
- BGG rank
- BGG #24,287
- BGG rating
- 5.7
Magical Treehouse
- 3–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2015

2017
Rules assistance for Arkham Ritual
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Arkham Ritual is a board game released in 2017 for 3–7 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Hiroki Kasawa and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Trading, and Memory.
You are a freelance journalist working in the city of Arkham. One day you hear about a mysterious ritual taking place in the underground cellar of the city’s prestigious Miskatonic University. You and your team decide to infiltrate and investigate the ritual anonymously, in the hope of securing the next exclusive. Without much thought you step into the cellar, but it doesn’t take long before you come to regret your decisions. The cellar is a shrine to ancient god and the horrifying ritual is tearing apart the minds of those who participate, causing them to go insane! In the dark and musty cellar, worshipers are passing around artifacts. The light is dim so you can’t quite make out the artifacts you are passing around. However, further away in the distance you get a glimpse of what others are holding. You can see the effect these magical artifacts are having on their bearers. You will need to deduce what you’re holding by studying the other worshipers. Preserve your sanity and escape from the ritual alive! Game Play Overview In Arkham Ritual, you don’t see the card you are holding. Instead, you see the cards other players are holding. You must guess the card you are holding by looking at other players’ cards and the cards that have already been played. The game is played over multiple rounds where each round consists of multiple turns. During each turn, one player draws the top card of the deck, looks at it, and passes it to another player. The player who receives the card has a choice either to a) discard the card he / she is holding face up and take the new card without looking at it, or b) pass the card to another player without looking at it. After a player takes a turn, another player takes his / her turn. The round continues until one of the round end conditions is met, at which point all players reveal their cards. At this time, if you are holding a cursed (red) card, then the card corrupts your mind and you lose your sanity. If you are holding a sane (blue) artifact card but some other players are also holding the same artifact card (regardless of their color), the artifacts create an unpleasant resonance, corrupts your mind, and you will lose your sanity. You successfully survive the ritual only if you are holding a unique sane (blue) card. Players lose their sanity by discarding sanity markers. New rounds continue until one or more players have lost all their sanity markers. All players who still have sanity markers survive the ritual. Will you successfully investigate the ritual and come out alive!? Components 28 cards 30 sanity tokens 7 player aids 1 play sheet
Arkham Ritual supports 3–7 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Arkham Ritual is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Arkham Ritual for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Arkham Ritual has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Arkham Ritual belongs to these categories: Card Game, Party Game, and Deduction. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Trading, and Memory. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Arkham Ritual are: Hiroki Kasawa. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Arkham Ritual as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.