Game Info
Year
2026
Players
1-4
Age
14+
Playtime
120 min
Complexity
3.2/5
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description
A small campaign expansion where investigators track monsters through Arkham streets and confront a mystery involving a transformative blood chaos token
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 6
This page: 6
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–6 of 6
Video albW9lVc86k
PlayingBoardGames Analysis at 0:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 151326 · mention_pk 424940
Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tightly designed first scenario
- Unconventional and thematic story pacing
- Mechanically interesting bosses
- Laser-focused treachery and encounter deck design
- Good use of new mechanics like Blood Tokens
- Distinct scenarios that feel unique
- Successful attempt at an unconventional finale
Cons
- Short campaign length may limit deck evolution
- Susceptible to mulligan luck
- Focus shifts from investigator development to campaign
- First scenario may be confusing for new players
- Final scenario's pacing feels off and lacks pressure
- Thematic implications of player actions (killing characters) are not fully mechanically realized
- Difficulty scaling, especially for solo players on higher difficulties, can be unbalanced
- Lack of movement options on certain scenarios on lower difficulties
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Brother of Ash
- Knight of the Zealot
- The Apiary for Drown City
- Dream Eaters
- Waking Nightmare
- Guardians of the Abyss
- Circus Mortis
- Dark Matter
- The Black Throne
- Carcosa
- Forgotten Age
- Murder at the Excelsier Hotel
- Innsmouth
- Edge of the Earth
- Ice and Death
- Fatal Mirage
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asset cards — Cards that represent items, allies, or locations that players can use.
- Blood Tokens — A new token mechanic introduced in the campaign, which can be added to the bag and drawn during tests.
- Campaign play — The game is played as a campaign with multiple scenarios that players progress through.
- Deck Building — Players build and upgrade their decks throughout the campaign.
- Doom — A mechanic often associated with the agenda, which advances the game towards a loss condition.
- Elusive Keyword — An enemy ability that makes them difficult to engage or attack.
- encounter deck — A deck of cards representing enemies, treacheries, and other challenges that players face.
- Experience points (XP) — Players earn XP to upgrade their decks, though the campaign's low XP gain is discussed.
- Mulligan — Players can redraw their starting hand, which is noted as being particularly impactful in shorter campaigns.
- Parley Action — An action that allows investigators to interact with certain characters or objectives.
- Predator keyword — An enemy ability that allows them to attack investigators they are at the same location with.
- scenario progression — The campaign progresses through a series of scenarios, each with its own objectives and challenges.
- Sealing Tokens — Tokens that can be placed on investigators, often with negative effects, as part of certain mechanics.
- Skill cards — Cards that can be played to gain bonuses on skill tests.
- Treachery Cards — Cards drawn from the encounter deck that often present negative effects or challenges.
- Weakness cards — Cards that represent negative traits or hindrances for investigators.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's so short to ask now.
- honestly, I actually enjoyed it. It was kind of fun to just like start a campaign and finish a campaign that also was meteor than uh for example like um Brother of Ash or Knight of the Zealot, right? because I think we can both agree off the hop that this is like a meteor sort of experience.
- I think that there's a very good point though about how um in a three scenario campaign, your deck is definitely more susceptible to the mulligan.
- I think that there's a lot of thematic complexity that you can feel in this campaign um through the way that it tells a story that I'm of the belief wasn't possible in an eight scenario campaign.
- And this is this scenario is like after you fight the big source of the blood is in the last scenario. So that guy is the biggest monster and now this is the aftermath essentially.
- And then it becomes like how can we most reliably use these snares to like get the damage.
- I do like that the doom mechanic is more relevant here because of the doom on other things. Although they gave you a pretty big honken agenda. 14.
- Um, I think that that that could have been neat. Um, yeah, cuz these guys had Predator, but I feel like even these children of blood, like she looks like she could freak a guy up, right?
