DOSSIER FROM THE COLLECTION OF FEDERAL AGENT ROLAND BANKS AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

Subject Name: Seeker of Carcosa

Nickname: 3 health Wizard with Aloof

Affiliations: Humanoid, Cultist

Threat Level: High

Subject was last seen in the Historical Society conducting research, object unknown. Agents {REDACTED} and {REDACTED} attempted to approach the subject, but were seen and fled from. Agent {REDACTED} then said that the subject, as well as their allies in the building, proceeded to, in her words, "force them to play the world's dumbest game of whack-a-mole," attempting to continue their research while evading the agents. According to Agent {REDACTED}, this game was made more difficult due to the subject's "Aloof keyword forcing them to spend an action engaging them," the way they "loved spawning at least 1 location away," and their "3 health," allowing them to absorb an abnormal amount of force before incapacitation. (Note: Send {REDACTED} over to Carolyn Fern, she seems to have suffered some psychological damage. She described the events in the Society as if it were all some sort of game.)

Suggested Course of Action: However strange Agent {REDACTED}'s terminology, her observations appear to be accurate judging by the corroborating testimony of her partner. Subject must be assumed to have higher-than-average durability, requiring more than small-arms fire to incapacitate. Due to the secretive nature of their research and their confirmed hostility to federal agents, the use of deadly force is authorized. Agents are warned that the subject is evasive, and that a substantial amount of time (Note: In {REDACTED}'s current state, she described the amount of time that was required "On average, 3 actions, one to MOVE, one to ENGAGE, and one to FIGHT." As she never elaborated on how long an "action" is in more conventional units of time, this information is limited in usefulness) might be required in order to find and incapacitate them.

ELIMINATE WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE.

This is quite a strong Trish card. In my experience, the hardest thing about Trish is getting enemies into the locations you want them to be. Kicking the Hornet's nest lets you spawn an enemy (ignoring Spawn locations) in any location you are standing in. Not only does this greatly help with Trish's consistency, she even gets resources AND a testless clue for doing it!

For 1 action, you play Kicking Up the Hornet's Nest and find enemy of your choice. I've had it whiff once when there wasn't an enemy in the top 9 cards, but it's far more common to see 2-3 enemies and have a choice of what you want to spawn. You can choose an enemy with Victory Point if you want, but typically I look for enemies that will stay in play a bit. Most of the time you are hoping for a Hunter enemy that you can lead around the map to other locations that have clues on them. Not only do you now get to spawn an enemy at the most ideal location (possibly even your choice of enemy from a few options), you get paid resources and a free clue for this! Now that you've discovered a clue at a location with an enemy, you can trigger Trish's ability to get a second free clue or instantly evade the enemy. For one total action, you either get 2 testless clues plus some resources, or 1 testless clue plus resources and an evaded enemy. No matter which you choose, you are set up for future turns with an enemy at an ideal location. Presto! You just got paid money and a clue to greatly reduce the situational nature of Trish's ability! All of this for one action and a 0 xp, 0 cost event.

Best case use is to use this to spawn a Hunter early, then keep moving on from locations while leaving clues behind. So long as you stay a step ahead of the Hunter, you can use cards like Pocket Telescope, In The Know, or Damning Testimony to safely pick up the clues you left behind (two at a time, with Trish's ability, or evading the hunter if needed). I was surprised how often I could use this rope-a-dope strategy to drag a Hunter across the map, activating Trish's ability reliably multiple turns in a row.

I don't think this card is OP or that Trish is now top tier or anything, but I think this single card is enough to make me seriously reevaluate her reliability. Getting paid (in both resources and testless clues) for doing exactly what Trish wants to be doing is very good. I'm not sure how often other Rogues will want to play this (I can see Tony liking it), but I will probably never play Trish without it again.

General review

Probably not necessary if you're NOT playing a big money deck. It occupies a Body slot, cost 1 xp + 2 resources + 1 card + 1 action, exhaust and doesn't soak much. So it's pretty bad most of the time.

