The Dream-Eaters Blind Run #3B: Point of No Return

We have gathered here today to honor the memory of Alice Luxley, the fearless flatfoot who passed away to make room for Guiding Spirit in Tommy's deck. I have it on good authority that Tommy has learned a lot while working with our dearly departed. His senses are sharper, he's more alert than usual and is more comfortable interacting with women. He's less and less of a rookie cop and I think Detective Luxley would have been glad to see that.

Point of No Return

Pre-Mulligan Hand: Evidence!, Prepared for the Worst, Take Heart, Something Worth Fighting For, Randolph Carter

Opening Hand: Prepared for the Worst, Randolph Carter, "Look what I found!", Lucky!, Evidence!

Tommy begins the scenario with 1 Physical Trauma.

#1

• PLAY Randolph Carter
  • Randolph is quite reliable, isn't he? He's never missing from our opening hand.
• INVESTIGATE (, 1 clue from Vaults of Zin)
• unveil Vaults of Zin (Hunting Ghast with 1 clue)
  • Well... Tommy has no weapons on him, but luckily that ghast isn't too beefy. I need to pay more attention to the flavour texts from now on. The warning was quite clear.
• FIGHT (-1, 1 damage to Hunting Ghast)
• Enemy: Hunting Ghast readies
• Upkeep: draw Lucky!, 3 resources total.

#2

• Mythos: 1/5 doom, Grasping Hands (, 1 damage)
• FIGHT (-2, defeat Hunting Ghast, 1 clue)
  • Twisted his neck!
• PLAY Prepared for the Worst (draw .45 Thompson)
  • It might be some time until I get to play that Thompson, especially since I don't want to sacrifice Randolph for resources. Given the choice between the plain and the city, I think Plain of Ghouls sounds safer.
• MOVE to Plain of the Ghouls
• Upkeep: draw Something Worth Fighting For, 3 resources total.

#3

• Mythos: 2/5 doom, Frozen in Fear
  • Classic! We'll see whether the ghouls, ghasts or gugs exploit that vulnerability. BTW, I can see gugs being separate, but what's the difference between ghouls and ghasts?
• INVESTIGATE (commit "Look what I found!", -1, 1 clue from Plain of the Ghouls)
• unveil Plain of the Ghouls (spend 3 clues)
• advance act (take Richard Upton Pickman, remove Frozen in Fear, The Descent)
  • OK, apparently ghouls can be artists. Who knew? Tommy is flabbergasted to the point that being Frozen in Fear slips his mind. As for myself, I appreciate the extra three damage buffer that ghoul gives us.
• MOVE to Crag of the Ghouls
• INVESTIGATE (0, 1 clue from Crag of the Ghouls)
• Upkeep: draw Guiding Spirit, 4 resources total.

#4

• Mythos: 3/5 doom, Unexpected Ambush (1 damage & 1 horror to Randolph Carter), Grasping Hands (-2, 2 damage to Richard Upton Pickman, 1 damage)
  • We're a tad bruised. Unexpected Ambush is a weird card. It punishes investigators and teams who clean out their enemies fast. Or, as is the case with our weapon-less Tommy, those who don't draw too many monsters in the first place.
• PLAY Guiding Spirit
• INVESTIGATE (, Randolph Carter, draw Something Worth Fighting For & Guiding Spirit, Lucky!, 1 clue from Crag of the Ghouls)
• unveil Crag of the Ghouls
  • I was show two Taste of the Life Blood and I don't mind seeing one of them, since I've got Lucky! to compensate.
• MOVE to Vale of Pnath
  • Disregard the above. I cannot actually use Lucky! on this location. What am I even doing guiding Tommy and his group to such a dangerous location? Well, the Vale has an unused plus sign connector, so it likely leads to the ocean of pitch we're looking for. Not to mention the alternative location, Sea of Bones, almost certainly has an enemy or another malicious effect underneath.
• Upkeep: draw Perception, 3 resources total.

