Mythos Busters is a podcast dedicated to investigating Arkham Horror: The Card Game, which is a cooperative Living Card Game (LCG) created by Fantasy Flight Games. Since 2016, hosts Sean, Ian, Scott, and Justin have been your source for a biweekly fix of discussion about all things good, bad, and tentacled in the game.
Our goal is to grow the Arkham Horror community and to serve as a resource for listeners and fans of Arkham across the globe.
Read more about the Mythos Busters team below, and reach out to us at mythosbusterspod@gmail.com if you want to learn more or get in touch with us.
Our diversity statement is available here.
Sean – Mythos Busters Host
Sean’s Gaming Background
I can’t tell you for sure when it was, but at a certain point in my life I decided that my second favorite way to connect with people is to game with them. My relationship with card games started in 5th grade when a friend hit me up with my first real gaming vice; the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. It was this perfect confluence of my favorite fictional setting, wild and flashy moments, and mechanics that rewarded my obsessive streak. It was through this game that I had my first brush with the magic of a thriving gaming community. After going to a few tournaments, publishing a few deck lists, and making a few friends, I knew I was in love.
In my long run with card games, I have collected and played games, mostly with my life long card game buddy, Nick (we’ve been gaming together since we were 5). These games include, but are not limited to: Lord of the Rings TCG, Jedi Knight CCG, Young Jedi CCG, Redemption, Fight Klub, WotC Star Wars TCG, Pokemon, World of Warcraft TCG, WARS, A Game of Thrones LCG, Star Wars LCG, Netrunner, Lord of the Rings LCG, 40k Conquest LCG, Star Wars Destiny, Keyforge, and of course, Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Look, I can quit anytime I want to, okay?
I love games as a social medium, as a way to tickle the part of my brain that loves puzzles, and of course, so I can blow things up with flashy caster chicks. In the age of smartphones and constant computer access, the level of interpersonal presence that tabletop games offers is basically unmatched. Throw in the remarkable awesomeness of the LCG community, and I’ll be here until they kick me out, baby!
How Sean Found The Cthulhu Mythos and Arkham Horror
As a lifelong card game player it was a bit of a stretch when, one fateful night, Nick invited me over to play this giant-ass board game he bought. I’d never read any Cthulhu stuff, but hey, it looked fun, I guess. Well, after spending 2 hours watching him set up Arkham Horror: 2nd Edition, I can tell you I was in…well, whatever is two steps down from love. However, it was enough to get me interested in the mythos, and to fall in love with cooperative gaming.
After a long dalliance, and a decent amount of podcasting, for Lord of the Rings LCG (check out the 1st Age of Cardboard of the Rings, which is made up of everything before Episode 123), I finally found my home when Arkham Horror: The Card Game was announced. Card game, Co-Op, small deck, role-playing elements, it had all the right buzzwords. I started talking to a few of my friends about starting an Arkham podcast, and the rest is history.
Sean’s Favorite Arkham Scenario, Class, and Investigator
If I had to nail down a favorite scenario at this point, it’d probably go to Depths of Yoth. It’s still so dynamic and tense. Surprising no one, Mystic was, is, and always shall be my favorite class. Speaking of which, do you have a moment to speak about our Lady and Saviour Diana Stanley? *pulls up cultist hood*
Sean in Real Life
I sell my labor consulting on retirement plan compliance, and it’s exactly as exciting as it sounds. At home in Minnesota, I spend most of my time either gaming, pushing games on my somewhat willing wife and daughter, or running with my dog. I also enjoy tennis, craft beer, and karaoke (sometimes all at once).
Ian – Mythos Busters Host
Ian’s Gaming Background
I’ve been playing tabletop games almost as long as I can remember. In fact, my memory of the big 1989 Loma Prieta (California) earthquake is that it interrupted the game of Clue I was trying to set up at the time!
I started out with the usual games people get introduced to (Monopoly, Life, etc.), before moving on to influential games of the time like Talisman, Dungeon, and HeroQuest. From there, my interest broadened out to all kinds of tabletop gaming, from RPG’s to strategy games to wargames and ultimately the many, many CCG’s of the 90’s. In particular, I cut my teeth on Star Trek CCG, Middle Earth CCG, and Star Wars CCG. Before solo gaming was a real thing, I used to make up solo versions of most games I had. And as long as I’ve been gaming, I’ve also been designing my own games.
