Agnes (Pizza), Mandy (Wings), Carolyn (Zebra), Zoey (Shiny), and Akachi (Me) vs Ithaqua. Dunwich with Dark Pharaoh and Lurker. Hypnos.

Zebra finally returned to active status, and we all crowded around Pizza and Wings’ round table for our first five-player game. We were due for an Innsmouth game, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to add extra monster and Innsmouth variables at the same time—at least for this first time—so I pulled out Dunwich instead.

And then not ONE SINGLE Dunwich Gate was drawn for the ENTIRE GAME. Dunwich has never been so DEAD for me ever. I think a couple of flyers landed there to hassle Carolyn once—I honestly can’t remember why she went up there—but she just snuck away and they went back to the Sky in short order. Plus, Ithaqua (and a massive amount of flying monsters) kinda put the kibosh on the Strange Whispers encounters, as no one wanted to be in the Streets. It was still an exciting game, but on a broad level, it was a tad “base game remedial”.

It’s almost impossible to get Wings to choose Investigators randomly now, so long as Mandy draws a weapon (this time it was a Shotgun). Shiny is learning some bad habits from that, but she drew Zoey in her random three, so that still worked out. She was able to add a Yithian Rifle to her Knife and Cross, so she was also happy. The game responded by giving them a Relationship based on Spells. I don’t remember which one because neither one of them ever casts Spells (or reads Tomes).

Pizza chose Agnes, but never cast her Wither or Shriveling. Zoey traded her a Dhol Chants which could have benefited her and Carolyn (Socially Connected), but after failing to read it once or twice, I think Pizza just forgot it was In his inventory (or was slowed down way too much to read).

Zebra recalled that he was a notorious shopper, and early in the game acquired the Carcosan Page. Thus Carolyn became the UPS Drone, constantly hauling things to her, and shipping them out the following turn. (This would eventually bite me pretty hard, but we’ll get to that.) Akachi started with Find Gate and Mists of Releh, and read Nameless Cults for a Markings of Isis, so I intended to play her straight: Gate Master, no fighting.

We executed the “No Gates, only Monsters, for three turns” House Rule to assist with Zebra’s rustiness, but every Mythos we pulled during that lull was either the Black Cave or the Witch House. The Flying Polyp, the Servitor, a Gug, a Shan, an Elder Thing…it was an ugly mass of Monster Limit in eastern Arkham. (And it reminded Shiny that the Monster Cup HATES her, and she again refused to touch it forever.) But that left the rest of the board as empty as the River Docks, so almost everyone got out of the cold at Hibbs in order to pass Carolyn enough cash to get back to the Asylum to pass her story.

Zoey got first Blood when the Elder Thing exited the Cave, but there was no way anyone was wandering into the first Gate at the Witch House with 5 monsters guarding it (including the Servitor). Both Wings and Zebra had drawn an Elder Sign, so when Hibbs Roadhouse opened a Gate completely unattended--Monster Limit reached—Akachi charged in. I was able to Find a Gate in the Abyss to seal Hibbs by the next turn (Seal 1). I even saved Carolyn’s Elder Sign because Akachi had 4 Clues when she returned to Arkham, and it wasn’t worth wasting it on a Lore 6 (Linguistics Skill) -2 (Abyss) +1 (Akachi’s Secret Rites Ability) roll.

Backing up a bit before the Hibbs Gate, Agnes had been tossed out of the Hibbs Pow-wow—never trust pool players in Arkham—but ran back in to encounter a Ghoul. Later, Agnes would get tossed out of the Hospital, and almost tossed out of the Library. Shiny commented that “people just don’t like Agnes.” But she was lucky enough to pull a Retainer from the MU Dean, and get Akachi one as well (I’ll Vouch For My Friend). Of course, Akachi lost that Retainer on her first roll, so people just don’t like Agnes’ friends either.

