Chaosium Digest Volume 20, Number 5 Date: Sunday, July 6, 1997 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: CF: Mi-Go (Shannon Appel) MYTHOS A Mi-Go Deck (Shannon Appel) MYTHOS -------------------- From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel) Subject: CF: Mi-Go System: Mythos ** THE CARD FILES: MI-GO ** THE CARD -------- Name: Mi-Go Set: Mythos Limited Type: Monster Value: 2 Subtype: Lesser Independent San: 0 Special Effect Box: Each Mi-Go surviving to affect your opponent's Allies or Investigator also steals one chosen Artifact. Your opponent must Bury the card in his or her Story Deck. Joins Mi-Go. VARIANT CARDS ------------- There are two alternative Mi-Go which are similar enough to the original to include in this same Card File. THE WORKER MI-GO Name: Mi-Go Set: Mythos Standard Game Set Type: Monster Value: 2 Attributes: Corrupt Worker Subtype: Lesser Independent San: 0 Special Effect Box: Each Mi-Go surviving to affect your opponent's Allies or Investigator also steals one chosen Artifact. Your opponent must Bury the card in his or her Story Deck. Joins Mi-Go. Notes: Except for the addition of the Worker attribute and the new artwork, this card is identical to the Mythos Limited Mi-Go. THE SOLDIER MI-GO Name: Mi-Go Set: Mythos Standard Game Set Type: Monster Value: 2 Attributes: Corrupt Soldier Languages: Glyphs Subtype: Lesser Independent San: 0 Special Effect Box: Joins Mi-Go. Notes: This Mi-Go has the Soldier Attribute, the Glyph Language, and new artwork. This Mi-Go can not steal Artifacts. THE SOURCE ---------- "It was not for nothing, alas, that I had pored for hours over the kodak views of the Outer One's claw-prints which Akeley had sent. Too well did I know the marks of those loathsome nippers, and that hint of ambiguous direction which stamped the horrors as no creatures of this planet. No chance had been left for merciful mistake." -"The Whisperer in Darkness", H. P. Lovecraft The Mi-Go are one of the many alien races of Lovecraft's mythos. They are a strange type of fungoid creature utterly unknown on Earth. The Mi-Go inhabit Pluto, which they name Yuggoth. They visit Earth to mine certain minerals which they can not find in their own home. Records seem to indicate that the Mi-Go have had a presence upon the Earth since prehistoric times. Sometimes, the Mi-Go are called the Fungi from Yuggoth or the Abominable Snowmen. The Mi-Go first appeared in Lovecraft's "The Whisperer in Darkness". Since, they have appeared most prominently in Campbell's "Mine on Yuggoth" and Pagan Publishing's _Delta Green_. CLARIFICATIONS -------------- As is noted on p. 25 of the Dreamlands rulebook: "Many Monsters have special effects that affect an opponent in some way. These may only be used against the opponent that the Monster is directed towards, unless otherwise noted." This means that you can only steal an Artifact from the opponent that your Mi-Go was directed at. Mi-Go have their special effect occur if they "[survive] to affect your opponent's Allies or Investigator". This means that they steal Artifacts even if there is no Cosmic Battle, such as when they are Summoned by a Summon/Control spell. This is in sharp contrast to Monsters like the Insect from Shaggai which must explicitly "[survive] the Cosmic Battle". The Mi-Go Soldier honestly can't steal Artifacts. This is balanced by the fact that it knows one of the obscure languages (glyphs). QUESTIONS --------- Q: There are three different Mi-Go. How many can I put in a deck, 4 or 12? A: P. 14 of the Dreamlands rules state that you may not include "more than four copies of any one non-unique card (indicated by Card Title) in any one deck". For all deck-building purpose, those different Mi-Go act as the same card, and thus you may only have four total. This may be 4 Limited Mi-Go, 3 Limited Mi-Go and 1 MSGS Mi-Go, or any other combination totalling four. Q: Can I Join a Limited Mi-Go and a MSGS Mi-Go? A: Yes. Each card says "Joins Mi-Go" and each card is titled "Mi-Go", so they can Join. Q: I'm using N'gah-Kthun to play Mi-Go as Allies. How many Mi-Go can I play? Usually, I could only have one Ally of a certain Title in play. A: The precise