I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m really looking forward to her but I can’t even regularly pass investigate actions in TCU with Marie when shrouds are 4 on easy. Boosting a 2 stat up to +2 or +3 is gonna be tough at a 4 or 5 difficulty and if you dump all of your cards into one action you’re out of cards for the rest.

Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Yes resourceful boosts you to a 3, but that is hardly passing most tests. 5 cards is really not much to spread over 3 actions if you are just straight committing everything.

I think she'll be just fine. Able Bodied and Rise to the Occasion should give +3 each. Last Chance seems made for her. Fight or Flight and Trial by Fire last the whole phase. And Cornered turns every card into a (soon to be replaced) +2. That's all just off the top of my head.

I just can't imagine her having trouble passing tests.

3 minutes ago, Skeptical Gamer said:

I think she'll be just fine. Able Bodied and Rise to the Occasion should give +3 each. Last Chance seems made for her. Fight or Flight and Trial by Fire last the whole phase. And Cornered turns every card into a (soon to be replaced) +2. That's all just off the top of my head.

I just can't imagine her having trouble passing tests.

Let’s hope. I just hope she isn’t just balanced but can bring something to the table and fill out a team in a unique way. I love divergent play styles but who would you pair her with? Is the answer as simple as anyone? Or will this ultimately rely on her deck options?

I don’t mean to drag this out. I just really enjoy the speculation. And I think it’s going to be trickier than it appears as she seems a very REactive playstyle. Looking for reasons to take her over other all-arounders I suppose.

57 minutes ago, Soakman said:

Let’s hope. I just hope she isn’t just balanced but can bring something to the table and fill out a team in a unique way. I love divergent play styles but who would you pair her with? Is the answer as simple as anyone? Or will this ultimately rely on her deck options?

I don't think she'll bring unique abilities to a team. I think she is going to be interesting because of how she plays.

For example, I love Calvin. There is something deeply satisfying about living one point away from death and swinging a sword at 13+ combat. As far as the team is concerned I could play any generalist, but Calvin provides a very different experience for me.

As long as she's effective and my play experience is different enough (and fun) I'll be happy.

Isn't Amnesia basically a non-weakness for her? I mean, as soon as you draw it you discard all but 1 card in your hand, but it's still the Upkeep phase so you just keep drawing (more) cards until you get 5 in your hand (per her Investigator ability).

Even if her deckbuilding is pure Survivor + Neutral, I think it's quite powerful to be able to draw 5 new cards each turn (less if a weakness is in your hand).

Cards like Winging It and Improvised Weapon will get put into your discard pile automatically for you. She can then Fight or Investigate for +1 Damage or +1 Clue afterwards.

There's a number of Fast cards (Hiding Spot, Trial by Fire, Fight or Flight, etc.) which can be played to boost her stats whenever she draws them. Anything else not immediately useful can be committed for Icons. Plus cards like Lucky can be used to overcome a low stat line.

Having access to Mystic cards (if she does have this) with base 4 Willpower would just be icing on the cake. One of the major problems actual Mystics have is not being able to draw/find the right spells at the right time (e.g. never drawing Shriveling and getting too many enemies).

I severely doubt that she will have access to any mystic cards because in the article it reads:" Patrice Hathaway is a performer. She is not a researcher into the arcane or a trained agent ready to face down monsters with a pistol in each hand. "

It would have been really cool though to have this combination of classes

It's interesting, though. Because as far as I know, she's been a main spellcaster in all other Arkham Files games.

52 minutes ago, Raahk said:

I severely doubt that she will have access to any mystic cards because in the article it reads:" Patrice Hathaway is a performer. She is not a researcher into the arcane or a trained agent ready to face down monsters with a pistol in each hand. "

It would have been really cool though to have this combination of classes

I take that as she's not a mystic nor a guardian as her main class (she's not a researcher into the arcane, but she may be a bit curious about it between violin recitals), but you could be absolutely right. We'll see!