When I hit high school, I fell away from gaming, distracted by my immersion into punk rock and playing the guitar. College only brought further distractions, although I found time now and then to play games like Axis and Allies with my friends. However, it wasn’t until the Lord of the Rings LCG that I truly found my way back to tabletop gaming, and it’s become an obsession ever since.
As part of the LOTR community, I started the Tales from the Cards blog, was a host on the Grey Company podcast, created the First Age fan expansion, and ultimately helped develop the official standalone custom scenarios The Mines of Moria and Escape from Khazad-dum.
Why Ian Loves Arkham Horror: The Card Game
One of the first games that I got into as part of my tabletop gaming renaissance was Arkham Horror (Second Edition). I quickly fell in love with the Arkham Files universe and games. Although I read Lovecraft a ton in high school, it had been many years since I read his works and I didn’t necessarily consider myself a huge Lovecraft fan or even a horror fan. But there was something uniquely intriguing to me about FFG’s take on the material. There is a sense of adventure and chaotic mess and hopeless striving against the odds that sometimes ends in victory that deeply appeals to me. Arkham Horror: The Card Game takes some of the things that I love most (RPG storytelling, character progression, customizable card games, and the Arkham Files universe) and blends them together into what is now my all-time favorite game. As a gamer, I love building weird decks, crafting stories through play, and clutching victory from the jaws of defeat.
Ian’s Favorite Arkham Scenario, Class, and Investigator
My favorite scenario in the game thus far is probably Threads of Fate. The branching storylines and random paths makes it feel like you are playing an RPG. As for favorite class, I’ve been claiming Rogue from day one. Low will and high evade for the win! My favorite investigator has changed over time but is currently Finn Edwards. Although I never cared much about him and his story in past Arkham Files games, his playstyle fits mine to the tee.
Ian in Real Life
In terms of all the other stuff, I’m the father of two young kids, am a historian by training and a curriculum developer by trade, am Bay Area born and raised, and enjoy futbol (i.e. soccer), punk rock, playing the guitar, and writing of all kinds.
Scott – Mythos Busters Host
Scott’s Gaming Background
Hi, I’m Scott! My gaming journey began way back in 1996 with Decipher’s Star Wars CCG. I was 11 when I first saw the Star Wars trilogy and a friend that lived across the street introduced me to both the movies and the card game. I loved Empire Strikes Back and the Hoth expansion for the card game was just coming out, so I was hooked. I would constantly play games against myself just so I could play! I was constantly building decks and retooling them, writing various stats of cards down on paper so I could look at the “numbers” of the decks. From a very early age I was knee-deep into power gaming and tweaking decks ever so slightly for just a smidgen more advantage. Nothing has changed to this date.
I also grew up on Nintendo for video games. Saving up money from my paper route and by doing chores allowed me to get my SNES! I loved every Mario game as well as the Donkey Kong series. I became absolutely addicted to Super Mario 64 when I got my N64. I would constantly play until I got 120 stars, delete the save file, and start over. I also played StarFox 64 quite a bit.
When I was 16 I blew out my knee skiing and had to wait months for surgery. This was shortly after Elder Scrolls: Morrowind came out and I dove deep into that game as I was unable to walk without crutches and take part in other hobbies. I poured 600 hours into that game. I knew the game map better than I knew my own town. Halo was also big for me, but more on this later.
In my freshman year of university I was introduced to the world of board gaming (I was still playing Star Wars CCG, because that game will never die). Settlers of Catan and Axis and Allies opened my eyes to what gaming could be. Every Saturday at noon, five of us would meet to start our weekly game of Axis and Allies. Teams were decided at the end of last week’s game so we had all week to talk strategy with each other.
Halo 2 came out that year as well and my entire dorm floor had constant LAN battles going on. In my later years of university, Halo 2 became my mainstay. I competed “professionally” at it in small tournaments both in person and online. I joined a gaming community of around 100 gamers that I am still a part of and game with 15 years later.