restriction is listed on p. 40 of the Dreamlands rules: "You may only have one copy of a specific card of the following card types in play at any one time: Allies, Locations, Great Old Ones/Outer Gods, and Adventures." This restriction only applies to cards as they're being played, which means it only refers to to the natural Type written on a card. This means you can have up to four Mi-Go in play as allies (since their natural type is Monster). Conversely, if you already have John Scott in play as an Ally, you can't add another copy of his card to the Threat at a Gate (since his natural type is Ally). Q: Can I Join N'gah-Kthun and a Mi-Go at a Country Gate, and at the same time use N'gah-Kthun's power to play them both as Allies? A: No. There's a timing problem. N'gah-Kthun isn't in play as an Ally until after you've already played the Mi-Go and N'gah-Kthun. However, you could Join N'gah-Kthun and a Mi-Go, play N'gah-Kthun to the Ally Area and the Mi-Go to the Threat (Joining doesn't require that the cards stay together, except in cases of Tomes with Spells and Allies with Weapons). Q: If I play a Mi-Go as an Ally, can I later move it to the Threat? A: In general, no. Allies can be moved to the Threat only via certain cards, such The Innsmouth Look or Body Warping of Gorgoroth. Mi-Go in play as Allies are no different. Q: Can Mi-Go in play as Allies be used for Adventures? A: It depends on the Adventure. Mi-Go in play as Allies are Allies, not Monsters, thus you couldn't use them for Kneep Deep in Doom until you got them back into your Story Deck. However, if an Adventure specifically called for a Lesser Independent (not a Lesser Independent Monster) or a Mi-Go, then you could use one of your Mi-Go Allies. Remember also that all Monsters played as Allies are Corrupt. Thus, Mi-Go Allies can fulfill requirements for Adventures needing Corrupt Allies. STRATEGIES ---------- A number of specific cards work well with Mi-Go. A Mi-Go deck combined with a number of these would be fairly formidable. * Albert N. Wilmarth (Limited) - This combination is solely thematic. Wilmarth was the Professor who visited Henry Akeley when Akeley was being hounded by the Mi-Go. * Assault on Y'ha-Nthlei (Limited) - This Adventure is annoying because it's set in Lovecraft Country, yet requires a Steadfast Soldier, and all of the Soldiers are found in Europe. You can get around this by playing the Mi-Go Soldier as an Ally, and then giving him a Battle Axe to make him Steadfast. Pretty convoluted, but it will work, and can bolster the Adventure so you don't have to solely depend upon Surprise Meetings with European Soldiers. * Circles of Thaol (Limited) - Allows you to Summon or Control a Lesser Independent Monster. This is useful with Mi-Go because the Mi-Go will automatically survive to affect Investigators and Allies. Thus, a S/C Lesser Indepent Spell guarantees that you'll steal one Artifact from an opponent. * Dust of Suleiman (MSGS) - Another S/C LI Spell. * Henry W. Akeley (MSGS) - This combination is primarily thematic. However, if you choose to use the Mi-Go soldiers to play Glyph Tomes, Akeley will be a nice addition. * Lonely Akeley Farmhouse (MSGS) - This combination is primarily thematic. However, if you use the Speech Machine to make your Mi-Go better, this gate will become reusable. * Mi-Go Braincase (Limited) - This combination is solely thematic. * N'gah-Kthun (MSGS) - This Mi-Go Leader joins with Mi-Go and thus immediately make them better since you now have a set of five Joining critters. He also allows you to play Mi-Go as Allies at gates, which can be very useful. First off, it's better to have Allies than Monsters because you aren't forced to attack. You rarely win games by Sanity Loss, so it's usually better to protect yourself. In Mythos, the best offense is a good defense. Second, this lets you save Mi-Go for future Adventures. Third, in the case of the Mi-Go Soldier, it gives you easy access to an Ally with the Glyphs language. Usually, Glyphs speakers are pretty rare, with a maximum of one or two in a subregion. Using N'gah-Kthun you can play four glyph-speakers in a wide variety of (Country) Locations. * Nightmare (Dreamlands) - If