Disclaimer: Pre-Scarlet Keys release review.

Skills that only bring icons are generally less interesting to me. I would much rather have a side benefit like "Watch this!" or Quick Thinking.

This being said, Promise of Power is considered excellent and sees a lot of play, so what about Calculated Risk?

Pros:

• It is par with Unexpected Courage on action 2 and brings 3 on action 3. It is especially interesting against notorious enemies like Frozen in Fear.
• This becomes increasingly better as you add Actions with cards like Leo De Luca, Haste, Grappling Hook, Ace of Rods, Eon Chart, .41 Derringer, Quick Thinking, Quickdraw Holster, Ace in the Hole, Borrowed Time, The Red Clock, Tony Morgan/Finn Edwards/"Skids" O'Toole abilities... you get the idea...
• It helps with Succeed by X effects that you would trigger at the end of your turn.
• _In fact this is probably the one skill that could give you the most in the game with a peek performance of 27 in a Tony Deck like this one. Edit: Olivia Juliet found a way to give 138 with Savant. Calculated Risk is probably #2 then.

Cons:

• It does not synergises well with .41 Derringer's extra action or ready in case of oversuccess cards like Beretta M1918 or the Mauser C96.
• It does not help with one of the main weakness of : the encounter deck. While Savant brings a lot of to the table for many Rogues, Calculated Risk simply cannot be played at all during the Mythos Phase.
• Daredevil (0) and (2) will now randomly end your turn if you commit it during your turn.

Conclusion:

This is a well-balanced card that can be good if you plan on having an investigator that cares for Oversuccess, especially with cards like Lucky Cigarette Case (3) and will want to increase the number of Actions available each turn. It also comes at the right time since we now have enough Encounter mitigation cards to be interested in other types of tech.

Disclaimer: at time of writing (August 15th), I have not seen the deckbuilding for Amina or Carson, and we have not seen Vincent at all yet.

Kymani Jones is quickly shaping up to be my favorite investigator in the Scarlet Keys and perhaps a new favorite for the game in total. I've done multiple videos about them already, here for the first reveal and this deep dive once we had their deckbuilding. I'll try to keep this review brief to not repeat myself too much.

Kymani's ability essentially lets you evade an enemy twice to get rid of them. There's a bunch more nuance to it (like discarding a Guardian of the Crystallizer with a single evade when it spawns exhausted), but in essence, this is what our Security Consultant does. But Kymani is more than just their and abilities.

Their statline is incredibly powerful. Getting 5 is fantastic with the new Thieves' Kit to get clues, and Backstab et al for enemies you'd rather not evade. 3 on top of that makes you so resistant to the encounter deck. Run some Guts or similar to deal with treacheries. You probably won't need or , and if you want to use those anyway, there are a bunch of different ways to boost those. Or you could just automatically succeed.

Then on top of that, you get 5 XP to start with. Charon's Obol from scenario 1 gives you a bunch more XP over the course of the campaign. Easy Mark makes your deck more consistent. Another Day, Another Dollar means a better starting position for the entire campaign. I could go on.

Their Tool 0-4 access isn't the most exciting, but there are some interesting options there. Fire Extinguisher can let you automatically evade a bunch of enemies. Pocket Multi Tool can help you with various skill tests. And if you're sick and tired of Agent Fletcher, a Sledgehammer can solve a lot of problems.

Signature-wise, the Grappling Hook opens up some interesting play patterns, though I think you'll really want to have some extra actions to be able to use it without giving up most of your turn. Fortunately, gets some good options.

As for their enemy weakness, Agent Fletcher, it doesn't seem like too bad a burden? Just make sure you have some kind of plan that doesn't involve repeatedly evading them until you succeed by 3 (keep in mind that Alert, unlike Retaliate, does work while the enemy is exhausted). Stealth can help, so can Daring Maneuver.

Kymani is a very flexible and versatile investigator, and I look forward to playing them tons.

Disclaimer: Pre-Scarlet Keys release review.

