Jenny Barnes Solo Deck - Input Needed

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TheVagrantTKM · 111

Hey ArkhamDB Community!

I'm trying to throw together a solo starter deck that revolves around cards that reward amassing resources, such as Well Connected, Money Talks, Cunning, Dario El-Amin, and so forth. Naturally, I thought the best investigator to start with would be good old Jenny Barnes. I'm hoping that some more experienced players would be willing to share their input to help me fine tune the deck a bit, the only caveat being the deck needs to be viable in solo play. On to how the deck functions:

~Resource Generation~

Jenny Barnes will be doing some heavy lifting regarding resource generation all on her own.

Lone Wolf - Virtually every solo deck that can include Lone Wolf should include Lone Wolf, Dark Horse builds aside.

Investments - Pretty solid cash flow, albeit at the cost of a couple actions.

Emergency Cache - Will do for the time being, but will probably be swapped out as the experience accumulates.

"Watch this!" - Seems like an easy way to grab 3 resources without burning any additional actions the next time an easier skill test comes around. The skill icons make for something of a bonus.

Burglary - I only went with one copy here. The effect is decent, enabling you to grab 3 resources for one action at a low shroud location, but, like Emergency Cache, this one may get swapped out as the experience piles up.

Dario El-Amin - Enables you to generate two resources for one action. Additionally, he greatly rewards amassed wealth; this latter effect will be revisited under the 'Investigation' and 'Other Inclusions' headings in a moment.

Dr. Milan Christopher - Enables you to scoop up a resource every time you scoop up a clue via investigation, or to augment Burglary, insofar as a successful investigation via Burglary will now yield 4 resources instead of three. I'll cover the stat boost under the 'Investigation' heading, in a moment.

Act of Desperation - All of the weapons in this deck are two handed, pricey, (though admittedly Jenny's Twin .45s CAN be cheap, though they are less effective when played as such), and have LIMITED AMMUNITION. This card enables you to recoup the cost of said weapons after their ammunition has been depleted. If this doesn't come together, just burn the in a skill test as if you were holding a copy of Overpower.

~Investigation~

Dario El-Amin - Increases your by one once you have amassed 10 resources.

Dr. Milan Christopher - Increases your by one the second he hits your play area.

Whether or not you opt to play Dario El-Amin or Dr. Milan Christopher will largely depend upon the scenario. Lengthy scenarios may lean more towards Dario El-Amin, while shorter ones will often make Dr. Milan Christopher a better pick. Clue density and your expected frequency of investigation are another factor; if clues are peppered all over the place, lean towards Dr. Milan Christopher, if they are scarce, you may want to go with Dario El-Amin. Honestly, Charisma is probably a solid early purchase in this deck so you can play a copy of each. (You also might end up running with whomever you draw first.)

Intel Report - Is actually pretty versatile. If you're broke and you desperately need to scoop up a clue fast, just burn it for the icons. If you've got the capital, the card enables you to scoop up clues that may lie outside of Jenny's reach via her , (i.e. test-less damage and clue gathering are typically powerful inclusions), AND the cost of the event is variable depending upon how much you're asking of it. One clue or two? Here or elsewhere? They only drawback here is the price, but amassing and blowing piles of resources is kind of the theme of the deck so . . .

Cunning - if you've amassed 10 resources, and a solid if you've only squirrelled away 5.

~Combat~

You'll be relying heavily on pricey, two handed firearms, namely Jenny's Twin .45s and .45 Thompson.

Act of Desperation - In addition to its primary function in the deck, (recovering resources--covered above), you can discard an empty .45 Thompson for a whopping +6 and two damage during an attack.

Small Favor - Our mirror image if Intel Report. Again, if you're broke and desperate to land a successful attack, the card can be burned for it's icons. If you've got the capital to spare, you're looking at test-less damage, (which is almost always a welcome inclusion), along with some priced-to-order versatility. Do you need to inflict one damage or two? Is the scumbag you're trying to kill standing in front of you, or elsewhere? As was the case with Intel Report the only real drawback is the cost, but (again) that's the theme of the deck.

~Other Inclusions~

Take the Initiative – This card absolutely SHINES in solo play! Use it to shore up an attack, investigation, or any other action for that matter as the FIRST action you take during the investigation phase. There’s no other investigators around to muck this up! Additionally, this card is great for passing skill tests that arise on treacheries or scenario cards during the mythos phase. Because the text on the card reads “this phase” (as opposed to the more typical “this turn” or “per turn”) you could pass the skill test on a horrific treachery during the mythos phase, and then bang out a successful attack or investigation during the investigation phase, all during the same turn (if you happen to have two copies of Take the Initiative in your hand). Generally speaking, if you draw this card, save it for when you really need it; it’s something of an insurance policy.

Unexpected Courage – Again, shore up an attack, investigation, other action, reaction to a treachery or scenario card, etc. ad nauseam.

Cunning - Is mentioned a second time for its utility in handling tests on treacheries or scenario cards, (and for the odd occasion in which you really need to evade an enemy).

Dario El-Amin (AGAIN) - Is likewise mentioned yet again for his utility in handling (frequently occurring) tests on treacheries or scenario cards.

Well Connected - Should start to shine once you've amassed a respectable pile of resources.

Money Talks - Should ALSO start to shine once you've amassed a respectable pile of resources.

~Recap~

So that's the deck in a nutshell! As I mentioned earlier, I'm really hoping that some veteran players in the ArkhamDB community can offer up some advice on how to strengthen the deck; please comment/critique to your heart's content!

1 comments

Jun 04, 2020 TheVagrantTKM · 111

Hey admins, is it okay to bump after a week? I'm just hoping someone out there can help me polish this deck up a bit.