this Threat Event is in a Directed Threat with Mi-Go, each Mi-Go gets to steal an Artifact even if it is lost during the Cosmic Battle. * Petrify (MSGS) - A sneaky way to Bury an Ally. You Petrify him during the Spells phase of Combat, and a few short seconds later, your Mi-Go carries him away. Best used against really annoying Allies, like Harry Houdini, and Allies with important Special Effects (like Samuel Winsor or the Providence Howard Lovecraft). * Speech Machine (MSGS) - Jewelry of the Deep Ones for Mi-Go! Increases all Mi-Go by +1, as well as all Mi-Go Leaders (currently just N'gah-Kthun). * Whispers in Darkness (MSGS) - An Adventure that calls for several cards mentioned in this file: Henry W. Akeley, Speech Machine, Lonely Akeley Farmhouse, and N'gah-Kthun. When you use a Mi-Go to steal something, you want to optimize what you steal. Here are a few options, in order from least useful to most useful: * Steal Artifacts that are Quite Helpful - This is stuff that your opponent is making good use of. Things like: Jewelry of the Deep Ones, Chimes of Tezchaptl, Speech Machines, etc. * Steal Artifacts that are Currently in Use - If your opponent is in Space or Underwater, you can be real nasty, and steal the Artifact protecting them there (ie, a Diving Suit, Space Mead, or Thag Weed). If an opponent is in the Past, you can steal the Lamp of Alhazred, knocking him immediately back to the present. * Steal Artifacts Needed for Adventures - Burying cards listed in Adventures isn't helpful because they'll just drop to the Story Deck. However, you can bury cards needed to play *OTHER* cards required for Adventures. If you think your opponent is going Underwater, take a Diving Suit. If you think your opponent is going to Resurrect an Ally from the Past, take the Grecian Lekythos. If you think your opponent is going to Summon a GOO, take the Shining Trapezohedron. If you think your opponent is going to cross dimensions, take the Silver Key. * Steal Allies Needed for Adventures - This only works in conjunction with the Petrify Spell. It is slightly more useful than stealing Artifacts because Allies are a bit harder to play. However, very few Allies are needed to play other cards for Adventures. Rare exceptions might include: Samuel Winsor (to create a Church in Europe) and Randolph Carter (to bring the King of Ilek-Vad into play). Some Allies might be holding spells necessary to play other cards, such as the Resurrection Spell. Of course, the Mi-Go Soldier can't take advantage of these strategies, because it isn't a thief. COUNTER STRATEGIES ------------------ Mi-Go can be a real annoyance if they steal Artifacts you need. There aren't really any ways to just stop them, so you need to defend yourself. * Protect Your Artifacts - A number of cards protect Artifacts. The Seal of Isis is the easiest to play, although it costs one Sanity. If you prefer to use Allies, there are a number who protect Artifacts: Raymond LeGrasse (Lovecraft Country Cities), K. J. Hooper (Arkham), Luther Harden (Arkham), Ray Stuckey (Arkham), Thomas F. Malone (Boston), The Terrible Old Man (Kingsport), Ahmed (Cairo), and Haragrim (Celephais). In general, these Allies do well in point comparisons to other Allies, and thus you should make sure to include any from your subregion if you have Artifacts. However, Allies are vulnerable, so if you *REALLY* need some of your Artifacts, the Seal of Isis should be included as well. * Duplicate Your Artifacts - If you just have one necessary Artifact, it's often better to duplicate that Artifact then include lots of Artifact protectors. It might be better to put three Silver Keys in your deck than one Silver Keys and two Seals of Isis. You'll have the same level of protection, and you'll be able to use your Silver Key quicker. This strategy doesn't work if you have several very important Artifacts, as opposed to one. -------------------- From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel) Subject: A Mi-Go Deck System: Mythos ** A MIGO DECK (62) ** INVESTIGATOR Respected New England Doctor ADVENTURES (3) The Curious Parcel x1 The Theron-Marks Society x1 Whispers in Darkness x1 ALLIES (7) Any City: William