Pete Is Desperate To Save His House (Solo, Achievements)

This latest attempt at Return to the Night of the Zealot achievements is to try an "Ashcan" Pete deck focused around Desperate skills, St. Hubert's Key, Dark Horse, and Yaotl. Of course, I can't pick up Yaotl until the second scenario, so for now this "proto-Yaotl" skill-heavy deck is my weapon of choice for Return to The Gathering. Let's go!

SESSION REPORT

SCENARIO I - RETURN TO THE GATHERING

• Opening Hand: #St. Hubert's Key, Desperate Search, Perception, Fire Axe, Calling in Favors
• Kept: St. Hubert's Key, Fire Axe, Calling in Favors
• Replacements: Fire Axe, Calling in Favors
• Starting Location: Study (Duke in play)

I may be loaded down with duplicates but an early St. Hubert's Key is very nice.

R1 (0D, 0H, 5$, 0C): 0/3 doom

• Encounter: None
• Play St. Hubert's Key [-4$]
• Play Fire Axe [-1$]
• Use Duke: Investigate, 5 vs. 3 (-3): fail
• Draw Madame Labranche [+1$]

And there's my ally! Almost makes up for whiffing my first investigate attempt.

R2 (0D, 0H, 1$, 0C): 1/3 doom

• Encounter: Grave-Eater spawns and engages
• Use Fire Axe: Fight Grave-Eater [-1$], 4 vs. 2 ( is -2) [1D on Duke]: pass [+2D, defeated]
• Use Duke: Investigate, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+1C]
• Move to Guest Hall
• Draw Reckless Assault [+1$]

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

• Encounter: Grave-Eater spawns and engages
• Use Duke: Fight Grave-Eater, 4 vs. 2 (-2): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Move to Bathroom
• Investigate, 3 vs. 1 (): fail [turn ends]
• Draw Say Your Prayers [+1$]

I'm not about to let a little thing like the spoil my progress!

R4 (0D, 0H, 2$, 1C): 3/3 doom

• Agenda advances to 1b: [2H on Duke], advances to 2a
• Encounter: Rotting Remains, 5 vs. 3 ( is -1): pass
• Play Madame Labranche [-2$]
• Use Madame Labranche [+1$]
• Use Duke: Investigate, 5 vs. 1 (-4): pass [+1C]
• Move to Guest Hall
• Draw Double or Nothing [+1$]

R5 (0D, 0H, 2$, 2C): 1/7 doom

• Encounter: Obscuring Fog attaches to Guest Hall
• Use Duke: Move to Bedroom and Investigate, 5 vs. 2 (-1): pass [+1C]
• Move to Guest Hall
• Advance Act to 1b [-3C]: Locations enter play [Hallway, Attic, Cellar, Parlor], move to Hallway, commit Say Your Prayers, 9 vs. 4 (): fail by 4 [discard Calling in Favors, Fire Axe, Calling in Favors, Double or Nothing]]
• "Ashcan" Pete: ready Duke [discard Reckless Assault]
• Use Madame Labranche: draw Double or Nothing
• Use Duke: Move to Attic and Investigate, 5 vs. 3 (-3): fail
• Draw Dark Horse [+1$]

...okay, pulling the on the Act 1b test, especially after overcommitting to pass it on any other token, feels real bad. Time to try to bounce back. Dark Horse should help.

R6 (0D, 0H, 3$, 0C): 2/7 doom

• Encounter: Grave-Eater spawns and engages
• Use Duke: Fight Grave-Eater, 4 vs. 2 (0): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Play Dark Horse [-3$]
• "Ashcan" Pete: ready Duke [discard Double or Nothing]
• Use Duke: Move to Field of Graves [6 vs. 4 (-2), pass] and Investigate, 6 vs. 2 ( is -1): pass [+1C, +1 Victory]
• Use Madame Labranche: Draw Desperate Search
• Draw Newspaper [+0$]

