Arkham Investigator
Arkham Investigator Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
"The end is near. I hear a noise at the door, as of some immense slippery body lumbering against it. It shall not find me. God, that hand! The window! The window!" — Dagon by H.P. Lovecraft, 1917
Armitage saw something in you that you didn't even know was there yourself. An inner strength, paired with a conviction to do the correct thing, and without letting the fear of the unknown cloud your thoughts and deeds.
In this game, based heavily on the works of H.P. Lovecraft and his literary successors, you'll be presented with a series of bizarre and dangerous investigations whose resolution will be down to you. In each investigation, you will be presented with a series of clues, a map of the town of Arkham, a directory, and the local newspaper – the Arkham Advertiser. In addition, Armitage has assembled a string of contacts and alliances covering a wide field of expertise to help you with your sleuthing. From Inspector Garrison at the Arkham Police Department, to the enigmatic, but odious, occultist Pasquale Fenton; they are able to provide unique perspectives on the evil that haunts the streets of Arkham.
Armitage wants his young students of the occult to learn on the job, and learn fast. With the clues presented, it is your responsibility to hit the streets of Arkham and put in the legwork to solve the conspiracy or mystery at the heart of the investigation. You decide when you have enough information to uncover the truth. Act too soon and it is likely that you will have missed important details; however wait too long and investigate every lead available to you will discourage Armitage's faith in you.
At the end of your investigation you will be cross-examined by Armitage with a series of questions that will test the extent to which you have uncovered the, often horrific, truth. He is a hard master, and only when he is satisfied that your powers of deduction come close to his own will he be happy to pass on the torch of his great work.
Investigation Books
Packaged with this rulebook is the first Investigation Book – A Grain of Evil. This first investigation is intended to be an introduction to the game and therefore it is fairly routine compared with some of the future investigations that you will face! It is our intention that more Investigation Books will be released over time to supplement this first one, and allow many hours of problem solving on the streets of Arkham. The second exciting investigation, The King Cometh, is scheduled for May 2013.
Each of the Investigation Books is laid out in the same fashion:
Armitage's Introduction: Here Armitage lays out the latest bizarre occurrence that he wishes you to delve into.
Clue Points: The bulk of the investigation is split into various Clue Points, or locations, that you may decide to visit during your investigation. Try not to glance over adjacent entries as it will spoil the fun of your investigation. Each location number has a corresponding reference on the map and in the directory and thus players can move around Arkham finding clues to unravel the mystery at hand. Beware that following potentially dangerous leads will affect how Armitage rates your overall performance.
Armitage's Questions: Once you feel as though you have a handle on the investigation, you should attempt to answer Armitage's questions.
The Solution: Armitage is training you to take his mantle one day. He is not happy simply to leave matters in your hands. He investigates at the same time as you and presents the most efficient, and least risky, way to the truth.
The Scores: Finally you can compare the answers that you have given with the actual answers. For more information, see the Scoring section below.
The Newspaper
For each investigation there is a copy of the Arkham Advertiser available to you, as well as any newspapers from previous days. In these newspapers you will occasionally find clues or information in the articles or advertisements. It is always worth scouring the paper at various points in your investigation.
The Arkham Map
There are times in your investigation where you may find it helpful to consult the map to find a location or confirm the distance between locations. It presents Lovecraft's Arkham in a simplified way, split into eight districts. These are:
- C – Campus
- D – Downtown
- E – Easttown
- FH – French Hill
- LS – Lower Southside
- M – Merchant District
- N – Northside
- R – Rivertown
- U – Uptown
Many locations on the map are not fixed, and their occupants can change from one investigation to the next. Moreover, the numbers indicate a block rather than an individual property, so several people may live at the same address. There is a rough scale available to allow you to check the movements of your suspects, however for the sake of simplicity we assume that all speed is fixed, no matter the type of transportation used.
