SoSE – Know Thy Enemy

I won't pretend I didn't think he was just a little crazy. Agent Leigh, my mentor, with his occasional mutterings about the weirdest cases they'd ever put him on, and his staunch belief in those odd little protective superstitions. Everybody thought he was crazy.

But even though I thought he was a little crazy, I knew he was brilliant. I wouldn't be half the agent I am without his teachings. I wouldn't be half the man.

When he died I was pretty cut up, but I accepted the official story. I wasn't paranoid, like him. He left me his gun in his will, that heavy old .38 Special he'd carved little symbols into, and the boxes of doctored bullets he kept in his desk drawer. I thought it was a bit of an odd gift.

Now I understand what that damn gun meant. He was passing the torch. Now I understand why he was crazy, and why he wasn't wrong. Now I've seen some shit no handbook could possibly prepare you for.

"Trust yourself, Banks. The book can only take you so far. Your instincts are gonna have to take you the rest of the way."

I don't care if they all think I've lost it. It's my turn to stand between those ordinary people and these things going bump in the night, and if they don't back down I've got a bullet with their name on it.

Hey everybody! It's time for another Secrets of Somewhere Else, your one-stop-shop for fresh and thematic investigator deckbuilds!

Agent Banks kicks down the door as an efficient primary fighter with a small sideline in clues. He is mostly defined by his former mentor, Agent Michael Leigh, whose abilities he is designed to play around and who shows up in this deck both as an ally (representing Roland's memories of Agent Leigh) and as Roland's signature weapon (representing Leigh's personal sidearm). You'll investigate chiefly to charge up Leigh's damage boost, then gun down enemies using bullets that deal between 2 and 8 (!!) damage, depending on what resources you're investing and the kind of enemy you're fighting. Those bullets are prepared by getting out Leigh's gun and upgrading it with Enchant Weapon and Custom Ammunition. If your mulligan and early searches don't quite reach the .38, that's ok; Roland also has his own standard-issue sidearm, which can keep him safe and gunning down enemies until he draws out his real weapon of choice.

Grounded in his analytical mind and FBI training, Roland is all about understanding the problems he's facing. This comes through both in Leigh's abilities and in his reliance on the Research mechanic. As Roland prepares for what comes ahead, both through stocking up on equipment and getting hot tips from his informant Mr. "Rook", he will thin out his deck and gain bonuses from Astounding Revelation and Surprising Find, setting himself up to see his entire deck very quickly. He also relies on his instincts to help both himself and his allies be just a little more resourceful.

Roland is a crack shot, a brilliant investigator, and the bearer of a weighty legacy from his mentor as far as knowing the truth of the supernatural world goes. But as he swiftly cycles his deck, puts massively-damaging bullet after massively-damaging bullet into monsters, and picks up clues on the front and tail ends of every fight, you'll find he's well-up to the task set before him.

I hope everyone enjoys taking this version of Agent Banks for a spin! I certainly did. During testing runs in Carnevale, he was consistently able to one-shot the powerful cultist enemies he faced while gathering clues at lightning speed. Although two weapons is distinctly low for a primary fighter, even at 4p, the rate at which he burns through his deck means he's practically guaranteed to see at least one of them by the end of his first or second turn, and with Leigh out he's able to punch as hard as the average bullet or rely on investigating until he can draw his weapons and get them into play.

For his Plan, I recommend Custom Ammunition, Extra Ammunition, and Ever Vigilant. The first two are thus kept out of your deck so you don't draw them before you have a weapon to drop them on, and the latter needs no introduction. Search hard and fast, prioritize Astounding Revelation triggers over Surprising Find, and conserve ammunition by putting out precisely the right amount of damage to put each successive enemy in the ground. The .38's bullets are obviously more precious than your colt's, so try not to waste them on 2-health enemies.

Keep all that in mind and you should find yourself solving mysteries–and monstrous problems–with all the professionalism of the Bureau's best. Happy hunting!

Agency Backup is currently serving as a stand-in for Michael Leigh.