"It is an unfortunate fact that relatively obscure men like myself and my associates, connected only with a small university, have little chance of making an impression where matters of a wildly bizarre or highly controversial nature are concerned. It is further against us that we are not, in the strictest sense, specialists in the fields which came primarily to be concerned."

–H. P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness

The Dunwich Legacy deluxe expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game is scheduled to arrive at retailers next Thursday!

While Curse of the Rougarou and Carnevale of Horrors have already allowed fans to continue their investigations beyond the Core Set, The Dunwich Legacy is the game's first major expansion, and it floods the card pool with 156 new cards that kick off a terrifying new campaign and dramatically expand your deckbuilding options. Finally, you'll find five new investigators—one for each class—who come complete with their signature cards and play styles.

What's Your Story?

In our earlier previews of The Dunwich Legacy, we've revealed several of its new investigators, along with their signature weaknesses. These weaknesses, along with the weaknesses you add to your deck at random, add a decidedly human element to your adventures, one that earns the Arkham LCG® a unique place among all the world's customizable card games.

After all, in how many other games can one of your cards not only fail to help you, but actually introduce a new source of anxiety or even panic? In how many other games might you slot a card into your deck that increases your odds of failing at the things you're trying to accomplish? In how many other games might you draw a card, only to be reminded that your sister is still missing and haunted by the suspicion that you missed a clue in a distant room or building?

But your investigator is more than her weaknesses—even more, in fact, than her weaknesses and signature boon. You still have a full deck of assets, events, and skill cards to represent you, and you have the ability to "grow" with your adventures, by using your experience points to change this deck over time.

So who are the new investigators from The Dunwich Legacy? They're characters that emerge not just from their investigator cards, nor from the simple combination of their investigator cards, their signature boons, and their weaknesses; they only emerge in full when you consider them in the full context of their decks.

Getting Started

To help you better understand the game's different investigators—and some of the ways you might use them—the game's developers have created Starter Decklists (pdf, 1.9 MB) for each. And as we look forward to the release of The Dunwich Legacy, the document has been updated to include the expansion's new investigators.

Along with its decklists, the document provides a brief strategy guide for each investigator that illustrate's the deck's various tricks and the ways it makes use of its investigator's unique ability. These strategy guides also demonstrate some of the card synergies you'll find in the decks so that you'll be able to make full use of their assets, events, and skill cards.

As an example, let's look at the developers' introduction of "Ashcan" Pete (The Dunwich Legacy, 5):

"'Ashcan' Pete is a unique character who is at his best when working with his dog, Duke . Alone, Pete has lower-than-average skills, health, and sanity. However, when allied together with his trusted hound, Pete and Duke become more than just the sum of their parts. Taking advantage of Duke’s abilities is the key to playing as 'Ashcan' Pete."

They continue by offering some specific advice for playing Pete with his Starter Decklist:

“Duke can help you fight against dangerous enemies, or lead you toward clues and help you discover them. Use Pete’s ability to ready Duke liberally, and you will find many uses for his loyal partner.

"Don’t forget that you can also use Pete’s ability to ready other assets besides Duke, such as Old Book of Lore or Rabbit’s Foot. Because Duke doesn’t take up your ally slot, you can play Laboratory Assistant to get more cards in your hand, or Peter Sylvestre to help soak horror and resist treachery cards that might discard Duke from play.”

Of course, while the decklist and strategy guide for "Ashcan" Pete in the Starter Decklists document can get you started quickly along your journey, it's important to note that it's just a "starter" list. As you play and gain more familiarity with Pete and Duke and their particular strengths and weaknesses, you might tweak your particular take on the deck or form a plan for leveling it up.

Since Duke's ability generally offers you a combat bonus as large as those from Weapons like Knife (Core Set, 86) or Baseball Bat (Core Set, 74), you might decide to play around with Pete's Willpower of "4," and slot a couple copies of both Holy Rosary (Core Set, 59) and Shrivelling (Core Set, 60) in his deck. You might even plan to spend your first four experience to level up two copies of Peter Sylvestre (The Dunwich Legacy, 33) from zero level to second (The Dunwich Legacy, 35) so that Pete's Shriveling tests prove more effective—as do all his other Willpower tests.

But before you start envisioning alternate paths for "Ashcan" Pete and the other investigators from The Dunwich Legacy, you'll need someplace to get started. That's where the Starter Decklists document comes into play. Download it today, and start exploring what the new investigators have to offer.

Think on Your Feet

No matter which cards you put in your "Ashcan Pete" deck—or your deck for Jenny Barnes (The Dunwich Legacy, 3) or Jim Culver (The Dunwich Legacy, 4)—you'll find the new campaign from The Dunwich Legacy will force you into all manner of situations you didn't—and couldn't—anticipate.

Part of becoming an investigator in Arkham Horror: The Card Game is learning to think on your feet. It's a valuable skill to master, in general, and if you have the room, Think on Your Feet (The Dunwich Legacy, 25) can also be a wonderful Trick to slot straight into your deck.

How will you respond to the terrors you uncover as you investigate the disappearances of Professor Armitage's esteemed colleagues? You'll soon have your chance to find out. The Dunwich Legacy becomes available at retailers next week, and The Dunwich Legacy campaign log is available for download now (pdf, 1.6 MB).