Fan Creations League Stories and Comments

By Avi_dreader, in Fan Creations

I guess Dj is right, Mythos Zero is read during the setup, so you can't really talk about phases. Uff. Sorry to hear you have to play this again. Especially if the victory was so spectacular!

And congrats to Eagermind who passed the Scenario! Well done!

Technically there are no phases until turn 1 begins, and i have always played that way. Maybe i am splitting hairs. But it seemed the design understood this distinction because it used the phrase "first mythos card" as well as "mythos phase".

Yes they were all dead by turn 2 but i burned through most of my clues just finding them, figured that stripping and delaying the investigation was the intent as per the Glaaki scenario. It still made life difficult - i was on elder god btw. Also, was told this one was easier a few times. So yeah not to worry, maybe i can squeeze it in this week, i have a huge project nearing completion, something that has been weighing heavily on me for nearly a year, if i nail it this week i will find the time, otherwise its a weeks pause.

By the way, it was a 9 turn spectacularly nail biting victory by closing with everyone cursed from turn 3 onwards.

I say, if it was a close stressful game, count it as a win and move on to the next scenario ;'D

(The intent wasn't early game resource stripping though, it was dealing with the werewolves early, or risking major infections of your team).

Of course, if you want to replay it as designed, that's your choice too. I definitely won't complain :'D

Well, I passed 4 th scenario.

I was also a little unsure about how to start (day or night) but I checked Julia’s walkthrough report on this thread (from two years ago?!) and I knew I had to start by night.

I have kind of mixed feelings about it. It is mostly because I found myself in some situations where I was not sure how to proceed. For example : At some point Werewolf William was delayed due to an encounter in Black Cave. During the mythos phase moon monsters were moving. It did not make sense in my head to move him because he did not have any "movement points", I did move him even though It did not make sense in my world. Then another time Mary also was supposed to move 2 spaces because of the moon sign on mythos phase. There was a regular black monster one space away on the direction she had to move. She was considered a werewolf moving two spaces(first one stalker) and elusive. Does that mean she evades the monster because she is elusive and move two spaces or she stops by the monster?.

Anyway it was somehow an uncomfortable slow game for me. All investigators went more than once to Hospital/Asylum. There were a tons of heavy sanity monsters (Hound of tindalos, hunting horror,…) on the board and not nice environmental mythos cards (-1 sneak, -1 movement points,…), making hard to kill/evade them. What annoyed me most was when Mary failed her lore check to seal a gate and then because of the moons movement on the mythos card, she had to move two spaces away from the gate and thus losing the exploration token (Jacqueline could not cancel the mythos card). She had just been delayed in the other worlds…I just wanted to send her to hell J .

I won by seals in 16 turns , 10 doomers. Fortunately I did not suffer double curses from Death thanks to Wendy (who did not use her Elder sign until the last seal) and Mary.

I hope you do not mind I give you my opinion…do not take it wrong Avi….I really enjoy your twisted league…for me it was only a stepping stone and now “The Darkness” is waiting J

For the next scenario I carry over:

Mary : Shrivelling

Jacqueline: Gatebox

William: Tommy Gun

Norman: Press pas

I am quite busy next week. I hope I can find time for my favourite nightmare J .

The movement even if delayed would make sense to me, because while normal William may be busy or exhausted, werewolf William wants to run when the moon is full!

As for losing a chance to seal a gate because you failed a roll ;'D that's actually one of the most obnoxious effects of infection (and one of the reasons when I played the scenario I was careful to quarantine some of my team so they wouldn't infect the rest).

Congrats, but, heh ;'D in hard mode, you can't really rely on Mary and Wendy to protect you from Death. Something to look forward to, no doubt ;'D Along with scenario 5! (Although I'm a little worried that if you didn't enjoy 4 so much, you may not enjoy 5— I wasn't crazy about 5 when I played it, although I guess it's sort of interesting— it reminded me of football).

