TIC Blind Run #1 (The Pit of Despair)

Jenny is hurt, cold and wet. No other campaign begins in such harsh circumstances. Hopefully, Jenny shall prove up to the challenge in the Innsmouth Conspiracy. As with the previous campaigns I’ll be posting detailed game logs with her progress. It’s going to be a blind run and as such I’ll be leaning heavily on Jenny’s versatility and resourcefulness. Even as the deck-building options expanded over the years skill-boosting Talents remain the safest bet for Jenny. However, this time around I’m going to play with the Taboo rules so we’re going to be missing some old favourites, such as Elusive or the early access to Streetwise. As I’m writing this the updated Taboo isn’t yet published, so it remains to be seen whether there’ll be more alterations. Either way, I’m shifting the deck away from fighting and focusing on evasion. I’m betting the Innsmouth Conspiracy is going to support the evasive playstyle because Trish is introduced in this campaign. Curiously, all of Jenny’s off-class slots are filled with Seeker cards. I’m taking Fine Clothes and "I'm outta here!" since these tend to be silver-bullet solutions for certain scenarios. From the new releases I’m trying out the Mauser C96, Streetwise 0 and Faustian Bargain. At first glance that last one seems terrifically efficient. We’ll see in practice. Enjoy the read!

The Pit of Despair

Pre-Mulligan Hand: Leo De Luca, Faustian Bargain, Working a Hunch, Lone Wolf, "Watch this!"

Opening Hand: Leo De Luca, Faustian Bargain, Lone Wolf, Mauser C96, Emergency Cache

Agenda & Act: Awakening & The Pit

#1

• PLAY Emergency Cache
  • Jenny wakes up clutching her bag. This tells me she wasn’t brought or dragged into the pit. Or perhaps she was, but the creature responsible had no understanding of the importance of items. It’s too early to speculate.
• PLAY Leo De Luca
• PLAY Lone Wolf
  • We’ve got the groundwork, but there’s nothing that Jenny can use to investigate. She needs to get her bearings fast. In situations like these I’d ideally want to reach a low-shroud location and wait for the investigation options to come in their own time, but we can’t do that as the surroundings are entirely unknown to both myself and Jenny. I’ll have to draw some cards.
• DRAW Flashlight
• Upkeep: draw Searching for Izzie (on leftward Tidal Pool), 3 resources total.
  • The need to find her sister is so ingrained in Jenny's mind it comes to the forefront right away.

#2

• Mythos: 1/7 doom, Memory of Oblivion (-2, discard all cards)
  • Ohh… That gutted our hand. Both the Flashlight and Mauser C96 are gone. Jenny staggers in pain, walks several steps and the priceless tools narrowly escape her attention. It’s bad. On the other hand the image on the card is amazing.
• Lone Wolf
• DRAW Dark Pact
  • That would explain at lot. Jenny bargained for her life. I wonder if she can remember to whom she owes her debt. Well, at least there’s no immediate consequence for either of Jenny’s weaknesses. I’ve got no choice but to continue to dig through the deck.
• DRAW "I'm outta here!"
• DRAW Hard Knocks
• PLAY Hard Knocks
• Upkeep: draw "I'm outta here!", 4 resources total.

#3

• Mythos: 2/7 doom, Dreams of R'lyeh
  • R'lyeh. I wonder if Jenny knows the meaning behind that name. There’ll be no better opportunity to point out that Jenny’s deck has almost nothing related to Willpower tests. Hopefully, when the campaign ends I’ll be able to refer to that decision as ‘calculated risk.’
• Lone Wolf
• DRAW Jenny's Twin .45s
• DRAW Eureka!
• INVESTIGATE (commit Eureka!, 0, 1 clue, draw Working a Hunch)
  • Yes! Jenny composed herself and can finally move out. There’s just one more little thing to do.
• claim the red key
  • OK, that’s a curious piece of amber. With the keys designers found an easy way to formalize the concept of ‘there’s several distinct trinkets or pieces of information to be found’. It brings me right back to The Gathering where one specific clue was implied to represent an empty bucket.
• MOVE left to Tidal Pool (Underwater Cavern, fully flooded)
• Upkeep: draw Fine Clothes, 7 resources total.
  • Hmmm… Do I expect to parley in this particular scenario? Doubtful. Not to mention, these clothes are drenched. Still, more Agility icons means I’ll be able to hold onto "I'm outta here" for longer.

