Plan of Action

I don't think this card is quite so limiting as all that.

For Minh, this card is essentially a +3 during Mythos phase, or Unexpected Courage + card draw on her second action. For any user of Tooth of Eztli, this card basically ensures you pass any will or agility treacheries (and get the card draw), and otherwise functions as the seeker version of Quick Thinking - by which I mean rogues get ? plus an action, where seekers get ? plus a card.

It does seem that its best function is either going to be before your first action (during Mythos) or as your second action (for the card draw), although many with access to 0 seeker will find times for the third action use as well.

I see a lot of arguments against skill cards by comparing them to Unexpected Courage. I have never understood that, as there's no reason you can't have both.

Time4Tiddy · 249
As far as I have heard this is not a wild+will/agility in the mythos phase given you aren't in a "turn" at that point, but otherwise yea, one wild draw a card is still really nice. Anyone who hasn't tried harvey with a ton of draw a card skills like this give it a shot, its great. — Zerogrim · 295
the problem with the wild+draw is that it's only during the second Action of your turn whereas the qt extra Action works whenever you commit it. So it's less controllable. I think it's possibly a good amanda card however (although it shows Trish). — PowLee · 15
This thing is only a wild in Mythos because it is no one’s turn. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
And why would that be? Where on the card does it say that it meeds tp be anybodies — Skeith · 2444
Turn. It reads before the first action of your turn, which the mythos phase arguebly is. So is every other test a preceeding investigator takes. The same is true for taking the iniative, that retains all its icons during mythos because everything happens before the first action of the turn. Otherwise both cards would surely read "only commit during your turn" or "durinf the investogation phase". — Skeith · 2444
It reads, "first action of THIS turn", implying that you must be in a Turn, which only occur in the investigation phase. Since this card chose not to say "this round" or "this phase" (which, btw, is what Take the Initiative says), it seems likely that you only get the bonuses during a turn. — Hylianpuffball · 29
I'm open to better understanding on this one - what are examples of skill tests taken during your turn but before your first action? — Time4Tiddy · 249
@Time4Tiddy For one, it could be treacheries in your play area that make you do tests at the start of your turn. Or it could be fast abilities/events that start tests, such as the Cryptographic Cipher. — TheNameWasTaken · 3
One example would be Garrote Wire, which initiates a fight without taking an action. That can be done during your turn before your first action. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
Hmm ok granted it doesn't say phase. I would still like official ruling on thst one seems needlessly complicated. — Skeith · 2444
No official ruling is needed. The word turn makes it explicitly clear that this does not have extra icons outside of your turn. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
Okay, while I still believe the wording on this card is NOT clear, review of MJN clarification on Quick Learner leads me to RAI only empowered during an investigator's turn. Putting will and agility on the front end of this card seems to be designed for treacheries. — Time4Tiddy · 249
Will is good for spellcasting and some treacheries' action triggered abilities. Agility is good for evading (something you want to do at the start of your turn) or indeed some treacheries' action-triggered abilities. Or free-triggered abilities, lately... — Yenreb · 15
@Time4Tiddy I mean, ruling aside, this card literally uses the word turn. Turn is defined in the rules and is completely explicit and transparent. No clarification is needed- it’s just a wild outside of someone’s turn. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
Well, it sounds like they have clarified that this was intended (or perhaps has been retconned) to work during mythos, and my review is back in business. :) — Time4Tiddy · 249
Graveyard Ghouls

The first Enemy signature Weakness. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: A relatively mild Enemy, the ghouls are likely to take Yorick 2 actions to dispatch, perhaps one if Vicious Blow or Brute Force are employed. If bad luck brings them out early, before Yorick has a chance to set up, they can be more troublesome, but no more so than a bad encounter deck draw. Their special ability is really only a problem if you are unlucky enough to draw them while engaged with one or more additional enemies

The discard condition: You kill them, which is something that Yorick is pretty good at doing. As usual, and investigator can deal with them, although Yorick rarely needs the help.

All in all, this is a below average signature weakness, generally offering only the mildest threat to the scenario.