Edited by Avi_dreader

mmmm... I don't like football...so we'll see :-). I haven't even read the scenario yet. Anyway I am determined to play until the end...among other reasons in order to be able to have a similar "badge"as Julia : " I also survived Avi's nightmare" :-)

Edited by eagermind

Its no real problem, the games are definitely fun enough to re-run :) I will probably move on if I fail though (and return later). And failure is definitely likely given the devouring curse spam at late game. In EG mode, not having Wendy (or Mary) as a shield against Death really hurts.

Some questions arose during the game - mostly AH rules things - and I wrote them down this time,. I also hatched a really neat tactic for dealing with this scenario and it saved my bacon, so I will try it again a second time. All this and more appearing in this space when I rerun the scenario. Til then, thanks to everyone again!

PS: does Wendy get savaged if a Werewolf enters or leaves her space, or is she safe? I figured not safe (there is no Evade check, but Wendys card does not specify 'checks'...it just says she automatically evades...).

Edited by dj2.0

Its no real problem, the games are definitely fun enough to re-run :) I will probably move on if I fail though (and return later). And failure is definitely likely given the devouring curse spam at late game. In EG mode, not having Wendy (or Mary) as a shield against Death really hurts.

Some questions arose during the game - mostly AH rules things - and I wrote them down this time,. I also hatched a really neat tactic for dealing with this scenario and it saved my bacon, so I will try it again a second time. All this and more appearing in this space when I rerun the scenario. Til then, thanks to everyone again!

PS: does Wendy get savaged if a Werewolf enters or leaves her space, or is she safe? I figured not safe (there is no Evade check, but Wendys card does not specify 'checks'...it just says she automatically evades...).

Yes. Even Wendy is endangered by the werewolves although she is a great hunter of them ;')

Looking forward to reading about your tactic.

Edited by Avi_dreader

So, I didn't get to really use my tactic in the second run through because Zoey was busy,but it was basically parking her on the M.U. streets and using her as bait by funneling all the attacks onto her. It worked beautifully, but Zoey obviously disagrees. Tough.

I scribbled down some notes during the game:

- A complicated game; at setup it might be clearer to specify where the Werewolf and Cultists start rather than placing them and moving them again. Something like "It is Night at the start of the game. Place the Werewolf in the Southside streets, Cultist A at (etc). Then when the first Mythos card is drawn, move any crescent monsters that appear at the gate on black."

- There is a persnickety tiny typo on page 13 of the narrative "of he light" should be "of the light" )loving this tale btw)

- Is werewolf damage always 4 or only when they are on the same space to start with?

- The Mythos phase is technically only a phase after turn 1 begins, as discussed earlier.

- 'Unchanged' cultists have a -2 Horror mod but no san damage.

- Do lycanthropic investigators damage other investigators when they move in Mythos while inhabiting the same otherworld space or LiTaS?

- Why no sinister plot cards for Death or Hecate etc?

- How to handle situations in which 'a monster appears' and it is a cultist and night, does this damage the investigator?

Edited by dj2.0

Hee hee hee... I will put a note on my desk to correct the typo tomorrow, I need to get home now. Glad to hear you're enjoying the story.

For cultist appears, I'd say handle it the same way as if werewolf appears when night, since all cultists are werewolves at that point.

IIRC, werewolf damage is only 4 when starting on the same space. It's sort of a penalty for if you go werewolf hunting and fail (or if you're Mary) ;'D

It's fine if the unchanged cultists do no sanity damage.

Lycathropic investigators definitely don't damage others if LITAS, but I'd say that they would damage others if they move first while sharing an OW location (since you can trade in them, it'd imply that they're adjacent enough to be attacked when the moon is full). I hope I don't have to officially errata this.

I don't like printing out extra stuff. The heralds and AOs was as much of a compromise as I could make and maintain my minimum sanity points (1 now). Hence no sinister plots.

