"Broke, Not Broken" - Upgrade Guide & Strategy

Upgrade Path (16 XP Total)

Priority 1: Dual Ally Setup (3 XP)

Charisma - 3 XP

• Remove: 1x Unexpected Courage
• Enables both Peter Sylvestre and Madame Labranche in play simultaneously

Priority 2: Enhanced Defense (4 XP)

2x Peter Sylvestre (2) - 2 XP each

• Replaces: 2x Peter Sylvestre (0)
• Adds +1 Willpower boost to existing horror soak

Priority 3: Better Events (4 XP)

2x Lucky! (2) - 2 XP each

• Replaces: 2x Lucky! (0)
• Improved encounter card protection

Priority 4: Combat Support (3 XP)

Scrapper (3) - 3 XP

• Remove: 1x Overpower
• Provides resource-based skill boosts for any test

Priority 5: Treachery Defense (4 XP)

2x A Test of Will (2) - 2 XP each

• Remove: 2x Resourceful
• Cancels dangerous treachery effects

Strategy Overview

Early Game

Establish Dark Horse + Fire Axe engine while deploying allies for damage/horror soak

Mid Game

Use Duke for investigation/combat while maintaining 0 resources for Dark Horse stat bonuses

Late Game

Leverage upgraded allies and Scrapper for consistent high-stat skill tests

Core Mechanics

Resource Management

• Use Madame Labranche passive generation and Take Heart for resources
• Spend immediately on Fire Axe to maintain Dark Horse activation

Investigation Power

2x Magnifying Glass + Duke's base 4 Intellect + Dark Horse bonus = 6 Intellect consistently

Combat Power

Fire Axe + Dark Horse + Duke = 6 Combat with +1 damage regularly