With the latest taboo, this can be a fantastic card, in a multiplayer scenario with a well-connected place for sniping. We confirmed this in a four-player playthrough of Return to Night of the Zealot. In the last scenario (Devourer below), Mark Harrigan was sitting in a hiding spot at the main path, with an extra hand for holding a side-arm, reloading the Springfield regularly. Never have the forests felt so tranquil... Cultists spawning aloof and getting headshotted, while others just walk past was, well, satisfying, to put it mildly. The fact that the sniper never had to move saved a ton of actions to him. We had 3 doom to go when we disrupted the ritual.

It's true that a sniper has to take the risk of hurting allies, but e.g. Mark, with only the rifle and his base stats, was fighting at skill 8. We playing on Normal, most of the time only autofail was the risk.

Elite monsters will be an issue (good thing the big boss didn't spawn), but you usually know when there will be one, so you can plan ahead.

Probably needless to say, but the new taboo ability saves practically no actions in scenarios with a linear map: in such scenarios, typically all investigators have to walk to the end of the linear map, also the sniper. But off the top of my head, I would say such scenarios are a minority; most have at least a somewhat central location good for sniping; maybe not as ridiculously OP as the main path but still.

Quick question. If you draw your 10th card in the card+resource phase, do you advance or do you have to discard cards?

I think you advance cause its immediate, but Im not sure.

200 characters. 200 characters. 200 characters

I think this card is underrated. Sometimes you would like to soften up a big enemy that has Retaliate for your monster hunters, or that person is you and you can pull out Backstab for your next action, or activate Delilah O'Rourke's ability to finish off a 3 HP enemy (Delilah also gives a +2 skill boost).

But other times you need a test you are sure you can succeed big at for your Rogue succeed-by-X cards, like Momentum, Watch This, Quick Thinking, Nimble, Opportunist, or All In, and you're engaged with an enemy. Winifred & Rita will be testing at a base 8, Tony, Skids, Finn & Monterey Jack at 7, Bob, Trish, Jenny & Sefina at 6. With the aforementioned skill cards that also have a payoff, it shouldn't be hard to succeed by 2 (or by 1 with the upgraded version, which can also return to your hand). Sure you can draw the red token, but that's the Rogue lifestyle.

The other option, Lockpicks (1), is a better payoff for the succeed-by-X cards for Bob, Finn, Wendy, & Trish or Monterey Jack with Lockpicks (0). But don't glaze over Cheap Shot.

If you're interested in a handy list of Rogue cards that may benefit from this bad boy — here you go: arkhamdb.com

If your investigator is not limited by Rogue cardpool — delete "f:Rogue" from search input and hit Enter.

I think this card having icons is a mistake, faustian bargain is by most accounts a very strong card, like obscenely strong, it makes its way into almost every deck I make even if team mates don't want curses the idea of gaining 5 resources from me is too tempting.

That said the idea that when you are fully set up and you can afford to not play this card and keep the curses at bay you don't even have to consider this a dead card, will and intellect tests are endlessly being made so you will just commit this in the late game, I feel like that's a mistake, can you just say no to the bargain and go on with your life?

Like any true evil bargain it should be there....tempting you, begging you to play it "its only two curses...come on, you can handle that can't you.... and you need the money, what if you draw something expensive and need it out fast?"

Like all cards that channel dark forces, faustian bargain proves there is a reason the good guys are always on the back foot, evil just get the best toys.