Witch of Salem

Seal eight dimensional gates in Lovecraft's Arkham before a Great Old One wakes up.

Designer: Michael Rieneck
Published by: KOSMOS
Editions by: IELLO, Mayfair Games, Devir, Stupor Mundi

Witch of Salem is a cooperative game based on Wolfgang Hohlbein's book series, which in turn plays in the world of H.P. Lovecraft. Gates to other dimensions have opened in Arkham, and you and your friends have to close all eight before the doom track runs out and a Great Old One wakes up. Each round new creatures arrive, you take your actions and then an event card is drawn. You banish monsters and collect items, and communication between players is limited, which makes planning harder. To win you must seal the gates, find out which Old One is active and send a player with the right items to banish it. A 2008 horror game for two to four, around an hour.

Cooperative fight in Lovecraftian ArkhamDoom track counting down to the Old OneWin by sealing gates and banishing the Old One

Who it's for

You like Lovecraft atmosphere and want to work as a team against a board that keeps pressing.

Not for you if…

You want a competitive game or dislike limits on what you can say about your plan.

Vibe's take

Tense and a bit claustrophobic. Doom ticks down every round, monsters keep arriving and you have to coordinate with limited talk.