This is actually a benefit because you can target the ghouls with bury them deep, so even on levels without non-elite enemies you can still get that juicy VP. — Zerogrim · 295
Assuming you draw BTD and don't have a better target, sure. — LivefromBenefitSt · 1084
Dont knock that element of it actually. It’s incredibly convenient in less fight scenarios where you maybe didn’t draw your sig early enough to use it. It’s situational, but it’s helpful to know that you can consistently get the victory from your sig since your deck comes prepackaged with an enemy. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
The Museum-Snek mission is one of my least liked missions in the game. So... yeah. — HanoverFist · 748
Perfect example- this becomes your only valid target. — StyxTBeuford · 13049
Shell Shock

One of the "take a bunch of damage and.or horror" signature weaknesses. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: You take 0-4 horror, which is unlikely to kill Mark, but it can lose a scenario or campaign and getting Mental Trauma just increases the deadliness of the card. Fortunately for Mark, Guardians have gotten better healing options since Carcosa, and tools like Hallowed Mirror, Second Wind, and even Thermos can help keep Mark's damage low, and there are plenty of Guardian Allies with 2-3 Horror soak to keep Mark on an even keel. If you don't go wild with Sophie before this Weakness drops, Mark will probably be OK. Good thing it doesn't say "direct horror." As a side note, something in the wording of the card rubs me the wrong way, but its meaning is clear.

The discard condition: You draw it, it's Revelation effect happens, you discard it. Simple, but it can happen multiple times, if you deck yourself.

All in all, this is a below average signature weakness. It can ruin your day at the wrong moment, but if you build and play with it in mind, it is unlikely to have a severe impact.

I'm liking most of these reviews so far, but the rating scale continues to confuse me. Below average? I can't see "take half of your sanity in horror" being one of the minor weaknesses. I'm not saying it's a nightmare, but if your investigator actively needs to think about when their weakness might show up, that's average at worst. — Hylianpuffball · 29
Mark tries to keep his damage low for Sophie anyways, in practice I rarely take more than 2 horror from this card, and like the review said, Mark should always have soak through an ally pretty much. This is definitely one of the more minor personal weaknesses given how often it does nothing. — madhatter152 · 8
My rating, which I will admit is pretty crude, is on a scale Way above average, above average, average, below average, and way beloe average, with "Way above" being the worst. It's based on a couple of factors, mostly, -- how easy is it to manage and how likely it is to lose you the scenario/campaign. — LivefromBenefitSt · 1084
Rex's Curse

This is a fairly unique signature Weakness, annoying but persistent. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: fairly simple -- if you succeed, return the token and draw another. This has the unfortunate result that you slow down the game a bit drawing tokens and then redoing the test, keeping track of possible stacking token effects. On Hard/Expert, this can give you lots of extra chances to trigger bad token effects, but it's more manageable in Easy/Standard where the annoyance of going back to the token bag repeatedly is maybe greater than the actual mechanical effect.

The discard condition: Fail a test. However, that just puts it back in your deck. Given Seeker card draw, it's not unlikely you will see this over and over.

All in all, this is an average signature weakness, maybe above average on harder difficulties. it can end scenarios by piling on Doom, Horror, or Damage in worst case scenarios.

Specifically, you fail a test as a result of the new token draw. If Rex draws the auto-fail as the first draw, the failure is not as a result of the forced effect. — Signum · 14
When Rex Murphy returns Frost Tokens to the Chaos Bag during the settlement of weaknesses, will drawing Frost Tokens again automatically fail — yxcvbhgfdsa133 · 1
What happens when you revealed two or more tokens in the first success? Do you return them both? For example some cultist tokens require you to draw another token and then an effect happens. — Louis Dooner · 70
Plan of Action

If you follow the reading on Abandoned Mine or The Lonely Tree, it is two icons + draw on your first and third actions this turn, an icon and a draw on the second action and two icons during the mythos and other phases.

Good card.

madcircus · 183
MJ has said that’s not how this card is meant to be read. Between X and Y cards/resources and between X and Y actions might not be the same (inclusive or exclusive). — StyxTBeuford · 13049
If it's not a turn, it's not "during or after" or "during or before" any action of "this turn". So in the mythos phase, enemy phase, or upkeep phase, or even in the investigator phase but between turns, it's just a wild [unless someone is doing something 'as if' it's their turn]. — Yenreb · 15
I believe that if the card draw would only happen during the 2nd action of the acting player, they would have written "if this skill test happen during the 2nd action…". It seems quite clear to me that the card draw is triggered between action 1 and 3, both included. — Ayoross · 1
Between the 1st and the 3rd actions you have not only the 2nd - you also have additional actions (as many as you can get) and free triggered actions - that's why they haven't written '...during the 2nd action…' — SickPenguin · 1