Daniel (@dungeondive) returns to the Arkham Horror Second Edition retrospective with The King in Yellow expansion, diving deep into an expansion that genuinely excels at thematic variety. This small-box expansion brings the infamous play to Arkham, complete with its corruption mechanic—a three-act progression that creates another path to defeat. If the play reaches Act Three before the investigators stop it, madness consumes the city and it’s game over. Daniel’s recent game came thrillingly close to this catastrophe, creating natural dramatic tension as the acts advanced.
Daniel loves the four new encounter cards per location (adding 50% more variety to base game locations) and the new items and spells that stay true to the yellowed-sign theme. The expansion includes heralds—mini-boss variants that add difficulty—but Daniel rarely uses them since Arkham Horror is already challenging enough. The real strength? It’s modular. Daniel uses what works and ignores what doesn’t, which is the hallmark of good expansion design. The recent game highlighted how well this plays when Act One appears on turn one, ramping the tension perfectly.
Do you prefer expansions that add optional complexity (heralds) or ones that stick to enhancing the core experience?