Agnes, Expert Shriveller: Cultists vs. Spells (Achievements)

Agnes Baker's attempt to complete Return to the Night of the Zealot, solo, on Expert difficulty, continues! Facing the Midnight Masks now, and frankly... if I can interrogate two cultists, I'm happy, so long as I can get a decent set of location-specific Victory points as well. Most importantly I'd like to take out the Ghoul Priest so I don't have to deal with him in the final scenario. I've already concluded that Agnes's only means of victory will be to face Umôrdhoth one-on-one - ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Onwards!

SESSION REPORT - EXPERT DIFFICULTY

SCENARIO II - RETURN TO THE MIDNIGHT MASKS

• Opening Hand: Thermos, Lady Esprit, Shrivelling, Rite of Seeking, Lucky!
• Kept: Lady Esprit, Shrivelling, Rite of Seeking
• Replacements: Thermos, Drawn to the Flame
• Starting Location: Your House

Weapon, ally, investigative tools, and healing. Honestly, hard to pick a better start. Well... the one thing I'm missing is extra resources. With that in mind, I'm going to head to Easttown quickly to see if I can play Lady Esprit for cheaper, and from there, visit Downtown for possible extra resources. On the way I can find which locations have Victory points. Those are the spots where I want to pick up clues.

R1 (1D, 2H, 5$, 0C): 0/6 doom

• Encounter: None
• Play Shrivelling [-3$]
• Move to Rivertown
• Move to Easttown
• Draw Flashlight [+1$]

Good, the version of Easttown I wanted.

R2 (1D, 2H, 3$, 0C): 1/6 doom

• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at St. Mary's Hospital with +1 doom (arrgh. Do I really have time to hustle over there and bring this guy down? I'll try working my way around.)
• Play Lady Esprit [-2$]
• Move to Downtown
• Play Drawn to the Flame: draw Mask of Umôrdhoth [attaches to Disciple of the Devourer with +1 doom] [+2C, +1 Victory] (Hmmm.)
• Draw Rite of Seeking [+1$]

No bonus resources Downtown, but I do have a Victory point. Unfortunately, that Agenda is looking to flip very early. Do I have means to delay that? Or should I accept it and focus on efficiency?

R3 (1D, 2H, 6$, 2C): 2/6 doom [+2 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Southside with +1 doom (Or will I even have a choice?? The answer is a resounding "no")
• Move to Northside
• Play Rite of Seeking [-4$]
• Use Rite of Seeking [-1X]: Investigate, 7 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+2C, +1 Victory]
• Draw Ward of Protection [+1$]

I thought long and hard about chasing Disciples, or using Rivertown to remove some doom, but ultimately decided it was more important to just accept the agenda acceleration in exchange for clues and Victory. At least I have something to fight the Agenda 1b hunter with.

R4 (1D, 2H, 3$, 4C): 3/6 doom [+3 on Disciples of the Devourer]

• Agenda advances: Narôgath spawns and engages, advances to 2a
• Encounter: On Wings of Darkness, 3 vs. 4 ( is -2) [+1 doom on Narôgath and both Disciples of the Devourer]: fail [1H, 1D on Lady Esprit] [ Agnes Baker: +1D to Narôgath], disengage and move to Rivertown

This is worth a mid-turn pause. Yes, I now have some breathing room to do things before Narôgath catches up to me. But now there's three doom back on all the enemies!! I have to deal with some of that. Fortunately, I have a solution immediately at hand for the one wearing the Mask of Umôrdhoth.

• Use Rivertown [discard Thermos]: -1 doom from Disciple of the Devourer] (that's the Masked one)
• Move to Southside [Disciple of the Devourer engages]
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Disciple of the Devourer, 5 vs. 3 ( is +2): pass [+2D, defeated] (that's the other one)
• Narôgath moves to Miskatonic University
• Draw Flashlight [+1$]

I have a chance now to get more cards. Hopefully I can make them count.