R7 (0D, 0H, 0$, 1C): 3/7 doom

• Encounter: Crypt Chill, 6 vs. 4 (-1): pass
• Move to Attic
• Move to Hallway
• Use Duke: Move to Cellar [1D to Madame Labranche] and Investigate, 6 vs. 4 (-1): pass [+1C]
• Draw Dark Horse [+0$]

R8 (0D, 0H, 0$, 2C): 4/7 doom

• Encounter: Dissonant Voices
• Use Duke: Investigate, 6 vs. 4 (0): pass [+1C, +1 Victory]
• Draw Madame Labranche
• Draw Desperate Search
• Draw Fine Clothes [+1$]

Sweet. With all clues gathered, time to gather cards to be prepared for the Ghoul Priest. I'm also interested to wait until after the Agenda 2 flip to trigger it, just in case Agenda 2b brings me a Victory ghoul - if so, I'd like to defeat it first.

R9 (0D, 0H, 1$, 3C): 5/7 doom

• Encounter: Swarm of Rats spawns and engages
• Use Duke: Fight Swarm of Rats, 4 vs. 1 (+1): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Play Fine Clothes [-1$]
• Draw Stunning Blow
• Draw Fine Clothes [+0$]

R10 (0D, 0H, 0$, 3C): 6/7 doom

• Encounter: Obscuring Fog attaches to Cellar
• Move to Hallway
• Use Madame Labranche [+1$]
• Take a resource [+1$]
• Draw Reckless Assault
• Draw Vicious Blow [+1$, discard Newspaper]

Time to see if a Victory ghoul shows up (I've stocked resources to one-two finish it with Fire Axe and Duke)...

R11 (0D, 0H, 3$, 3C): 7/7 doom

• Agenda advances to 2b: encounters reshuffle, Flesh-Eater spawns in Attic (...yes!)
• Encounter: Swarm of Rats spawns and engages
• Move [Swarm of Rats attacks [1D]] to Attic [Flesh-Eater engages]
• Use Fire Axe: Fight Flesh-Eater [-3$], 9 vs. 4 ( is -1): pass [+2D]
• Use Duke: Fight Flesh-Eater, commit Reckless Assault, 9 vs 4 (-4): pass [+2D, defeated, +1 Victory]
• Swarm of Rats attacks [1D]
• Draw Hypochondria [+0$]

...weakness cards, eh? Let's clear those off before proceeding. Why do I say "those?" Read on.

R12 (2D, 0H, 0$, 3C): 1/10 doom

• Encounter: Rotting Remains, 6 vs. 3 ( is -1): pass
• Use Duke: Fight Swarm of Rats, 5 vs. 1 (-3): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Discard Hypochondria
• Draw Wracked by Nightmares [+1$] (deja vu all over again)

R13 (2D, 0H, 1$, 3C): 2/10 doom

• Encounter: The Zealot's Seal, 5 vs. 2 ( is -2): pass
• Discard Wracked by Nightmares
• Move to Hallway
• Draw St. Hubert's Key [+1$]
• Advance Act to 2b [-3C]: Reveal Parlor with Lita Chantler, Ghoul Priest spawns and engages
• Agenda 3a: +1 doom

OK, time to rumble. I could go parley Lita Chantler, with Fine Clothes on and Desperate Search in hand, but I also have hopefully enough firepower to not even need that step.

R14 (2D, 0H, 2$, 0C): 4/10 doom

• Encounter: Ancient Evils [+1 doom]
• Use Fire Axe: Fight Ghoul Priest [-2$], use Madame Labranche [+1$], [-1$], commit Stunning Blow, 10 vs. 4 (-4): pass [+2D, evaded]
• Use Duke: Fight Ghoul Priest, commit Vicious Blow, 6 vs. 4 ( is -2) [1D]: pass [+3D, defeated, +2 Victory, advance Act to 3b: choose Resolution 2]

Resolution 2

• Pete's house is still standing
• 8 experience (5 Victory + 3 bonus)

Success! I'm foregoing Lita Chantler for the extra experience and to keep Your House available in Return to The Midnight Masks. That will be the real challenge!