The Directory
Enclosed with the game is a small booklet that corresponds directly to the Arkham map. It contains the addresses, in the form of a map code, of the people and places that can be visited over the course of the game. Therefore, when players wish to meet someone – perhaps they have found a clue leading to Matthew Keezar – they may consult the directory to discover his address, and then head to that address by reading the corresponding Clue Point in the Investigation Book.
Setting Up the Game
There are several different ways in which Arkham Investigator may be played:
Co-operative play* – all the players work together and take it in turns to read the chosen Clue Points aloud. The information learned can then be discussed as a team and then a solution reached, with the team comparing their score to that of Armitage.
Solo play – a single player may tackle the investigation, following the Clue Points and solving the mystery.
Competitive play – any number of players (though more than four or so will slow the game considerably) each choose to follow their own Clue Points and keep their information to themselves. Each player tries to achieve the highest final score.
Team play – the players are organized into Investigation teams. Each team takes it in turns to follow, investigate, and discuss the Clue Points they have opted to visit. The teams then compare scores at the end of the game to determine the winning team.
* Recommended method of play.
Once the method of play has been determined, the steps to set up a game of Arkham Investigator are always the same:
- The map of Arkham is placed in the center of the table.
- The directory and the list of Allies (on the back of this booklet) are placed near the map.
- All newspapers with a date either the day of the investigation or before are placed within easy reach for all players. Important – newspapers with a later date than the case should not be used.
- Each player should have access to some notepaper and a pencil or pen with which to make notes to aid their memory.
A player is chosen to be Lead Investigator, and they take the Investigation Book, read the introduction, and then the game starts.
Gameplay
The game is played over a series of turns. The Lead Investigator chooses a Clue Point from the current investigation. For example, the player might say "I'm off to check the graveyard," look the address up in the directory, and then go there by reading the corresponding Clue Point in the Investigation Book.
If the location does not appear in the Investigation Book (i.e. there is no corresponding paragraph), then simply choose a different Clue Point to investigate. Beware of selecting Clue Points that you know will be dangerous or horrifying; this can affect your score negatively to reflect the shock to your sanity.
Important – to avoid spoiling the mystery of the game and to keep the investigation challenging, please avoid looking at other Clue Points on the surrounding pages.
Example – A Typical Turn (Co-operative Play)
- It is Harvey's turn to be Lead Investigator, and the group discuss which place or person they want to investigate using the map and directory.
- The group decide to check the Warehouses out and Harvey agrees. Harvey then reads the corresponding entry in the Investigation Book.
- All the players make notes and discuss their findings. Do they know enough to solve the case? Should they move onto the questions, or go to another Clue Point to learn more?
- The Investigation Book is passed on to Lauren (the next player) and she makes the decision.
Depending on the way you are playing the game, the paragraph is either read aloud to the group or is kept secret. The final decision about which Clue Point to follow is always down to the Lead Investigator. You should record which Clue Points you decide to follow (you may use the Investigation Record Sheet for this).
The Investigation Book is then passed clockwise onto the next player/team, who then becomes Lead Investigator.
During the game all the players have free and unlimited access to the map, directory, and newspapers. If you so wish, you may also re-read Clue Points that you have already visited. That being said, it does keep the game more challenging if each Clue Point is only read once and notes are taken. The Investigation Record Sheet can be used to record Clue Points visited and to record pertinent information.
Players are free to discuss the case as much as they wish, though obviously in competitive play this may affect the scores. In co-operative play discussions form an essential and fun part of the game experience.
Ending the Game
The players may follow as many leads as they wish, however they should eventually decide that they have come to a solution. Note you will not catch a criminal; you simply decide you are ready to solve the investigation. You must choose when to stop and attempt the questions: too soon and you may not know all the details; investigate too many Clue Points and risk losing points.
Important – the players should avoid reading the Questions before they are committed to solving the case.
Questions are split into two parts. Part One questions are directly related to the investigation and are worth a total of 100 points. Part Two questions are indirectly related to the case and are worth a total of 50 points.