Shiny was still looking for monster trophies that didn’t have DEVOURED printed on them, and the Wizard Whateley had “summoned” a Dimensional Shambler to him in the Rivertown Streets. Shiny was wary but willing to try, but the game fought back…hard. A horrible Combat Roll against the Shambler had her heading out to Lost in Time and Space, which she seemed perfectly willing to do, but…generally, the only experience my Cult has with LiTaS is when something KOs them in an Other World; hence, the same Pavlovian response to an unwanted Hospital or Asylum trip, as opposed to, well, an “extended coffee break”. I just didn’t want her to lose the fight (or leave that stupid Wizard on the board), so I think we all kinda goaded her into some Clue spending (plus a Mandy reroll). Then we all got to watch her burn every Clue she had until she put the Shambler down. One failed Horror check with no Clues against Whateley, and Zoe was off to the Asylum, choosing to lose half her stuff (like a Tome she’d never read) rather than draw a Madness. While the game laughed, Shiny was a tad miffed she didn’t just take the coffee break. (To pour salt on it, a couple turns later, Shiny’s Elder Thing trophy came to life and the monster limit allowed to escape unchallenged to the Outskirts.)

The Unravelling Tapestry Rumor came out, just after Agnes was shoved offworld by a Gate Encounter at the Unnameable. Agnes had only Combat Spells, so no easy way to cast a Wither-Shriveling combo in Another Dimension. That left Zebra and I, but both of us were lacking any pure utility Spells. The R’lyss Gate had opened in the Woods—a prime candidate for an Elder Sign—so Akachi Carcosan-Paged Carolyn her Mists of Releh (“Go Evade some monsters!”) with the intention of casting Find Gate from the other side. But the game was on a roll…

I encountered a monster. I drew a Cultist! Except it’s an Ithaqua Cultist, so very tough. Well, then I can just cast my Mists of Releh…that…I…don’t…have anymore. Oh HELL. My Find Gate/Elder Sign combo had me overconfident enough to think I could survive one OW Encounter without needing any Clues. My Sneak was way too low. I couldn’t even cast my Markings of Isis because Cultists don’t have Horror Checks!!! And so frail Akachi had only her fists against some Wendigite: three dice needing three successes. Insert futile dice clicks and wail of agony here. The only silver lining was Carolyn had also passed Akachi a Map of the Mind, so I was also able to avoid Lost in Time and Space. However, I got silver poisoning when I risked an Injury and got Double Vision: the one Investigator that could use less Clues to Seal was now unable to simply pick Clues up off the board. And the game doubled over laughing…

Mandy got a Gate Encounter at the Black Cave, and it was a Motorgate. (Pizza and Wings rendezvous in Another Dimension!) Eventually, a new plan formed: Agnes, lacking enough Clues to Seal, would exit via the Motorgate (now in the Streets) and just close it, while Mandy would come out at the Unnameable to Seal. But first, Wings would get her first monster encounter…a Lloigor, making all of her Weapons useless…

“…but didn’t she have a Shotgun?” Okay, look: I don’t CARE what FFG says. WEAPON IMMUNITY. It’s IMMUNE to any gun, blade, stick, torch, hammer, and lamp, magic or otherwise! But a Shotgun’s sixes count as two successes because, what? It’s scared of the NOISE it makes?! I do not abide by this loophole!

…so Wings unhappily snuck away. (She hates leaving creatures alive.) But the rest of the plan worked out. Pizza and Wings both got a Gate Trophy, and the Unnameable was Seal 2. Dizzy but undaunted, Akachi strode right back into the Abyss, Found that Gate, and Elder-Signed the Woods (Seal 3), passing her Story. Clues fell like rain: so many that we ran out of green ones (had to use some old CoC CCG brown ones), because Carolyn had a mint horde in the teens.

A pretty well-balanced game of good fortune and bad luck all the way through, so next time we take Shiny to Innsmouth. I don’t expect that seafood platter to be as sleepy as Dunwich.