Latest Arkham Horror board game expansion, Secrets of the Order, is haunted by ghosts

Investigate portals opening to the Underworld in the oldest neighbourhood in the city with Arkham Horror: Secrets of the Order, the next expansion for the horror board game.

Nestled in the most historic areas of Arkham is the French Hill neighbourhood, a place haunted by the spirits of the undead and faced with a brand new threat of the Underworld. Portals to an otherworldly dimension are spawning in the streets and it’s up to the players to discover the mysteries behind the ghostly beings terrorising innocents. Secrets of the Order comes with a series of three scenarios for players to attempt - one involving a gang of vicious gugs, another concerning the machinations of the Order of the Silver Twilight - which can be replayed alongside the core game multiple times.

However, players are going to have to be cautious in their investigations into the French Hill area of the city, as it’s populated by monsters that refuse to reveal their identities. Creatures with the shrouded ability prevent players from finding out their true nature until they are investigated by a player or are exhausted. Various spiritual enemies will have this ability - such as Cacophonous Haunts and Screaming Haunts - but so do certain allies, so players will have to be careful to not preemptively defeat them before unveiling their identity.

Luckily enough, four investigators are found in Secrets of the Order, including some existing Arkham Horror Files characters such as Mark Harrington and Winifred Habbamock, as well as an entirely new investigator called Agatha Crane. As a scientist and expert on the paranormal, Agatha Crane can bring a high lore total to a team and has a special ability that allows her to gain a free focus and remnant whenever she successfully casts a spell. Agatha can also use her Scientific Method card to acquire additional clues for the players to use throughout the game.

Arkham Horror: Third Edition is a horror game for one to six players set in the Arkham Files universe, which is a franchise of tabletop titles inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos. During the co-op board game, players must work together as investigators responding to the threat posed by the Ancient Ones, whose presence on Earth has caused cults to spring up and monsters to spawn. Theyare able to choose between a variety of characters - each with their own unique stats and abilities - who must gather clues, equipment and allies to defeat the aggressive alien entities.

Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson - co-designers of the 2005 edition of Arkham Horror, as well as another Cthulhu themed board game called Elder Sign - alongside Nikki Valens, creator of the dungeon-crawling title Mansions of Madness: Second Edition, are the co-creators of Arkham Horror: Third Edition.

Besides Arkham Horror: Third Edition and Secrets of the Order, Fantasy Flight Games is known for publishing Eldritch Horror and Arkham Horror: The Card Game - two other titles in the Arkham Horror Files universe - as well as the unique deck game Keyforge.

Arkham Horror: Secrets of the Order is releasing at a retail price of $39.95 (£28.55), with the launch date yet to be confirmed.