Chaosium Digest Volume 21, Number 6 Date: Monday, September 1, 1997 Number: 2 of 3 Outlined Mythos Decks: Double-GOO Dreamlands Deck (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS The East, The West, and Up (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS The Innsmouth Deck (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS Kingsport and Back Again (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS Make Money Fast! Deck (Cedric Chin) MYTHOS -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: Double-GOO Dreamlands Deck System: Mythos Deck Name: Double-GOO Dreamlands Deck Introduction: This deck centers around The Sorcerer's Apprentice. A difficult Adventure, it contains a Unique card as a requirement, is a multi-Regional deck, and takes place in mostly Country Locations (which are slower to travel around than Cities). It turns out that much of the deck are Outside and/or Country Gate Locations, which are necessary to summon Nyarlathotep (an Elder God which requires New Moon, Outside Gate Location)), and Chorazin (a Great Old One which requires Dreamlands Site, and Lunar Eclipse). The GOOs and their Day/Night requirements all apply towards the Adventures in this deck! Cards from the Limited Edition are highly recommended, but not entirely necessary. Limited Edition cards are marked with an *. Certain Limited Edition Spells (Angles of Tagh-Clatur and Create Gate) and their Tomes are important cards for this deck. The Sorcerer's Apprentice requires Nightgaunts, so Nightgaunts are used as travel among the deck's Country Locations and Locations in different Regions. Sets: Dreamlands. Limited Edition provides highly recommended cards. Summary: The West / The Underground deck. Artifact / Tome deck. Munchkin Cards: - Discover Secret Cache. This Event allows you to find a Tome or Artifact lacking the appropriate Attribute. Investigator: Any Adventures: * The Sorcerer's Apprentice * Four-Armed is Forewarned * The Great Menagerie Cards for The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Tome and Spell: See Other Cards - The Enchanted Woods: The Enchanted Woods, Oukranos Wilds, The West (x2) - Elephant Caravan: Elephant Caravan, Event, Travel by Land (x2) - Nightgaunts: Nightgaunts, Monster, Lesser Servitor (x4) - Peaks of Thok: Peaks of Thok, The Wildlands, The Underground (x2) - Town: Ilarnek, Mnar, The West (x2) - Temple of Loveliness: Temple of Loveliness, Ourkandos Wilds, The West, Unique - Day: New Moon, Event, Day (x2)*: This card can be used to summon Nyarlathotep, a Monster (Elder God) that can be used for The Great Menagerie. Other Cards: - Ship of Clouds, Travel by Air, Event (x2): This spell allows you to immediately play a Location in another Region. - Angles of Tagh Clatur, Spell, Eye icon*: This spell allows you to summon a Lesser Servitor, such as a Nightgaunt. Recommended Cards: - Howard Lovecraft, Any Dreamland: Flip this Ally as your turn and draw a card. - Create Time Warp, Eye icon*: This spell allows you to return to a Location buried in your Story Deck (to return to a Region you came from). - Fly, Spell, Diamond icon*: This spell allows you to play a non-Exotic Location as if you were Walking. Thus, you may Walk to a Location in another Region. Comments: Brackets indicate cards used in other Adventures. Cards for Four-Armed is Forewarned: - Weapon: Any two Weapons, Artifact - Explorer: Iranon the Explorer, Any Site (x2). See Comments. - Night: Lunar Eclipse, Event, Night (x2): This card can be used to summon Chorazin, a Monster (Greater Old One) that can be used for The Great Menagerie. - Two different Underworld Locations: [Peaks of Thok, The Wildlands, The Underground (x2)] Tower of Koth, Gug City, The Underground. City of Gugs, Gug City, The Underground - Gug: Gug, Monster, Lesser Independent (x2) - Phobia: Any two Phobias that cannot affect your Investigator (eg. Iatrophobia*, Acrophobia*), Event. The Special Effect of Chorazin is that all Phobias played affect their Investigator. Comments: Brackets indicate cards used in other Adventures. Iranon the Explorer can be found only at Sites, and there are few Sites in Dreamlands that have high play value. This deck, however, contains The Enchanted Woods (x2) and the Tower of Koth (x2), which are both sites. Cards