Though, if you have a lot of "gain X resources" so you can play at least one per turn it will generate value in a big money deck (why would you take that many resources-cards otherwise ?).

Efficiency

Let alone the 1xp cost, you would need to generate at least :

• 2 resources ==> 2 resources.
• 1 card + 1 action ==> let's say 3-4 resources.

As it exhausts, you need AT LEAST 5 turns and 5 "resources effects" to start getting value. I you have to play a resource card every round, it's still pretty bad. But, some effects gives you money without having to play a card :

Money Cards (Rogue)

Of course you could search by yourself for "gain X resources" but here is a condensed summary ;)

Without spending an action

• Lone Wolf (Passive income !)
• High Roller (net 1 resource every time you use it !)
• Gregory Gry (passive income with extra-step, over 9 turns he could give you 18 resources instead of the normal 9)
• "Watch this!" (same but slightly worse)
• Monterey Jack (boosts its ability !)
• Joey "The Rat" Vigil (even more profitable with the right deck)
• Pickpocketing (2) (steal a lot more, very nice with free Evasions)
• Cheat the System, "You handle this one!" (fast money)
• Mauser C96 (0) and (2) (if don't need to ready it or can do both)

By spending an action

• Easy Mark (each copy becomes an Emergency Cache (2) which is 2+2+2xp for 1+1xp !!!)
• Dario El-Amin (he becomes an Emergency Cache every turn)
• Thieves' Kit (0) and (3) (6 extras resources, ideal if you're more of a flex investigator)
• Every "(big) money" Rogue cards : Faustian Bargain, Sneak By, Unscrupulous Loan, Hot Streak (2) and (4), Pay Day, 21 or Bust, Burglary (0) and (2), Decorated Skull, Kicking the Hornet's Nest, etc.

Money Cards (Other Classes)

Without spending an action

• "I've had worse…" (2) and (4), On the Hunt (3), Leadership.
• Dr. Milan Christopher (twice as incredible)
• Astounding Revelation, Crack the Case, Cryptic Writings (0) and (2), Blood-Rite
• Drawing Thin, Take Heart
• Madame Labranche (in a weird #Dark Horse deck...)
• David Renfield, Deny Existence (5)
• Jewel of Aureolus (I like this card, even more for a fast Emergency Cache almost every turn)
• Favor of the Moon (it's once per turn anyway :) )
• Patrice's Violin (if you can convince her to give you her precious money)

By spending an action

• Stand Together, Clean Them Out, etc.
• Strange Solution, Burning the Midnight Oil, etc.
• Act of Desperation, Nothing Left to Lose, Salvage, etc.
• Alchemical Transmutation (0) and (2), Voice of Ra, Sacrifice, String of Curses, etc.
• Emergency Cache (0), (2) and (3)

It is easy to think "just move?". When looking at this kind of movement card in vacuum, often I forgot about how I may not be able to normally move (location enter/exit/stay hazards, insufficient actions, wrong turn order, enemies, ...)

This game is special because everything plays with the location. Only by having this card on hand while playing the scenario that I start to see how good this card is. Fast, 0 cost, and teamplay-compatible is VERY generous for a LEVEL 0 card. Here are some observations from a few scenarios I tested this card.

