- BGG rating
- 7.4
Rules assistance for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 30 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.0/5
Rules assistant for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham is an expansion for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game released in 2010 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Eric M. Lang and Nate French and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Open Drafting.
About the game
Secrets of Arkham, the first deluxe expansion for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, opens a host of new deckbuilding opportunities for players looking to expand the horizons of their game. New "tribal" synergy deck options open up through additional support for the Deep One, Mi-Go, and other subtypes, as well as for the Day and Night mechanism. This set also introduces a wealth of utility neutral cards that will easily find their way into lots of different kinds of decks. Cards like "Diseased Sewer Rats" and "Feint" will become indispensable in the new metagame. This set also features a new ten-card story deck that players can use in place of the story deck found in the Call of Cthulhu Core Set to take their game to a new level. These story cards will feature large, global effects, that players will fight hard to trigger...or prevent from happening. The first edition of Secrets of Arkham (2010) included two copies each of fifty different cards — six unique cards for each faction and eight neutral cards — while the 2013 edition includes three copies of each card, in addition to incorporating current errata.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Edge Entertainment
- Wargames Club Publishing
- Fantasy Flight Games
Questions and answers
Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham is 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 Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham for ages 14 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.
Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham belongs to these categories: Card Game, Horror, and Novel-based. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Open Drafting. 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 Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham are: Eric M. Lang and Nate French. 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 Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game – Secrets of Arkham as an expansion for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game to use it. Check that your edition of Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.