The Dunwich Legacy Cycle: A Light Review, Part I

This is a light review for the entire Dunwich Legacy Campaign for Arkham Horror:The Card Game, which includes the deluxe box (which begins the cycle with new investigators, two scenarios, and a number of cards across all the attribute sets) as well as all six of the chapter packs. I will do my best to avoid spoilers to the stories, but information about the new cards for the investigators is readily available everywhere online there are deck databases. Mostly, I'll try and indicate how good the story is and whether the scenarios are fun because of the way they are setup. This does not include the followup set Return to the Dunwich Legacy. I'm going to record my impressions as I work my way through the campaign, so it'll be an odd combo of session reports and reviews.

The Dunwich Cycle was released in 2017 and was the first campaign set delivered by Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) for the game. It very recently (early summer 2020) was reprinted by FFG. If you are interested in getting into the game with a full cycle of available stuff, this is a great time and place to start. Because I was able to get the full set all at once, I elected to open all the packs and make all of the investigator cards available from the outset. For the investigator cards, FFG randomly spreads them out throughout the cycle and there is no "logical" order to them and no reason to wait until you get to a particular chapter before using those cards. For a new cycle, you would normally have to wait - I had the luxury of not needing to do so. Because of this, I won't give impressions on the cards each "set" contains - I've already mixed them all together.

I put together decks for a couple of new investigators to give them a try. The new investigators are limited to the standard cards, one area of expertise and five (5) level zero cards from any of the other sets, which gives them a slightly interesting flavor of your choosing. 

For this playthrough/review I choose to play with: Jim Culver and Jenny Barnes. 

Jim is solidly based on using Mystic cards (purple), so I built him around cards that allow him to investigate and fight using his spells and then things to either ward off the horrors that come from dipping into the mystic world or healing those wounds. 

Because a lot of those skills/spells are willpower based, I also leaned a little towards cards that increased his willpower. I wasn't planning that he'd be the fighter, but a couple of his spells let him use his willpower to damage the bad guys, so I'm hoping he can at least hold his own.

Jenny Barnes is a dilettante who is an above average jack-of-all-trades. She is solidly based on Rogue cards (which I really enjoy. She rakes in the resources which lets her gets solid cards into play, including her twin guns. 

A lot of the rogue cards let you avoid the fight and some let you get in a parting shot/sneak attack after exhausting the bad guys. She also has a few tricks up her sleeves (wait, she doesn't have sleeves) and she is actually a really good all round investigator. I'm not sure being a jack of all trades is the way to go, but we'll find out.

Dunwich Deluxe Set

There are two scenarios to start the campaign and you get to decide on the order they are played, with some variation in setup based on which you do "earlier" in the evening. This is a nice touch for replaying the campaign, because you can immediately add some variability just by switching this up. I started the campaign, promptly got savaged and resigned before anything interesting happened. I then took so long to get back to the game that I couldn't recall anything that happened (which was nothing), so I restarted and had a much longer and more interesting session with the Extra Curricular Activity scenario (which takes place at the famed Miskatonic University). The scenario is interesting, albeit a little straight forward, with a fun little twist towards the end.

The second starter scenario (which could be considered a part II to the first scenario depending on how you look at it or want to count it) - The House Always Wins is a nice change of pace from "the normal run around and test knowledge to gain clues" using a twist that changes up how you get clues. I enjoyed how it worked thematically and it appears to have setup some things down the road of this cycle. 

Overall (storywise), the deluxe set seems to be a good starter. The pair of scenarios make for good 1-2 punch combo for setting the stage. The new investigators are interesting as well and altogether have set my interest for the remaining cycle, which is what the setup should do. Lots of new cards to look at and delve into for your deck building fun.

The Miskatonic Museum

The first scenario pack didn't disappoint (despite  some comments I have seen that the story didn't feel like it fit). I don't want to give a whole lot away, but I will say that I like that they included a number of location cards which means replays of this scenario should be valid and new feeling (at least for a second spin). It does use the tried and true - location you want shuffled into the bottom half of the location cards - trick, which means there is a sort of a forced timer where you have to grind through to get to the location (a little like the forest scenario (last scenario) from the base game).

In my playing, I ended up SUPER frustrated by locked doors and barriers (and some bad bag draws), which is just how things go sometimes. I felt very well equipped (deck-wise), but the encounter deck setup is designed to frustrate you and luck was not with me at all this evening - Jenny went down for the count due to a hex.

Minor spoiler! I did enjoy one minor story element where I met an ally and keeping him alive through the night meant not having to add a bad chaos token to the bag for the rest of the campaign. This plot point was not over bearing, just a nice little addition.

