I'm getting set up to start the Dunwich Legacy. I have the following on my desk:

• Two Core Sets
• One Dunwich Legacy Expansion
• All six Dunwich Scenarios

At this time, I'm also moving all my Investigator cards into a storage box, complete with divider tabs for each class. It seems like I should unpack all six Dunwich scenario packs and combine those with the cards from the Core and Dunwich Expansion boxes. And that I should then use those cards, organized by class, to build my Investigator deck that I'll use throughout the Dunwich campaign.

I guess what I'm getting at is that there's no point in waiting to add the Dunwich scenario Investigator cards, because the deck I start the campaign with is the one I'll stick with throughout. Like if I wait until starting the third Scenario, I won't be able to add any new Investigator cards (with the exception of spending XPs) because my deck will have already been built.

Does that sound like the right approach to take?

Yes, I think that is the best approach to take. Take the player cards from each of the mythos packs and add them to your collection before building your decks.

Great, thanks for confirming!

1 hour ago, Sir_Blacksoutalot said:

I'm getting set up to start the Dunwich Legacy. I have the following on my desk:

• Two Core Sets
• One Dunwich Legacy Expansion
• All six Dunwich Scenarios

At this time, I'm also moving all my Investigator cards into a storage box, complete with divider tabs for each class. It seems like I should unpack all six Dunwich scenario packs and combine those with the cards from the Core and Dunwich Expansion boxes. And that I should then use those cards, organized by class, to build my Investigator deck that I'll use throughout the Dunwich campaign.

I guess what I'm getting at is that there's no point in waiting to add the Dunwich scenario Investigator cards, because the deck I start the campaign with is the one I'll stick with throughout. Like if I wait until starting the third Scenario, I won't be able to add any new Investigator cards (with the exception of spending XPs) because my deck will have already been built.

Does that sound like the right approach to take?

It’s completely up to you, how you want to tackle Dunwich.
We started playing this game when they began releasing The Forgotten Age. So we bought all of Dunwich and all of Carscosa at once, to play in order of release. So we opened the Mythos packs as we played. When we finished a scenario, we opened the next one, so those cards were available for upgrading. It was like Christmas every time. Brand new player cards and decisions of how to upgrade. It was a lot of fun and added an element of anticipation to playing. Looking back, I also think we used more cards, because we had fewer to choose from. That isn’t a bad thing, because it enlarges your experience with the card options.
But it’s all up to you. Have fun!!!!

The "open as you play" plan has additional merit since cards in later packs generally cost more xp. Opening them before beginning play only gives you an idea of what to save your xp for, which I'm into, personally.

As has been said, whatever way you like is the correct way.

Organizing my cards here (while working through entire Tom Waits catalog). I swear it's like early Christmas. With start of Dunwich campaign looming just over completing this task.

So with Lita Chantler card, even though it's marked as an Investigator card, in terms of card organization Lita should really stay with NotZ campaign cards--right?

I've always added investigator cards to my collection as soon as I've purchased them. But I also went into a buying frenzy a few months ago b/c of all the stock problems, and got a lot of packs from different scenarios in all at once. It just seemed silly to have them all waiting around when I could be using them. Opening as you go will give you more sense of discovery, and probably let you pay more attention to the individual cards. I missed out on that when I just went into full-on organizer mode. But OTOH, my cards are super organized now! And I didn't have to keep reorganizing them as they took up more space, either.

I like having the biggest possible pool to draw from, and knowing how you might upgrade in the future will also help you build the deck you start with. Arkham DB is really your friend here in keeping track of your deck and collection (though I find the XP-tracking upgrade mechanic on there impenetrable).

The only exception has been the stand-alones, where the player cards are usually only rewarded by completing the scenario; and Innsmouth, b/c I'm not sure I want to bring the bless/curse mechanic into the other campaigns until I've played through Innsmouth itself.

1 minute ago, Sir_Blacksoutalot said:

Organizing my cards here (while working through entire Tom Waits catalog). I swear it's like early Christmas. With start of Dunwich campaign looming just over completing this task.

So with Lita Chantler card, even though it's marked as an Investigator card, in terms of card organization Lita should really stay with NotZ campaign cards--right?

Yes, definitely keep her with the scenario she starts in

Another thing to consider is that you might wind up spending XP on a card from an earlier pack that you'll later find you'd rather have saved for a card from a later pack. They do tend to get more expensive the father into a campaign you get. Probably it won't make that much difference in the end though.

