Arkham Horror The Card Game Undimensioned and Unseen mythos pack unboxing and review
The Arkham Horror card game
is excellent, and its really exciting to see another expansion products, to get a
feel for where FFG are going with the game, and progress your players OWN story. The first expansion we got
to see after the main game was the deluxe Dunwich Legacy pack, and that was a cracker! then we took a trip into the Miskatonic Museum,
Not to mention some diversions to Venice for Carnevale of Horrors, then we even had got to trek through the Bayous in Curse if the Rougarou. Then of course a nice gentle ride on the Essex County Express. A brief stop at Blood on the Altar and now it seems that EVERYTHING is against our investigators in the latest pack.. Undimensioned and Unseen leading us down a route that may lead to madness.
Things are definitely getting weird. By the time your pursuit of two missing professors leads you through The Dunwich Legacy cycle to the scenario from Undimensioned and Unseen, you'll have traveled far from the familiar comforts of Arkham, and you'll have witnessed things you know no one would ever believe. You'll have encountered strange, extra-dimensional entities, and you'll find yourself neck-deep in furtive cultists and their sacrifices.
Inundated with information about "Ancient Ones" and unholy rituals, you'll suddenly find yourself forced to destroy terrifying, monstrous creatures that are literally impervious to everything in your arsenal…
Lets pop it open and take a look. As always no spoilers of encounter cards, just player cards, I don't want to ruin what may happen.
As always the scenario sheet, with the ways to play and background, and on the reverse the resolutions, which i am not going to share do not worry! You do get 2 copies of each player card as well.
A mystery within a mystery, the adventure you'll enjoy with Undimensioned and Unseen carries you ever closer to your ultimate goal, even as it challenges you to track down whatever Esoteric Formula (Undimensioned and Unseen, 254) may allow you to defeat a number of otherwise invulnerable Abominations. And it demands that you find this formula quickly… lest you should no longer be the hunter, but the hunted!
Additionally, since the Mythos Pack's scenario pushes you into combat with unfathomable creatures, many of its player cards present new ways to fight and investigate—offering you some limited means to advance your efforts—even as you teeter on the brink of despair. Others, however, introduce surprising new ways for your investigator to interact with the adventure, and this is the case with the skill card, Quick Thinking (Undimensioned and Unseen, 229).
Because Quick Thinking features the "wild" question mark icon, it can
be committed to any skill test attempted by you or another investigator
at your site. Then if the test succeeds by two or more, you can
immediately take an action as though it were your turn—even if it is not your turn.
In its simplest form, then, Quick Thinking allows you to pad your
investigator's skill test for greater peace of mind and the chance at an
extra action, but its potential value increases whenever you commit it
to a fellow investigator's skill test.
As an example, you can imagine a turn in which Rex Murphy (The Dunwich Legacy, 2) finds himself confronted by an enemy at a time when the team really needs him to focus on investigating his location for clues. Jenny Barnes (The Dunwich Legacy, 3) might race to his aid, using one action to move and two more actions to blast at the enemy with her Twin .45s (The Dunwich Legacy, 10). Her first shot might wound the beast. Her second shot might wound it further—but fail to kill it. Here, Rex has a choice; he can attempt to evade the monster, fight it, or go ahead with his investigation knowing that the monster will attack him when he turns his back to it.
At this point, traditional wisdom says it's foolish for Rex to investigate when the monster can attack him, but the clock is always ticking. If Jenny can support Rex's efforts with her Quick Thinking, and if Rex can succeed by two or more, then the time savings may prove worth the risk. Rex will suffer his damage, and he may even take a blow to his sanity. But he'll gain two clues for his efforts—since he succeeded by two—and Jenny can jump in once more with her Twin .45s to finish off the monster, leaving Rex free to investigate the location twice more, hopefully finding enough clues for the investigators to advance the act deck.
Of course, this is just one possible use for Quick Thinking, and Quick Thinking and Rite of Seeking are just two of the new player cards from Undimensioned and Unseen that may allow you to react to the strange and unpredictable challenges you'll face along your adventures.
The Guardians get If it bleeds which I have to just say in an "Arnie" voice, great reference to the Predator film. Its a 1 cost event that's fast, so doesn't cost an action. You play it after you have defeated a Monster enemy, and each investigator at your location heals horror equal to that enemies horror value, a great back up if you are low down on health.
The Springfield M1903 is a 4 experience card to add to your deck, and costs 4 resources too. It comes with 3 uses of ammo, so is a premium cost item. Though it does you give a plus 3 fight, and deals 2 extra damage, so 3 damage per shot. Downside though it cannot be used with enemies engaged with you, so you need to fire into an ongoing combat, and if you pull bad and don't hit.... the other investigator is going to hurt!
