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Chaosium Digest Volume 24 Number 07
Chaosium Digest Volume 24, Number 7
Date: Sunday, March 29, 1998
Number: 2 of 3
Contents:
Building a Better Deck (Guy Hail) MYTHOS
CF: Deep Ones (Guy Hail) MYTHOS
--------------------
From: GRHail@aol.com
Subject: Building a Better Deck
System: Mythos
Building a Better Deck
Before playing your deck, match the conditions for an Ally's play to
Location cards in your deck. For example, Toodee-6 may be played at
any Location with the Government & Artifact attributes. Put such a
Location in your deck (the Pentagon, for example). Patricia Bridgette
Jodoin may be played in Paris. Put a Paris Location in your deck. Now
that I've given you that advice: read the INTERPOL card. It's in Rome,
but it's special effect is powerful.
For Allies you'd like to play, but don't want to add two or three
Locations just to play one Ally, use Hitch a Ride, Train, Keeness of
Two Alike, Surprise Meeting, or another means of side-stepping
requirements on where an Ally may be played.
If you have Artifact cards in your deck, these may be played only at
Locations that have the Artifact attribute. Make certain that there
are several Locations with the Artifact attribute in your deck. Then
match Tome cards to Locations with the tome attribute.
Cards in Play Mean Faster Play
The strategy of Mythos is simple: get your cards out. Many times I've
played I've had to pay a point of Sanity to reshuffle my deck when my
opponents forced me to discard cards that were required for an
adventure. As many cards as possible should be in play in the Ally or
Artifact & Tome areas, as Events, or in the Story Deck. The more cards
in play around your Investigator, the smaller your Mythos Deck. The
discarded card will return to play quickly when one-half of your deck
is already in play around your Investigator.
The only cards you might want to hold back on playing, either by
retaining them in your hand or by discarding them at the end of a
round, are unique cards that are not necessary for the Adventure
you're trying to complete (for example, Toodee-6, necessary for Plan
9, isn't necessary for Ashes, Ashes Azathoth). By Holding Toodee-6 in
your hand, you make certain it can be played at the proper time.
But: playing the Toodee-6 card when it isn't necessary could provoke
an opponent into playing a discard event or spell at the wrong time If
you're aiming to complete a different adventure you've tricked your
opponent into misusing a valuable card.
Watch those Monsters!
Playing every Monster in your hand may cost you the game when the
combat value of your Monsters exceeds the combined Sanity of your
opponents. Don't laugh too hard. It's any easy mistake to make when
several Monsters join or receive bonuses from locations or events. The
Men in Black Monster are likely to lower your opponent's Sanity
because its special power to flip facedown an opponent's Ally can
change a defending Ally into a non-defending Ally. Be careful the Men
in Black don't lower your opponent's Sanity to zero, unless by doing
so you will win the game.
Monsters are your first line of defense. Hold on to one or two at the
end of the each round to to supply some defense in the next round.
Cards Should be Useful for Several Adventures
Nearly every card in your deck should fulfill a requirement on two or
more Adventure cards. For example, Plan 9 requires Toodee-6 and Look
to the Future requires a corrupt Ally. Toodee-6 fulfills both these
requirements. I say nearly every card should fulfill an adventure
requirement, because I can't stop having fun with a few of my favorite
cards. Sometimes these cards are required for an adventure, sometimes
they're not. For example, the Governmental Coverup Event is required
only for the Whispers in Darkness, but I enjoy too much postponing
play of an opponent's The Expedition by forcing discard of Amnesia by
Governmental Coverup.
But Discarding Hurts!
Playing cards exposes them to being discarded by an opponent play of a
Spell, Artifact, Ally, and Event. Discarded cards don't count for
fuilfilling Adventure requirements. Holding cards in your hand exposes
them to being discarded following play of Unexpected Calamity (Limited
Edition). Therefore, play as many cards every round as you can, at
least down to the Maximum number of cards your Investigator may retain
at the end of the Round. Retain those cards that are necessary for an
adventure and which are easy for opponents to discard.
Build a Discardable Deck
The more cards played, the more cards can be drawn to refill a
hand. It's a simple observation, but I have sat at tables where every
opponent played an Investigator with a high maximum and added Zadok
Allen as an ally! These opponents did not speed through their decks
because they retained six or more cards at the end of every round.
At tournaments you must build a deck that plays quickly. It should
contain no more than 55 cards. It should be designed so that three or
four cards can be discarded from every hand. In a tournament, someone
is sure to draw a lousy hand, play once or twice, then pass. If you
need every card in your hand for an adventure, you're doomed. The best
way to build a fast-play, multiple-adventure deck is with the Mythos:
New Aeon edition. It's possible to build a four-adventure deck of 52
cards!
