Becky

This card is incredibly powerful in so many ways. Normally, 2-handed weapons, and especially Firearms, are difficult to use because they are either:

  • A - Expensive (both in XP and resource cost)
  • B - Limited Ammo

Becky solves both of these problems, and opens up an entire strategy based around having a super powered up Firearm that never runs out of ammo.

At 0 XP, cards like Warning Shot suddenly look quite attractive since you can easily afford to spend ammo on it. And you can play Upgrade cards like Reliable and Custom Ammunition and they will remain relevant for the entire scenario, effectively giving you a permanent +1 or +1 damage against Monster enemies.

Tommy Muldoon can easily keep Becky full of ammo by using cheap soak Assets like Leather Coat, Cherished Keepsake, Guard Dog, and later Brother Xavier, Bulletproof Vest, Elder Sign Amulet, plus any number of Story assets which are typically Allies. As an added bonus, these assets do not get discarded, but shuffled back into your deck, so you can keep drawing and re-playing them over and over again to keep reloading Becky.

It also has icons so it's a great target for Well Prepared giving either +2 or +1.

Just about the only downside this card has, is that if you fail to find it in your opening hand or after using Prepared for the Worst, and it somehow gets discarded from your deck, hand, or play area - there is no easy way to recover it.

Faranim · 417
I think this card is very nice to have in the early campaign (well, if you're fortunate enough to draw it.) My problem is that it gets outclassed in the later campaign, because doing 2 damage per action in the late campaign is just not where I want to be as a Guardian. At that point, I'd much prefer the XP cards that do 3 or more. — CaiusDrewart · 3193
Custom Ammo is a good suggestion there, of course--but that card would look even stronger on some of the XP weapons. — CaiusDrewart · 3193
While it can save you 10xp on a pair of heavy weapon cards, you definitely want the double Prepared for the Worst, and to puppy dog eye your seeker buddy to invest 10 in double No Stone Unturned 5 for reliability. The Mk1 Grenades do make a great back up weapon, as they don’t compete for slots, and are as good (or better) than a flamethrower against multiple targets in a space, and make your PftW’s much less likely to whiff. Plus they’re easy to load up with ecache3, and if you’re running tabky cards like, Bro X, Dem Boyz, or the talent nobody uses, you can even protect your allies from the splash. — Death by Chocolate · 1488
I think looking at this card as the main feature of Tommy- as something worth using Prepared for the Worst for- is probably not optimal. At its absolute worst it's 2 shots at +2 combat and +1 damage for a meager 2 resources. If you get it early it keeps you in the game until you grab a better gun, and if you grab it late it can more easily keep resources on itself as your deck will be more diluted and full of soaks (if you've been using them and you don't have too many of them discarded to Rookie Mistake). I think you still take 4 or 5 weapons alongside it, and Tommy has a pretty solid array to choose from. Any charge/ammo based weapon like Thompson, Enchanted Blade, or .45 Automatic can be thrown with Act of Desperation, which to me is one of the strongest cards he can take. Relying only on Becky hurts consistency and power in my view. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
As of A Thousand Shapes of Horror, that downside doesn't exist either; Tetsuo Mori (a must-have Tommy card in any case) can not only help you find it, but also recover it from the discard. That said, there are two downsides I see. One is that it Venturer works well with Tommy for big guns, not that well for this. (Though there's always Grenades, which don't take a hand slot). The other is that guardian assets, especially the ones that Tommy likes to run, are expensive, so he'll be more strapped for cash if he's spending a lot of money on Becky than if he just uses a machete. — Yitzi · 1
why doesn't Venturer work well for this gun? — Krysmopompas · 366
Venturer works ok with this gun, but reloading Becky bullets just isn't as impressive as reloading a Flamethrower or Lightning Gun. — Soul_Turtle · 493
.45 Thompson

So I quite like this card for it's ability on Standard to largely supplant Beat Cop (0). Don't get me wrong, he's a good guy but he doesn't perfectly solve the problems of each fighter at level 0.

6 is usually enough for all but the most dangerous of checks on this difficulty, and while it prevents you from keeping your off-hand free for Flashlight to help on clues there are alternatives. You can also just play some Perceptions if you have >3.

If you're at 4 like all Guardians (at this time) besides Carolyn Fern and Mark Harrigan, here is your one card answer to getting up to that magical break-point.

I like it in Zoey who doesn't just grind her economy to a halt by playing it, but I've grown quite fond of it already for Tommy. Becky is cheaper but requires more hoops to get the remaining 3 bullets, and is already a 2-handed weapon. There's not quite the same level of considerations other Guardians face when deciding if they should commit to a 2-handed weapon at 0 XP.

