Hunting for Answers

“Mystery hung about it as clouds about a fabulous unvisited mountain; and as Carter stood breathless and expectant on that balustraded parapet there swept up to him the poignancy and suspense of almost-vanished memory, the pain of lost things, and the maddening need to place again what once had an awesome and momentous place.”
  —H. P. Lovecraft, “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”

In The Dream-Eaters, the fifth deluxe expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game, you step beyond the world of the waking to enter a realm of wonders and nightmares. After occult author Virgil Gray writes about his adventures in these “Dreamlands,” you decide to set forth and learn the truth for yourself. But the longer you investigate claims of this world and its horrors, the more difficult you find it to determine what is real, and what is only fiction.

This expansion draws 1–4 players into the roles of Arkham’s bravest investigators and then divides them. You may either be a group of investigators venturing into the Dreamlands, or their companions left in the waking world, each with their own unique first scenario for what may either be a four- or eight-part campaign. With your forces divided and your allies relying on you, you will need to rely on new versatile investigators if you wish to ever solve this mystery and reunite with your friends.

Today, we're pleased to offer you a closer look at Mandy Thompson and Tony Morgan, two of the new investigators that you can add to your team in The Dream-Eaters—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website with free shipping within the continental United States!

The Researcher

Ever since she was a child, Mandy Thompson would read whenever she could not sleep. And in the strange town of Arkham, such was the case on many nights. But her restlessness had its benefits, as her passion for the written word combined with her remarkable memory and ability to correlate facts soon landed her a highly valued job as a researcher for the prestigious Miskatonic University. Since beginning her career, Mandy has spent many hours poring over the profane pages of ancient, forbidden texts. In doing so, she has discovered a strange pattern, pointing to an impending cataclysm. Has paranoia finally caught up to her? Or is a disaster of beyond all imagining on the horizon?

As a Miskatonic researcher, Mandy Thompson (The Dream-Eaters, 2) has incredible control over her deck. When her investigator deck is first built, she may choose to either fill it with 30, 40, or 50 cards in addition to deciding between the Mystic, Rogue, or Survivor classes to complement her remarkable skills as a Seeker. Beyond the deck size itself, Mandy also has an unprecedented ability to go through her deck to find exactly the tool she needs for any challenge. When Mandy or another investigator at her location would search through their deck with cards like Eureka! (The Pallid Mask, 231) or No Stone Unturned (The Path to Carcosa, 26), or through the encounter deck, she may use her skills as a researcher to delve deeper into the arcane, allowing them to either search three additional cards or resolve one additional target of the search.

To increase this ability further, Mandy also has three copies of her signature asset, Occult Evidence (The Dream-Eaters, 8), that get added to her investigator deck depending on its size. As a nice boost to any seeker, if Mandy reveals this card while performing one of her search actions, she draws it to discover one clue at her location. But constantly exploring the arcane and the occult comes with great risks. Some things are better left unknown and if Mandy should happen to make a Shocking Discovery (The Dream-Eaters, 9) during a search, she must cancel all of the search's effects and reshuffle the searched deck before drawing the top card of the encounter deck. To make matters worse, the researcher cannot simply dispose of this Blunder by drawing into it—it will always be waiting in her deck to trip up a search and force her to confront the true terrors of the Mythos. Still, Mandy has spent many sleepless nights investigating the secrets of the eldritch powers haunting Arkham. Perhaps the monsters are the ones who should be afraid.

The Bounty Hunter

Making his way as a bounty hunter at the height of the roaring ‘20’s, Tony Morgan has tracked down low-life scum in every lousy corner of the world, but nothing could have prepared him for the thing he killed in Innsmouth. It had the form of a man, more or less, but it was covered in loathsome scales and slime, like some horrid creature of the deep. It stank of salt water, rotten fish, and blood. He should’ve let it go when it dove into the river, but he’d never let a bounty escape before, and he wasn’t about to start then. Ever since, he’s found a new kind of dirtbag to hunt. Ordinary mobster or otherworldly monster, Tony will take it down...if someone is willing to pay him for it.

Truly dedicated to his profession, Tony Morgan (The Dream-Eaters, 3) always has his Bounty Contracts (The Dream-Eaters, 10) with him. After an enemy enters play, Tony can decide how valuable a target it is by placing up to three bounties on it, depending on its health. Once a bounty has been placed, Tony will not stop until he has completed the job, even using his investigator ability to take an extra action to engage or attack his chosen target. If he can successfully defeat the enemy and complete his contract, he’ll add the bounty placed on the enemy’s head to his own resource pool.

Like Mandy, Tony Morgan also has the ability to choose a secondary class during deck creation—either Guardian, Seeker, or Survivor— and he may include up to ten events and skills level 0-1 of that class in his deck. This adaptability may prove vital as Tony chases his bounties across Arkham and any other realm where they might lead. But of all the monsters he’s tracked in his career, the greatest bounty that this Rogue has ever set out to collect is by far the elusive Tony's Quarry (The Dream-Eaters, 12). Whenever this enemy enters play, Tony has to chase it down to the farthest location from him and destroy the creature, despite its four combat and ability to target Tony’s five sanity. Until he does, it will carry one doom on it and push the agenda further to advancing. But if Tony is successful, he will gain a resource from its bounty and find peace in the knowledge that his tormentor is finally dead. At least, for now.

To help him with his quarry, the bounty hunter also has a second signature asset in the form of Tony's .38 Long Colt (The Dream-Eaters, 11). Never one to be caught unprepared, Tony has two copies of this Firearm in his deck and if he has both copies in his hand, he can immediately bring the second into play for free. Once he is properly armed, Tony may fight with these weapons, gaining +1 combat value for each bounty on his opponent and dealing +1 damage for the attack. The more bounties that Tony collects, the more his reputation will grow, allowing him to gain more contracts and fuel his search for answers about what exactly is happening to this once sleepy town. One thing is for sure—if Tony is on the case, the only thing to do is run.

The Truth Is Out There

As your investigators are divided between the world of the waking and that of dreams, you will need to adapt and rely on your remaining comrades more than ever before. Discover the strength within yourself, hunt down the proof you seek, and reunite with your allies before it’s too late!

Pre-order your copy of The Dream-Eaters (AHC37) at your local retailer today or online through our website with free shipping in the continental United States here!