How to Play Eldritch Horror: The Dreamlands

Game Objective

In Eldritch Horror: The Dreamlands, players take on the roles of investigators who face strange visions and supernatural forces seeking to merge the dream world with reality. The goal is to solve three Mysteries before the Ancient One awakens or the players are defeated by the game's threats.

Setup

1. Prelude Cards: Before setup, players must draw a random Prelude card, which alters the initial game configuration.
2. Additional Board: If the Other Dreams card is drawn or if the Ancient One is Hypnos, add the Dreamlands board to the game.
3. Specific Components: Add the Dreamlands Encounter cards, Dream Journey Encounter cards, Dream Portal tokens, and other components as indicated in the manual.
4. Focus Tokens: Add the Focus tokens to the general token pool.
5. Unique Assets: Shuffle the Unique Assets cards and place them face up near the Assets deck.

Consult the manual for details on this section.

Game Flow

The game is divided into rounds, each with the following phases:

1. Action Phase: Each investigator performs two actions, such as Travel, Rest, Acquire Assets, or Focus.
2. Encounter Phase: Investigators resolve encounters with monsters, locations, or tokens in their space.
3. Mythos Phase: A Mythos card is revealed, triggering global events, monster spawns, or portals.

Consult the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

Each investigator can perform two actions per round. The main actions are:

• Travel: Move 1 space and spend travel tickets to move further.
• Prepare to Travel: Gain 1 travel ticket.
• Acquire Assets: Test a skill to gain assets of the corresponding value.
• Rest: Recover 1 Health and 1 Sanity.
• Focus: Gain 1 Focus token (can be spent to reroll dice in tests).
• Trade: Exchange possessions with another investigator in the same space.

Consult the manual for details on this section.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when:

• Victory: The investigators solve three Mysteries before the Ancient One awakens.
• Defeat: The Ancient One awakens or the investigators fail to meet the defeat conditions (such as exhausting the Mythos deck).

Consult the manual for details on this section.

Tips for Winning

• Use Focus Tokens: They allow you to reroll dice in critical tests, increasing your chances of success.
• Explore the Dreamlands: Some encounters and exclusive rewards are only available on the additional board.
• Manage Resources: Prioritize collecting Clues and controlling Portals to avoid unpleasant surprises.