Hi!

Just started playing, and from the box, I have a massive question, which I can't find answered in the rules: what happens if you commit characters to a story card, and the opponent doesn't (for example all his characters are insane)? Is it considered an Unchallenged Story? Is it considered that I succeeded at a story, if there was nothing on the other side opposing me? Many thanks for the help!

Rui

If you have at least have one skill, you succeed unopposed. You also win each struggle that you have icons for. So, if you commit a character with one investigation icon, and one skill (and your opponent commits nothing) then you win the investigation struggle, and succeed at the story unopposed.

Hope that makes sense.

That was exactly what I needed, many many thanks! Also, and this one might sound even sillier (sorry again) what is the strategic value of winnin the arcane challenge (readying a character) if the character is still comited to that story?

After all the struggles have resolved at all stories, both characters have the chance to trigger responses or perform actions, and then all characters de-commit from the story in the same readiness state as they were committed to the story. So ready characters will stay ready, exhausted characters stay exhausted.

The advantage to winning an arcane struggle on offense is that you'll have another character ready to defend on your opponent's turn. Most of the time, the only advantages to winning an arcane struggle on defense are A) that your opponent WON'T be able to ready a character, leaving him with less defenses on your turn or B) you have a character with an exhaust ability you want to use just before the beginning of your turn. Hope that helps!

I think beginning players may tend to undervalue Arcane, but it's really quite good to be able to double dip and use the same character both on attack and defense.

Thanks once again! That is 100% what I needed! May I say that you guys ROCK! I'm now starting on the deck building, and will keep you posted!

Right, 2 more questions, I'm afraid! (It's both exciting and humbling to be excited about a new game, but needing this much help! )

1) Steadfast cards - i get the icons in title, number of resources of that type, and so on, but what if, like in the Sword of Y'ha-tallo, I have 0 cost but two Cthulhu icons? Do I pay 2 Cthulhu resources? Even it being 0 cost?

2) Icon boosters, I get how they work, 3 more terror icons means the story’s terror struggle resolves 3 more times. But if player A wins the 1st struggle, doesn’t this mean he wins the next 3? Wouldn’t this automatically means that player B loses the terror struggle 4 times (4 insane characters?) Is this the intention, then?

Once again, your help is very much appreciated!!

1) you do not pay steadfast, you need to have steadfast in order to play, but you only pay normal cost, in case of 0 no domain is drained

2) basically yes, in theory you could lose next ones, but i cant think of any case where you would in current card pool, Lucas Corn for the win

edit: found one: you win with David Pan, opponent has Charles Dexter Ward

That's great, thanks loads! Can I just confirm something regarding the steadfast cards: so I don't need to spend those resources, but I need to have them there to be able to play (use) the card?

also my better half in in love with the academics from MU so I'm making a yellow deck for her, but I really fancy Cthulhu. Is a single colour deck weaker (less variety of icons)? What can you recommend to mix then?

Thanks for the fantastic help! You guys are the best!

Yeah--steadfast icons are just a spot check to make sure you're affiliated enough with the faction to play the card. No need to actually pay anything for them. So sword of y'ha-tallo enters play for free, and you can pay for undercover security with a domain that only has one agency resource.

The multifaction thing depends on a number of factors. If you only have the coreset you almost certainly need to have two factions in a deck. If you have a large card pool, single faction decks become stronger, although I think only a few factions (like Cthulhu) have top-tier single faction decks to be made. There are a few reasons for making multifaction decks: different factions can cover the weaknesses of one another (like Shub can give Agency support destruction, Agency can give Shub character removal), can synergize well together (both Hastur and Cthulhu have excellent control options, so if you put them together your control options get really excellent), or you're looking for a specific combination (like say the Large Man from Yog and An Offer You Can't Refuse from Syndicate. Basically making multifaction decks expand your cardpool for deckbuilding by a heck of a lot without being much of an inconvenience at all in terms of resourcing.

Absolutely perfect! Thanks so much!

