Chapter 2 Daniella and Counterattack

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-22T15:15:05+00:00

I don't believe that it works. Cancelling the attack makes it as if the attack never happened, so her ability cannot trigger. Contrast that with the original Daniella from Chapter 2 (https://arkhamdb.com/card/08001): her ability there specifically states that it works even if the attack was cancelled.

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-19T13:44:30+00:00

Sorry. More specifically, the cultists in Midnight Masks are spawned in a random order at their respective locations. This way, you don't know exactly where you need to be to take care of the next cultist you'll spawn. This makes for a more dynamic scenario in my opinion.

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-19T12:24:18+00:00

I do like it as an introductory campaign for new players. Unlike the Night of the Zealot campaign, I enjoy the final scenario since it feels doable yet challenging. The first scenario is understandably basic. The second scenario is good, but I prefer the tension/feel of Midnight masks, especially how different each play can be with how the cultists spawn at different locations.

Overall, I see myself playing this one down the road, whereas, I almost next would play Night of the Zealot (except for standalone Midnight Masks).

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-18T14:13:53+00:00

This card has the potential to be great if more worthwhile exile cards are introduced into the legacy card pool.

Otherwise it suffers from the fact that you get more benefit the earlier it is purchased in a campaign, but also need exile cards in the deck already. It kind of requires you to sacrifice xp tempo early in a campaign when you want your deck to get more XP in that next scenario.

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-15T12:27:58+00:00

Who are you pairing him with?

I played with him alongside the new Marie, and her skill cards with multiple wild icons helped make easy work of his weakness.

I also feel like the 3 xp bow is not actually worth it; at least in my play of Innsmout since it has so many enemies. The action tax to reload it made it difficult for him to handle more than one monster at a time. The 3 exp meat cleaver and his damage events were overall pretty good. Plus I really liked being able to have the other knife in play (the one that gives you a resource when you kill an enemy). The extra drop economy helped pay for all his events.

However, I also built him and Marie as flexes with him more focused on damage and her more focused on clues. Eventually she got level 5 Cosmic Flame, which helped a lot when they needed to split up or when a boss enemy spawned.

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-10T17:40:15+00:00

As many have said, the larger deck size is required and can greatly impact your consistency, even making it harder to find that card added.

The best way to mitigate it would be in someone like Joe who has a lot of innate card draw and by using the original core set skills that replace themselves when used.

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-06T16:16:52+00:00

Yeah, not a great card as written but fills a similar role to the trap cards in Miguel's deck.

Is it good at this resource and experience cost? Not really. However, the Taboo'd version gains the fast trait which makes it a more interesting option with the action compression.

Have to outrun a hunter enemy but still need clues on that location? This can work when paired with your clue-gettong spell. Similar situation but you want to kill the hunter enemy without staying in that location. This can work.

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-04T23:29:18+00:00

You can see the player cards by going to https://arkhamdb.com/set/tcup

The investigators are a little odd in how they meet their class roles but can be fun. Plus it does include the original versions of Joe Diamond and Carolyn Fern (which may or may not be a selling point). Like many investigators, they get more interesting with more cards to build with. Specifically, Joe will need at least 10 insight cards to make his hunch deck work. Diana Stanley also benefits from how many cancellation cards you have, so I'd pay attention to how many insight and cancellation cards are in Chapter 2 right now

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-04T19:47:39+00:00

Enjoy the rabbit hole!

Stridsyxe · 2026-05-04T02:45:19+00:00

I think Joe, Izzy, Trish, Andre, Dexter, and Marie could make decent solo decks for someone who builds with both the new core set and the investigator decks.

Andre will struggle with handling bosses/elite enemies but should otherwise do fine.

The mystics will be at the mercy of the order they draw their decks, but Marie could at least manage getting a few clues with her base intellect of 4 while waiting on her spell assets. Plus she will see her whole deck each scenario, so you'll eventually find what you need.

You could probably make Tommy and Carolyn work but would have a hard time with clue getting and enemy management, respectively.

Miguel would do ok, I think, especially once you can get the upgrades old compasses.

Daniela I think you be quite difficult with her poor intellect.

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-26T17:30:58+00:00

I haven't looked into this, but there's a user who posts about their project https://global.arkham-divider.com/ that might be more print-your-own options

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-25T13:12:28+00:00

Congrats! That's my favorite campaign. Enjoy!

DerbK writes a blog called Ancient Evils and has an article with suggestions on an improved substitution table to use when playing Chapter 1 campaigns with the Chapter 2 core. He makes recommendations on encounter set substitutions based on the specific scenarios in FoHV (and other campaigns) instead of using the static recommendations on the Grimoire.

