1. When an invesitgator gains an item such as a spell, weapon, etc. Is it all right for the investigator to have duplicate of these items, i.e. 2 Shriveling spells, or 2 shotguns, etc.?

2. When a Mythos card "Dreams of Sunken City" is in play, (where you cannot get sanity except from the Arkham Asylum or Carolyn Fern, can you get sanity from spells or items that restore sanity such as the Helaing Stone?

3. I understand that you cannot start a game with a rumor, however, when we were playing a game with the Kingsport Expansion, a card at the beginning that said No Gate Opens, First Player Get a Clue Token, and you have a monster surge. Can this card start the game? If so, where do you put the surging monstgers if there is no gate?

leoj said:

2.No, nothing except Arkham Asylum and Carolyn.

1. As Avi said, you can have duplicates. You can even use two Shrivelling spells at once! (though, not two shutguns)

2. This Mythos card is exactly as it reads. The one notable exception is that when you go to 0 sanity, you travel to the Asylum or Lost in Time and space and then are "reset" to 1 sanity. Clearly this card can't stop you from going back to 1. Be on the lookout for the stamina-related Mythos card too!

3. I believe the rule is that the first mythos card of the game has to open a gate. Even still, this is just a good way to play. Though it is possible, later in the game, that you can get a Mythos card that says "monster surge!" but there are no open gates. I believe that if this happens, there is no surge, so you lucked out. Besides—where are you going to put the monsters? Although, there is no answer to this, so you could put them all in the Outskirts. The one problem with this is that Abhoth's Child probably can't be put there. What to do...?

Tibs said:

Yeah, I'd read a monster surge card with no gates open as not spawning any monsters. You just got lucky. Sometimes it happens, even in Arkham Horror. Breathe a sigh of relief, and move on.

Well what I meant was that if your first card of the game does not show a gate, you have to draw until you get one (that is also not a Rumor).