for The Great Menagerie: - Adventurer or Explorer: [Iranon the Explorer, Any Site (x2).] The Hunter, Any Country - Three different Outside Locations: [Peaks of Thok, The Wildlands, The Underground (x2). City of Gugs, Gug City, The Underground Ilarnek, Mnar, The West (x2). The Enchanted Woods, Oukranos Wilds, The West (x2)] You may wish to have three different Outside Locations in each Region. - Four Monsters of different subtypes: [Nightgaunts, Monster, Lesser Servitor (x4). Gug, Monster, Lesser Independent (x2).] Nyalathotep*, GOO, requires New Moon* and Outside Gate Location. Chorazin, Greater Old One, requires Lunar Eclipse and Dreamlands Site Location. Monsters of other subtypes. - A City Location: [Tower of Koth, Gug City, The Underground. City of Gugs, Gug City, The Underground] You may wish to have a City Location in each Region. Recommended Cards: - Ruins of Sarnath, Mnar, The West: This card qualifies as an Outside Location, and has the Gate, Artifact, and Tome Attributes. - Temple of the Elder Ones, Ulthar, The West: This Temple (the Dreamlands equivalent of a Sanitarium) qualifies as a City Location. - Shining Trapezohedron, Artifact, Unique*: This Artifact can be used to replace one of the requirements for summoning a GOO. Comments: Brackets indicate cards used in other Adventures. -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: The East, The West, and Up System: Mythos Deck Name: The East, The West, and Up Introduction: This is the only Celeano deck I've built (Celeano is a Limited Edition cards, but isn't essential for the deck) and, ironically, it's in a Dreamlands deck. Each of the three Adventures in this deck requires an Exotic Location. Normally, I don't recommend more than two Adventures in a deck with an Exotic Location, since most Exotic Locations have travel and play restrictions. Two Adventures with the same Exotic Location work fine; you complete one of the Adventures with the Exotic Location at the top of your Story Deck, so you can start your next Adventure with the Exotic Location in play. But the Adventures overlap quite a bit, and the Exotic Locations are not too difficult to get to. Sets: Dreamlands. Summary: Dreamlands deck. Tome/Artifact deck. The West. Munchkin cards: Chant of Thoth, Surprise Meeting, Aldeberan Moves in the Sky. The Chant can be used to discard cards you do not need, replacing them with new cards. Surprise Meeting is a must to encounter Allies in a multi-Regional deck. Aldeberan removes any Events preventing you from playing Travel cards you need to play in this deck. Investigator: Any Investigator Adventures: * Moon Quest * Armed and Clueless * Beyond Your Wildest Dreams Cards for Moon Quest: - Night: Lunar Eclipse, Night, Event (x2). This card increases the value of your Moon Beasts. - King of Ilek-Vad: King of Ilek-Vad, Ilek-Vad, The East (x2). This card requires Randolph Carter in play. - Merchant: Wandering Peddler, Any Country (x2) - Any Location that costs Sanity: Merchant's Quarter, Rinar, The East. Ruins of Sarnath, Mnar, The West - Black Galley: Black Galley, Event (x2) - Far Side of the Moon: Far Side of the Moon, Exotic Location (x2). Requires that the Investigator is able to breathe in Space. To arrive, you must play a card that allows you to reach this or any Space Location. To leave, you must Travel by Air. - Moon Beast: Moon Beast, Monster (x2) Other Cards: - Randolph Carter, Any Country (x2): This Ally must be in play to play the King of Ilek-Vad. - Flee to Special Room, Event: This Event prevents an Ally (specifically Randolph Carter) from being buried, except as a result of Combat. - Country Locations: Various Country Locations (that fulfill the Location requirements of the other Adventures) are needed to encounter Randolph Carter and the Wandering Peddler. The Cliffs of Glass, Ilek-Vad, The East, will allow you to play Randolph Carter and the King of Ilek-Vad on successive turns. (Unfortunately, the Cliffs of Glass is a Rare.) - Sky Galleon, Event, Travel by Air (x2 or more): This Event will allow you to Travel to other Regions and Exotic Locations with the Space Attribute. It will also allow you to leave the Far Side of the Moon. - Ship of Clouds, Event, Travel by Air (x2 or more): This Event will allow you to immediately