This location has a shroud value of 2, which is the difficulty an investigator tests against while investigating that location for clues. Your Friend’s Room also has 2 clues per investigator, which are the clues you discover upon a successful investigation. Like enemies, locations can throw additional challenges or penalties at players, such as the Science Hall (Core Set, 118) causing investigators to discard cards from their hand upon discovering clues.

If an investigator can survive enemies and treacheries, but can’t get clues, they’ll live until the end of the scenario with nothing to show for it. Likewise, if an investigator can get clues but has no protection, they’ll be overwhelmed before they know it. This is why the key to finding success in a scenario is to balance the solutions for all three pillars.

The Five Classes

To manage these challenges, each investigator “class” approaches their solutions differently. There are five classes in the game—Guardians, Seekers, Rogues, Mystics, and Survivors—and each class brings their own strengths and weaknesses.

The Guardian class is the protector class. They do what they can to keep themselves and their teammates safe. They show off their combat prowess through allies like Logan Hastings (Core Set, 18) and powerful skill cards like Vicious Blow (Core Set, 25). When surrounded by enemies, they can turn the tide with a Lesson Learned (Core Set, 22) or Scene of the Crime (Core Set, 24). However, Guardians need time to set up for their battles and will often find themselves short on resources compared to other classes.

The Seeker class is the master of investigating. They have a variety of tools at their disposal to increase their ability to discover clues. They can utilize a Fingerprint Kit (Core Set, 31) to grab multiple clues at once, boosting their consistency with a Magnifying Glass (Core Set, 34) or Sharp Rhetoric (Core Set, 35). Additionally, Seekers can maximize their card draw potential, refilling their hand with a Laboratory Assistant (Core Set, 32) or Gather Intel (Core Set, 36). While Seekers are masters of investigating, they lack permanent solutions to enemies, offering temporary fixes instead.

The Rogue class find its strengths in movement and resource economy. Rogues can move across the map in the blink of an eye with skills like Out of Sight (Core Set, 53) and allies like Olivier Bishop (Core Set, 46), evading enemies and leaving them in the dust. That said, Rogues also bring their own style of enemy management to the table. They can utilize the M1903 Hammerless (Core Set, 45) to take enemies out or Paint the Town Red (Core Set, 51) to bring one into play in exchange for a few extra resources in their pocket. Survivability is the biggest weakness in a Rogue’s kit. Their recklessness puts them at a disadvantage against the Mythos deck, putting them at risk of getting overwhelmed by the horrors around them.

The Mystic class is the class of spellcasters in the world of Arkham Horror. A Mystic’s biggest strength is that they can do pretty much anything, but they have to risk something for that power. They can take advantage of Cosmic Flame (Core Set, 59) and Second Sight (Core Set, 62) for fighting and investigating respectively, but both of these spells run the risk of hurting them. A wise Mystic knows how to navigate the advantages and disadvantages of cards like Will of the Cosmos (Core Set, 66), which provide a great reward with a great risk. This is where Mystic’s weaknesses lie: they are powerful, but this power always comes at a cost.

Lastly, the Survivor class is the ultimate class of survivability and card recursion. They often brute force their way through challenges, taking them on without knowing whether they will come out on top. A rough scrape with an enemy can be mitigated through a clever use of Bandages (Core Set, 73) while a bad token pull can be softened with “Look what I found!” (Core Set, 78). Though Survivors are durable, they need to expend more of their cards to survive, which is why cards with recursion effects like Hunter’s Instinct (Core Set, 74) can be so lifesaving, allowing the investigator to find the right card at the right time. This class has to put in a bit more effort than the others, meaning that they pose the highest risk of getting outpaced by the scenario.

Deckbuilding

Even with the knowledge of the classes, it can be a daunting challenge to know how to best construct a deck, much less upgrade it with the experience you’ve gained during the course of a campaign. There are three fundamentals to help lay the beginnings of a good deck: the investigator’s role, the deck’s foundation, and the deck’s economy. Understanding these will give strong guidance for building any deck for any campaign.

