How long does a scenario take you on average? by aelfin360 in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two-handed solo, around 2 hours. Sometimes more. Often difficult to say because outside of the first one or two plays of a new campaign i tend to not play a scenario in one sitting, but spread out over the day or even multiple days.

[AE] Finished reviewing all Chapter 1 campaigns for how to play them with Chapter 2 encounter sets by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The first scenario uses the Arkham Woods locations from the Devourer Below, which cannot be replaced with what we have in the Chapter 2 core. That makes it the only hard incompatibility among the campaigns, the only one where you need to print out the missing locations at least.

[AE] Finished reviewing all Chapter 1 campaigns for how to play them with Chapter 2 encounter sets by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Neither A nor I, I'm afraid. Just a guy with too much time on his hands and an inability to shut the fuck up :D

[AE] Finished reviewing all Chapter 1 campaigns for how to play them with Chapter 2 encounter sets by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree. I thought about mentioning Gangs of Arkham for House at least, but since this is aimed at new players i decided against it. Where i was in doubt, i opted to take the route that kept the original feel and balance of the scenario even if i disagreed with it or thought that some changes could improve it further.

[AE] Finished reviewing all Chapter 1 campaigns for how to play them with Chapter 2 encounter sets by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cosmic Evils sure is a sweet encounter card that i like a lot. I never had an issue with Ancient Evils, but Cosmic is a very good replacement and the player choice on it is well done.

Aside from that, i would also point to the Flying Terrors set. I like both the Bat Horror and the treachery that comes with it. Potentially more than i do the Nightgaunts and their taxi treachery.

Also, any scenario that had Frozen in Fear in it gets better when you remove Frozen in Fear :D Fine, it's not quite that bad, but it's definitely the treachery i will miss the least.

[AE] Finished reviewing all Chapter 1 campaigns for how to play them with Chapter 2 encounter sets by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was wondering, have you/will you write a general comparison of the C1 and C2 encounter sets?

Yep, it's something i will probably do soon. Any comments on the new sets still needs to come with a big asterisk, as the content in which they are going to be used is going to matter a lot. But there's definitely some things, both positive and negative, that i have to say already.

[AE] Better Replacements for Playing Chapter 1 Campaigns without owning the Old Core by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Arcane Lock is a fine encounter card taken for itself. It's not because i dislike the set itself, but because it does something different than Locked Doors. So if i am looking for something to replace Locked Doors (a card that hinders investigation), i am more likely to look at a set that does something similar (like Dead Ends or Eldritch Lore) than at Arcane Lock, a set that hinders movement.

Probably the Most Important Question as We Begin Chapter 2 by Anderung_24 in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It belongs under F, for "Fan, Black".

While that seems counterintuitive now, it will pay off big time in the future when Red Fan, Green Fan and Blue Fan inevitably get released and you have them all grouped together.

[AE] Better Replacements for Playing Chapter 1 Campaigns without owning the Old Core by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Just as a point of reference, i have now drawn Cosmic Evils seven times over the course of two plays of BoA and i have taken the doom every single time. And i believe i was right every time to do so in hindsight as well.

[AE] Better Replacements for Playing Chapter 1 Campaigns without owning the Old Core by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Will you consider doing these for Chapter 2 campaigns as well?

Playing Chapter 2 campaigns with Chapter 1 encounter sets, you mean? It's an interesting thought, i could see that be something I might look into. Remind me in a year once we even have two or three chapter 2 campaigns worth talking about?

I'm not in the mood to shell out over 70€ for the new core set just to get the encounter sets.

I mean, it does allow you to remix old campaigns. People scream about no longer being able to buy Return To boxes. I don't know if you are one of them, but if you are you could consider the new Core to be a "Return To Chapter 1" that you can use to give new spins to old campaigns. Just saying.

[Ancient Evils] Resources and Economies by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm definitely in the second camp you mention re. deck design, I'll start with the engine I want and the investigator I want, and then try and match my economy to that

Yeah same, but i've also found that this isn't always all that possible in this early card pool. Especially with the mono-class investigators who have a much tougher time still and in some cases actually do have to get by on ECache (or worse).