The Essex County Express

The second of the the scenario packs takes place on a train! A train that you are forced to race through to try and reach the engine before bad things happen. As with most of the scenarios so far, there are multiple locations that are randomized for your play through to make the scenario more replayable. Both investigators were defeated (the toils of the investigations are stacking up on me), but I was also one draw from "winning" (Jim Cutler was already pummeled out of the game, but Jenny had a chance).

This scenario felt slightly shorter than the others thus far, though that might have been partly the forced urgency of the scenario. Things have been fun to this point, though the story thread through each scenario has not been particularly strong thus far. Individually the scenarios have been good, just not tied together with anything other than the bits to start each scenario. 

I'm at the halfway point of the campaign now, and so far so good. The story has evolved a little slowly, but I've been getting peeks and hints. The individual scenarios haven't been bad. Despite having some fun cards for my team, I certainly don't feel in control or overpowered at all - which is how it should be for a game with this kind of theme. I'm excited for the second half of things to come.

Nine Great Games (as far as I'm concerned)

You may have seen this pic-art you can build on Pub Meeple. I finally got around to making one (because you know, COVID, and I was bored). It was a little harder than I thought it would be. Figuring out the first six of them were pretty easy, but the last three were tough. I had to really start playing scenarios out in my head to figure out which game I'd rather play of X vs Y vs Z. 

And some great games missed the cut. Games I'd play in a heartbeat, but with a caveat (like with the right people). With the games that made the cut, I'd pretty much play anytime, with anyone new or seasoned in the game. I'd be happy to teach the game, or "test my mettle" against an expert. Anyway...

Honorable Mentions

These are the ones that I love, but it'd depend on the situation and players, so they didn't make the nine.

• Tichu - I love card games and Tichu (and three handed, Chimera) is such an excellent game that it was hard to leave off the list. But... it is a partner game and knowing your partner makes a difference in how much you enjoy the game. It just missed the cut.
• Marvel Legendary - I love this game, but the tabletop version takes work to setup, play, and teardown. And when COVID locked us down, I played a bunch solo. And then I found Marvel Champions which scratches a similar thematic itch, but with less effort. Again, just missed the cut today. Still a great game.
• Samurai - oh I really really love this game. Against players of equal skill. Everyone has to know how to play and play at all player counts. Want to learn? I'll teach you, but the weak player tends to throw the game to the player after them, which means I rarely get to play this.

The Nine

At least as of today, if someone wanted to play these games with me, it'd be a no brainer. If I was at a convention, I'd play one of these over anything else almost without hesitation. I'm going to start with Combat Commander (I have written about CC a lot of times) because it might be my favorite game of all time, but I'll do the rest in the order of the pictures rather than trying to rank them.

Combat Commander: Europe (and Mediterranean)

If you just opened the box and looked inside, Combat Commander looks like your standard GMT grognard affair - folded paper maps, tons of chits in little trays, and decks of cards. Behind the somewhat spartan war-game look hides an amazing game. I am not a wargamer. I don't care about trying to replay historical battles to change history. The thing I love about Combat Commander is that every game is more than just a game, its a whole experience. I can remember so many specifics about games of Combat Commander that I've played - and so do the people I've played against.

And it isn't just some moment of the game that was awesome, the entirety of each game has this narrative that is immersive. It is as if you were thrown into Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers. The chaos of war grabs hold of you and there are moments where 15 minutes into the game you are sure you have no chance of surviving for another 15 minutes and then suddenly that machine gun that had all your units pinned downed jams and reinforcements arrive, giving you new life. Or a fire starts and the wind shifts and the blaze is headed your way and you are forced to give up the cover of buildings you were in. And that stalemate you had with the Russians is suddenly your units out in the open running everywhere to get away from them before they can open fire.

It is simply an amazingly good time. 

Viticulture + Tuscany

I wrote a review of Viticulture a while ago and if you want the in-depth details, please, go read it. Suffice to say, when combined with the Tuscany expansion, Viticulture is a really good worker placement game about owning a vineyard (and possibly an orchid and garden and cheese factory). I really enjoy the theme and the gameplay and the options - there are lots of ways to score points and win. You can literally win without ever making wine (which doesn't sound thematic, but whatever). 

Unfortunately, I think most people are only ever exposed to the Essential Ed. of Viticulture, which is just ok - it feels like half a game after experiencing the grandeur of the full Collectors edition. If you play, it has to be the big board with structures and specialty meeples. Trust me.

Power Grid

Is there any boardgamer out there that hasn't played Power Grid and needs me to explain it? It is simply one of the best auction Euros ever made. It is the perfect blend of auctions, positioning and timing and back in the day, my game group would play this every week (which happened with no other game ever). Some people complain that it is too "mathy". There is some math, but it isn't just a counting exercise by any means. If you think it is, you are playing with the wrong crowd. I'm also not the only person that thinks this. In competition for "best game of all time" PG has finished at or near the top FAR more than other games.