R5 (1D, 3H, 4$, 4C): 1/8 doom [+1 on Narôgath]

• Encounter: False Lead, play Ward of Protection [-1$] to cancel [1H on Lady Esprit]
• Use Southside: draw Fire Axe, Peter Sylvestre, Forbidden Knowledge] (those are some clutch draws!)
• Play Peter Sylvestre [-3$, discard Lady Esprit]
• Play Forbidden Knowledge
• Narôgath moves to Southside, engages and attacks [1D/1H, 1H on Peter Sylvestre] [ Agnes Baker: +1D to Narôgath]
• (start of upkeep phase) Use Forbidden Knowledge [-1S, 1H]: [+1$] [ Agnes Baker: +1D to Narôgath]
• Draw Shrivelling [+1$]

Time for Agnes's once-per-phase reaction ability to work quadruple-time. Of the 7 damage I need to deal to Narôgath, 5 of it has come/will be coming from that reaction ability. It's why I picked her for my Expert difficulty run, after all.

R6 (2D, 5H, 2$, 4C): 2/8 doom [+1 on Narôgath]

• Encounter: Hunting Shadow [2D]
• (end of mythos phase) Use Forbidden Knowledge [-1S, 1H]: [+1$] [ Agnes Baker: +1D to Narôgath]
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Narôgath, 6 vs. 3 ( is -4) [1H] [ Agnes Baker: +1D to Narôgath], play Lucky! [-1$]: pass [+2D, defeated, Victory 2]
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Alma Hill spawns and engages (right on my head! Arrgh)
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Alma Hill, 6 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+2D]
• Peter Sylvestre heals 1H
• Alma Hill attacks [2H on Peter Sylvestre]
• Draw Peter Sylvestre [+1$]

I'm right at the brink, damage- and horror-wise. I'm about to bring down a second cultist. I could resign after doing that and feel OK with my chances moving forward. But my other big target is about to show up. Can I stabilize somehow to take it out? I have my stronger Shrivelling spell, after all. Can I get the Graveyard Victory point while I'm at it? Hmmm.

R7 (4D, 7H, 3$, 2C): 3/8 doom

• Encounter: Ghoul Priest spawns at Your House (there's that big target)
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Alma Hill, 6 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+2D, defeated, +1 Victory]
• Play Shrivelling [-3$, discard Shrivelling]
• Move to Miskatonic University
• Peter Sylvestre heals 1H
• Ghoul Priest moves to Rivertown
• Draw Fearless [+1$]

R8 (4D, 7H, 1$, 2C): 4/8 doom

• Encounter: Corpse-Taker spawns at Downtown (This is kind of a whiff. By the time it gets to Rivertown I plan to be resigning anyway.)
• Corpse-Taker gets +1 doom
• Move to Rivertown [Ghoul Priest engages]
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Ghoul Priest, commit Fearless, 9 vs. 4 (-3): pass [+2D, heal 1H]
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Ghoul Priest, 8 vs. 4 (-4): pass [+2D]
• Use Forbidden Knowledge [-1S, 1H]: [+1$] [ Agnes Baker: +1D to Ghoul Priest, defeated, +2 Victory]
• Peter Sylvestre heals 1H
• Corpse-Taker moves to Easttown
• Draw Thermos [+1$]

I freely admit this was really risky. One extra horror from Shrivelling would have been OK, as I'd just have foregone the Forbidden Knowledge hit afterwards; but if both attacks hit me with horror I'd be losing Peter Sylvestre. Still, I felt it was a calculated risk that was worth it. And it paid off in spades.

R9 (5D, 7H, 3$, 2C): 5/8 doom [+1 on Corpse-Taker]

• Encounter: Crypt Chill, 6 vs. 4 ( is -6): fail [discard Forbidden Knowledge]
• Corpse-Taker gets +1 doom
• Move to Graveyard, 6 vs. 3 (-2): pass
• Use Rite of Seeking [-1X]: Investigate, 8 vs. 1 (-2): pass [+2D, +1 Victory]
• Use Agenda 2a: Resign

This was, again, another risky play. A bad token pull with Rite of Seeking and I wouldn't have been able to resign. The agenda flip, stealing cards from me in the final scenario, would have been quite bad. But I again felt it was a worthy risk - I plan to put every one of those points to important use!

No resolution = Resolution 1

• Cultists Agnes Interrogated: Narôgath, Alma Hill
• Cultists Who Got Away: Peter Warren, Herman Collins, Billy Cooper, Ruth Turner
• The Ghoul Priest is no longer alive
• 8 experience (8 Victory)

Lots of cultists still out there but they're not my concern. Umôrdhoth is my concern. Onwards, to the final scenario, to see if my plan for completing it will succeed or fail spectacularly!