Arkham Express Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Turn Sequence
  • Rolling the Dice
• Movement
• Combat
• Final Battle: Cthulhu
• Solo Game
• Monster Tokens
• Character Cards

Setup

Each player chooses a character (maximum 4 players) and places a die beside the character's stats: physical strength (Sanity) and psychic strength (Stamina), with the die set to the character's starting value. During the game these values may decrease, but they cannot rise above the starting value.

Note: the source pairs the English labels "Sanity" with physical strength and "Stamina" with psychic strength. This is transcribed as printed.

Investigation Tokens denotes the maximum number of tokens the character may hold.

All players begin the game in Miskatonic University.

Shuffle all the monster tokens and place them face down beside the board.

Choose one random monster token and place it on the zone marked 1. When playing with 1-2 players, place one token. When playing with 3 or 4 players, place two tokens, on zones 1 and 2.

Note: the source's parenthetical for the 3-4 player setup is garbled ("на нм зоны 1,2"). It is read here as "place two tokens on zones 1 and 2".

Each time a monster is summoned, it is placed in the next numbered zone on the map.

Choose the first player.

Turn Sequence

1. Roll 5 dice. You may reroll up to 3 times, but not the dice that show the monster symbol.
2. If in the end you have 3 monster symbols, place a monster on the board. If there are already 6 monsters on the board, the game is over.
3. Set aside the dice that show movement, healing or investigation.
4. If you are in the Item Shop zone, take a weapon token. If you are in the Magic Shop zone, take an investigation token.
5. If you have entered a zone with a monster, combat begins (see below).
6. If you have entered a gate zone and have 5 investigation tokens, you may close the gate and take the gate token as a prize.
7. If 6 gates are closed, Cthulhu is summoned and the final battle begins.

Rolling the Dice

Roll 5 dice. The results are:

1. Take an investigation token.
2. Movement.
3. Healing (physical strength / psychic strength).
4. Monster.
5. Combat.
6. Combat.

You may reroll up to 3 times, but not the dice that show the monster symbol.

You may reroll a die by paying 1 investigation token, but not a die that shows the monster symbol.

If in the end you have 3 monster symbols, place a monster on the board. If there are already 6 monsters on the board, the game is over.

Take investigation tokens.

For each "healing" result, heal 1 point of physical strength or psychic strength.

Each "movement" result allows you to move 1 zone. The "combat" result is used only during a battle.

Note: the source's list of die faces includes "Take an investigation token" and, separately, "Take investigation tokens". Both are transcribed as printed.

Movement

You may move a number of zones equal to the number of movement dice you have.

If you are in the Item Shop zone, take a weapon token. If you are in the Magic Shop zone, take an investigation token.

If you enter a gate zone, you may spend 5 investigation tokens to close the gate. This ends your turn.

If you enter the Silver Twilight Lodge or St. Mary's Hospital zone, you may spend 2 investigation tokens to fully heal physical strength / psychic strength. Entering this zone ends your movement, and you skip your next turn.

Combat

When you are in a zone with a monster, combat begins. Each monster shows its strength, either physical or psychic.

To win, you must roll more "combat" results on the dice than the monster's strength. Only "combat" results count.

You may spend investigation tokens to reroll a die, but not a die that shows the "monster" result.

Weapon tokens add 1 against monsters with physical strength. Investigation tokens add 1 against monsters with psychic strength.

If you do not reach the required total, the battle is lost. You suffer damage to physical or psychic strength (depending on the monster) equal to the monster's strength.

After an unsuccessful battle you may fight again or retreat, unless the monster's token says you cannot retreat. Retreating costs you 1 damage.

When your physical or psychic strength falls to 0, you are placed in St. Mary's Hospital, where you recover, and you skip 1 turn.

Note: the source sentence reads "Когда падает до 0" with no subject. The subject is read here as your physical or psychic strength.

If you defeat the monster, its token is turned face down, and the gate may now be closed.

It is possible for you to stand on a gate zone and, during another player's turn, a monster appears there. On your next turn you cannot move and must fight.

If several players stand in the same zone, they may trade weapon and investigation tokens. They cannot fight monsters together, and they cannot trade during combat.

Note: the final parenthetical of this paragraph, "(до можно)", is an unreadable fragment in the source. It is not translated.

Final Battle: Cthulhu

When you have closed 6 gates, Cthulhu appears. His physical and psychic strength are each 6.

Your task is to reduce his physical and psychic strength to zero, working together.

Each player rolls 5 dice. The "combat" results are subtracted from Cthulhu's physical or psychic strength, as the player chooses. Only "combat" results count.

By spending 1 investigation token, you may reroll a die, but not a die that shows the "monster" result.

Weapon and investigation tokens have no effect on Cthulhu.

If Cthulhu's strength has not been reduced to zero by the end of the round, he takes a turn. He inflicts damage equal to the amount of damage he has received. The damage is distributed among the players, who decide between themselves who takes which damage.

Damage of one type may be split among several players. For example, if Cthulhu inflicts 4 physical damage, the first player takes 3 and the second player takes 1.

When Cthulhu is defeated, you have won and saved the city of Arkham!

Solo Game

1. There is no limit on the number of weapon and investigation tokens.
2. A monster die may be rerolled by paying 1 investigation token.
3. To defeat Cthulhu, you must reduce his physical or psychic strength to zero. He is vulnerable to strength tokens and weapon tokens.
4. Cthulhu inflicts damage on the player's physical or psychic strength, as the player chooses.

Note: point 3 says Cthulhu is vulnerable to "strength" and weapon tokens. The Final Battle section says weapon and investigation tokens have no effect on Cthulhu. The source is inconsistent here and the conflict is not resolved. Both are transcribed as printed.

Monster Tokens

• Cultist: physical strength 1.
• Dimensional Shambler: psychic strength 1.
• Maniac: physical strength 1, you Note: the source line ends at "вы" (you). The rest of the sentence is missing in the source.
• Flying Polyp: psychic strength 1, you cannot retreat.
• Byakhee: physical strength 2.
• Witch: psychic strength 2.
• Zombie: physical strength 2.
• Mi-Go: psychic strength 2.
• Vampire: physical strength 3, you cannot retreat.
• Night Gaunt: physical strength 3.
• Hound of Tindalos: physical strength 3, you cannot retreat.
• Elder Thing: psychic strength 3, you cannot retreat.
• Shoggoth: psychic strength 3.
• Star Spawn: psychic strength 3, you cannot retreat.

Character Cards

1. Dick Dagon Physical strength 6. Psychic strength 4. Maximum 6 tokens. Special ability: starts the game with 1 weapon token. May hold no more than 2 weapon tokens.

2. Gregory Eisenheim Physical strength 5. Psychic strength 5. Maximum 6 tokens. Special ability: may spend an investigation token to reroll a "monster" symbol, including in combat.

3. Kathryn Tisdale Physical strength 4. Psychic strength 6. Maximum 6 tokens. Special ability: starts the game with 1 investigation token. May hold no more than 2 investigation tokens.

4. Lucia Benson Physical strength 4. Psychic strength 6. Maximum 6 tokens. Special ability: needs 4 investigation tokens to close a gate.

5. Lulu Bankhead Physical strength 4. Psychic strength 6. Maximum 6 tokens. Special ability: +1 to movement.

6. Moonshine Al (Vagrant Al) Physical strength 6. Psychic strength 4. Maximum 10 tokens. Special ability: may carry 10 investigation tokens.