I'm sure there's a clearer way of expressing game set up, but that time has passed :'D (I originally wrote it in a rush, and I use rush loosely, but, there was a *lot* of work put into this project, and I did not spend as much time polishing language and presentation of scenarios for precision and clarity as I did with the heralds and AOs, it would have been too much work for me).

Edited by Avi_dreader

Yeah i completely understand those last two points. I am repeatedly impressed by the creativity of Arkhamites in producing inventive and original material for this game, but I have to draw a line with things like custom boards. I have some skills available for creating things but not enough motivation to go that far. Perhaps when 3D printers are as ubiquitous as 2D ones, and the rich are printing out new dimensions on 4D ones.

Its really clear that a huge convoy of work went into the creation of this league. The play testing involved alone is considerable. I really can't thank you enough for putting so much time and love into it, its an unmistakable quality. I would give you a medal of honour hand engraved by Lovecraft himself if he had not understandably died 75 years ago.

Edited by dj2.0

Yeah i completely understand those last two points. I am repeatedly impressed by the creativity of Arkhamites in producing inventive and original material for this game, but I have to draw a line with things like custom boards. I have some skills available for creating things but not enough motivation to go that far. Perhaps when 3D printers are as ubiquitous as 2D ones, and the rich are printing out new dimensions on 4D ones.

Its really clear that a huge convoy of work went into the creation of this league. The play testing involved alone is considerable. I really can't thank you enough for putting so much time and love into it, its an unmistakable quality. I would give you a medal of honour hand engraved by Lovecraft himself if he had not understandably died 75 years ago.

::Cough:: actually, I didn't play test a lot of this stuff. Only the first half of the league. Mostly I just understand game structure and can know whether something is beatable or not in Arkham. I've played the game enough and have a pretty good understanding of pacing and game structure, so I made sure to design everything to be beatable. A few scenarios that I had some doubt about I did playtest (mostly the Wendigo scenario on hard mode, but I managed it on a first try, soooo... And after thinking about it some more, I probably could have handled it in an easier way). The basic scenarios were actually designed in a day (but I elaborated on it a bit more over time). And the hard mode took me another day. ::Shrug:: I've probably spent about a total of a week or two on the game design and getting together some of the scenario art with Julia. Not sure how much time was spent on the story. More. Anyway :') I'm glad more people are finally enjoying something harder. It's a creation I'm somewhat proud of, but I just wished more people enjoyed it (as glad as I was that Julia enjoyed it) ;'D thanks for that (this also applies to Eagermind if he's reading this)!

::Laughter:: if anything, Julia was the playtester (she caught a few things that were too easy).

But thank you, that was very flattering (for reasons to remain undisclosed, I am having a very bad day, and that did help somewhat). Now dig up Lovecraft's hand and engrave that medal for me ;'D Death shouldn't stop you!

Edited by Avi_dreader

Likewise - this has been a horrific year for me, Ive witnessed things that would unhinge anyones mind, and these games are therapeutic. Demented, but therapeutic.

I respect your refreshing honesty but trump it with your humbleness - half the league is still many hours. What I am perceiving is that there was a huge amount of thought energy put into it, like the way people take care of beloved animal companions, thinking about them in their off time. That is the unmistakable and ineffable thing I am comforted by most of all. It is a form of shared love and I really need that kind of feeling! So thank you for helping me find it, it is really what the medal is for,

Perhaps this is something to put up on KS - "fund my trip to Providence to resurrect Lovecraft so that he can engrave for Avi from beyond the grave.".

Just think of the stretch goals!

But alas, until we find that Resurrection spell the plan is a little ambitious, so the specially made astra-mental one will have to do. At least you and I can see it, after all.