Also for these two it sets them free from the binding chains of Beat Cop, Zoey has amazing options in Leo De Luca and Peter Sylvestre, while Tommy can use Guard Dog to great effect. Like Leo Anderson he can also use Alice Luxley to help out on clues since you're not bringing a Flashlight.

It's not quite the set and forget ace that Enchanted Blade (0) is--mostly due to the ability to get +1 even when you don't need to spend a charge--but it's a fantastic stand-in until you grow up big and strong into a Flamethrower or some other nonsense.

Swekyde · 65
Yes, a nice card. On higher levels the innate +2 is even more useful. Of course, there you'll likely want to stack that bonus alongside Beat Cop's, if possible. — CaiusDrewart · 3193
Narcolepsy

EDIT: The card works as intended, read the comments.

FOR POSTERITY: So this card doesn't seem to work as it was probably intended!

The multiplayer-only nature of the card makes it seem like it is intended for other investigators to come and wake you up when you fall asleep. In that case, the should have the added text, "Other investigators at your location can take this action." You can't wake yourself up after all (since Narcolepsy prevents you from taking actions), and as written that action cannot be used at all.

The_Wall · 286
Other investigators can interact with cards on your threat area. It doesn't need to be specified. In fact there are several other weaknesses that other investigators can resolve for you, such as hospital debts — Weirdmarine · 3
Weirdmarine is right here. The card works as intended — Difrakt · 1313
As a follow-up, i feel like this card was printed specifically to draw attention to the fact that other investigators can interact with cards in your threat area, as it's not well known. — SGPrometheus · 835
Entombed is one of my favourites for demonstrating this interaction. Love the image of multiple investigators working together to get you out of the rubble — NarkasisBroon · 10
So, in case anyone else ends up going down the same damn rules rabbit trail as me, the reason you can use the action on this card is because a triggered action (like the activate action arrow), can be used by any investigator if it is (as ONE of the options, at least) "A scenario card that is in play and at the same location as the investigator. This includes the location itself, encounter cards placed at that location, and all encounter cards in the threat area of any investigator at that location." Now, weaknesses are a special type of card (aren't they always <__< ) in that , if they are an "encounter cardtype" (enemy/treachery), they are player cards when in the deck and encounter cards "while they are being resolved, and once they have entered play.", which includes the threat area. Since in your hand is "out-of-play", I assume that if a card had a revelation effect that ended with it sticking itself in your hand, other investigators would not be able to take that action; however, I don't know if this would be considered "still resolving" in this case. But whatever, as far as this card is concerned, there's the reasoning. — TheDoc37 · 468
Why is does this obviously wrong "review" still getting likes? It should be removed, it's horribly misleading — ratnip · 68
Vantage Point

Luke Robinson loves this card. In conjunction with his Gate Box/Dream-Gate, it functions essentially as a second version of Working a Hunch, except that it's one resource cheaper and can grab a clue from literally any revealed location.

ClownShoes · 160
I might be missing something here, and Luke's ability is kind of complex to think about, but I'm not sure I follow how this becomes Working a Hunch. Would you mine going through the process in depth? — StyxTBeuford · 13043
Nevermind, I see it now. Put Dream Gate in play, move a Clue to it from anywhere, it gets -1 Shroud so it's almost guaranteed to succeed if you investigate it. That's very neat. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
You'll still need an action to investigate, which Working a Hunch doesn't, but yes, this combo is neat. — TheNameWasTaken · 3
I think overall I'd rather have Working a Hunch. more expensive, but it doesn't require me to use a charge on the Gate Box if I don't want to and it's fast. However if I want more easy clues outside of Hunch and Drawn to the Flame, this could be the next item on the list. Definitely worth checking out. You'll retreat to Dream Gate at some point, so you might as well get a clue while you're at it. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
Would it remain there if you're not at the Dream Gate ? — Sassenach · 180
@Sassenach: The Dream-Gate leaves play at the end of the investigation phase, taking the clue with it, and Luke is the only investigator who can enter the Dream-Gate. So you'll want to grab the clue with him as soon as you play Vantage Point. — ClownShoes · 160
Yeah, I thought so. I think I just misread what Styx was saying though and assumed he meant that you could move the clue there and then grab it whenever is convenient. — Sassenach · 180
Of course, the fact that the clue disappears along with the Dream Gate means that this tactic is not devoid of risk. If you have a particularly unlucky couple of pulls on your investigate checks you could be removing a clue entirely from the game. — Sassenach · 180
Yeah I meant investigate it on the same turn, which you would want to do anyway as Shroud is 0. But yes, let's not have a clue fizzle out of existence if we can avoid it. If you can get three pulls, it's a very high chance at least one of those isn't autofail. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
There are usually more clues, than you need in a scenario, so not to have to grab a clue for that Victory point is also neat — Adny · 1
There are also scenarios that only care about emptying locations but not where the clues go (e.g. Essex County Express), in which case you don't even need to spend an action to get the clue. — ak45 · 469
It's also quite good mitigation for Detached from Reality. If you play this to add a clue when you enter pointless reality, you not only make it easier to f — Simonandduncan · 1
-lip the location, buy you also make the investigation itself not pointless. — Simonandduncan · 1
It works best for Luke if he can set up a combo with Seeking Answers - lowering the shroud here to 0 to pick up this clue and then investigating any connecting location also at a 0 shroud. — Time4Tiddy · 247
Also if you have a Hawk-Eye Folding Camera out: go into your Gate Box, snag a clue, investigate on Shroud 0 (or hoover it up with Working a Hunch if you're feeling frisky), add 1 to your cringe compilation. — supertoasty · 40
Unlike what was stated above, Vantage Point does not work well to mitigate Luke's signature Weakness. Vantage Point can only be played on a locatation that is revealed or entered play during an investigator's turn. Detached from Reality will usually be drawn during the Upkeep phase, which means no player has a turn and Vantage Point can't be played. — WingedKagouti · 1
Tony Morgan

