Skill

Innate.

Survivor

Commit to a skill test only if you are engaged with an enemy.

For each enemy engaged with you, "Not without a fight!" gains .

Aurore Folny
Black Stars Rise #272.
"Not without a fight!"

FAQs

(from the official FAQ or responses to the official rules question form)
  • Q: How does this skill work in combination with the ally Yaotl (which has an ability that gives you skill boost based on the number of matching icons on the top card of your discard pile)? A: The abilities on skill cards are only active while they are being committed to a skill test, unless otherwise specified. In this case "Not without a fight!" will only have its printed icons while it is in your discard pile, hand, or any other state other than while it is being committed to a skill test. (This includes an effect that says something like "discard a card from your hand with at least X icons...")
Last updated

Reviews

Tried it and I found myself in a very simple, predictable even situation.

The situation where I wished I'dd just slotted Unexpected Courage rather then this far more limited wannabe that outright fails to be useful for pretty much every test where flexible icons are useful.

The only time this card proved itself better then Unexpected Courage was during a Cheap Shot action where we realized that we double tapped the icons, and we're not even sure that was a legal move and even then, much too specific to be routinely useful.

EDIT:

My opinion about this card hasn't changed, but I've started to find a use for it: When you want a deck with a lot of skills to use with True Survivor, this isn't a bad option to slot and recurse, even if it's just to throw the card away on a Wendy Adams re-roll. Also it's relatively useful in Agnes Baker decks as a tertiary source of boosts or to punch a Swarm of Rats in the first few scenarios.

EDIT: EDIT:

Lots of cards out since this released, it's binder fodder, never taking it again, not even for the folks who LOVE skill cards. Somebody is going to have to have "Not without a fight!" printed in their deckbuilding rules for it to show up in a deck of mine.

Tsuruki23 · 2523
For thiisI don't think i'll ever play this card, it's too situational. — Django · 5070
Sorry for double post, but i can't edit my comments. For this card to provide any benefit over Overpower or Unexpected courage, you need to be engaged with at least 2 enemies (so it provides +3). It's likely you'd be engaged with 1 after mythos phase, but a second one needs extra effort, like evading in previous turn or engaging one. However these actions could've been used to kill it instead. — Django · 5070
This isn't a for every one card; but mainly for combat focused suvivors. It's got utility in that it can be used as needed; at worst it's +1 will. Most times it will be on par with unexpected courage. The difference is that you can also use it to evade if you have more than one monster on you and are using Machete, for example. Or have people stack up monsters on you in the Mythos phase, then use the boost to pass will-based enounter checks. It's a niche card, but it can find room. It's also innate, so True Survivor can recycle it. — CecilAlucardX · 10
I would put this in a Wendy deck, mostly because it has the flexibility to be used for many purposes. I see this like a second Unexpected Courage. The thing is: I can always use it to evade, as I have to be engaged with an enemy to do that, I can always use it for +1 Willpower (and maybe more) and I can sometimes use it to attack -not always as I have to be engaged with the enemy, and if I'm engaged with multiple enemies I also get a nice boost. — matt88 · 3117
Oops, my mistake! I can't always use it for +1 Willpower, but if I happen to be engaged with an enemy when a Willpower test occurs I can use it for +2 or more. I like this card in general. It has its restrictions but I find it generally useful. — matt88 · 3117
The thing about this card is that it isn't a question of Unexpected Courage or this. You can take both. People would probably run 4 Unexpected Courages given the chance. — janoche · 1
If I read this correctly, this card gains the three additional icons in addition to the printed icons for every enemy engaged? — cheapmate · 1
I would expect that the power of this card would vary, depending on whether you were playing an enemy-heavy campaign like Night of the Zealot, or whether you were playing solo, because you encounter far fewer enemies that way. However, no one else seems to be discussing that, so I think there's something I'm missing. — Scrubsby · 1
Reading the text of the card, and comparing it to others, it seems to me that you can play this card for someone else's skill test. Now granted, I'm sure the Survivor does not want to be engaged with every enemy around, but that does open up some additional options. — Tiktakkat · 38
I would also note that Zoey can take it, and she would rather want to be engaged with multiple enemies, especially if she has a Survival Knife or two equipped if one of the enemies survives to the end of the Enemy Phase. — Tiktakkat · 38
I don't think Unexpected Courage with Cheap Shot would contribute twice, as added cards only add to skills based on icons matcing the test (or wild). The test doesn't change. I can also add that in cases like that the grim rule say you should go with the worst interpetation if you can't be sure. — Telruin · 1
Not without a Fight contributes double for Cheap shot, it provides both the combat and agility icons, doesnt make the card good though :P — Tsuruki23 · 2523
Skill Test Timing goes trough how you add a card to a skill test. Only the "appropriate" icons are applied, and it further spessify that appropriate icons are wild or those matching the skill test in question. — Telruin · 1
Gains some power with the advent of swarm enemies in Dreamlands — AndyN · 42
I am finding this card helpful in an Agnes Meat Cleaver deck where I actually find all three symbols useful at different times and appreciate the flexibility. — Time4Tiddy · 245
This would really boost a Spectral Razor, Agnes, Jim, Marie, Patrice, Lola all could use this combo. — dlikos · 151

Interesting that this card was released 4 years before the investigator on the image, yet still gave indications on her Stats: all but and what she likes: being engaged with a lot of enemies.

