(New Player Perspective)

I have played through two campaigns so far using Joe Diamond. I am playing two player with a friend who knows the game much better than me and who is using Diana Stanley. I put this card in my deck and noticed this version does not have a review yet, so I decided to remedy that by sharing my experience and why I chose this particular version.

Dream Diary in general is a really cool card. I am building my deck around Eon Chart, Pathfinder, and lots of cards that give draw or other value when committed to skill tests, so I am all about passive value and action economy. A free +2 (which can potentially be a +4) to any skill check once per round? I'd buy that for a dollar.

It can also be a great support card because you can use this to help another investigator, and it will still get the 4? if the condition is met. If you did not use the Essence of the Dream on your last turn then it can be advantageous to delay your turn so you can pitch it to another investigator, then draw it back again. This particular version has the fun flavor implications of running in to distract the monster while your teammate handles whatever else needs to be done, although obviously that one is subjective.

I don't think I've said anything groundbreaking here, but why pick this one? I chose this because I think it is the most generally applicable and helps to cover my character's weaknesses the best. I can generally bully most investigate checks into the ground by virtue of the rest of my deck, so the 4+ shroud version does not particularly appeal to me. I do not need more help with that. I could see the 8 cards version as having some appeal, but it requires a specific strategy and careful hand management.

This one is very fire and forget. You might not ever be in a location with 4+ shroud, or have 8 cards in your hand, but you will be engaged with enemies. A free +4 can really help to stick the wounds on those bigger threats when going all out, or be the difference between having to use your limited ammo vs just punching lesser threats.

Anyway, thank you for making it this far. I am sure there is a lot more about this game that I have not learned yet, but I hope this proves somewhat useful and entertaining. Have a great day!