Which Call of Cthulhu Board Game

[pw]

Hi All, I'm about to set up a group to play horror games (for work, believe it or not  ) and I'm wondering if anyone can advise me as to which CoC game to try out? Ideally it'll be playable in an evening, not have too steep a learning curve, and if it's cooperative so much the better. Replayability isn't a huge issue.

My options seem to be Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness, any thoughts?

Or, perhaps the thought might be that there's a better horror board game out there (Zombicide?) that I should try instead. I like the CoC theme but it's not essential.

Suggestions will be very gratefully recieved.

[Annerios]

One game that captures its horror theme and genre perfectly is Camp Grizzly.
It is a homage to slasher flicks that is incredibly fun.  It is really easy to learn and full of laughs.
Your players will likely want to play it again immediately after finishing a game.

Sadly, it is not Cthulhu themed, but I think there will be some reference to Cthulhu in one of the upcoming expansions.

Dead of Winter can be fun as well, but is more complex than Camp Grizzly.

[Garder]

I would chose Eldritch horror over Arkham horror. More streamlined rules and a quicker game.

[Malebolgia]

Mansions of Madness is like playing the CoC RPG. So each player controls an investigator and together they try to stop the evil in the mansion. It's fun, but not perfect. And it hardly needs the huge amount of monsters in the box which is a shame (but fitting for CoC).

[gnomehome]

Here's my take

Arkham Horror - there are quite a lot of expansions available, it can take a very long time (base game: 3 hour minimum with my group, with expansions I've had sessions of 5-6hours). There's a lot of 'bookkeeping' to take care of .

Eldritch Horror - relatively fast playing, a  lot more streamlined. I like it a lot, but my group claims they feel less immersed. There are a couple of expansions, which I don't have.

Elder Sign (dice version of AH) - decent filler, but not a real substitute for AH. Perfect for solo-play on the smartphone/tablet app.

Mansions of Madness - more of a RPG feel. This is a 'one against all' game and not 'beat the system' like the three above. You need a 'keeper' who should keep the game flowing. There are some expansions, the 'print on demand' ones are way too expensive IMHO. The miniatures are nice and add a lot to the game. I can recommend the 'Call of the Wild' expansion, this really adds to the game. Some of the scenario's can be a bit obvious and have a 'railroaded' feel, but a good keeper should be able to keep cope with that.

[pw]

Many thanks for these helpful and considered replies. I'll have a good look at all of these suggestions. Play time is a significant factor. Two hours, not including set up, would be ideal as we'll need to build in discussion time in addition to gaming time. Tomorrow I'll head to the game shop to browse for these titles.

[twrchtrwyth]

I would chose Eldritch horror over Arkham horror. More streamlined rules and a quicker game.

+1

[obsidian3d]

Getting through Arkham Horror or Mansions of Madness in an evening is...madness. Setup alone can take an hour or more. Eldritch Horror is your best bet, but does lack a little of the atmosphere of AH. I still think it's a great game though.

If you do pick up Eldritch Horror I recommend the first expansion as part of that purchase as it adds extra cards and another great old one as well. I've not played the big box Mountains expansion yet.

[wellender]

You mentioned Zombicide in your initial post.  While not Lovecraftian, it is a pretty fun survival game.  Not much on the horror though.  I have gotten several of my friends that were not gamers before into that.  Easy to pick-up and can be set-up and played in an hour or two.  It's a good gateway game for casual gamers.

[pw]

Thanks again. I should maybe say more about the purpose. I'm hoping to set up a series of horror gaming events as part of some research into games that might or might not turn into some academic writing (work and fun collide!). I'm guessing I can draw I some regular gamers but also there may be some non gamers which means striking a balance could be a challenge. It's a long term project though, first up I'll just try these things with friends. Eldritch Horror is now on the list 😊.

[chicklewis]

I own them all, and Eldritch Horror is the one which, imo, best fits your requirements.  It is a real co-op without a need for one player to run the system, resolves pretty promptly, depending on the number of players, easy to learn, and is big fun. 

[Pijlie]

Shadows of Brimstone should be added. Western heroes battling eldritch other worldly horrors in various dimensions. Fast playing tile-based board game , nice figures and great replay and campaign playing value.

[pw]

It sounds like Eldritch Horror is the one for the group (though I now want all of them). Shadows of Brimstone is a new one to me, the pictures I've just seen look great. Could you say a bit about how it plays?

[wellender]

One thing with Shadows of Brimstone. It is not ready to go out of the box. There are a bunch of models to build. I have both sets, but haven't had a chance to play yet.

[Pijlie]

It sounds like Eldritch Horror is the one for the group (though I now want all of them). Shadows of Brimstone is a new one to me, the pictures I've just seen look great. Could you say a bit about how it plays?

I wrote this review a while ago.

http://pijlieblog.blogspot.nl/search/label/Shadows%20of%20Brimstone