• Combo with location-based Seeker cards such as Seeking Answers (2), Fieldwork. Move to where Inquiring Mind works.
• Can't move while in Mythos Phase since it is not your turn. (e.g. Trying to go where it is easy to pick clues back up before dropping them with Dr. William T. Maleson, Forewarned,...)
• Succeeding on evasion on your 3rd action is meh, since you can't get away and enemy reengages. But if a teammate with this card go later, then they can still help kicking you out of the location and follow, no one get the engagement. (On yourself, you would have to evade on the 2nd action so it is still your turn.) (Edit: See comments below)
• When you are going to split up with the team and now standing together, you can go first and kick the other member to the other location you are not going to go. It reveal a location inside your turn, then you may change your mind to join together that way if it is what you are looking for. (For scenarios with randomized surprise locations.)
• Working 1 location away from a location with skip AoO action (where you can Resign/Parley, etc.) at critical doom clock is much less risky of getting unexpected enemy spawn ruining the plan, as you can always use this Fast and then Resign/Parley both without AoO. Enemy engagement is the main thing that drains your tempo. You have insurance to count actions more accurately vs. doom clock.
• Less risky to be 1 location away from where your Guardian is standing for a bit since you can always slide back in.
• The classic safe fighting maneuver is to wait for Hunter to come near and move in, hit it 2 times to defeat it. You only get to hit full 3 actions if you are already engaged and that likely because it just spawns on you, or you just got hit the last turn and remain engaged. Sometimes it is impossible to defeat it in 2 hits, now you must donate 1 action to evade instead because you don't want the 2 dmg/horror, and next turn you waste even more actions. This card granting full 3 actions for the fighter by saving the move in action may have massive difference if it finished the job.
• Helpful in scenario with dooms littered on enemies. Sometimes the fighter can't just go clean them all up when they are so split apart from the map junctions. (e.g. scenarios with Dark Cult set.) The more you can drag enemy close to the junction or kick the fighter around by standing on junctions, the less u-turn the fighter have to spend moving.
• Dragging enemies without AoO has synergy with area/ranged attacks like Dynamite Blast or Storm of Spirits, so you can put them all where you want without playing janky timing with Hunter keyword.

I am working on a Patrice Hathaway deck right now that uses the new difficulty 0 archetypes, and I am considering this card. I couldn't really make myself an opinion after 5 minutes of checking every option, so I thought I'd go for a deeper analysis of the possibilities offered by this card and share it here so that others can benefit from it too.

The Effect:

Enemies at your location are easier to evade/fight. This costs an action and therefore provokes attacks on opportunities.

The only way to make this card playable is then to plan on having an enemy at your location next turn. There are many ways to do so, including: Gloria Goldberg and her encounter deck manipulation, Parallel Fates, On the Hunt, Kicking the Hornet's Nest, Nine of Rods, First Watch, Scroll of Secrets, especially the one and we can go as far as mentioning Predator or Prey and hunter enemies.

The -1 difficulty makes it a good candidate for the difficulty 0 archetype. It synergises well with Impromptu Barrier and Flashlight (3) to bring down evasion tests to 0 and use Exploit Weakness.

Overall, as with some other customizable, this is an underpowered effect, and I doubt anyone will play this 0xp.

The Upgrades

• □ Improved Timer:

  • Increasing the timer increases the chance to play it on a location and see it used before it is discarded. It is interesting in combination with Net to gather more enemies at the same location and with Poisonous to deal more damage to enemies trapped.
  • Decreasing the time, on the other hand, only synergises with Explosive Device.

• □ Tripwire:

  • Do not waste it anymore. This is super useful for making a landmine with Improved Timer and Explosive Device. Formidable against hunter enemies.

• □□ Simple:

  • Let's face it, Makeshift Trap actually costs 1xp since you will always want Simple. means no Attack of Opportunity while playing it, allowing you to keep it in hand and play it defensively.

• □□ Poisonous:

  • Adds DOT (Damage On Time) to your trap. It is half the experience of Explosive Device, doesn't attack allies but is much slower and does not have the AOE (damage to every enemy at the location).
  • This will mostly see use in evading investigators as the damage is given after the Enemy Phase, and so you will not kill any enemy before you are attacked.
  • To compare it: if it is Simple and Poisonous, you are paying 4xp to have a 1-cost Cheap Shot that wouldn't add your but just give +1 instead. That is quite bad...

• □□ Remote Configuration:

  • Attaching it to a revealed location doesn't bring anything by itself since you are usually evading/fighting enemies at your location. A few exceptions exist, like Marksmanship, Telescopic Sight, Springfield M1903, Onyx Pentacle and probably others, but I don't see this combo being used in any of these situations.

• □□□ Net:

  • If you have Simple, you can now play your trap and just move location, leaving any enemy behind. This also deals with hunter enemies.
  • Add Poisonous and Improved Timer to deal with a 3-health enemy without spending an action other than the normal move.
  • That makes the evade and fight bonus a little bit irrelevant as you can now just ignore enemies completely.

