Ghatanothoa or no Ghatanothoa? Part 2 (Session Report, the other half)

By jgt7771, in Arkham Horror Second Edition

Part 1: www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=5&efcid=1&efidt=134170

Rita’s Story, Part 2: Having completed her Personal Story—“Yeah, I told you I wasn’t crazy, flatfoot!”—Rita went to the Gilman Hotel, both to recover from her wicked Shoggoth victory, and to wait for Wendy to get back to the Reefs for extraction. (Rita moved first, and unfortunately, I just wasn’t sure if I could get Wendy back directly from Y’ha-nthlei.) Rita gained Sanity twice (from the uniqueness of the Gilman boardspace)…but then Wendy vanished, and there was little reason to stay in Innsmouth without Clues, while Arkham was crawling with Monster Limits. So she went Downtown to show the Priest of Dagon her new sword-gun combo. As his body hit the ground, he whispered a few nonsense words and smiled up at her, blood in his teeth. He laughed, wheezed, and died. Suddenly, water was EVERYWHERE. And Rita could see things moving underneath the surface… (Innsmouth Environment: all streets are aquatic. After Rita killed the Priest, ALL monsters moved, and Rita was the only Investigator in the Streets.)

Jenny’s Story, Part 2: Jenny wandered around Arkham looking for enough Clues to seal, tempting Ghatanothoa a couple times, but she scored a Brazier of Souls to match the Elephant Gun she traded with Rita for her .357. Now she just needed her Sanity back. (Jenny was walking with her sister, Eric Colt, and her Inner Beast: Speed up the yin-yang, but harder to manage her Sanity checks.) She went to the Asylum to relax, but then she noticed the flooded Streets outside her window, and that poor girl she traded with getting mobbed by fish things.

The Battle for Downtown: Rita & Jenny vs. Skeleton, Moon Beast, Deep One, & Serpent Person.

Jenny flew out of the Asylum, charging the animated pile of algae-rotted bones. She was afraid her ammo would just fly through it, so she pulled out the Brazier. “Isabelle! I need a light!” she shouted, and her sister tossed her a matchbook. She ripped one out, flicked it a few times, and got the Brazier lit. When she looked up…the empty skull was right in front of her! (-1 Sanity) She screamed and shoved the Brazier at it. The skeleton twitched and crumbled to bits. Turning to her left, the huge toad-thing with a mass of tentacles for a head sloshed toward her…but now Jenny was mad. Shrugging off the fear in her throat, she whipped up the huge gun and fired, blowing a hole clean through what passed for its face. Now there was that walking fish thing behind it, coming toward her, jaws gaping. But her Brazier was out, and her gun was empty…

“DUCK!” she heard behind her.

Jenny had always been a quick thinker, and didn’t question the voice at all. She flung herself to the side, splashing into the water. (Evade Check passed.) When she looked up, she could see the fish-thing just standing there, a sword jabbed through its open maw, juice spitting from where the point had exited the back of its neck. She rolled over to see Rita point her huge pistol before loudly bringing its lurching to an end.

Rita pulled Jenny out of the water, and they both looked over at the serpent man hissing from the side bushes. They stared each other in the eyes for a few moments before the reptiloid turned and shuffled out of sight.

(Every single roll in that entire exchange passed with NO extra successes, if you can imagine my eyes whipping about from die to die.)

Jenny pretty much spent the rest of the game sweeping the streets of Arkham. Sometimes it was to save some other Investigator from being trapped in a Location, sometimes it was the Mythos or Sky dumping things on her. She grabbed Clues here and there, and managed to Seal the Historical Society with the Encounter that closed the Gate on her: Speed (-2) Check…Jenny comfortably at Speed 6.

Wendy’s Story, Part 2: Sure enough, the moment Wendy got back to the Reef for pickup, she got sucked away to the Abyss. At least she had enough Clues this time…but she had left behind a Lloigor. And then she lost 3 Sanity because she couldn’t use any Clues. Hanging on by a thread, she was luckily thrown out of the Abyss early, and prayed she could close the gate next turn and someone would come get her before the giant thing moved and drove her mad.

Monster surge dropped a Nightgaunt on her. gran_risa.gifpartido_risa.gifbabeo.gif

Her Sneak was maxed (because who needs more than 2 Speed when in Y’ha-nthlei), so she remained hidden long enough to seal Devil’s Reef, and avoid waking up the Lloigor. Next turn, she turned down her Fight enough so that even Mountain Murphy couldn’t get her a die. And the Servant of Nodens flew her off to the Esoteric Order of Dagon, zipping right past the Ghost that Jenny was afraid of. While in Celaeno, she met someone who taught her Mythos Lore!!! When she returned, the Ghost had been joined by Barnabas Marsh himself. Wendy stayed out of sight, darkness creeping into her mind, trying to hold it together long enough to do what she had to do. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” she whimpered as her Elder Sign sealed the gate, and she slipped away into fishy dreams… llorando.gif

Rita’s Story, Part 3: “Get away from her, you nightmares!!!” Rita came barreling into the Order, throwing lead and steel at anything daring to remain in her path. The Ghost was dispatched by her new Gladius, while Barnabas got the full Golden Sword-Magnum treatment. When all was still, she picked up Wendy’s limp body and carried her outside.

(Wendy removed to Asylum from 0 Sanity after using Elder Sign. Failed Personal Story. Gained Addiction. Rita targeted Barnabas to keep Doom Track away from Martial Law. Went to Gilman Hotel to recuperate and got an Encounter for free bus ride to any Encounter in Arkham; went to Asylum to “cut out the middleman”. Somewhere around all this, Jenny read her Eltdown Shards to weaken Doom Track even more.)

