Emerging Deep One is the best cthulhu character to come out in a long time. Of 68 AP characters, only five are cthulhu faction: Cthuloid Spawn, Mutant Spawn, Bokug, and Ghatmanol. Emerging Deep One's (EDO) stats still are alarming at 2 cost, 3 skill. Only 6 other characters can say that - most importantly, Keeper of the Golden Path, a Cthulhu TT character. Keeper is a villainous cultist, hardly limited to play unless you're heroic. Less good, New Emerging Deep One needs its kill, so likely is your second character. Follows are characters with similar traits.

Deep One Rising cost 4 compares to New Emerging Deep One as Yig compares to Country Store. Rising lets you choose and destroy, a far cry from typical cthulhu trade destroying a la Sacrificial Offering.

Spawn of Cthulhu cost 3 with its killer stats is usually worth losing your hand if discarded.

MU Reclusive Researcher self exhausts or exhausts another of your characters - annulling itself and its 1 cost 2 investigate.

Mulder has wicked stats and his liability is worth it.

Strange Visitors MU cost 3 and killer stats, pay 3 to off him, not so usable (loved that card)

So my question is, how is Emerging 2 cost Deep One limited? Is trading up a 1 cost CT character worth it? cthulhu facing cthulhu is a likely enough situation, but again specific.

Tony Shasteen illustrated Sabbatical Wilmarth, Finchington, and Demented Caretaker, and now Trent Dixon and Government Exorcist. The two syndicate animal jailers are still too weird to like. Sabbatical Wilmarth bugs the crap out of me - efette, corny, total chez. And Government Exorcist is not too good either, admittedly an active real enough representation of such a character.

But Trent is superb. Shasteen got him right. He's a terrific card. Not withstanding pending clarification, he is a highlight.

johnny shoes said:

-- Syndicate --
•Trent Dixon, Workaholic
------------------------
Type : Character
Cost : 4
Skill : 3
Icons : CC
Subtype : Criminal.
Game Text: If Trent Dixon is able to commit to a story, he must commit to a story. If Trent Dixon is the only character you control that is committed, apply his skill and icons to all other story cards as well.
Flavor text:
Illustrator: Tony Shasteen
Collector's Info: ASL F6

I've received the following rulings:

- Stories where Trent Dixon applies his skill/icons to, resolve, as if a character is committed to it.

- Stories where Trent Dixon applies his skill/icons to can be opposed, as if a character is committed to it.

- Trent Dixon can't be chosen to insane or take a wound from any lost struggles his skill/icons are applied to, unless he is actually committed to that story.

I hope that clears things up!

Excellent ruling. Thanks Marius. Trent is indeed great! He is committed to all three stories. Opponents may commit to all three stories. He is subject to insanity and wounding only at the story to which he is "actually committed." Why that clarification; what might some try to otherwise do? I still think he looks like a common sense card, even for the ambiguity until now, and the question of faq 2.1.

I think the rulings is a little bit underestimating this card. Why don't Trent Dixon can be used in a story where he can be wounded or turn insane ?

I think that it would have been great to include a statement about the obligation for the owner to resolve the story where it is committed first ...

'Cause, in case you resolve the story where Dixon is personnaly involved and he got killed ... Do you still resolve the other stories ? I believe not, but the cardtext is a little bit limited for me !

so what about Dixon vs. beneath the mire?

The clarification still has a problem. It states that if you commit only Trent on defense, all three stories resolve whether there are any characters committed on the attack or not. I don't think that this is intended.

Recommend the clarification be further clarified to state that all stories resolve only if Trent is committed by the active player.

If the stories all resolve when only he is committed on defense, it makes him a HUMONGOUSLY powerful character.

Chick

chicklewis said:

Why is this a problem?

Well, if this interpretation is intended, then there is no problem.

BUT let's say my opponent commits a character to one story on his turn.

And let's say I have Trent in play, and managed to refresh him with somebody else's arcane, or with an artifact, or something, so he's ready to go. He commits on defense.

If all three stories resolve, he wins unopposed at two of them, as the defender. Four success tokens. We have never before, afaik, had a situation where defenders could gain success tokens unopposed. Seems way overpowered, but maybe I'm over-reacting.

Chick

You don't get tokens when defending, only attacking. If you have something that that gives him Investigate, you'd get one free token on each story. Or if you played Startling Discovery you'd get tokens since the struggles still take place.

chicklewis said:

Like Donals said, you don't get tokens for skill on defense. Also, the active player chooses the order in which stories are resolved. Your opponent is likely to choose Trents' story first, as to run being able to run unopposed to the others. Also, they're likely to see Trent coming, so should he sport a Glass of Mortlan, for instance, they are likely to know before they commit. Even on offense, he has some drawbacks. On The Lam is less effective, as your opponent can commit anywhere.

You guys are right, it has been so long since I've played that I've forgotten rule details. Seems he is ok as clarified.

Interesting comment about 'On the Lam'.

Chick

How to defend with Trent. Give him Investigate. That is done by:

Attach to Trent Glass of Mortlan cost 2 MU or Mystical Allure cost 1 Neutral.

No Event exists to sneak Trent Investigate.

There are any number of ways to affect one story. For only one, not three, Investigate struggle additions, attach Open for Inspection cost 2 MU to an adjacent story. Miskatonic Antiquities Collection attaches at cost one Neutral to a story to add Investigate. Syndicate Up for Grabs cost 2 story attachment TCAI struggles added.

Avoiding going insane and losing to three combat is also a worry for Trent.

With Shub Ezbekiyeh Gardens you could give him two Investigate..

I guess it is safe to say that the Spawn of the Sleeper actually has a few really good cards.

Called by Azathoth, Emerging Deep One, Rabbit's Foot, and Dr. Carson are top notch.

Underground Asylum is very good. And there's Trent. Government Exorcist is respectable.

Wouldn't you agree? Where FI was overpowered, Azy blanks even cheaper. Deep One is super tough and/but with situational uber-offense. Rabbit's Foot is not as automatic card draw as New Research, add the possible combat evasion, nice. Dr. Carson is as slick as Victoria or Mulder or Shakti or Servant from Out of Time or the cat, and more consistent.

Asylum's new syndicate evasion is more of the ever fresh outflow of Asylum Pack-era useable cards. With Midnight Oil, Panic, Exposed, Warehouse, Koth, Lam, Dutch Courage, and the like from the two blocks, few thought there was room left - until Gun Runners Club, Seventh House, and Ancient Gold (Cronie too). Asylum's pay one for sanity is nice, but not quite.

There are a few cards that are just crazy - like Story Card Wilbur and Charles Dexter Ward. Hopefully Trent ages better.