The Circle Undone Blind Run #2: At Death's Doorstep

At Death's Doorstep

I've decided to rotate out Well Connected with Adaptable. Well Connected is consistent, but due to the way I'm playing Jenny its bonus rarely raises above plus 1. Given the sheer number of Willpower tests encountered in the first scenario I've defaulted to Physical Training. In retrospect I was likely too hasty with that decision. I could've rotated out Hard Knocks instead of Well Connected and thus get two Willpower boosters.

Aside from Adaptable I've purchased other Rogue staples, Streetwise and Lockpicks. I've been considering saving up for Lola Santiago, but in the end I've decided to pass on entirely her in Circle Undone. Pretend that Ms. Santiago is otherwise engaged with Mr. Fairmont. To fit the theme I'll have Jenny hire some Cat Burglars to scour the estate with her.

Scenario begins with 2 extra clues on Billiards Room.

Pre-Mulligan Hand: Lockpicks, Elusive, Unexpected Courage, Lone Wolf, "I'm outta here!"

Opening Hand: Lockpicks, Lone Wolf, Overpower, Leo De Luca, "Watch this!"

#1

• PLAY Lone Wolf
• MOVE to Victorian Halls
• MOVE to Trophy Room
• Upkeep: draw Cat Burglar, 6 resources total.

#2

• Mythos: 1/8, Fate of All Fools
  • It does nothing at the moment. It looms. Honestly, it would be much scarier if Jenny had fellow investigators who could draw copies of this card.
• Lone Wolf
• PLAY Leo De Luca
• MOVE to Billiards Room
• RESOURCE
• RESOURCE
• Upkeep: draw Leo De Luca, 5 resources total.
  • Jenny's attracting allies. She's leveraging the attention and deftly moves from one conversation to the next. Jenny's can be vivacious on demand and thus disperses the terse ambience.

#3

• Mythos: 2/8, Shadow Hound (aside, 1 doom)
• Lone Wolf
• Billiards Room (+3 , commit "Watch this!", bid 3 resources, -2, 6 resources, 1 clue)
  • Bravo!
• PLAY Lockpicks
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (0, 1 clue from Billiards Room)
• DRAW Cat Burglar
• Upkeep: draw Lone Wolf, 6 resources total.

#4

• Mythos: 4/8, Nether Mist (aside, 1 doom)
  • We've seen both these monsters in the Prologue. I don't appreciate the hasted doom, but at least there is no immediate danger.
• Lone Wolf
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (-1, 1 clue from Billiards Room)
• Billiards Room (+3 , )
  • Jenny lost on purpose. Other players would hardly let her leave otherwise.
• MOVE to Trophy Room
• Trophy Room (1 clue)
• Upkeep: draw Elusive, 5 resources total.

#5

• Mythos: 6/8, Crypt Chill (0, discard Lone Wolf)
• PLAY Lone Wolf
• Trophy Room (1 clue)
• MOVE to Victorian Halls
• MOVE to Office
  • I must say, the contrast between these locations and the spectral ones we've seen in the prologues is incredible.
• Upkeep: draw Lockpicks, 4 resources total.
  • Jenny leans over the register and flips the first page over. With five clues in total I'm guessing we've made excellent progress without our investigation. On the other hand let's hope Jenny won't let herself be so distracted as to let weapons slip from her mind.

Jenny’s Board State: 8 health, 7 sanity, 4 resources, 5 clues

In Play: Leo De Luca, Lockpicks (3 supplies), Lone Wolf

In Hand: 2x Cat Burglar, Overpower, Leo De Luca, Elusive, Lockpicks

Threat: Fate of All Fools

#6

• Mythos: 7/8, Keeper of Secrets (at Billiards Room)
  • The worst case scenario is that the next agenda is short and Jenny has to waste time parleying the guy or beat him with her bare hands.
• Lone Wolf
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (commit Leo De Luca, , lose 1 supply, 1 doom on Keeper of Secrets)
• INVESTIGATE (+3 , +1, 1 clue from Office)]
  • I'm tempted to finish by having Jenny go to the Victorian Halls and look for trouble. But... I've got three potential enemies lurking on the table and who knows how much Agenda 1b messes with them. I'll play it safe.
• DRAW "Watch this!"
• DRAW Perception
• Upkeep: draw Overpower, 5 resources total.

