Hello again FFG board denizens. From Call of Cthulhu Card Game ashes I rise to love this game!

Just played for Ryleh and lost that adventure. Still in the game. I've won Cthulhu a few times now. It is hard. I had the purple and red gems and my red die remained locked. Hmm. One investigator dead. only 7 doom still. Could still place a win in the 3,000 range. But I'll probably die. I don't get too many midnight wallops I see complained about on the board. But they sure do happen, doom plus two, two monster, another doom. But also with a loss of sanity, I can't remember. Is there any loss of strength? I forget. I just play to survive. I fight off the color locks, the midnight effects, and I try to choose wisely. Usely I'm too conservative. Often I space a key decision. I think that's what gets most of us. What to roll when, or when to feed the investigator clock (circles adventure?). Which adventure to choose is easier to decide wisely. I go to the Ultima Thule (buy stuff) not rarely. It always seems like you're just pushing the clock foreward hard when you wimp out at the hospital or overbuy. But, unlike another post I read, I think sometimes you use the money, and certainly for health.

I can't wait to discuss the AI of each adventure. It oozes with intent. The first version Azathoth was a blast. The loss of the high scores is a distant memory. Yig is a fiery fun adventure with its own character. The game is so gol darn intricate, it's a beauty. Separate high scores for each GOO would be cool.

It's almost flawless. (oh here he goes). No really, it deserves a long involved review. Not even a review, but a tutorial of each adventure. It's the best, non interhuman game on the iphone. That's a huge endorsement. And for the money? Shees! Perfect for one who has lived with these images for way over a decade with FFG Call of Cthulhu Card Game. Yes, I know Arkham Horror board game is more popular. Phooey. COC ccg was the sheet! lcg too, but waning. And the drama! (PS. A Game of Thrones is great and all, the books, not the over-popular game. Snap!)

Back to Elder Signs: Omens. Sometimes the bottom character bar of possessions freezes. If you're about to die on the iphone, turn the game off and unactive the program and the character turn will disappear. Gotta fix that. Sure it moves a bit slow booting up here and there. But it clicks along. The template is so involved

But, man! We're gonna see an update with more monsters, characters, GOOs. You know they will. The game is f'n on!

Played the Elder Signs board game. Great to hang with friends. But sometimes it's just you. And cthulhu dead but dreaming in your pocket.

I hope for a dialogue. Good luck vanquishing,

shoes

Hey shoes, nice to have you back, he said.

Well, I did lose that one. But I was patient, a few sittings, and posted a 51 turn, 53 items, 74 tasks, 24 adventures, four insane with one doom to go, perhaps six attempts at R'lyeh, only one even close. But you gotta rush in the end. A green glyph locks. Doom twos, multiple monsters, and it slips away. "But I had five doom and two glyphs and the island was up and a bunch of items. The humanity!"

You get through the first round of the cthulhu campaign with zero or one doom, and I used to feel good. I didn't rack up much as I raced past the first round avoiding everything but two-fer elder signs or the rare new precious minus one doom. Never play that adventure with zero doom.

The first stretch on the Ultima Thule is hard to describe. It's deliberation, making sure to get that investigate count down. Man, when you fight for a rare-whatsit (hey, I'm chatting, not looking it up in the amazing tutorial), and that whatsit ends up as like minus five off the pool or five gold, that sucks! Where's my friggin gem? It has a scratch ticket gamble feel to it. That last rune throw, the red likely, and…dah! Except sometimes.

Consensus is you gotta have Jenny. Any cheep item becomes both runes, costs her one coin for a clue token… I like Dexter next because he always packs a lot of extra gadgets. Then it was Gloria for so long. But she doesn't hold up phase two. Exception: R'lyeh is an Other World. She gets both glyphs free. I've been on a Rita kick. She ignores bad effects of tasks. That's where I aim her, like a defender. We'll see. I don't win enough. Now I like Wilson with his yellow glyph, a little tenuous, especially against terror, but he's a 5, 5 guy, pretty tough. Weakness disqualifies some other good characters. Three sanity is too fragile, no matter if you brute him up against all the hearts you can find. Mark deserves a look, just so he can hit R'yleh in any order, not the three tasks in a row.

