- BGG rank
- BGG #571
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Reign of Cthulhu
- 2–4 players
- 40 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2016
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Rules assistance for Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 30 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets is an expansion for Rise of Cthulhu released in 2016 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Chuck D. Yager and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence.
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About the game
Darkness surrounds the shores of the world and seeps from caves deep beneath the Earth. The maddening howl of eldritch beasts echoes on the night air. Dangerous artifacts from strange eons call to you at all hours of the day. Your quest is nearly complete. So what if bands of enterprising “heroes” have started snooping around. The Old Ones have heard your prayers. Now all you need to do is finish your plans and set them free before these Investigators find you! Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets is the first expansion to last year’s successful Rise of Cthulhu card game. ROC: DS adds all new Monsters, Artifacts, and Old Ones for players to use in their shadowy path to victory. In addition, the expansion introduces a brand new mechanic: the Investigator. These “would-be heroes” set out to hunt down rumors of your corrupting influence and seek to stop you from awakening the Old Ones. When they appear, they force both you and your opponent to deal with the threat they bring, lest they halt the coming of the age of madness you seek to unleash. When an Investigator card is drawn, it is placed on the corresponding Location printed in the upper right hand corner of the card. When an Investigator lands on a Location without an Old One, it banishes all the Cultists assembled there, effectively returning all Cultist cards in play to their owner’s hands. Any Monsters or Artifacts that are in play on that Location are removed from the game. The Location then resets to neutral (turns sideways so that it’s not facing either player). Each Investigator has a number in a red circle in the upper left hand corner of their frame. This represents their resources they bring to bear against both cultist players. Players must play Cultist cards to equal or exceed the resource value listed to remove the Investigator from the Location. Until the Investigator is removed from the Location, players may not play any Cultist cards on any other Location except that one; furthermore, cards played on a Location with an Investigator present on it do not cause the Location to shift to face the player with the highest total value of cards. Once the resource rating is met or exceeded, the Investigator is defeated and removed, at which time the Location would face the player with the highest total Cultists in play there. Lastly, this expansion adds a new player aide to the card, something the community asked for following the release of the core game.
Editions
- Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secretsen(Self-Published)2016
Designers
Publishers
- (Self-Published)
Questions and answers
Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets 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 Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets 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 Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets 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.
Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets belongs to these categories: Card Game, Horror, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets are: Chuck D. Yager. 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 Rise of Cthulhu: Dark Secrets as an expansion for Rise of Cthulhu. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Rise of Cthulhu to use it. Check that your edition of Rise of Cthulhu is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.