A Feast of Hemlock – Fantasy Flight Games announces two new expansions for Arkham Horror: The Card Game

Check out the press release for Fantasy Flight’s new expansions for Arkham Horror the card game:

When renowned botanist Dr. Rosa Marquez receives a strange sample from the secluded and mysterious Hemlock Isle, her instincts tell her that something is amiss. Following the recommendation of an old colleague, Dr. Marquez invites our investigators to accompany her on a survey of the island.

Nothing could prepare them for what they find there: deadly, mutated wildlife and a strange, malignant presence permeate the enigmatic isle, all while the local residents prepare for a festival, seemingly unaware of the danger. The investigators only have three days to find out what lurks beneath Hemlock Vale before it’s too late.

Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to announce The Feast of Hemlock Vale, a pair of brand-new expansions for Arkham Horror: The Card Game!

This pair of separate-but-related expansions sees our intrepid investigators delving into a fast-paced mystery. Five new investigators from The Feast of Hemlock Vale Investigator Expansion have limited time to stop…whatever it is that is happening at Hemlock Isle, a tale that unfolds within The Feast of Hemlock Vale Campaign Expansion. Just like with the previous two waves—Edge of the Earth and The Scarlet Keys—you will only find player cards within the Investigator Expansion, while all the scenario and campaign content is contained within the Campaign Expansion. Whether you want one expansion or both, you won’t want to miss out on this latest batch of Arkham Horror goodness!

An Appetite for Danger

Naturally, The Feast of Hemlock Vale Investigator Expansion provides a whole pile of new player cards for the game, including five new investigators!

One of these new investigators is Kate Winthrop (The Feast of Hemlock Vale Investigator Expansion, 4). A brilliant scientist of Miskatonic University, Kate comes in as a Seeker investigator and wields an incredible invention as her signature asset: the Flux Stabilizer (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 5). Beginning the game on its “inactive” side, Kate needs only to move one of her clues onto the device to power it up and flip it to its active side. Doing so also grants her access to one of two powerful events: Aetheric Current (Yuggoth) (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 6) and Aetheric Current (Yoth) (The Feast of Hemlock Vale, 7), either of which can assist Kate in dealing with monsters.

The Aetheric Current events aren’t the only things the Flux Stabilizer is useful for. On its active side, the Stabilizer can grant a stacking +2 bonus to the next skill test she performs each time she moves a clue onto an asset she controls, something she can freely do with Science and Tool assets thanks to her inherent ability! Cards like the Chemistry Set (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 40) and Microscope (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 42) can nab Kate some extra clues or cards, while the over-eager Dr. Charles West III (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 41) can help her carry all her tools. The Ravenous Myconid (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 44), in addition to being another Science asset for her to place a clue on, also works in tandem with Uncanny Growth (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 45) to net Kate some extra resources (while also unlocking some powerful “researched” upgraded versions later on). If that isn’t enough, Well-Funded (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 51) is a skill card that grows ever more powerful the more lab equipment Kate manages to assemble. Kate’s devices are powerful and endlessly useful, but she must be careful not to conduct a Failed Experiment (The Feast of Hemlock Vale, 8), or else the results may end up horrifying!

Another of the new investigators in this expansion is Hank Samson (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 15). This humble farmhand steps into play as a Survivor investigator with a very unique ability. When another investigator or an Ally asset would be dealt damage or horror at Hank’s location, he can choose to be assigned that damage/horror instead. Then, if he would be defeated, he instead heals all damage and horror and swaps to one of two new “Resolute” versions of himself: the Assistant (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 16) or the Warden . Each version of Resolute Hank powers up his stats to impressive levels, but this comes at the cost of him being unable to heal damage or horror. Damage and horror can still be “moved” from him, though, which works well with his signature event Stouthearted (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 17), which lets him move damage/horror to an enemy he engages to keep himself on the board as long as possible. However, his signature weakness, “Where’s Pa?” (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 18), causes an enemy to deal direct horror to Hank, making it difficult for him to protect others until he manages to chase that enemy down.

Hank’s versatility and support of his allies is only enhanced by the new Survivor cards in this expansion. He can take advantage of his high combat skill to throw a Pitchfork (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 110) at enemies, which other investigators can then grab and use themselves. With Long Shot (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 116), Hank can deal an extra bit of damage during a fight or evasion test that he or a nearby investigator is performing, and if the Pitchfork gets discarded, Hank can Push it to the Limit (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 113) to get one more use out of it before shuffling it back into his deck. The Sparrow Mask (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 111) can grant Hank a bonus to his willpower or agility and replenishes itself whenever he takes damage or horror (which he’ll be doing a lot as he protects his allies), while Wrong Place, Right Time (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 115) can help keep him healthy for as long as possible, especially after swapping to one of his Resolute forms. And while Hank may not be much of a talker, his decent willpower means can always try to Stall for Time (The Feast of Hemlock Vale IE, 114) in a pinch!

A Deadly Feast

Whether or not you decide to pick up the Investigator Expansion, you can still look forward to a thrilling new adventure in The Feast of Hemlock Vale Campaign Expansion!

The story of The Feast of Hemlock Vale begins with an invitation from Dr. Rosa Marquez (The Feast of Hemlock Vale Campaign Expansion, 202), who asks you and your fellow investigators to accompany her to the mysterious Hemlock Isle, where strange things have been happening to the environment and wildlife. At the same time, the people of the local village of Hemlock Vale are preparing for a festival—a feast that, for the first time, has caused the once closed-off island to open up to visitors. Everyone is welcome, including you! Just…don’t go outside after dark; things might turn out a bit grisly.

You might have to do just that, though. In this campaign, the story takes place over three days and three nights, and your party must decide what to investigate on each of those days and nights. There are more areas than you will have time to survey during your stay on the island, and the events of the story will change depending on which scenarios you choose to play. Each scenario plays differently depending on which day/night you choose to play it, which already gives this campaign a ton of replayability, but there’s another factor at work here that will make your experience completely unique: the residents.

Hemlock Vale is a living, breathing village, and you can build relationships with the residents throughout the campaign. At certain moments during or between scenarios, you may be called on to increase or decrease a resident’s “Relationship Level,” which naturally will affect how they interact with you later in the campaign. If your relationship with someone is good enough, they may even become your ally during certain scenarios. On the flip side, if you offend someone or fail to nurture your bond with them, they may end up trying to hinder you instead. With so many residents and mysteries to contend with, you and your party will have your work cut out for you during this survey!

Fate of the Vale

Our Arkham Horror: The Card Game designers only get more ambitious with each wave. With so many different paths for the story to take, you’ll want to revisit the tale of The Feast of Hemlock Vale again and again. Get ready to survey Hemlock Isle when The Feast of Hemlock Vale Investigator Expansion and The Feast of Hemlock Vale Campaign Expansion release in January and February, respectively!

You can pre-order your own copy of The Feast of Hemlock Vale Investigator Expansion (AHC76) and The Feast of Hemlock Vale Campaign Expansion (AHC77) at your local retailer or online through our webstore today!

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