Thanks for sharing perspective. I think I'm going to add cards to my master collection at start of each new campaign. So as I start Dunwich, I'm adding expansion box plus Investigator cards from all six scenario packs.

Like you Sarre, I went on a card-buying spree when I became aware of the "out of stock" issues. I now have all campaigns except Dream Eaters (had to draw the line somewhere) and Innsmouth Conspiracy (still in production). Once I play through Dunwich, I'll next add Carcosa and then Forgotten Age cards. Seems like a nice way to balance things out.

I'm still trying to get the nasty taste of Devourer Below out of my mouth. A little extra firepower will be a welcome change. Lightning Gun , anyone? Oh **** yes! Makes me want to go back and the zap the F out of Umordhoth. But for now we press forward. Ever forward.

I'm already getting confused.

So in Essex County Express, I'm seeing 4 new investigator weakness cards that are all the same, namely Across Space and Time.

Okay, I think I see what's going on here. Rather than being a Basic Weakness, that card has an Essex County scenario icon. So is it typical that if a weakness has a scenario icon, it does not get added to my pool of random weaknesses from which I build my decks?

17 minutes ago, Sir_Blacksoutalot said:

So in Essex County Express, I'm seeing 4 new investigator weakness cards that are all the same, namely Across Space and Time.

Okay, I think I see what's going on here. Rather than being a Basic Weakness, that card has an Essex County scenario icon. So is it typical that if a weakness has a scenario icon, it does not get added to my pool of random weaknesses from which I build my decks?

That is correct. These are weaknesses that through some mechanism could/may/will be added to investigators decks. Things kept vague in order to be spoiler free.

Thanks. Got all six scenario packs opened now. I found that by scanning the "Setup" section in each pack's instructions, it helped me to figure out which cards should be added to generic Investigator card pool. Cross-referencing with ArkhamDB helps a lot too.

Seeing all these cards on the table hammer home just how little I've barely scratched at the surface of this game. I feel very small right now. Standing back in awe.

Relative to deckbuilding, I can use some guidance on how to create my pool of random Basic Weakness cards. I'm working with two Core Sets plus the Dunwich expansion. These combine to give me the following Basic Weaknesses:

• Amnesia (x4)
• Paranoia (x4)
• Haunted (x2)
• Psychosis (x2)
• Chronophobia (x2)
• Indebted (x2)
• Internal Injury (x2)
• Silver Twilight Acolyte (x2)
• Stubborn Detective (x2)
• Mob Enforcer (x2)

I'm building a deck for two gators, Zoey and Daisy. So do I use that full pool of Basic Weaknesses to draw my randoms? Or do I actually need to cut each type in half (i.e., Amnesia x2, Haunted x1, etc.)? This will be my first time adding in the second Core Set and it's making me question how it works.

You take all the basic weaknesses from one copy of each product you own, so for you this will be one Core Set and one copy of the Dunwich Legacy. This should make your pool:

• Amnesia (x2)
• Paranoia (x2)
• Haunted (x1)
• Hypochondria (x1)
• Psychosis (x1)
• Chronophobia (x2)
• Internal Injury (x2)
• Indebted (x2)
• Silver Twilight Acolyte (x1)
• Stubborn Detective (x1)
• Mob Enforcer (x1)

If memory serves this rule is somewhere near the back of the Learn to Play booklet.

Ahh, yes--that's where I saw that!! Thanks Assusanni. I knew I'd read about this Weakness pool issue but could not put my finger on where. It's covered on page 14 of the Learn to Play manual, which reads as follows:

Quote

To select a random basic weakness, take a set of the ten basic weaknesses in this core set, shuffle those weaknesses together, and draw one at random to add to the investigator’s deck. Some Arkham Horror: The Card Game products add additional basic weakness cards to a player’s collection. Simply add these cards to the ten cards found in the core set when selecting random basic weaknesses in the future.

For example: Stephanie owns two copies of the core set, one copy of the first deluxe campaign expansion, and one copy of the first Mythos pack. To create a single set of basic weaknesses , she takes all of the basic weaknesses in one core set, in one copy of the first deluxe campaign box, and in one copy of the first Mythos pack, and shuffles them together. Her basic weakness is drawn at random from this pool.

