Calculated Risk

Without even taking any extra actions into account, this is a Wini card. It's a Rogue skill, it can give Wild skill icons, and that's all you need.

"After this test ends, end your turn." is a real shame, because I'd definitely play this on my first action just to draw more cards, but this clause pretty much forces you to play it on your last one for 3 (or possibly more) icons. Still good though.

Aesyn · 579
I don't have too much to say about how well the card plays--but the state of play on that Go board is janky as hell... — Cal · 1
Improvised Shield

The natural comparison for this card within Survivor class is good old Leather Coat as a damage soak. Let's analyse the differences:

  • +1 cost compared to Coat
  • +1 damage soak
  • takes more occupied hand slot compared to body slot where Protective Gear is the only alternative within Survivor class
  • you need to discard it first, where you can play Coat directly for 2 damage and then replay it quite easily with discard recurring cards
  • No symbols to commit vs. on Coat

Overall it doesn't look as a worthy rival for Coat, because it takes up a hand slot and the setup is more complicated. The problem is that for reliable recursion of it, you want to stick to one-handed assets so you don't replace big 2-hand assets with Shield and play another asset in place of Shield before Forced effect kicks in. If you're a Survivor fighter you don't want to give up 2-handed weapons when you can get soak somewhere else. For now I think this card can find a place in Survivor decks not focused on fighting as a cheap damage protection and only when you have better alternative for body slot.

Two imrpvoised shield can also be permenantly replaced, one overwritting the other. its like leather coat but you pay a resource instead of drawing the coat. — Zerogrim · 295
Monstrous Transformation

Pretty good for a shapeshifting Charlie Kane (base value 1/1/1/1) or Carson Sinclair (2/2/2/2). :) The rest of this is to fill the 200 minimum characters. The rest of this is to fill the 200 minimum characters.

Hawk-Eye Folding Camera

I need some clarification for the text "Limit once per game at each location".

The clarification is very significant, because Darrell Simmons gives HEFC a new relevance.

The rules say:

"Max X per " imposes a maximum across all copies of a card (by title) for all players. Generally, this phrase imposes a maximum number of times that copies of that card can be played during the designated time period. If a maximum includes the word "committed" (For example, "Max 1 committed per skill test"), it imposes a maximum number of copies of that card that can be committed to skill tests during the designated period. If a maximum appears as part of an ability, it imposes a maximum number of times that ability can be initiated from all copies (by title) of cards bearing that ability (including itself), during the designated period. If the effects of a card or ability with a limit or maximum are canceled, it is still counted against the limit/maximum, because the ability has been initiated." [arkhamdb.com](https://arkhamdb.com/rules#Limits_and_Maximums) How do I have to understand this? Question A: If there are two copies of HEFC in play and the last clue ist discovered at a location where the players controlling these assets are. Is an evidence placed on each copy or only on one copy? Because the rules say "If a maximum appears as part of an ability, it imposes a maximum number of times that ability can be initiated from all copies (by title) of cards bearing that ability (including itself), during the designated period." I would read this as "It needs 6 individual locations cleared to stack up two copies." Question B: If I have 1 copy of HEFC in play and get an evidence at a location. Then I play a second copy of HEFC. Can I - if a clue is placed on that location again - get another evidence for the second copy of HEFC? I would read this as "No." Question C: If I have to discard my copy of HEFC from play and get it back to play (e.g. by Scavenging). Does the limitation of this copy reset? I would read this as "No." Therefore the total number of evidence that HEFCs can provide to a group is limited to the number of locations in a game. What if a location leaves play and later enters again, like e.g. locations in "Before the Black Throne"? Are they treated as new locations?
Hawk-Eye Folding Camera isn't "Max once per game at each location", it's "Limit once per game at each location". That means that each camera individually can only get one evidence from each location, but different cameras, including the same camera if it's left and re-entered play, can get evidence from the same location. — Thatwasademo · 58
That said, (and this would hold even if it was "max once per game at each location"), "each location" counts any location that leaves and re-enters play as a new location. — Thatwasademo · 58
(To track *the same* card as it leaves and re-enters play, they'd use Max instead of Limit; to track *different* cards as they leave and re-enter play, they'd need something like "at each location (by name)") — Thatwasademo · 58
er, having just realized that wording is slightly wrong, by "the same"/"different" above I mean the card the ability is written on or other cards, not, like, a card leaving play and a different card entering play — Thatwasademo · 58
To give another simple example. What this "limit once per game at each location" text limits is the ability to pick up the last clue from a location, then drop a clue from another clue dropping card - such as Analysys (https://arkhamdb.com/card/09049) - then pick up the clues again to add more evidence from that location. You can't get more evidence because you are limited to one evidence per location. — techoatmeal · 15
Does each camera track locations cleared just for itself? If I clear a location and put evidence on one camera then put down the other camera, drop a clue and clear it again, does the second camera get the evidence? I would argue it does (it's kind of a nightmare to track, maybe different coloured tokens to put on locations for each camera?) — Gandalph · 34
Scavenging

With the recent release of Stella Clark Investigator Pack, Edge of the Earth and now The Scarlet Keys, Scavenging requires an updated review as an incredibly strong and possibly broken card.

With Stella Clark expansion and the release of .18 Derringer and Old Keyring, Survivors now have access to a pair of the strongest level 0 item cards in the game that allow you do the two most essential functions with efficiency and reliability: clueving and fighting. Having these items as targets for infinite recursions means your clueving and fighting will always have a skill test advantage (and extra damage with the gun).

With Edge of the Earth, Survivors not only get access to Short Supply, they also get access to Schoffner's Catalologue, which makes recursion set-up quicker and more affordable. The EotE investigator Bob Jenkins also counteracts the immense resource cost recursion typically incurs.

With TSK, from my play experience, a Charlie Kane recursion deck that relies on allies to bolster skill test and recursion of items to further augment skill test backed by cards that play on economy (Gregory Gry) is incredibly powerful and versatile.

The recent release of investigator cards now makes Scavenging a foundation for recursion deck building and a powerful archetype.