Channing Webb x1 Arkham: Albert N. Wilmarth x1 Dr. Allen Halsey x1 Prof. Wingate Peaslee x1 Dunwich: Wilbur Whateley x1 Vermont: Henry W. Akeley x2 ARTIFACTS (7) Mi-Go Braincase x1 Speech Machine x1 Star Stone of Mnar x1 Enchanted Weapons: Lightning Gun x2 Mist Projector x2 EVENTS (12) Discover Secret Cache x2 Government Coverup x2 Surprise Meeting x1 Phobia: Agoraphobia x1 Batophobia x1 Claustrophobia x1 Threat: Nightmare x1 Travel: Car x3 LOCATIONS (15) Arkham: Arkkham Mystical Supply x1 Arkham Police Department x1 Arkham Sanitarium x1 Golden Eye Society x1 Hangman's Hill x1 Miskatonic University Orne Library x2 Old Arkham Cemetary x1 Danvers: Massachusetts State Hospital x1 Dunwich: Congregational Church x1 Vermont: Lonely Akeley Farmhouse x3 Nerburyport Public Library x1 Waterbury State Hospital x1 MONSTERS (9) Greater Independents: Gnoph Keh x1 Yithian x1 Lesser Independents: Insect from Shaggai x2 Mi-Go (Limited) x2 Mi-Go (Worker) x2 N'gah-Kthun x1 SPELLS (6) Folk: Dust of Suleiman x1 Petrify x2 Water: Circles of Thaol x2 Wave of Oblivion x1 TOMES (3) Cthaat Aquadingen x1 Ponape Scripture Hoag Ms. x1 Unaussprechlichen Kulten x1 Strategies: This Mi-Go deck is great at Burying stuff. Lots of stuff. Bury Artifacts with the Mi-Go or the Lightning Guns. Even Allies might fall prey to this if you cast Petrify first. You can also Bury Allies with Gnoph Keh and the Yithian. Wilbur Whateley can bury Tomes. The Insects can bury Spells. One of the Allies is very tricky to play. Wilbur Whateley can only appear at one Location, but he's not required for an Adventure. If you can get him out, cool. If not, don't worry about it. There's a Surprise Meeting too, to help play him. It could be useful for Henry too. This deck contains the ABC's of phobias: Agoraphobia, Batophobia, Claustrophobia. Aka: No where to run, no where to hide. They can really mess someone up. Optimum strategy for Adventures: play through your deck once, going for The Curious Parcel. Get out N'gah-Kthun at a Country Gate, and Mi-Go as Allies. Give them Enchanted Weapons. Get out the stuff for Whispers and Darkness and The Theron-Marks Society that you can: Tome, Spell, two Steadfast Allies, Weapon, Henry W. Akeley, Speech Machine, N'Gah Kthun. About half of these are needed for The Curious Parcel anyways. You have a hand size of 6, so hold on to the perishibles for the later Adventures: the Adventures (2 cards), Phobia (1 card), Car (1 card), Governmental Coverup (1 card), Country House (1 card). Then, you can win in a minimum of seven rounds: Car, Lonely Akeley Farmhouse, Governmental Coverup, Whispers in Darkness, Phobia, Theron-Marks Society. You'll also have to convert one of your Enchanted Weapon-wielding Mi-Go during a combat round following the play of Whispers in Darkness. You might be able to shorten this even more by finessing the Phobia and Lonely Akeley Farmhouse beforehand. The worst Adventure stickler in the deck is N'gah-Kthun because he's unique. Try and keep him around. Tomes are pretty darned hard to get out in this deck because of a lack of Locations for them. Don't ever discard the Discover Secret Caches. Even if you get out your Tomes, they'll still be occasionally useful for Artifacts. Likewise, don't throw away the scant Tome Locations without thinking about it first. They are the MU Library in Arkham, the Danvers Sanitarium, and Newburyport Library in Vermont (4 cards total). Remember that the ability to play N'gah-Kthun ang the Mi-Go as Allies depends on Country Gates. Namely: The Lonely Akeley Farmhouse, the Danvers Sanitarium, the Waterbury Sanitarium, or the Congregational Church (6 cards total). After a number of games, this deck seems to work quite well, primarily due to its ability to stop or slow opponents while you work away at your Adventure. There are several cool combos implicit in the deck: Mi-Go + one of the Summon/Control Lesser Independent Spells lets you "shoot" an opponent. Scratch one artifact. Nightmare + Mi-Go or Insects guarantees use of their special ability. Mi-Go + Petrify lets you bury an ally. Circle of Thaol + Star Stone of Mnar lets you Summon both a Lesser Independent and a Greater Independent at the same time. --