Anyone who played Erestor in Lotr Lcg know how broken this investigator will be

perhaps. Card draw in LotR LCG is very hard to come by and very valuable, hence making Erestor very, very good. Card draw in Arkham LCG is much easier to get by other means.

Yes sorry I also meant paranoia will be bad for her as well as drawing the sign. Amnesia really won’t do anything.

16 hours ago, Mimi61 said:

...

We also have little idea what the expansion will give us in terms of new player cards. What is the normal ratio of new cards to class in the expansions?

Each class gets 4 (different) cards in the deluxe and an average of 2 in each pack, for a total of 16/class/cycle. With Before the Black Throne, we already know that Bonded cards include their trigger card and the X cards bound to it, plus they (Guardian & Seeker) each also got an additional card. If we treat a Bonded card and its bound like a single card, they still get 2 different cards in a pack. This bodes well as Bonded is going to be a major theme this cycle.

Anyone know if we'll see more dual-class cards? A total of 5 isn't very interesting to me.

1 minute ago, Duciris said:

Anyone know if we'll see more dual-class cards? A total of 5 isn't very interesting to me.

Agreed. There are 5 class pairs that haven't been explored and multiple cards with each possible pair would be nice.

5 hours ago, Raahk said:

I severely doubt that she will have access to any mystic cards because in the article it reads:" Patrice Hathaway is a performer. She is not a researcher into the arcane or a trained agent ready to face down monsters with a pistol in each hand. "

It would have been really cool though to have this combination of classes

I mean researcher into the arcane says Seeker more than Mystic to me but I can see an argument either way.

Jim Culver isn't really a researcher into the arcane either.

27 minutes ago, Jobu said:

I mean researcher into the arcane says Seeker more than Mystic to me but I can see an argument either way.

Jim Culver isn't really a researcher into the arcane either.

Jim communicates with the dead. I would say that is rather mystical.

59 minutes ago, Sindriss said:

Jim communicates with the dead. I would say that is rather mystical.

True but the doggo version of Agatha who is ACTUALLY a parapsychologist was a seeker. As they say, those that can’t do, teach. 🤣

13 hours ago, Iuchi Toshimo said:

and don't be lead investigator for Carcosa b/c of extra weaknesses, but otherwise go ham.

On the other hand, you'll get so many Chasing the Stranger tallies if he's in your deck.

7 hours ago, Raahk said:

I severely doubt that she will have access to any mystic cards because in the article it reads:" Patrice Hathaway is a performer. She is not a researcher into the arcane or a trained agent ready to face down monsters with a pistol in each hand. "

From the RR definition of Mystics:

Mystics are drawn to and influenced by the arcane forces of the Mythos. Many have spell-casting abilities, able to manipulate the forces of the universe through magical talent.

It's not about research (that's Seekers), it's about being entangled with ineffable cosmic forces. Some investigators have gone into that knowingly and willingly through some sort of research or training, but most haven't. Look at the existing purple investigators:

• Agnes is the reincarnation of a sorceress. She benefits from her past life's research, but she's not a researcher herself. She's just an ordinary waitress who's had some weird visions and gotten herself dragged in to a life she doesn't really understand.
• Jim is a jazz musician with a trumpet that can summon the dead. He didn't create or seek out that trumpet; he just got lucky.
• Akachi is probably the closest thing we have to an arcane researcher among primary Mystics.
• Mateo is just a Catholic priest. It's a job that requires a lot of studying, sure, but it's not really arcane studying (last I checked, the church tends to frown on people trying to learn sorcery).
• Diana is a low-level cultist. She's probably learned a few spells from the Lodge, but she's not a "researcher into the arcane" (that sort of freedom of thought in a low-ranking member is anathema to a cult).
• Marie is a jazz singer who discovers that her grandmother was a witch who encoded spells in her old nursery rhymes and lullabies.
• Luke

The only real "researchers into the arcane" we have are Seekers with Mystic access (Daisy, Norman, and purple Mandy).

