Just some ramblings about the game

By benniejolink, in Elder Sign: Omens

I just bought the app, and although I'm getting to understand it better, I still have some questions:

- How can I influence the game? To me it feels like I just randomly tap a location on the map, and then I have to hope that I get the correct green icons. But is that really all the strategy there is?

- Adventures have titles, and then an action icon surrounded by more icons. It looks nice but it doesn't make much sense if you haven't played the boardgame. I think you have to either clarify all the visuals, or make the screen simpler.

- The map screen is very small on the iPhone. The left menu is downright confusing and hardly legibile on the small iPhone screen.

- The tutorial text is very long, but still a lot of questions remain unanswered. Maybe you can include a help screen on every game screen?

All in all, I found the game beautifully made, but strangely simple considering the huge amount of tutorial text. I don't feel I have all that much control. I think the user interface could be simplified and could paint a clearer picture of the game's progress and the status of your adventurers.

As it is, the app tries to hard to resemble the board game, thereby confusing new players who never played that.

There is strategy. It revolves around leveraging the strengths of your investigators. Look at all of the adventure options and compare them to the current investigator. Ask yourself:

1. Can I successfully complete this adventure knowing that I have X "dice" I can roll vs. the number of symbols I need to match?

2. Will completing this adventure earn me any elder signs? Always keep this in mind because this is the goal of the game and every time midnight strikes, there is a chance for 1-3 doom tokens to appear.

3. Will completing this adventure earn rewards that are specific to my character? For example, a lot of characters get two of a specific reward instead of one.

4. Does my character have any specific advantages for this adventure? For example, Gloria gets a yellow and red glyph if she attempts an other world adventure.

I agree that the UI is confusing when you first start playing. Stick with it and it will become second nature. Have fun!

As said above. Plus some other thoughts

Consider that in the base game (apparently we can expect more Old Ones but no ETA), you win at 14 signs and lose at Doom 12.

So, you need to be about 3 signs ahead of Doom track to not be sweating, and at Doom 9 you are one bad +3'er away from being Old One appetizers.

Keep that in mind for "how much risk to take on" each turn.

There is a definite strategy to assigning investigators - is the cost more san/stam and which do they have more of, is the gain something they magnify (getting Joe clues, Bob common item finds etc.), how many resources do you think you will use on it vs gain from it (will you come up at least even, thus ahead on trophy or better, with never going for a "net loss" unless you are (a) sweating it per above; or (b) well stocked; which special abilities from character and items make a particular character a good one to take on something (Harvey is good for adventures that require knowing ancient lore, Michael is good for ones needing fisticuffs - interpreting Lore and Peril as such in each case).

You need to get rid of Midnighters pronto, likewise die lockdowns (before you get multiple die lockdowns). Save Other Worlds for the last adventurer to go if possible to avoid risking opening a Midnighter at end of turn before Midnight (some think that risk should be eliminated from game, myself, it's Lovercraft/Arkham and universe ain't supposed to fair so keep it). Treasure those "destroy a monster" items because you can use them to destroy monsters that advance clock or have other bad effects without triggering the bad effect - use them for that rather than just taking down a one peril cultist.

Above all, fear the Curator. It's his museum not yours.