Ursula Downs Misunderstands Cultists (Solo, Achievements)

At this point, I'm fairly confident Ursula Downs is going to lose this final scenario. Scenario II was remarkably stingy with Victory points (coughing up no Victory locations other than the always-present Graveyard, and presenting 3 unique cultists she essentially could not interrogate). I have "sort of" a plan for the end involving Archaic Glyphs, True Understanding, and Shortcut, but it requires a lot of things to go right... more than this scenario typically permits. Well, let's get into it, and maybe learn what lessons we can from defeat!

SESSION REPORT

SCENARIO III - RETURN TO THE DEVOURER BELOW

• Opening Hand: Tooth of Eztli, Trench Coat, Jake Williams, Dr. Milan Christopher, Logical Reasoning
• Kept: Trench Coat, Tooth of Eztli, Dr. Milan Christopher
• Replacements: Persuasion, Emergency Cache
• Starting Location: Main Path

R1 (1D, 0H, 5$, 0C): 2/4 doom

• Encounter: None
• Play Dr. Milan Christopher [-4$]
• Move to Arkham Woods - Corpse-Ridden Clearing
• Ursula Downs: Investigate, 5 vs. 3 (Tablet is -3): fail
• Play Emergency Cache [+3$]
• Draw Magnifying Glass [+1$]

R2 (1D, 0H, 5$, 0C): 3/4 doom

• Encounter: Rotting Remains, 3 vs. 3 (-2): fail by 2 [1H, 1H on Dr. Milan Christopher]
• Investigate, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+1C]
• Dr. Milan Christopher [+1$]
• Play Trench Coat [-3$]
• Play Tooth of Eztli [-3$]
• Draw Magnifying Glass [+1$]

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

• Agenda advances to 1b: encounters reshuffle, Goat Spawn spawns at Main Path with +1 doom
• Encounter: Acolyte of Umôrdhoth spawns and engages
• Evade Acolyte of Umôrdhoth, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [evaded]
• Move to Main Path [Goat Spawn engages]
• Ursula Downs: Investigate [Goat Spawn attacks, 1D], 5 vs. 2 (Skull is -2): pass
• Dr. Milan Christopher: [+1$]
• Play Persuasion [-2$]: Parley Goat Spawn, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [shuffled into encounter deck]
• Acolyte of Umôrdhoth readies
• Draw True Understanding [+1$]

R4 (2D, 1H, 1$, 1C): 1/5 doom

• Encounter: Goat Spawn [spawns and engages] (We JUST took care of you! Ugh)
• Evade Goat Spawn, 5 v. 3 (+1): pass [evaded]
• Move to Arkham Woods - Tangled Thicket
• Play Magnifying Glass [-1$]
• Move to Main Path
• Ursula Downs: Investigate, 6 vs. 2 ( is -2): pass [+1 doom on Goat Spawn]
• Dr. Milan Christopher: [+1$]
• Goat Spawn readies and engages
• Draw Archaic Glyphs [+1$]

R4 (2D, 1H, 2$, 1C): 2/5 doom [+1 on Goat Spawn]

• Encounter: Umôrdhoth's Hunger [discard Magnifying Glass]
• Evade Goat Spawn, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [evaded]
• Play Archaic Glyphs [-2$]
• Move to Arkham Woods - Unhallowed Ground, 3 vs. 4 (): fail [1H, 1D on Trench Coat]
• Ursula Downs: Investigate, 6 vs. 4 (Skull is -2): pass [+1C]
• Dr. Milan Christopher: [+1$]
• Goat Spawn readies
• Draw Fieldwork [+1$]

R5 (2D, 2H, 2$, 2C): 3/5 doom [+1 on Goat Spawn]

• Encounter: Frozen in Fear
• Play Fieldwork [-2$]
• Draw Shortcut
• Draw Shortcut
• Frozen in Fear, 4 vs. 3 ( is -3): fail
• Goat Spawn moves to Arkham Woods - Unhallowed Ground, engages and attacks [1D]
• Draw Flashlight [+1$]

R6 (3D, 2H, 1$, 2C): 4/5 doom [+1 on Goat Spawn]

• Agenda advances to 2b: 3 vs. 6 (): receive Drawing the Sign
• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer [spawns in Arkham Woods with +1 doom; drop 1C on Arkham Woods] (arrrrgh)
• Evade Goat Spawn, 5 vs. 2 (Skull is -2): pass [evaded]
• Move to Main Path
• Play Shortcut: move to Arkham Woods - Lakeside [Disciple of the Devourer engages]
• Ursula Downs: use Archaic Glyphs [-1Ch], Investigate, 6 vs. 2 (-1 plus is -2): pass [+1C, Disciple of the Devourer evaded]
• Dr. Milan Christopher: [+1$]
• Frozen in Fear, commit True Understanding, 5 vs. 3 (): fail (arrrrgh)
• Disciple of the Devourer readies and engages
• Goat Spawn readies
• Draw Inquiring Mind [+1$]

Ursula's rapidly-approaching end now takes a turn for the outright comical.

R7 (3D, 2H, 3$, 2C): 1/5 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: Ancient Evils [+1 doom]
• Use Archaic Glyphs [-1Ch], Investigate: 6 vs. 2 (Skull is -2, plus Skull is -2): pass [+1C, Disciple of the Devourer evaded]
• Dr. Milan Christopher: [+1$]
• Play Shortcut: move to Main Path
• Move to Arkham Woods - Tangled Thicket
• Fieldwork: +2 to next test
• Ursula Downs: Investigate, 3 vs. 2 (-3): fail
• Frozen in Fear, commit Inquiring Mind, 7 vs. 3 ( is -3): pass [discarded]
• Tooth of Eztli: draw Deduction
• Disciple of the Devourer readies
• Goat Spawn moves to Main Path
• Draw Stubborn Detective, spawns and engages [+1$]

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

• Encounter: Ghoul Priest [spawns and engages]
• Move [Stubborn Detective and Ghoul Priest attack, 3D/2H] to Main Path [Goat Spawn engages]
• Advance to Act 1b [-3C]: The Masked Hunter, "Wolf-Man" Drew, Billy Cooper, and Alma Hill spawn at Main Path and engage
• Use Main Path: Resign

There you go, Mr. Stubborn Detective. Arrest all of those freaks. Oh, don't mind the Elder God about to come barreling down on us.

No Resolution

• Arkham succumbed to Umôrdhoth's terrible vengeance
• Ursula is killed
• Ursula loses

Well, it was an interesting and informative run. Some takeaways:

• Even a "no killing ghouls" or "no killing unique cultists" run needs to have some kind of enemy-defeating power. Pure evasion just isn't viable, especially in the cramped Scenario III map and with all the hunters and doom-sprouting enemies around.
• Better likely to not try mixing the pacifist routes. The "no killing ghouls" run should focus on nailing the unique cultists to pave the way in Scenario III. The "no killing unique cultists" run should aim to take out the Ghoul Priest, since they'll be saddled with at least one unkillable elite hunter in Scenario III (either The Masked Hunter or Narôgath).
• Lita Chantler is probably too good to pass up (for a winning run, at least).

At least Ursula Downs got to tour Arkham before her inevitable defeat!

Next time... perhaps some Jenny Barnes shenanigans?