New Hastur Card - CoC

[fatolaf]

Don't get too excited Nick, not out for a while yet..

Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the Old One. I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not throw dice.
     – Albert Einstein

Nor is it to be thought (ran the text as Armitage mentally translated it) that man is either the oldest or the last of earth's masters, or that the common bulk of life and substance walks alone. The Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be. Not in the spaces we know, but between them, they walk serene and primal, undimensioned and to us unseen.
     – H.P. Lovecraft, The Dunwich Horror

The Great Old Ones are supposed to be big and scary – or at least incomprehensible enough to drive men insane at a single glimpse. Then there is apocalypse inflation going on. One of the Ancients is banished in a boating accident. Some experienced gamers casually dismiss Primordial Horrors with their friends in Arkham Horror mistakingly thinking that these Elder Aberrations are somehow a laughing matter and fun to confront on a Friday night.

Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game also has these Ancient Ones running around. Four of the seven factions are even centered around one. Each of these feature high skill, lots of icons and either Toughness or Invulnerability to make sure that they look scary and dangerous to have around. The Ancient One subtype gives it some extra protection as well. Still, as the game grows on, even an Ancient One has to work hard to keep making an impression. In fact, in a game where things can get out of hand pretty fast any card costing more than 3 or 4 resources has to work hard to make an impression.

Step one has to be a card like Seeker of Mysteries (Secrets of Arkham, F47.) She has the ability to pop out of nowhere, suddenly bringing your Ancient One within summoning reach by reducing the number of resources required to bring them into your reality. Things in the Ground (Secrets of Arkham, F31) also goes a long way into 'cheating' your favorite deities into play.

The second phase is to increase the horror itself. Back in February I spoke on how some factions didn't get to do certain things, and how Keeper of Dreams (Journey to Unknown Kadath, F109) could break the rules, by making you work to achieve that goal. Turns out, some other thing in the game is also hard enough to do to warrant a few rules being shattered into oblivion. Like bringing your Lord to the doorstep (although in one case, where it's considered female, not a Lord...)

Observant cultists and investigators have noticed the forewarning of one of these lords appearing. And while I risk giving the suggestion that the game will be called "The Call of He Who Should Not Be Named: The Card Game" from now on, all that dicing with the universe has caused HWSNBN, Lord of Carcosa (The Spoken Covenant, F46) to be the first to appear. Yes, the irony of having the Unspoken Name in a set called The Spoken Covenant is not lost on me. Then again, He does offer an Unspeakable Oath.

Now that is terrifying! Everything is at the mercy of your insanity effects now. They shall know The Greatest Fear... (Secrets of Arkham, F48) and no amount of Willpower or Terror Icons will be enough to stop Him. The Unspoken One even sports a handsome amount of Terror himself, an amount that safely puts it somewhere in the realm of total overkill. Where Keeper does a great job of softening up the opposition in anticipation of things to come, the King is there to finish things – Even adding a little Scotophobia (Core Set, F97) to the mix.

Fighting the Ancient Ones should be an uphill battle. Monopolizing a struggle that is already a strong point of the faction should ensure that. The Ancient Ones don't dice with the universe. These embodiments of their factions leave nothing to chance. Insanity has never spread faster and even those who wave resisted so far will falter. And it's only the beginning.

[Nick]

Drool...




Now I just need to find a way of actually getting the bugger into play. Carcosa plus Opening the Limbo Gate would be good, though that means I'd have to beat up Steve and steal his Yoghurt cards to use instead of Syndicate 

[fatolaf]

Fine by me, more syndicate for me...

[Steve H]

That card makes me physically sick!

Time to pack the deck with Deep One Assault methinks... usually got a 6 resource pile sitting around at the end trying to get the big frog out anyway!!!

[fatolaf]

New deck out now, in stock tomorrow...