R'yleh, like all adventures has its pattern. If you're prepared you have a chance. It wants you to get those first two scrolls with zero to one trick you brought. If you take too many turns, it pulls into the terror timing for the next task. Then you're off kilter and you'd better still be stocked…or over four sanity.

The rolls favor the tasks. Example, basically, you see your losses come close. Example, I think if you play the negative effect task first you are rewarded. Example, when I wrongly don't waste a rune on the investigate pool jeapordising the win, it seems logical. Win the adventure, take the investigates that are left. (sometimes I waste a reroll to try for a couple more if I have the end locked up). Instead, FFG I think wants you to sacrifice, say, at Sailor's Doom, to get that scroll I think. Usually when I fail I blame myself as a big failure. I mean, it's hard to win against the grain. Pay attention to the Artificial Intelligence. You know, when it's tough to let go, when you locked something too early or committed your character lock early. Example: If you've been pussyfooting, the smack down is coming - dooms monsters locks. Example, in general, you see rolls that come close to what you need and a decision to make. Do you use two runes for three investigate, for instance. If your roll wins either task, which to choose. If I wrote my pattern down, one is favored. Sometimes you can tell. Sometimes you can see a thin disguise. Sometimes you know which adventure your character should choose. You just know it. Perfectly suited. And you make some ballsy stupid move instead. All because it works rarely.

Hey, how do you know when investigators will lock glyphs with you?

I love no-effect midnights. I love the re-rolls, and so cheep. I hate the doom effect adventures. I'm not a big monster killer, don't think I've hit nine or ten. I'll go hunting, take the lose adventure cost to kill a couple, and of course hunt down the **** glyph lockers. Which is usually easy to vanquish. But monsters at the end of five tasks, forget it. Nice to win an adventure after another investigator killed off a couple. Terror effects, Koi Pond needs some locks for the terror icon fail adventure. The three extra green bomb is fun too. Jenny took that to R'yleh for the win.

Enter effects, I hate the lose all coins. Not sure why. I tend to gamble poorly with lives on enter effects. I'll go up against 0-3 badness. Add another fail that will kill an investigator, I can see the math. But I kill it off if I think I can win. I think that's a loser mentality actually.

I brought Jenny in to R'yleh with a ton of re-rolls. AI was not happy. "Have some investigates cheater," it screamed each flip.

Thank you for reading. I just lost the next game. I guess this is now a log entry. Who knows what nuggets might emerge. 42 turns, 39 items, 55 tasks, 20 adventures. I gave a good effort without the yellow gem. Keeping Rita, but barely. She hangs tough though. I think old yellow Wilson has to go.

R'yleh: Rita brought red, re-roll and three greenies for an almost. Jenny and Dexter came in each with a red a lock and a re-roll and came close and not so close. I don't lock terror and certainly not skulls in advance. I want more runes for the next immediate task. Disagreement? I miss a terror I didn't lock…

I waited out the clock, Dexter even bought a 15 cost -1doom. So we milked that until 10 doom before going in. Managed to avoid most everything, paid off my green lock at the docks. And the night watchman green lock. I may have defeated all midnight effects, except a plus two doom. There, I was going to battle monsters then come in with the next character. I forgot the clock had advanced and got nailed three doom. I came in to phase two with three doom and soon four, but it slowed. Guess that's what cost me, the three doom. I just could not get the yellow gem in time and had to go in. And I did wimp to the Ultima Thule toward the end avoiding adventures. Using dough. Seemed smart. Stay alive, avoided adventures a bit. That probably cost me too, or kept me alive. Rolls of the dice. Hard to say.

I would say never pay down the investigate pool.

I still don't know how to tell if an investigator will get lock help from other investigators until they emerge on the right. Is there a key I'm missing?

