The Path to Carcosa

[Tabs]

How do you create a new subforum, Mr. Handy?--I wish to move some old threads.

[Mr. Handy]

You need to log into the Administrative Control Panel. There's a link at the bottom center of the page when you're logged into the regular site. Once you log in again (with the same credentials), you can click on the Forums tab and create a new forum. You'll probably want to make sure the dice roller is always enabled when you select the settings for it, as it's turned off by default.

[Tabs]

Thanks


Player Deck

Control our own decks? Build and draw using arkhamdb.com , editing it and then posting cards to your investigator in this forum; cards in hand to be kept secret from each other.

[Mr. Handy]

You're welcome.

Do I need to register at the site in order to build and use decks? I can't remember if the rules say that we have to keep our cards in hand secret, but it's no problem to hide them in a spoiler button.

[Tabs]

Yes, see “Table Talk” p.12 Learn to Play rule book https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.c ... ay_web.pdf

And yes, register at arkhamdb. It’s really useful, for example when you build a deck the legal card choices are shown.

Also, I shan’t peek at your investigator thread so no need for spoilers.

[Mr. Handy]

I've built my deck. I'll be Mark Harrigan. I can't publish my deck yet, as I registered less than 24 hours ago. The link is here, but I don't think you'll be able to see it if it's not published. With this character, it was easier to just decide which cards not to take rather than which ones to take.

[Tabs]

There were plenty who returned from the war broken in body or spirit. But Mark Harrigan had witnessed horrors he could not explain. His beloved Sophie believed him when he wrote her about the things he saw - not the men killing other men, but the other things. The creatures. When he came home and went to visit her, he found the reasons she believed him: she had one of the creatures inside her, eating her from the inside out. As he watched in helpless horror, she faded away into the air, screaming as thing finished its meal. Now everyone thinks Mark Harrigan is crazy. Maybe he's finally lost it, after all. But he knows the monsters are real, and he will not rest until every last one is dead.

Great!--we may need a bit of muscle. I'm going for the polar opposite of Wendy and a Seeker to boot.



Nobody believes him, and why should they? How could six stars vanish from sight all at once, never to reappear? Astronomer and Miskatonic University professor Norman Withers had all but given up on regaining his colleagues' esteem when a protege of the renowned Albert Einstein comes to speak on campus. The visiting physicist, with unsettling theories about the curvature of space-time, may hold the key to helping Norman explain the phenomenon of the vanishing stars...

Oh! his ability is a cool one. I've not built my deck yet, but when I've drawn my starting hand I'll reveal the next card from his deck.

[Mr. Handy]

Nice! Our characters should make a good team. I actually have the book Norman Withers comes in (got it on sale a while ago), but I haven't had time to read it yet.

[Tabs]

That should be a fun little read, I wonder if it's available for the Kindle?

Here's Norman's deck https://arkhamdb.com/deck/view/569889 BTW it's useful to Clone your deck then you're ready for the next scenario, just upgrade.

Encounter Cards

I've got all the cards before me so I think it'd be easiest for me to draw both of ours from my deck?

Difficulty

Easy?--I want to experience the story. Here's the tokens p.2 https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.c ... de_eng.pdf



Chaos Tokens

Each using the physical tokens or use an app instead?

[Mr. Handy]

I'm not sure. I got that book and the one with Carolyn Fern in the same sale on miniaturemarket.com.

Here is my published deck, and I cloned it as well.

Yes, you can draw both of our Encounter cards.

I'm fine with playing on Easy, especially considering how often we get our heads handed to us in later scenarios when playing Standard.m

I'd like to just use the dice roller for my Chaos Bag draws. It's easier than gathering and drawing physical tokens for me. You're free to draw them however you please.

[Tabs]

Good to see.32 and Dynamite.

What you said about the Chaos Bag is fine, just do what’s easiest for yourself.



Prologue

You turn over the folded program in your hand, reading it for what seems like the hundredth time. “Miskatonic Playhouse presents: The King in Yellow,” it reads. “A special one-night engagement at Arkham’s very own Ward Theatre. An irresistible drama in two acts. Production staged and directed by Nigel Engram.” The cast is a small ensemble, with one unatributed credit at the end: “The Stranger.”

To have such a highly anticipated play come to Arkham all the way from Paris is a noteworthy event, even if it is just for one night. For weeks leading up to the show, it was the talk of the town. It seemed so unassuming...and yet, you have evidence something sinister is at work. It started with the disappearance of one of the stagehands at the theatre—a boy of only seventeen who missed rehearsal one night and was never seen again. Then, less than two weeks before the performance, there was the musician whose corpse was found with a gun in its mouth. Perhaps most chilling was the crazed man the coppers had picked up in Independence Square who had been ranting and raving about the “King’s return.” He was brought to Arkham Asylum, and you were surprised to discover that he was not alone in his delusions.

Finding these events suspicious, you and your companions have delved deeper into the matter. Although no connection can be proven, these weren’t the only strange events surrounding the up-and-coming play. Instances of suicide and madness have followed in its wake, and you are determined to discover why.

The lights in the auditorium dim, and a spotlight shines on the stage. What unfolds is not quite what you expected. Slow-paced and monotonous, the first act of The King in Yellow is a tedious bore. The setting and characters are compelling, but the meandering and nonsensical story does little to entertain or inform. You begin to wonder whether the dreadful events surrounding The King in Yellow aren’t connected, after all. Perhaps it was just your overactive imagination; how could such a trivial and unassuming show cause such pandemonium? You are surprised when the first act closes without any rising action or revelation. The lights rise for the intermission, and you consider leaving early, stifling a yawn. Before you are able to decide, however, you find yourself drifting...drifting...to sleep.

