Preston parleys and kills

You though Alessandra Zorzi was the perfect investigator for Parley ?

Please, don't let us forget our favorite Socialite and Millionaire, the one and only Preston Fairmont.

Yes, Alessandra has an extra action, but four resources are worth better. Of course, Alessandra has better stats (with a total of 13, an exception when almost every investigator has 12), but who needs stats when almost all your skills tests are difficulty 0 thanks to Fine Clothes ?

Also Alessandra's weakness totally shuts her down if you don't build something in your deck for it, when Preston's is not only really easy to care but is removed from the game once dealt. That means :

• your deck starts 4 cards thinner (because of Family Inheritance being Permanent vs Beguile ×3)
• everytime you cycle you won't envounter a (tedious) signature weakness.

And it's sooo easy to cycle it. Name Trick and Favor for Friends in Low Places, and you'll draw your card 6 by 6 (9 by 9 once fully upgraded), bringing even Preston insane resource generation to it's limits. In the end i added a second Antiquary because 1+4+2 resources par round aren't enough. Even with Double'd Cheat the System.

One Pelt Shipment nets you 1 more xp per scenario (to a total of +4 with Charon's Obol and Refine)

Mulligan for Fine Clothes. In first scenarios you will rely on your Fire Axe, with Elaborate Distraction acting as a panic button.

Side deck contains some luxuries extras, Snitch would probably go in if you were the main clue guy (but Double'd Vamp or Call for backup makes you easily pick half the clues of each scenario, often the ones on highest shroud locations) and Peter Sylvestre if i had a hard weakness to keep in play (like Kleptomania)

Upgrade route :

• first Vamp (this card is too strong and should be nerfed. 1 cost and 3 xp ? That's stealing, even for )

• then Bewitching (remember what i said about deck thinning ? thniner deck = faster fine clothes. Also easy access to panic button) and one Black Market

• then you have Double, Double and Antiquary (2 more ressources per round, yay) + Call for Backup (support your team via healing and extra clues)

Please note that sometimes, you can have an extroardinary hard test to make, like a difficulty 1 Parley test to fight a boss with Stir the Pot when there is no little goon in sight (for me it happened once in the last scenario of the campaign). In this case, use the package : either Gumption or Ancient Covenant + Favor of the Sun (yes Keep Faith will make your deck contain ONE (1) non favor/trick event, sadly)

This deck rolled totally fine on hard 2-player innsmouth (well, except for my partner rex, who died in the first 2 scenarios, making me remove "You handle this one!" really fast). The present deck was the one after Forbidden Reef (half of the campaign).