Azathoth feels old already. I know there are changes, like minus doom. And he will net you the highest score. But still. Yig is cool because I so rarely play it and it has its own science and fiery color.

I hate deep one swarms. I hate when you know it's over. Like six bad things happen at once. Feels like it turns on a dime. Usually I feel like the computer knows, "you suck this campaign. I've seen enough bad play. Play out the string. Throw yourself to the beasts. I don't care. You are Devoured."

Yig - Jenny, Dexter, Gloria, and Rita. 8 turns, 11 items, 21 tasks, 7 adventures, 1 monster, 1 other world, 6 empty doom slots. under 3,000

I just needed to see a win. Failed one adventure. Yuggoth and Hidden Passage both earned two elder signs. It was a quick win. Avoided the monster with a doom effect. Shelve those plagues. +50 for the monster and minus 100 points for the doom. And it's a doom!

Someone wrote that they had achieved like 5,500 points in a cthulhu win. That's stratospheric, I just have to say. I had a 4,800 an Azathoth slog once.

I think I need to work on using less items. I go all in every time. That is, I hold off on goodies until I need them. But Red and Yellow are always down. So often a lock is followed by a duplicate rune. Used a double lock this adventure to secure the next task. Gratuitous but successful.

One can afford foibles with Yig. Cthulhu demands concentration, a hard push with educated feathering back on the gas, and still I need luck. I am certain that the grand masters win cthulhu every time and have high score tenth spot in the 4,000 range.

We could use some of that wisdom on this board.

I also invite the designers to comment, please. I know you're busy making the next one. But there's nothing like interacting with the community. Hence these boards. But what would we ask them? The masterful artwork is the highest gem of the FFG library. The game designers may differ. And, the game originated with the board game. That's a whole other forum anyway. But the Omens crew, without revealing too much, could share a little back story. Or tease us that more is coming…

And I continue asking, how do you tell when an investigator has help locking from another investigator?

Cruising along. Five doom. Out comes Twilight Ritual. Cooked. 39 turns.42 items.54 tasks.21 adventures. Devoured.

Cthulhu: 34 turns.29 items.45 tasks.14 adventures. devoured.

Boarded the Ultima Thule with 3 doom. I think there was a glitch when I chose a character and got another. No excuses though. Played the +1 investigate guy. Did get two quick gems. Doom clock was reasonable, a plus 2. I had to manage my sanity which slowed me down. I bought a few explores and had R'yleh up and two surviving investigators as time ran out. Not too glorious. But I'm trying to win at a quick pace. One red lock monster. One green lock doom adventure killer. Lesson, if you're not rolling, plodding successfully to defeat, and the game offers two gems, high tail it to R'yleh and screw the last gem. Die trying.

34 turns. 42 items. 46 tasks. 19 adventures. 1 monster! 7empty doom slots. 4,550

Jenny, Dexter, Yellow, and Scrounge. Had plenty of time at 1 then zero doom very late. Dexter bat clean-up and failed. Re-rolls are devoured at R'yleh. He had all icons locked up but one skull with plenty in the tank, but no. The Yellow Dude comes in light but a couple tricks and pulls it out using the ability.

I like that my tactic, a faster 34 turn win came through. Image a win with 50+ turns. The doom dollars accrued would negate a bunch of the achievements. Gotta be the way to 5k. I wonder if I had played a really slow game in the end, hounding the adventures, I'd have reached it, or fizzled out the clock with locks and dooms. I had 15 turns without an adventure won, mostly purchasing, not failing.

55 turns. 55 items. 74 tasks. 24 adventure. 7 monsters. 2 dead investigators. 4,515

dexter won it missing the yellow gem but with many locks and 9 doom, had to go in.

