Jenny Buries Umôrdhoth - in Cash (Solo, Achievements)

Part III of Jenny Barnes's attempt to win Return to the Night of the Zealot without defeating any Ghoul enemies. We interrogated (read: exploded) 4 cultists in Midnight Masks, so we've "only" got 1 starting doom on the agenda. Now that there are going to be Ghouls again in the encounter deck I think it's time to go all in on the avoiding-enemies strategy. That means bringing in Cat Burglars (one of my favorite cards in solo play) and using Adaptable to swap Dynamite Blasts for Hiding Spots. Finally, I think I'm going to spend my last points on two copies of Hot Streak to help Jenny power Streetwise. Let's see how it goes!

SESSION REPORT

SCENARIO III - RETURN TO THE DEVOURER BELOW

• Opening Hand: Backstab, Art Student, Narrow Escape, Coup de Grâce, Eavesdrop
• Kept: Art Student
• Replacements: Flashlight, Coup de Grâce, Backstab, Hot Streak

A few reasonable starting options here, including a large infusion of cash. What I don't yet have is an answer for when the Main Path gets clogged with cultists. For that, I'm looking for Hiding Spot or Think on Your Feet.

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

• Encounter: None
• Play Hot Streak [-5$, +10$]
• Move to Arkham Woods - Quiet Glade
• Play Flashlight [-2$]
• Draw Coup de Grâce [+2$]

Finding the Quiet Glade is handy when your plan is to shoot Umôrdhoth in the face, but Jenny's plan is to rush through and win via clues, so this is an unwelcome sight.

R2 (0D, 1H, 10$, 0C): 2/4 doom

• Encounter: Chill from Below, 3 vs. 3 (-3): fail by 3 [discard Coup de Grâce, Coup de Grâce, Backstab]
• Move to Main Path
• Move to Arkham Woods - Cliffside
• Use Flashlight [-1S]: Investigate, 3 vs. 0 (0): pass [+1C]
• Draw Psychosis [+2$]

You know what's scary? Realizing that because the game took away your entire hand of cards, and then drawing a weakness, and going into the mythos phase knowing that you're one Umôrdhoth's Hunger away from dying straight up.

R3 (0D, 1H, 12$, 1C): 3/4 doom

• Encounter: Frozen in Fear
• Discard Psychosis
• Draw Backstab
• Frozen in Fear, 3 vs. 3 ( is 0): pass, discarded
• Draw Narrow Escape [+2$]

At this point I was steeling myself for a magnificent failure, but that lucky success vs. Frozen in Fear brought a ray of hope.

R4 (0D, 1H, 14$, 1C): 4/4 doom

• Agenda advances to 1b: encounters reshuffle, Grave-Eater spawns at Main Path with +1 doom, advances to 2a [enemies have +1 fight and +1 evade]
• Encounter: Chill from Below, 3 vs. 3 (-2): fail by 2 [discard Art Student, Backstab]
• Move to Main Path [Grave-Eater engages]
• Move [Grave-Eater attacks, play Narrow Escape to cancel, +2 next test] to Arkham Woods - Unhallowed Ground, 3 vs. 4 (-1): fail [1D/1H]
• Evade Grave-Eater, 5 vs. 3 (-2): pass [evaded]
• Grave-Eater readies and engages
• Draw Hiding Spot [+2$]

The idea here is to move that Grave-Eater (that I can't kill) off the Main Path and into a dead end, so I'm not constantly trying to dance around it. Hiding Spot is a welcome sight but I don't want to play it yet (even though it could be played at the end of the upkeep phase), for reasons explained above... and will soon be all too relevant!

R5 (1D, 2H, 16$, 1C): 1/5 doom [+1 on Grave-Eater]

• Encounter: Umôrdhoth's Hunger [discard Hiding Spot] (Yup! If I'd played Hiding Spot as soon as I drew it, I'd have been dead right now!)
• Evade Grave-Eater, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 3 (-1): pass [evaded]
• Investigate, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 4 (0): pass [+1C]
• Move to Main Path
• Grave-Eater readies
• Draw Guard Dog [+2$]

The fact that this scenario loves to make you discard your cards makes a cash-fueled permanent like Streetwise all the more useful. I've been riding most of this scenario with 0-1 cards in hand.

R6 (1D, 2H, 14$, 2C): 2/5 doom [+1 on Grave-Eater]

• Encounter: Ghoul Priest spawns and engages
• Evade Ghoul Priest, use Streetwise twice [-4$], 9 vs. 5 (-1): pass [evaded]
• Move to Arkham Woods - Corpse-Ridden Clearing
• Use Flashlight [-1S]: Investigate, 3 vs. 1 (-1): pass [+1C]
• Ghoul Priest readies
• Draw Guts [+2$]

Well, there's the big guy! An unavoidable consequence of the "kill no Ghouls" achievement is that the Ghoul Priest is in your hair for all three scenarios. I need to keep away from him as much as possible, which means double-dipping into Streetwise and fleeing in an enormous burst of money, keeping my evades as guaranteed as I can reasonably make them (especially as he's buffed by Agenda 2a). Fortunately, Jenny has been stockpiling funds for exactly this kind of scenario. Also, hey, all 3 clues are in hand now. But I don't yet have an answer for multiple unique cultists spawning on the Main Path, so it's not time to advance the Act yet. Rather, it's time to draw (and play that Guard Dog for reasons that will become apparent later), knowing I'm going to take a hit from the Ghoul Priest - and then leave him in the dead-end while I rush to complete the scenario before he catches up.

