Roland Helps Billy Cooper Get It Now (Solo, Achievements)

Continuing my attempts to gather Return to the Night of the Zealot achievements, Roland Banks has as his primary goal the "Do You Get It Now?" achievement - which requires defeating the Ghoul Priest in front of Billy Cooper. I've a 5/8 chance of Billy being among the unique cultists, and I've got the Ghoul Priest in my encounter deck, and I've got two copies of On the Hunt to help find it. Let's give it a try!

SESSION REPORT

SCENARIO II - RETURN TO THE MIDNIGHT MASKS

• Opening Hand: Vicious Blow, Calling in Favors, Take the Initiative, On the Hunt, Unexpected Courage
• Kept: none
• Replacements: Inquiring Mind, Dr. William T. Maleson, Emergency Cache, Flashlight, On the Hunt
• Starting location: Your House

No weapons in my first 10 cards, eh? Will have to make do. At least I have an investigating tool to get some early tempo.

R1 (1D, 0H, 3$, 0C): 0/6 doom

• Encounter: None
• Play Flashlight [-2$]
• Use Flashlight [-1S]: Investigate, 3 vs. 0 (+1): pass [+1C]
• Play Dr. William T. Maleson [-1$]
• Draw Vicious Blow [+1$]

R2 (1D, 0H, 1$, 1C): 1/6 doom

• Encounter: On Wings of Darkness, 2 vs. 4 (): fail [1D/1H on Dr. William T. Maleson, move to Rivertown] (thanks for the "free" move, encounter deck!)
• Investigate, 3 vs. 1 (0): pass [+1C]
• Move to Southside - Ma's Boarding House
• Use Southside - Ma's Boarding House: draw Lita Chantler
• Draw .32 Colt [+1$]

I was very glad to see the "tutor an ally" version of Southside. Having Lita Chantler available makes everything much smoother in this scenario, especially for someone like Roland Banks who relies on his .

R3 (1D, 0H, 2$, 2C): 2/6 doom

• Encounter: Hunting Nightgaunt spawns and engages
• Play Lita Chantler [Hunting Nightgaunt attacks, 1D/1H]
• Fight Hunting Nightgaunt, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+2D]
• Fight Hunting Nightgaunt, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Roland Banks [+1C]
• Draw Cover Up [+1$]

R4 (2D, 1H, 3$, 3C): 3/6 doom

• Encounter: Masked Horrors [2H on Lita Chantler]
• Move to St. Mary's Hospital
• Use Flashlight [-1S]: Investigate, 3 vs. 0 ( is +1): pass [+1C]
• Move to Miskatonic University - Miskatonic Museum
• Draw Beat Cop [+1$]

I made sure to end this round at Miskatonic University so that, if a Disciple of the Devourer spawned, he could only spawn two locations away - so that I'd have just enough time to run over and punch him to death before he made the Agenda flip early.

R5 (2D, 1H, 4$, 4C): 4/6 doom

• Encounter: On Wings of Darkness, 2 vs. 4 ( is -2): fail [1D/1H discards Dr. William T. Maleson, move to Rivertown]
• Move to Easttown
• Play Beat Cop [-2$]
• Use Flashlight [-1S]: Investigate, 3 vs. 0 (-2): pass [+1C]
• Draw Pathfinder [+1$]

Cheaper Beat Cop is always nice. I'm purposely not spawning any unique cultists yet until after I've handled the Agenda 1b challenge.

R6 (2D, 1H, 3$, 5C): 5/6 doom

• Encounter: Obscuring Fog attaches to Easttown
• Play Emergency Cache [+3$]
• Play .32 Colt [-3$]
• Play Pathfinder [-3$]
• Use Pathfinder: move to Downtown - Arkham Asylum
• Draw Marksmanship [+1$]

Now I'm in a location with clues (and, it happens, a Victory point), ready to take on whichever Agenda 2a challenge comes my way.

R7 (2D, 1H, 1$, 5C): 6/6 doom

• Agenda advances to 1b: Narôgath spawns and engages, advances to 2a
• Encounter: Obscuring Fog attaches to Downtown - Arkham Asylum
• Use .32 Colt [-1A]: Fight Narôgath, 6 vs. 3 ( is -2) [+1 doom on Narôgath]: pass [+3D]
• Use .32 Colt [-1A]: Fight Narôgath, commit Vicious Blow, 7 vs. 3 (-2): pass [+4D, defeated, +2 Victory]
• Roland Banks [+1C]
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Victoria Devereux spawns at Northside
• Draw On the Hunt [+1$]

The 3-health, 1-location-away Victoria Devereux is a prime target for Marksmanship - allowing me to grab this other Downtown clue while I'm at it. And, soon, the primary object of my search will also appear: Billy Cooper.

R8 (2D, 1H, 2$, 4C): 1/8 doom

• Encounter: Masked Horrors [2H]
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Billy Cooper spawns at Easttown
• Use .32 Colt [-1A], play Marksmanship [-2$]: Fight Victoria Devereux, 6 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+3D, defeated, +1 Victory]
• Roland Banks [+1C, +1 Victory]
• Use Downtown - Arkham Asylum [heal 3H]
• Use Pathfinder: move to Easttown [Billy Cooper engages]
• Billy Cooper attacks [2D on Lita Chantler]
• Draw Flashlight [+1$]

I'm ending my turn in front of Billy so that I can call up the Ghoul Priest using On the Hunt. I have two copies of it, so that's two tries. Turns out I'll need them.