I mean thematically, this card is amazing, she looks cool af on the artwork, so does the Mechanic's Wrench, and the card does what turned into: high number of Icons skills (look at the Synergy card for : Strength in Numbers, one of the least broken yet one of the ones I've used the most so far).

Still, compared to the 3-icons Skills, this one is by far the weakest: Inspiring Presence that I add to increasingly more Decks lately and the staples "Watch this!", Eureka! and Resourceful. It doesn't bring anything to the success and takes 2 enemies on you to overshoot Unexpected Courage, which doesn't come that often, and if it does, high numbers are not necessarily what you're craving for.

Now, will I add this card to Daniela Reyes' Deck? Probably not because there's much better to do with her 5 lvl 0 cards and Strength in Numbers is much more likely to give a better boost for 1 pip, but I still love the Artwork and I almost wish it was the one selected for the Mechanic's Wrench.

Valentin1331 · 68161
Are you sure, this is suposed to be Daniela? I mean, sure, she wields a Wrench, but her hair-do looks much more like Rita's. — Susumu · 366
I would also say it's Rita on the picture. Also you need only one enemy to be on the same level as unexpected courage, because you get the printed symbols even without an enemy. — Tharzax · 1
It's been a while, but just to say that this artwork was actually used for the Wrench in AH 3 edition and previewed next to Daniela on FFG's communication at the time. You can see that picture on my Daniela Deck Guide as the header image. — Valentin1331 · 68161

A skill that might finally see its day now that Bestow Resolve exists. Even more than the Circle Undone cycle of Steadfast, Curiosity, etc, which when committed by that card's effect, commit for two and often four , generally maxing out at six, this card begins at six and could theoretically give hundreds of icons.

Since Bestow Resolve doesn't bypass the restriction of needing an enemy engaged with you to commit it, it won't necessarily fulfil the potential support aspect of giving skills to people at other locations. But, if you are committing things as a support Carson Sinclair already, this is a panic button for you to potentially save yourself from an enemy without needing assistance, at the expense of one charge. There is the possibility of using something like Handcuffs or Bolas to ensure you always have the enemy available.

Is it worth the two-card combo just to bring the skill up to a level of a skill that conditionally gives +x? Skills that give big bonuses and have no effect are often quite contentious, but it is worth pointing out that, despite the two-card combo, one part of it is a level 0 skill that is, at worst, an Overpower or Manual Dexterity without the draw, that may sometimes end up being a drawless Guts. As a low-exp combo, that isn't too bad.

Whether Bestow Resolve is good enough - or easy enough to find - to build a deck around, remains to be seen. But as long as Not Without A Fight isn't eating up a very limited slot - one of Zoey's, or maybe even Carson's - it certainly seems worth trying out. That does leave a fairly limited number of people who can run the combo, and most of them may struggle to find the deck space. I think the strongest consideration is William Yorick, who can repeatedly play Bestow Resolve from his discard pile, and use it to get any awkward items in there to play. But this is running the risk of talking about Bestow Resolve more than the card at hand.

SSW · 209

Just played with it on the repackaged Carcosa. I see this card as a chance to include 4x Unexpected Courage but the 3rd and 4th copy will be underpowered. In practice you either cannot use it or get 2 icons. The benefit of this card is not the possibility to get 3+ icons, but to save deck space for flex character that needs a lot of non-skill cards after fully upgraded, so quite niche but at least I know when it is needed. (e.g. Only 2x Unexpected Courage and 2x "Not without a fight!" remains to make it the most almost-wild concentrated, ensuring that when you draw one, it better be multi-purpose.)

It feels similar to Rise to the Occasion, which need a complicated condition of character with low base but with some asset buffs on top to win the test with the +3 commit effect. And that one can only be committed to yourself as well.

A little tech is to make the lead investigator be someone with this card so there is a chance to draw enemy encounter and get engaged (or try forcing this with On the Hunt), and now you can commit this card to help investigators at the same location. One other tech I found is to find scenario Parley action that test , which you can ignore AoO. Finally when using Survival Instinct to get away from multiple enemies, that many enemies will help boost the success rate.

5argon · 9812

Some reviews here don't do justice to this card. Allow me to tell you why you should pick it.

If you intend to fight or evade, it will always give you or with the added option of giving in the mythos phase if you are already engaged with your intentions.

It's a target for Resourceful unlike the likes of Overpower, Manual Dexterity, Guts, Unexpected Courage etc. Having Resourceful in your hand and no target for it in your discard pile is not fun.

It will not recycle itself like some of the aforementioned cards or be committed to a test (why would a fighter mingle with intellect in the first place?) but still, it is versatile and it might give you three icons. It happens! (It might give four icons but I do not wish that for the light-hearted)

It's a target for True Survivor unlike let's say Overpower.

It enables both Sea Change Harpoon and Silas's Net for Silas Marsh. It is actually a great card for Silas when taking into account all of the above and adding Eucatastrophe to the mix. (Eucatastrophe and Resourcefull and "Not without a fight" is a more than decent response to a crucial test)

This card has its uses. You cannot look at it in your hand and wish you had Unexpected Courage instead. It’s like looking at Able Bodied or Manual Dexterity in your hand and wishing you had Unexpected Courage. It’s a wrong way to look at it. This card is like “I am not amazing but I will not let you discredit me, "Not without a fight!"

Ginalx · 9