An investigator’s role is likely the first decision you’ll make when deckbuilding after choosing an investigator. There are four main roles in Arkham Horror:

The Fighter: An investigator who focuses on defeating enemies.
The Cluever: An investigator who focuses on discovering clues.
The Flex: An investigator who does a little bit of both fighting and investigating.
The Support: Like a flex, but focuses more on helping their teammates excel or survive.

In the core set, Daniela Reyes and Isabelle Barnes would make good fighters, Joe Diamond (Core Set, 4) and Trish Scarborough (Core Set, 7) would make good cluevers, and Dexter Drake would make a strong flex. However, these investigators are not locked into these specific roles, and it’s always a good idea to include options for cards outside of your role. For example, between breaks of whacking enemies with her Meat Cleaver, Isabelle Barnes can pick up some clues with a “Look what I found!” or even Second Sight (since her deckbuilding options let her use some Mystic cards).

After deciding on your role, you’ll want to build a strong foundation to ensure that you can accomplish that role. To do this, you’ll want to include assets and events that help you with your role’s goal, and you’ll want enough of them so you can do your job reliably. Since she can include both Rogue and Seeker cards in her deck, Trish Scarborough will want to include multiple good investigation assets like Thieves’ Kit (Core Set, 49), Fingerprint Kit, and Local Map (Core Set, 33) to ensure that she draws one in her opening hand. After that, she’ll likely look at investigation events like Breaking and Entering (Core Set, 50) and Working a Hunch (Core Set, 38) to round out that consistency.

Lastly—and arguably most importantly—is your deck’s economy. This fundamental aspect of deckbuilding ensures that your deck has the ability to draw cards and also pay for them. While not the most exciting part of deckbuilding, it is crucial to make your economy a focus. A staple piece of Arkham Horror’s economy is Emergency Cache (Core Set, 89). Because it’s Neutral, every investigator can take it, and it provides a good starting point to ensure you have the resources for the cards you want to play. After that, you’ll want to look through your investigator’s card pool for what can draw cards (like Gather Intel in Joe Diamond) and what can gain resources (like Sticky Fingers (Core Set, 48) in Trish Scarborough).

After establishing a strong foundation for your deck, you can build around those cards. You will want to check if your deck has the survivability to manage the Mythos phase, and then you can add in what you feel would be powerful or fun. Maybe you want to use Prestidigitation (Core Set, 52) to swap assets in and out of play as Dexter Drake? Or maybe you want to use Jim Culver (Core Set, 60) to draw extra cards on top of your recursion effects with Isabelle Barnes? Explore the card pool and find what is fun for you, because Arkham Horror’s amazing deckbuilding is the perfect way to express yourself.

As you near the completion of your deck, another consideration is your deck’s “curve.” This checks the cost of all the cards in your deck and tracks how many of each resource cost you have. If you have a lot of cards that cost 3 or more, your deck’s curve is higher, meaning that you potentially would want to run more economy than if your deck’s curve was lower with mostly 1- or 2-cost cards. When you’re first building a deck, this can be hard to grasp, but it’s something that you can pay attention to while you play if you often feel that you have too many or too few resources.

Additionally, don’t feel like you shouldn’t include Neutral cards just because they aren’t in your investigator’s classes. The Neutral skill suite of Guts (Core Set, 90), Perception (Core Set, 93), Overpower (Core Set, 92), and Manual Dexterity (Core Set, 91) can all help you pass a test and grab an extra card, which can potentially find an answer to a future threat. Unexpected Courage (Core Set, 94) can help you pass any test, and that versatility shouldn’t be overlooked. Fedora (Core Set, 87) can soak a little damage or horror if you feel you’re missing some survivability, while Broken Bottle (Core Set, 86) or Hand-Crank Flashlight (Core Set, 88) can be another asset to help build the foundation of your role.

With all this said, don’t feel as though using the prebuilt decks is a bad place to start. If you want to immediately jump in and play, you can use the decks included in the core set. With these, you can get a good idea of the investigators and how they fit into their class, as well as see the three pillars of Arkham Horror in action. After getting a game or two in, you may feel more knowledgeable and confident to try building your own decks with the core set’s card pool.