Scenario I: Curtain Call

You awaken with a start, as though shaken by an unseen force. You must have slept for quite some time, for there are only a few other patrons in the audience, and no performers on stage. The lights are dimmed, and the stage curtains are tattered and ripped, though you do not remember that being the case during the first act. You wait a moment before you are sure this isn’t part of the performance. As you wait, a foul but unrecognizable smell permeates the air. How long have you been asleep? Shaking off your drowsiness, you walk toward one of the seated patrons and ask for the time, but he does not respond. It is then that you realize you are speaking to a corpse.



Norman Withers sidesteps along the row to another patron. This one appears to be breathing!

"That chap is dead" he says in a tremulous voice, pointing at the corpse





Theatre -> Backstage -> Lobby
Lobby -> Theatre -> Balcony -> ?
Backstage -> Theatre -> ?
Balcony -> Theatre -> Lobby

[Mr. Handy]

Prologue

"My watch stopped," mutters Mark Harrigan, checking it as he gradually comes to his senses. "How long was I out?" He looks around, stunned. It's like being back in the the war again, bodies all around. "Is this real? Are you seeing it too?" he asks Norman WIthers, the only other person still alive in here.

OOC,I'm not sure if I'm drawing cards correctly. I drew 5 cards from my cloned deck, but one was a Weakness. I left the page to check the rules and saw that it gets reshuffled and a new card drawn in its place, but when I went back and drew another card, there appeared to be no record of my previous five draws. The card I drew was not one of the original five, so it's okay for now, but I'm not sure if it will stay that way. If I draw a card identical to one of my starting hand, I won't know if it's the same one or the second copy in my deck in the event that I have two cards of that type in my deck. I also don't know if my Weakness got reshuffled.

[Tabs]

I couldn’t see my cards either, I wonder if the site is down?—I’ll check later.



Norman blinks several times and holds his forearm to his brow “It seems real” He examines the back of his hand, then looks up “I— I think it is very real

“Looks like we’re in this together” he says at last, thinking of the goings on in Arkham and why he came here tonight “I'm Norman Withers” and he extends his hand.

His revealed card --what a super asset!

Everything seems okay now. I drew 5 cards for Norman, this included a weakness so I drew a sixth, didn't like em--mulligan--and drew 5 more, copied them to his investigator thread and then edited arkhamdb; after this I drew his revealed card [above] and edited again https://arkhamdb.com/deck/view/571106

[Mr. Handy]

Prologue

"Mark Harrigan," says Mark, shaking the professor's hand with a strong grip. "We should look around, see if we can find out what happened and if there are any other survivors. We can split up to cover more ground. How about I check the lobby?"

OOC,That is an excellent card! Would you like to go first, or should I? I see what I did wrong. I didn't realize that I had to manually remove drawn cards from my deck. I had thought maybe it could automatically track card draws. I've never actually taken a mulligan. Of course, most of the time I was playing Sefina Rousseau, who can't. My card draw isn't quite as useful at the outset, but it probably will be later, so I think I'll keep it.

[Tabs]

You can go first. I want to play an Ally and the Fieldwork card, but to take advantage of it I need more than one action left. I plan to gain a resource with my last action



“Pleased you’re here, Mr. Harrigan. I’ll go Backstage. But first, I’d like to check on everyone here—maybe there’s other survivors”

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 1 Investigator Phase

"All right," says Mark. "Be careful, and if you need help, call out. Whoever is responsible may still be around." He heads back into the lobby.

OOC,Action 1: Move to Lobby.

[Tabs]

Revealing a new location, that's something you could do yourself. At arkhamdb just type "lobby" in the search bar, there's a few options but it should be clear which card it is and the pic is the same as the one I've already posted of the unrevealed side.

1 clue

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 1 Investigator Phase

The lobby is much darker than Mark had thought it would be, and he's shocked to see that the exit doors are gone. He heads upstairs to the balcony to search for other people and tries to track down a shadowy figure moving around.

OOC,Action 2: Move to Balcony. Action 3: Investigate (Intellect 2 + 2[Unexpected Courage] = 4 vs. 2 Shroud): [dice]0[/dice] [spoiler]1: +1 2: +1 3: 0 4: 0 5: 0 6: -1 7: -1 8: -1 9: -2 10: -2 11: skull 12: skull 13: skull 14: tentacles 15: elder sign[/spoiler] 0. Success! 1 clue gained.

[Tabs]

Turn 1 Investigator Phase

1 Play card, spending 4 resources

2 Play card, spending 1 resource

Reveal top card --

3 Gain 1 resource

Norman Withers shakes the shoulder of everyone in the audience; he's very systematic in his task (he's a good scientist) feeling that it's his duty to check on everyone. The smell pervading the theatre is awful, and Norman covers his nose with his poker dot handkerchief. One fat soul wheezes and coughs when shaken

"Can you walk?" asks Withers

"Y--Yes, I think I can"

"It's all crazy weird in here, but we're going to get to the root of it, whatever it is. Join us, Mr.--"

"Dr. MIlan Christopher, at your service. We?"

"There's another survivor, capable chap. Harrigan is his name. He's off exploring"

[Mr. Handy]

Turn 1 Upkeep Phase

OOC,Gain 1 resource and draw 1 card. Nice start! The duplicate card is good for an Intellect icon at least, or for any effect that requires you to discard a card. Since you have him in play now, it's probably more efficient to use actions for investigation rather than gain resources, as you get one for free anyway if you succeed. However, I don't know which cards you have. You might need 2 resources for something.