I'm nitpicking details, because I'm going mad waiting for this game and I want to discuss it.

When building four decks with two cores do you let all four decks draw their basic weakness from the same pool of ten cards or do you let two from one set draw from one pool and the other two from another pool.

Is the campaign meant to only include one copy of each basic weakness and does it matter?

Does it matter who draws first?

I think you draw out of 10 fixed basic weakness cards regardless the amount of cores you possess. No one forces you though.

I think it doesn't matter, however having diverse weaknesses sounds more interesting to me.

I believe you all draw from the same pool of only 1 copy of each Basic Weakness.

Theoretically, this could work like other LCGs: Each person has their own set(s) and brings an investigator deck rather than having one person provide all the decks.

In that case, the question would be do they add the weakness from their own set or do they wait until everyone is at the table and everyone draws from the same set of weaknesses (which would require remembering to give the weakness back when you are done).

I think it would be easiest if each player had their deck completely built ahead of time including a basic weakness.

I believe you all draw from the same pool of only 1 copy of each Basic Weakness.

This is incorrect, as in core set there are 2 duplicated weaknesses.

I believe you all draw from the same pool of only 1 copy of each Basic Weakness.

One Core Set features 8 distinct Basic Weaknesses, but you get two copies of two of them--Amnesia and Paranoia. So in drawing your Basic Weakness, it'll be a pool of ten cards.

Yes it actually explains this somewhere sadly i dont remember where. But it gives an example of someone having 2 core sets, 1 deluxe expansion and 1 mythos pack and says that there are 11 basic weakness cards to draw from. So that would assume that you only use from one deck.

I believe you all draw from the same pool of only 1 copy of each Basic Weakness.

One Core Set features 8 distinct Basic Weaknesses, but you get two copies of two of them--Amnesia and Paranoia. So in drawing your Basic Weakness, it'll be a pool of ten cards.

Thanks for clarifying. I was unaware you get multiple copies in one Core Set. My point was that if you have multiple Core Sets, you don't add in those Basic Weaknesses into the pool.

I believe you all draw from the same pool of only 1 copy of each Basic Weakness.

One Core Set features 8 distinct Basic Weaknesses, but you get two copies of two of them--Amnesia and Paranoia. So in drawing your Basic Weakness, it'll be a pool of ten cards.

Thanks for clarifying. I was unaware you get multiple copies in one Core Set. My point was that if you have multiple Core Sets, you don't add in those Basic Weaknesses into the pool.

Eh, you could. Might be fun to have a party of paranoids or amnesiacs

I believe you all draw from the same pool of only 1 copy of each Basic Weakness.

One Core Set features 8 distinct Basic Weaknesses, but you get two copies of two of them--Amnesia and Paranoia. So in drawing your Basic Weakness, it'll be a pool of ten cards.

Thanks for clarifying. I was unaware you get multiple copies in one Core Set. My point was that if you have multiple Core Sets, you don't add in those Basic Weaknesses into the pool.

Eh, you could. Might be fun to have a party of paranoids or amnesiacs

Yeah, I can see how it wouldn't matter too terribly much, but I'd prefer variability where each character has a different personality - the hypochondriac, the guy who believes he's being hunted by ghosts, the guy who actually is hunted by mobsters.

The relevant bit from the Learn to Play, which explains how we will handle future Basic Weaknesses:

To select a random basic weakness, take a set of the ten basic weaknesses in this core set, shuffle those weaknesses together, and draw one at random to add to the investigator’s deck. Some Arkham Horror: The Card Game products add additional basic weakness cards to a player’s collection. Simply add these cards to the ten cards found in the core set when selecting random basic weaknesses in the future.

For example: Stephanie owns two copies of the core set, one copy of the first deluxe campaign expansion, and one copy of the first Mythos pack. To create a single set of basic weaknesses, she takes all of the basic weaknesses in one core set, in one copy of the first deluxe campaign box, and in one copy of the first Mythos pack, and shuffles them together. Her basic weakness is drawn at random from this pool.

"To select a random basic weakness, take a set of the ten basic weaknesses in this core set, shuffle those weaknesses together, and draw one at random to add to the investigator’s deck"

Well by RAW then each deck you build should draw from a pool containing 10 basic weaknesses meaning I have to fill it up after each deck I build.

Well by RAW then each deck you build should draw from a pool containing 10 basic weaknesses meaning I have to fill it up after each deck I build.

I'm not sure what you mean.

If you mean, you're playing a game with more than 1 player, then no, you don't fill anything. All players draw from those 10 weaknesses without refilling anything.

If you mean that every time you build a new deck for a separate adventure, then yes, by rules that random weakness should be drawn from a pool of 10.

Let me give you an example:

I have just built a deck for a campaign when my friend comes over and sees what I'm doing. I tell him about the game and he proceeds to build a deck too from my core set. He asks what he should include in the deck and I tell him to look in the rulebook. He reads the paragraph I quoted above and exclaims "you only have nine weakness cards here, I can't follow the deckbuilding instructions".

What should he do. Is it covered in the rules somewhere?

This is where my nitpicking applies.

Let me give you an example:

I have just built a deck for a campaign when my friend comes over and sees what I'm doing. I tell him about the game and he proceeds to build a deck too from my core set. He asks what he should include in the deck and I tell him to look in the rulebook. He reads the paragraph I quoted above and exclaims "you only have nine weakness cards here, I can't follow the deckbuilding instructions".

What should he do. Is it covered in the rules somewhere?

This is where my nitpicking applies.

That's taking nitpicking to a new level...

Considering the Learn to Play guide seems to assume each person owns their own copy of the game and is deck building from their own card pool, then you could tell your friend to go buy the game for themselves. However, I can only imagine that if everyone is sharing one persons copy, that they would pull from the same pile, giving a potentially diverse set of weaknesses to everyone.

