Let me share some entertaining bits and pieces of last night's playthrough of "Inner Sanctum"...
Inner Sanctum 1A...
Keeper - Me
Jenny Barnes - My wife, Beth
Kate Winthrop - Jeremy, we were playing at his house
Michael McGlen - Holden, Jeremy's teenage son
Joe Diamond - Tony, a friend of Jeremy and I from way back
Joe and Michael managed to accidently set Cave 1 on fire fighting Shoggoth #1
The Cult Leader managed to set the Chapel on fire trying to hurl a fireball at Kate, who had just hit him with the Axe. The 2 damage from "ending a turn in a space with a fire token" was enough to kill him.
Over the course of the scenario, Michael McGlen dropped his Tommy Gun (missed Dexterity check on Ranged Combat card) no less than 3 times.
Kate suffers from the "All Alone" Trauma and believes that her "friends" are actually monsters. She has to make Horror checks any time she/they enter a room together. She eventually sneaks away from they party and runs smack-dab into Shoggoth #2.
This conversation...
Kate's Player: I can't figure out where to go next.
Keeper: (pointing at Clue 3, sitting right in front of him) You could always look for a "Bridge Over Darkness."
Kate's Player: (looking at the map) But there aren't any bridges on this map.
Keeper: (tactful silence)
Kate's Player: Wait... (pointing at the Chasm) is that stairs or a ladder?
Keeper: That... is a Chasm.
Kate's Player: Oh, so that's like a bridge, then.
Kate discovers, to her dismay, that "Hidden" does not mean "Safe" when she hides from Shoggoth #2 in the box in the Study.
Jenny tries to make a goal-line sprint past Shoggoth #3 (Shog #1 was long dead) and 2 Cultists to reach the Ceremony Room to reveal Clue 1... rolling 3 10's in row for her Evade checks.
Jenny (4 Health remaining) and Joe (2 Health remaining) both realizing that they must Evade 6 Cultists, 1 Cult Leader, and 2 Shoggoths to reach the Chapel (which, I remind you, is on fire). They do the math, and both elect to stand and fight rather than run.
All of the players decided that at least 1 of the Investigators should escape, so Kate trades the Cult Robes and the Axe to Michael and he gives her the Tommy Gun. He sprints past the 3 Cultists in the Corner Hallway (who can't attack him) and Evades Shoggoth #2 to reach the Chapel. Shoggoth #2 follows him into the burning Chapel and attacks, but Michael's successful defence (damage and stun the monster) does just enough damage to Shog #2 to kill it.
Kate has 1 Sanity left and is now armed with a Tommy Gun and a Shriveling Spell. Thanks to earlier attacks from Jenny and Joe, her Shrivelling does just enough damage to disintergrate Shog #3. She manages to blast two more Cultists before she's finally brought down.
I see people debate all the time in this Forum about exactly how tough the Keeper should be on the Investigators and how the Keeper should be playing to "Win." I think that you really need to think about who your friends are and what sort of play style that they enjoy and taylor your Keeper play accordingly. There was a point, very early in last night's game, when I knew that could easily bury both groups in Cultists and monsters(they Investigators had split the party and both groups were within 2 spaces of the alters). I also knew that, had I done that, it would be that LAST time that we played MoM with that group...ever.
Was there a winner in last night's game (beyond Michael McGlen)? According to the rules, no... the scenario ended in a draw. Did I have a great time? You bet! Did the other players have a great time? They all seemed to... even my wife, who really can't understand my attraction to the Arkham/Eldritch/Elder/Madness games.
Hope to post more fun bits in a few weeks, after I talk these guys into playing "Blood Ties."
This is why I love Cthulhu mythos board games, even though the world is cruel and the games are about dark and morbid subjects, there's always room for some funny and comedic events. This is especially true in Arkham Horror where you can form very entertaining dialog and story when playing with the right people.