Existential Riddle

Hey, it's my preview card! I had a lot of fun with this one, check out my preview video if you're interested.

This is a cheap and efficent enemy management tool that won't be able to deal with everything (watch out for Acolyte), but should help with your average annoying hunter. Very good card for solo as well.

Two particular interactions I want to highlight are Trish Scarborough and Power Word (the latter isn't on ArkhamDB yet), which lets you turn your riddle-solving enemy into a source of helpful clues or other convenience.

Veronica212 · 301
Finally, an (almost) unrestricted Parlay player-card. Nearest I can tell, this is the first card that would guarantee Parlay bonuses like Fine Clothes aren't wasted (unless a mission has only Elite foes, I know there's at least 1). Not nearly enough of a reason to run either/both by itself, but a nice first. — HanoverFist · 756
Hit and Run

Disclaimer: Pre-Scarlet Keys release review.

Hit and Run is the Ally version of Sleight of Hand, a card so good that it was in the first batch of tabooed cards and had a second taboo later on. The latest version is a 0-3 Item. Interestingly enough, Hit and Run does not come with a limit. Did not learn the lesson or that the jank is more contained?

Interesting Allies to play with Hit and Run:

/Neutral Allies:

  • Gregory Gry comes to mind immediately, play him, bet the 3 resources to each test you're about to perform and get him back in your hands for another round! $$$
  • Leo De Luca is the other obvious choice, H&R Leo, play Calling in Favors and dig any other Ally from your Deck for 2 resources since you are replacing a 6-cost Ally.
  • The Red-Gloved Man seems quite sick here too! You do not have him for the Mythos Phase when doing it this way, but you still have an extra round with a 6 base stat.
  • Priest of Two Faiths why not, to add a few to the Chaos Bag.
  • Anna Kaslow to find your Tarot Cards.

Other Classes:

Who would be interested in using it?

  • Big money Decks that would like to abuse Gregory Gry, with a + for being able to oversucceed.
  • Gators that would be interested in using the The Red-Gloved Man more often.
  • Gators with or access.

Besides our Ally monster, Charlie Kane, who is for the moment not necessarily tending towards , all this tends towards Preston Fairmont benefitting the most from Hit and Run for both the The Red-Gloved Man cycling and generating more resources with Gregory Gry.

Following are Trish Scarborough, Rex Murphy and Jenny Barnes that have access to the Allies that activate when coming to play.

Finally Leo Anderson and "Skids" O'Toole also benefit from the testless clue/damage, especially as they are likely to play these cards already anyways.

Conclusion: Not nearly as busted as untabooed Sleight of Hand, Hit and Run is nice, especially in combination with Calling in Favors to turn the Ally into research and a discount. Outside of this, there are not so many outstanding targets, but I'm sure that for every new Ally there is, we'll be thinking about this card again.

Valentin1331 · 80272
hit and run also very likely will block one attack of opportunity, cause that health and sanity on the ally might as well get used. — Zerogrim · 296
There’s also painkillers, smoking pipe and forbidden knowledge to put the allies stam/ sanity to good use. — Django · 5164
Captivating Discovery

So first it's a new card that makes you search your deck and so that can trigger Astounding Revelation and Surprising Find (and Occult Evidence in a Mandy Thompson deck).
It's also a tutor among 6 cards at the cost of 1-2 clues. And technically a "pay 1 resource and place 3 clues on your location to draw 6 cards" event.

And finally I think it will be interesting in a Barricade deck (meaning a deck in which you investigate without moving from the location you played the Barricade in): you put on your location (where you an always investigate) clues that you got from other locations (which required to use cards such as In the Know or Seeking Answers) to draw cards to get the other "distant clues". With the side bonus of Astounding Revelation recharging In the Know.

AlexP · 287
And it powers Roland's gun! — MrGoldbee · 1493
Indeed. I haven't played him in a while so I forgot this possibility. — AlexP · 287
Draw cryptic writings to gain resources and get clues back fast with working a hunch — Django · 5164
Luke could combo it with Dream Gate to soft-lock a scenario! — Zinjanthropus · 231
How would it interact with Mandy ? You can go 9-cards deep but can you select one more target ??? — captainfire · 266
Mandy can't select a target ex nihilo because it doesn't let you draw a target baseline - it lets you drop a clue to draw targets instead. She resolves additional targets, not targets from nothing (So you can't draw off that one mystic card that searches and arranges like 6 cards). So mandy searches 9 and can drop up to 3 clues to draw 2 cards a clue, but can't search 6, draw 1 free. — Lailah · 1
Existential Riddle

I love playing "big hands" seeker (or other classes with access to seeker cards) decks so when I see this card I don't consider that it's a wwillpower / intel (8) test but a potential (0) test (and a (2) would already be great).

For me the best use is on a hunter enemy in a Trish Scarborough deck: you now have an aloof enemy that follows you and give you an extra clue each round thanks to Trish abiity ! And it allows combo with Eavesdrop if the enemy has a low evade value (a Hunting Nightgaunt for example).

AlexP · 287
Thieves' Kit

I think it compares somewhat well to Lockpicks.

Pros:

  • No xp cost
  • Doesn't exhaust on use
  • Gives your investment back and then some
  • Ability to commit icons to investigation tests (which are more common than in Rogues)

Cons:

  • No bonus to skill test
  • 6 uses only instead of potentially unlimited uses

One thing needs to be said is, if you are banking on Lockpicks to have unlimited uses, then you can mentally add 2 to each skill check difficulty. Then Lockpicks is only better when you have 3 or more (with static boosts added).

Let's also take a look at Flashlight:

  • Better than Thieves' Kit if your character's ( - ) score is less than 2.

  • Better than Thieves' Kit against less than 2 shroud locations.

  • Has half the uses

  • Cheaper by a single resource

I wouldn't choose Thieves' Kit if:

  • My investigator only needs to assist clue getting occasionally.

  • My investigator has less than 4 base

  • I will have both and static boosts and I plan to have some over-success thing going on

I think Thieves' Kit will see at least as much play as Lockpicks without dethroning it, which is great.

Just don't bother with its upgrade, 3 xp is so expensive for what it provides (+1 skill value and +1 resource return on success).

Aesyn · 611
The upgrade provides more value than you think - it goes from 4 uses to 6, bringing a lot more value. I'm not sure if it'll edge out Lockpicks (1) in terms of value and experience, but the two extra uses are a big deal. — DjMiniboss · 44
Leaks I saw and the image here shows Uses (6 supplies) for the base version too. I think 4 supplies is a mistake on arkhamdb's part. If the base version turns out to be actually 4 supplies, then I'd rate it lower. This review was made thinking it's 6 supplies. — Aesyn · 611
I think you should consider "rich" decks (with Well connected) that are always interested in resource generation. And in these decks I will use the level 3 version if the deck is the vlue getter. — AlexP · 287
Ah, very good point! I didn't look at the actual card. — DjMiniboss · 44
Also Note that ecache 3 adds 4 more uses to this. It also works with flashlight and all of them can be found with backpack 2. — Django · 5164