Eldritch Horror - Cities in Ruin

Eldritch Horror - Cities in Ruin

“Then came the devastating stroke of lightning which shook the whole mountain, lit the darkest crypts of the hoary grove, and splintered the patriarch of the twisted trees. [...] That I am alive and stills sane, is a marvel I cannot fathom. I cannot fathom it, for the shadow on that chimney was [...] a blasphemous abnormality from hell’s nethermost craters; a nameless, shapeless abomination which no mind could fully grasp and no pen even partly describe.”
 - H.P. Lovecraft, The Lurking Fear

You pause for a moment and, once again, consider turning back. The tunnel you had entered in search of survivors has opened to this chamber, and something tells you that this is your last chance to leave. The same foul smell is still in the air, and you can still hear the faint voices in the distance. But now, what had sounded like cries of pain from are now clearly identifiable as some eerie form of song. It drifts up from the darkness, and you suddenly find yourself  stairs. The dim beam of your dying flashlight makes it clear that the clean-cut steps were not built for humans; the length of the step is slightly too short, the drop to the next precipitously deep. Before you can wonder at what may have once walked here, the song reaches a crescendo, a light flares in the darkness far below, and a great stinking rush of stinking air washes over you. You turn back to the world above, back to the light, but it’s too late. You have seen the great writhing thing that thrashes beneath the ruins of this city, and you know now that the world is doomed.

Meet this unstoppable challenge by traversing the globe to attempt to halt the rise of Shudde M’ell, the Cataclysm from Below, in Cities in Ruin, the newest expansion for Eldritch Horror, available now! Can the investigators stem the tide of destruction that heralds the coming of the Ancient One?

A World Pummeled by Disaster

Cities across the globe are reeling from the effects of Shudde M’ell struggling in his prison beneath the Heart of Africa. The seals that had trapped him beneath the ancient city of G’harne are weakening. The earth’s crust cracks and heaves, and the very fabric of reality warps and splits. As we’ve shown in our two previews, cities that were once safe havens can now be wiped entirely off the map by disasters that arise amid Shudde M’ell’s dreams. Even though this devastation is a serious setback, unique challenges await amidst the ruins that could yield great insight and valuable assets for your investigators.

As the great cthonion creature stirs, the investigators must meet this incredible threat with new strategies. Gain an array of advantages by arming your desperate team with a folio of Agency Secrets,  or attack the creatures head-on by unleashing some powerful arcane forces of your own with the Wave of Destruction task.

Both of these Unique Assets are new to this expansion, and are just a sampling of some of the new Asset, Condition, and Spell cards you’ll find in Cities in Ruin. Take advantage of every last scrap of resources that you can gather, for the Cataclysm from Below is waking, and the investigators must race to stop him. 

Running Into Danger

Being a fast learner earned Rita Young a scholarship to Miskatonic University, and being an even faster runner gained her a spot on the school’s track and field team. Both of these successes had been hard won, and Rita has spent her entire youth defying the expectations of a society that seemed bent on sidelining her at every turn. An avid student, Rita had wanted to see the far flung corners of the earth with her own two eyes. As long as she showed no sign of slowing down on the track, Rita knew that her fast feet could carry her to compete in a wider world than the one in which she grew up. While many would run away from the things she’s encountered in her travels, Rita’s the type to sprint straight into the thick of it. 

Now, Rita feels the very ground quake beneath her feet, and no matter where she goes, the earth lurches with a sickening familiarity. There is something deeply wrong in the world, and Rita knows she’ll need to be faster than she’s ever been to head off disaster. Rita has stared into the face of evil before, and she’s steeled herself for whatever horrors she may be about to run into.   

Rita is used to pushing her body and mind to its limits, and she’s ready to pour everything she has into beating back the coming of the Ancient One. As an Action, Rita can spend Health or Sanity to gain a Talent Condition, and her extraordinary resilience allows her to add one to the result of each die that’s cast to stave off Illness, Injury, or Madness. Whatever rears its head with the coming of the Ancient One, it’s going to have to bring a lot to the table to try and stop Rita Young.

Rita’s years of honing her athletic skills also give her the Rugged condition at the outset of the game. This allows Rita an extra chance to succeed at Strength tests, and to shrug off some damage when she takes a big hit. This condition also allows Rita to recover from an Illness or an Injury, or she can regain a bit of her sanity. 

Join with Rita Young and the rest of the investigators as they try to navigate the wholesale destruction of some of the world’s major cities. Can you stop the the coming of Shudde M’ell?