#7

• Mythos: 10/8, advance JUSTICE • XI to Over the Threshold (Josef Meiger at Billiards Room, Jenny is on Valentino’s trail), advance Hidden Agendas to The Spectral Realm (Nether Mist & Shadow Hound at Office, The Spectral Watcher at Entry Hall, Whispers in the Dark
  • We're in deep.
• Lone Wolf
• FIGHT (commit Overpower & "Watch this!", bid 3 resources, -1, draw Physical Training, 6 resources, 1 damage to Shadow Hound)
• EVADE (+3 , -2, exhaust Shadow Hound)
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (commit Perception, -2, draw .41 Derringer, 1 clue from Office)
  • Yes! Derringer! Not to mention the fourth clue. This means I can advance. Do I want go for it or hold off until next round? With the Watcher in play I don't think I can wholly stabilize Jenny's board position fully and besides the more information the better. I'll know exactly what needs to be done and how soon.
• advance the The Spectral Realm to Escape the Cage
  • As I'm editting this log I bet the above comment was the exact moment I convinced myself that this scenario had three agenda cards. It only has two.
• PLAY .41 Derringer
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher hunts to Victorian Halls, Shadow Hound readies
• Upkeep: draw Physical Training, 6 resources total, Keeper of Secrets moves to Trophy Room, discard Whispers in the Dark.
  • Joseph is not aloof, so he won't move.

#8

• Mythos: 2/11 doom, Fate of All Fools (2 damage)
  • It strikes! Notice we drew it in the spectral realm at the same relative time as in the material realm. Ominous.
• Lone Wolf
• FIGHT with .41 Derringer (2 ammo left, commit Overpower, -2, draw Delve Too Deep, defeat Shadow Hound)
• PLAY Physical Training
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (+3 , -1, 1 clue from Office)
• RESOURCE
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher hunts and attacks (1 damage & 1 horror to Leo De Luca)
• Upkeep: draw Machete, 6 resources total, Keeper of Secrets moves to Victorian Halls.

#9

• Mythos: 4/11 doom, Watcher's Grasp (The Spectral Watcher attacks, 1 damage & 1 horror)
  • Jenny and Leo manage to fight off the Watcher, but as they gasp for breath it attacks again! We're losing health and sanity, but we're in the position to ditch the Watcher for several rounds. If the chaos bag has no objections.
• Lone Wolf
• EVADE (+3 , commit Cat Burglar, 0, exhaust The Spectral Watcher)
• MOVE to Victorian Halls
  • There's no point in parleying with Keeper of Secrets since he's either going to die or escape. I could reach Billiards Room, but I don't want Jenny to be attacked by Joseph. I've got two actions left, so...
• PLAY Delve Too Deep (Whispers in the Dark)
• MOVE to Trophy Room
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher readies, Nether Mist hunts to Victorian Halls (1 damage to Keeper of Secrets)
• Upkeep: draw Chronophobia, 6 resources total, Keeper of Secrets moves to Entry Hall, discard Whispers in the Dark.

#10

• Mythos: 6/11 doom, Realm of Torment
• Lone Wolf
• ◊ Trophy Room (lose 2 resources)
• Chronophobia
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (-1, 1 clue from Trophy Room)
  • I had no need this clue. I've picked it up in order to get the Nether Mist to follow Keeper of Secrets. I should've used Jenny's remaining actions to go and parley with Joseph.
• RESOURCE
  • Wasteful! Jenny dealt with her Chronophobia, but clearly she overcompensated.
• ◊ Realm of Torment (+2 , -4)
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher hunts to Victorian Halls, Nether Mist hunts to Entry Hall (defeat Keeper of Secrets)
• Upkeep: draw Emergency Cache, 5 resources total.

Jenny’s Board State: 5 health, 6 sanity, 5 resources, 2 clues

In Play: Leo De Luca (1 damage & 1 horror), .41 Derringer (2 ammo), Lockpicks (2 supplies), Lone Wolf, Physical Training

In Hand: Cat Burglar, Elusive, Machete, Lockpicks, Emergency Cache

Threat: Fate of All Fools, Realm of Torment

#11

• Mythos: 4/11 doom, Lodge Neophyte (at Office)
  • His appearance means Jenny can't reach an understanding with Joseph. Let's hope these delays won't spiral out of control.
• Lone Wolf
• ◊ Trophy Room (lose 2 resources)
• MOVE to Billiards Room
• EVADE (+3 , 0, exhaust Josef Meiger)
• INVESTIGATE with Lockpicks (, ◊ Billiards Room, discard Lockpicks)
• PLAY Emergency Cache
• ◊ Realm of Torment (+4 , , discard Realm of Torment)
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher hunts to Office (defeat Lodge Neophyte), Nether Mist hunts to Victorian Halls, Josef Meiger readies
• Upkeep: draw .41 Derringer, 3 resources total.

#12

• Mythos: 5/11 doom, Trapped Spirits (, 3 damage)
  • I risked taking that encounter on the chin so that Jenny had enough resources to afford two parley tests with Joseph in case something went wrong.
• Lone Wolf
• PARLEY (+6 , -1, flip Josef Meiger)
  • OK, it takes four rounds for Joseph to escape. Jenny should be able to survive that long even if she's not at full health.
• MOVE to Trophy Room
• RESOURCE
• RESOURCE
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher hunts to Victorian Halls, Nether Mist hunts to Trophy Room
• Upkeep: draw Unexpected Courage, 4 resources total, Josef Meiger moves to Trophy Room.

