After playing out a campaign with parallel Rex, I've come to report this card is still really bad. It has so many downsides for the chance of some kind of positive.

• The untranslated version still costs 3 resources to play, still takes up a hand slot, and unless you're parallel Rex with an Analysis in hand, it's one of the more difficult unlocks to get while also having lasting negative effects via curses in the bag.
• You have to spend 4xp on it, or 8xp if you're going for the set, which if you're going to the trouble of doing the side-quest, you're probably going for the set. If you're parallel Rex, you can at least take Shrewd Analysis and cheat the upgrade because it's the only viable upgrade.
• The Grimoire becomes less and less worth drawing the further you get into a scenario because you'll have less and less time to draw curses and therefore the value you get from the Grimoire becomes worse and worse.
• If you play the Grimoire, you're down 3 resources and an action. Another major downside is it's a large drop to do nothing. You see no immediate benefits. So you have to resolve 4 curses and play two insights for the Grimoire to start looking like it's worth it. At that point you'll be down one resource but up one action. 3 insights played is where you can actually say the Grimoire was definitely worth playing, but for that to happen, you have to individually resolve 6 curses, and have drawn into three insights which you held onto this whole time.
• The fact you have to hold onto insights is another major downside. You might have the Grimoire in play with 0 charges, but you're free now to do a big activation which includes some insights in your hand. Is it really worth it to hold onto them and take the chance you'll be free later to do the same big activation?

Finally, you want to take the Grimoire because you want to save resources and actions on insights. At least in the case of parallel Rex who seems to be a major contender for the Grimoire...

• 14.5/45 possible insights are already 0 resources (I counted 1/2 if one upgrade was 0 but another wasn't. There were 3).
• 14/45 possible insights are already fast.

So you get a lot of overlap where you actually aren't getting the full benefit of the Grimoire's +1 resource, +1 action effect, meaning you may have to realistically play 4-5 insights for it to actually be worth it! You might say, "Oh, well I'll just spec my deck so I'm always saving on both," but there are so many 0 cost and/or fast insights that you'd just be kneecapping yourself by limiting your options at that point in order to make the Grimoire feel not terrible.

There's two notable use cases for this, post-taboo.

By the Book Roland with Directive: Red Tape, or Leo with his buddy Chuck.

Fast double actions still cost one action to play (they don't cost the basic play action, but the additional cost of an action is not ignored), so it nets out to four attacks for two bucks and one action. You wouldn't really want to play it against something engaged with you, but the ability to sprint two locations away and unleash four attacks can be clutch. It's a tactic, so a single copy can sit on Stick to the Plan for emergencies.

Leo+chuck can also theoretically trigger it off-turn via Quick Thinking/Swift Reflexes/Honed Instinct, but it's somewhat unclear how that would resolve. Per the ruling for Carson Sinclair, using Rite of Seeking off-turn would eat all your actions if you haven't acted yet, but Flurry does not explicitly lose your remaining actions; it only ends your turn if it is your turn. Since it is not your turn per the same ruling (despite the confusing addition of 'as if it were your turn'), the implication is that it can be used off-turn without consuming your real turn.

This card was made for Marion.

Normal investigators are spending a card and two actions to get two actions next round, a bad exchange that's situationally useful. Marion is spending a card and two actions to get a card and three actions, two of which are deferred to next round.

Combo with The Red-Gloved Man for five, potentially six actions at base 6. Or make Keen Eye almost viable.

Just adding that this synergizes with Butterfly Swords and its upgrade, which generate two attacks per action.

Also works nicely with Breach the Door. The fighter goes first to clear out enemies, then uses their momentum to punch the shroud down to 0 to help out cluevers.

My copy of this card is marked #3 from the set (as is Fight Back!). Is this true for everyone else's copy?

200 character minimum. 200 character minimum. 200 character minimum. 200 character minimum. 20