Field Agent is to what Beat Cop (2) is to .

Similar cost, similar static boost and mirroring icons/ability: 1 horror = 1 test less clue. One thing to note is that they come with 1 less activation before being defeated.

Together they form an Agency Backup. While the Agency is cheaper than having both in terms of deck space, resource and XP (since you need Charisma), it is important to note that they do not come with static boosts.

Who would be interested?

• Joe Diamond comes to mind immediately. Add Alice Luxley and you have +2 and a good action compression kit. Add Beat Cop (2), Motivational Speech, Calling in Favors and Hallowed Mirror and you have a solid testless engine.

• Carolyn Fern will be interested for sure since she loves about just as much as healing Horror from Allies.

• Leo Anderson loves non-unique Allies. With Mitch Brown, he can have 2 in play, bringing him to 5 , which is enough to start reliably testing stat vs. shroud.

• Roland Banks is also likely to use his 3 to flex, and the testless clue is good when there is no enemy at his location.

• Tommy Muldoon loves Allies that are able to defeat themselves without any external needs. With 2 Charisma and Beat Cop (2), he becomes a formidable true solo investigator.

• William Yorick as he can cycle Allies and is happy to gain some clue tech for true solo/flex. The icons may be wasted though, unless you also invest in Plucky (3) and some Old Keyring or something.

• "Skids" O'Toole also has 3 and would appreciate a +1 to his Lockpicks and testless clues when needed. It is interesting here to point out that the 0-2 access gives "Skids" O'Toole more and more a flex role rather than a fighty role.

What cards to consider if you want to take the Field Agent onboard?

• Healing tech like Medical Student, Hallowed Mirror, Kerosene, Inspiring Presence, First Aid (3), Call for Backup, and The Star • XVII, Trusted that also increase the uses.

• Some set-up tech: Motivational Speech and Calling in Favors can definitely help.

• Alice Luxley since their abilities sync surprisingly well.

Disclaimer: Pre-Scarlet Keys release review.

TL;DR: If you have 4 or more Allies in your Deck, combine it with Calling in Favors and you're increasing greatly your Deck value!

Motivational Speech is to what Uncage the Soul, Crack the Case, Schoffner's Catalogue, Faustian Bargain are to their respective classes: a replacement of Emergency Cache that interracts with what the class is supposedly doing.

Let's compare them:

• Uncage the Soul: these are probably the 2 closest, get a 3-cost discount on a card from your hand. You gain 1 action compared to Emergency Cache, but you lose in versatility.
• Crack the Case: this is one of my favourite cards, it can bring more than 3 resources if you time it well, and new cards like Shocking Discovery will probably help triggering it, but compared to others, it is not upfront money. You have to first succeed at investigating before you get the resources to pay for your assets, which often are here to help you investigate...
• Schoffner's Catalogue: it does not bring action compression, and asks for 2 resources to play it, so what's the catch? It's a slotless Item, which means you can Scavenge/Resourceful/Salvage/Yorick it.
• Faustian Bargain: is the perfect themed one, get more money, at the risk of bringing 2 test failure at any point to your team. It is also part of the one class that has the best capacity at generating more actions.

Are all these cards any good? Yes, they see play in most decks that can use them. So what about Motivational Speech?

Besides the thematic aspect, the fact that it is a Parley action is better than it sounds since the rules say that the only actions that do not generate an Attack of Opportunity are: Fight, Evade, Resign, and Parley. You can now keep that Ally in your hand a little bit longer without being afraid of getting an enemy during the Mythos Phase.

It's no surprise that you will need some Allies to make it work, hopefully of cost 3 or more. By chance, have a lot of that.

The obvious ones:

• Beat Cop (0) and (2), Grete Wagner that becomes all of a sudden less daunting, the new Field Agent, Guard Dog, and Agency Backup if you're that type of person.

