Ludifying Lovecraft in Arkham Horror - Game Play: Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games - page 22

whether one defeats the monster, the draw of a card revealing what encounters
one might have. he multitude of rules creates a feeling of randomness within
the game.
Phases III and IV demonstrate the importance of encounters within Arkham
Horror not only by revealing uncertain (or unstructured) elements within the
game, but also by continuing the storylines. Arkham Horror has twenty-seven
diferent locations, split three each among the nine streets that line the town
(Figure 1.3). At each location, a player draws an Encounter Card that reveals a
particular narrative, motive, or event that can alter the progression of the game.
As Kevin Wilson describes, “by carefully crating these encounters for each
location, it is possible to give each place a certain feel, with recurring characters
and themes.” 45 For example, while in the Rivertown street section of Arkham,
a player might ind herself in the Graveyard (not truly the wisest place to hide
Figure 1.3 he town of Arkham, Game board from Arkham Horror: he Board Game
© 2005 Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. Photo by the author.