Roland Covers Up the Circle (Solo, Achievements)

Roland's final challenge: can he stop the summoning of Umôrdhoth? Perhaps unusually for a Guardian, I'm aiming for a finish via clues here - I'm guardedly (ha) hopeful that Roland's ability to turn monster-hunting into clue-finding will help me outrace this scenario's criminally short doom clock. The two upgraded Physical Trainings are there to give me some means of cracking the end-of-scenario tests; I'd rather have a pump asset by then rather than cards in hand, because so much of this encounter deck likes to force you to discard cards. The Elder Sign Amulet is there because I'm already down to only 4 sanity remaining thanks to mental trauma... and the second upgraded Beat Cop is, well, because upgraded Beat Cops are great (especially here for popping annoying Disciples of the Devourer. Here we go!

SESSION REPORT

SCENARIO III - RETURN TO THE DEVOURER BELOW

• Opening Hand: Art Student, Physical Training, Dr. William T. Maleson, Vicious Blow, On the Hunt
• Kept: Art Student, Physical Training
• Replacements: Pathfinder, Beat Cop, Lita Chantler
• Starting location: Main Path

Who needs a weapon when you've got a truckload of allies? Plus, there's my end-of-scenario solution (Physical Training) right there from the beginning; as well as the ever-useful Pathfinder. Even Indebted, Roland has just enough cash to get a decent start going.

R1 (1D, 1H, 3$, 0C): 1/4 doom

• Encounter: None
• Play Pathfinder [-3$]
• Play Physical Training
• Play Lita Chantler
• Use Pathfinder: move to Arkham Woods - Quiet Glade (bah, no clue to be found here!)
• Draw Marksmanship [+1$]

R2 (1D, 1H, 1$, 0C): 2/4 doom

• Encounter: Umôrdhoth's Wrath, 3 vs. 5 (-2): fail by 4 [2D/2H on Lita Chantler, discard Beat Cop, Marksmanship] (well, that's quite a big first punch from the encounter deck, but I'll roll with it)
• Use Pathfinder: move to Main Path
• Move to Arkham Woods - Twisting Paths (uh oh)
• Draw Dr. William T. Maleson
• Draw Vicious Blow
• Draw Unexpected Courage [+1$]

Needing to pass an 3 test to leave the Twisting Paths, I decided I needed to pause and draw until I found something to help me do that. Unexpected Courage fits the bill, and that Vicious Blow is about to prove handy as well.

R3 (1D, 1H, 2$, 0C): 3/4 doom

• Encounter: Young Deep One spawns and engages [1H]
• Fight Young Deep One, commit Vicious Blow, 6 vs. 3 ( is -2, +1 doom on Young Deep One): pass [+3D, defeated]
• Roland Banks [+1C]
• Use Pathfinder: commit Unexpected Courage, 5 vs. 3 ( is 0): pass, move to Main Path
• Move to Arkham Woods - Corpse-Ridden Clearing
• Play Art Student [-2$] [+1C]
• Draw Flashlight [+1$]

Good tempo catch-up here, netting two of my three needed clues all in one turn. But I do now need to deal with the Agenda 1b Main Path enemy - and still without a weapon. At least I have Lita Chantler.

R4 (1D, 2H, 1$, 2C): 4/4 doom

• Agenda advances to 1b: encounters reshuffle, Acolyte of Umôrdhoth spawns at Main Path with +1 doom, advances to 2a [enemies have +1 fight/evade]
• Encounter: Ancient Evils [+1 doom]
• Use Pathfinder: move to Main Path [Acolyte of Umôrdhoth engages]
• Fight Acolyte of Umôrdhoth, 5 vs. 4 ( is -1): pass [+2D]
• Fight Acolyte of Umôrdhoth, 5 vs. 4 (): fail
• Fight Acolyte of Umôrdhoth, 5 vs. 4 (0): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Draw On the Hunt [+1$]

I thought about eating an attack of opportunity to drag the Acolyte into the last Woods location and get its clue by killing it, but ultimately rejected that idea as too damaging to Roland's dwindling sanity reserve. Good thing too as I needed a full turn's worth of attacks to bring it down. With On the Hunt I have an alternative.

R5 (1D, 2H, 2$, 2C): 2/5 doom

• Encounter: Rotting Remains, 3 vs. 3 (-2): fail by 2 [2H discards Art Student]
• Use Pathfinder: move to Arkham Woods - Old House
• Draw Emergency Cache
• Play Emergency Cache [+3$]
• Play Dr. William T. Maleson [-1$]
• Draw Art Student [+1$]

Once again, I'm pausing here to draw cards. I'll use On the Hunt to pull something (hopefully a Grave-Eater) to get that clue, and then I'm going to... draw more cards. I need a weapon to handle the remaining unique cultists at the Main Path, and I'm better off delaying to fight them until after Agenda 2 flips (meaning enemies won't have their +1 fight any more).