Yig 17 turns, 29 items, 36 tasks, 13 adventures, 6 empty doom slots, 3,685

Two adventures with -1 doom and an elder sign, those are great. They kept me down at zero for a 9 to 0 lead. Hit with a plus two doom. Rita is great against those **** +1 doom monsters. Her effect negates the result. (I don't think the rules explicitly state that. It refers only to avoiding sanity and health effects of tasks, I believe.) She killed two +1 doom monsters, my only two monsters. Good against Hallway of Fire too. Gloria was good for two other worlds. Perhaps she under performed. I aimed Dexter at spell adventures to boost his effect. And Gloria is just slammin.

The offerings came slow. I avoided non-elder sign adventures. What do you suppose that does? the only two other worlds? the low score? Never went to the store. Lost -2 trophies on one midnight. Hedge Maze bit my sanity another midnight. He's tough. Curator usually is, but first-tried him.

I hope you'll excuse my use of the boards as my public reference. Jump in any time.

Cthulhu, 40 turns, 48 items, 55 tasks, 22 adventures, 4 monsters, devoured

Jenny and Dexter did not hold up. They ran out of items. Rita was very very good, but wasn't great in the end. But I over used her. She was racking up the items. In the early going I went game plan, aiming each ability accordingly. I got away from that a little. I had 18 turns without a won adventure. That's a l lot of losses. But Monterey with the plus unique was stacked all game. He was James Bond.

I finished stage one with a -1 doom elder sign adventure for a sweet unexpected one doom aboard the Thule. Those dooms, used it all up slowly. I actually bought two of the gems. So we racked up the coin. Ran sanity and health down to one a few times and stalled to get the 2 buffer. I swear with 10 doom, one to go, I had all three gems and the stacked Jack was next as midnight struck for a +2 doom to end it. What happens to the extra doom? I'm worried. The game puts up the red and yellow blocker monster for that final stall. But someone cleared him out not caring they lost that adventure, just staying alive. But nay. Tic toc

Would have been one doomed effort anyway, sour grapes. Lost with 2,280. Hypothetically add 1k for 4 alive investigators, 500 for ancient one sealed away, 400 for the elder signs, 80 for R'yleh. 4,260 or so, a very nice score, but still low Ry'leh even had I pulled it.

I think I pulled like two major errors. I used a lock instead of the two lock. I locked a wrong decision once. It was right in front of me but was really complicated. Not really did I lock too early. I used my stuff readily but in reserve too, and ended up winning without my stuff a bit and had gimics longer, especially with the early targeting.

That failed Adventure: tasks Combat Terror and another Arcane Terror. I had the wild card, skulls, a terror, two arcane, locked the terror and just had a melt down. The game is not easy. Another time, I had the monster blue smart bomb, kill before entry and crucially failed to use it for a lost adventure. It sneaks up on you before making the adventure choice.

I did succeed at every do or die mission, where the numbers will kill you. I had that stuff, so was prepared. But those are the gambles you take. Entry penalty is like that Flash Gordon death-creature that bights arms in it's hovel.

Devoured by Cthulhu 53 turns, 43 items, 68 tasks, 18 adventures, 8 monsters 2,425 Montgomery, Jenny, Dexter, Rita

Three died trying during four times in R'yleh. I sped fast through phase one, thus had nothing in the satchel for the Thule and it showed, 68 futile tasks. Not a serious effort. Abandoned finding Purple Gem and sent investigators in accordingly prepared, but early at 8 doom, once with the + 4 green. Bought the Red Gem. For the game, Dexter was awful, but last to succumb, to a sanity midnight effect, failing his bottom feeding participation. Rita was bad. I'm sure it was me, because she is badass. She can hit a scary adventure, fail it and have plenty in the tank. Perhaps I played against the AI format. Often you know your throwing all your runes into oblivion, no matter what's left. Runes roll investigate after investigate all the time at R'yleh.

I like to start the game with a red and yellow lock and a midnight +2. I had plenty of time phase two and did attain most of the goals. But it was thin, 35 turns without an adventure won. Kind of a wimp kamikazi (sp) approach. I miss playing Gloria. I keep checking the main page for a new version.

