Review Summary: A cautious, trustworthy expansion, for those who want more of the same.

Blurb from the publisher: 'Don't fall asleep!

In the long hours of the night, while the good people of Arkham sleep behind closed doors and shuttered windows, those with dark purpose and grim intent gather in shadowed corners and profane halls. Who will stand against the ruthless criminals and twisted cults that seek to advance their own sinister agendas?

Dead of Night expands on the core Arkham Horror experience by doubling the number of encounter cards and adding new scenarios and investigators, offering players new ways to interact with the story and the people of Arkham as they struggle to save the city and the world from ancient evils.'

What you get: Your USD 29,95 or equivalent will buy you Dead of Night, the first expansion for the third, streamlined edition of Arkham Horror. It is reminded that the basic game hosts from one to six players, lasts around three hours, and has already made its way to BGG's top-500.

In addition to the English rulebook that can be found in the publisher's website free of charge, the game also contains the following: 2 Scenario sheets, 4 Investigator sheets, 7 headline cards, 20 Archive cards, 12 Anomaly cards, 48 Event cards, 72 Encounter cards, 4 Ally cards, 4 Item cards, 4 Spell cards, 28 Special cards, 12 Starting cards, 6 Wanted Condition cards, 22 Monster cards, one Monster Deck holder, 4 Investigator tokens (with plastic stands), and 15 Clue/Doom tokens.

Gameplay: Fantasy Flight Games' first expansions in the Arkham Horror line irrespective of game tend to be about more of the same. Dead of Night does not deviate from this pattern. There are dozens of new encounters, headlines, allies, items and spells that get shuffled into the game's existing decks irrespective of the scenario you play. Idem for the new investigators (a redeemed cultist, a scientist, a fed, and an ex-convict), which can be used to tackle the adventures of either the basic game or the present expansion. The new anomaly and event decks are used as each scenario dictates, and are not to be mixed with the encounter decks. The two new scenarios feature Tsathoggua and a deadly game between Arkham's criminal factions, or that's how it starts. The new Monster Deck holder is a pretty gimmick that helps you draw and discard monsters more easily.

When it comes to new mechanics the expansion includes the Wanted condition. They work almost like Curses do. Yet, they interact with ally and item cards, forcing you to discard them or to lose access to them. Elite Monsters stack up on abilities in ways that previous monsters did not. Neighborhoods may now be removed from the game, along with everything that goes with them (encounter cards, event cards etc).

The strong points: Let's be honest: I knew what to expect before I tore the shrink wrap: more choice, more options, more narratives, more involvement, and all this by mostly adding into the game's existing components and sub-systems. The game can get stale when played systematically, and one of the few things that can alleviate this is the thickness and variety of the decks. This has been very well taken care of, with a nice thematic dive into Arkham's criminal underworld. The atmosphere is quite changed in comparison to the basic game, something that translates into a more nuanced experience no matter how many games you play. In other words, both the game's replayability is increased, as well as the quality of the stories it tells.

I enjoyed both the new characters. The former have interesting abilities. The ex-convict gains the advantage in risky situations (and can thus attempt difficult tests with higher changes of success), while the fed is a good combo between a medic and a tank. He can help with trauma, while at the same time he tackles clue-gathering quite efficiently. If you want the former, but would prefer a doom-eliminating character, the reformed cultist might be more to your liking. All of them have something to offer, depending on your group's ultimate composition.

I was certain that the designers would have opted for a light-handed approach when it comes to new rules insertions, and I was not disappointed. Many of the things that have changed (like a whole map tile going boom) are interesting, to say the least. There's enough variety for everybody, depending on which scenario you play. Both scenarios came out as entertaining. The one around Tsathoggua and the dreaded Mi-Go is exactly the kind of story one would expect. For the novelty factor alone however, and for keeping things under wraps, I would cast my vote for Shots in the Dark, a Mythos tale with a few twists.

I don't have much to say about the expansion's art or component quality. Everything is of a very high quality and on par with the basic game. Were the opposite to happen I would have considered it a major surprise.

This is only the first expansion for Arkham Horror Third Edition. If you want a more radical approach, just be patient. I am certain that it will come around sooner or later.

The weak points: Dead of Night is not innovative. If you did not enjoy Arkham Horror for reasons not related to the depth of its decks, I don't see how this expansion can change your mind. Conversely, and were I malevolent enough, I could have asked why most, if not all, of this material was not contained in the basic game already. I know better than asking that question though. The basic game is replayable without an expansion anyway, while the time between the two releases is not insulting to anybody's intelligence.

When cards interact with one another, the inclusion of many more and different cards dilutes the initial deck composition. Thus, any initial or later interactions will be seen more and more seldom the more cards hit the decks. The new Wanted cards are a prime example. They reference specific cards, and if you don't have them or don't draw them not much happens. As much as it is a fair part of a thematic game like Arkham Horror, I wish something were done around this in order to create more tension. On a tangent to that, if you want to use selected elements of Dead of Night you might have to do quite some preliminary work. Many components in the expansion interact with others. By removing one and no the other you are definitely to tamper with its internal balance. The easy way out is to either use everything or use nothing.

The new monster stand is an ok gimmick, I am wondering however: is anybody really tempted by it? I would have preferred more content any time of the day.

Conclusion: If you enjoyed Arkham Horror Third Edition, Dead of Night will reward you through its cautious approach to the game. Who wouldn't want to exponentially increase the game's replayability without having new rules to learn?

For more info on Dead of Night and the whole Arkham Horror Third Edition game line, visit Fantasy Flight Games at https://www.fantasyflightgames.com.

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