The Cast Of Characters In The Arkham Horror Files

Many characters throughout the franchise that embody ideas about archaeology. Kymani Jones is just one of them, but there are many others. This list will start with the most obvious and include a few observations.

The Cast

  • Monterey Jack: The Archaeologist

    He has appeared in almost every Arkham Horror Files game so far

    He is a very clear reference to Indiana Jones

    “History whispers and Monterey Jack listens.” - Jack’s character card from Mansions of Madness

    He fulfills every single archetype of an archaeologist in Lovecraftian fiction

  • Kymani Jones: The Security Consultant

    They work directly for museums

    They use their position to return stolen goods back to their country of origin

    They are very much a “Robin Hood” but for archaeology specifically

  • Leo Anderson: The Expedition Leader

    Led a research expedition into the Yucatán

    The expeditions are “not purely for academic purposes”

    He recovers a lot of old artifacts, but also lose a lot of people along the way

  • Ursula Downs: The Explorer

    She is an archaeologist by degree, and it seems a reference in part to Lara Croft

    She tracks stolen artifacts and sometimes takes them herself

    Her in-game descriptor specifically references a golden idol, which is one of the first things Indiana Jones takes as well

  • Kōhaku Narukami: The Folklorist

    Not much in the way of lore for Kōhaku as a brand new character

    He grew up in Tokyo and has tales about his childhood that involve creatures from folklore

    Folklore is often an important part of archaeology and there is a fair amount of crossover when archaeologists have access to writings from the culture they are studying

In addition to these characters, there are a number of academics who are a little more generalized:

  • Norman Withers: The Astronomer

  • Daisy Walker: The Librarian

  • Kate Winthrop: The Scientist

  • Carolyn Fern: The Psychologist

  • Amanda Sharpe: The Student

  • Mandy Thompson: The Researcher

  • Harvey Walters: The Professor

It’s telling that there is such a high number of academic-related investigators in the game. It shows where the franchise’s priorities often are and how much the game leans into the idea of the academics from the stories themselves. Other characters could also be seen as tangential to archaeology as well, these are just the most obvious.

Is there a specific reason academics are so wrapped up in the horrors of Cthulhu?

It likely has to do with Lovecraft’s own fear of the past or what was being uncovered during his time. He clearly did not think people should be messing with the past, and, despite his other flaws, maybe he was right though not for the reasons he thought he was. It is not an ancient horror that should be considered when dealing with the past, but rather the present one of people who shouldn’t be taking artifacts and tearing up sites. This is even more true when the locals are not in agreement with the ones coming to examine and take their things.

Regardless, this game, through the abundance of what is shown on the character cards, does have its own commentary on the subject as well. It is interesting to see what tropes are maintained and which ones are called into question, as in Kymani’s case.