Jenny Interrogates Using TNT (Solo, Return to NotZ, Achievem

Part II of Jenny Barnes's attempt to win Return to the Night of the Zealot without defeating any Ghoul enemies. In this scenario, that just means that if the Ghoul Priest shows up, I need to not kill it. The cultists and Nightgaunts though? They're fair game. Let's get to it!

SESSION REPORT

SCENARIO II - RETURN TO THE MIDNIGHT MASKS

• Opening Hand: Coup de Grâce, Elusive, Unexpected Courage, Dynamite Blast, Perception
• Kept: None
• Replacements: Slip Away, Lockpicks, Stealth, Guard Dog, Calling in Favors

Pretty good start thanks to that mulligan.

R1 (0D, 0H, 5$, 0C): 0/6 doom

• Encounter: None
• Play Lockpicks [-3$]
• Play Stealth [-2$]
• Use Lockpicks: Investigate, 6 vs. 2 ( is -2): pass+ [+1C]
• Draw Narrow Escape [+2$]

R2 (0D, 0H, 2$, 1C): 1/6 doom

• Encounter: Hunting Nightgaunt spawns and engages
• Use Stealth: Evade Hunting Nightgaunt, 3 vs. 0 (-1): pass [disengaged]
• Move to Rivertown
• Move to Easttown
• Hunting Nightgaunt moves to Rivertown
• Draw Backstab [+2$]

R3 (0D, 0H, 4$, 1C): 2/6 doom

• Encounter: Hunting Nightgaunt spawns and engages (really?? both shuffled to the very top? that's a, what, 0.362% chance?)
• Play [Hunting Nightgaunt attacks; play Narrow Escape to cancel, +2 next test] Guard Dog [-1$]
• Evade Hunting Nightgaunt, 5 vs. 1 (-2): pass [evaded]
• Move to Downtown
• Hunting Nightgaunt moves to Easttown
• Hunting Nightgaunt readies
• Draw Searching for Izzie [attaches to Graveyard] [+2$]

Well, this can certainly be considered "a start." Being able to put Searching for Izzie at a shroud 1 location isn't bad, and having both Nightgaunts together might work in my favor if I can get my hands on some Dynamite. But I need to stay ahead of them until that moment comes.

R4 (0D, 0H, 6$, 1C): 3/6 doom

• Encounter: Locked Door attaches to Easttown
• Use Lockpicks: Investigate, 6 vs. 3 ( is -2): pass [+1C, -1S]
• Move to Northside
• Investigate, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+1C]
• Hunting Nightgaunts move to Downtown
• Draw Dynamite Blast [+2$]

Yessss. Now. Can I arrange things to catch a unique cultist or two in the blast?

R5 (0D, 0H, 6$, 3C): 4/6 doom

• Encounter: Locked Door attaches to Rivertown
• Use Lockpicks: Investigate, 6 vs. 3 (): fail [-1S] (arrrgh)
• Investigate, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 3 ( is -2): pass [+1C, +1VP]
• Move to Miskatonic University
• Hunting Nightgaunts move to Northside
• Draw Flashlight [+2$]

R6 (0D, 0H, 6$, 4C): 5/6 doom

• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Your House with +1 doom
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Jeremiah Pierce spawns at Your House
• Use Lockpicks: Investigate, 6 vs. 4 (-1): pass [+1C, -1S, Lockpicks discarded]
• Move to Rivertown
• Hunting Nightgaunts move to Miskatonic University
• Draw Flashlight [+2$]

R6 (0D, 0H, 8$, 3C): 6/6 doom +1 on [Disciple of the Devourer]

• Agenda advances to 1b: The Masked Hunter spawns and engages
• Encounter: Masked Horrors [2H]
• Play Backstab [-3$]: Fight The Masked Hunter, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 4 ( is +3): pass [+3D]
• Evade The Masked Hunter, use Streetwise [-2$], 6 vs. 2 ( is 0): pass [evaded]
• Move to Easttown
• The Masked Hunter readies
• Hunting Nightgaunts move to Rivertown
• Draw Coup de Grâce [+2$]

R7 (0D, 2H, 3$, 3C): 1/8 doom

• Encounter: Hunting Shadow [2D]
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Victoria Devereux spawns at Northside
• Move to Downtown
• Use Downtown [+3$]
• The Masked Hunter and Hunting Nightgaunts move to Easttown
• Draw Dynamite Blast [+2$]

Demolitions expert Jenny is ready to blow this place sky-high. But let's try to catch someone else in the blast while we're at it.

