Zoey - Thompsons and Taboos

Thompsons and Taboos

I made the first version of this deck for a two player, hard difficulty Return to the Night of the Zealot-campaign. It worked really well (with Mr. "Rook" as the star of the deck) so I decided to have a go at the Return to Dunwich Horror campaign.

Short summary (TL;DR)

Zoey has a resource advantage to begin with (with her +1 Resource when she engages an enemy), and we'll build towards the .45 Thompson. To top it off we add a single Act of Desperation that can eventually be attached to Stick to the Plan. As for clues, we'll use the classic combo of Scene of the Crime and Evidence!, combined with Sixth Sense. The Sixth Senses are a painful choice - they will occupy not one but two of her 5 wildcards. But they don't take up a hand slot, so there's that. Mr. "Rook" will serve as our card tutor, making sure we'll find what we need when we need it (especially her cross, one of the most powerful cards in the game). Then we'll use her wealth to pay for expensive cards (Dynamite Blast and Agency Backup for example) or just Keen Eye buffs.

How did the deck perform?

The deck did really well. It beat hard mode RtNotZ and normal mode RtDL (along with Norman Withers) with no deaths and about as much Xp as possible. The first RtNoTZ scenario and first two scenarioes in RtDL were all difficult but doable. in DL, Essex County Express almost went wrong but from Dunwich village and forward everything was a cakewalk.

BUT...

Be warned, tho'. If you want maximum effiency it's probably easier to go for Timeworn Brands and flashlights. The Brand is a superb weapon, almost too good (for a neutral card) in my opinion.

If you want to for the Timeworn Brand build, just replace the Sixth Senses with flashlights and the 45. Thompsons with Meat Cleavers. Then upgrade the cleavers to brands as soon as you can afford to (yes, the cleavers, so you buy new offclass cards).

WEAPONS

As mentioned earlier - we'll include a pair of .45 Thompson (eventually to be upgraded to the guardian version .45 Thompson) and two Enchanted Blades. Four weapons are enough for now, since Mr. Rook can help us find them. As an added bonus - throw them at your enemy whenever they run out of ammo/charges.

I was a bit worried about running out of charges and ammo, but it was never a problem (with two players). You can easily find more weapons if you get Rook into play, and her cross and beat cops allow you to conserve ammo.

ALLIES

Mr. "Rook" is a great ally. Really great. In the most basic form he's a supercharged No Stone Unturned that can soak two stamina&/sanity on your behalf. Guardians have little card draw and they need brain shields, so the two combined are great. And even his ability to dig up weaknesses can be turned into an advantage

Let's say - you're in the catacombs or an unexplored jungle. You haven't even started exploring much, so the map is really tiny. Just fish out that Smite the Wicked (plus the card you want!) and spawn that mob right next to you. Or you're in Dunwich and you start dab in the middle of the village. The location "farthest from you" is probably no more than 2 steps away. Smite the Wicked is card you want dealt with, and Mr. Rook will help greatly with that.

Of course, there's a few maps where Mr. Rook is a liability. The worst case scenario is an early Smite the Wicked combined with a Wizard of the Order on the Essex County Express). And you increase your odds at finding basic weaknesses, some which can be a drag (such as The Tower • XVI and Overzealous ). My advice - power through! It's worth it.

The deck got Beat Cops too. They are needed, as they buff her merely OK Strength of 4. The upgraded cops are also incredibly useful combined with Zoey's Cross as you can kill two hitpoint enemies merely by engaging them.

FINDING CLUES

Now, I've gone for Sixth Sense, which is worse than a Flashlight in almost every way. Except for charges (you can't run out of senses, it seems) and the fact that Sixth Sense occupies a spell slot rather than a hand. Zoey has spell slots to spare, as long as you don't dual wield Enchanted Blades.

Remember, your willpower of 4 is decent but not good enough for high shroud locations. It's a backup solution and something to do when you have time to spare. If playing on Hard difficulty or you have a dedicated clue finder in your party, feel free to skip these. Or replace them with flashlights. They are certainly not critical for the build, but it's nice to be able to help with clues even when you wield a twohanded weapon.

I originally tried to buff Zoeys willpower with Brother Xavier, Police Badge and Bandolier to make the Sixth Senses work even better. But it always felt like too much work for not enough payback. Of course, you might have more luck than me.

"WHY INCLUDE [THAT CARD]???"

• On the Hunt is there to find Xp-yielding enemies. It's both nice and niche, so feel free to replace it.
• We have two "Let me handle this!" so you can split the party and don't worry about errant monsters gobbling up your seeker.
• Dynamite Blast is a really great card. You can soften up the big baddies or deal with several smaller enemies in one swoop. I even used it to blow up two really annoying Whippoorwills at one point.
• Take the Initiative is probably my favorite skill card and always useful.
• Calling in Favors to juggle Mr. "Rook" and Beat cops and eventually even Agency Backup.
• Something Worth Fighting For is actually a relly neat card; a bit less soak than a Elder Sign Amulet but you can soak for others and you don't have to worry about accessory slots. It's a willpower pip if you don't need the soak, and a lifesaver when you do need it.
• Scene of the Crime was a card I was originally didn't like, but RtDL turned me around. It's comboes rather well with "Let me handle this!" and On the Hunt too.

UPGRADES

• Charisma is always worth it, since Zoeys allies are so useful. Both for their effect and the sanity soak.
• Ace of Swords will help us buff our strength to 7+ which is sorely needed. You want two of them, and they can for example replace On the Hunt and one "Let me Handle this".
• .45 Thompson to .45 Thompson
• Beat Cop to Beat Cop (2).
• Stick to the Plan (I suggest sticking Act of Desperation + Emergency Cache + Dodge. Dodge can sometimes be switched to Dynamite Blast depending on the scenario)
• Keen Eye is a great card when you have the cash to spare.
• Elusive is a really great card for Zoey. It's been tabooed to cost 2 xp but it's still worth it. Especially since you can Stick it to the Plan if needed (if in crypts or temples for example...).
• More heavy weapons of your choice and taste (replacing the enchanted blades). I have a weak spot for the Flamethrower myself, but to be honest - I never felt the need for superheavy weapons myself. Zoey's Cross is often enough to soften up the toughest monsters, so is a well timed stick of dynamite

I eventually replaced Worth Fighting For with Agency Backup. It's an expensive, almost silly card, but great fun and rather effective at finding clues in high shroud locations. Zoey can certainly afford the backup once she get rolling. The upgraded Enchanted Blade is cool too (Horror healing! Free cards!). I'm a big fan of Stand Together (cards and resources and 2 willpower pips to boot!) and Vicious Blow (2) as well. If you're swimming in Xp, you can even trade the Unexpected Courages for Physical Training :) . The new I've Had Worse (2) can also replace the Dodges. Guardians are spoiled for choice when it comes to spending experience. :)

Good luck out there. <3