R7 (1D, 2H, 12$, 3C): 3/5 doom [+1 on Grave-Eater]

• Encounter: Chill from Below, commit Guts, 5 vs. 3 (0): pass [draw Eavesdrop]
• Draw Hot Streak
• Play Hot Streak [-5$, +10$]
• Play Guard Dog [-3$]
• Ghoul Priest moves to Arkham Woods - Corpse-Ridden Clearing, engages and attacks [2D/2H]
• Draw Think on Your Feet [+2$]

Boom! In one fell swoop I have a solution for the Main Path (Think on Your Feet), and I have a solution for the Ritual Site (Eavesdrop). Will the encounter deck let me put that plan into practice? Will the Agenda 2b extra weakness cripple me completely? (Either Paranoia or Amnesia could end things right now. I'm hoping for one of the Return to Carcosa Madnesses that only dock you experience.)

R8 (3D, 4H, 16$, 3C): 4/5 doom [+1 on Grave-Eater]

• Agenda advances to 2b: 3 vs. 6 ( is +13): pass (!!!! What are the chances! Well, 1 in 17, those are the chances. Finally, an elder sign ability that's just a really big + becomes relevant! Just to see, I checked what Madness I'd have received... it was Unspeakable Oath (Bloodthirst), so ultimately wouldn't have mattered. But still, this felt good.)
• Encounter: Umôrdhoth's Wrath, 3 vs. 5 (+1): fail by 1 [1D/1H] (!!!! Another lucky token pull vs. an unlucky card draw!)
• Evade Ghoul Priest, use Streetwise twice [-4$], 9 vs. 5 ( is -2): pass [evaded, +1 doom on Ghoul Priest] (another explosion of money helps Jenny flee, although that extra doom isn't good)
• Move to Main Path
• Advance Act to 1b [-3C]: Ritual Site enters play, Alma Hill and Ruth Turner spawn at Main Path [play Think on Your Feet [-1$], move to Ritual Site], advances to 2a
• Advance Act to 2b: encounters reshuffle, Disciple of the Devourer spawns and engages with +1 doom
• Evade Disciple of the Devourer, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 2 (-2): pass [evaded]
• Ghoul Priest readies
• Disciple of the Devourer readies and engages
• Draw Eavesdrop [+2$]

The Agenda (with 2 extra doom) is competing with the Ghoul Priest to end my run prematurely. Thankfully, I have an answer for the doom on that Disciple of the Devourer: the puppy I brought with me. He may not be Duke but he'll get the job done.

R9 (4D, 5H, 11$, 0C): 1/5 doom [+2 on Ghoul Priest and Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: Grave-Eater spawns and engages
• Evade Grave-Eater, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 2 (-4): pass [evaded]
• Play Eavesdrop [-1$, Disciple of the Devourer attacks [1D on Guard Dog], Guard Dog: +1D on Disciple of the Devourer, defeated] on Grave-Eater, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 2 ( is +6): pass [+2C]
• Use Act 3a [-1C]: use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+1C on Act 3a]
• Ghoul Priest moves to Main Path
• Grave-Eater readies and engages
• Draw Lockpicks [+2$]

The immediate Agenda threat is eased, but I still only have one more turn before the Ghoul Priest crashes my party. Thankfully, I still have just enough money to (hopefully) bury this circle in piles of cash!

R10 (4D, 5H, 6$, 1C): 2/5 doom [+1 on Ghoul Priest]

• Encounter: Chill from Below, 3 vs. 3 (-2): fail by 2 [discard Eavesdrop, Lockpicks]
• Use Act 3a [-1C, Grave-Eater attacks [1D/1H], use Streetwise twice [-4$], 9 vs. 3 ( is -5): pass [+1C on Act 3a] (I "overcommitted" just because I could and it was my last action if it worked, and boy, it was a good thing I did!!)
• Advance Act to 3b: Resolution 1

Resolution 1

• The ritual to summon Umôrdhoth was broken
• +2 mental trauma
• 5 experience (0 Victory + 5 bonus)
• Jenny Barnes wins the campaign!
• ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Break the Circle
• ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Umôrdhoth's Favor

Whew!! I won't deny that some luck absolutely went my way... the encounter deck was light on enemies (though the treacheries really hammered me instead - there's no getting off easy in this scenario), and nearly all of the resources from my two Hot Streaks and Jenny's natural income were used. I'm not sure there's any other way for Jenny make it through here without weaponizing her resource gain by leaning heavily on Streetwise, like I did here.

Having to kill no Ghouls makes this scenario significantly more difficult. The Grave-Eaters with their "make you discard a card when they hit you" ability are supremely annoying when you can't just smite them and move on. It's vital to lead them into dead-ends, evade them, and move on; and to keep the Main Path as clear as possible (which means taking an attack of opportunity - or leveraging Narrow Escape like I did, or something equivalent (Bait and Switch maybe?), for the guaranteed-Agenda-1b Monster spawn at the Main Path, which more often that not will be a Ghoul).

Time for Jenny to take a well-deserved rest. Next up? I'm thinking a Guardian, to finally take out that Ghoul Priest in Scenario I and maybe have a shot at hoovering up all six unique cultists in Scenario II. The question is, who's best situated to accomplish that feat? Maybe... maybe it's time for good old Roland Banks to once again get out his .38 Special. We'll see!

Thanks all for reading, and good luck on your own adventures!

• Voltgloss