Task Force

Task Force

Isn't this card just insane for Sledgehammer builds? You move to an enemy, deal 6 dmg and find a clue for 2 actions and then you can still atk for another 2 dmg with the first ability of Sledgehammer if something is still standing (or crawling or slithering or whatever).

CATS · 2
Never mind, I thought it worked like Ad Hoc. — CATS · 2
Or to be more precise: this card only reduce the costs to activate an asset by one action. So if you need more actions to activate the asset you still have to pay the rest. (Compare to hand-eye coordination) — Tharzax · 1

In the Know

In the Know

Rules question. My interpretation of the FAQ related to as if mechanics would mean that our location would be the 'remote' location from initiating the investigate until the resolution of the investigate, which notably includes the player windows. Would that mean that we could use shortcut or eon chart to basically blink across the map by using those during the investigate player windows?

Nissefarr · 9
According to the written rules, yes. But for the last several years, FFG has flatly refused to answer questions about how actions taken “as if at other locations” work, so this whole line of questioning is fraught. Like, don’t ask what happens if there are enemies in your threat area or at the location you intend to investigate, or what happens if you Work a Hunch during the investigation or a whole host of other questions. Probably just do whatever makes sense for you. — Eudaimonea · 9
The one ruling that got away... I think the intention was not to abuse it AND to make sense, i.e. (as written) change only the parts of the game state that are relevant for the resolution of it's effect. But whether you can use your Survival Knive when The Watcher attacks you during the mythos phase "as if it were the enemy phase" is nebulous to me, as are many other cases. — AlderSign · 450
They explicitly ruled you cannot use the Survival Knife in the instance you describe. In general, they violate the stated “as if” rule more often than they follow it, but the “at other location” rule is messed up even worse than other “as ifs.” Unfortunately, it is not the only one that got away. “For each / for every,” “This / Next,” fast events, “Must / May” are all contradictory messes. — Eudaimonea · 9
Didn't know that, thanks. About enemies in your threat area, for sure they opportunistically attack you for triggering the ability, but the question you probably meant and I honestly never thought about is "where are they during the investigation?" — AlderSign · 450
I’m afraid your understanding of how the AoOs work is outdated, Enemies in your threat region do not attack you according to the new rules regime. Read the last three stickied rules answers under Luke Robinson. https://arkhamdb.com/card/06004 — Eudaimonea · 9
Not quite. That case is different since the game state is altered when costs are paid during initiation. For In the Know, the "as if" ruling is part of the effects; when cost are paid (before that step) AoOs trigger as usual. Thanks for the informative link, though! — AlderSign · 450
I’m afraid you didn’t read closely enough. The second-to-last ruling compares Pocket Telescope, which has wording identical to In the Know, with Luke Robinson. FFG’s answer is about “these types of interactions,” meaning actions taken as if at another location. You have no rule basis to think Luke Robinson’s effect would have a different timing than In the Know or Pocket Telescope—presumably it just makes sense to you that way. But more importantly, the question that I linked explicitly repudiates that misunderstanding. The questioner asked if a ruling on Pocket Telescope (a.k.a. In the Know) being different from Luke Robinson is a contradiction. If FFG thought those two effects have different timings, they would have simply said, “No, no contradiction.” Instead they confirmed that their ruling on Luke is intended to map onto Pocket Telescope and by extension In the Know as they are all identical. I hope that’s helpful. — Eudaimonea · 9
And we should say, the most recent ruling from FFG—in July 2025, as recorded under Luke Robinson—is an explicit “no” to the OP’s question. The logic is a bit tortured so don’t ask me to defend it. It has something to do with Shortcut targeting your mini-card, which has not moved, rather than your investigator. I was not aware that Shortcut moves your mini-card, of course, and I’m wondering what other effects are performed on your mini-card rather than your investigator, but that’s the current rationale. — Eudaimonea · 9
