According to her charachter sheet Ursula begins in a location chosed by the player. Let's say that the player choose Independence Square. Ursula starts with fur Clues, and since she is placed on the board before the resolution of the first Mythos Card, I'd say that she can pick up the Clue in her location even if the Mithos card opens a gate right there. If that's correct, she starts entering a portal with five Clue tokens. A bit overpowered, isn't it? Maybe my interpretation is wrong?

An investigator that starts the game at an unstable location immediately gets the Clue token at that location. Yes, that means that Ursula will begin the game with 5 Clue tokens if she chooses an unstable location as her home.

Not sure if that's official (don't remember reading it anywhere) but that would make sense. Unless it's considered a mythos phase before play begins...in which case she picks it up at the end of it, maybe (since the rules only say if a clue is placed there and you're already there in the Mythos phase, and not "if a clue is there at the end of the mythos phase")

3 Investigators start at non stable locations, 1 cannot have a gate open on her in the first turn, 1 starts in an Otherworld but with a gate box, and Ursula has 4 clues, so starting her in an unstable location, gaining her a 5th, would be a good balance, I feel. But...maybe that's just me!

EcnoTheNeato said:

I remember reading it in Strange Eons, but nowhere else.

I'd say it's intentional that she has 4 clue tokes. After all, she'd still get delayed.. (The more sensible move would be to start in Hibb's Roadhouse and possibly get two clue tokens and use movement to run the gate instead of starting out there.)

The general rule is that when an investigator starts on an unstable location, that investigator takes all clues there (think of Kate Winthrop).

Thanks to everyone for the quick answers!

However, starting with a charachter already able to seal a portal it's a huge help. But maybe the expansion is hard enought to justify such help, I guess.

Start her at an unstable location and see a Mythos card open a Devouring Gate at that location !

Dam said:

No risk, no glory

Oh yeah, Ursula can start off with 5 clues and have the opening gate send her on the way to an early seal. But she's just as balanced as any other investigator:

She only has $1 so if she's on an expansion board, she may need that to get out of town. Be careful with it. This means that if she befalls some fate, she won't be able to heal herself to full without taking an Injury or Madness card. And with such a low sneak and no guaranteed starting weapons, she could wind up hospitalized in the blink of an eye.