So. If I understand the timing right (cf. rules#Skill_Test_Timing), at ST 3 you realise you're going to fail by one, so you use Book of Verse to get +1 (and later succeed by 0), you then resolve ST4 and ST5, and at ST6 you determine that you succeed by 0. You can then play Daring Maneuver to succeed by 2 instead (3 with Daring Maneuver level 2).

So Book of verse can transform one failure by 1 into a success by 2 or 3 per round, right ?

As it's not specified that you have to draw it from your deck, you can use Katja Eastbank to "store" the 3 copies of Quick Shot and then use her action to draw them during your turn. This way, for 1 action (her ability), you play Quick shot for free (the trigerred ability).

Of course, if you are engaged with the enemy you take an attack of opportunity, but it's in a Tommy Muldoon deck so you should be able to handle it and it works without AoO against Aloof enemies or enemies engaged with other investigators.

More costly than OrionAnderson's combo with Hunting Jacket (resource- and action-wise), but with the added benefit that you replace the - then useless - draw of Quick Shot by the draw of an other card.

It seems obvious but as no one has written a review yet ... Use the action on this card to discard Winging It: you gain 2 clues with Nautical Charts and then you can play Winging It from you discard to try to get 2 clues in a single action. If you play a solo deck, you can of course do this with the other Improvised events (Improvised Weapon and Impromptu Barrier).

And use Tool Belt to stack Nautical Charts, Hand Hook and Anchor Chain. Then you need a good card draw to get the events back.

Does this card just not… work? If I recall correctly “IF this skill test is successful” resolves in step 7, while “AFTER” in step 6. It so happens to be that most effects that depend on how much you succeed by trigger before Inquisitive has a chance to have any effect: Lucky Cigarette Case, Antikythera, Precious Memento, Alton O'Connell, "I'll take that!"…

Ascetic is also useful for inviting new players to join mid-campaign, like to replace someone that is suddenly busy and will not available to play for short or long period of time. Instead of fearing miserable time dropping into high stats enemy and high shroud locations and outright denying the invitation, they now immediately able to have fun with the XPs as if they have been with the team since the start. If a card allow more game time for more players I'd say it's a great card.

It is also fun for that invited player to create a deck within 10 XP (or 13 with In the Thick of It) and try out any combos they've been itching to test, but don't want to fully commit a full campaign run and climb from 0 XP then get stuck with that idea for too long.

Here's an another idea : If campaign kills a player, you can be strategic about the replacing investigator to come in with exactly what the team needs with this 10 XP, because you got to learn real interactions of your team members for about half a campaign now, while at the start of campaign, you all might have built your decks separately in vacuum. For example :

• Start with heals like 2x Earthly Serenity (4) because your team suffered too much trauma.
• Use 2x Stand Together (3) or 2x Ever Vigilant (4) that let non-Ascetic player draw/play their more valuable cards.
• Build a deck with cards that can use other player's card like "You owe me one!", Flare, A Chance Encounter (2), Eidetic Memory, or Copycat and use their XPs to your advantage.
• Get on-success XP skill cards like Vicious Blow (2), Deduction (2) then provide support via committing to other players with high stats to get the bonus, or simply premium skill cards like Seal of the Elder Sign.
• Provide testless support like Guidance (1), Counterspell, Ward of Protection (2), Working a Hunch (2), token sealing, The Scarlet Keys Survivor Dilemma cards, XP generation such as Keep Faith (2).