I might be overthinking things (not hard to do in AH!), but this example describes how to build a single set of Basic Weaknesses (see bolded text). So if I'm building for two gators, I should still draw cards from this single pool of basic weaknesses, right?

Yes; even if you had 4 gators/players, you'd still only use one set of weaknesses. Which is good, because it keeps you from drawing 4 Indebted or something.

I've created my two Investigator decks to partner Zoey and Daisy through The Dunwich Legacy campaign.

Zoey Samras: https://arkhamdb.com/deck/view/1124938

Daisy Walker: https://arkhamdb.com/deck/view/1124997

There is no doubt room for improvement in these builds. I'm feeling pretty good about Zoey, but not so equally confident with Daisy. Any tweaks you guys would suggest? Any fatal flaws?

I’m always hesitant to say too much about someone else’s deck, in my opinion the best way to learn is by playing, but my initial thoughts would be:

• What will Zoey be doing on turns when there are no enemies to fight? It might be worth trying to fit some clue tech into her deck, such as Flashlight or Rite of Seeking.
• I’d take two Old Books of Lore instead of two Medical Texts for Daisy. Seeing Old Book of Lore early is great because it helps you get set up, while Medical Texts is useless until you’ve taken some damage.
• I’d also try and get a Deduction or two into Daisy’s deck, clue acceleration is generally very helpful. Perhaps instead of Perception or Flashlight? Daisy’s base Intellect of 5 means she shouldn’t need help investigating at most locations, particularly if Dr Milan is with her.

I have a question about changing cards between Scenarios during a Campaign. I understand how we can use XPs to purchase upgrades or higher level cards. But what if I realize one of my level zero cards isn't doing what I wanted, so I want to change it out for another level zero card? For example, what if I want to swap Flashlight for Knife?

Would I have to consider the new level zero card to cost 1 XP?

Yes, you would. I can't remember the specific page where the rule is mentioned, but swapping a level 0 card for another level 0 card costs 1xp. For this reason, Adaptable is a decent card.

Personally, after paying a deck once, I know what I did wrong while building it and I'll give myself some leeway between scenarios 1 and 2, but after that I try to stick to the rules.

The rule can be found under "Experience", the second bullet point under section 2: "Each card costs experience equal to the card's level, to a minimum of 1 (purchasing a level zero card still costs 1 experience)."

I know of more than one group that allows some tweaking of level 0 cards for free after the first scenario (and only the first scenario) if a deck isn't performing as hoped, so this might be one of the more common house rules.

On 12/16/2020 at 6:44 PM, Sir_Blacksoutalot said:

I have a question about changing cards between Scenarios during a Campaign. I understand how we can use XPs to purchase upgrades or higher level cards. But what if I realize one of my level zero cards isn't doing what I wanted, so I want to change it out for another level zero card? For example, what if I want to swap Flashlight for Knife?

Would I have to consider the new level zero card to cost 1 XP?

It’s one of our house rules. We allow a little tweaking of the deck with 0 level cards, especially if they are ones we have never used before, but only after the first scenario. After that, it’s Adaptable or pay up!

On 12/12/2020 at 4:29 PM, Assussanni said:

You take all the basic weaknesses from one copy of each product you own, so for you this will be one Core Set and one copy of the Dunwich Legacy. This should make your pool:

• Amnesia (x2)
• Paranoia (x2)
• Haunted (x1)
• Hypochondria (x1)
• Psychosis (x1)
• Chronophobia (x2)
• Internal Injury (x2)
• Indebted (x2)
• Silver Twilight Acolyte (x1)
• Stubborn Detective (x1)
• Mob Enforcer (x1)

If memory serves this rule is somewhere near the back of the Learn to Play booklet.

Hi guys. I'm setting up for first play through Dunwich. I have a follow-up question about building my random Basic Weakness pool. Assussanni provided some very helpful guidance per previous post. So Chronophobia, Internal Injury, and Indebted are all added by way of The Dunwich Legacy expansion pack. But how do I know to add one (1) versus (2) of each card?

I'm trying to understand the logic here. I suppose it might be as simple as "one copy of the expansion box came with X number of cards, so put all into Weakness pool." Is that how this works?

29 minutes ago, Sir_Blacksoutalot said:

I'm trying to understand the logic here. I suppose it might be as simple as "one copy of the expansion box came with X number of cards, so put all into Weakness pool." Is that how this works?

Yes, this is how it works.