Board State Reminder: 8 health, 5 sanity, 7 resources, 1 clue

In Play: Leo De Luca, Hard Knocks, Lone Wolf

In Hand: 2× "I'm outta here!", Dark Pact, Jenny's Twin .45s, Working a Hunch, Fine Clothes

Threat: Dreams of R'lyeh

#4

• Mythos: 3/7 doom, Swarm of Rats
• Lone Wolf
• FIGHT ( Hard Knocks, 0, defeat Swarm of Rats)
• INVESTIGATE (0, 1 clue)
  • Three zeroes in a row. That’s good. It means Jenny is not as stalled as she could be.
• MOVE right to Unfamiliar Chamber
• MOVE down to Tidal Tunnel (Tidal Pool)
• Upkeep: draw Intel Report, 6 resources total.
  • Intel Report? I think that in Jenny’s current situation it’s basically translates to ‘Any ideas, Leo?’ He’s so reliable. Although, at the moment I’d appreciate assets more than events.

#5

• Mythos: 4/7 doom, Dreams of R'lyeh
  • Willpower 1. Jenny’s resolve drains away. However, Searching for Izzie is still on the table! Our intrepid investigator won’t give in to the maddening dreams as long as there’s an enduring goal in her mind. Easy to say, isn’t it? I’ll have to assume that all incoming Willpower tests are doomed to fail.
• Lone Wolf
• Working a Hunch (1 clue)
• claim the yellow key
  • Calcified chitin… OK, let’s hold onto that and see whether it’ll be of use later.
• advance act (The Amalgam attacks, 1 damage & 1 horror to Leo De Luca, 4 new locations, memory of a meeting with Thomas Dowson, The Escape)
  • To reiterate the earlier question. How useful are the keys supposed to be? At the moment I’m betting they’re important enough for Leo to take a hit from the Amalgam. There’s no way I’d voluntarily return to Amalgam’s location, so Jenny would just get one chance to beat the evasion test by two or more. I’d rather take the hit and attempt an easier pull.
• EVADE ( 2× Hard Knocks, , exhaust The Amalgam)
  • Yes! That is enough to evade, but it would’ve left one of the keys on the monster. Good choice!
• MOVE left to Tidal Tunnel (Idol Chamber)
  • The blue key sounds important, but I haven’t found the purple one yet. Ideally I’d pick the clue right now, but I’ve got no idea whether the shroud on the purple key location is lower or higher. Let’s assume our Intel-Reporter Leo has no useful insights so far.
• MOVE down to Tidal Tunnel (Altar to Dagon)
  • Oh, so the blue key gets you the green key? All right, I guess. I’ve run out of locations to put on the map. Let’s see how many of them I’ll need to flip to find the purple key or the exit. BTW, the scenario won’t let you put new locations above the current ones. If I were in this situation I’d likely guide myself by elevation and always move upward. There being no route to the surface would be both grim and terrifying. I wonder if that was intentional.
• MOVE down to Tidal Tunnel (Sealed Exit)
  • Disregard the above musings. Turns out Jenny knew where she was going all along. "I'm outta here!" bypasses the need for the keys. Our intrepid investigator confirms her pre-planned escape route is still viable and turns on her heel to scour the tunnels for Izzie. I’m tempted to add a custom record to Memories Recovered, ‘a decision to sabotage the lock.’
• Enemy: The Amalgam readies
• Upkeep: draw Intel Report, 7 resources total.

