Card Reviews · ArkhamDB

Refine

This is a fantastic card if you are using custom cards.

While it seems extremely taxing at 3r, a card, and being a double for a mere 1 XP, its important to remember that the main way you get XP in this game is clearing victory locations or enemies, and mostly locations. In that context, is that a bad price?

No, not at all, its fantastic. Because this gives 1 XP for the player using it, and costs only the player using it actions and resources, you can compare it to how much it would cost you to get an extra victory point in a true solo game: You need to move into and out of a location that is otherwise superfluous, and need to pass 2-3 investigation tests or discover 2-3 clues, often times facing some sort of negative location effect. That is, in almost all cases, going to cost you MUCH more than 2 actions, a card, and 3 resources. Specific seekers might be able to get a VP for less with double pathfinder, assuming on their turn they didn't want to move anyway and were just 'popping in' to a location, investigating twice, and popping out, but in practice you probably are still spending time and energy in 99% of decks.

So when you look at it that way, its a fantastic investment of actions to VP, in multiplayer or solo, regardless of how many people run it, because it scales more aggressively for you than VP locations. You just play it during a turn your partially moving to a new location or any other 'administrative' turn where the team needs to just shuffle about and now your deck is stronger, which makes future scenarios easier, which gives you more time to get XP, which makes playing this card easier.

The other obvious benefit is that the XP comes from the aether, which matters if you are doing well and playing strong decks that tend to clear VP most or all of the VP of a scenario with some time to spare. At some point you can't get anymore XP from a scenario no matter how well you do, and Refine increases that max XP by 1, at least for you.

Also of important note is that you definitely should focus on VP locations over this card if your the cluever, because those pay out to the team. But it is very rare for you to literally not have 2 spare actions in the game as a cluever to cram in at some point. If you have custom cards and spare deck slots, definitely run this card for at least the first few scenarios.

1/8/23

dezzmont · 210

You can also look at this way: — tokeeto · 33 2/25/23

Trying again... You can look at it this way: In 4P, it often takes 8 clues to gain 1 victory. 1victory is worth 4xp thanks to player count. That means that you need, on average 2 clues to gain 1 xp. This card takes 2 actions and 3 resources, which could've been spent on investigate, investigate, and play Working a Hunch. This has the benefit of also progressing the game. — tokeeto · 33 2/25/23

I would like to point out that this card doesn't actually grant xp to the player, but instead it marks one checkbox on an upgrade sheet. It's a very edge case, but if you are only running one copy of an upgrade card and would like to get a second copy for free as part of purchasing an upgrade, the checkmark from this card will not fulfill that requirement. The problem is exacerbated if you also run Down the Rabbit because it reduces the cost to upgrade a card, it does not grant free xp either. It's not hard to get around these issues, but it's something to keep in mind when you plan your character progression. I'm not sure why you'd only run one copy of a customizable card, but I bet someone has. — cheddargoblin · 87 10/23/23

Rereading my comment I forgot to make clear that I'm talking about the need to spend xp when purchasing an upgrade to avoid the xp tax when adding a level 0 card to your deck between scenarios. — cheddargoblin · 87 10/23/23

Btw, is that Winifred Habamock in the art? If not is she a known investigator? — Quantallar · 7 5/6/24

Refine

I still can’t really figure out if this card is good or not. Scarlet Keys is extremely stingy with XP so far — I’ve played three scenarios and gotten a total of 5 XP. Yet, I’ve also taken Down the Rabbit Hole and so my customizable cards already have a total of 7 checkboxes checked, which is nice. Still, two actions and three resources is expensive, and it feels really bad to tell my teammates, “Hey, I’m gonna move once this turn and then give myself an XP.”

1/7/23

thadcar · 4

It’s a neutral card so everyone in your team can use it. Like delve too deep it’s a long the me investment. You need to find the right moment to use it without risk losing the scenario — Django · 5070 1/7/23

Posting an independent review that goes more in depth, but its good! Think of it like investigating twice in solo to clear a 2 clue per investigator VP location with a 3xp tax to do it testless and create the location from nothing. — dezzmont · 210 1/8/23

Trigger Man

Question about this card.

Does "without paying its -> cost” mean, we don't need to spend bullets/resources on cards with limited uses?

Also, does the attached card really take up my own slot? Where can I find such rule stated? Was really hoping to put a weapon on Trigger Man as my hands are already full with other tools.

1/6/23

castletime · 1

You just ignore the action cost to activate the ability. Each other cost like ammunition need to be payed additionally. — Tharzax · 1 1/6/23

Cards like Abigail Foreman and Elli Rubash state, that attached assets don't take up a slot, this card doesn't. Hence it's save to say, that it doesn't. — Susumu · 362 1/6/23

*Elli Horowitz of course. — Susumu · 362 1/6/23

I don't think you would pay and costs associated with the -> ability. If the card only removes the activate action, then it wouldn't need to say that at all because it's already triggering off of a free trigger. — Divitkid182 · 1 3/15/23

What about Sledgehammer with several actions cost to use? Is it also cost 0 actions with Trigger Man? — Pr1celess · 1 1/22/24

When they print multiple action arrows on a card it's shorthand for "as an additional cost to use this action, pay (extra actions); ignoring "the arrow cost" only ignores the first arrow, not the extras. "Ignoring all costs" will do it, though. — OrionAnderson · 60 3/18/24

It really is a bit ambiguous, because "resolving" is not the same as "triggering" an ability, but actually only the effect, i.e. the text after the ":". So unless they intentionally wanted to put redundant text on the card (and let you ignore all costs) I assume they meant in fact "trigger". This distinction is also important for cards like Colt Vest Pocket (2), which in my point of view demands a ruling regarding whether "resolving" counts as "triggering" in this case. — AlderSign · 236 9/19/24

is there an actual rules reference, if cards that refer to ignore the "arrow" cost don't ignore other costs like ammo? And in your opinions, is there a separate "arrow" cost to an action plus ammo cost, or is this viewed together? Then in theory, trigger man could shoot endless with no ammo, which just seems wrong to me. In my opinion, just the existence of "all costs" vs. "arrow costs" proves that they are different and therefore, ignoring "arrow" costs doesn't pay for ammo cost. — Khaleasi1110 · 1 9/29/24

Arkham Officer

How would the forced condition on this card react with Hiking Boots if I am discovering the last clue on a location? Do I get to choose or does this one trigger first?

Edit: sorry, indeed It was about the agenda 2 interaction with hiking boots. Thanos!

1/6/23

Gsayer · 1

The forced effect is discovering clues, only moving them. — Therealestize · 69 1/6/23

*isn't, the forced effect isn't discovering clue.damn phone. — Therealestize · 69 1/6/23

Are you perhaps referring to the Forced effect on Agenda 2 that makes the police attack you for discovering clues ? Either way, there is a rule that states that Forced effects happen before optional reactions if they have the same trigger timing (ie "after discovering...) — DrOGM · 24 1/7/23

Dmitri Konstantinov

Read from the left-to-right, top-to-bottom, this is the only enemy whose stat line counts down to 0 one at a time.

4 Fight, 3 Health, 2 Agility, 1 Damage, 0 Horror,

A close second is Lurker in the Dark with its 3>2>1, 1>0 progression (or Stalking Manticore). There's also Roald Ellsworth, Nihilistic Stargazer, and Interstellar Traveler whose top stats count down, but whose bottom stats count up. For the reverse, we have Enthralled Security Guard.

1/6/23

SorryLaurie · 589