Ursula's Expedition Journal #1: Return to the Untamed Wilds

It took me quite a bit to warm to Ursula. When the original campaign debuted I saw her ability as very Rex-lite. Not to mention that at that time I didn't have much appreciation for mobility at all and refused to play cards like Pathfinder and Fieldwork. To be honest, I still think Pathfinder is way above the curve, but this time it won't stop me from purchasing it as one of the first upgrades. I'll be running a variation of Scott's solo Ursula. I'll keep the overall lean structure, but instead of Hawk-Eyes I'll rely on Dream Diaries. Evasion is just too important in RttFA to forgo these wild icons. I thought about Archaic Glyphs, but given the intensity of the first two scenarios I'd rather have something that is immediately useful. Oh, as for Fine Clothes and Persuasion, I initially included them for flavor, but these cards together might prove genuinely useful against various hunter enemies. We'll see whether that's the case. Enjoy!

The Untamed Wilds

Supplies: Binoculars, Chalk, Map, Rope

Pre-Mulligan Hand: Dream Diary, Eureka!, Deduction, Crack the Case, Dream Diary

Opening Hand: Dream Diary, Perception, Manual Dexterity, Dr. William T. Maleson, Inquiring Mind

#1

• PLAY Dr. William T. Maleson
• PLAY Dream Diary
• EXPLORE to Rope Bridge ( INVESTIGATE, , 1 clue)
• Upkeep: draw Perception, 3 resources total.

#2

• Mythos: 1/6 doom, Overgrowth
• MOVE to Expedition Camp
• EXPLORE to Riverside Temple ( INVESTIGATE, , 1 clue)
• Dream Diary
• Upkeep: draw Burning the Midnight Oil, 4 resources total.

#3

• Mythos: 2/6 doom, Voice of the Jungle
• Expedition Camp
• EXPLORE to Serpent's Haven ( INVESTIGATE, -1, 1 clue)
• INVESTIGATE (0, 1 clue)
• Upkeep: draw Fieldwork, 5 resources total, advance act (1A→2A, Ichtaca)

Not being able to burn through the encounter cards in the exploration deck combined with the Map being useable on every location dramatically changes the dynamics of Untamed Wilds for solo players. Not to mention, snake enemies can lurk in the exploration deck! Our Map says we've got an Voice of the Jungle and Overgrowth in there, plus one unknown encounter from reaching Serpent's Haven. Overall Ursula had an excellent start, with nothing that would overly tax her actions. `

Board State Reminder: 7 health, 7 sanity, 5 resources, 1 clue

In Play: Dr. William T. Maleson, Dream Diary

In Hand: 2× Perception, Manual Dexterity, Inquiring Mind, Essence of the Dream, Burning the Midnight Oil, Fieldwork

Threat: Voice of the Jungle

#4

• Mythos: 3/6 doom, Resentful Wilds (1 horror to Dr. William T. Maleson)
• PARLEY (commit Perception, Burning the Midnight Oil & Essence of the Dream, , draw Call of the Unknown, interpreted the dreams, advance act, 2A→3A)
• Expedition Camp
• EXPLORE to Temple of the Fang (× Resentful Wilds, 1 vengeance, INVESTIGATE, commit Perception, , 1 clue, draw Persuasion)
• Upkeep: draw Shortcut, 6 resources total.

#5

• Mythos: 4/6 doom, Eztli Guardian (at Expedition Camp)
• × Call of the Unknown (at Serpent's Haven)
• EXPLORE into Voice of the Jungle
• EXPLORE into Overgrowth
• MOVE to Serpent's Haven ( INVESTIGATE, )
• × Call of the Unknown (2 horror, shuffle)
• × Voice of the Jungle (1 horror)
• × Voice of the Jungle (1 horror)
• Upkeep: draw Dark Pact, 7 resources total.

#6

• Mythos: 5/6 doom, Eztli Guardian (at Temple of the Fang)
• Expedition Camp
• PLAY Fieldwork
• EXPLORE to Ruins of Eztli ( Fieldwork, INVESTIGATE, 0, 1 clue)
• Upkeep: draw Eureka!, 6 resources total.

That was fast! Ursula can finish the scenario at this very moment, but I think we can try and reach for more XPs. There are two potential problems. First, Ursula's already lost a huge chunk of her sanity and is about to lose more unless she either explores ceaselessly or removes both Voices of the Jungle from her threat area. Second, Dark Pact. It's only one action, but given the issue above we might end up saddled with an awful weakness for the second scenario. For now, let's hope the encounter deck throws more freebies at Ursula, as it did with these Eztli Guardians.

Board State Reminder: 7 health, 3 sanity, 6 resources, 3 clues

In Play: Dr. William T. Maleson (1 horror), Dream Diary, Fieldwork

In Hand: Manual Dexterity, Inquiring Mind, Persuasion, Shortcut, Dark Pact, Eureka!

Threat: 2× Voice of the Jungle

#7

• Mythos: 6/6 doom, agenda advances (1A→2A, commit Inquiring Mind, ), Pit Viper
• Shortcut to Serpent's Haven
• EVADE (commit Manual Dexterity, 0, exhaust Pit Viper, draw Manual Dexterity)
• MOVE to Ruins of Eztli ( Fieldwork, INVESTIGATE, +1, 1 clue)
• Voice of the Jungle (commit Persuasion & Eureka!, )
• × Voice of the Jungle (1 horror)
• × Voice of the Jungle (1 horror)
• Upkeep: draw True Understanding, 7 resources total.

#8

• Mythos: 1/9 doom, Serpent from Yoth
• EVADE (commit Manual Dexterity, )
• EVADE (+1, exhaust Serpent from Yoth)
• PLAY Dark Pact (2 damage)
• R1.

Not too bad. These two cultist token pulls dashed Ursula's hopes for more exploration, but we've managed to finish the scenario with no long-term consequences aside for a single vengeance point. On that note, Resentful Wilds is excellent encounter card design. Its effect is so mild, but there were times I lost scenarios because I've decided to take another route and got bogged down. Next time, the dreaded temple!

Campaign Log:

The Untamed Wilds: Ursula interpreted the dreams. Ursula cleared a path to the Eztli ruins. Ursula earned Ichtaca’s trust. Alejandro chose to remain at camp. 8 XP, 1 Physical Trauma, Yig’s Fury: 1.