The new story starts with a prologue. What does that mean? Is it one long scenario? Is it a 3 scenario pack?

We know that those neutral prologue dudes have no decks, a starting hand and cards in play from the start, so Im leaning to a 3 scenario beginning, since a no-deck game is bound to be short. If so, I really like this new thing of splitting scenarios into smaller (or larger) segments.

I would have mixed feelings if theres just one long scenario where you play npc's.

The article says: ‘The Circle Undone contains two full scenarios for your team of investigators to test their mettle against the terrors of Arkham, but these are not where your adventures begin. Rather, this expansion thrusts you into the mystery with a prologue scenario “Disappearance at the Twilight Estate.”’ So that would be prologue + 2 standard scenarios.

I’m assuming the prologue mainly just adds data to the campaign log, which will affect setup/gameplay during the actual campaign. Sort of like Conviction/Doubt in Carcosa or the supplies in Forgotten Age.

Once past the prologue, you just take up normal investigators, so it's just a short scenario with NPCs.

Ok nice. Heck I bet therell be interludes and side events where we play them again.

Very optimistic! I assumed that they'd all die horribly, maybe as sacrifices in some sort of ritual, at the end of the prologue.

An idea would be to take the event of one of the scenarios at the same place as the prologue. So, if the idea would be for the 4 neutral characters to die with the most progress in the map, and the gators would then go in the place, and would find clues at the places where there all die ...

I'm expecting an array of "In your Campaign Log, record that ..." based on actions what actions each doomed investigator takes while playing the prologue.

I really like the idea of the subsequent mystery being different based on variables you have control over.

• In your Campaign Log, record that the ritual candle is missing.
• In your Campaign Log, record that Valentino Rivas was sacrificed in the Ritual Room.
• In your Campaign Log, record that the ritual dagger was broken.

Or have the following action on a location:

• If there are no clues on this location, it gains the following. ACTION: Spend 3 resources. In your Campaign Log, record that the bookcase has been moved recently. Put the Secret Enclave into play. It is connected to the Cellar.

1 hour ago, Duciris said:

I'm expecting an array of "In your Campaign Log, record that ..." based on actions what actions each doomed investigator takes while playing the prologue.

 I really like the idea of the subsequent mystery being different based on variables you have control over.

• In your Campaign Log, record that the ritual candle is missing.
• In your Campaign Log, record that Valentino Rivas was sacrificed in the Ritual Room.
• In your Campaign Log, record that the ritual dagger was broken.

Or have the following action on a location:

• If there are no clues on this location, it gains the following. ACTION: Spend 3 resources. In your Campaign Log, record that the bookcase has been moved recently. Put the Secret Enclave into play. It is connected to the Cellar.

This campaign might take on more of a mystery aspect. Where some of the members of the Lodge are innocent and others are Cultists. And you have to use the clues that you recorded in your campaign log to inform your decision as to who those might be.

I think it'd be neat if we had to leave their assets/bodies strewn about as we use them and the final configuration of the prologue turns into the initial set up for the first scenario.

I hope it either changes the story significantly, or ends up as just a fun lead-in to the first scenario.

Basically what I don't want is for there to just be an "optimal" route for the best way to win the campaign, where your campaign is just better if your prologue investigator licked the arcane doorknob or whatever. Having it make the first scenario different, easier or harder would be cool though.

28 minutes ago, Allonym said:

I hope it either changes the story significantly, or ends up as just a fun lead-in to the first scenario.

Basically what I don't want is for there to just be an "optimal" route for the best way to win the campaign, where your campaign is just better if your prologue investigator licked the arcane doorknob or whatever. Having it make the first scenario different, easier or harder would be cool though.

Agreed. It would even be enough for me if the options you chose simply affect the make-up of the 'special' tokens in the chaos bag so long as there is not an 'optimal' set-up of those tokens.

This way you could mess with the prologue characters to get more cultists in the bag instead of skulls or whatever (which could then lead to changes in scenarios like, if you have 3 or more cultists in your bag, add X set of encounter cards and use Agenda 1c.

Granted you could argue that this sort of route could make some characters like Jim more powerful (and therefore be optimization), but I think it would be neat to have effect on the tokens that mystics typically use since you are dealing with the consequences of cult actions. And as long as you didn't add like 10 skulls to the bag or whatever, there are ways to keep that in balance too.

47 minutes ago, Allonym said:

I hope it either changes the story significantly, or ends up as just a fun lead-in to the first scenario.

Basically what I don't want is for there to just be an "optimal" route for the best way to win the campaign, where your campaign is just better if your prologue investigator licked the arcane doorknob or whatever. Having it make the first scenario different, easier or harder would be cool though.

Same. I'm hoping for different (not necessarily better) options based on the actions of the initial investigation.

Depending on which of the first 2 scenarios in the Dunwich Legacy you play first, you have different options available to you in each of the scenarios. I am hoping for more of that kind of thing.

I'm hoping for different story items, or different victory conditions, or different characters to interrogate which will have reverberations throughout the campaign but no option makes for a uniformly better ending. Perhaps Option A will give you a benefit in Scenario 2 but prove a hindrance in Scenario 3, while Option B will give you a boost in Scenario 1 but be flavor at best by scenario 4.

I really like the Necronomicon from The Miskatonic Museum. Depending on what you do with it, it can be beneficial and malefic. Array of Necronomicon ramifications in the Spoiler tag:

16 minutes ago, Soakman said:

Agreed. It would even be enough for me if the options you chose simply affect the make-up of the 'special' tokens in the chaos bag so long as there is not an 'optimal' set-up of those tokens.

This way you could mess with the prologue characters to get more cultists in the bag instead of skulls or whatever (which could then lead to changes in scenarios like, if you have 3 or more cultists in your bag, add X set of encounter cards and use Agenda 1c.

Granted you could argue that this sort of route could make some characters like Jim more powerful (and therefore be optimization), but I think it would be neat to have effect on the tokens that mystics typically use since you are dealing with the consequences of cult actions. And as long as you didn't add like 10 skulls to the bag or whatever, there are ways to keep that in balance too.

I think it's relatively safe to assume that the prologue adventure will end with the prologue investigators meeting some kind of bad fate (whether captured, slain, mutated, whatever). So thinking about acts and agendas, it might be the case that the effects of the resolution differ depending on the act/agenda you reach in the Prologue. Would be very fitting if you kick *** and reach the end of the Act deck with the prologue, flip it over and it reads something like "Despite your efforts, the gate remains locked. There is no way out. They are closing in." with no "resolution", and then the investigators make a last stand there.

Particularly if the Act/Agenda deck for the first main scenario mirrors that of the prologue to an extent!

It would be neat if it plays as a completely competitive scenario, with each player fighting for survival. Not sure how that would work with fewer players, though.

4 minutes ago, CSerpent said:

It would be neat if it plays as a completely competitive scenario, with each player fighting for survival. Not sure how that would work with fewer players, though.

And whoever survives comes back at the end as a High Priest of the Inner Circle with different abilities. And also has different cultist encounter decks throughout the scenarios! Now I want that to happen!

Sort of like Eternal Darkness, where you play a prologue as a Roman centurion that ends with you collecting one of three artifacts, then the centurion goes on to be the main antagonist, and the game's enemies change based on which artifact you chose.