Hungering Abyss is intended as an introduction to Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game. As a module, its goal is to teach both players and GM the game and to have a fun experience while learning. It comes packed with monsters, allies, characters, and maps. Importantly for the Arkham Horror seal of approval, it is equipped with evidence and enough detail in universe to have the players actually investigate instead of playing as investigators. While this might sound daunting for a newbie GM, the module facilitates GMing in a way that feels natural.
Starting at the beginning, the module first gives you some background and conversation starters for a quick session 0 with the group. It’s not a trigger warning, it’s a group conversation around how to deal with death and the supernatural. The module also makes sure to call out that it’s possible to earnestly engage with the works of Lovecraft, without also being a racist sexist too, which is important because… Lovecraft.
The story itself is three acts with ten scenes total. Depending on the group, it’s possible to do each of the three-scene acts in a single sitting (Act 2 has an optional scene). But don’t expect to blaze through the acts. There’s lots to explore and investigate; if there’s a Poirot or Holmes at the table, it’s going to take more time. The pacing feels right, with a mix of investigation and combat, but it’s absolutely possible to follow bad leads or flounder with next steps, especially at the beginning.
There’s a lot of information for the GM in Act 1, mostly before a scene even starts. This is my biggest gripe about the way information is presented here. There’s simply too much irrelevant info in the first few pages. The first scene is unstructured investigation, so why are you telling me about movement in combat and complex actions that are not going to be used until later? There are scenes that introduce rules as they become relevant, so it’s not like the designer and writer didn’t realize that was an option.
Hungering Abyss is walking a fine line between railroading players and GM, and letting everyone flail about for leads. In the case of the investigatory scenes, the module gives a good bit of set dressing, clues, and nearby objects but also reminds GMs to use their imagination to provide more detail for the players. In early narrative scenes, the module gives GMs advice on how and when to nudge players in the right direction. In the first combat scene, there’s balancing options for helping the team if they are struggling. I personally like both aids, since most players don’t like spinning their wheels uselessly and no GM wants to have a TPK in their first combat.
I’m not getting into spoilers for any future investigators, but one thing I really like about Hungering Abyss is that there’s so much flexibility. There are NPCs who can join your party, but aren’t required to progress. There’s breadcrumbs for each pre-made character to care about so that each player can be hooked into the story. Scenes can have multiple solutions and resolutions. Where this really shines is Act 2, where there are eight different locations in town to visit as the team pleases. There’s really only one required location to visit to make it to Act 3, but gathering more information is almost certain to be educational. And I’ve yet to meet a table of players who pass up the opportunity to shop.
As a tool to teach both players and GM about the Arkham Horror roleplaying game, this booklet does a pretty good job. Keywords are in bold, mechanics are mostly introduced slow enough to not overwhelm, it’s long enough for everyone to feel comfortable with most mechanics by the end, and you get to level up twice. As a GM, I love the clear reference materials and direction, as well as the flow of the booklet, as you aren’t constantly flipping across the whole thing. As a player, I like to not feel like I’m drowning. The booklet is sturdy enough to fold over to show single pages as needed, as well as standing up to reuse if you get to introduce the Hungering Abyss to lots of people.
Review Guidelines
85
Arkham Horror RPG Starter Set – Hungering Abyss
Great
Arkham Horror RPG Starter Set is a good way to teach its mechanics and rules to a fresh audience. There’s plenty to do and you aren’t on rails.
Pros
- Flexibility in gameplay
- Covers vital mechanics
- Durable for reuse
Cons
- GM information overload at first
This review is based on a retail copy provided by the publisher.
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