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video n6gBi3b8zcM
The Dice Tower Review at 0:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 121933 · mention_pk 350842
Click to watch at 0:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Thematically exciting with vampires.
- Massive flavor win.
- Fully fleshed-out story despite being only three games.
- Appreciated the decision points influencing the story.
- Liked the three-act campaign format.
- Granularity in difficulty and choices provides good customization.
- Highly replayable due to branching paths and 'what if' scenarios.
- Blood token mechanism is clean, engaging, interesting, and ties well to the theme.
- Blood tokens are clever, engaging, and simple.
- Thematic integration of blood tokens enhances gameplay.
- Receiving a deck-building card to continue using blood tokens is a flavor win.
- An eight out of ten is a very high score.
- Loved the new format of standalone three-game campaigns.
- The mechanisms are great.
- Incredibly high replayability.
- Mechanically and thematically very happy with it.
- Highly recommended.
- Want the mechanism for future campaigns.
- Excited for the line's future and story immersion.
- Knocking it out of the park for this first expansion.
Cons
- Expansion won't work with the old core box.
- More setup and decision points make it less approachable in that regard.
- Can take 10-15 minutes just to find cards for setup and reset.
- Significant granular setup and table structuring time required.
- Moments where the clarity of phrasing and understanding what's going on is an issue.
- Can feel pedantic due to specific language requirements.
- Encountered moments of having a hard time parsing instructions.
- Slight interpretations have to happen.
- Blood tokens are not available in acrylic with the upgrade pack.
- Official upgrades are immediately not usable with this expansion.
- The blood tokens are not available separately in acrylic.
- Not a great miss regarding acrylic tokens.
- Can be punishing with more negativity in the chaos bag.
- Clutchy moments with phrasing and understanding what's going on.
- Those clutchy moments keep the score from going higher than an eight.
Thematic elements
- Vampires
Comparison games
- Arkham Horror
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Blood Tokens — These tokens are added to the chaos bag, indirectly affecting test results and interacting with the character, especially when bitten. They can be pulled from the bag for a penalty, then set aside, and also seal onto the character if a test is failed, leading to specific interactions. They can be cleared between sessions at a cost of experience points. The mechanism also includes a deck-building card at the end of the campaign that allows for continued use of these tokens.
- Campaign expansion — This is a three-part campaign expansion that requires the new Arkham Horror core box. It differs from previous expansions by being shorter, at only three games long, compared to the typical eight sessions. It features more moving parts, setup, and branching paths than the core box campaign.
- Deck Building — Mentioned in relation to a card received at the end of the campaign that allows for continued use of blood tokens in future games.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Um, I love love love the thematic trappings here. The like from a flavor, no pun intended, uh, you know, point of view, this is a a massive flavor win.
- It is such a p um um pet not petulant, it's such a pedantic game that those times where that specific language is missing, I feel like you feel it more.
- Very cool. I thought it was an absolute flavor win. Uh that's that's my that's probably my favorite thing about this entire uh box is thematically, man. It's such a slam dunk.
- I have my issues with it, but there's a lot I like. Uh I'm going to come down an eight on this one.
- I cannot recommend Children of Blood enough.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wB5-BLFdEFk
PlayingBoardGames Review at 0:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 114584 · mention_pk 326787
Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Enjoyed the shorter campaign format.
- Mechanically meaty and enjoyable.
- Found the scenarios to be longer than typical standalone scenarios.
- Scenarios were long enough to interact with decks in various ways.
- The campaign felt like a short story with a satisfying conclusion.
- Mechanically simple scenarios that come together to be interesting.
- Good replayability due to difficulty options and scenario setups.
- Successful experiment in making difficulty matter, leading to a desire to play on hard.
- Modular second scenario offers replayability.
- Blood tokens are a very cool and well-designed mechanic.
- Treachery design is strong and focused.
- Encounter cards are well-designed and target players/scenarios effectively.
- Pacing of the story progression through scenarios feels more grown up and compelling.
