This card is due to come out in the new Harvey Walters starter deck, and it benefits him in two obvious ways. It increases his max hand size, which Harvey really likes, and it lets him tote around some of his premium tomes, while also brandishing a magnifying glass and some other seekerly asset. And if he doesn't happen to need it, the two will icons are handy.

But there's another investigator who'll like this card -- the brand new parallel Daisy. If you haven't checked out Daisy's trans-dimensional alter-ego yet, you should. She's a hoot. She starts weaker (1 Will, 7 Sanity), but gets rewarded for packing as many tomes as possible. +1 will and +1 sanity for each one she has in play. And two of Arcane Enlightenment, she can REALLY work that bonus. Two hand slots, plus two copies of Arcane Enlightenment, plus the tote bag, and she can have six tomes in play, for a Will of 7 and a Sanity of 13. Unfortunately, she'll have given up both arcane slots in the process, so you won't be able to use those insane numbers on Shrivelling.

What can Daisy do with all those tomes? Once per game as a free action, she can trigger an ability on each tome she has in play. If you do manage to get those six tomes into play, you'll unleash a bibliophilic bonanza that will have even Ace-in-the-Holing rogues in awe. That's the fun pay-off of Arcane Enlightenment.

Beyond Harvey and Parallel Daisy, I don't see this card getting much love, but maybe other Arkhamites feel differently? Maybe a bow-wielding Ursula would consider taking it, so she can rock some Pnakotic Manuscripts at the same time? Maybe regular Daisy has a use for it? I doubt it, given how little play the Tote Bag gets -- which gives you TWO extra tome slots for the same price. The measly bonus to max hand size, meanwhile, doesn't seem particularly interesting to anyone but Harvey. So, it has decent functionality for one investigator, and sets up some fireworks for another: at this point in the game's development, that seems like enough to justify a new card.

As a card, it's natural to associate Enraptured with spell recharging. But I actually don't think that's where this card shines. The problem is that to trigger the effect, you have to succeed on an investigation attempt. Mystics, the people who could do with some extra spell charges, do poke around for clues reasonably often. BUT, when they do, they usually test Will instead of Lore, thanks to an asset like Rite of Seeking or Sixth Sense or perhaps the upcoming Clairvoyance. Enraptured, meanwhile, only has a lore icon, which doesn't help in any of those cases. You sort of have to go out of your way to trigger it, maybe by taking a basic investigate action with a small boost when you're all set up to take a buffed investigate action from an asset.

But that's not to say the card is a dud! See that tome on the dude's lap? Could it be the nice translation of the The Necronomicon? Has our starry-eyed dreamer been dipping into some Pnakotic Manuscripts? Does he enjoy updated versions of old classics? My point is: there are quite a few powerful tomes that use secrets. Most of these are in the seeker class, which means that the ideal taker of Enraptured, in my view, is a tome-loving seeker -- Daisy, basically, though Amanda and Mandy might take a gander at Enraptured as well. Amanda could potentially trigger it three times on a turn, and pump her Pnakotic manuscripts like a pair of old-school reeboks!

Zoey looks straightforward. A statline of 4/2/4/2 leaves very little room for interpretation. You don't fear the mythical, you're not interested in gathering clues, you kill things and you don't run. You get money for engaging enemies, so you get rewarded for what you do anyway.

Therein lie a few pitfalls I fell for. Sometimes, running is the better option. For example after you depleted your last shot on your lightning gun, but before you could play your extra ammunition. Sometimes you need to pass a book test anyway and your inflexibility hurts you. And most of all, you're not gonna be rich. Especially are you getting more money after entering combat repeatedly. But you do want money to get ready for combat in the first place. It's hard to fight an unspeakable monster with your bare fists, and it hurts to play your beat cop after engaging the head cultist.

Guardian is a pretty money hungry faction, as most of their powerful cards are assets costed at 3+. A few of them cost 5 or 6. And you don't get much access outside of the faction cards. And guardian cards reflect Zoey's investigator card. You're bad at clues and bad at running. Rejoice though, as guardians do get some great economy cards. Stand together, "I've had worse", Ever Vigilant are card that can alleviate all this money hunger.

Take great care what you do with your 5 other class slots. It's the same as for all Dunwich Investigators, but Guardian cards are, like Seeker cards, very inflexible in what they're goot at. You get better at fighting things, protecting others and somewhat better at willpower tests. That doesn't mean that you should try Rite of Seeking, since:

1. It is expensive at 4,
2. You cannot upgrade it to get a +2 willpower boost and
3. It's even more expensive to increase your willpower with assets like Holy Rosary at 2, Police Badge at 3 or Brother Xavier at 5.

Additionally, a lot of Zoey's unique power is in her signature card. Yes, that is a bad thing. Zoey's Cross can do 1 damage at will, since you get spending money for it the very moment you can activate it. This is incredibly useful, it deals with 1 health enemies like Whippoorwills and Rat Swarms better than any other investigator and gives you flexibility to deal that 1 extra damage tha would be left after you swing your Machete, or that 1 extra health left after you shoot your Lightning Gun. And if that is not the case, you can still take the 1 resource. The problem is, YOU HAVE TO DRAW IT FIRST. Unlike Sophie, which starts in play for Mark Harrigan, or the text written on Roland Banks or Tommy Muldoon or anyone else, you may spend half your games without access to the best part of your investigator.

The temple guardian breathed down the heavyweight’s neck, but the brawler didn’t stop rubbing chalk on the wall. The patterns were familiar, and familiarity meant safer when you were three miles underground.

The creature was surprised, of course, when it swung a halberd the size of a telephone pole and missed.

When one of its fangs cracked, it retreated into the mists. Humans were tricky.

“Explain it to me again.” Akachi was preparing another Shrivelling blast against an archer, trying to duck and weave while still pushing Randall's wheelchair through the underbrush.

“Because it looks like your brother is only using the knife on defense. That seems ineffective. And the bandolier...it seems complicated.”

“I thought you were all about spirits.”

The shaman sighed, as nearby the boxer defeated a warrior with a patented combination, readying for another.