Orléans

Orléans is one of those games I took a flyer on, having read a good preview of, and it turned out to be even better than I could have expected. Its a bag builder, worker placement, euro-point salad kind of deal. We have a bunch of expansion buildings for the game, which give it a nice bit of variability in the approaches we take each game. (on a personal note, I like this one a lot because I can't seem to beat my love - she kicks my ass every time we play either head-to-head or with others).

I love that the bag draws force you to play tactically, but it isn't just tactical play, you have to have a plan as well. Just talking about this one means I'm going to get this out sooner rather than later I think.

Kingdom Builder

Kingdom Builder is one of those fast playing abstracts with variable abilities (which you earn due to your placements on the board) add variable scoring, which makes each game a little like a puzzle and you have something amazing. Because of the limited size of the board, it plays differently with different numbers of players but ultimately it works pretty decently. There is a little randomness in where you can place, but smart choices can mitigate that. When you have a REALLY bad streak of luck, you can get screwed, but games are fast, so you don't have to feel too bad about a bad luck streak. This is way under-rated.

Eldritch Horror

Let's call this the "spiritual successor" to Arkham Horror (2nd ed). For a tabletop game, I think this might be the finest Lovecraftian game FFG has produced. This is a big co-op game of investigators trying to stop the end of the world from bizarre terrors and cults that are worshipping horrific beings from other realms. If the theme is not your cup of tea, then you aren't going to like this one, but I find this another great game that tells a decently coherent story (unlike AH 2nd). The fact that there are all these little story bits and that it can all be tied together so well is a testament to the design. When you start adding in the expansions, you have an almost endless set of stories. Like a lot of co-ops, when things start going bad, it can be hard to stop, but in a game where the mood is grim from the start, it just fits.

Steam

This is the revision of Age of Steam, that as far as I'm concerned, cleaned up the rough edges of AoS. Both are good games, I just think the mechanics here are cleaner (and the game isn't so brutal to new players). If you've never played either - it is a train game. You are building track to move goods from one point to another (before someone else does). You have to be able to play both for the moment as well as being able to plan ahead, because if you don't, your future "now" is going to suck. And you are not in a vacuum - the board is not wide open, its cut throat and tight. Despite a small set of things to do in the game, it is wonderfully thinky and meaty.

Ticket to Ride

Has anyone not played Ticket to Ride? There are at least what? 4-5 base versions, countless expansions, great app versions, a web version, etc... Its popularity speaks to what a good game it is. It is a great family game for casual players and yet is interesting enough to keep gamers coming back to it. This is one of the few games I have played an app version of that I like equally as much in both formats. I also really like that the expansion maps just tweak the game, but tweak it enough to make each map fresh and different feeling. It is also great at player counts from 2-6, which is amazing as well.

Crokinole

This might be the least well known of the games on the list. Some boardgamers "know of" Crokinole but have never played due to lack of access to a board. Boards are big and largely expensive (relatively speaking). I got my board about 13 years back and baring an accident, it'll get passed down to my daughter someday. My appreciation for my one-of-a-kind Crokinole board aside, this is as simple a dexterity game as there could be. Take turns flicking disks, trying to slide your disks as close to (or into) the center of the board, while knocking or blocking your opponent's disks. A good board should be slicker than ice, so control and accuracy are important and what make this such a great game of skill. This is great head-to-head or in teams. The most important rule of the game? You have to always have at least one cheek on your chair.

And yes, like I said, I'd play pretty much all of these at the drop of a hat. They are all great games that I love for one reason or another.

Marvel Champions - Scenario and Hero Pack reviews

With any Living Card Game (LCG) from Fantasy Flight Games (FFG), the meat of the game comes from the never ending stream of new content. While the base game for Marvel Champions is decent right out of the box, with the kind of IP available from Marvel comics, getting a new slew of heroes and villains was never a question of if, but only how much and how soon.

Scenario Packs are new bad guys and new modular sets that can be used with any of the scenarios in order to keep things fresh and new (even while beating up the Rhino for the 800th time). 

Hero Packs on the other hand, not only give you a new hero to play, but introduce a wide variety of new cards. Each hero pack comes fully setup with a set of aspect and standard cards (making them playable out of the box) and three copies of a single card for each of the other aspects in the game. Getting these hero packs not only expands your hero choices, but starts to really give you some options when it comes to building decks and customizing the aspect cards in your deck (and even a little bit with some new standard cards as well). 