Devoured by Cthulhu 1,515. To start, failed both my R+Y lock and Gr lock adventures - Visiting Antiquarian, Night Watchman. Failed twice at the Exhibit for two doom. Another doom failing Alter of Madness. -1 sanity midnight effect. Forgot to cash in investigates twice. Used a +3 green with only two spaces, wasting one. -1 stamina midnight effect. Amassed three doom at Sailor's Doom. I won that finally and I swear it gave me the yellow gem and -1 doom. Four monsters were out. The clock thankfully ran out.

Devoured by Cthulhu.

2,085. 29 turns. 41 inventory. 53 tasks. 21 adventures. 3 monsters. 8 elder signs. red and purple gem

Never rose R'yleh. Boarded the Thule low doom. Had good inventory. At 6 doom, you'd better be close to completion. Those last 5 come quick, a tcho tcho priest, a 2 doom midnight. The lock downs, green and red, stall you in the end. Would not have won anyway. I settled on Monteray, Jenny, Dexter, and Rita in that order. A couple more losses and I'll need to make an investigator switch. I played patiently, knew when an adventure was high risk, but decided I had to go for them. Those doom effects for a lost adventure are the real killer. They permeate the Thule part of the game. You need to go through them to get the gems.

The lead-off investigator seems to always do well. But if I put my weakest, Rita, in front, the line-up feels bottom-heavy. Monteray looks to get the biggest boost leading off. But I think he's stealing Jenny's spot.

Cthulhu 2,415 Devoured. 41 turns, 56 items, 55 tasks, 23 adventures, 4 monsters, 1 other world, 7 elder signs

Jenny died. She had one stamina, but had to beat a +2 doom midnight and did. But a deep one emerged with adventure -1 stamina per deep one.

My first Thule Relic was a -5 investigate, my second a -1 doom when I had zero doom. Wasted energy.

Line-up. Monteray, Yellow, Dexter, Jenny

Cthulhu 2,020 Devoured

40 turns, 44 items, 48 tasks, 17 adventures, 1 monster, 4 other worlds, 8 elder signs. Jenny, Gloria, Monteray, Dexter.

Made six hearty attempts at R'yleh with all gems. Fast to the finish, deliberate, hoped for that +3 other world, efficient but not tight, errors didn't seem costly, but must have been. I spent the end game stocking up at the Thule. +1 doom, +1 doom, +2 doom, ok time to go in.

Cthulhu - 4,645

37 turns,42 items,49 tasks,20 adventures,1 monster,2 other worlds,12 elder signs,7 empty doom slots

Line-up: Jenny, Gloria, Dexter, Monteray

Three green locks total, 1st phase avoided stuff, like +3 doom and +2 doom. Game dictated play. It was an aggressive board that raced. Went aboard the Thule light but with one doom. Sanity was tight, but everyone held on. Jenny went in to R'yle without the yellow gem but with the +3 green super item. First try at the sunken island of many angles.

Devoured by Cthulhu 1,785, 41 turns, 37 items, 51 tasks, 16 adventures, Jenny Dexter, Scroungy, Monteray

First leg was tough, lucky to get out at three doom, with a -1 doom adventure. I was dumb to not solve a green lock soon enough. Bought stuff twice in a round and got a two doom for it, in my opinion. Two midnight minus one sanity again killed a victor of a big item adventure. Didn't think a second one would come. With only the Red and Yellow gems, Jenny can use the re-roll to get red and yellow at R'yley, but can't use the reroll.

Cabala of Saboth is the +3 green. Two survived to face Cthulhu.

Devoured by cthulhu. 3,015, 47 turn, 52 items, 71 tasks, 25 adventures, 7 monsters, 3 other worlds, 8 elder signs. Order: Scrounge, Monteray, Dexter, Jenny

two gems, nine doom, pool in single digits, failed the +2 doom twilight twice to lose it. good fight, some mistakes.

