The Circle Undone Blind Run #6: Union and Disillusion

Union and Disillusion

Jenny’s poor performance in The Wages of Sin means she’ll begin this scenario with half the agenda already filled with doom. Coupled with there being only two agendas in this scenario the overall consequences might be worse than in the infamous Where Doom Awaits. Of course, Jenny won’t shrink this challenge. She’ll stand by the cultists. The plan to trap the Watcher seems to be a decent one and if it succeeds it could remove the Watcher from the last two scenarios. That would be most convenient. As for the deck upgrades, the sole standout is Coup de Grâce. It’s there because the preview article mentioned Whippoorwills. This might go against the spirit of blind runs, but I’m allowing myself some slack because Whippoorwills. NOTE: Jenny has the Puzzle Box, but at the time of publication it wasn’t implemented into ArkhamDB so it doesn’t show in her decklist.

Jenny sides with the Lodge and begins the scenario with 1 Mental Trauma and 4 extra doom.

Pre-Mulligan Hand: Emergency Cache, Switchblade, Physical Training, "I'm outta here!", "Watch this!"

Opening Hand: Switchblade, Physical Training, Puzzle Box, Elusive, Coup de Grâce

#1

• PLAY Physical Training
  • Even after four-card mulligan Jenny doesn’t have her mainstays. She’ll lean on Streetwise. BTW, with the recent taboo announcement I’m having a hard time deciding whether I should tackle the next campaign with or without taboos. On one hand most of the changes are well-reasoned, but on the other hand 8XP for Streetwise in Jenny feels like an undue burden.
• MOVE to Forbidding Shore
• INVESTIGATE ( +3 , -2, 1 clue from Forbidding Shore)
• Upkeep: draw High Roller, 3 resources total.

#2

• Mythos: 5/8 doom, Realm of Torment
  • Annoying! I have the means to discard it reliably, but not the resources to spare.
• × Forbidding Shore (lose 1 action)
  • First, I’ll need to reread the brazier rules and make sure I understand them correctly. The Puzzle Box can only be used once and it’s important I can recognize which brazier can be unlit safely if need be.
• CIRCLE ( +3 , -4)
• PLAY Puzzle Box
• × Realm of Torment (, discard Realm of Torment)
  • Nice!
• Upkeep: draw Intel Report, 3 resources total.

#3

• Mythos: 6/8 doom, Whippoorwill
  • Here it is, our Coup de Grâce target! Coup de Grâce is Fated and thus a bit unwieldy, but Jenny will definitely keep an eye out for an opportunity to smite that bird out of the sky.
• CIRCLE ( +3 , commit High Roller, -3, lit brazier at Forbidding Shore)
  • Good instincts on committing High Roller!
• MOVE to Unvisited Isle (Misty Clearing)
• INVESTIGATE (-2, 1 clue from Misty Clearing)
• Enemy: Whippoorwill hunts to Misty Clearing
• Upkeep: draw Lockpicks, 3 resources total.

#4

• Mythos: 7/8 doom, Marked for Death (, 2 damage)
  • It mirrors Eager for Death. Cute. At the moment it’s not worth boosting the test because Lockpicks are a priority investment.
• PLAY Lockpicks
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (-3, 2 supplies left, 1 clue from Misty Clearing)
• advance The Unvisited Isle to Fated Souls (move to Moss-Covered Steps, get Valentino Rivas)
  • Wonderful! Tino is safe and sound and I’m sure Jenny is tempted to leave and call it quits. We’ll see how it goes when the agenda flips and the Watcher arrives.
• RESOURCE
• Enemy: Whippoorwill hunts to Moss-Covered Steps
• Upkeep: draw Searching for Izzie (at Miskatonic River), 3 resources total.

#5

• Mythos: 8/8 doom, advance THE LOVERS • VI to Crossroads of Fate, Nether Mist
  • No Watcher? Good. On the other hand The Nether Mist coupled with the Whippoorwill and high shroud make investigation a bit too risky. Thankfully, I’ve got ways to circumvent it. We could say that Tino told Jenny everything he knew and more.
• RESOURCE
• PLAY Intel Report (2 clues from Moss-Covered Steps)
• advance Fated Souls to Beyond the Mist (v. I)
  • Hmmm… Let’s consider. There are three difficult Circle checks to pass and then one more act to complete. Not to mention Jenny is still worried about her sister. Nine rounds might not be enough.
• RESOURCE
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher hunts to Forbidding Shore
• Upkeep: draw High Roller, 3 resources total.

Board State Reminder: 6 health, 6 sanity, 3 resources, 0 clues

In Play: Valentino Rivas, Puzzle Box, Lockpicks (2 supplies), Physical Training

In Hand: Switchblade, Elusive, Coup de Grâce, High Roller

#6

• Mythos: 1/10 doom, Watcher's Grasp (The Spectral Watcher attacks, 1 damage & 1 horror to Valentino Rivas)
  • Enemies exhaust after attacking. It’s one of the easiest rules to forget. In this particular case it meant that I would’ve wasted an action and two resources on evading the guy.
• MOVE to Unvisited Isle (Haunted Spring)
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (, 1 clue from Haunted Spring)
• CIRCLE ( spend 1 clue, +3 , , lit brazier at Haunted Spring)
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher readies, Whippoorwill & Spectral Mist hunt to Haunted Spring
• Upkeep: draw "Watch this!", 3 resources total.