  

The Green Goblin Scenario Pack was the first scenario pack released for FFG's LCG Marvel Champions. This scenario pack, based around the Green Goblin, is actually two new scenarios and also includes four new modular encounters (though one of the four modules is very Green Goblin specific). 

If you are looking for a decent change in pace, then the scenario Risky Business is going to be right up your alley - Norman Osborne (the Green Goblin's alter ego) starts the show and has to be driven to the edge of madness for the Green Goblin to come out and play. Managing threat until you are ready for an all out attack takes some planning and timing because the Green Goblin is not only nasty, but he doesn't stay out too long before changing back to Norman. It's a good change up from the straight beat em up of the others.

Mutagenic Formula (the second scenario) is almost a straight plot steal from Spider-man and His Amazing Friends (the old Saturday morning cartoon from the 80's). Here you are just going up against the GG in a scenario that feels a little like an amped up version of Klaw's scenario - there are a lot of minions to deal with and GG can be nasty. 

One thing to note, while the Risky Business scenario is original feeling, it feels pretty easy to manage. Because Norman can't attack and the Green Goblin can't scheme, it's actually fairly straight forward during the early parts of the game to get yourself a breather when the GG comes out by switching to your alter-ego for some healing.

Overall, it is a decent enough couple of scenarios and the new modular encounters add some new variety to your base game, but not enough so to change your world view of Marvel Champions. Solid B

Captain America was one of the first wave of hero packs released. This package comes fully ready to play, with a full starter setup of new and existing cards. 

Captain America comes with a set of Leadership aspect cards geared towards his allies - combined with his own cards geared towards his shield and you have the two things that make him a great hero. When you mix you and build your own Leadership set for Cap, you don't have to feel bad adding extra Avengers in, as new leadership cards can expand the number of allies you are allowed AND make it easier to get them in play. A new standard card will even make an ally an honorary Avenger (which is 0 cost and give the ally an additional HP).

Captain America is a great addition to your collection of heroes - he's really flexible and powerful, and doesn't take quite the time that Black Panther and Iron-Man do to get running. 

The downside to Cap? He can make the game feel on "easy mode" at times, but the cards you get for the set make him an A+

The Black Widow is a recent release that likely was meant to coincide with the MCU Black Widow movie (now slated for release at the end of 2020). As with other Hero Packs, Black Widow comes ready to play out of the box with a full set of Justice aspect cards and standard cards (new and old).

The Black Widow cards are centered around the idea that she is a SPY (you may have seen this key word on some allies already) and that as one of the top spies in the world, she has prepared for whatever might be thrown her way.

As such, there are quite a few cards that are Preparation cards - and they are plentiful and inexpensive. She isn't a big hitter (she can have her moments though) but she is pretty good at neutralizing whatever is thrown her way. By the time you cycle through her deck, she probably is ready to start whittling down the villain. 

She does take some time to get setup and I'm not sure how well her best traits would play with another aspect, but as she is, she is decent fun and the cards that come in her pack are welcome additions for other heroes that want to play Justice too. B+

Dr. Strange is literally the latest release in North America, having arrived July 3, 2020. If you have heard anything about this Dr. Strange pack, it is that he might be a little over-powered. I'm here to confirm that.

Dr. Strange is different from the other hero packs in the makeup of the cards you receive. While he is indeed playable straight out of the box (like the other hero packs), the cards you get are a little different because of the 5 card "spell deck". You still receive the 15 Dr. Strange cards and enough Protection aspects cards and standard cards. In order to "make up" for the extra cards, The Iron Man Leadership card is included (only 1) and no Justice cards (3 of an aggression card are included). 

Dr. Strange's main ability is to exhaust and then you pay the cost to cast the top (face-up) card in the spell deck. Which you will want to do a lot. Thankfully, his cloak allows you to ready Dr. Strange (one time per turn) so assuming you can pay for it, you can get off a couple of his spells.

The allure of his spells and the reason you keep hearing that Dr. Strange is over-powered is that his spells really allow you to control the game (moreso in solo mode). You will constantly be giving up to three of your characters "toughness", making the villain stunned or confused, taking that toughness off a bad guy and making him any other status you like, etc.

And while he's not a huge damage dealer, one of his five spells does 7 damage and a stun. Another card in the Dr. Strange deck does a nice 5 damage plus a random bonus based on the top card of your draw pile. So while he's not going to deliver the hits like She-Hulk or Captain Marvel, he can deliver a hit when he needs, while he utterly controls the rest of the game. 

If you are playing solo, you might need to up the difficulty a bit to get a reasonable challenge. Dr. Strange (Protection) does a good job of neutralizing threats long enough for you to take care of things in your own time. You also won't see a ton of cards for your other aspects. That said, he's fun and should put something new in your toolbox. A-