::Laughter:: if anything, Julia was the playtester (she caught a few things that were too easy)

Thanks for the credits :) I believe this League had a curious life. It started with a specific intent in Avi's mind, it twisted in a different direction with the passing of time, it had a complete playtesting only after it was "released" and now, several years later, it's living a second youth (thanks to old friends like Dj or new friends like Eagermind). I received some sort of feedback via PM on the BGG as well (nothing to write in the journal, Avi, I know only that a couple of guys tried it - no idea of the scenarios or the results, they never commented) and all the parts of the League have several downloads (almost 200 in some cases).

I'm excited by all of this. It's good to see people playing the League after all this time. I don't know in twenty years from now who will remember what among the home brewed creations for AH, but I believe that this League and some of the Heralds done in the custom creation section will become classics (at least, if anyone will remember AH after all this time, they will remember some of this stuff)

Likewise - this has been a horrific year for me, Ive witnessed things that would unhinge anyones mind, and these games are therapeutic. Demented, but therapeutic.

I respect your refreshing honesty but trump it with your humbleness - half the league is still many hours. What I am perceiving is that there was a huge amount of thought energy put into it, like the way people take care of beloved animal companions, thinking about them in their off time. That is the unmistakable and ineffable thing I am comforted by most of all. It is a form of shared love and I really need that kind of feeling! So thank you for helping me find it, it is really what the medal is for,

Perhaps this is something to put up on KS - "fund my trip to Providence to resurrect Lovecraft so that he can engrave for Avi from beyond the grave.".

Just think of the stretch goals!

But alas, until we find that Resurrection spell the plan is a little ambitious, so the specially made astra-mental one will have to do. At least you and I can see it, after all.

Hey, don't trump my humbleness, if you keep trumping my humbleness I'll start having to brag about how humble I am. Not that it won't be true, and that I won't be the most humble person in the world, but people might get bored hearing me call myself humble all day. Naaaaaah. Humblehumblehumblehumble. Mumblemumble.

More seriously (seriously?) you should not have such unreasonable goals for your kickstarter. All I was expecting was that you go dig up Lovecraft's corpse, remove his arm bones, glue them back together, if necessary, and then glue a pen into his bony fingers. Then you can force him to write once again by moving his hand with yours!

In the meanwhile I'll enjoy the astra-mental-medal though ;')

::Laughter:: if anything, Julia was the playtester (she caught a few things that were too easy)

Thanks for the credits :) I believe this League had a curious life. It started with a specific intent in Avi's mind, it twisted in a different direction with the passing of time, it had a complete playtesting only after it was "released" and now, several years later, it's living a second youth (thanks to old friends like Dj or new friends like Eagermind). I received some sort of feedback via PM on the BGG as well (nothing to write in the journal, Avi, I know only that a couple of guys tried it - no idea of the scenarios or the results, they never commented) and all the parts of the League have several downloads (almost 200 in some cases).

I'm excited by all of this. It's good to see people playing the League after all this time. I don't know in twenty years from now who will remember what among the home brewed creations for AH, but I believe that this League and some of the Heralds done in the custom creation section will become classics (at least, if anyone will remember AH after all this time, they will remember some of this stuff)

What's amusing in retrospect is the person who requested a harder league never really played it. Likewise, the person who requested a hard mode ::cough cough:: hasn't played it yet ;'D

Also, thanks for the compliment re: the league survival. May it be reconstructed on shred of papers by the mutant roachman-hybrid armies of 2302.

Edited by Avi_dreader

::Laughter:: if anything, Julia was the playtester (she caught a few things that were too easy)

Thanks for the credits :) I believe this League had a curious life. It started with a specific intent in Avi's mind, it twisted in a different direction with the passing of time, it had a complete playtesting only after it was "released" and now, several years later, it's living a second youth (thanks to old friends like Dj or new friends like Eagermind). I received some sort of feedback via PM on the BGG as well (nothing to write in the journal, Avi, I know only that a couple of guys tried it - no idea of the scenarios or the results, they never commented) and all the parts of the League have several downloads (almost 200 in some cases).

