Today we started the next cycle of plays to explore Miskatonic Horror. A complete rotation of the 24 AOs (as usual, no Atlach, but Daoloth's in) helped by the Black Goat Herald.
Some general notes about the game: the first Ancient One we picked up was Glaaki. Each time an ally is discarded or returned to the box, a Servant of Glaaki enters play. Hence, if you're able to control the Terror Track, you basically don't have anything to fear from the guy. Then, the Herald: each surge is a +1 doom, and without surges, you have double the number of monsters being spawned by gate openings. So, the key to control the terror is to keep the number of monsters in play low and to seal as fast as possible the high frequency gates. Easy peasy, you know how to do it, then, do it.
Yeah, sure.
The team: Rex, Akachi, Jim, Darrell, Agnes.
We started with Rex going to Independence Square only to be suck through a double gate (Carcosa & Another Time) during the Mythos. Another gate opened at the Woods and a third one at the Unnamable. Then: Strange Sightings, then: Woods again; then: Strange Sightings.
Three doomers in a row countered by Eltdown Shards + Members of the Book Club, but we had Snow Drift in play for something like 4 Mythos; hence, monsters snowed the board (literally, lol), no one was able to reach gates, and the Outskirts popped twice, releasing the Skill Servant (ouch) and the Spell Servant (blah). Rex thanks to Seeker of the Yellow Sign managed to seal the double gate despite of his eternal curse, Agnes in some ways sealed the Unnamable, and when the doom track scored 6 I had only 2 seals on the board. At least, I had been able to keep at bay the number of hex monsters on the board since Akachi used as often as possible Lure Monster to swap monsters from play with those in the Outskirts. This kept the number of corruptions given rather low.
Then, finally, the environment was discarded. Akachi jumped into the Woods gate, Jim invested some of the trophies cashed to uncurse Rex, Rex decided to risk and after cashing monsters for clues at the Science Building (coming in number of four in stead of two, since he not only was able to generate an extra clue due to his special ability, but also had a Press Pass) and used the Naacal Key to open a gate there (the item seems to suck, but actually it's great! Especially because you don't add doom when using the Key - may the Gods of the Earth bless the guy who wrote the FAQ). He chose Another time, and here we went, Akachi sealed the Woods and Jim claimed the Cultist on the Unvisited Isle before diving into that gate.
The situation in Kingsport began to worsen, with 3 rifts about to open, and voilà, gate opened at Devil's Hopeyard, rift opening there and in the following round the rift in Dunwich moving, adding doom and spawning and a second rift opening. The killed Skill Servant returned into play, followed by the Common Item Servant.
Still, five seals on the board (Indep. Square, Woods, Unvisited Isle, Unnamable, Science Building), Agnes in the first area of Kadath with clues to seal and one empty doomer on the doom track.
Next Mythos: No one can help you now. Seriously?
New plan: Akachi jumped into Kadath dodging a Flying Polyp (2 successes rolled with two dice!) and one of Glaaki's Servants (1 success out of three dice). Jim and Darrell tag teamed to close the first rift, while Rex went to Dunwich just in time to kill a Deep One who was considering ending his miserable life in a vortex (if triggered, the Clue Servant would have literally killed all my remaining chances).
Next Mythos: gate opening bumping on a seal.
Akachi cast Find Gate and returns from Kadath (reduced to 1 San and 1 Sta). 4 dice to roll, one success. Phew.
Victory by sealing gates in 16 Mythos.