#7

• Mythos: 2/10 doom, Whispers in the Dark
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (-1, 1 clue from Haunted Spring)
• RESOURCE
• PLAY Coup de Grâce (defeat Whippoorwill, draw Jenny's Twin .45s)
  • BOOM HEADSHOT
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher hunts and attacks (1 horror to Valentino Rivas, 1 damage)
• Upkeep: draw Physical Training, 4 resources total, discard Whispers in the Dark.

#8

• Mythos: 3/10 doom, Shadow Hound
• PLAY Switchblade
• FIGHT with Switchblade (commit Physical Training, High Roller & "Watch this!", bid 3 resources, , 2 damage to Shadow Hound, gain 6 resources)
• FIGHT with Switchblade (, defeat Shadow Hound)
  • Hmmm... Jenny dispatched the hound, but she only has one action left which of course isn’t enough for the Spectral Watcher. Even so… reliable evasion costs resources.
• FIGHT with Switchblade (0, 2 damage to The Spectral Watcher)
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher attacks (1 damage & 1 horror)
• Upkeep: draw Emergency Cache, 9 resources total.

#9

• Mythos: 4/10 doom, Spectral Raven (buff)
  • Six rounds left and the encounter deck throws another enemy at Jenny. I’d hate to waste an Elusive, but I think the best option for now is to reveal the final act and check whether Jenny has any chance of completing the final objective.
• Elusive to Misty Clearing
• CIRCLE ( spend 1 clue, +3 , commit Jenny's Twin .45s, -4, lit brazier at Misty Clearing)
• advance Beyond the Mist (v. I) to Binding Ritual
  • Huh… Difficulty 20. Granted, it pulls from all stats, but the stat total for an average investigator is 12. I wonder how is an investigator without booster permanents or assets supposed to lit that brazier?
• FIGHT with Switchblade ( +1 , , defeat Coven Initiate)
  • She didn’t even make a sound. Jenny downed her from behind. Now, what about that Circle check? With 6 resources left I could boost it to +21 vs. 20. Then Jenny could tank the hits from both hunters and fight with the Watcher. She would need to deal 3 damage at +5 vs. 3. It’s doable. But at the same the odds are relatively low and the scenario would end without clearing Searching for Izzie. It’s a now or never decision.
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (-3, 1 supply left, 1 clue from The Geist-Trap)
  • Yes! Minus three means Jenny would’ve failed the Circle test.
• Enemy: Nether Mist hunts to The Geist-Trap, The Spectral Watcher hunts and attacks (1 damage & 1 horror), Spectral Raven hunts and attacks (buff, 1 damage & 1 horror)
• Upkeep: draw Elusive, 8 resources total.
  • Another Elusive? Splendid. This actually gives Jenny another shot at completing the scenario.

#10

• Mythos: 5/10 doom, Whispers in the Dark
  • Not too bad.
• FIGHT with Switchblade ( +4 , -2, defeat Spectral Raven)
• EVADE ( +3 , -3, exhaust The Spectral Watcher)
• PLAY Emergency Cache
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher readies
• Upkeep: draw Lone Wolf, 7 resources total, Whispers in the Dark.

Board State Reminder: 3 health, 4 sanity, 7 resources, 1 clues

In Play: Valentino Rivas (1 damage & 2 horror), Puzzle Box, Switchblade, Lockpicks (1 supply), Physical Training

In Hand: Elusive, Lone Wolf

#11

• Mythos: 6/10 doom, Shapes in the Mist (× Nether Mist, 1 damage & 1 horror, × The Geist-Trap, 1 damage & 1 horror), Death Approaches, Psychopomp's Song, Fate of All Fools
  • Ahahaha… I get the message.
• Elusive to Miskatonic River
• Searching for Izzie ( +6 , -2, discard Searching for Izzie)
• RESIGN.

As it turns out, winning this scenario would’ve meant winning the entire campaign. Jenny missed her chance, but still, it would’ve been awesome. In terms of narrative significance this scenario is top-notch. I’m less thrilled about the mechanics. Players often design their investigators to be just-good-enough and don’t plan on overshooting tests. Then again, attempting a difficulty 20 test is in itself quite memorable. Union and Disillusion stands out.

Oh, and cheers from Valentino. Despite his self-satisfied demeanor he’s immensely grateful for being alive.

Campaign Log:

Disappearance at the Twilight Estate: Valentino disappeared into the mist. 4 pieces of evidence were left behind.

The Witching Hour: Jenny has rejected her fate. The witches’ spell was broken. Mementos: Mesmerizing Flute & Ritual Components. 8 XP (Anette Mason, Cairn Stones, Child's Tree House, Tainted Well, Hermit's House, Delve Too Deep, 1 bonus XP).

At Death's Doorstep: Jenny is on Valentino’s trail. Jenny escaped the spectral realm. Jenny rescued Joseph. Jenny is a member of the Lodge. 5 XP (Office, Delve Too Deep, 2 bonus XP).

The Secret Name: Jenny told the Lodge about the coven. Mementos: Gilman’s Journal, Keziah’s Formulae & Worn Crucifix. 4 XP (City of Elder Things, Twilight Abyss, 2 bonus XP), 1 Mental Trauma.

The Wages of Sin: 4 heretics were unleashed unto Arkham. Mementos: Wisp of Spectral Mist. 1 XP (Haunted Fields).

For the Greater Good: Jenny discovered how to open the puzzle box. Jenny was inducted into the Inner Circle. 2 XP (Library, Nathan Wick).

Union and Disillusion: Jenny sided with the Lodge. Carl Sanford 4 XP (Misty Clearing, Moss-Covered Steps, Haunted Spring, The Geist-Trap)