I'm excited by all of this. It's good to see people playing the League after all this time. I don't know in twenty years from now who will remember what among the home brewed creations for AH, but I believe that this League and some of the Heralds done in the custom creation section will become classics (at least, if anyone will remember AH after all this time, they will remember some of this stuff)

What's amusing in retrospect is the person who requested a harder league never really played it. Likewise, the person who requested a hard mode ::cough cough:: hasn't played it yet ;'D

Also, thanks for the compliment re: the league survival. May it be reconstructed on shred of papers by the mutant roachman-hybrid armies of 2302.

I haven't been playing Arkham at all in the last three months I think... no-phisical-time... plus, we had a great run with the first incarnation of the League. I know I'll play it in the hard mode. But this will probably be the finished hat of my Arkham life (read: after winning again in the hard mode, I don't think I'll be interested in playing Arkham again), so I want to enjoy the ride. For now, I'm happy with implementing Miskatonic Horror in my games and beating all the possible Herald + AO combos of the game

. But this will probably be the finished hat of my Arkham life (read: after winning again in the hard mode, I don't think I'll be interested in playing Arkham again), so I want to enjoy the ride.

You know, I had the same thoughts, but I dont think it will happen that way for me. What this experience is teaching me is that AH has so many levers and knobs and dials to fiddle with that with a bit of creativity I can keep it interesting for a very long time.

. But this will probably be the finished hat of my Arkham life (read: after winning again in the hard mode, I don't think I'll be interested in playing Arkham again), so I want to enjoy the ride.

You know, I had the same thoughts, but I dont think it will happen that way for me. What this experience is teaching me is that AH has so many levers and knobs and dials to fiddle with that with a bit of creativity I can keep it interesting for a very long time.

It would be fantastic if you posted some of your game mods afterwards. I was really hoping people would use some of my ideas in other stuff. Some of the stuff is very ripe for repurposing. I've yet to see another creation that does a lot with doom track triggers for instance (although granted, I got the germ of that idea from Martial Law, but then it occurred to me that a *lot* more could be done with it to add to midgame and endgame tension).

You know a considerable while back I did make custom content. I was one of 2 creating a campaign mode with long lost Millmaster. We made a campaign track that moved up and down throughout the serial, releasing various scourges that remained in play when certain stages were reached or certain AOs were victorious. This also tracked how many benefits the team could carry through. It was never finished - Dunwich was being released at the time so it was only up to that version of the horror. But it worked a treat and it was fun, so you never know...I may have another go at it if the stars turn about in the right way.

Anyway, time to skin a snake..:-)

Edited by dj2.0

Sounds like something to recover from the dust of the past :) Lots of AOs here in the forum keep on mentioning Millmaster. I'm kinda sad I never crossed his path, but it's really beutiful that what he did is still remembered :)

Nail it, skinner!

Reupping the thread since new friends could be interested in joining the League

Ehm, this thread has been pinned for everyone to post, so, it can't be necroed... I know, after Scenario 5, necroing is more fun...

Hi guys!

First at all,sorry for my english language(I'm learning :P )

I am interested in the league but in the future because i don't many experience yet,and i saw your conversation about the neighbours mechanic's in one of the scenarios but I've been watching and i do not see anything related,and about the dark pharaoh edition revised or not...which one should i buy?Could someone tell me about it?

P.D:Sorry again for the mistakes.

Hi & welcome!

Don't worry about the language, communication is the only important thing :)

So, Dark Pharaoh: the League was designed with the old edition in mind, but nowadays getting the original Curse of the Dark Pharaoh is rather expensive, so that I'd suggest you to get the revised edition, and then proxy the missing cards: it's mostly Barred from the Neighborhood cards, which are not present in the revised edition, but you can find them here

Let me know if you have other questions :)

Thanks for the sympathy Julia :)

I will do what you say :P Well i have a doubt about the Scenario 11...what is it that a location is corrupted?and what is a gangster token?I have been the scenarios above and i was curious.When I start the league someday i will time to bore questions :lol:

Regards ^^