Elder Sign

Funniest Player Comment: "I don't want to be dead."

7.4

What is Elder Sign?

Elder Sign is a co-operative, card based adventure game for 1-8 players with a Lovecraftian, horror theme by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson. The game is published by Fantasy Flight Games and costs around £40. Elder Sign is designated for ages 14+ and games can last up to two hours.

What's in the box?

• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Cardboard Clock
• 1 Entrance Sheet
• 6 Green Dice
• 1 Yellow Die
• 1 Red Die
• 8 Ancient One Cards
• 16 Investigator Cards and Accompanying Tokens
• 48 Adventure Cards
• 8 Other World Cards
• 40 Item Cards, split into Common, Uncommon, Unique, Spells and Allies
• 32 Mythos Cards
• 60 Stamina and Sanity Tokens
• 15 Clue Tokens
• 27 Monster Markers
• 12 Doom Tokens
• 17 Elder Sign Tokens

The graphics, designed by Dallas Mehlhoff, feature dark, atmospheric art that draws from 1920s vintage noir and gothic-horror supernatural themes. The artwork has a rich, moody feel with highly detailed depictions and exaggerated expressions that effectively evoke a sense of dread. Each card includes a short, gripping snippet of text offering insight into the character or location it depicts, further immersing you in the game’s unsettling world. We found these fun to read aloud in our eeriest, otherworldly investigator voices.

The card layouts are clear and easy to follow, making it simple to understand the information at a glance. Location cards, in particular, are well-structured, using clear symbols to show exactly which die results are needed to complete a task. The symbology is consistent across the game, ensuring a smooth experience as you transition from one element to the next.

While Elder Sign is well-presented and captures the Lovecraftian, cosmic mythos theme effectively, the component quality doesn’t quite match the strength of its visual design. The cards feel a little thin, and some of the artwork’s detail is lost on the smaller tokens.

The rulebook, however, is excellent. It transforms what could seem like a complicated game into something very accessible. The instructions are clearly written, with helpful diagrams throughout, and the Quick Reference guide on the back is a great tool for resolving any questions during play.

How to Play Elder Sign

The Set Up

Elder Sign takes roughly five minutes to get set up.

1. Lay out the Components:

Set the clock, entrance sheet, and other components within easy reach of all players. Ensure the clock and entrance sheet are clearly visible.

2. Choose an Ancient One:

Select an Ancient One to face, or draw one randomly from the Ancient One deck.

3. Prepare the Monster Tokens:

Place the monster tokens in an opaque container (like a bag or cup). Set aside any tokens with a mask symbol—these are only used if Nyarlathotep is the Ancient One.

4. Set Up Adventure Cards:

Shuffle the Adventure Deck and lay out 6 adventure cards face up in two rows in the center of the table. Shuffle the Other World Deck and place it nearby, facedown. If any face-up Adventure Card has a lock symbol with a colored icon, place the corresponding die on the card. This die is locked until the adventure is completed.

5. Choose Investigators:

Each player chooses (or randomly draws) an Investigator card. Take the matching Investigator token and place it on the entrance sheet. Each player also collects the stamina, sanity, starting items, and clues shown on their card.

6. Determine Starting Player:

Choose the first player randomly or by group consensus.

7. Draw the Starting Mythos Card:

Flip over the top Mythos card. Resolve the immediate effect (top half) and leave it face-up. The midnight effect (bottom half) will trigger later.

Turn Structure

Each turn consists of 3 phases, played in this order:

Movement Phase:

Move your Investigator token to an Adventure Card or Other World Card you wish to attempt, or to the Entrance Sheet. You may also stay where you are.

Resolution Phase:

If you are on an Adventure or Other World Card, you attempt to complete its tasks: Roll the dice and match the symbols shown on one task. If you succeed, cover that task and proceed to the next. If you fail, discard one die and roll again, or choose to stop. If you complete all tasks, you resolve the card and claim the rewards. If you fail or quit, suffer the penalty shown on the card.

If you are on the Entrance Sheet, you can spend trophies (earned from completed adventures) to heal stamina or sanity, buy an item or purchase an elder sign

Clock Phase:

Advance the clock by 3 hours. When the clock strikes midnight, resolve the midnight effect on the current Mythos card, then draw a new Mythos card and resolve its immediate effect.

Winning & Losing

Win: Collect the required number of Elder Signs before the Ancient One awakens.

Lose: If the Ancient One awakens, you must fight and defeat it. If all players are defeated, the game is lost.

Our Thoughts on Elder Sign?

We had slightly differing views on Elder Sign. While we both enjoyed playing it, Rob felt the game sat in an awkward middle ground—too closed-in to feel like a true adventure, yet too broad to offer much fine detail. It wasn’t always clear that each adventure card was meant to represent a room in the same building, which left the experience feeling a little disjointed at times. That said, we both appreciated the simplicity of the gameplay, especially compared to others in this genre. It serves as a great gateway game for players looking to step into the world of co-operative adventure games. The mechanics are intuitive, and the rulebook’s use of diagrams made it easy to pick up and reference during play.

Although it’s a card game at its core, the table presence is larger than expected due to the sheer number of components. Our 1m x 1m table was almost completely covered. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does feel a bit excessive for what the game ultimately is. One of our favourite elements is the flavour text on each card. This small touch helps bring the world to life and adds to the atmosphere. However, Jess feels the price is a little steep, especially considering it doesn’t include a cloth bag for the monster tokens, and the box insert could have been more practical.

Overall, Elder Sign is a solid, medium-weight game. It offers more substance than a typical party game but won’t take up an entire afternoon like some of its heavier counterparts. There’s a reason it holds a place on our shelf, but as more seasoned board gamers, we often find ourselves reaching for more ambitious titles.

Rob 7.6 - Jess 7.4