play another Location in another Region (but not the Exotic Locations in this deck). It will allow you to leave the Far Side of the Moon. - Thag Weed, Artifact: This Artifact allows your Investigator to breathe in Space. - Fly, Spell, Diamond icon: This Spell will allow you to Walk from one Region to another, not including Exotic Locations. Recommended Cards: - Basalt Pillars in the West, The West: From this Location, you can Walk to any Space Location, including the Far Side of the Moon. - Create Time Warp, Spell, Eye icon: This spell will allow you to leave an Exotic Location without a special card. Before you score an Adventure, use this spell to return to an Exotic Location buried in your Story Deck so you can start your next Adventure with an Exotic Location in play. Comments: Alone, Moon Quest can be played in The East. Locations from the West are mentioned here since this is a multi-Regional deck. Cards for Armed and Clueless: - Ruins: Any two or more such Ruins, Mnar, The West - Enchanted Weapon: Any such Weapon, Artifact (x2) - Dreamer: [Randolph Carter, Any Country] - A Location in the East: [Merchant's Quarter, Rinar, The East. Other Ilek-Vad Locations in The East to meet the King of Ilek-Vad] Great Library of the Dreamlands, Ilek-Vad. See Comments. - A Location in the West: [Ruins of Sarnath, Mnar, The West. Far Side of the Moon, Exotic Location (x2).] Basalt Pillars of the West, Edge of the World, The West. Great Library of the Dreamlands, Ulthar or Dyath-Leen. See Comments. - A Exotic Location: [Far Side of the Moon, Exotic Location (x2)] Celeano, Exotic Location, Unique Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure in this deck. With the Moon Quest, you already have cards in your deck that allow you to travel to an Exotic Location with the Space Attribute (Thag Weed, Sky Galleon, etc.). Thus it's not too difficult to add a Celeano to the deck. From the Great Library of the Dreamlands, you can Walk to Celeano, and both an East and West Library can be used as a requirement for this deck. Note that getting back from Celeano is trickier (Create Time Warp will do the trick). Cards for Beyond Your Wildest Dreams: - Exotic Location: [Far Side of the Moon, Exotic Location (x2). Celeano, Exotic Location, Unique] - Travel by Land: Zebra, Event (x2) - Travel by Air: [Sky Galleon, Event, Travel by Air (x2 or more). Ghost Ship, Event, Travel by Air (x2 or more)] - Star: Two of any such Star, such as Aldeberan Moves in the Sky - Tome and Spell: Any two Diamond icon Tomes, including the Fly spell - Priest: Nasht & Kaman-Thah, Any Temple. Taran-Ish, Mnar, The West Other Cards: - Temples in the East and West, Unique: These Temples allow you to meet Nasht & Kaman-Thah, and fulfill the East and West Locations requirement for Armed and Clueless. -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: The Innsmouth Deck System: Mythos Deck Name: The Innsmouth Deck Introduction: Innsmouth's strengths are its Tome Locations, and its number of Corrupt Cultists (only Innsmouth and Providence have more than two Corrupt Cultists). Innsmouth has few Artifact Locations, and the only Innsmouth Steadfast Ally is Abigail Winthrop Marsh. This deck shows off these strengths and weaknesses. With its Corrupt Cultists, Steadfast Allies, and Tome requirements, this deck can easily accomodate Seeking Everlasting Life I. Sets: Limited Edition Summary: Innsmouth Deck. Tome / Artifacts deck. Munchkin cards: In the Nick of Time. Nick allows you to cancel a pass and play another card. This deck is also a single-City deck, the fastest sort of deck to play. Investigator: Any Investigator Adventures: * Stand Against the Order * The Outsider * The Interesting Shop Cards for Stand Against the Order: - Two Steadfast Alliles: Abigail Winthrop Marsh, Innsmouth. Any three other such Allies (eg. Raymond Legrasse, William Channing Webb, Arthur Muroe), Any City. - Barnabus Marsh, Jeremiah Brewster, Robert Marsh: Barnabus Marsh, Innsmouth, Unique. Jeremiah Brewster, Innsmouth, Unique. Robert Marsh, Innsmouth Unique. - Innsmouth Look: Innsmouth Look, Event (x2) - Marsh Mansion: Marsh Mansion, Innsmouth (x2) - Marsh Refinery: Marsh Refinery, Innsmouth (x2) - Dynamite: Dynamite, Weapon, Artifact (x2) - Esoteric Order of Dagon: Esoteric Order of Dagon, Innsmouth (x2) Other Cards: - Assembly Hall, Innsmouth (x2). Waite House, Innsmouth (x2): None of the Locations in this Adventure have the Artifact Attribute. These Innsmouth Locations are the only ones with the Artifact Attribute. Recommended Cards: - Jewelry of the Deep Ones, Artifact, Unique: This Artifact increases the value of the Barnabus Marsh, Jeremiah Brewster, and Robert Marsh by one. Comments: None of the Locations needed for this Adventure have the Artifact Attribute (needed for Dynamite)! Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. Dynamite is discarded when used in combat (so can't be used for this Adventure if used), and tends to be a target for cards which cause Allies to attack your Allies or your Investigator. Cards for The Outsider: - Corrupt Cultist: [Barnabus Marsh, Innsmouth, Unique. Jeremiah Brewster, Innsmouth, Unique. Robert Marsh, Innsmouth Unique.] - House with a Gate: [Marsh Mansion, Innsmouth (x2)] - Three Artifacts or Tomes: [Dynamite, Weapon, Artifact (x2). Jewelry of the Deep Ones, Artifact, Unique] Any three Tomes. - Waxing Moon: Waxing Moon, Event, Night (x2) - Business: [Marsh Refinery, Innsmouth (x2)] - Townsfolk Riot: Townsfolk Riot, Event (x2) - In the Nick of Time: In the Nick of Time, Event (x2) Comments: If you wish to be really obnoxious, don't play Townsfolk Riot until you have two of them in your hand. Play one after another against an opponent as soon as he arrives at a Location. If he doesn't expect the two Riots, he'll use up his "best" Locations for the Round (and so can't play the Tomes, Artifacts, and Allies from his hand), and may even take the Riot's Sanity loss. Cards for The Interesting Shop: - Four different City Locations with the Tome or Artifact Attribute: [See below] - Any thing (Tome or Artifact) costing at least one Sanity: [See below] Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. All of this Adventure's requirements overlap those of the other Adventures. -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: Kingsport and Back Again System: Mythos Deck Name: Kingsport And Back Again Introduction: The Strange Case of Charles Fort calls for two Locations in different Regions, so I decided upon making a deck where each Region was in a different dimension. The two Regions are Kingsport, in the Waking World, and Celephais, in the Dreamlands. Celephais is one of the only Dreamlands Cities with Locations featuring either the Artifact or Tome Attribute. N'Kai makes a special appearance, since it qualifies as a Region and is easily accessed from Kingsport (to reach N'Kai, your current Location must be Underground; Kingsport has the highest "density" of Underground Locations). Come Sail Away overlaps with Strange Case in that both can use Locations et al. in Kingsport and Celephais. Perchance is another Adventure in this deck. It requires both a House and a Palace; although a Palace can only be found in the Dreamlands, Kingport and Celephais have House Locations. Sets: Limited Edition, Dreamlands, MSGS Summary: Dual-Dimension deck. Tome / Artifact deck. Kingsport, Celephais. Munchkin cards: - Aldeberan Moves in the Sky. This card is required by The Expedition. It's useful to remove Phobias without needed to travel to a Sanitarium. Investigator: Any Adventures * Come Sail Away * Perchance... * The Strange Case of Charles Fort Cards for Come Sail Away: - Kingsport Location: [See the various Kingsport Locations used in this deck.] - Seaman: The Captain of the White Ship, Any Water (x2). Optionally, the Terrible Old Man, Kingsport, and Ibbix, Celephais - Travel by Sea: The White Ship, Event (x2 or more) - Basil Elton: Basil Elton, Kingsport (x2) - Lighthouse: North Point Lighthouse, Kingsport (x2) - Port: The Harbor of Celephais, Celephais (x2). The Waking World has no Ports(!) - Dreamlands Location: [See the various Celephais Locations used in this deck.] Other Cards: - The Silver Key, Artifact: This Artifact allows you to travel across dimensions. - Gate of Oneirology, Spell, Diamond icon: This Spell allows you to travel across dimensions. Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. Cards for Perchance...: - Day: [Eclipse, Event, Day (x2). See The Strange Case of Charles Fort.] - Wine of Pnoth: Wine of Pnoth, Artifact (x2) - Twister: Twister, Event, Storm (x2) - House: Any Kingsport House (eg. The House on Water Street, the Seventh House on the Left). Kuranes Manor-House, Celephais. - Palace: The Palace of Seventy Delights, Celephais (x2). The Waking World has no Palaces. - Monster: Any two or more Monsters which Join - Event: [See the various Events in used in this deck.] Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in an Adventure for this deck. Cards for The Strange Case of Charles Fort: - Professor: William Channing Webb, Any Waking World City (x2) - Aldeberan Moves in the Sky: Aldeberan Moves in the Sky, Event (x2) - Full Moon: Full Moon, Event, Night (x2) - Eclipse: Eclipse of the Sun, Event, Day (x2) - Earthquake: Earthquake, Event (x2) - Storm: [Twister, Event, Storm (x2)] - Drought: Drought, Event (x2) - Two Locations in different Regions: [Any Kingport Location. Any Celephais Location.] Recommended Cards: - N'Kai, Exotic Location, Unique: N'Kai is a separate Region and is the most easily accessed Exotic Location. To reach N'Kai, your current Location must be Underground. - The Forgotten Crypt, Kingsport: This Location has the Artifact Attribute, to play the Artifacts in this deck, and the Underground Attribute, to reach N'Kai. - Caverns Beneath the Old Church: This Location has the Tome Attribute, to find the Gate of Oneirology Spell, and the Underground Attribute, to reach N'Kai. Comments: The Strange Case is an easy Adventure to satisfy. Its high number of Events can be played at any Location. -------------------- From: cchin@frk.com (Cedric Chin) Subject: Make Money Fast! Deck System: Mythos Deck Name: Make Money Fast! Deck Introduction: Make Money sticks out like a sore thumb. It has three Unique cards, and Cthulhu requires an Island as a requirement. It includes Surprise Meeting, but the deck can be constructed so that it doesn't need it. Nonetheless, its absurdity makes it a deck worth playing. Sets: Limited Edition Summary: Arkham Deck. Artifact / Tome deck. Munchkin cards: - Seeking Everlasting Life I. Make Money Fast needs as much help as it can get... Investigator: Arabic Investigator Adventures: * Make Money Fast! * Seeking Everlasting Life I * The Interesting Shop Cards for Make Money Fast!: - Obsessive / Compulsive: Obsessive / Compulsive, Event, Phobia, Unique. - Cthulhu: Cthulhu, Monster, GOO (x2). Requires an Island and Waxing Moon. - Herbert West: Herbert West, Arkham, Unique. - Kibab Al-Azif: Kitab Al-Azif, Tome, Unique. - Direct Sunlight: Direct Sunlight, Event, Day (x2) - Unexpected Calamity: Unexpected Calamity, Event (x2) - Surprise Meeting: Surprise Meeting, Event (x2) - University: Orne Library, Arkham. Science Annex, Arkham. Or any two such cards. Other Cards: - Shining Trapezohedron, Artifact, Unique: This Artifact fulfills a requirement for summoning a GOO. - Seal of Isis, Artifact: This Artifact prevents the Trapezohedron from being buried. - Waxing Moon, Event, Night: This Event is one of the requirements for summoning Cthulhu. - Zadok Allen, Any Outside Area: See Comments. Comments: Cthulhu is summoned with the Waxing Moon and the Shining Trapezohedron, which replaces Cthulhu's Island requirement. This Adventure also has many Unique cards, so you will probably cycle through the deck before playing this Adventure; you can also play most of the Unique cards before starting to work on this Adventure. Surprise Meeting is actually a drawback in this deck because all of the Allies can be encountered in Arkham. Use it to encounter Zadok, or an Arkham Ally while at a Sanitarium (Zadok may also be played without the Surprise Meeting). Cards for Seeking Everlasting Life I: - Two Steadfast Allies: [At least two of any such Arkham Allies] - Corrupt Ally : [Herbert West, Arkham, Unique.] Any such Arkham Ally. - Tome with the Skull Icon: [Kitab Al-Azif, Tome, Unique.] Book of Eibon or any Tome with the Skull icon. - Resurrection Spell: Resurrection, Spell, Skull icon (x2) Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. Cards for The Interesting Shop: - Four different City Locations with the Tome or Artifact Attribute: [See below] - Any thing (Tome or Artifact) costing at least one Sanity: [See below] Comments: Brackets indicate a card used in another Adventure for this deck. --