#6

• Mythos: 5/7 doom, Riptide ( 3× Hard Knocks, +1)
  • All three assets of mine are worth protecting. The encounter card itself is great in terms of mechanics, but I’m finding it difficult to imagine a strong current washing off, say, a Lone Wolf.
• Lone Wolf
• MOVE up to Altar to Dagon
• MOVE left to Tidal Tunnel (Underwater Cavern, fully flooded)
• MOVE up to Tidal Tunnel (Bone-Ridden Pit)
• PLAY Intel Report (1 clue from Bone-Ridden Pit)
• Bone-Ridden Pit (memory of the battle with horrifying devil, removed)
  • How much time has passed since the battle in the flashback? Enough for the carcass to turn into skeletal remains. This monster was huge, so that alone suggests several months at least. Could Jenny been on the case for several months? Doubtful. Then again, we’ve got no idea what was happening to the remains in the meantime. The skeleton could’ve been cleaned off.
• Enemy: The Amalgam hunts left to Idol Chamber
• Upkeep: draw Eureka!, 5 resources total.

Board State Reminder: 8 health, 5 sanity, 5 resources, 1 clue

In Play: Leo De Luca (1 damage & 1 horror), Hard Knocks, Lone Wolf

In Hand: 2× "I'm outta here!", Dark Pact, Jenny's Twin .45s, Fine Clothes, Intel Report, Eureka!

Threat: 2× Dreams of R'lyeh

#7

• Mythos: 6/7 doom, Lurking Deep One (1 damage)
  • The humanoid shape lunges at Jenny! Her hand instinctively moves towards the holster, but finds nothing. Mauser C96 would make short work of that Deep One, but as it stands it should be more action-effective to evade.
• Lone Wolf
• EVADE ( 2× Hard Knocks, commit "I'm outta here!", -3, exhaust Lurking Deep One)
• MOVE up to Tidal Tunnel (Underground River, partially flooded)
  • XPs are tempting, but since Jenny’s got an enemy on her tail I need to ensure she’ll be able to clear Searching for Izzie on her way to unrevealed locations on the right side on the map.
• DRAW "Watch this!"
• PLAY Dark Pact (2 damage)
• Enemy: The Amalgam hunts left to Bone-Ridden Pit, Lurking Deep One readies
• Upkeep: draw Flashlight, 4 resources total.

#8

• Mythos: 7/7 doom, agenda advances (flood level increases, The Water Rises), Lurking Deep One (1 damage)
  • More Deep Ones! We’ve got eight more rounds of breathable air, so the flooding water is ignorable for the moment.
• Lone Wolf
• EVADE (commit Jenny's Twin .45s, Eureka! & "Watch this!", bid 3 resources, -1, exhaust Lurking Deep One, 6 resources, draw Streetwise)
  • Nice! Muscle memory works wonders. Turns out the Deep Ones are intimidating, but not too bright. Jenny compares them to street thugs and adjusts her tactics accordingly.
• PLAY Intel Report (2 clues from Underground River)
• PLAY Streetwise
• MOVE right to (Underground River)
• Enemy: Amalgam & Lurking Deep One hunt up to Underground River, Lurking Deep One readies
• Upkeep: draw "Watch this!", 6 resources total.

#9

• Mythos: 1/8 doom, Fractured Consciousness (-1, 2 damage)
  • See that bright shape in upper right corner? I think it’s supposed to be an octopus, but that wasn’t my first impression. It’s the martian walker from War of the Worlds. In either case, I didn’t think defending against two damage was worth committing cards or resources.
• Lone Wolf
• Searching for Izzie ( Streetwise, -2, discard Searching for Izzie)
  • Done!
• MOVE right to Unfamiliar Chamber
• MOVE right to Tidal Tunnel (Underground River, partially flooded)
  • Hmmm... I had a similar dilemma two rounds prior and went for the XPs, so let’s not push our luck too far. Especially not with both Reports and a Hunch gone. Granted, there’s more time to directly investigate, but that’s only in the sense of Jenny being ahead of the doom threshold.
• Enemy: The Amalgam & both Lurking Deep Ones hunt down to Tidal Pool
• Upkeep: draw Lone Wolf, 7 resources total.

