Q: What happens if you trigger the Research ability on Surprising Find during a skill test, but before committing cards? (for example, by using Guided by the Unseen, No Stone Unturned, Practice Makes Perfect, non-taboo Mr. "Rook", or Knowledge is Power on Old Book of Lore during the player window before step 2 of the skill test.) Does Surprising Find get committed to the current test, or does it need to wait until the next time a test begins? A: The next time. To satisfy the condition “the next eligible skill test” on Surprising Find, you must commit it to an eligible skill test that was not already initiated. If it’s discovered during a skill test, it must be committed to that skill test. (September 2023)
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XP: 1.
Miriade.
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FAQs
(from the official FAQ or responses to the official rules question form)Reviews
Meh.
This thing directly competes with Astounding Revelation and +1's are easier to come by than chunky resource boosts and bonus secrets.
What Surprising Find does is thin your deck to a rather insane level, it's what you do to mitigate the decision to build a 50 card Mandy Thompson deck or if a lengthy campaign has stuffed your deck that was already using Astounding Revelation with half a dozen extra weaknesses and story cards.
The fact that you dont draw an extra card unless you hit it with a search effect is a real problem for this thing. It'd actually be somewhat playable if the Draw were'nt locked into the search.
So, outside of 50-card Mandy, stay away.
It's fine! Obviously, this is great for Mandy. And I dare say for a 40 card deck which I think is the best number for her.
I found that later in the scenario, I got no Research abilities, these replenish them, and basically with Easy Marks - 40 cards becomes 30, and aIso faster.
Don't judge it too harshly, so cards are made for certain characters. These are the ones for Miss Thompson.
I want to emphasize, what I have already mentioned in a comment to another review: this is a great card for parallel Skids! First and foremost, because he can take this as a Fortune, but not Astounding Revelation. Also, he has no access to Ancestral Knowledge, which might very well be another nail in the coffin for most other investigators interested in this card. If any of the cards get randomly attached to the permanent, they lose their purpose.
This card was insane for Skids before the current taboo, which removes Three Aces from the game after used. I think, I assembled them 4 or 5 times in a single scenario of The City of Archives, with the help of Practice Makes Perfect and a certain location of that scenario. But even if you now don't go PMP with Skids (which you probably still should), he has great search potential with Lucky Cigarette Case (3) alone, and Surprising Find will make cycle through his slim deck so much faster.
Note that the September 2023 FAQ entry stating that "If it's discovered during a skill test, it must be committed to that skill test" is not entirely accurate, at least according to this response from FFG:
Q: "Hello! If I see Surprising Find when I search my top three cards from Eureka! During ST.7, does the Surprising Find commit to the current test and draw me a card for its success?"
A: "Thank you for your interest in Arkham Horror: The Card Game. No. Eureka’s ability resolves after the point in which you can commit Surprising Find to the skill test; there is no longer an eligible skill test for it to be committed to. You’d have to commit Surprising Find to a future test. Feel free to reach out to us if any more questions arise!"
In other words, there appears to be an indefinite moment between ST.3 - ST.7 in which the current skill test ceases to be "the next" skill test.