H.P Lovecraft was a legendary author and founder of the cosmic horror genre. Many of his writings deal with mystery, horror, and ultimately madness. Often self-reflective from his insecurities, have inspired many platforms to fear the unknown, things that destroy with no reason, and beings that are so grotesque, that it will drive one mad! Authors such as Stephen King, or Hellboy’s Mike Mignola have drawn influence from these writings into books, comics, the big screen, and board games! We’ve seen some big hits with Cthulu Wars, Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, Auztralia, and others where the Ancient Ones run rampant on our tables.
Arkham Noir by creator Yves Tourigny, published by Ludonova is a solitaire detective game running against time. Case #1 The Witch-Cult Murders puts the player in the role of Detective H.P. Lovecraft. An interesting change, compared to other games as it puts the classic author in the role of a detective and you have to bring the clues together to solve the case! The characters, monsters, and locations are loosely based on three short stories by H.P. Lovecraft. For anyone wanting to look at some deep cuts, the stories are “The Dreams in the Witch House” (1933), “The Thing on the Doorstep” (1933), and “The Unnamable” (1923).
The Setup
Starting with the central row (Horizontal) are your clue cards that are drawn from the main stack. To the left is your discard pile, and to the right is the next set of victim cards. On the top of the main or leads row, you have a section to place your closed cases (left) and your time penalty area (right). More on gameplay soon. The people cards below the main deck are the open case files, with the name of the victim case you are trying to solve. Arkham Noir also provides reference cards on how to play.
Reference Cards
The reference cards are very helpful as they provide three different aids for the game. The turn summary card references every action per phase, each turn. The clue card tells the player how many of the different clue cards with certain attributes are in the deck. It also lets the player know how many penalty and mental stability cards are in the deck. The effect reference card is helpful as it contains action images that are on the bottom of certain clue cards. These actions allow additional options for the player to put together the clues of each case.
Clues, Investigative Techniques, and Attributes
The Clues, Techniques, and Attribute icons represent different connections on the various cards in your deck.
Gameplay
The game plays out until a game-ending condition occurs. There are three in the game:
- Win if the number of clue cards in your Big Picture area is at least five.
- Lose if the number of clue cards in your Stability Penalty area is equal to or greater than five.
- Lose if you have no more victim cards to draw, and you have to draw.
Gameplay is broken down into two phases, the action and maintenance phases.
Action Phase:
A. During your action phase you may do the following:
B. Take the first lead in hand (Can have only 3 cards in hand)
C. Play the first lead to an open case
D. Discard the first lead card and play a card from your hand
E. Discard the first lead card and close an open case
Additional Support
Each game comes with a professional contact card. It can only be used once per game, as a free action. It has a key action on one side, and an exchange a card ability on the other. In case number 1, the special card is a Professor at Miskatonic University. This card can be useful if you are in a tricky spot and can’t find a solution from the draw deck.
During the action phase, each card has an investigative technique to the right, sometimes also on the left. You put clues together with those techniques on each case file. Once you have 5 or 6 unique clue types on a case, you may close it on an action phase.
In addition, depending on what card you play there may be a brown or black icon of additional action. The player must follow those effects during this phase. In some cases, the card may cause a stability check or a time penalty.
Maintenance Phase:
A. Check Victory Conditions
B. Check your mental stability (>5 cards in the stability area, you lose!)
C. Check the Time Penalty area (>5 cards, must draw another victim card. If none you lose!)
Refill leads row (if you run out, draw a victim card. If none you immediately lose!)
Winning the Game
Some clue cards contain both a lock and a puzzle piece on the card. When a case is solved if you have one of these, put it in the big picture area, revealing a bigger mystery. Get five before time runs out and you win the game!
Overall Impressions
Arkham Noir is an interesting little solitaire game. Thematically this is different from other Lovecraft-inspired games, as you navigate as the detective trying to solve the case. If you like mystery and horror-themed games, this is a good one. The game builds up tension with the mental stability checks, the time penalties, and running out of victim cards. All lead to an unsuccessful attempt at who…. or what committed the crime. I noted that I failed more times than won the game. Ultimately I gained all the puzzle pieces using my professional contact card. It may be easy to solve one victim case, but getting the overall big picture is quite challenging. I enjoyed sitting at the table on a rainy day, trying to get the investigation techniques, and puzzle pieces to connect. To me, this was a nice little card game if you want to add some mystery and tension while playing solo.
The art for the game is well done by the designer, and I enjoyed the quality of the cards themselves. They fit in standard Dragon shield sleeves as well! I loved the attempt to bring in different classic Lovecraft stories intertwined into a mystery setting. The addition of essential “monsters” from the stories is a great touch as the story unfolds in your mind. The game made me go back and reference the original stories, and learn more about the creatures in the game. I also really enjoyed that you are put in the driver’s seat and want to solve the case, leading into your imagination.
Perhaps the best part of the game is the escalating tension of the time. You are thrown into different actions that push the mystery forward to a solution, but at a cost… your sanity! You have to think about how a card placement may affect your next turn, while also not knowing what you are going to draw next.
Review
If you like solitaire and horror themed games, this may be right up your alley. The gameplay can be as quick as 5-10 minutes, or as long as 45 minutes. Yves Tourigny, artist and designer, does a good job going over the basic rules and gameplay on YouTube as well. Part 1 and Part 2 tutorials provide a quick explanation of the game. The rules are not overly complex, but does require you to play a couple of times to understand its cadence. In addition, there are recommendations on how to make the game easier and harder than the default mechanics.
Though the game follows many similar Lovecraftian tropes, such as taking place in the 1920’s, its uniqueness comes in the form of referencing what stories it draws inspiration from, and allowing your imagination to run wild with what unfolds. I recommend this game for lunch time breaks, and to get your mind of things for a little while. There are two additional cases out now by Yves Tourigny and Ludonova games. I look forward to checking out the next two cases. From what I have explored, you may use professional contacts from other cases for the case you are working on.