- Scenarios provide space for players to talk and engage with each other.
- Difficulty scaling is impressive and works well.
- XP payout felt comfortable and not overly generous.
- Story is simple but has interesting underlying themes.
- The challenge from enemies and treacheries, combined with blood tokens, makes for hard-hitting gameplay.
- The campaign provides reasons to play on easier difficulties and progress.
- Scaling mechanics for player count are a success.
- The cultist set is cool and manageable, with risky elements.
- Rotting Remains and Grasping Hands fit well and enhance spookiness.
- Treachery design is a masterwork in recent expansions.
- Encounter cards have surgical precision.
- Enjoyed the overall campaign experience.
- The core mechanic (blood tokens) is easy to grasp.
Cons
- Less thematically designed compared to Feast of Hemlock Veil.
- Individual scenarios were not particularly standouts or mechanically complex on their own.
- Linking decisions between scenarios are drier than in full-length campaigns.
- The story itself is very simple with short writing snippets.
- May let down fans of detailed story.
- The final scenario, while not the simplest, is still relatively simple.
- Some players might struggle with the difficulty if new to Arkham.
- The campaign might have been playtested primarily with Chapter 2 cards.
- Linking decisions between scenarios are drier than in full-length campaigns.
- The host's personal preference is for more thematic design.
- Blood tokens being only in this box is a bummer.
- Not as thematically inspired as Hemlock Veil or Path of Carcosa for blind play.
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Feast of Hemlock Veil
- Arkham Horror
- Drown City
- Edge of the Earth
- Scarlet Keys
- Brethren of Ash
- Knight of the Zealot
- Path of Carosa
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Blood Tokens — A core mechanic that the host praises highly, noting their interaction with various game elements and the chaos bag.
- Campaign — The game is a campaign with a shorter, three-scenario format, contrasting with longer campaigns.
- Deck Building — Players build their decks before playing, and the host experimented with a new deck in this campaign.
- scaling — The game scales with player count by adding extra cards to the encounter deck, and difficulty options are present (easy, standard, hard, expert).
- Scenario setup — The campaign offers replayability through different scenario setups, including a modular second scenario.
- Treachery Cards — The design of treachery cards is highlighted as a strong point, with specific mechanics targeting players or scenarios.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Children of Blood is definitely more of a mechanical uh design first and foremost than it is a thematic design.
- while you watch them all kind of click together, you're like, "Holy hell, it's a clock."
- I am a big fan of blood tokens. I adore that mechanic.
- The treachery design in particular is very strong in this campaign.
- the pacing feels a little bit more grown up.
- While not my favorite blind play thematically, I enjoyed it mechanically.
- It's just basic Arkham when it all is said and done. the campaigns or aren't trying to do anything that's too over the top or dense. It's just trying to challenge you in a variety of ways with a cool mechanic that is also very easy to gro.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0cX38X7d11o
PlayingBoardGames Unboxing at 0:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 112595 · mention_pk 324195
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Nice design on the blood tokens.
- The slip cover provides protection and has a sweet design.
- No plastic wrap used for the packaging.
- Dividers are included, which seems to be the new norm.
- Short campaigns are a nice option for quick play sessions.
- The Predator keyword adds an interesting dynamic to enemy phase.
- Design notes and achievements are still included.
- The art direction is praised, especially the creepy and disgusting feel of the treachery cards.
Cons
- Only three scenarios in the campaign, which some players might find lacking.
- The difference in difficulty between standard and hard might not be as significant as hoped.
- The design intention for player cards being lighter and happier compared to treachery cards is questioned.
Thematic elements
- small campaign expansion
Comparison games
- Hemlock Vale
- Dread City
- Brethren of Ash
- Feast of Hemlock Vale
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- chaos bag — The expansion introduces 'blood tokens' to the chaos bag. These tokens can be added or removed throughout the campaign and affect the chance of success on tests when drawn. The number of blood tokens in the bag and sealed on investigators is tracked.