Single faction and dual faction decks can both work quite well. More than 2 factions gets tricky because of resourcing issues. Note that some cards though are effectively colorless if they're cost 0 with no Steadfast or else have an ability that lets you put them into play (often temporarily) by spending resources of any color.

Single faction decks have the easiest time resourcing, can be more strongly themed, and can take more advantage of faction-specific Events/Supports. The drawback is a smaller card pool to draw on. Two factions = twice as many cards (minus the relatively few ones that no longer make sense).

Dual faction decks still work well from a resourcing perspective, although sometime you can get lopsided draws (mulligan helps). You can, to an extent, combine the strengths of both factions although you also frequently dilute them. For instance, a Cthulhu/Miskatonic deck is not as good at destroying stuff as a pure Cthulhu deck would be, but it gains Investigation and some tricks as compensation. Because dual faction decks give you twice the card pool, they're pretty much the default for players with small collections.

Some factions seem to be better equipped to run alone than others. Cthulhu for instance is well known for working well as a single faction, where Hastur or Miskatonic for instance have a little more trouble on their own. However, I expect once the new faction expansions are out the extra injection of cards will help a lot with this - Misatonic is the first one due out.

Cheers, that is what I wanted. My yellow deck (if I can refer to it like this!) is based on the Seekers of Knowledge expansion, and is adapted from a recommended one in the leaflet inside. Piles and piles and piles of inexpensive scholars with Investigation icons. I really want to try that against my Chtulhu one , although I filled it with fairly cheap baddies, to make sure I'm not overwhelmed.

If you call it a yellow deck most people will not know what you mean for two reasons:

1. That's not normal terminology for CoC players

2. Hastur is actually "more yellow" than Miskatonic, I would call them "orange" if anything

I had thought Seeker of Knowledge wasn't out yet, where did you find a copy? I just looked at some of the online stores and they're still listing it as "preorder".

I haven't gone to Arkham Nights yet as the tourney is later today, but perhaps they have it available at the FFG EC?

That or it is not unknown for europeans to sometimes get a CoC expansion before we do in the states. Not usual, but it has happened.

Either scenario would not surprise me.

Looking at the Upcoming List just now, I noticed it reads "Shipping". Knowing how FFG are not the most fastidious in keeping that up to date, it likely has shipped to a few places by now.

FFG EC normally has items in stock once they read "Shipping" So I would be very surprised if they do not have it at the moment, among other places.

Nah, that's totally cool if Arkham Nights people have it. I mean, they traveled all the way up there - they deserve some benefits. Anyway, I'll have to check our local store and see if they have any expected date yet - I hadn't expected it this early.

But if folks DO have it, could you maybe throw the rest of us a bone and post some spoilers perhaps?

Yeah it was available this weekend at FFG EC.

I cant say a whole lot about spoiling the cards since I have not bought a set yet (sacrilege!). I can say though that it comes with 2 decklists (emphasis on mono faction), a bit of a story that we commonly see in asylum packs, no story cards, no domain cards (hardly surprising), Prophecy cards work pretty much as we have already guessed (their new rules are fairly minor).

I got to play against a Nerd Deck using the new cards this weekend and I gotta say Nerds are looking HAWT. My opponent won one story that I foolishly let go uncontested with six success tokens(!). Nerds are back with a vengeance. Nerd rage vengeance.

ruiramalho1701 wrote:

-->Cheers, that is what I wanted. My yellow deck (if I can refer to it like this!) is based on the Seekers of Knowledge expansion, and is adapted from a recommended one in the leaflet inside. Piles and piles and piles of inexpensive scholars with Investigation icons. I really want to try that against my Chtulhu one , although I filled it with fairly cheap baddies, to make sure I'm not overwhelmed.

May I ask a few questions;

Did you find the included decks helpful?

Did they include any ways of playing that you might not of thought of?

How did they do against your previous made decks?

Hi guys,

Sorry I didn't notice you guys had answered me further. I literally got Seekers of Knowledge on my local gaming shop, off the shelf (i live in the UK). I had no idea these expansions weren't rolled out simultaneously.