Devoured by Cthulhu. 2,425, 39 turns, 48 items, 60 tasks, 18 adventures, 10 monsters! 1 other world, 7 elder signs Dexter, Montarey, Scrounge, Jenny

Handled some locks, a yellow two red and two green at one point. Then, wasn't prepared for the big adventures, and the many monsters and entry pentalties and doom fail penalties were everywhere. ran out of time with one yellow gem. At nine doom I went in to R'yleh five times, each time with a sole yellow gem, once almost pulling it off. Might be my monster record. A hard fought slightly ambling thus losing battle.

Devoured by Cthulhu 2,425, 41 turns, 43 items, 59 tasks, 19 adventures, 8 monsters, Jenny, Dexter, Scrounge, Monteray

Picked off one by one. Monty insane early. Plenty of time. yellow and bought red gem. Two of my big prizes were duds - -5 pool, 5 gold. R'yleh was up earliest ever. Had nothing to face it. Finally went for lower odds adventures, won some. Faced R'yleh twice. It's so much more fun with all the gems and a bag of tricks. The final adventure usually gives you the two tasks, then might tease you with one skull and a dud, or just the one skull. Thanks.

Devoured by Cthulhu 1,445. 25 turns, 23 items, 39 tasks, 12 adventures, 6 monsters. Scrounge, Monteray, Jenny, Dexter.

Boarded the Thule with EIGHT doom. Played it out. Got one red gem, no island, just Jenny and Monteray left. Then won an adventure with 17 needed to the pool and left eight on the table. If it was a hail mary before that, that was the final nail.

Devoured by cthulhu. 2,260. 44 turns, 34 items, 55 tasks, 19 adventures, 5 monsters, 3 other worlds, 8 elder signs

I hung in long after it was over. Long after. It was hopeless aboard the Ultima Thule. I flew there as usual. Same crew. Gained nothing first phase, had no inventory and a modest two doom. I remember having modest hopes. Then I just failed all over. Forget the telling. Let's just say I had 8 doom and like 42 to go on the pool, 42, seriously.

At ten doom I pulled one nifty trick. I cast the uber monster killer that you cast before going into an adventure against a red and yellow lock monster in a doom fail adventure that had like 8 tasks (ok, maybe five), unwinable. I cast the thing. I go in. Lock Monster is gone. I return to the map. No doom. But that was forever ago. Midnight, nothing happens. Ten. Another last gasp round. Amazingly I'm getting down to 16 pool with a red and yellow gem. Like a zombie. I spend like no money. I play last gasp two, no time to refuel. Midnight -1 sanity, still at ten. Hobbled. No quit. Pause, but no quit. I trudge out and win a special adventure, it's a -1 doom. I'm at nine. Devour me already! They just limped along, forever, too weak to face anything. So I put up some good fail numbers. But it was over at turn fifteen.

Devoured by Cthulhu, 820. 26 turns, 21 items, 28 tasks, 8 adventures, 2 monsters

Just being honest. I think I played stubbornly. I bit on some doom fail adventures. I played it out, poorly.

Devoured by Cthulhu, 2,695. 39 turns, 46 items, 64 tasks, 25 adventure, 7 other worlds

Twilight Ritual midnight +2 doom with a monster was my end. I won 25 adventures. At two doom, the island was up. Now that's cruising. I soon had red and yellow at 3 doom.

First phase had consecutive green locks. I discovered 7 other worlds. Adventure +3 doom monster midnight feels like a must-attack. I held off for the right investigator.

For the Carcosa of it, to close out the game, Dexter went in blazing with yellow and red for one maddening no go.

Devoured by Cthulhu 1,905. 37 turns, 28 items, 54 tasks, 16 adventures, 2 monsters, 8 elder signs

Island up early. No gems until the very end, red and yellow. Sometimes play is so weak aboard the Ultima Thule you can't eek out hardly one special adventure. A most unremarkable game. Wasted a Cabala of Saboth. Didn't think I'd even challenge big R. I almost got lucky, but deserved those tedious stats.