Outro

There is a lot to discover in Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Jumping in and playing the core set is a great place to start. You may struggle as you begin to face the threats before you, and they may seem impossible to beat, but if you persevere and continue the fight against the Mythos, you’ll be surprised by what you’re capable of. Explore the card pool, get to know the investigators, and build decks that speak to you as you discover all the amazing stories that exist in Arkham Horror!

Written by Justin Cauti

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FFG Live in February

Published 3 February 2026 | Star Wars: Unlimited

FFG Live in February

Announcing the FFG Livestreams for February 2026

It's FFG Live! Join us this month for more awesome livestreams for our current and upcoming games and expansions. Read on for more information on what livestreams you can look forward to this month!

February 4 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars™: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Twin Suns

GAMEPLAY

It’s time for some more multiplayer mayhem! Join members of the Star Wars™: Unlimited design team as they tackle a Twin Suns game using leaders and cards from the upcoming set, A Lawless Time. Be sure to tune in and root for your favorite leaders (or player) and see who can pull off a win!

Check out the stream here!

February 11 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Trilogy Gameplay

GAMEPLAY

A new set means a new card pool, which means even more options for building Trilogy decks! Let’s jump back into the Trilogy format for a full-length, dedicated stream. Join members of the Star Wars: Unlimited design team as they explore what decks they enjoy most for the format and what new archetypes they can show off.

Check out the stream here!

February 17 at 1 PM CST

Marvel Champions: The Card Game – Wonder Man and Hercules

GAMEPLAY

With the upcoming release of the Wonder Man and Hercules Hero Packs, it’s time to take them for a spin and see what they can do! Join us as we take an in-depth look at these new heroes and test our luck with them in a short gameplay segment.

Check out the stream here!

February 18 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Draft Play

GAMEPLAY

As we wrap up the spoiler season for A Lawless Time, join us for our traditional draft session as the Star Wars: Unlimited designers draft the set for the very first time on stream. Be sure to tune in and root for your favorite to win!

Check out the stream here!

February 24 at 1 PM CST

Arkham Horror: The Card Game – Evergreen Investigators

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

The release of Arkham Horror: The Card Game’s new core set is just around the corner, and following soon after it are five new evergreen Investigator Decks! Join us as we take a look at some of the cards from these new products and discuss what role the evergreen Investigator Decks will have in the game for new and established players alike.

Check out the stream here!

February 25 at 1 PM CST

Star Wars: Unlimited – A Lawless Time Organized Play Update

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

The release of A Lawless Time will also mark the beginning of a new set or Organized Play, which means new prizes to collect for both casual and competitive players! Join team members Jack Broomell and Bri Harstad as they go through all the prizing for A Lawless Time’s Weekly Play events, Store Showdowns, and Planetary Qualifiers, as well as reveal the dates and locations for the set’s Sector Qualifiers and Regional Championship.

Check out the stream here!

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The Magician

Published 29 January 2026 | Arkham Horror: The Card Game

The Magician

Introducing Dexter Drake from Arkham Horror: The Card Game’s New Core Set

“I’ll show you real magic.”

After finding scraps of the dangerous and mysterious Necronomicon while fighting in the Great War, Dexter Drake wasted no small effort in hunting down and translating more pages. At first, his goal was to keep its evil contained. However, Dexter’s curiosity drove him to delve deeper into the profane text, tempted by the promise of “true” magic. Dexter is sure he has what it takes to decode the text: he proved his courage in the war and his resourcefulness on stage as a magician. But true magic comes at a cost. Will Dexter prove his mastery over the arcane, or will the arcane overpower him?

Back in October, we revealed the new core set for Arkham Horror: The Card Game, which heralds the beginning of an era we’re referring to as “Chapter Two.” With that new core set comes a new set of five core investigators, and the last (but not least) of those five is Dexter Drake (Core Set, 10)!

