Thoughts after soloing Carcosa with Rita

• It needs to be said upfront, Rita is poorly suited for tackling Carcosa solo. Her sanity threshold is minimal and her best stat, , won’t get tested too often. That being said, she still has her signature mobility and the XP requirements for her deck are rather low.
• Doubt or Conviction? Honestly, I’d say the best is Neither, but it’s not that to get Neither without planning to lose scenarios on purpose. You can however aim for Conviction in Phantom of Truth and then switch to Doubt for Dim Carcosa. Going Conviction in the finale tends to stall at The Man in the Pallid Mask, but on the plus side managing Hastur is easier with than with .
• Curtain Call, Unspeakable Oath and Dim Carcosa are the greatest hurdles to overcome. They’re not as difficult as to necessitate outright planning for an automatic loss, but be prepared to be overwhelmed. BTW, keeping in mind that losing Dim Carcosa on Doubt doesn't involve the end of the world as Rita knew it.
• The best way to do Curtain Call is to do it fast. Rita’s damage output is meager and eliminating the boss is going to be tedious at best. On the plus side, moving around during Act 3 is easier than for most other investigators. Remember that Newspaper works when investigating The Man in the Pallid Mask as long as Rita has no superfluous clues.
• It is crucial to mulligan for Peter Sylvestre in Curtain Call. He’s a welcome sight in all opening hands, but in Curtain Call his main job is to counteract the horror from Royal Emissary. In fact, with both Peter Sylvestre and Cherished Keepsake on the table it is possible to be a bit adventurous and collect some extra XPs. As always Fanatics are your friends, but keep in mind that Spires of Carcosa and Black Stars Rise can throw off your calculations.
• The Last King relies on speed as well. Because of Corrosion it’s usually not worth it to play items other than Fine Clothes. Track Shoes might be an exception, because with Track Shoes the central location becomes a launch pad.
• No VIPs are of particular importance to Rita, so there’s no need to take risks in this scenario. More than that, Rita is one of the few investigators who should be reluctant to burn the manor. I think that in her case avoiding VIPs in latter scenarios is easier than dealing with mental trauma.
• Echoes of the Past tends to be a breather scenario, unless the encounter deck happens to throw cultist after cultist at our investigator. It is also the first scenario when Newspaper II thoroughly proves its worth, so be sure to save some XPs for these upgrades.
• The Unspeakable Oath. Rita has the mobility, but doesn’t have the raw needed to finish this scenario quickly. I recommend hard mulligan to get Newspaper II and Track Shoes. It’s a good idea to perform some tasks before going after Patient Confinements.
• Curiously, horror itself is not the main problem in The Unspeakable Oath. This deck does run some serious horror soaks. No, whenever Rita lost the scenario is was due to enemies piling up and eating her actions.
• The fifth, sixth and seventh scenario should be simple affairs. As long as Rita doesn't take undue risks she can reach the end and grab some XPs on her way. It's a good idea to save around 6 XPs until the end of Black Stars Rise on the off chance that scenario ends with Rita being unable to flip from Conviction to Doubt. If that happens, Ornate Bows are near mandatory. If it doesn't, Rita can spend these XPs on luxuries such as Elder Sign Amulets or an Ace in the Hole.
• The finale is, simply put, brutal. There are so many high-health enemies in the encounter deck and Rita's native 5 is no longer enough to reliably evade. If it wasn’t for Dim Carcosa, I wouldn’t bother to replace Waylays with Close Calls. However, as it is more action-efficient solutions are needed. The main downside is that Close Call can’t be used against Hoods.
• The map of Dim Carcosa is well-suited to kiting, although that's not as useful in the Doubt variant as it in Convictions runs.
• I’ve used to run Alter Fate, but in the end I decided to replace it with A Test of Will, mostly because the latter is cheaper up-front and it can stop a wider range of treacheries. I often find myself reluctant actually to use A Test of Will, but of course it's a mistake to hoard the exile cards.
• Peter Sylvestre and Newspaper II are the definite MVPs of this deck and your best bet to survive Dim Carcosa. Not to mention that dual-wielding Newspapers II looks awesome!

Curtain Call: The Stranger is onto Rita. Rita tried to warn the police. 7 XP (Royal Emissary, Agent of the King, Balcony, Green Room, Trap Room, Rehearsal Room), Stranger Tally: 2, Conviction Tally: 1, Doubt Tally: 0.

The Last King: Rita interviewed Constance Dumaine, Ishimaru Haruko, Sebastien Moreau and Ashleight Clarke. Rita fled the dinner party. 4 XP (8 clues), Stranger Tally: 3, Conviction Tally: 1, Doubt Tally: 0.

Echoes of the Past: Rita left the onyx clasp behind. 2 XP (Hidden Library), Stranger Tally: 3, Conviction Tally: 1, Doubt Tally: 1.

The Unspeakable Oath: Rita escaped the Asylum. Rita heeded Daniel’s warning. 4 XP (Mess Hall, Infirmary, Basement Hall, 1 bonus XP), Stranger Tally: 3, Conviction Tally: 3, Doubt Tally: 1.

A Phantom of Truth: Rita found Nigel’s home. 4 XP (Canal Saint-Martin, Gardens of Luxembourg, Grand Guignol, Père Lachaise Cemetery), Stranger Tally: 4, Conviction Tally: 3, Doubt Tally: 1.

The Pallid Mask: Rita entered the catacombs on your own. Rita knows the site of the gate. 4 XP (Bone-Filled Caverns, Well of Souls, Shivering Pools, Tomb of Shadows), Stranger Tally: 6, Conviction Tally: 3, Doubt Tally: 3.

Black Stars Rise: Rita opened the path below. 5 XP (Outer Wall, North Tower, Abbey Church, Abbey Tower), Stranger Tally: 6, Conviction Tally: 3, Doubt Tally: 4.

Dim Carcosa: Hastur has Rita in his grasp. INSANITY.