Tony Morgan is a very exciting Rogue. Not a single Rogue until now has has a higher than 3, which is strange when you consider than the class has had combat support since the core set (.41 Derringer, Hard Knocks). Before Tony, the most consistent way to build a combat Rogue was to take either "Skids" O'Toole or Jenny Barnes, upgrading into Chicago Typewriter and investing tons of resources into actions for the Typewriter or directly into Hard Knocks. Even more interestingly, Tony is the first Rogue with a stat of 5 in anything. This means the "succeed by X" suite of cards (Lucky Cigarette Case, Switchblade, "Watch this!", Quick Thinking) can trigger way more consistently in his Fight tests. And as if that weren't enough, Tony's an action economy Rogue. He gets a bonus action for fighting or engaging an enemy with a Bounty on it, which if you're conservative with your bounties will not be hard to keep up all game. Not only does that directly help with Chicago Typewriter, but it gives him the opportunity to run Colt Vest Pocket or Lupara even without holding Sleight of Hand all the time.

All of this is to say that Tony's suite of Rogue cards is fairly unique compared to his friends. There's a few Rogue staples that still work well with him, but you're not trying to turn your into damage. No Backstab, no Sneak Attack, no Ornate Bow, you get the idea. He might not be as versatile stat/test wise as Mark Harrigan, the other 5 investigator, but if you build him right, he can take incredibly long turns, fight really well, and get massively paid doing it. So with that, let me draw your attention to a few cards worth considering when building any version of Tony:

  • Switchblade, Mauser C96, Colt Vest Pocket, .41 Derringer, Knuckleduster - These are probably the top starting weapons for Tony. I generally find Tony prefers one-handed weapons because of his Long Colts. Switchblade has the advantage of being fast and cheap, and is a good way to kill something with low fight and high health while saving ammo for important fights. The blade also acts as a good sacrifice to Crypt Chill while you have another weapon out. Colt Vest Pocket is sort of like a half as expensive .45 Automatic, and even if you only get half as many shots out of it before it leaves, it'll still save you in a pinch. Knuckleduster is another solid melee option for more damage/action, but with higher risk of failure, so maybe go Survivor Tony for some extra luck. .41 Derringer can be used on enemies with only 1 Bounty on them that don't benefit as much from Tony's .38 Long Colt, or to set up damage for a final Long Colt shot. Mauser C96 is my top choice for him, as he can easily succeed by 2, and you can either take a resource and follow up with another weapon or just get another shot in. Not a great Sleight of Hand target, but otherwise an incredible choice at level 0.

  • Sleight of Hand - Not a requirement, but heavily recommended if you plan on taking Colt Vest Pocket, .41 Derringer 2, or Lupara. If you're not playing with Taboo then you can use this to fire off Tony's .38 Long Colt shots to net yourself an extra bounty, as well as level 4 and 5 guns like the Sawed-Off Shotgun.

  • .41 Derringer 2, Lupara, Chicago Typewriter, Switchblade 2, Timeworn Brand - These are the strongest weapon upgrades for Tony. The Derringer can lead to even more action economy, Lupara is great burst with Sleight of Hand, the Typewriter is the closest thing he has to Lightning Gun (hey, it gets one extra shot too!) while also being able to eat the extra actions for solid reliability, and Switchblade 2 is just a fast, cheap, ammo-less .41 Derringer. Timeworn Brand is also another solid choice for Tony, though the XP investment might be too much if you're opting for a heavy Action Economy. Be mindful of your hand slots, as Tony doesn't have Bandolier access.