Returning to the stage as the new core’s Mystic investigator, Dexter’s new approach to investigation has echoes of his original asset-discarding playstyle but takes a fresh and versatile spin. His innate ability triggers after you play an asset of any type, allowing you to either “bounce” another asset back into your hand, or play a second asset as part of the same action. Right off the bat, this grants Dexter some handy flexibility, allowing him to get two cards out at once or “refresh” a depleted asset (by returning it to his hand and then playing it again). Any asset with limited uses—such as Cosmic Flame (Core Set, 59) with its 3 charges or the Cloak of Resonance (Core Set, 58) with its 3 sanity—can suddenly have a lot more staying power when Dexter can refresh it on a whim, and it can allow you to pull off some pretty impressive sequences, especially when you take the discount from Dexter’s signature event, “For my next trick…” (Core Set, 11) into account.

For example, say you have Jim Culver (Core Set, 60) and a Lucky Charm (Core Set, 61) in play to help you soak some hits. With the ability on Lucky Charm, you can spend some charges to move a damage and a horror off of Dexter and onto Jim. Then, you can use “For my next trick…” to search for and play Second Sight (Core Set, 62) for just 2 resources, allowing you to “bounce” Jim Culver back into your hand, which removes the damage and horror from him. Then, on your next action (if you have the resources), you can play Jim Culver again, fully healed and ready to soak more hits for you. Or, alternatively, you could have chosen to bounce the Lucky Charm instead, which would let you replay it to refresh its charges, or you could bounce an asset with doom on it—such as the asset you targeted for Will of the Cosmos (Core Set, 66)—to clear that doom without losing the card.

By now, it should be clear just how versatile Dexter’s innate ability is, but the fact remains that he can only trigger it once per round. Not only that, but constantly bouncing your assets back to your hand can get expensive fast. Fortunately, Dexter has some other cards in his pre-built deck to help him navigate the dangers of the Mythos. The event Premonition (Core Set, 64), for example, tells you the exact next token that will be revealed from the chaos bag, which can help Dexter decide what abilities are worth using (and what resources are worth expending) for a test he’s about to make. Even if you know the outcome of a specific test, sometimes a treachery is just too nasty to deal with, in which case the classic Ward of Protection (Core Set, 65) is an invaluable tool in an investigator’s belt, trading a bit of horror for a moment of safety. In similar fashion, the skill card Soul Link (Core Set, 67) can grant a powerful boost to any skill test at the cost of a horror (which, remember, you can later heal up with Dexter’s asset-bouncing shenanigans). Finally, if Soul Link is unavailable (or somehow not enough) and you have a few extra resources to spend, Spiritual Intuition (Core Set, 63) can power up Dexter’s Willpower or his Combat skill as much as you need—which combos supremely well with Premonition!

As you can see, the sky’s the limit for this magician’s tricks, and his performance will only be grander over time. And speaking of tricks, veterans of Arkham Horror: The Card Game may recall that the original version of Dexter Drake could include Rogue cards in his deck, and this new version is no different. If you’re curious about what sort of Rogue cards you can find in Dexter’s pre-built deck, be sure to check out our preview of Trish Scarborough and the Rogue class from a few weeks back!

Dexter Drake is a versatile investigator who can pull off some pretty impressive—dare we say magical—feats, but there’s one not-so-little snag that he will eventually have to deal with: The Necronomicon (Core Set, 12). The source of Dexter’s power is also the biggest thorn in his side, as the book pops up now and again to remind him that every gift comes at a price. By forcing itself into play and preventing you from playing or using any other assets until you deal with it (and you can’t bounce it with Dexter’s ability), this cursed tome demands your undying attention whenever it appears in your hands. The book’s price is something Dexter can’t ignore if he wants to continue his work, and it will just keep coming back until he succeeds its test. Thankfully, with enough tools in his deck—and enough friends at his side—Dexter can pull off the greatest trick of all: victory from the jaws of certain defeat!

Mystical Magic

With his versatile tricks and his dazzling magic, Dexter Drake is the shining example of what the Mystic class has to offer in Chapter Two of Arkham Horror: The Card Game.

With that, we’ve previewed all five classes and all five investigators from the new core set. Look forward to seeing more of what Chapter Two has to offer as we count down to the new core set’s release!

Written by Peter Schumacher

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