The Seekers get the Art of the pack award with Inquiring mind skill card. It can only be used in a test if there is a clue at your location but throws 3 wildcards in so can be used for whatever you need, for no cost, its really handy.
Expose Weakness is a 0 cost event thats fast and can be played in any action window of any player. You choose an enemy at your location and test lore X where X is the enemies fight value. For each success reduce the enemies fight by 1 for the next attack performed against it in this phase. Can be useful to drop down a beasty to inflict some damage.
The Rogues get opportunist, a 2XP cost skill with a a wildcard that can be committed to a test you are performing. If you pass by 2 or more, you get to put opportunist back in your hand.. nice! a little gamble, very in theme with the class.
Quick thinking is another free skill drop with a wildcard. If used and the test is successful by 2 or more, you can immediatley take an action as if it was your turn without it effecting the number of actions normally.
Lucky dice (i love the sub text "Or are they....") is a 2 cost asset, also 2 xp cost it has a reaction, that after you reveal a chaos token, pay 2 resources to ignore it and draw again, very handy if its a bad result, but if its a tentacle, the dice are discarded... perhaps summoned back to where they came from!
You must rewrite the limits of possibility.
Confronted with ancient evils and otherworldly horrors, will you find the means to create new possibilities? Some may call them miracles. Other may call them magic. If you hope to survive, you will call them into being before you're devoured.
As always, this is another great installment in the game, continuing the plot line of your adventures, and making references back to previous choices as well. Full of tough decisions, and a fantastic storyline, this is a real must have for your Arkham collection. In all honesty, Arkham Horror the card game is THE best solo and coop card game around, and this is just adding to it with harder choices for deck building by providing so many new cards. I do have to warn though, this pack is HARD.... i mean none are easy.. but wow this was a challenge, rewarding though! with a great story and as always more replay value then you may think with different choices made through the campaign.
It comes in with an RRP of £14.99 so head on over to your local game store and grab yourself a pack and continue the adventure.
Come and join us in all sorts of gaming chat in our Facebook group here, and come follow us on Twitter @rollyoursix and Instagram join the chat, and tell us about your games!
Not to mention some diversions to Venice for Carnevale of Horrors, then we even had got to trek through the Bayous in Curse if the Rougarou. Then of course a nice gentle ride on the Essex County Express. A brief stop at Blood on the Altar and now it seems that EVERYTHING is against our investigators in the latest pack.. Undimensioned and Unseen leading us down a route that may lead to madness.
"We shall see that at which dogs howl in the
dark, and that at which cats prick up their ears after midnight. We
shall see these things, and other things which no breathing creature has
yet seen. We shall overleap time, space, and dimensions."
–H.P. Lovecraft, From Beyond
–H.P. Lovecraft, From Beyond
Things are definitely getting weird. By the time your pursuit of two missing professors leads you through The Dunwich Legacy cycle to the scenario from Undimensioned and Unseen, you'll have traveled far from the familiar comforts of Arkham, and you'll have witnessed things you know no one would ever believe. You'll have encountered strange, extra-dimensional entities, and you'll find yourself neck-deep in furtive cultists and their sacrifices.
Inundated with information about "Ancient Ones" and unholy rituals, you'll suddenly find yourself forced to destroy terrifying, monstrous creatures that are literally impervious to everything in your arsenal…
Lets pop it open and take a look. As always no spoilers of encounter cards, just player cards, I don't want to ruin what may happen.
A mystery within a mystery, the adventure you'll enjoy with Undimensioned and Unseen carries you ever closer to your ultimate goal, even as it challenges you to track down whatever Esoteric Formula (Undimensioned and Unseen, 254) may allow you to defeat a number of otherwise invulnerable Abominations. And it demands that you find this formula quickly… lest you should no longer be the hunter, but the hunted!
Think Quickly
If you find the thought of confronting a horde of invulnerable abominations somewhat unsettling, you can at least take heart in the fact that you'll find some new help among the twenty-two player cards in Undimensioned and Unseen (two copies each of eleven different cards). Save your experience, and you'll be able to refine your deck with a range of new Weapons, allies, Conditions, events, and Spells like the level four Rite of Seeking (Undimensioned and Unseen, 233).Additionally, since the Mythos Pack's scenario pushes you into combat with unfathomable creatures, many of its player cards present new ways to fight and investigate—offering you some limited means to advance your efforts—even as you teeter on the brink of despair. Others, however, introduce surprising new ways for your investigator to interact with the adventure, and this is the case with the skill card, Quick Thinking (Undimensioned and Unseen, 229).