You are right, I ignored the BS rulings that directly contradict the Rules Reference. Regarding your statement that I lack rules basis for distinguishing between Luke's ability and ItK/PT: For me the difference is really easy to see: In the former case, the whole initiation sequence of playing the card begins in the altered game state, which in my point of view is made clear by the fact that it's a constant ability, while in the latter case the game state is altered during effect resolution, after costs are paid. — AlderSign · 450
Not sure if I hate the stuff regarding the mini-card, i.e. physical game state, it could be a solid baseline for rulings in general. — AlderSign · 450
I’m sorry, but there is no basis for the distinction you want to make. The first bullet under “As if…” reads: “ The game state is considered to be altered throughout the duration of the indicated ability or action, from its initiation (including the paying of its costs, attacks of opportunity, etc) through the resolution of each aspect of its effect, and up until its completion.” This cannot be clearer. The people asking the questions we’re discussing take this for granted, as do the FFG respondents, as does the rules reference. There is no ambiguity whatsoever. — Eudaimonea · 9
The mini-card thing is a walking disaster. Among other absurd downstream effects of this ruling, they have ruled that if a seeker is walking around with a guardian pal, every time the seeker investigates with enemies on him, the enemies all slough off onto the Guardian during the investigation. Also, I’m at A investigating B and my enemies fall off me, so now I shortcut my mini-card out to C. Investigation ends. Enemies are at A and mini-card is at C. Shortcut + Pocket Telescope = Elusive. Weird. There are many others. It’s a mess. — Eudaimonea · 9
Eureka, you are right! That means you can avoid AoOs from enemies engaged with you with ItK, interesting (and partly nonsensical). It still leaves room for uncertainty, e.g. I wonder what happens if only PART of a nested effect contains "as if", say "Investigate your location. If you succeed, discover one clue at a connecting location." Would the initiation happen with the altered state in mind in this case? Ambiguous. — AlderSign · 450
I don't see why you would disengage from enemies when using PT + Shortcut. It even says that the physical game state is not altered, so the enemies stay in your threat area and specifically do not "fall off". Moreover, as I read that ruling, when you use Shortcut while at B, you neither move your mini-card to C nor D, but nowhere instead (actually, you might not even be able to play the card because it doesn't affect the game state). — AlderSign · 450
I take my sentence in brackets back; it affects the ALTERED game state, which is then "reset" (via not moving your mini-card), so no matter where you were during PT's resolution, you are back at location A. — AlderSign · 450
As to why enemies fall off you when you use Pocket Telescope, I will point you again back to the bottom ruling from the link we’re discussing. The whole reason you don’t take AoOs is because the enemies are not in your threat region when you are “as if” at B. They are at A. You are correct that the rulebook states that “enemies in your threat area are at your location,” which should be conclusive. But they keep on insisting they don’t care what the rulebook says and these enemies absolutely leave your threat region when you do stuff “as if” at other locations. If it makes no sense to you, that’s because it makes no sense. If you want to invent a rationale by which they’re saying something less nonsensical, have at it. But we honestly aren’t even talking about the most ridiculous implications of this ruling. Like, how do I even play Shortcut on my mini-card when it’s not at my location. What makes it a legal target? The answers to none of this can be found in the rulebook, because while these are “rulings,” they aren’t derived from rules. If you want, you can email FFG for clarification but they’ll ghost you, so as I said in my initial response, probably just do what makes sense to you. — Eudaimonea · 9