Everything seemed to be under control…except the Deep One Rising Track. Now at 4, it was time to get the Feds. Wendy had gone to the Curiositie Shoppe for a weak attempt to get her Elder Sign back, but ended up with True Magick instead. Rita had acquired an Illuminated Manuscript. They caught the same bus to Innsmouth and split up: Wendy to Church Yellow…er, Church Green, Rita to Innsmouth Shore. (This was not the time for errant Encounters, and no Monsters would be coming from the Order, I hoped.) They hung around to next Upkeep, each filling their neighborhood’s spaces, then met at Gilman’s, where Wendy made the phone call for the Feds to sweep in. A single phase later, Wendy was arrested. sorpresa.gifdemonio.gifpreocupado.gif Guess Innsmouth don't like outsiders pokin' into its business.

Ursula’s story, Part 2: Ursula, darling that she is, had cursed dice. She was FINALLY able to Seal the Witch House, and was trying to find a monster to kill, when the Science Building shoved her outside into a Shoggoth, and the ruckus attracted the attention of a Shan. “This isn’t fun anymore,” she sighed. (Terror Track hit 3. Failed Personal Story, and Cursed.) Jenny came along and mowed down her bullies, and she went off in search of Clues. After acquiring two at the Black Cave, she got hit with “A Monster Appears” and (please be something she can HIT!) it was a Formless Spawn that she had to use all of her Clues against to beat it. She finally hit a stretch of luck: using her ability at the Science Building, she gained 4 Clues, had a professor uncurse her, and had a neat Encounter that had her ROLL for her current Stamina and Sanity (die result = Current, or Max if lower). She snuck past the recurring Mummy (because Jenny the Warrior was offworld), and killed a Tcho-Tcho for a Flare Gun (whee), before jumping into the Dreamlands at the Unvisited Isle. (She lost the Flare Gun to a pickpocket. HA ha.) When she returned, she came out into the Unnameable (second Dreamlands Gate), and had to beat a Warlock after FAILING to close a +1 Gate.

While Ursula sat there and pondered the manual on Gate Closures, Jenny went to the Science Building to try to close ALL the Gates, as we now had enough trophies for a win. She actually got it, but only closed two of the last four. Ursula Sealed the Unnameable, but a monster surge clogged up the Unvisited Isle, and spit a Zombie into the Streets. Big deal, right? It’s a Zombie!

Clueless Ursula got knocked unconscious by a Zombie. Hospital. Hearing Loss. With white noise ringing in her ears, she went to the Historical Society for a couple of Clues.

AND SHE WAS NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN. demonio.gif

It seemed like Innsmouth was gonna be quiet for a while, so I got Rita and Wendy the hell out of there. Wendy went to the Asylum to read her Clue book for the rest of the game, and Rita helped Jenny mop up anything left in the Streets.

Wait, so who got the last Gate?

Akachi’s Story: YEAH. YEAH, THAT’S WHAT I SAID. partido_risa.gif Akachi IMMEDIATELY tossed her R’lyeh Gate Trophy away for two Clues, and lost her Fist of Yog (they call this a combat spell?) since she already had a Shriveling and the Livre d’Ivon. I believe it was at this time that Ghatanothoa got fed up with me, and tried everything he could to stop me. “No One Can Help You Now.” Um…except Akachi. lengua.gif A Gate to R’lyeh opened up, and an Elder Thing walked away from it…right into Jenny’s blunderbuss. Akachi risked R’lyeh for the easy entrance, and ended up with 5 more Clues, just after a Y’ha-nthlei Gate/Environment prevented any Clues from hitting the board. Ghatanothoa tried a double-doom Innsmouth rumor, but Akachi came out without a scratch and ended the game.

Final Score of 22, mostly due to Rita and Jenny’s pile of monster trophies. aplauso.gif

Endgame Commentary:

I recommend everyone play Ghatanothoa as soon as possible. HE’S SUCH A HOOT. gran_risa.gif And he’s so simple I daresay he could qualify as a tutorial Ancient One, if your rookies are (non-AH) gamers of any experience.

I LIKE URSULA. She just couldn’t get the pips, man. enfadado.gif

I got too many Formless Spawn draws. I’m beginning to consider certain monster omissions depending on which Ancient One is in play. For instance, I don’t need SEVEN Dark Young or four Goat Spawn unless I’m playing Shub or the Black Goat. I don’t need four Formless Spawns unless I’m playing Tsathoggua. In fact, I would kinda like to make those two extra ones into Gnoph-Keh, Tcho-Tchos, or Fire Vampires, depending on which IH AO is in play.

Innsmouth Encounters are sooooo NEAT. “But…but I don’t belong here!” “Yesss, you do.” I got a taste of just about everything fishy—Jail / Sawbone Alley, Y’ha-nthlei, Gilman’s, boat use, Innsmouth Look draws, Feds Raid—but not really a meal of anything. Must...eat...MORE. babeo.gif

Personal Stories are a mixed bag, but everyone’s kinda said that already. I tried to stick with mine as long as possible, even when I know other players around here would think I was just being silly to do so. In fact, I was a little bit blue about blowing off Akachi’s story so lightly...but...but it seems like such an inconsequential failure, compared to the white-knucklers of Jenny and Wilson. And then, since Avi_dreader piqued my interest, I sneakpeeked Sister Mary............how is that a failure? I suppose I hope there might be more Personal Stories down the road, just for the coin toss of it. (Android has 3, pick 2.)

And, of course...I...FINALLY...HAVE...DEEP ONES!!! demonio.gif demonio.gif demonio.gif MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!