Oddities Collaborative - The Forgotten Age (Norman Withers)

Norman Withers is an amazing investigator.
With Scrying (3) and Split the Angle, I almost never have to worry about the encounter deck.
Will probably work even better in a 2-3 player setup.
Drawing Your Worst Nightmare as the weakness hurt, but thankfully Tony Morgan or Joe Diamond was there to help.

The Forgotten Age (Oddities Collaborative)

4-handed solo run through The Forgotten Age (taboo compliant; hard difficulty)
Investigators: Carolyn Fern, Joe Diamond, Norman Withers, and Tony Morgan

See Campaign Notes section below for details

Overview

Piloting

Mulligan
Priority for Mr. "Rook" and Old Book of Lore.
Once upgraded to Arcane Initiate (3), priority goes to it, followed by Scrying (3).

In game
In the early campaign, use Mr. "Rook" to cycle aggressively and trigger Astounding Revelation.
Once you have Scrying (3) and Split the Angle, you can look look at the encounter deck with Scrying (3) and then discard any card you don't wish to encounter with Split the Angle.
Once you have Dayana Esperence (3), you can then attach Ward of Protection (2) on her for even greater control.
Astounding Revelation can now be used to recharge her secrets.
I found that Norman could easily shut down the Encounter deck for 90% of the game as I easily cycle through the deck 4-5 times per scenario, replaying a new Scrying (3) whenever the old one runs out of charges.
It helps that Carolyn Fern is there to heal off the horror sustained through Ward of Protection (2) and recycling the deck.

Upgrade path

“No plan of operations reaches with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main force.” - Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke

High Priority

• Ward of Protection (2)
• Scrying (3) usage here is 3-fold - change the top card of the deck, trigger Astounding Revelation, and combined with Split the Angle to discard nasty encounters

Medium Priority

• Recall the Future (2)
• Charisma (3)
• Arcane Initiate (3) helps to trigger Astounding Revelation as well as change the top card of the deck
• Counterspell (2)
• Dayana Esperence (3) use with Ward of Protection (2) for sustained encounter protection

Low Priority

• Mists of R'lyeh (4)
• Time Warp (2)
• Grotesque Statue (4)
• Jewel of Aureolus (3)
• Fearless (2) necessary if team has limited horror healing capabilities

Alternatives

• Shrivelling (5) instead of Mists of R'lyeh (4)
• Storm of Spirits (3)
• Book of Shadows (3) instead of Grotesque Statue (4)
  1. Sustain Scrying (3) in case you do not draw either a replacement Scrying or Knowledge is Power
  2. Additional arcane slot for Seal of the Seventh Sign (5)

Campaign Notes

Supplies
Carolyn Fern: Binoculars, Blanket, Chalk
Joe Diamond: Blanket, Compass, Pickaxe
Norman Withers: Blanket, Canteen
Tony Morgan: Blanket, Pocket Knife

Scenario 1: The Untamed Wilds ( R1 : 10VP )
The investigators cleared a path to the Eztli ruins
Alejandro chose to remain at camp
The investigators gained Ichtaca's trust
Yig's Fury: 2

Interlude 1: Restless Nights
Carolyn Fern gains 2 XP
Each investigator begins the next scenario with 3 fewer resources

Scenario 2: The Doom of Eztli ( R1 : 7VP )
The investigators recovered the Relic of Ages
The Harbinger is still alive
You have identified the stone (7)
Yig's Fury: 5

Interlude 2: Expedition's End
The investigators gave custody of the relic to Harlan Earnstone

Standalone (3XP): Carnevale of Horrors ( R1 : 6VP )
the sun banished Cnidathqua into the depths

Scenario 3: Threads of Fate ( R1 : 4VP + 3 bonus XP )
the investigators found the missing relic
the investigators rescued Alejandro
the investigators forged a bond with Ichtaca

Scenario 4: The Boundary Beyond ( R1 : 3VP + 6 bonus XP )
6 paths are known to you
Ichtaca has confidence in you
Yig's Fury: 8

Interlude 3: The Jungle Beckons
Ichtaca's faith is restored

Scenario 5a: Heart of the Elders, Part 1 ( R1 : 7VP )
Scenario 5b: Heart of the Elders, Part 2 ( R1 : 6VP )
Yig's Fury: 11

Scenario 6: The City of Archives ( R1 : 8VP + 4 bonus XP )
The process was perfected

Interlude 4: Those Held Captive
Alejandro is set against you

Scenario 7: The Depths of Yoth ( R2 : 3VP + 5 bonus XP )
The Nexus is near

Interlude 5: The Darkness
The braziers remain unlit

Scenario 8: Shattered Aeons ( R1 : 8VP + 5 bonus XP )
the investigators mended the tear in the fabric of time
2 physical trauma
2 mental trauma