R6 (1D, 2H, 5$, 2C): 3/5 doom

• Play On the Hunt [-1$], Encounter: Grave-Eater spawns and engages
• Fight Grave-Eater, 5 vs. 3 ( is -5): fail
• Fight Grave-Eater, 5 vs. 3 (+1): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Roland Banks [+1C]
• Advance Act to 1b [-3C]: Ritual Site enters play, Alma Hill and Herman Collins spawn at Main Path
• Draw .32 Colt
• Draw Vicious Blow [+1$]

Even though I'm not facing them yet, I definitely wanted to spend the clues as soon as I got them, so they wouldn't get stolen by a Disciple of the Devourer. Which, turns out, was a good call!

R7 (1D, 2H, 5$, 0C): 4/5 doom

• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Ritual Site with +1 doom
• Draw Beat Cop
• Draw Roland's .38 Special
• Play Roland's .38 Special [-3$]
• Draw .45 Automatic [+1$]

And suddenly I'm flush with guns. With Vicious Blow and extra cards in hand, the plan is to (1) draw one more card next turn, (2) Pathfinder in and defeat Alma Hill in one shot with Vicious Blow, and then (3) parley Herman Collins by handing him my collection of extra assets I'll never have the money to play. Hopefully I'm not about to receive Amnesia from the Agenda deck!

R8 (1D, 2H, 3$, 0C): 5/5 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Agenda advances to 2b, 3 vs. 6 ( is -3): fail, receive Psychosis, agenda advances to 3a
• Encounter: Rotting Remains, 3 vs. 3 (-4): fail by 3 [1D/1H, 2H discards Dr. William T. Maleson]
• Draw Marksmanship
• Use Pathfinder: move to Main Path [Alma Hill and Herman Collins engage]
• Use Roland's .38 Special [-1A]: Fight Alma Hill, commit Vicious Blow, 7 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+3D, defeated, +1 Victory]
• Parley Herman Collins [discard Flashlight, .32 Colt, Marksmanship, .45 Automatic]: placed in display [+1 Victory]
• Draw Inquiring Mind [+1$]

The plan went off mostly without a hitch. Psychosis is fairly toothless; it's not physical damage that's going to bring Roland down. That enormous Rotting Remains hit is the real concern - another draw and token pull like that, and I'm done for.

R9 (2D, 3H, 4$, 0C): 1/5 doom

• Encounter: Dreams of R'lyeh (uh oh. Suddenly Roland is 1 point of horror damage away from defeat. Fortunately, Inquiring Mind may be a solution... if I can manage it.)
• Play Beat Cop [-4$] (I need more horror soak, and to pop that Disciple of the Devourer.)
• Use Pathfinder: move to Ritual Site [Disciple of the Devourer engages]
• Advance Act to 2b: encounters reshuffle, Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Ritual Site with +1 doom and engages, act advances to 3a
• Use Beat Cop [1D on Beat Cop]: +1D to Disciple of the Devourer, defeated
• Roland Banks [+1C]
• Fight Disciple of the Devourer, 6 vs. 3 ( is 0): pass [+1D, defeated]
• Use Dreams of R'lyeh, commit Inquiring Mind, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [discarded]
• Draw Cover Up [+1$]
• Add 1C to Ritual Site

Whew! Discarding Dreams of R'lyeh is a huge weight off. Now it's a matter of getting the resources I need to pass those last tests on the Act card, while also hoovering up one more clue. Another enemy spawn will do that for me. And hey, look what's coming up next.

R10 (2D, 3H, 1$, 1C): 2/5 doom

• Encounter: Young Deep One spawns and engages [1D, 1H on Beat Cop]
• Use Roland's .38 Special [-1A]: Fight Young Deep One, 9 vs. 3 (-4): pass [+3D, defeated]
• Roland Banks [+1C]
• Take a resource [+1$]
• Use Act 3a [-1C], use Physical Training [-2$], 5 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+1C on Act 3a]
• Draw Flashlight [+1$]
• Add 1C to Ritual Site

Almost there, but time is running out!

R11 (3D, 3H, 1$, 1C): 3/5 doom

• Encounter: Umôrdhoth's Wrath, 3 vs. 5 ( is 0): fail by 2 [discard Flashlight, Art Student]
• Take a resource [+1$]
• Take a resource [+1$]
• Use Act 3a [-1C], use Physical Training [-3$], 6 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+1C on Act 3a]
• Advance Act to 3b: Resolution 1, +1 mental trauma from Cover Up

Resolution 1

• The ritual to summon Umôrdhoth was broken
• +2 mental trauma
• 7 experience (2 Victory + 5 bonus)
• Total trauma: 1 physical, 4 mental
• Roland wins!

Success! Sure, Roland may literally be down to 1 sanity given all the mental trauma he's suffered at failing to Cover Up this conspiracy, but Arkham has been saved! As ever, this was an intense final scenario and one that feels quite satisfying to resolve successfully.

What's next, achievement-wise? I still need a run where I defeat the Ghoul Priest in Scenario I and burn down my house; I need a run where I interrogate all six unique cultists in The Midnight Masks; and I need a separate run where I don't defeat any unique cultists (parleying is OK, but that means either The Masked Hunter or Narôgath will be chasing me throughout). Finally, there's the "win with three Ultimatums" and "win on Expert" challenges. Not sure what my next plan will be, but since I've so far used every class but Mystic... perhaps it's time to give a Mystic a whirl. I've not played Akachi Onyele before...

Till then! Hope you all have enjoyed reading as I've enjoyed playing!

• Voltgloss