"Are the Dilemmas any good?" asks Patrice.

Introduction

I built this deck because I'd not tried the Dilemma cards from TSK yet. What better way to ensure you'll see them than in Patrice, who's guaranteed to draw her entire deck?

I'd also noticed that there were (at time of building) no published decks featuring Katja Eastbank, so consider this an attempt to remedy that, and to understand why she seems like an unpopular ally...

Table of Contents

• Are the dilemmas any good then?

• Each Dilemma, reviewed

• Katja - any good?

• General Patrice shenanigans

• Over to you...

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Overview

Are the dilemmas any good then?

When I first got my hands on TSK, I didn't look positively at the Dilemmas. "Too fiddly," "Too situational," "Too chaotic," all came to mind.

Now, having built a deck that forced them all the table, I think they're an excellent, fun, thematic addition to the game.

They force some difficult decisions, and they force team play. If you like your Arkham to be an interactive puzzle that involves your team mates, then they're gonna enhance your game. I do like that the Dilemmas really do create, ahem, dilemmas. It's not like they're "just" an event card - each has decisions to make (some more crunchy than others), so their theme fits their trait very well.

A deck like this would be a great one to take to a multiplayer event.

Each Dilemma, reviewed

Nature of the Beast ★★★★★ (in multiplayer)

Wonderful card. If you're in a 3 or 4 player game, you're always going to be able to find at least one Encounter card that is easy for one of your team to handle. The upside - a clue from anywhere - is very powerful.

Predator or Prey ★★★★☆

This was the one that made the only meaningful combo with Katja Eastbank. If you HAVE to play this when you draw it, it's a real dilemma, because the table state might play havoc. But, if you can control when you play it, it becomes a potent Event with no downside.

At a Crossroads ★★★★☆

A free action for the cost of one card? This one comes with a great cost-benefit but the timing can work extremely well. In our scenario our Mark Harrigan player managed to kill an enemy that just hunted to him. A great outcome. And it only costs a randomly discarded card? Yes please.

This one's definitely fun to inflict on your group because the downside's not a disaster.

Making Preparations ★★★☆☆ (speculative)

This one went under Katja Eastbank, to be played later in the scenario. It never got played... I didn't want to play it when it was drawn, because during Upkeep, it was too hard to predict which skills would be worth altering for an entire Mythos and Investigation phase. I think that, had I played it, it would have made for some fun table talk (at my expense!).

I would consider this one in solo because you're more in control of which skills you'll be focussing on.

Heed the Dream ☆☆☆☆☆

I didn't like the look of this on first sight and I have to say that playing the card only reinforced that hunch. Sure, drawing a card is good. Sure, if you're playing four-players and everyone draws a card, that's great. But, for me, the risk of losing key cards for the game is too great.

In our scenario I drew this one turn 2, and it was an excruciating decision. Each pile had an important card. I just don't think the benefit of card-draw outweighs the risk of ruining someone's deck. I certainly would NOT play this at an event.

Fickle Fortune ?????

I didn't put this one in the deck because I didn't want to mess up the Doom clock. I suspect this one would combo well with Katja Eastbank because both options are positive, if you can control when they take place.

Katja Eastbank - any good?

Um. She's... ok?

The combo with Predator or Prey was very powerful. But otherwise, she didn't shine. Because it's an action to play the card under her any Dilemmas could be considered as Event cards. That seems reasonable. But most Dilemmas make for pretty weak Events: they all have a downside (hence: Dilemma!). Paying an action for a Dilemma feels expensive.

I think I'd only consider her again if I'm playing Predator or Prey and/or Fickle Fortune because those are the Dilemmas you most want to control.

To make her work well, you need to have plenty of tools to get her in play before the Dilemmas show up. Hard mulligan for her, or use your #Flare to find her.

Other Patrice shenanigans

The rest of the deck is the general discard wizardry that Patrice loves. I did lean to newer (TSK) cards where possible

• Grizzled is wonderful. Powerful against Watcher from Another Dimension and so many Encounter cards.
• Improvised Shield is fun, especially in an investigator like Patrice who can be built with spare hand slots.

Beyond that, you have:

• lots of fun stuff to create a bounty of icons (Promise of Power, Last Chance, Prophesy.
• cards to make the discard pile useful (Winging It, Improvised Weapon, Resourceful).
• cards to make you want to discard (Mind's Eye, Cornered).

Over to you...

I built this to try out the Dilemmas.

My conclusion: packing a deck full of them makes for a fun deck to take to an event, or for a standalone. In a campaign, I'd be more choosy and perhaps just take one or two.

• Have you tried the Dilemmas? Which is your favourite?
• Have you had success with Katja Eastbank?

Let me know below...