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 ****. 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.
Carolyn had managed to locate one of the original Spells with her name on it: Voice of Ra. Already a free +1 stat boost with her Psychology ability, but she and Mandy had the Mystic Knights Relationship: Zebra’s constant casting kept Wings uber-sane for the remainder of the game, in addition to finally putting down that pesky Spellcasting Rumor, which gave Akachi Vision Quest! If she can’t pick Clues up, she can find them with her MIND!
The state of the Streets was a bit clogged now. A Crawling One had set up shop in Miskatonic, a Rivertown mob was Patroling, and there were still several flyers spread out to threaten the roadways. Everyone was trapped on the north end of town except Akachi (with 1 Sanity left), who decided to catch her breath in the South Church and burn all her Gate Trophies Blessing the rest of the team. (Then a Color Out of Space moved, and the Asylum carriage came for her.)
Agnes had gotten stuck in the Rivertown Streets with two Byakhees and that Patrol marker, and almost everything she had was in the wrong place: her Stats were not set for Horror or Spellcasting, she was running low on Sanity and Stamina, and she had lots of money (to lose on bail) and barely any Clues. Pizza is already pretty skittish about taking risks in this game; when he has a razor-thin margin of error, he’d rather just find a deep hole and hum with his fingers in his ears until it goes away. The only decent option Pizza decided he had was to jack up his Sneak, and hide from monsters, townsfolk, and sleet in the Graveyard until something broke. (The Terror Track had recently closed the General Store, and Pizza has NEVER liked the Black Cave. BATS!)
This opened up a very sheer-drop opportunity for Zoey: if she could manage to kill both Byakhees before the villagers had her arrested, she could pass her Story one game action before she failed her Story! Which is precisely what happened. Covered in Byakhee ichor, she smugly sat her jail cell, knowing God was on her side. And when they let her out, they Deputized her with all those blood drops she was sitting on. (A salary, an unloseable gun, and a personal Transporter?! Shiny liked being Deputy!)
Happy Days Are Here Again came out, which normally would be a good thing, but if the Terror Level can’t increase, that Rivertown Patrol WOULD NEVER LEAVE! (Clever, clever game.) Agnes managed to drag herself slowly and painfully to the Asylum, and then to the Train Station, where a lucky encounter with Bill Washington gave her a ride to the Hospital, just after the Woods Burst. But the Gate was to the City of the Great Race, so Agnes had a somewhat leisurely trip to conclude with Seal 3(4).
A Plague of Insects tried to form, but they all died in the freezing wind. But the damage was done as the two Doom Tokens put Ithaqua at 9. Just after that came the Disturbing the Dead Rumor. Agnes was the closest to be able to pass it, but we all agreed that it would be better to let it sit until it raised the Terror Level and sent those Rivertown busybodies back to their beds! (Which never actually happened. Seriously, the game was just being a d*ck about that Patrol.)
Carolyn had been slowly acquiring Clues and a Newspaper Retainer, going the long way around Rivertown to get down to French Hill. Zebra remembered how much he hates Speed 3 Investigators. (Zoey had a Map for a short while, but lost it when she went insane, and none of Zebra’s numerous shopping trips resulted in a Speed bonus.) The Crawling One finally moved south, and Zebra and Wings had begun to discuss how to split the two French Hill Gates between them. (Zebra always seems to be playing one Phase ahead of everyone else.) Now, technically it was still Agnes’ Movement Phase, as I placed her Explored Token at the Woods, but the two conference-callers were on the Other Worlds side of the board. “Guys? Can you move Agnes out? Agnes? There? To the Woods? Guys? Bring Agnes out? Woods? City of the Great Race there? GUYS! AGNES! WOODS! NOW!” Boy, did I receive stares. “NOW your OCD kicks in?!” Zebra barked. But…but…sigh.
Mandy took the Witch House, while Carolyn took the Silver Twilight Lodge. (I think the deciding factor was Wings wanted to take advantage to Hypnos’ boost to Plateau of Leng Encounters, because Zebra was still listening to the Voice of Ra on repeat.) Carolyn got delayed, so soon after, there was a two-turn cycle like this: Mandy Seal 4(5), Unnameable Gate Burst, Carolyn Seal 4(6).
While all that was going on down in southeast Arkham, Deputy Zoey had scooted off to the Blasted Heath for a pack of dusty Clues—Dunwich was dead-asleep, remember?—while Akachi took the train to Cold Spring Glen, and used Vision Quest to empty the Backwoods Country of EIGHT Clues. Both of us loaded for Sealing, Zoey drove back to the Graveyard to go to R’lyeh, while broke Akachi caught an extremely lucky ride with Sheriff Engle to the Unvisited Isle, bypassing that stupid Color that wouldn’t leave. Remember when Carolyn came out for the second fourth Seal? Zoey and Akachi came out during the same turn for Seals 5(7) and 6(8). That very Mythos Phase would opened a Gate at Independence Square for Doom 11: won by a Phase! Take that, game!
Final Score: 18. Ith tends to be a lower scoring game if the Terror track has decent activity, and we spent a LOT of trophies this game. Only six Monster Trophies were left, but that last sudden push left us with six unspent Gate Trophies. All that and Wings still resisted using her Elder Sign. A solid victory!
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.