Scott Gets Hooked on LCGs and Enters the World of Arkham
My interest in board games grew and both my wife and I joined multiple board gaming groups. I was grabbed by the Lord of the Rings LCG and immediately bought three cores just so I could build decks optimally!
When the Star Wars LCG was released by FFG I jumped in feet first hoping that it would quench my thirst for Star Wars CCG (which, again, I was still playing!). It wasn’t quite perfect, but it had a decently large player base in my city and I helped to expand it as much as possible. I finally had a competitive Star Wars game I could play regularly against other people! I was second place at the Canadian Nationals for Star Wars LCG the last year it was hosted.
This led to more LCGs, including Warhammer 40K: Conquest. I co-hosted the podcast First Planet Podcast for Conquest starting shortly after the core box release until the end of the game’s life. In the last World Championships for Conquest, I placed ninth overall.
Arkham LCG came out at the perfect time in my life. I was leaving most competitive LCGs as my free time was lessening and I was looking to consolidate my hobby to fewer games. After First Planet Podcast ended, Sean and I discussed me joining the Mythos Busters. A few quick bribes later and I was on the show!
Scott’s Favourite Arkham Scenario, Class, and Investigator
My favourite scenario in the game, besides Consternation on the Constellation, is probably The Search For Kadath. The exploratory feeling of mid-90s point-and-click adventure games is strong and really brings me back. My preferred class is Survivor, though I really do dabble in every class. I play for fun but I also play for keeps. My current favourite investigator is Ursula; however, this will probably change soon as I feel I have “figured her out” and now I must move on to optimize another investigator!
Scott in Real Life
For all the real world stuff, I’m a father of one with another one on the way shortly! Married for 12 years to an amazing wife and gaming partner, I am also an Advanced Care Paramedic in Alberta, Canada. I have very few hobbies outside of gaming, but I do enjoy speed-solving Rubik’s Cubes, drinking craft beers, and playing Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch with my son.
Notes From The Editor
- While checking our sources for this content, we were unable to verify that this “Can-a-da” place, which Scott used to explain his spelling of the word “favourite,” actually exists.
- We did, however, confirm that Scott still plays the Star Wars CCG.
Justin – Mythos Busters Host & Administratomancer
Justin drives a lot of the behind the scenes magic for the Mythos Busters team. His title is a portmanteau of “The Administration” (his role) and “TheZer0mancer” (his Discord handle), which is both an accurate description of what he does and just sounds cool. As of 2022, Justin is also a host on the podcast, filling in Nick’s former slot.
Justin’s Gaming Background
My family played board games, mostly standard Milton Bradley-style stuff, for as long as I can remember. While I went through a period where board and card games took up slightly more prominence (circa early 90s, think games like The Omega Virus and the Marvel Overpower card game), most of my gaming life has been dominated by video games.
After my older cousin introduced me to the Final Fantasy series, I was hooked. Final Fantasy 7 is still a Top 5 all-time game for me (and, yes, I realize that’s partly due to nostalgia). Most of my video game time in the past decade has shifted away from JRPGs to games like Bioshock, Fallout, Dishonored (another Top 5 game for me), and so forth.
Around 2014, I got into the hobby board game world of today. Most of the games were either lighter or in the social deduction genre, but I continued to look for something more complex to play. The catch was that competitive games are very hit or miss for me, so it had to be both more complex and likely cooperative.
How Justin Got Connected to the Arkham Community
At some point in 2016, a friend of mine who had been deep into the Lord of the Rings LCG let me know about the upcoming Arkham Horror LCG. He knew that Arkham would be more of my style and fit what I was looking for from a game better than LoTR. He was right. Cooperative – check. More complicated than what I was currently playing – check. Weird theme – check. It was a perfect fit for me. My buddy also introduced me to Sean, and we’ve been friends ever since. A few years later Sean introduced me to the rest of the MB crew, and now they’re stuck with me.
While I love Arkham, I’m slowly catching up to having played everything that’s been released (I’ve made it through all of the campaigns now, and just have the Return To boxes to complete). At this point, I get just as much enjoyment from helping to create something cool for the podcast and growing the Arkham community as I do playing the game, so I still feel very connected to world of Arkham and to the player base.