R8 (2D, 2H, 8$, 1C): 2/8 doom

• Encounter: Obscuring Fog attaches to Downtown
• Play Flashlight [-2$]
• Take a resource [+1$]
• Move to Northside [Victoria Devereux engages]
• The Masked Hunter and Hunting Nightgaunts move to Downtown
• Victoria Devereux attacks [1D]
• Draw Lita Chantler [+2$]

R9 (3D, 2H, 9$, 1C): 3/8 doom

• Encounter: Mask of Umôrdhoth attaches to Disciple of the Devourer with +1 doom
• Use Stealth: Evade Victoria Devereux, 3 vs. 0: fail () (really? really.)
• Evade Victoria Devereux, commit Slip Away, 4 vs. 2 (-1): pass [evaded]
• Move to Miskatonic University
• The Masked Hunter and Hunting Nightgaunts move to Northside
• Victoria Devereux readies
• Draw Unexpected Courage [+2$]

R10 (3D, 2H, 11$, 1C): 4/8 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: On Wings of Darkness, 3 vs. 4 ( is +11): pass (the absurdity of +11 aside, I actually would have been fine with failing this - it just would have meant Jenny threw dynamite in a different order)
• Play Dynamite Blast [-5$] on Northside: +3D to Victoria Devereux [defeated, +1VP], The Masked Hunter [defeated, +2VP], and both Hunting Nightgaunts
• Use Flashlight [-1S]: Investigate, commit Flashlight, 4 vs. 2 ( is -1): pass [+1C, +1VP]
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Peter Warren spawns and engages
• Peter Warren attacks [1D on Guard Dog]; Guard Dog counterattacks [+1D]
• Hunting Nightgaunts move to Miskatonic University, both attack [1H, 2D/1H discard Guard Dog], Guard Dog counterattacks both [+1D, both defeated]
• Draw Slip Away [+2$]

Well, that was certainly an eventful round! Might I have just enough time to "interrogate" Peter Warren, blow up what's left of my house, and still search for Izzie at the Graveyard? Depends on what the encounter deck has to say...

R11 (3D, 3H, 8$, 0C): 5/8 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: Ghoul Priest spawns at Your House
• Play [Peter Warren attacks: 1D] Lita Chantler
• Fight Peter Warren, 4 vs. 2 ( is -1): pass [+1D]
• Play Coup de Grâce [-2$]: +1D to Peter Warren [defeated, +1VP]; draw Stealth
• Ghoul Priest moves to Rivertown
• Draw Guts [+2$]

...and, yeah, with the Ghoul Priest around (and me not able to kill it given the achievement I'm hunting), I don't have the turns or damage/horror soak to do everything I need to do. Thinking for a while, I ultimately decide it's more important to "interrogate" a fourth unique cultist (and thus get an extra turn in Scenario III) than it is to avoid mental trauma by not Searching for Izzie. When I lose in Scenario III, it's usually because the clock runs out... not because of pure damage/horror. Hopefully that will hold true again.

R12 (4D, 3H, 8$, 0C): 6/8 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: Hunting Shadow [2D on Lita Chantler]
• Move to Rivertown [Ghoul Priest engages]
• Play Dynamite Blast [-5$, Ghoul Priest attacks: 1D, 1D/2H discards Lita Chantler] on Your House: +3D to Disciple of the Devourer [defeated] and Jeremiah Pierce [defeated, +1VP]
• Use Agenda 2a: Resign

Sure, I had an extra turn, but that's just one more turn when the Encounter deck plus the Ghoul Priest could have defeated me - and I wouldn't have enough time to pick up another Victory point or clear Searching for Izzie. Better to cut my losses now, and be happy with getting to leverage two big Dynamite Blast plays.

No resolution = Resolution 1

• Jenny "interrogated" (mainly with explosives) The Masked Hunter, Victoria Devereux, Peter Warren, and Jeremiah Pierce
• Ruth Turner and Alma Hill got away
• The Ghoul Priest is still alive
• 7 experience (7 victory)
• 1 mental trauma (from Searching for Izzie)

Not a perfect showing by any means, but netting four unique cultists is certainly respectable (and I could have done better if I'd allowed myself to beat down the Ghoul Priest). Better than my other solo runs have done so far in this scenario. Now it's time to plan upgrades before tackling the final challenge!