Live and Learn

Live and Learn

If I am reading this correctly, this card has a weird synergy with .18 Derringer, .18 Derringer (2), and Chainsaw. If you attack and fail, you get your ammo/supply back, but, since you don't repay costs on Live and Learn tests, you don't respend the ammo/charge. So the second test costs nothing, and, if successful, deals damage, and, if not, gets you an extra ammo/supply. I am not sure how you generate bullets and gasoline out of thin air by messing around, but you also can't kill birds by getting scared in the real world, either.

LivefromBenefitSt · 1083
Yeah I'm certain this synergy is intentional. Also works with Look what I found/Dumb Luck/Oops and Old Keyring. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
So, I attack with a full Chainsaw and miss. I get the suply back. I use Oops! (2) to hit anyway, then trigger Live and Learn but fail a second time (maybe I trigger Drawing Thin to make this happen). I hit and end up with 4 supply on my Chainsaw.... — LivefromBenefitSt · 1083
Yup, Survivor working as intended. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
Yup, see my Chainsaw 'review' for the logical extreme. — Death by Chocolate · 1489
Death by Chocolate: if I could ever get that to work, I would be so happy. — LivefromBenefitSt · 1083
Correction for @StyxTBeuford: This interaction does not work for Old Keyring. .18 Derringer says "if you fail, place 1 ammo on .18 Derringer.", so you get 1 ammo every time you fail. Old Keyring says "if you succeed, remove 1 key from Old Keyring.", so even if you fail multiple times through Live and Learn, you simply don't remove keys from Old Keyring (but not add new ones). — ak45 · 469
Right, I was meaning more its functionally the same (most of the time). You Keyring a location to bring the shroud down to LWIF range (2 or less), you fail, play LWIF, then Live and Learn and try the test again, without losing a key unless that second investigate succeeds. — StyxTBeuford · 13049

Henry Wan

Henry Wan

Here is a lookup table to check whether Henry Wan is useful or not (if no token ignore/cancel effect).

Strategy: I always reveal the same number of tokens. When I select the number, I choose for it to maximize the mean of success. Since I cannot choose to go ahead or stop when I fail, this strategy looks reasonable for me. But this does not consider the robustness of success.

Expectation Table: the table shows the required number of non-symbol(non-, , , , ) choas tokens to achieve the given success.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0.50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 8 9
0.75 1 3 4 6 7 9 11 12 14 15
1.00 1 4 6 8 11 13 15 17 20 22
1.25 2 5 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28
1.50 2 5 9 13 16 20 24 27 31 34
1.75 2 7 11 15 19 24 28 33 37 41
2.00 2 8 13 18 22 27 32 37 42 47
2.50 3 10 16 22 29 35 41 48 54 -
3.00 3 12 19 27 35 42 50 - - -
4.00 4 16 26 37 47 57 - - - -
5.00 5 20 33 46 59 - - - - -

Row(0.5~5): expected success, Column(0~9): the number of tokens. (-: required number exceeds the total tokens in game (44+20)).

Usage: Find your chaos bag (close one), and then move left (by sealing tokens) and/or down (by adding bless/curse) until you reach your goal. For example, standard NotZ (5 symbols / 11 non-symbols) may exist between 0.75 ~ 1.00. For avg 1(), it is necessary to add 2 blesses/curses tokens or seal 1 token.

Revealed number selection: In my strategy, I select the revealed number based on chaos tokens for maximizing average. Here is my selection number (which is maximizing average).

The trial number is expressed as simple formula: (reveal) = (# of total + 1) / (# of symbols + 1) (round down). If no remainder, you may choose 1 less value.

