Marion Carcosa Book of War

I'm playing this in a two investigator campaign of Path to Carcosa, and I just completed the Pallid Mask. The other investigator is a cluever Norman. Most important cards: Stick to the Plan, Sleuth, The Book of War, One-Two Punch, Ever Vigilant, "Get over here!" Miscellaneous thoughts: Overall, I think Marion is a blast to play, and really effective too. Not having a Huge-Ass Weapon in a Guardian deck is genuinely refreshing, and I appreciate the variety that the hand slot limitation encourages/forces.

Set-up: This deck is very good at getting players set up fast by putting Ever Vigilant into Stick to the Plan, then playing Stand Together/Emergency Cache + Ever Vigilant in the same action. For extra efficiency, put out Sleuth, then use the resources on it to pay for some of The Book of War. If I had more than two investigators in my team, I'd probably bring two copies of Ever Vigilant.

Tactic suite: I chose a Tactic-focused game plan that used The Book of War to recur important Tactics events like One-Two Punch and "Get over here!". I definitely added a few non-Tactic events like A Glimmer of Hope (which I have solely for the icons) and Hunter's Mark, but if I were playing this deck again, I'd try to go harder on Tactic events. Sleuth is an important part of this build because it helps you play The Book of War and your Tactic events for cheaper, and gives you a skill boost for tests on those events. Stick to the Plan: My first xp upgrade, and well worth it. I like to put Ever Vigilant, One-Two Punch, and Dynamite Blast/"Get over here!" in it. Trait: I chose Fortune kind of on a whim. While I'd like to try another trait in the future. I'm content with this decision.

Ally: I used Tetsuo Mori as my ally for a few scenarios with the idea that he could help soak damage for the other investigator and would help me find my book when he dies. However, I found that he wasn't really giving me as much value as I wanted, especially as Marion's high card draw (for Guardian) made it so I didn't have many issues getting my book. Beat Cop is working out much better for me.

But how can I fight with no weapon?: Marion's strength value of 4 is good, but not great. Beat Cop gets me to 5, which is a lot more comfortable, especially combined with Wolf Mask and Sleuth. For extra damage, One-Two Punch and Vicious Blow are the stars of the show, as well as the occasional Dynamite Blast.

Clueing: Marion's book value of 3 isn't fabulous, but it works well enough for low-shroud locations. Scene of the Crime is also helpful. I'd probably add in a copy of Breach the Door and/or On the Trail if I was doing this deck again for their efficiency and Tactic synergy.