R9 (2D, 0H, 1$, 3C): 2/8 doom

• Play On the Hunt [-1$], Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns and engages with +1 doom [drop 1C on Easttown]
• Fight Disciple of the Devourer, 5 vs. 3 ( is +1): pass [+1D, defeated]
• Roland Banks [-1C from Cover Up]
• Evade Billy Cooper, 2 vs. 2 ( is +1): pass [evaded]
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Alma Hill spawns at Southside - Ma's Boarding House
• Billy Cooper readies and engages
• Draw Shortcut [+1$]

If I hadn't been achievement-hunting I could have spawned the Corpse-Taker with this play and interrogated Billy Cooper a round earlier. Would have led to a better result at scenario-end, but for this run, I'm more focused on the achievement.

R10 (2D, 0H, 1$, 0C): 3/8 doom

• Play On the Hunt [-1$], Encounter: Ghoul Priest spawns and engages (yes!)
• Use .32 Colt [-1A]: Fight Ghoul Priest, 6 vs. 4 ( is -3): fail [Ghoul Priest attacks, 1D/1H, 1D/1H on Beat Cop]
• Use .32 Colt [-1A]: Fight Ghoul Priest, 6 vs. 4 (-1): pass [+3D]
• Fight Ghoul Priest, 6 vs. 4 ( is 0): pass [+2D, defeated, +2 Victory] [Billy Cooper added to display, +1 Victory]
• ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: DO YOU GET IT NOW?
• Roland Banks [+1C]
• Use Pathfinder: move to Rivertown
• Play Shortcut: move to Graveyard, commit Inquiring Mind, 6 vs. 3 ( is +2): pass
• Draw Dr. William T. Maleson [+1$]

Success! Primary goal accomplished, time to see if I can squeeze out some more Victory, maybe at least 2 more unique cultists, and mayyyybe resolving Cover Up. Not a lot of time to do all that, though.

R11 (3D, 1H, 1$, 1C): 4/8 doom

• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Northside with +1 doom [drop 1C on Northside]
• Investigate, 3 vs. 1 (-1): pass [+1C]
• Investigate, 3 vs. 1 (0): pass [+1C, +1 Victory]
• Use Act 1a [-2C]: Jeremiah Pierce spawns at Your House
• Use Pathfinder: move to Rivertown
• Draw .45 Automatic [+1$]

Having to chase this second Disciple of the Devourer sadly wrecks my late-game tempo. At least I got the Graveyard Victory point.

R12 (3D, 1H, 2$, 0C): 5/8 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: Hunting Nightgaunt spawns and engages
• Move to Miskatonic University - Miskatonic Museum [Hunting Nightgaunt attacks, 1D/1H]
• Fight Hunting Nightgaunt, 6 vs. 3 ( is -2) [+1 doom on Disciple of the Devourer]: pass [+2D]
• Fight Hunting Nightgaunt, 6 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Use Pathfinder, move to Northside [Disciple of the Devourer engages]
• Discard Beat Cop [+1D to Disciple of the Devourer, defeated]
• Roland Banks [-1C from Cover Up]
• Draw Calling in Favors [+1$]

R13 (4D, 2H, 3$, 0C): 6/8 doom

• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Your House with +1 doom
• Use Pathfinder: move to Miskatonic University - Miskatonic Museum
• Move to Rivertown
• Move to Your House [Jeremiah Pierce and Disciple of the Devourer engage]
• Fight Disciple of the Devourer, 5 vs. 3 ( is -1): pass [+1D, defeated]
• Jeremiah Pierce attacks [1D/1H]
• Draw Beat Cop [+1$]

Gah, third Disciple of the Devourer? Now I literally don't have enough time to complete Cover Up and interrogate one more cultist. I think on this for a while but ultimately, even though the mental trauma is really bad for Roland, I think having one fewer turn in Return to The Devourer Below is the worse result. That means interrogating Jeremiah here and then resigning at the last minute.

R14 (5D, 3H, 4$, 0C): 7/8 doom

• Encounter: False Lead [surge]
• Encounter: Corpse-Taker spawns at Northside with +1 doom
• Play Beat Cop [-4$, Jeremiah Pierce attacks [1D/1H]]
• Use .32 Colt [-1A]: Fight Jeremiah Pierce, 6 vs. 4 (-2): pass [+2D]
• Use Beat Cop [1D to Beat Cop]: +1D to Jeremiah Pierce, defeated, +1 Victory
• Use Agenda 2a: Resign, +1 mental trauma from Cover Up

No resolution = Resolution 1

• Roland interrogated Narôgath, Victoria Devereux, Billy Cooper, and Jeremiah Pierce
• Alma Hill and Herman Collins got away
• The Ghoul Priest is no longer alive
• 9 experience (9 Victory)
• Total trauma: 1 physical, 1 mental
• Achievements gained this run: Do You Get It Now?

I'm perfectly happy with this result having obtained this elusive achievement! Roland can't accomplish any other achievements in Scenario III that I don't already have, but I am nevertheless going to give it my strongest effort to see if Roland can satisfactorily resolve this campaign. Soon!