• □□□□ Explosive Device:

  • The flashy upgrade looks like Dynamite Blast but takes a lot of xp. The main disadvantage is that it explodes at the end of the round, so after the enemy phase.

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The synergies:

• The Dynamite Blast: Remote Configuration + Explosive Device_ + Improved Timer = 7xp

  • Pros: 1 resource instead of 5, have less ways to deal great amount of damage than .
  • Cons: Dynamite Blast is great for 0xp, but 3.5xp for the same effect, even cheaper, is too much to be worth it. If you add Simple, you get Dynamite Blast (3), which is not a great card and still costs +1.5xp per copy, and it doesn't explode before the enemy phase.

• The Land Mine: Explosive Device + Improved Timer + Tripwire = 6xp

  • Pros: it's fun to drop a 3-damage mine at one location. It becomes increasingly interesting if you know the scenario and can plan in advance where some enemies will spawn. It is great to deal with a hunter enemy while you need to move. Add Simple, and it works amazingly with Track Shoes, as you can drop it during the test triggered by the shoes. This last use is probably my favourite of them all.
  • Cons: It is a rather big amount of experience.

• The Net: Simple + Net + Improved Timer = 5xp

  • Pros: Cheap and reactive way to protect yourself against enemies. It gives time to your enemy manager to potentially come and finish the job.
  • Doesn't work on Elite enemies, so you'll need another way to deal with them.

• The Remote Net: Net + Remote Configuration = 5xp

  • Pros: Block hunter enemies. Protect a cluever from AoO and gives them time to move out.
  • Con: Quite situational, and the customizable mechanic prevents you from only getting 1 copy.

• The Poisonous Net: Net + Simple + Poisonous + Improved Timer = 8xp

  • Pros: Deal with a 3-hp non-elite enemy , test less and for 1 resource. It can also trap other enemies. It helps your enemy manager with finishing the enemies trapped.
  • Cons: It's a lot of experience for this.

• The versatile bomb: Simple + Remote Configuration + Explosive Device_ + Improved Timer + Tripwire = 10xp

  • Pros: This trap can be both a land mine and a remote bomb. As often run out of upgrades, that is a fun way to spend your extra experience points while creating more opportunities for yourself.
  • Cons: Obviously, 10xp is a big ask for something that will not win you the game nearly as much as other 5xp cards will.

Who's that for?

So, now that we've seen some of the uses we can make out of this, the question becomes: who'd be interested?

• Rita Young will like a Simple and Explosive Device trap as she can evade and leave the enemy behind or add an additional damage. Disguise also helps with leaving a hunter enemy in a Poisonous trap for a little longer. She can also spice it up with cards Bait and Switch (3) to bundle enemies.

• Any investigator planning on using Flashlight (3) and Impromptu Barrier to use Exploit Weakness will appreciate a Simple trap. Patrice Hathaway will add Tripwire and just drop a trap as she'd drop an Open Gate when it arrives in her hand.

• Any high that has the Track Shoes and is happy to drop a Land Mine and run away.

• Patrice Hathaway can use Power Word to move enemies to the trap before it explodes and leave a Summoned Servitor at the location of a trap to evade the enemy and make sure that it stays until the grand finale.

• Calvin Wright as a way to do a kamikaze device dealing 3 damage to himself as well as killing enemies in the process.

• Minh Thi Phan and Preston Fairmont could have liked a Simple Net, but they cannot spend 5xp on it... There do not seem to be any 4xp combination that is worth considering for them or any other non-main .

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Conclusion:

I think it's a bit of a miss with this customizable card. It could have a spot in the Difficulty 0 deck, but it takes a bit of XP to start being worth it, and the better upgrades hardly see any play at all. There are so many good cards nowadays that it's hard to justify a spot for the trap as is, but there is definitely a couple of investigators that could use it.

I wish the non-elite close were limited to Net and that Net did not prevent AoO while being 1 or 2xp instead of 3, making it usable for 0-2 access.