  • Lola Santiago, Decoy, Intel Report, Small Favor - Clue getting with 3 isn't terrible, but Tony's in class clue getting is otherwise quite limited. Intel Report will get you some of the way there, but what you really need is a resource sink for all the bounties you'll be taking. Lola will let you turn kills into fast clues. The other Favor cards are also quite nice. Even Small Favor is a great way of dealing with Aloof enemies.

  • Quick Thinking, Borrowed Time, Ace in the Hole, Leo De Luca - Action economy in Tony is already pretty solid, but you can take Leo and Quick Thinking at level 0 for even crazier economy. And Borrowed Time is amazing with Pay Day, as once it's filled it'll count as 3 deferred actions every round (aka +3 resources easy).

  • Lucky Cigarette Case, Crystallizer of Dreams - If you're running Favors, the Crystallizer of Dreams can hold them once you play them, turning all of your dual icon favors into better fights, investigates, or evades (or encounter card tests). The associated weakness Guardian of the Crystallizer is also not hard for Tony to deal with as long as he has a spare Bounty. Otherwise, the Cigarette Case is a solid way to draw 2 cards a turn instead of just 1, as long as you keep up the fighting.

  • Lonnie Ritter, Smoking Pipe, Tennessee Sour Mash - It's up to you how to counter Tony's low sanity and low . Smoking Pipe is an easy way to turn horror, especially direct horror, into damage which can easily be placed on yourself or an ally. The Sour Mash is solid for "fail by X" treacheries like Rotting Remains, and the upgraded version gains fast and another . Of course, Lonnie is the best... tailor?... in town, and she can mend your fur coat and keep you sane in the process.

  • Another Day, Another Dollar - Fantastic upgrade if you're having trouble setting up expensive assets like Leo De Luca and Chicago Typewriter.

Phew! That's a lot to go through. But wait, there's more! Tony gets to pick between Guardian , Seeker , or Survivor as an off class, from which he can take up to 10 level 0-1 Skills or Events. The temptation of course is to go straight to Guardian and maximize his combat potential. Let's go through a few cards for each subclass that I think are worth looking at (note any double icon card also benefits well from Crystallizer of Dreams):

With so many choices, the hardest thing about Tony is pinning down a direction. If you're playing in a group, it'll be easier as you'll just take the path most open to you. One final tip: bring some way to track your remaining actions. You will very easily lose track otherwise.

StyxTBeuford · 13043
We finally get a Rogue who can viably run knuckle duster and no mention of it? I take it over switchblade easily as I’d much rather risk retaliate at his native 5 than use switchblade to functionally swing at 3 for the bonus damage. And I’m still fine with the knuckles taking a chill to spare my guns. — Death by Chocolate · 1488
Knuckleduster is solid also, probably a stronger choice than Switchblade on higher difficulties. Thompson is also a solid choice, especially with Act of Desperation. I had to narrow in on a few options. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
I was considering doing an analysis of Tony but this review hits all the key points. I really think that seeker Tony is the best build by quite a margin, between that and some Lola Santiago / The Skeleton Key and he can be useful in any scenario under any conditions. You should mention Drawing Thin in the survivor pool because its the best red card in the game and has synergy with Well Connected and Streetwise; plus you'd want Resourceful to fish back your skill redo cards. Even with the possibly of the Chicago Typwriter I still think that he is yet another investigator who just rushes straight for Timeworn Brand as his first upgrade. — The_Wall · 286
Ah yes I’ll update and mention Drawing Thin, you’re absolutely right. I forgot about it because of the recent taboo, but I should still call it out. Timeworn is also a great Tony upgrade, you’re right. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
Please don’t update to mention Drawing Thin. It’s an asset. — Death by Chocolate · 1488
Jeez, yes you are right. This is why I shouldn't react to comments right as I wake up. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
I'm not expecting it to be an optimal build or anything, but I'm really excited to use the upgraded .41 Derringer with this guy. That is a pretty cool card that has been waiting a really long time for a suitable investigator. — CaiusDrewart · 3193
It's a fun time. Borrowed Time, Quick Thinking, Ace in the Hole, Leo de Luca, Derringer, and then Pay Day just because. You'll never have to worry about chasing your Quarry again! — StyxTBeuford · 13043
Yeah. As others have said don't knock Knuckleduster. IMO it's the #1 companion weapon to his own guns when you have no xp. His default fight value is so high that the retaliate represents fairly minimal risk. And you can use it to take care of or soften up pesky enemies before finishing them off with his own gun. And the ones really tough he can load up with bounties to take care of. — puert · 48