#5

• Mythos: 4/5 doom, Taste of the Life Blood (+1)
• Keen Eye
  • It's still possible to buff, so I'll have Tommy strain his eyes a bit.
• INVESTIGATE (0, 1 clue from Vale of Pnath)
• unveil Vale of Pnath (spend 3 clues)
• advance act (The Black Expanse)
  • As expected.
• MOVE to Sea of Pitch
• INVESTIGATE (0, 1 clue from Sea of Pitch)
• Upkeep: draw Guard Dog, 2 resources total.

Board State Reminder: 5 health, 6 sanity, 2 resources, 0 clues

In Play: Randolph Carter (1 damage & 1 horror), Richard Upton Pickman (2 damage), Guiding Spirit

In Hand: Lucky!, .45 Thompson, Evidence!, 2× Something Worth Fighting For, Guiding Spirit, Perception, Guard Dog

#6

• Mythos: 5/5 doom, advance agenda (1 scenario damage, Beset by Monsters), Lit by Death-Fire (lose 1 resource, discard Something Worth Fighting For, lose 1 action)
  • Lit by the Death-Fire, that's such an excellent name. The effect is a bit annoying for Tommy, but I could see it being brutal if two or more players drew it in the same mythos phase.
• unveil Sea of Pitch (Center of the Sea)
  • Target acquired! The sad part is that backtracking to XP locations is going to be a pain. I'm not sure if I can do it in just four rounds and I don't know what exactly what happens after the agenda flips. Still... Now that I think about it, the Tower of Koth, which I ignored until now, has an unused red square connector and the Stone Trapdoor I was instructed to set aside during setup is a red square location with 2 XPs. It's tempting... But, Tommy lost the last scenario, I'll rather be on the safe side this time around.
• MOVE to Sea of Pitch
• INVESTIGATE (, -4, 1 clue from Sea of Pitch)
• Upkeep: draw Rookie Mistake (discard Randolph Carter & Richard Upton Pickman), 2 resources total.

#7

• Mythos: 1/4 doom, Lit by Death-Fire (lose 1 resource, discard Something Worth Fighting For, lose 1 action)
• unveil Sea of Pitch (Rolling Pits)
  • Ha Ha Ha!
• unveil Sea of Pitch (Still Surface)
  • OK, Tommy managed to locate the Center of the Sea. It's too late for the Stone Trapdoor, but perhaps I could go back to the Sea of Bones.
• MOVE to Sea of Pitch
• INVESTIGATE (commit Perception, , draw Cherished Keepsake, 1 clue from Sea of Pitch)
• Upkeep: draw Fine Clothes, 2 resources total.

#8

• Mythos: 2/4 doom, Lumbering Gug
  • Ehhh... OK, I'll try to evade once and if it doesn't work I'm finishing the scenario.
• EVADE (commit Fine Clothes, -4)
• unveil Sea of Pitch (Center of the Sea, spend 3 clues)
• R1.

I'm keen on replaying this scenario, since I've ignored so much of it on my way to speedy resolution. Without Becky I just didn't have the confidence to push Tommy to explore the Underworld. I really have to think about getting more draw effects in this deck. As it stands I've traded XPs and the "way out of the Underworld" record for a low Steps value and potentially no False Awakening. It might not have been the best trade. No way out of the Underworld is particularly worrisome, as Tommy failed to secure the Silver Key as well. There could be no way for him to return to the waking world anymore. We'll have to wait for the fourth and final scenario.

Campaign Log:

Waking Nightmare: Dr. Maheswaran stayed with the patients. Dr. Maheswaran is alive. Randolph escaped the hospital with Tommy. The black cat has a hunch. 4 XP (Waiting Room, Records Office, Stairwell)

A Thousand Shapes of Horror: Randolph survived the descent. The black cat is searching for the truth. 7 XP (Burial Ground, Parlor, Library, Bedroom, Attic, Unmarked Tomb), 1 Physical Trauma.

Point of No Return: The black cat knows the truth. 4 XP (Vaults of Zin, Plain of the Ghouls, Crag of the Ghouls, Vale of Pnath), Steps of the Bridge: 1.