The Ideal Assistant - DttF Contest Entry

Minh Thi Phan / Echoes of the Past

The night was warm.

Her most recent employer, Mr. Peabody, didn’t mind her staying at the Society long past the opening hours were over. Her home wasn’t much and here Minh knew where the cushiest the armchairs were. Not to mention it was easier to pretend to herself that she’s at work and thus avoid looking into the King in Yellow. Minh couldn’t bring herself to ditch the book, so she carefully managed her day to leave as little free time as possible. Minh leaned back in the armchair.

Then there were steps in the corridor.

Minh held her breath. Men with flashlights rushed past her room. The light brushed her ankles, but no one noticed the motionless woman. Japanese soldiers?! No, of course not, Minh thought calmly. She glimpsed robes, not uniforms. The men spread out, most of them took the stairs up. She counted at least ten intruders, clearly looking for something. Minh could hear drawers rattling and display glass shattering. Something, not someone. But Minh knew her employer stayed the night at the Society, same as her.

She had to lead him out of the building and quick!

Minh checked the archives first, then slipped through the backdoor to the main meeting room. She couldn’t find Mr. Peobody, but his discarded notepad was there, right on top of the conference table. Strange. Minh flipped page after page until she reached the last entry. It read “All papers regarding Y sent to New York.” It would’ve been her job to do so, but Minh sent no such papers. She narrowed her eyes and looked closely. The ink was still fresh. Of course! It was a decoy meant for the robed men. How clever of her employer.

Now, if not in the meeting room, then where was Mr. Peabody?

I can definitely see Minh being Mr. Peabody's assistant. She’s knowledgeable and diligent, an overall excellent employee. Alas, she’s secondary survivor and these guys tend to get involved in suspicious business against their will. Just like that time when Arkham’s Historical Society was ransacked.

The above deck is made with the assumption that Minh is entirely unprepared. Exceedingly light on assets, she has nothing that would be useful in combat. Instead she is forced to rely on her wits alone. She has ways of finding extra clues and she’s more mobile than the cultist. Minh knows her workplace so well she often won’t even need to enter the room to know whether something relevant was hidden inside. If all else fails, she can try talking her way out of trouble.

Since Echoes of the Past is generally considered to be an easy scenario in solo and this deck is quite speedy, I recommend upping the difficulty one step above your usual.