Group Solutions
If the players are ready to offer their solution, they should turn to the questions and answer them as best they can. The players may then read the Solution section aloud, which presents Armitage's path to the truth of the investigation. Finally, players can then go to the Scores section to calculate their score and compare it to that of Armitage.
Separate Solutions
If the players are playing a variant whereby they are working either in teams or individually, they should all answer the questions at the same time, possibly by writing their answers down and then comparing them by reading aloud.
Important – as it is likely that the players will want to follow a different number of Clue Points, this may mean some will have to wait for all the other players to complete their own investigations.
Scoring
To work out your score at the end of the game, follow these simple steps:
- Add up all the points gained from correctly answered questions.
- Count up the number of Clue Points that were visited in the investigation.
- Compare this with the Clue Points Armitage followed in his own investigation. These are considered free Clue Points. For each Clue Point followed that was not free, subtract 5 points from the score. Therefore if 3 additional Clue Points were followed, the player subtracts 15 points from their final score.
- Consult the Sanity Penalties section of the Scores. Visiting dangerous locations or witnessing sanity draining events also subtract from the overall score.
The players can finally compare their score with that of Dr. Armitage. He always scores 100 points. Beating the head librarian is difficult, but not impossible.
For examples of scoring please refer to the relevant section in the Investigation Book. In this way you can confirm that you have correctly scored your investigation.
Investigator Resources: Allies
Armitage has assembled a string of contacts throughout Arkham who can assist investigators with unique perspectives and expertise:
- Dr Vincent Sutton – C11 – St. Mary's Teaching Hospital is the haunt of the enthusiastic Dr. Vincent Sutton. His dual role as Chief Pathologist and trauma surgeon makes him an invaluable contact for investigations.
- Herbert Corbett – D45 – Acting as a consultant for the Arkham Police Department, the criminologist Corbett is an expert at handling physical evidence found at the scene of the crime.
- Inspector Morris Garrison – D32 – Garrison is an excellent detective and, having worked with Armitage on a number of cases, is well aware of the threat of the horrors that lurk in the darkness.
- Professor Leonore Robinson – C17 – Leonore is an expert on the oral history of the Miskatonic Valley, and is a first class resource when matters of local history and legend are needed.
- Nicholas Saltonstall – D21 – Nicholas is an underpaid and overworked civil servant at Arkham Town Hall. He can often provide information on births, marriages, deaths, and local property ownership.
- Dorothy Davis – LS1 – The Arkham Historical Society's secretary, Dorothy Davis, can be of great help with tracing family histories and other matters of local history pertaining to Arkham and its environs.
- William Coffin – D2 – Found at the Fleetwood Diner, Coffin is a source of information concerning Arkham's criminal underbelly. From the speakeasies to the smugglers, Coffin has a finger in many pies.
- Sebastian Lyman – LS18 – A member of the disreputable Order of the Silver Twilight, Lyman is an inside man for Armitage, providing information on the activities of the enigmatic Carl Sandford and his suspicious organization.
- Donnie Clarke – N28 – Reporter for the Arkham Advertiser, Clarke has garnered himself a reputation as a man who finds stories that both grab headlines and tell the truth, in as much as that is possible in a small town anyway.
- Pasquale Fenton – LS4 – The celebrated, or infamous, Pasquale Fenton is Arkham's premier occultist and spiritualist. He is still the closest thing to an expert that is likely to be found where the Great Old Ones are concerned.
- Ambrose Checkley – U18 – Reputed gossip hound and society mogul, Checkley is the man to visit for information on the wealthy and celebrity class of Arkham.
- Arlo Hoppin – D34 – Dispatcher for the Arkham Yellow Cab Company, Arlo is an excellent source of information on the movements of suspects in and around the town.
- Emilia Sargent – C23 – Librarian at Miskatonic University, Emilia is Armitage's understudy. She can assist with research into both the mundane and the arcane.
- – U8 – If you find yourself stymied by an investigation, Armitage's sage advice can often set you back on the correct course.