The best Investigator to match with a discard deck is the Enthusiastic
Chorus Girl (Dreamlands) followed by the Pragmatic Hobo (Limited
Edition, but check the errata; the Hobo is played identically to the
Homeless Waif) and the Homeless Waif (Dreamlands). If none of these
are available, use an Investigator with discard-and-draw special
ability.
* * *
G R Hail
grhail@aol.com
--------------------
From: Guy Hail <grhail@aol.com>
Subject: CF: Deep Ones
System: Mythos
** THE CARD FILES: DEEP ONES **
by Guy Hail
THE CARD
========
Title: Deep One
Value: 1
Set: Limited Edition Starter & Mythos Standard Game Set
Type: Monster
Subtype: Lesser Servitor Race
Sanity Gain/Loss: none
Dimension: Any Dimension
Special Effect Box (Limited Edition): Add 1 point to the value of this
card if your opponent is in a Water Location. Add 1 point (cumulative)
if your Investigator has the Jewelry of the Deep One. Joins Father
Dagon, Mother Hydra, Deep Ones, and Shoggoth.
Special Effect Box (Mythos Standard Game Set): Add 2 points to the value
of this card if any Storm Event is in play. Joins Deep Ones.
The artist for the Limited Edition is Tom Sullivan; for the Mythos
Standard Game Set Edition, Heather McKinney.
THE SOURCE
==========
"Their appearance - especially those staring, unwinking eyes which
one never saw shut - was certainly shocking enough;...."
-The Shadow Over Innsmouth, H.P. Lovecraft
Deep Ones are humans transformed into creatures that must live
underwater, though they may visit the world above the waves for short
periods. Seventeenth-century trader Obediah Marsh made a corrupt
bargin in South Seas that transformed him and left his descendents
carrying the taint known as the Innsmouth Look.
QUESTIONS
=========
Q: Do the Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones receive the bonus from the
Jewelry of the Deep Ones, if I have it in play?
A: Yes. The Special Effect of the Jewelry of the Deep Ones reads
"Increase the card value of all Deep Ones, Father Dagon, Mother Hydra,
and certain Corrupt Cultists by 1 point." Even though only the Limited
Edition Deep Ones mention the Jewelry of the Deep Ones, the Mythos
Standard Game Set Deep Ones receive the +1 bonus, too.
Q: May I put four Limited Edition Deep Ones and four Mythos Standard
Game Set Deep Ones in my deck?
A: No. Only four copies of one card may be included in a deck (only
one if the card has the uniqueness dot). A card is "one card" if it
has the same title as another card. You may put four Deep One cards in
your deck, each copy chosen from either edition.
Q: If play more than one Deep One to my threat, must the cards stay
joined when I create my Directed Threats?
A: No. Cards joined for simultaneous play may be separated unless
other rules apply. Unlike Spells which must remain joined to Tomes, no
rules require the Deep Ones remain joined.
Q: Do the Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones join the Limited Edition
Deep Ones? Do they join Father Dagon, Mother Hydra, or Shoggoth?
A: The Mythos Standard Game Set and Limited Edition Deep Ones may join
together in a single play. The special effect box in both editions
reads "joins Deep Ones." The Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones also
join Father Dagon, Mother Hydra, and Shoggoth. This edition's Deep
Ones special effects box only reads "Joins Deep Ones", but the Father
Dagon, Mother Hydra, and Shoggoth card each reads "joins Deep Ones."
For two cards to Join at least one of them must say it Joins with the
other.
Q: Can I play one Deep One, one Father Dagon, and one Tcho-Tcho
People, all joined?
A: No. When attempting to join three or more joined cards for
simultaneously play, the cards join only if every two-card combination
of the cards join.
The Tcho-Tcho People joins any Lesser Servitor Monster, thus it may
join the Deep Ones (from either edition or both editions in any
combination), but the Tcho-Tcho People do not join Father Dagon,
Mother Hydra, or Shoggoth.
Q: When I played three Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones to my
threat, the Downpour Storm Event was in play. Just before the end of
the round, another player played Dawn of a New Day, a Day Event, which
buried Downpour. Do my Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones receive the
+1 increase in value?
A: No. The Storm Event must be in play when the Directed Threat
containing the Deep Ones is revealed. A Storm Event may be buried for
any number of reasons during play (Day or Night Events, Aldebaran
Moves in the Sky, or use of the Kennedy Space Center's special effect
box). A player casting a Command Lamp-Eft or a Darkness of the Void
spell in the Spell & Artifact Use phase of combat would also bury the
Storm before it could affect the Deep Ones.
Q: My opponent's Directed Threat contained three Limited Edition
Mi-Go. My Directed Threat held two Limited Edition Deep Ones. My
opponent chose to use the Mi-Go's power steal my Jewelry of the Deep
Ones. Do my Deep Ones receive the bonus from the Jewelry of the Deep
Ones before it is stolen?