Board State Reminder: 2 health, 5 sanity, 7 resources, 3 clues

In Play: Leo De Luca (1 damage & 1 horror), Hard Knocks, Streetwise Lone Wolf

In Hand: "I'm outta here!", Fine Clothes, "Watch this!", Lone Wolf

Threat: 2× Dreams of R'lyeh

#10

• Mythos: 2/8 doom, Rising Tides (Unfamiliar Chamber is fully flooded)
  • Ironically, that’s a breather! It seems like an excellent way to control the pace of the scenario for different number of players. Good design.
• Lone Wolf
• MOVE down to Tidal Tunnel (Fish Graveyard, partially flooded)
• PLAY Flashlight
• INVESTIGATE with Flashlight (2 supplies left, -2, 1 clue)
• Fish Graveyard (memory of a decision to stick together, remove )
  • Yup, that definitely sounds like an ally card in one of the future scenarios.
• MOVE left to Tidal Pool
• Enemy: The Amalgam & both Lurking Deep Ones hunt right to Unfamiliar Chamber
• Upkeep: draw Faustian Bargain, 8 resources total.

#11

• Mythos: 3/8 doom, Rising Tides (Tidal Pool is fully flooded)
  • Sweet. The Deep Ones are outmaneuvered and unless something weird happens they’re not going to be relevant anymore. There's one location left to flip. If it doesn’t have the purple key I'm going to be disappointed.
• Lone Wolf
• MOVE down to Tidal Tunnel (Tidal Pool, partially flooded)
• INVESTIGATE with Flashlight (1 supply left, Streetwise, 0, 1 clue)
• claim the purple key
  • That’s Jenny’s first literal key. Still, marble and onyx sounds excessively elaborate. Now, I’m going to claim the green key, just in case the number of keys matters for the resolution.
• MOVE right to Altar to Dagon
• Altar to Dagon (claim the green key)
• Enemy: The Amalgam & both Lurking Deep One hunt right to Unfamiliar Chamber
• Upkeep: draw Working a Hunch, 9 resources total.

#12

• Mythos: 4/8 doom, Swarm of Rats
• Lone Wolf
• FIGHT ( 2× Hard Knocks, , defeat Swarm of Rats)
  • Stomp!
• MOVE up to Idol Chamber
• Working a Hunch (1 clue)
• claim the blue key
• Idol Chamber (memory of an encounter with the secret cult, remove )
  • Jenny’s so onto them!
• PLAY "I'm outta here!"
• R1.

I had no idea I was courting disaster for Jenny since around round #7! As I look through the encounter cards the Deep One Assault could’ve dropped an entire gaggle of enemies onto Jenny. It would’ve been next to impossible to recover. Thankfully, she wasn’t forced to deal with that particular crisis. On the whole the focusing our investigator on evasion was the right choice. Given grid-style connections and locations with teleport effects I thinks it should be relatively straightforward to keep the hunters off the solo investigator's back! At the same time I'm getting the distinct feeling that The Pit of Despair is tougher for larger teams. Good, I say! It's usually the other way around, so let the multiplayer groups struggle a bit. The gasping-for-air mechanic was well thought out. Being forced to move is action-intensive, but doesn't feel oppressive. The various Deep Ones mirroring the design of the original Young Deep One isn't inspired, but it works well enough. But do all of them really have to be hunters? Hunters are the bane of an evasion-focused investigator. Anyway, it seems the next time there's going to be a flashback. See you around!

Campaign Log:

Pit of Despair: 5 XP, Memories Recovered: a meeting with Thomas Dowson, a battle with a horrifying devil, a decision to stick together, an encounter with a secret cult.