While we're at it, in Eldritch Horror, Patrice starts with a spell and has a gate-related ability. Every investigator who fits either of those criteria in Eldritch has had Mystic access in the LCG.

Grisly Totem, Stray Cats, possibly On Your Own if you lean into survivor events (I still can't find a great use for this short of making Trial by Fire and Eucatastrpohe easier to play the turn you get it), Eucatastrophe, Cornered, Perseverance (if she has mystic stuff, 2 will pips), Last Chance, Rise to the Occasion, Fight or Flight, Trial by Fire, and Take Heart all look like good survivor picks for Patrice.

Able-bodied? Depends. Her violin is an item, and you'll want that as often as you can have it to handle resource problems in a pinch. If you take any of the keepsake/coats... And she may cycle through her deck quickly enough, depending on its size, that just discarding those may be essentially like recurring them anyway. She may have a standard size 30 deck and they just sort of expect you to have keepsakes consistently out to take the shuffle horror.

You're kidding, right? This is an amazing character just thinking about the Survivor Card options- her stats are moderate enough to constantly get high bonuses and she can constantly draw up a new hand. The cards you can play from the discard and shuffle back into the deck, the stat bonus cards, and so on... she's an incredibly versatile survivor. I look forward to working with her.

27 minutes ago, redcapjack said:

You're kidding, right? This is an amazing character just thinking about the Survivor Card options- her stats are moderate enough to constantly get high bonuses and she can constantly draw up a new hand. The cards you can play from the discard and shuffle back into the deck, the stat bonus cards, and so on... she's an incredibly versatile survivor. I look forward to working with her.

Nope not kidding. Great premise but I still am unsure they needed to hit her in the statline. But I feel similarly about Caroline. Patrice is versatile but you will have to constantly improvise and hope you have the right pips for the job.

Come up to a new idea: «always draw the same hand» Patrice.

https://arkhamdb.com/decklist/view/15093/patrice-concept-1.0

2 hours ago, rsdockery said:

1 hour ago, Soakman said:

Great premise but I still am unsure they needed to hit her in the statline. But I feel similarly about Caroline. Patrice is versatile but you will have to constantly improvise and hope you have the right pips for the job.

The more I read about your thoughts, the more I wonder if her 4 2 2 2 is less pointing to her having a mystic secondary, as the investigator in this cycle that fits an unfolding pattern. In every expansion so far, there has been an investigator with the same number across on their stat lines. (3 Jenny Dunwich, 3 Lola Carcosa, 0 Calvin TFA, 1 Preston TCU. And they all get something to help work around it. Extra resources, or changing classes, or damage and horror strengthening instead of weakening. Maybe she is this expansions 2 across investigator, but since she can’t count on certain cards staying in her hand like everyone else, the thing she is given to work around it, is a built in +2 for Will checks, which are the most prevalent. That would speak to skill cards from all classes possibly being her secondary.

Here's my "pitch everything" theory deck for her. Basically, just load up on Wild Icons and Fast Cards so you can empty your hand each turn.

https://arkhamdb.com/decklist/view/15097/patrice-pitch-everything-1.0

You may be right that the 4 Willpower is just to help protect her hand. Most of the Treacharies that make you discard cards are Willpower based.

1 hour ago, vindoq said:

Come up to a new idea: «always draw the same hand» Patrice.

https://arkhamdb.com/decklist/view/15093/patrice-concept-1.0

I'd be afraid of triggering the weakness enemy constantly as you cycle your tiny deck. OTOH, if you add Aquinnah(1), then you've got the kind of "Why fight when you could put your deck into play, so that you kill things test-lessly with your weakness" nonsense that I'm in for. Now to wait and see if her deck size is friendly to this concept!

Weakness tech, which she may or may not have access to:

Ambush (I love this one)
Disc of Itzamna
Think On Your Feet