At Gen Con 2018 with The Eternal Slumber scenario, Arkham’s bravest investigators were tasked with solving a medical mystery in Cairo as more and more victims dropped into a deep and wakeless sleep. And this only marked the beginning of a greater mystery that will unite the Arkham Horror: The Card Game community like never before. At the end of the event, the investigators who took part in The Eternal Slumber relinquished control of the case to a new crop of brave souls who will gather at Arkham Nights 2018 to continue the investigation with the second part of this scenario, The Night’s Usurper. Now, as the fated date in October quickly approaches, we look to the master of madness for a look into the past and to see what lies in the future.

Today, we meet with Matt Newman for a debriefing of the events that unfolded at Gen Con 2018, and to see how it will affect the investigation next month at Arkham Nights 2018!

Matt Newman on the Events of Gen Con 2018

Greetings, investigators!

Last month, Arkham Horror: The Card Game players traveled to Indianapolis and braved the crowds at Gen Con for an exclusive chance to play the special Gen Con scenario, The Eternal Slumber. This scenario will be released to the wider public at a later date (packaged with The Night's Usurper in Guardians of the Abyss), but for those brave investigators who played through the scenario at Gen Con, their results were collected and tallied. Their successes and failures, and the consequences of their decisions, will directly influence the second part of the story, The Night’s Usurper, which will be played at this year’s Arkham Nights event in Roseville, MN. How much trouble are these investigators in for? What did the community decide to do at the end of The Eternal Slumber? Read on to discover these answers, but be warned: the remainder of this article will contain heavy spoilers for The Eternal Slumber!

If you wish to remain blissfully ignorant of these dangers, stop reading now…

In total, we collected logs from 281 participants at Gen Con. While most of these logs came from players at our events, there were some intrepid investigators who chose to play The Eternal Slumber on their own and return their logs to us later. These logs turned out to be crucial, turning the tide of many of the results! As expected, the vast majority of groups (68.8%) were four-player groups, though there were several two- and three-player groups over the course of the weekend (and one particularly brave solo player).

First, let’s talk about the number of “Dreamers in the Abyss.” This value represents the strength of the abyss when the scenario ended, and will directly influence the strength of the abyss at the start of The Night’s Usurper. Although it could have been far worse, this didn’t go so well for the investigators. While many groups managed to keep the strength of the abyss to four or lower, the strength increased to five for 33% of groups, and for some groups it skyrocketed even higher, reaching as high as ten or even twelve. In the end, there were 404 total dreamers in the abyss, which made for an average of 5.05 across all of the groups. For Arkham Nights, this means that the Strength of the Abyss will start at five (for a four-player game). Players at Arkham Nights will have to spend extra effort to reduce this strength in order to keep the encounter deck from spiraling out of control… unless they choose to embrace the abyss, instead.

Next, let’s examine which members of the Brotherhood of the Beast escaped. There were six named Brotherhood members which investigators may have encountered during their journey in Cairo— Professor Nathaniel Taylor (Guardians of the Abyss, 36), Nassor (Guardians of the Abyss, 35), Farid (Guardians of the Abyss, 34), Nadia Nimr (Guardians of the Abyss, 33), Dr. Wentworth Moore (Guardians of the Abyss, 32), and Dr. Layla El Masri (Guardians of the Abyss, 31). Those the investigators captured and interrogated helped them reduce the strength of the abyss. The rest fled into the desert to the west. This result was very close. While the most common result was four (35.9% of groups), the end result was closer to 3.45 due to the valiant efforts of many groups. Great job, investigators! This means that only three of these Brotherhood agents will be present at Arkham Nights, chosen based on the frequency of their escape. Those three agents are Dr. Layla El Masri (escaped 53 times), Nassor (escaped 49 times), and Dr. Wentworth Moore (escaped 48 times). Professor Nathaniel Taylor, Farid, and Nadia Nmir are now aiding the investigation and won’t return at Arkham Nights.

Finally, there’s the ending. This scenario turned out to be quite deadly, with 59.5% of groups either taking the train out of Cairo or falling comatose. Luckily, it is the victors who decided which resolution would carry over into Arkham Nights. Those groups who succeeded faced a difficult decision: destroy Neith (Guardians of the Abyss, 13) and free those under the curse of eternal slumber, or spare her and learn of the one known as Xzharah? Ultimately, 13.9% of players chose to destroy Neith, while 26.6% chose to spare her. This mercy will no doubt play a role at Arkham Nights. Due to this decision, each group at Arkham Nights will begin the scenario with Neith's Ancient Ankh in play. With any luck, this Ancient Ankh (Guardians of the Abyss, 56) will aid you in your quest to find Xzharah and stop his schemes from coming to fruition, whatever they may be.

Thank you so much to all who participated in The Eternal Slumber at Gen Con. It was so much fun to see so many Arkham Horror: The Card Game players from all corners of the globe converging at one place, and I hope that players enjoyed the dangers of Cairo. Arkham Nights draws nearer, and with it, so does The Night’s Usurper. The community’s performance at this event will determine which of three weaknesses is inflicted upon the entire Arkham Horror: The Card Game community: Aspect of the Beast, Abyssal Covenant, or Day of Reckoning. Want to influence the result? Come to Arkham Nights 2018 and fight for your future!

All You Have to Do Is Dream…

Thanks, Matt!

Are you ready to confront The Night’s Usurper? Steel your nerves, consult your arcane tomes, and make your way to Roseville, MN on October 19 – 20 for the thrilling conclusion of the two-part Arkham Horror: The Card Game scenario at Arkham Nights 2018!