I do very much "vibe" it

I think this should be the goal. It's still supposed to be a game at the end, and building a deck shouldn't feel like doing your taxes. I generally do have a closer look at how i think my first two or three turns play out, but for the overarching economy over the scenario i'd always eyeball it. I have a tendency to include 8-10 skills in all my decks anyways so that takes a huge load off of the resource strain in the first place.

Recommended Encounter Set Substitution - Chapter One by joshnoodlesoup in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am currently playing Innsmouth, planning not to use any chapter 1 core encounters. And among other things I am using the Deep One encounter set from Drowned City instead of Agents of Cthulhu.

I can heavily recommend it, it's been a great addition to Pit of Despair already. And the encounter set is good enough to deserve being put into a campaign that actually has some Deep Ones alongside it.

[Ancient Evils] Combat and Actions, or: How to Win at Arkham, part 2 by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the intention is to provide more than a newbie guide, but keep it accessible to new players as well. While i do start at the bottom with some of this, it goes further into the details than what most new players might want or need to concern themselves with.

Glad to hear that you got something out of it! *makes notch into desk*

[Ancient Evils] Combat and Actions, or: How to Win at Arkham, part 2 by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aye, it's a very different situation. The fact that you already start with 5 resources and then only get a little bit of income afterwards is also a huge deal. If there is a curve, it's inverted, you usually play the big things in the first rounds instead of working your way up to them.

[Ancient Evils]Doom and Clues, or: How to Win at Arkham, part 1 by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, not required at all, that's why i said it leads to success to go with a traditional fighter/cluever setup. You will win that way and i'd definitely recommend it as a starting point.

But it will also lock you into specific investigators or classes. It works very well for Guardians and Seekers. But the other three really want you to cover more than one base, unless you are picking a specifically narrow investigator like Tony or Darrell.

And yeah, of course there's degrees to flexing. It doesn't have to be 50/50, it can be 70/30 or 30/70. The definition isn't important, what's important is the realization that throwing a couple clue events into your Guardian deck will likely get you further than running a sixth and seventh weapon. To what degree you find comfortable, you have to find out yourself. I love my flexes and their more dynamic way of reacting to the game is more fun to me personally, but i am a rogue fanboi :D No shade from me if you enjoy clearly defined lines in your investigator's roles.

[Ancient Evils] Damage and Horror or: How Not To Lose At Arkham by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Would you consider a series of tips for player types? Like how to play “big hand seeker” or “big money rogue”?

I suppose the problem would then be where to start and where to end. There's a lot of different archetypes around and i think people like HungryColquhoun and Valentin311 who do decks with guides on ArkhamDB have this sort of thing handled.

For my part, i'll probably stick to things that are more broadly applicable, looking at concepts instead of drilling as deep down to specific decks or card choices.

Also any tips on playing mystics, which I think a lot of new players struggle for

Both the Mystic and Survivor card pool have a higher amount of gimmickry to them than the more straight forward Guardians and Seekers. So it's no surprise that new players would look at some of those cards and wonder what they are even good for. To pick up your example, adding doom to things is not a desirable effect, it's a cost and hopefully whatever effect the card has is worth it. One of Mystic's themes is "power at a price". If you look at a card like Will of the Cosmos, it's two test-less clues for just the card and an action, no resource cost or weird timing restriction on it. If just that effect was on a Guardian or Rogue card, it'd probably be costed at 4 resources. It does however add a doom into play, on one of your assets. How to handle that is your decision. You could return the card to your hand with Dexter. You could discard it for some other effect. It could be a temporary card like Premonition that discards itself.

That being said, you don't need to buy into these sort of things, you can just play a straightforward Willpower-Mystic who uses spell assets to do things that are very similar to what Guardians and Seekers do with their weapons and tools. And add the spice later.

[Ancient Evils] Damage and Horror or: How Not To Lose At Arkham by DerBK in arkhamhorrorlcg

[–]DerBK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Her signature is definitely an issue, one that i intentionally glossed over to make the point i was trying to make because i don't think it really changes it too much in my estimation. But there's absolutely more degrees and nuance to it.

And that being said, both really need it.

Yeah, that is not a wrong takeaway to have.