As an example, you can imagine a turn in which Rex Murphy (The Dunwich Legacy, 2) finds himself confronted by an enemy at a time when the team really needs him to focus on investigating his location for clues. Jenny Barnes (The Dunwich Legacy, 3) might race to his aid, using one action to move and two more actions to blast at the enemy with her Twin .45s (The Dunwich Legacy, 10). Her first shot might wound the beast. Her second shot might wound it further—but fail to kill it. Here, Rex has a choice; he can attempt to evade the monster, fight it, or go ahead with his investigation knowing that the monster will attack him when he turns his back to it.
At this point, traditional wisdom says it's foolish for Rex to investigate when the monster can attack him, but the clock is always ticking. If Jenny can support Rex's efforts with her Quick Thinking, and if Rex can succeed by two or more, then the time savings may prove worth the risk. Rex will suffer his damage, and he may even take a blow to his sanity. But he'll gain two clues for his efforts—since he succeeded by two—and Jenny can jump in once more with her Twin .45s to finish off the monster, leaving Rex free to investigate the location twice more, hopefully finding enough clues for the investigators to advance the act deck.
Of course, this is just one possible use for Quick Thinking, and Quick Thinking and Rite of Seeking are just two of the new player cards from Undimensioned and Unseen that may allow you to react to the strange and unpredictable challenges you'll face along your adventures.
The Springfield M1903 is a 4 experience card to add to your deck, and costs 4 resources too. It comes with 3 uses of ammo, so is a premium cost item. Though it does you give a plus 3 fight, and deals 2 extra damage, so 3 damage per shot. Downside though it cannot be used with enemies engaged with you, so you need to fire into an ongoing combat, and if you pull bad and don't hit.... the other investigator is going to hurt!
Expose Weakness is a 0 cost event thats fast and can be played in any action window of any player. You choose an enemy at your location and test lore X where X is the enemies fight value. For each success reduce the enemies fight by 1 for the next attack performed against it in this phase. Can be useful to drop down a beasty to inflict some damage.
Quick thinking is another free skill drop with a wildcard. If used and the test is successful by 2 or more, you can immediatley take an action as if it was your turn without it effecting the number of actions normally.
Lucky dice (i love the sub text "Or are they....") is a 2 cost asset, also 2 xp cost it has a reaction, that after you reveal a chaos token, pay 2 resources to ignore it and draw again, very handy if its a bad result, but if its a tentacle, the dice are discarded... perhaps summoned back to where they came from!
The Survivors get the 3 cost assett Dark Horse, which is a condition that is limited to 1 per investigator. During the upkeep phase, you may choose to not gain a resource, and if there are no resources in your pool you get a +1 across the board on your stats.
Survival instinct is a 2XP skill with 2 agility. If the test you use it in is successful during an evasion attempt you may immediately evade every other enemy engaged and move to a connecting location.
The Mystics get Alyssa Graham, a 4 cost asset ally. She gives you +1 lore and as an action can be exhausted to look at the top card of either the encounter deck, or any player deck. You may then add 1 doom to her to place the looked at card on the bottom. Could well be worth it if its a hideous encounter, or a useless card on your deck and you are in a pinch.
Rite of Seeking is a 4XP cost 5 resource cost spell with 3 charges. You can spend a charge to investigate using intellect instead of lore with a plus 2. If you succeed though you get 2 additional clues so can really motor through the location. But if a symbol is drawn, you lose your remaining actions and end the turn.
How Do You Prepare for the Impossible?
Despite their many uses, neither Quick Thinking nor any of the other player cards from Undimensioned and Unseen will provide you the means to damage the Abominations you must destroy. No weapon nor science will suffice. So how do you prepare to defeat the impossible?You must rewrite the limits of possibility.
Confronted with ancient evils and otherworldly horrors, will you find the means to create new possibilities? Some may call them miracles. Other may call them magic. If you hope to survive, you will call them into being before you're devoured.
As always, this is another great installment in the game, continuing the plot line of your adventures, and making references back to previous choices as well. Full of tough decisions, and a fantastic storyline, this is a real must have for your Arkham collection. In all honesty, Arkham Horror the card game is THE best solo and coop card game around, and this is just adding to it with harder choices for deck building by providing so many new cards. I do have to warn though, this pack is HARD.... i mean none are easy.. but wow this was a challenge, rewarding though! with a great story and as always more replay value then you may think with different choices made through the campaign.
It comes in with an RRP of £14.99 so head on over to your local game store and grab yourself a pack and continue the adventure.
Come and join us in all sorts of gaming chat in our Facebook group here, and come follow us on Twitter @rollyoursix and Instagram join the chat, and tell us about your games!
Comments
Post a Comment