For example, standard NotZ (5 symbols / 16 toal) case, I'll reveal 2 (17/6=2.xx) tokens for maximizing (avg: 0.92). If I add 1 tokens (5 symbols / 17 total), I'll revel 3 (18/6=3) or 2 tokens (avg: 0.97); success rate is 48% for 2 revealed, 32% for 3 revealed.

elkeinkrad · 500
Most useful Henry breakdown I've seen! Thank you for running the numbers. — Miskatonic_Community_College · 26

Vengeful Serpent

Vengeful Serpent

Ugh. That Guy Ugh. These guys. Not too terrible individually (although they do eat up actions, ammunition, and charges, and they hit harder than one would like), they get really annoying as they pile out of the Victory Display like, well, angry serpent people. By the end of the scenario, you will feel very vengeful yourself, although, at least when the last one has been put away, you know they won't pop out of the Encounter Deck to pester you again. So little is certain in Arkham.

LivefromBenefitSt · 1083
Mind blank'em. — MrGoldbee · 1485
Not sure that would work, since the effect doesn’t persist, and the card can’t be played until the enemy resolves.... — LivefromBenefitSt · 1083
If you Mind Wipe one then kill it the same phase, it goes into the discard pile instead of into the victory display. Not sure that's actually that helpful, but in lower player counts it might be... — Thatwasademo · 58
It is. It won't respawn from the deck, only the Victory Display. — MrGoldbee · 1485
OK, fair, but then you are just delaying the problem until the Encounter Deck gets shuffled. It's easier to jest let your Guardian kill them. They aren't an enormous threat, just annoying AF. — LivefromBenefitSt · 1083
A reason for guardians to grab Taunt, definitely. Or bring the dynomite! — MrGoldbee · 1485

Eidetic Memory

Eidetic Memory

If you use Eidetic Memory to copy Obscure Studies, does that mean that Eidetic Memory will then be placed beneath Amanda Sharpe, replacing the card that was there? Susequently, next turn, I would discard it as normal, as the remove from game window would have passed already? If I am correct, obviously Obscure Studies will be removed from the game and I am sure I would only be using the icons for Eidetic Memory (not the 3 ?s from the exact copy of Obscure Studies). Rules gurus, assist please!

Metius · 12
This creates a lasting effect on itself which copies an event, and it creates a delayed effect on itself which replaces discarding itself with removing itself from the game. It can't miss the window because the window will remain open for as long as it needs. As to the length of the copying, I think that would last until the card leaves the area it places itself in, much like an attachment. See the ruling on De Vermis Mysteriis. It's certainly unclear. — Yenreb · 15
I guess Eidetic Memory will be removed before you can commit it to a skill test. Get the card beneath amanda back, put EM there, and that's end of OS's effect. Then the "removd from game" effect of EM kicks in. — Secutor145 · 3
There is a significant difference between Eidetiic Memory and DVM - EM replaces discarding, while DVM doesn't bother with that and just straight up removes the card. If it's an event that doesn't get discarded, there is nothing to replace so I don't think EM would be removed. OS definitely would be though. — TheNameWasTaken · 3
Oh you are right! Didn't notice the replace discarding part. Thanks for point that out — Secutor145 · 3
In my opinion, you are correct that once Eidetic Memory moves under Amanda it'll revert back to having its own icons -- cards seem to stop being copies of other cards once they enter an out of play location (and cards under Amanda are out of play), as per the Painted World vs Delve too Deep ruling (https://arkhamdb.com/card/03012). — iceysnowman · 164

Return to The Boundary Beyond

Return to The Boundary Beyond

Sadly, Return to the Boundary Beyond, unlike Return to Threads of Fate, did not notably alter the scenario, leaving it almost as frustrating and confusing as it was before. There are some new "modern location" cards that vary the punishment you must inflict on yourself to explore, and the removal of the treachery cards from the Exploration Deck at least means you aren't paying for the right to be abused by treacheries, but this remains the low point in an otherwise lively and exciting campaign.

That sounds harsher than it is. AH:TCG is not a very complicated game (most of the complexity is involved in resolving specific card interactions), and the design crew at FFG deserves credit for regularly coming up with new twists on scenario design (and cramming them into fixed-size expansion packs). That this scenario is not as much giddy fun as its immediate predecessor (where half the pack was act cards; remember opening that?) is not a condemnation, just a disappointment. Interesting idea; frustrating execution, this "Return to..." eased the latter a bit.

LivefromBenefitSt · 1083