Total newb question about Midnight Masks and cultists (minor SPOILER for Core box Scenario 2)

[Philomorph 0]

I'm not sure how to handle the cultists in the core box 2nd scenario. The Act card says you spend 2 clues per investigator to draw a cultist. Then it says to win by adding 6 unique ones to the VP display.

So do you draw them and they spawn, then you have to go kill them to "interrogate" them? Or do you just draw them and add them immediately to the VP display until you have all 6?

It seems likely to be the first, but it will probably take more turns than I have to both uncover and hunt them all, so I figured I'd ask. 

I'm liking the game so far, but true to FFG's style, the wording in a lot of places is ambiguous and makes a lot of assumptions. You always need an FAQ and some forums to understand everything.

Thanks!

[CSerpent 520]

47 minutes ago, Philomorph said:

I'm not sure how to handle the cultists in the core box 2nd scenario. The Act card says you spend 2 clues per investigator to draw a cultist. Then it says to win by adding 6 unique ones to the VP display.

So do you draw them and they spawn, then you have to go kill them to "interrogate" them? Or do you just draw them and add them immediately to the VP display until you have all 6?

It seems likely to be the first, but it will probably take more turns than I have to both uncover and hunt them all, so I figured I'd ask. 

I'm liking the game so far, but true to FFG's style, the wording in a lot of places is ambiguous and makes a lot of assumptions. You always need an FAQ and some forums to understand everything.

Thanks!

You have to either beat them in combat or Parley them.

Yes, it's very difficult to get all six.  If you get three, you did alright.

The other night, I played it standalone with a 29XP Ursula.  I got five, the best I've managed (the 29XP wasn't a huge factor in the end)

[Henryillusion 11]

Difficult indeed to get all six... I must admit that I've only succeed once (and I've played this scenario more than 20 times) with Roland + Agnes, and I almost cried 

[Eldan985 360]

So, the thing here is, you're not supposed to win this scenario. You are supposed to push your luck, get as many as you can, then bug out. There is a ticking clock, the goal is not to be there when it reaches midnight, but to get as many cultists as you can before then.

The first two scenarios on the core (the third is a bit of a different thing) are quite well structured to teach you the game. The first scenario is pretty linear and it teaches you the basic actions. Move, investigate, fight, parley, etc. It also shows you how to advance an act or agenda, how to reveal locations, how to move monsters, all that.

The second scenario shows you more how the actual game might look like. There's more locations than you are probably going to use ingame, so there's strategic decisions to be made about where to go and what to do. Unlike the first scenario, the goal is a bit more open ended and varied. And you have the option to end the scenario at any time.

The first scenario shows you how to play by the rules. The second shows you how to play tactically.

[Assussanni 528]

I've got anything between 2 and 5 in my playthroughs. I've never got all 6, although I did see it done by a four player group at a convention; these days I'm generally happy if I get 4 cultists.

[Iuchi Toshimo 230]

It's easier to get all 6 with more players since -someone- is always closer to "parley" no matter where the cultist spawns. And those actions spent moving around add up.

We use Midnight Masks to test our zero exp decks before a campaign. We try to get par 3 before resign.  

[Philomorph 0]

Thanks all! Good info

Can you point me to an example of a Parlay action? I'm plying with Roland and Pete and I don't think I have any cards in my decks that have one.

[Allonym 954]

Most Parley actions are printed on encounter cards; for instance, Victoria Devereux, one of the cultists in Midnight Masks (which, as you've completed the scenario, hopefully isn't a spoiler), has a Parley action printed on her, and if you are at her location, you are allowed to activate it. Likewise, in The Gathering which you have already played, the Parlor has a Parley action printed on it which is how you gain control of Lita Chantler.

Unlike other actions like Fight, Evade or Investigate, there is no such thing as a "normal" Parley action - every single Parley action is unique in how it works, and their effects are governed specifically by the wording of that Parley effect.

Because Parley represents talking to a specific person, it mostly appears on Scenario cards rather than player cards. However, there are a few player cards that have Parley effects printed on them - Persuasion, which allows you to convince a Humanoid enemy to leave you alone, and Interrogate, which allows you to discover clues by politely asking a Humanoid enemy about the circumstances rather than directly Investigating a location.

Edited April 2 by Allonym

[ArkhamChronicle 239]

11 hours ago, Philomorph said:

Can you point me to an example of a Parlay action? I'm plying with Roland and Pete and I don't think I have any cards in my decks that have one.

Did you forget about Lita Chantler? She is in the first ever scenario! You have to parlay in the parlor to get her.

[zooeyglass 327]

On 4/1/2020 at 10:46 AM, Assussanni said:

I've got anything between 2 and 5 in my playthroughs. I've never got all 6, although I did see it done by a four player group at a convention; these days I'm generally happy if I get 4 cultists.

was it me at arkham in flames? one of my proudest gaming moments!!