The less obvious ones:

• Sled Dog is often considered more janky than really OP because it involves a loooong set-up time. Well this could be highly supported by Motivational Speech, making it more viable!
• Brother Xavier that all of a sudden becomes a cheap boost with a time bomb included. He is now outclassed by all the released Allies in many cases, but this could help seeing him around again.
• Tetsuo Mori that is now free, soaks and gives you stuff even from your Discard Pile! These 2 are going to be amazing together!

Some notable off-class ones:

• Dario El-Amin to increase the chances of playing him and having the boost immediately
• Gregory Gry for pure value
• Henry Wan for the meme
• Leo De Luca so that you can finally play him turn 1 without clicking for a resource.
• Delilah O'Rourke and Lola Santiago to keep your resources to pay for their abilities
• Tristan Botley because, let's face it, the 3 blurse never happens...
• In Dark Horse Decks or poor Decks, since most key Allies are 3 or more: Peter Sylvestre, Jessica Hyde, Granny Orne (3), Aquinnah (3) and Miss Doyle. The exception is Madame Labranche, the one Dark Horse Ally.

So, who would be playing this for sure?

• First one to come to mind is Charlie Kane of course, the Ally guy. This will be to him what Deny Existence is to Diana Stanley.
• Tommy Muldoon of course will want this since his also interracts with Allies, and as they shuffle back in his Deck, Motivational Speech will always come in handy to play or re-play a previously defeated Ally.
• Anyone having or planning to get 1 or 2 charisma. Combine it with Calling in Favors, and you have a good set-up engine.

Who will be less interested?

• Ol' man Leo Anderson will probably think twice before getting it since his is already covering Ally playing.
• William Yorick since it only cuts the cost of playing an Ally from your hand, not from your discard pile.

These 2 may still want it, especially as they are incentivised to add a lot of Allies in their decks, but it is a bit anti-synergetic.

Conclusion: While Allies are not as key for as Spells can be to , I would still consider this card in most of my main Decks that can access it as the Allies are with Hand slots the ones I always fill up, and are very often 3 some of the most expensive cards.

OH HO?....... WHATS THIS?......5 INTELLECT?....... IN MY SURVIVOR POOL?.....

Edit (Post-Scarlet Keys)

Darrell Simmons is quite frankly our first survivor with a 5 in intellect. (Also the only investigator outside seekers with 5 Int.) Thankfully he also has some access to seekers, so he will have ways to increase intellect and drawing some cards. Survivors are not good when it comes to investigating, or at least when it come to high shrouds. They mitigate this with cards like old key ring, and "look what I found", or the usual flashlight. He is actually the survivor we been wanting to use scavenging on, since he has such an nice intellect score. And his unique ability and strange interaction with 'evidence' is gonna take him to the top.

Stats-  2 Will, 5 INT , 2 STR , 3 AGI

2 will is pretty awkward in survivors, they have support with this Stat, but I can't say that it will effect him to much, most treachery like the common play frozen in fear, and rotting remains, Will in fact be a problem. But he can use his ability to negate some of this issues.

edit- just completed dunwich with him... stick plucky(3) and hawk-eye folding cameras, and get +2 Will! Combined with his ability.... easy peezy:)

5 intellect is no joke. He can't put it through his paces like Daisy or Mandy can. But with his access, he can use cards like Dr. Milan, mag glass,death, and deduction to clean up clues. He can also use his survivor access to to insure passes on difficult test, and provides his protection from damage and santy.

2 Strength makes him no fighter, but the thing about survivors is they can always fight, you just have to be a little creative.

3 Agility is a flex Stat. Not much to say, he can take both track shoes and hiking boots(1). Although he might want hiking boots.

His ability.