Justin’s Favorite Class, Scenario, and Investigator
Seeker! I both love the class in the game, and it fits with my general personality and vibe in real life. My favorite scenario is The Search for Kadath, and that my favorite investigator is Rex (purely because he’s the last investigator I was able to build a solid deck for before I fell out of the meta).
Justin in Real Life
Outside of Mythos Busters stuff, I work as a marketing expert specializing in business development and marketing for law firms (I’m also a lawyer). I try to get in games of Arkham between playing Keyforge (I’ve fallen deep down that rabbit hole), running a playlist club to share music with my friends, watching basketball games, and trying to find the rare TV shows that my wife and I can agree to watch together.
I’m also irrationally excited by the fact that Barkham Horror exists, as I am a self-described crazy dog person.
Nick – Buster Emeritus
Editor’s note: Nick has transcended the role of Arkham Horror podcast host and was hired by FFG to be a Designer for Arkham Horror: The Card Game. While that meant that Nick had to leave the podcast to avoid conflicts of interest, he’ll always be a Buster at heart, and we’re excited to have him back for an occasional Designer interview.
Nick’s Gaming Background
Gaming has always been a big part of my life. My family never had a lot of money growing up, but whether it was playing NES while visiting my grandmother, or sitting down with my whole family for Monopoly or Scrabble, some of my favorite times growing up were interacting with a game of one sort or another. The first board games I was exposed to beyond the standard, run-of-the-mill Milton Bradley selection were Axis and Allies, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park Board Game (I still wish I had kept that one – could just be rose-colored glasses, but I remember it being pretty fun).
Around 5th grade was when best friend and future fellow Mythos Buster Sean introduced me to the world of Decipher’s Star Wars Customizable Card Game, and around 7th grade was when I got into tabletop roleplaying games – not by playing them, but by literally creating my own (with my only knowledge of what TTRPGs even were coming from AD&D ads in my Spider-Man comics and playing the original Baldur’s Gate on the PC). Those two spheres of influence – Star Wars CCG and tabletop RPGS – would go on to define most of my gaming life.
More Games and More Interests (Including Game Design)
High school was dominated by video games – StarCraft, World of Warcraft, and Half-Life chief among them. It wasn’t until after high school that I found my way back to the tabletop, once again through TTRPGs like Savage Worlds, and Monsters & Other Childish Things. I eventually got back into card games through Decipher’s swan song Fight Klub and FFG’s Star Wars: LCG.
It was around 2012 that I entered a new era of gaming and creativity. I began my ongoing career as a self-published author (under my full name – Nicholas Kory), I began to seriously develop tabletop RPG content, and I was always looking for new ways to expand my creative output. Acting? Yes. Podcasting? Yes. Video game streaming? Give me more! You don’t have to dig deep to find different projects from me as I explored all sorts of mediums.
This extends to the world of game design, and includes a scenario in Arkham Horror! Murder at the Excelsior Hotel is a standalone scenario that I had the wonderful opportunity to design. I pitched the idea for a murder mystery where the outcome changes every time you play it, and Matt Newman helped me turn that pitch into a full scenario.
Nick’s Favorite Scenario (Hint: He Designed It)
It’s so hard to choose a favorite Arkham scenario, and the easy answer would be to say that it is Murder at the Excelsior Hotel, because of course I would design a scenario I would like best. But to give a more interesting answer, I would say that my overall favorite scenario in the game is probably… oh who am I kidding, it’s Murder at the Excelsior Hotel. Ignoring the fact that I created it, my favorite scenarios are the ones that feature high replayability, and I don’t think that any other scenario features as much replayability as Excelsior.
Nick’s Favorite Class and Investigator
It’s no secret that my favorite class is and always will be Guardian. I love the no-nonsense, straight-arrow approach to the kind of stories that Arkham Horror tells, and Guardian fits that to a T. Of all the investigators, I think Roland is still my favorite. He was the first one I ever played and he is a very powerful solo investigator, especially once you get a few experience under him. Just ignore the fact that he has a terrible Elder Sign ability.
Nick in Real Life
And today? I’m a husband and father of two just trying to make ends meet and starting more projects I can ever hope to finish. And I am lucky enough to be a Mythos Buster.
Mythos Busters 