- Difficulty scaling — The campaign offers different difficulty levels (easy, standard, hard) that impact the game's challenge, including the composition of the chaos bag and specific effects like starting with blood tokens.
- Keyword Ability — A new keyword ability called 'Predator' is introduced. Enemies with this keyword deal damage to other enemies in their location before attacking, based on their fight value.
- scenario play — The expansion includes three scenarios that can be played individually in standalone mode or as part of a campaign.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I miss the ad sheet. I really do feel like something changed in the universe when the ad sheets weren't included in FFG boxes anymore.
- The first blood token revealed in the chaos bag during a skill test has the following effect: minus one, reveal another token.
- During the enemy phase, after hunter enemies move and before enemies attack, each ready unengaged enemy with the predator keyword deals one damage to a non-elite enemy in its location with a fight value lower than its own.
- The art is good man.
- More new Arkham is always good.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ObbZNOFbd_Q
PlayingBoardGames Analysis at 5:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 81569 · mention_pk 203265
Click to watch at 5:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Exciting reasons to play the campaign across multiple difficulties.
- Your choice in difficulty will alter the campaign in ways we haven't explored in the card game yet.
- Locations and enemies you'll only see on easy or on hard.
- Players will really feel like they were getting a lot of game out of the box, even if it was only three scenarios.
- Philosophy is shared among all the designers.
- Looking at other ways to prioritize replayability in ways that are unique to each campaign per card product, regardless of size.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think this police dog is a is a goated card.
- I think this is a very powerful card.
- Um in two to three years for a cycle to stay current and supported, I think that also means two to three years in print.
- I don't think this game is big enough to be scalpable.
- All I can say is that I personally intensely dislike the trend of scalping scalping games or anything for that matter.
- And Snakebird Priestess, that is a very funny message.
- Which is certainly there are many non-obvious signs that someone is chat GPT.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video iDogbEoPbs0
PlayingBoardGames Review at 0:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 80964 · mention_pk 198862
Click to watch at 0:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Difficulty scaling that transforms scenarios
- New blood token mechanic is interesting and thematic
- Reward cards offer new ways to play and customize decks
- Art is great
- Adds variety and replayability
- Fair price for the content
Cons
- Host finds the premise too scary to play themselves
- Concern about the swinginess of the token bag on higher difficulties
- The number of cards is roughly half of other expansions for a similar price
Thematic elements
- Investigating disappearances and a transformation related to blood.
- Arkham
Comparison games
- Arkham Horror
- Drawn City
- Feast of Hemlock Veil
- Marvel Champions
- Civil War
- Dunnage Legacy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Chaos bag modification — Blood tokens can be added to or removed from the chaos bag, affecting tests.
- Difficulty scaling — Location cards and bosses have different versions based on the chosen difficulty (dawn/dusk, easy/standard/expert).
- Encounter deck modification — Entire encounter sets can be added or replaced at higher difficulties or different player counts.
- Predator keyword — A new keyword mentioned in relation to the boss, Julius Stern.
- reward cards — Cards unlocked by winning campaigns that can be used in other campaigns, like 'Chosen of Zubora Morte', which has a cost of adding blood tokens.
- Scaling card effects — Treachery and enemy cards have effects that scale based on the number of blood tokens sealed on an investigator.
- Token effects — Drawing a blood token applies a minus one to the test result and requires drawing an additional token. If a skill test is failed with blood tokens, they can be sealed on the investigator.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This small expansion, one to four investigators tackle a chilling mystery that unfolds across three scenarios.
- With scenarios that can transform based on your chosen difficulty and a new chaos token, ooh, that slowly turns the investigators into monsters themselves.
- This campaign invites you to challenge it again and again. Are you up to the task?
- It's Romanian for flying death or wings of death.
- I think that this campaign uh looks bloody cool from the announcements.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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