A: Yes. When the threats were revealed, the Jewelry of the Deep Ones
was in play. The value of each Limited Edition Deep Ones is increased
to two. The theft of the Jewelry of the Deep Ones Artifact by the
Mi-Go occurs during the Resolve Additional Effects phase of combat,
and this is after the Cosmic Battle.
Q: When playing Knee-Deep in Doom, if I have the Jewelry of the Deep
Ones in play, do my Deep Ones count as two points towards the twenty
required by the Adventure?
A: No. Once a card is buried in the Story Deck it returns to its
printed values and attributes. A Deep One card pulled from the Story
Deck to complete an adventure requirement is not in play. It receives
no increase in value for any reason.
Q: Do Deep Ones receive the +1 bonus if my Current Location is the
Marsh Mansion? Even when the Deep Ones are played as Allies?
A: No. Deep Ones are Marsh allies only in the story.
STRATEGIES
* Multiple Bonuses - Although the bonuses are different both editions
of Deep Ones can easily increase their value. When your Investigator
has the Jewelry of the Deep Ones in play and the opponent at whom
the threat is directed is at a Water Location, the Limited Edition
Deep Ones increase their value from one to three, but unlike Men in
Black (a three-point New AEons Monster), Deep Ones cost no Sanity to
play.
The Lovecraft Country, the South Pacific, and New AEon regions have
many Water Locations; while most Middle East, Europe, or Exotic
Locations lack the Water attribute. In the Dreamlands, the North and
the Underworld are deficient in Water Locations. Because Deep Ones
join, four may be played simultaneously to the threat. When the
threat is revealed, if all the Deep Ones are in the same Directed
Threat and if all bonuses apply, this threat will be worth twelve
points.
The Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones increase their value from one
to four when your Investigator has the Jewelry of the Deep Ones in
play and any player has a Storm Event in play. Unlike the bonus on
the Limited Edition Deep One, the bonus of the Mythos Standard Game
Set Deep One applies if any player has a Storm Event in play when
the Directed Threat is revealed. When you have in play the Jewelry
of the Deep Ones, and any player has a Storm Event in play, the
value of Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones increases to four
points, but unlike Dark Young (a four-point Mythos Standard Game Set
Monster), Deep Ones cost no Sanity to play. When the threat is
revealed, if all the Deep Ones are in the same Directed Threat and
if all bonuses apply, this threat will be worth sixteen points.
There are many, many valuable Storm Events that interfere with
travel or walking, that add the gate or water attribute to cards, or
that fulfill the requirement for summoning a Great Old One or Outer
God. Several Storms also add the Water attribute to all Locations.
* Knee-Deep in Doom - After the multiply-joining Living Dead, the
joining combination of Limited Edition Deep Ones, Father Dagon,
Mother Hydra, and Shoggoth is the strongest simultaneously playable
combination. The four Limited Edition Deep Ones, Father Dagon,
Mother Hydra, and Shoggoth cards have a total value of 17 points,
three short of the total required for the Knee-Deep in Doom
Adventure. Adding the Shoggoth Lord (value 3) from New AEon brings
the total to 20 points. Although the Shoggoth Lord does not join
with the others, it does increase the value of the Shoggoth in the
Cosmic Battle (and when the Shoggoth is in play as an Ally, if you
manage this).
* The Great Menagerie - The Great Menagerie Adventure requires four
Monsters of different subtypes. Two Limited Edition Deep Ones,
Father Dagon, Mother Hydra, and two Giant Albino Penguins (which
join with all Monsters) supply two cards of three types: Lesser
Servitor, Greater Servitor, and Lesser Independent.
* Innsmouth, Where the Water is Pure - If you're placing the Deep Ones
& Jewelry of the Deep Ones combination in your deck, go ahead and go
whole hog: play in Innsmouth. The combination of New AEon and
Limited Edition Innsmouth Locations supply everything an
Investigator needs: gates, artifact and tome attribute Locations,
city Locations, country Locations, sites, phobia-losing Locations,
and a secret passageway. Make your deck a nearly-single subregion
deck (you'll have to leave Innsmouth to visit Sanitariums) and that
deck will play quickly, have powerful Allies, and have strong
Monsters.
The Jewelry of the Deep Ones also increases the value of Robert
Marsh, Barnabas Marsh, and Jeremiah Brewster, all corrupt cultist
Allies. The Jewelry of the Deep Ones and the cultist cards are
required for the Stand Against the Order! Adventure. Cultist Allies
may be played to a threat as Monsters at any Location where they may
normally be played, if that Location has a gate. Some Innsmouth
Locations also increase the value of Marsh Allies, and this Location
bonus is cumulative with the increase supplied by Jewelry of the
Deep Ones. The Abigail Marsh bonus is cumulative with both the
Location and Jewelry of the Deep Ones bonuses, too.