Darrell Simmons has my favorite texts in all of this game... " You begin the game with X in play" not having to worry about getting your asset in play is always ACE (see Ashcan Pete for an example) this also means he may lose it. But this would of course be tragic if there where no way to get ITEMS back from the discard. ( looks at scavenging menacingly)

EVIDENCE.....

there is 5 cards in the current pool that actually use evidence. Micheal Leigh(5) and damning evidence, which he has no access. This leaves Hawk-eye folding cameras ,Empirical Hypothesis,Research Notes and dissection tools... so many directions, I don't think you should take all of them, but with tool belt, you definitely could. I definitely see people using dissection tools at a guardians location to pick evidences off from enemies defeated,then swapping to something useful,or vice versa, if he put an evidence on that enemy with his Kodak. It is surprising though, I would have never thought how useful Hawk-eye camera is untill I played it in Darrel.I've had many games using it where it would definitely get 5+ evidence on it, so we finally have a use for the extra. The more evidences, the least threatening his weakness is, and the more powerful you are!

-2 to any skill test is NO JOKE. this is a solid ability, with good card combination, he can make test trivial, you can also of shore your 2 Will by using this ability, putting you in easy card committing range. icing on the cake is it's versatile use with other players, people trying to kill a boss? Show evidence of its weakness! People trying the parley with cultists? Show evidence that forces them to squeal!

They have also added a host of cards, like Shed the light, and old key ring(3) that interact with decreasing the difficulty to 0, which Darrel is extremely good at.you can be quite the formidable clue getter.

His elder sign is solid! Simply puts an evidence on an asset, simply good!

Signature asset - Darrell's Kodak.

It Starts in play, it is already terrific for that. This will be your main way of gathering evidence. It does exhaust for everytime 1 evidence is place, so having alternative ways of gather evidence will be needed. But anyways.

"After an enemy or treachery enters play, exhaust Darrell's Kodak: Place 1 resource (from the token pool) on that enemy or treachery, as evidence."

The wording suggests that any enemy or any treachery that enters play is targets, even including cards like - cover up, Roland's weakness. Or say Silver Twlight Acolyte. It will of course only work with treachery that enter play, rotting remains, or crypt chill won't work for example. This is pretty simple to understand. Putting evidence on treachery will be your best bet, of the only one that wouldn't really work would be locked doors :( , but you can bypass that with working a hunch, but I'm not sure he would want that in his deck.

"After you discover any number of clues: Move that many evidence on enemies or treacheries at that location (or not any location) to Darrell's Kodak."

Simple ability. Your main way of gathering evidence. I'm not 100% on the whole (or not at any location) this makes me believe you can gather evidence from treacherys that you set next to the agenda deck. But can't be to sure.

edit- I proxy cards to test the waters a little bit, and you may fine yourself wanting to leave clues around, or use cards that place clues on locations to have a chance at getting evidence, while playing I found I was finding too many clues fast! So beware.

Signature Weakness- Ruined Film.

"Remove 4 evidence from cards you control. For each evidence you cannot remove in this way, take 1 horror."

A really awful card. Really gut punches you.First it takes your precious evidence, then it does horror. I don't care much about losing sanity in a 8 sanity SURVIVOR. they are born to resist both damage and horror. The evidence is my most concern, it's better to draw this early and deal with the horror.

There is a big downside to playing Darrell, is without evidence cards, or evidence for that matter, Darrell will only be good at investigating. He still is a survivor, so you can thrive, even without evidence. But that is his main ability, and with his weakness to tear evidence from you,  you have to tread carefully.

I'm honestly super Excited to try a short supply build with him, he starts with his asset in play, so no fear of losing it, it gives him targets for scavenging and allows use for the impro cards, winging it, impromptu barrier, and improvise weapon. You can use your evidences to change these from a -1 to a -3, this can enable him the fight, Evade and get good clues with these cards. Cards like fortuitous discovery will preform really well with him. I can see dark horse builds enable him to fight with fire axe and evidence to help. Just remember that his job is investigating, above all else. But being a full access survivor allows him to provide support, and test security. I've had many times I've committed cards with minh like deduction(2) and pull an auto fail. Darrell has access to the survivor grisly totem(3) to help with this.

Many people will compare him in access to minh. But minh has quite a jarring weakness, and her card draw insures you constantly drawing this. His weakness is pretty bad. But you may not draw it multiple times, depending on your card draw.

I'm super excited to see him in action.