Cryptic Grimoire
Text of the Elder Herald

Ativo. Hand

Item. Tome. Cursed.

Cost: 3. XP: 4.

Buscador

Researched.

: After you resolve 1 or more tokens during a skill test: Place that many secrets on Cryptic Grimoire.

When you play an Insight event during your turn, spend 2 secrets: That event gains fast. Reduce its cost by 1.

Alexandr Elichev
Horror in High Gear #191.
Cryptic Grimoire

FAQs

(from the official FAQ or responses to the official rules question form)
  • NB: ArkhamDB now incorporates errata from the Arkham Horror FAQ in its card text, so the ArkhamDB text and the card image above differ, as the ArkhamDB text has been edited to contain this erratum (updated August 2022): Erratum: The purchase restriction on this card should be replaced with the keyword: "Researched." - FAQ, v.2.0, August 2022
Last updated

Reviews

What were they thinking.

It needs to proc once to break even in actions, and 3 times to break even in resources in the ideal operating environment. That's placing and subsequently pulling at least 6 curses (and not cancelling them) AFTER the tome has been played, each of which on a subset of Insight events. All that to break even INSIDE a scenario... not counting the prerequisite quest or the 8xp playset. And it has to compete in the hand slot.

lol?

MrButtermancer · 55
This is a totally viable card in a curse build, really not sure what your issue with it is. The other one, sure, pretty bad. This one's solid, though. — SSW · 209
I don't think the effect is bad per-say either. The main issue with this card is that the curse package is far more about 'playing tiny curse cards for huge benefits' than 'actively seek out curses. — dezzmont · 212
This is a good thing by the way: Curses should be far more about the benefits of the cards that generate curses, because a deck that wants to flood the bag with curses proactively for its own sake is almost 'meta-parastic.' Not only is it a strategy that only works with a very specific pool of cards, but it forces every other player at the table into that strategy. So it is sorta good that the seeker curse packages faceplanted hard. But if a 'care about curse' strategy ever takes off for real, this would be a good card in it, despite the fact a lot of insights already are fast. This is, in theory, limitless free actions and your friends can potentially proc it VERY fast. — dezzmont · 212
I have to agree with MrButtermancer here (is there a Ms. Buttermancer?). You're spending a card, a hand slot, a play action, 3 resources and 4 Xp on something that will maybe, on a good day (read: bad day) save you , I dunno, 5 play actions and 5 resources? It's not a great trade. — olahren · 3406
A good question to ask is 'How many times does this need to trigger for me to be happy with it?' 5 actually sounds quite nice, that is effectively 10 whole actions (if we evaluate the non-action benefits of making an action fast as offsetting the fact a resource isn't quite worth an action). Action compression especially is fairly useful in Seeker, so being able to use this to clear out a location even earlier with a fast play of one of the 'Investigate with a benefit' insights. But 5 triggers is a huge ask, it requires you to have 5 relevant insights that will meaningfully help you in hand when you need them, and 5 seperate curse draws after this is in play, which is extremely difficult to do in a timely manner. In that specific instance, your likely looking to not so much flood the bag as keep a steady stream: at 4-5 tokens you will expect a curse 1 in 4 draws, meaning you will get maybe a charge per turn if you can keep that level of curseness up. But that also means your failing around 40% more tests than you 'should,' or need to pass tests by 2 more to get the same expected result (because curse math is weird and trying to just pass by the expected average value of the curse doesn't actually help offset the curse that much). That means your looking at 10% of your tests failing specifically of those 4 curses, which means whatever you do with those insights better be worth it! — dezzmont · 212
Said math is on standard. Curses are more predictable (But affect more tokens) on easy, and get more volatile on harder modes (Because the wider distribution of results means the curse is a difference maker on fewer results, and partially offsetting the curse does more), and assuming one curse pull (The odds of getting two on a 15 token bag with 4 curses is like some odd 3%, so like around 1in 30 pulls). — dezzmont · 212
Every time I try to build around this, I ended up taking Farsight instead. — suika · 9406

This card is better than it seems. Yes, you read that right.

It is an intriguing build-around for Rex Murphy decks. First, remember that you have to Resolve the tokens, not just Reveal them (so no Rod of Carnamagos shenanigans). Rex’s infamous Rex's Curse makes you not only Reveal but also Resolve tokens TWICE per test. But wait, there’s more! After you Resolve the tokens during the initial Rex's Curse check, you return them to the bag. This means that you can draw them again on the second part of the test, giving you a better chance of drawing the tokens and adding even more Secrets to the Cryptic Grimoire.

Once you have set up your assets and got the game rolling, you can expect to perform 2-3 Skill tests per round, including Investigate and Treachery checks. With Rex's Curse, you get to Resolve tokens 4-6 times per round (assuming you keep succeeding in the tests so you don’t shuffle Rex's Curse back into the deck). That’s plenty of chances to add Secrets to the Grimoire when using a deck. And what can you do with the Grimoire’s discounted Fast Insight cards? EVEN MORE Skill tests, each giving TWO chances to Resolve tokens (though most relevant Insight cards are testless). This card turns Rex's Curse into a signature boon.

There is, of course, a risk of failing Skill tests due to the tokens, but even then, you are not left high and dry because at least you get the Secrets to play your Fast Insight cards to make up for the failed test.

In addition to some Insight cards, Rex Murphy can generate tokens with Gabriel Carillo, and by throwing away his stuffy nerd glasses and replacing them with new sparkling Prismatic Spectacles.

Some notable Insight cards for Rex are Rex’s own signature card Search for the Truth, Burning the Midnight Oil, Deep Knowledge, Delve Too Deep, Drawn to the Flame, Existential Riddle, Preposterous Sketches, Stirring Up Trouble, and Ravenous Myconid's Uncanny Growth.

Dedasda · 4
I tried this pre Hemlock and it just didn't trigger much for a hand slot. — MrGoldbee · 1450
@MrGoldbee try this with parallel Rex. You can fill the bag with curses in just one test with Analysis and in that same test you have good chances to get curses — joster · 40