#13

• Mythos: 6/11 doom, Trapped Spirits (+3 , -4, 1 damage)
• Lone Wolf
• MOVE to Victorian Halls
• FIGHT with .41 Derringer (1 ammo left, commit Unexpected Courage, -2, 2 damage to The Spectral Watcher)
  • In retrospect, I had no idea what possessed me to shoot an evadable 5-health enemy while there were two bullets left. Granted, at this point Jenny's job was to keep the way clear for Joseph, but even so it would've been better to simply turn actions into resources.
• EVADE (+3 , +1, exhaust The Spectral Watcher)
• RESOURCE
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher readies, Nether Mist (1 damage to Josef Meiger)
• Upkeep: draw Hard Knocks, 5 resources total, Josef Meiger moves to Victorian Halls.

#14

• Mythos: 7/11 doom, Terror in the Night (-2, attach), Obscuring Fog
• Lone Wolf
• FIGHT with .41 Derringer (no ammo left, commit .41 Derringer & Hard Knocks, , 1 damage to The Spectral Watcher)
  • Ehh...
• EVADE (+3 , commit Elusive, -3, exhaust The Spectral Watcher)
• MOVE to Master Bedroom
• INVESTIGATE (commit Lockpicks, -4, drop 1 clue on Master Bedroom)
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher readies, Nether Mist hunts to Victorian Halls (1 damage to Josef Meiger)
• Upkeep: draw "I'm outta here!", 6 resources total, Josef Meiger moves to Entry Hall.
  • Convenient! Jenny has her eyes on the exit. Just two more rounds and she can safely resign. I've making mistakes in the second part of the scenario, so I'm looking forward to the end.

#15

• Mythos: 8/11 doom, Wraith
• Lone Wolf
• PLAY Cat Burglar (Wraith attacks, defeat Leo De Luca, 1 horror)
• Cat Burglar to Victorian Halls
• EVADE (+3 , -4, exhaust The Spectral Watcher)
  • I'm passing the last action since I want to avoid pulling Elder Thing tokens.
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher readies, Wraith attacks (1 horror to Cat Burglar, 1 horror)
• Upkeep: draw Searching for Izzie (at Balcony), 3 resources total, Josef Meiger escapes.
  • Pure Arkham.

Jenny’s Board State: 1 health, 4 sanity, 3 resources, 1 clue

In Play: Cat Burglar (1 horror), .41 Derringer (no ammo), Physical Training, Lone Wolf

In Hand: Machete, "I'm outta here!"

Threat: Fate of All Fools, The Spectral Watcher (3 damage), Wraith

#16

• Mythos: 9/11 doom, Mysteries of the Lodge, Shapes in the Mist (◊ Victorian Halls, lose 1 action, Nether Mist attack, 1 damage to Cat Burglar, 1 horror), Terror in the Night (+3 , -3, attach)
  • It would've been priceless if I drew Fate of All Fools during this mythos phase. Remember that I've been playing under the assumption that there were three agendas rather than two. I cracked my fingers, weighted the odds and concluded that since I've already drew both Trapped Spirits Jenny cannot be defeated by the encounter deck.
• Lone Wolf
• Cat Burglar to Master Bedroom
• MOVE to Balcony
  • Note that it's direct damage, so Shapes in the Mist and Realm of Torment are both lethal.
• Enemy: The Spectral Watcher, Nether Mist and Wraith hunt to Master Bedroom
• Upkeep: draw Perception, 3 resources total,

#17

• Mythos: 10/11 doom, Lodge Neophyte (at Entry Hall)
• Lone Wolf
• Searching for Izzie (+3 , -3, discard Searching for Izzie)
• PLAY "I'm outta here!"
• R1
  • Ha Ha Ha!

I had great fun both during this scenario and later as I edited these logs. It won't be as challenging on repeated runs, but the bonus objective of saving Joseph should keep it from getting stale, same as The House Always Wins. As for the resolution, I've decided to throw Jenny's weight with the Silver Twilight guys. After all, shared struggle builds camaraderie. Not to mention, Tino is already a member and we can assume puts some trust into his choices. I eagerly await the continuation!

Oh, and three cheers for "I'm outta here!" and Cat Burglar!

Campaign Log:

Disappearance at the Twilight Estate: Valentino disappeared into the mist. 4 pieces of evidence were left behind.

The Witching Hour: Jenny has rejected her fate. The witches’ spell was broken. Mementos: Mesmerizing Flute & Ritual Components. 8 XP (Anette Mason, Cairn Stones, Child's Tree House, Tainted Well, Hermit's House, Delve Too Deep, 1 bonus XP).

At Death's Doorstep: Jenny is on Valentino’s trail. Jenny escaped the spectral realm. Jenny rescued Joseph. Jenny is a member of the Lodge. 5 XP (Office, Delve Too Deep, 2 bonus XP).