Field of Graves

Field of Graves

There is something about this card that I do not like. Is very similar to Grasping Hands or Rotting Remains, but I think it is much worse as it affects the whole table. In a full table, drawing the Auto-fail token will send 16 random cards to the discards pile. It will kill the tempo of the whole table, maybe even forcing the whole table to resign or even lose the scenario. And it is on revelation of a Location, so no ward of protection and other players cannot commit cards to the test either, as they are not in your location.

I understand this is a "return to", but it has the same errors of the original one. Even worse, it is a test of 4.

Anyway I just wanted to express my thoughts.

Dash83 · 1
Tough, but as an effect that occurs exactly once per game it scales perfectly. — AlderSign · 450
But the text refers to you with the clause after you reveal the location so only you are testing your willpower not the whole team? — Tharzax · 1

Your House

Your House

Significant narrative spoilers for the Night of the Zealot Campaign (all three scenarios). Please only read after you have played it through at least once.

T’was the Night of the Zealot

 
T’was the Night of the Zealot and all through my house
Some creatures were stirring, far worse than a mouse!
I`d gathered some friends to research with care,
local ghoul activity, of which few were aware.
.
As many of Arkham were snug in their beds,
And visions of yellow kings danced in their heads
We sat and we focussed without even a nap.
When the door to my study vanished with a snap!!
.
My home was invaded! It caused such a clatter!
We sprang to our feet to address the matter.
I pulled back my rug in despair like a flash
Finding a door to my hall beneath like a Cache!!!
.
Tumbling into to my hall, not beside but below,
to a barrier of heat, that we smashed with some snow.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a nightmarish ghoul priest with horns of Reindeer! [seriously check out the art]
.
Our saviour was named Lita, who lively and quick,
BURNED DOWN MY DEAR HOUSE! ghouls and all, to the brick!
“Theres a cult in our town” she began to exclaim,
She ranted, and shouted, and then called them by name.
.
Theres Turner! Theres Collins! Theres Warren and Drew!
Theres Cooper, and Hill! Pierce and Devereux!
“You must go fast to the town! Now go stop them all!
Now dash away! Dash away! Go stop The Cabal!”
.
So into town, like a hurricane, we did fly
And late into the night we searched low and searched high
And around all the houses like coursers we flew,
Slaying masked cultists, and persuading a few
.
When then, a slight twinkling, I heard on a roof,
A deer masked man had stalked us, lacking aloof
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down from a tall chimney stack he leapt with a bound.
.
He was dressed all in leather, from his head to his foot,
His clothes were not tarnished with ashes or soot.
We tumbled and fumbled, evading his attack.
Until midnight when he left rejoining his pack.
.
They`d gone to the woods for a ritual? ... “How Merry!”
“No” exclaimed Lita. “Its about to get hairy!”
"In revenge for their lair I burned a night ago,
They’ll summon Umôrdhoth, The Devourer Below!"
.
We searched deep into the forest, beyond the old heath
Following glyphs to a cave wrapped in smoke like a wreath
While the dark chamber within lit by candles wasn’t smelly,
its walls shifted and warped like a bowl full of jelly
.
And stood blocking the door was the deer man himself
Other cultists stood smirking, like a jolly old elfs.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had plenty to dread.
.
Too late was it now, the rite began its work.
And all filled with a terror, we turned with a jerk.
Warped shadows stretched high as Umôrdhoth rose
As its writhing blue tendrils engulfed the enclose
.
“’Tis Lita it wants!”. We threw her to the bristle
It consumed her whole then vanished with a whistle
Appeased, the deer man exclaimed, now just out of sight,
“Be that a lesson to all, and to all a good night!”
.
StartWithTheName · 74789
Beautiful — SolarJ · 506

The Necronomicon

The Necronomicon

If you:

  • play with it anyway, regardless of the official Taboo (Forbidden), but wish to make it a bit less overpowered or
  • would like to make this playable, because of theme or simply preference

→ House rule we tested to make it playable but still give that power fantasy:

  • The Necronomicon has a fixed, finite number of unique charges (so you cannot replenish them or put charges on it) and it doesn't matter if you: put it back to your hand via Knowledge is Power, (untabooed) Sleight of Hand, Scavenging, put it under Library Pass etc. You can do all those things, but you won't get back your spent charges.

TL:DR: the intention is, that you have 6 charges, no matter what - and if you used them up, they are gone for good.

  • As an additional fair play bonus, you may treat this card as "Exceptional" and play 10 XP for it.
Coach Pete · 2
You may also 1. Make it Exceptional (10 XP) and use the 6 charges per scenario. Or 2. Don't make it Exceptional, but nerf it even harder by allowing 6 charges - per campaign. — Coach Pete · 2
That sounds messy because it requires additional book(hah)keeping. In general I also don't like exceptional-as-nerf, because it just delays the OP thing (until you have the xp) instead of really making it non-OP. — AlderSign · 450
Or just use the card as designed without comboing it — Dash83 · 1