Also take and consider that the starter decks in the learn to play section breaks the deck building rules too, considering the weaknesses are not random.

I don't know, you can approach it either way depending on what you feel is necessary, it is a co-op game after all, no judge is coming around to make sure you built your deck according to standards. Having everyone pick from one random pool of all the weaknesses is still taking a random weakness after all.

In the end, if you're going to be that worried about it, you're going to spend a lot more of your time worried about the rules of the game rather than actually enjoy playing the game.

@Netherspirit I'd say that's a normal level of nitpicking when discussing rules, but thank you for sharing your opinion.

@Doma "Each starter deck should include a random basic weakness from the pool of basic weaknesses (96–103)." The rules for creating decks in the Learn to Play section breaks no such rule.

Also, I'm not worried the least, which I thought my OP stated, I'm nitpicking rules while waiting for the game. since I like to do that. If you don't like that that's fine by me.

Edited because I felt like a jerk starting a problem.

@Netherspirit I'd say that's a normal level of nitpicking when discussing rules, but thank you for sharing your opinion.

I guess we'll just have to disagree about that.

I think the rules can be open to a little bit of interpretation on the intent of the deck building process, which I believe is that your basic weakness should be a random one not one you pick specifically for your character.

The Learn to Play Guide says that you can add more weaknesses from later expansions to that pool of 10, so I think you can interpret that to mean there can be less cards in the pool if you have less (as in the example of building 2 decks from 1 core).

Building 4 decks from 2 core sets I can understand a little because you'll have so many more basic weaknesses and multiples of each of them. I think you could go either way, build 2 from 1 core and 2 from another or build all 4 from one or build all 4 from 2. I think the important part of the basic weakness rules is the RANDOM aspect of it.

The answer is clear: when you make a deck you pick from the 10 basic weakness. Make a second deck and you should also pick from the 10 basic weakness.

Of course, no one can force you buy an extra core/expansion of everything that comes with weakness just so that you can make enough decks at the same time....and I doubt that even FFG expects people to do so.....so simply pick from the weakness that you have left. This problem will be less and less of an issue the more weakness are released

The pool is based on the amount of cards in the pool before your add any weakness to your deck(s). So with one(or 2 cores) this pool will only be made up of 10 cards (from 1 core). I add one weakness to Wendy's deck, now there are 9 cards left in the pool. I now add one for my Rolans deck, and so now the pool is only 8 cards and so on.

So if i create 2 deck, becouse i own 1 core, there will be 8 weakness cards left. If i instead create 4 deck (2 cores) the weakness pool will there after only consist of 6 cards. The exampel in the "learn to play" is an exampel of the amount of card before you create your "first" deck.

How this will work when I have 4 friends who all own their own copy of the game? well who cares really, if they want to build their own decks and bring them over to my house when playing and we all end up with the same weakness, well thats fine by me, the odds of that happening is not high though.

And also note that adding random weakness to your deck, is the last step when building decks.

The answer is clear: when you make a deck you pick from the 10 basic weakness. Make a second deck and you should also pick from the 10 basic weakness.

Given that the starter set is rather clearly stated to support two players, I don't see how this can be correct.

If you're looking for a nitpicky reason the game doesn't break before you even play it, consider each step of deckbuilding to be simultaneous and shared by all the players in the campaign. Therefore, all players in the campaign are sharing the same pool of weaknesses.

This is a perfectly plausible way to read it if you're truly just trying to nitpick the rules to find the right answer. If you're trying to nitpick just for the sake of breaking the game... well, I guess your set is unplayable. Please send it to me!

Let me give you an example:

I have just built a deck for a campaign when my friend comes over and sees what I'm doing. I tell him about the game and he proceeds to build a deck too from my core set. He asks what he should include in the deck and I tell him to look in the rulebook. He reads the paragraph I quoted above and exclaims "you only have nine weakness cards here, I can't follow the deckbuilding instructions".

What should he do. Is it covered in the rules somewhere?

This is where my nitpicking applies.

Well the rules does not say "there has to be 10 cards in the pool" it says that you draw your weakness from the pool of one core. What is does say is that there are only 10 weakness cards in the core set, in the example above your friend would have a pool of 9 cards, for building a second deck. The rulebook does also say that you will be able to extend your weakness pool by buying expansion packs that will add more weakness cards to your pool. But u will never ever combine weakness cards from multiple core sets.

Let me give you an example:

I have just built a deck for a campaign when my friend comes over and sees what I'm doing. I tell him about the game and he proceeds to build a deck too from my core set. He asks what he should include in the deck and I tell him to look in the rulebook. He reads the paragraph I quoted above and exclaims "you only have nine weakness cards here, I can't follow the deckbuilding instructions".

What should he do. Is it covered in the rules somewhere?

This is where my nitpicking applies.

Well the rules does not say "there has to be 10 cards in the pool" it says that you draw your weakness from the pool of one core. What is does say is that there are only 10 weakness cards in the core set, in the example above your friend would have a pool of 9 cards, for building a second deck. The rulebook does also say that you will be able to extend your weakness pool by buying expansion packs that will add more weakness cards to your pool. But u will never ever combine weakness cards from multiple core sets.

"To select a random basic weakness, take a set of the ten basic weaknesses in this core set, shuffle those weaknesses together, and draw one at random to add to the investigator’s deck" - Learn to Play p.14

It does say ten in the pool.

By that logic, after I've added my basic weakness to my deck, I should then search my deck for that weakness, remove it, and shuffle it back with the other so that you can draw yours. I think we can safely say that this is not what FFG intended.