You might consider using that "impossible" adventure, Assault on
Y'ha-Nthlei. An Innsmouth theme deck can be built Knee-Deep in Doom
+5 / +2), Stand Against the Order (+9 / +4), and Assault on
Y'ha-Nthlei (+12 / +4) for those times when you and your friends
want to play theme decks or raise the campaign requirement for
finishing to 25 points. (This deck can be quite small, 52-55 cards.)
In Innsmouth there is a secret passageway from Devil Reef to
Y'ha-Nthlei (but not the reverse). The Assault on Y'ha-Nthlei
requires soldiers. Use Surpise Meeting Events to play European
Soldiers, or play a combination of Monster soldiers (Servants of the
Silver Twilight, Mythos Standard Game Set Mi-Go) as Allies by means
of Call the Unnamed One (from the New AEon edition) plus any
artifact that changes an Ally's attribute from Corrupt to
Steadfast. (All Monsters played as Allies are corrupt.) Two
artifacts that make an Ally steadfast are the Dreamlands edition
Battle Axe, playable in the Waking World, and the New AEon edition
M-16 Assault Rifle, playable in the Waking World by use of the Time
Flux card.
COUNTER STRATEGIES
The two best strategies to counter the fantastic joining combination
of Limited Edition Deep Ones, Father Dagon, Mother Hydra, and Shoggoth
are either your own powerful joining combintion (for example, Living
Dead) or Yithian Mental Contact, which can be used to bury Jewelry of
the Deep Ones or the Monsters. Be aware that burying a threat with
Yithian Mental Contact prevents the buried Monster cards from being
used in the Cosmic Battle. The buried cards are in the Story Deck and
may be used to fulfill Adventure requirements.
* Stalking - If an opponent has built a theme deck in Innsmouth, put
four Serial Killer cards in your deck. Keep one in play against the
Innsmouth-based opponent at all times. (Only one Serial Killer can
affect the same opponent at a time.)
* Hire a Thief - Deep Ones are weak Monsters, easily beaten. Put the
Limited Edition Mi-Go in your deck. Or the Dreamlands edition Minion
of Karakal. If these Monsters survive the Cosmic Battle, you get to
choose Artifacts that your opponent must bury. A buried Jewelry of
the Deep Ones doesn't increase the value of Deep Ones or corrupt
cultists. If your deck is already full of Monsters, put Thieves in
Your Attic in your deck.
* They're Mine Now - A Shoggoth is a Lesser Servitor Monster, subject
to the same control spells as Deep Ones. If you suspect someone will
play these Monsters in combination, put the spells Angles of Tagh
Clatur (Eye) or Embody Charnel Oder of Xura (Dream) in your
deck. Special Tomes are not required. Allies that can know spells
(even those tatoo'd at Cite Tatoue) and Artifacts that can hold
spells (for example, Mi-Go Braincase) may hold spells of any
type. Embody Charnel Oder of Xura, a Dream icon spell, may be played
in any Dimension (it lacks the Dream Dimension icon that would
require it be played in the Dreamlands dimension). Listen for a
threat created that costs two sanity; that player has just played
either the Shoggoth, controllable by Angles of Tagh Clatur or Embody
Charnel Oder of Xura, or the Father Dagon-Mother Hydra combination,
controllable by Voola Ritual (Cthulhu).
* There Was A Mighty Ripple in Time - If control spells aren't your
forte, use Instability in the Mythos. A threat with four Deep Ones,
without or with the Shoggoth, Father Dagon, or Mother Hydra can be
discarded or stolen with Instability in the Mythos. An opponent
afraid of Instability in the Mythos will not play several joining
Monsters in the same round. This will slow the opponent's play.
* It's a Beautiful Day - Deep Ones are weak Monsters. If your opponent
has the Mythos Standard Game Set Deep Ones, play a Day or Night card
on your turn to bury that Storm. Your greater Monsters (Dark Young,
Byakhee, etc.) will bury Deep Ones with plenty of strength left over
to bury defending Allies and inflict Sanity loses. The Command
Lamp-Eft Spell becomes a Day Event when cast.
* A Fear too Great - Any card that increases the cost to play Deep
Ones or Jewelry of the Deep Ones makes these cards more difficult to
play. The phobias Bacteriophobia, Mechanophobia, and Rhabdophobia
cause a Sanity loss when a Deep One or Jewelry of the Deep Ones is
played.
* Cthulhu Is On The Front Page - This New AEon Media Hyperbole event
closes gates. No gate, no joining Monsters.
--