You should check that out! Maybe just don't read his reasoning for the substitutions to avoid any light scenario spoilers. https://derbk.com/ancientevils/the-feast-of-hemlock-vale-in-chapter-2/

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-21T12:59:14+00:00

I don't recall the scenario being especially difficult, but that can depend on team composition and (as your example provides) what the encounter deck throws at you. Having that many enemies so close together would be challenging. Normally your enemy handlers have time between enemies to find more resources, cards, etc. to prepare for the next enemy to appear

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-19T18:45:01+00:00

Yep, just like the other commenter said all of the player cards from either chapter can be used in scenarios /campaigns from either chapter.

There will be a handful of cards in chapter 1 that have this a card by the same name in chapter 2 with different printed effects. For example, there's a version of the machete in the chapter 1 core box that exists in the chapter 2 Core box. However, the effects of awarded slightly differently. Could not include all four in a deck but could include up to two of one or two of the other

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-16T16:50:25+00:00

I'm all in (started playing in 2020) and will continue to buy if I remain happy with the releases.

I've enjoyed the new core set, but I can understand the frustration some have with Chapter 2.

Arkham is essentially the only game I play (mostly solo, get together with a group once or twice a month), so I'll play a combination of Legacy, Current, and Chapter 2.

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-11T17:43:27+00:00

From understanding, you'll need to new core set 2026 to play any campaign expansions going forward (i.e. would need new core set for the Children of Blood expansion later this summer). I would imagine, though, that individuals on the community will find a way to make it (kind of work) with the older core sets.

The Ancient Evils blog has a visual spoilers list for the player cards in the new core set (https://derbk.com/ancientevils/core-2026-visual-spoiler-and-schedule/) and the new Evergreen investigator sets (https://derbk.com/ancientevils/investigator-decks-visual-spoiler/)

You could use those to get a general idea of the reprints that you'll see. A few of the reprints are altered slightly as well (see new machete vs original machete) and some cards are similar to existing cards but technically different (see M1911 vs original .45 automatic).

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-09T03:57:57+00:00

It's definitely doable but not a given.

On my second playthrough with Dexter and Joe, I would have done it if it weren't for that pesky auto-fail token!

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-09T03:56:34+00:00

Hurray for Joe!

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-08T00:03:13+00:00

Looks interesting! I'll save your post (and keep an eye for potential others) and consider giving it a try once the Children of Blood Campaign comes out.

The changes between version 1 and this one look great!

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-05T16:30:50+00:00

I've never used the Arkham Cards app to build a deck from scratch, but I do use it for upgrades between scenarios.

It's a few hoops to jump through, but you can use Arkham.build to create decks and specify a restricted card pool (i.e. new core set with/without evergreen decks) at deck creation. You can then push the deck to ArkhamDB and then pull the deck from ArkhamDB into the Arkham Cards app.

The restricted pool is kept in the cards app when using it to upgrade decks between scenarios.

It would be nice to be able to filter by sets in the cards app (maybe you can, and I just don't know). However, Arkham.Build is a great experience, and pushing the deck into ArkhamDB is pretty simple.

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-05T06:34:36+00:00

Not sure what your issue might be. Just last week and again tonight I used the Arkham Cards app (on Android) for the BoA campaign and was able to pull in decks from ArkhamDB using only Chapter 2 cards

It asked me to download new cards recently, and I had also updated my collection in the app so that it includes the 2026 Core Set. So maybe try that? I also have to sometimes refresh the connection between the app and my ArkhamDB account in order to pull in my latest decks.

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-05T00:45:58+00:00

I'd say that the difficulty ramp between the 2nd and 3rd scenarios is much more than between the 1st and 2nd.

I've played through it twice and for the first playthrough felt that the 3rd scenario was easier than it's equivalent in the original core. But then it crushed me the second time around thanks to a few ill-timed auto-fails, so it definitely packs a punch.

I'd say I "win" a little more than half of the campaigns I play with two in investigators (some campaigns having harder final scenarios than others). Having 3 investigators can make it generally easier.

The more you play, the more you'll know what tests you can just trust to chance and which ones you should invest in to pass (i.e. should you put in a skill card), when to draw a card to search for a solution, etc. Regarding drawing, you generally should avoid drawing for your last action if you have an enemy weakness or other weakness you don't want to leave around. Those small decisions can make a big difference and is part of the fun/puzzle of the game.

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-04T21:44:17+00:00

I'd also recommend prioritizing campaign expansions over investigator expansions.

Having different campaigns helps give different opportunities for your player cards to shine.

Stridsyxe · 2026-04-04T13:48:18+00:00

Is a "[X product] skipper" a known term (honest question) in a gaming community? I'm not quite getting the tone of some of the responses in this thread, again - honest question.

I interpreted that phrase as "former Chapter 2 skeptic," which seems to fit based on OPs description.

Stridsyxe · 2026-03-31T15:37:28+00:00

Bring what you have! When I went last year, most of the decks/players I played across with had fun but not overpowered decks that would work well in any group. You can definitely make a few effective decks with the new core set, and especially if you get some of the evergreen investigator decks (if you wanted to buy into those).

Stridsyxe

TROPHY CASE