.45 Thompson

This is the classic standard 0 XP 2-handed weapon. If you don't need the other hand for anything, and want to fight lots of times, this is the weapon to get. It is more powerful and more efficient than pistols like the .45 automatic. Compared to the enchanted blade, it isn't as efficient, but a hard core fighter might well prefer a single expensive card they can rely on for a long time, rather than playing an enchanted blade, quickly using up the charges, then hoping to draw something else and play that. Rogues are even more enthusiastic about the weapon since they have an even more limited pool of good 0 XP weapons. Sometimes I give this weapon to characters who really do have a use for the other hand, just because I need more weapons in the deck and sometimes it's nice to have access to a really good weapon even if there is some sacrifice involved; then I replace it with a good one handed weapon when I get the XP. The only real disadvantage with this weapon is the high up front cost, so it can be a pain to get the resources together to play this card in the first place, and it isn't so great if you only plan to fight occasionally.

ChristopherA · 113
Meat Cleaver

If you’re willing to use up an arcane slot, this can be a tremendously fun weapon for a guardian to Enchant for Agnes. Between two and four damage for an alpha attack, depending on your starting horror and whether you want to take one and/or heal. Using a holy meat cleaver has a huge impact on your sanity!

MrGoldbee · 1492
Yeah, the cleaver was already a pretty spicy pick for Agnes, and the possibility of enchanting it might edge it out over Sword Cane. — SGPrometheus · 847
It's a real shame Agnes's deckbuilding can either include enchant weapon or meat cleaver but not both — NarkasisBroon · 11
But Dr. Fern can Enchant... — MrGoldbee · 1492
Sign Magick

I'm not sure why the designers are so dedicated to making it difficult to get an extra arcane slot. An extra ally slot is more powerful, yet Charisma is way cheaper and more efficient than this card. It is true that a lot of characters would really like to have an extra arcane slot, but that is because the arcane slot limit is kind of an annoying inconvenience that would be cool to circumvent, not because it is some vital part of game balance that would be super powerful to overcome. Yes, it would often be worthwhile and convenient to play a third spell, but not at the cost of nearly doubling the cost of a spell (is that third spell you are playing really worthwhile when it costs an extra three resources and a card?). And on top of that this card still has a significant downside that it sits in your hand useless until you actually need to play a third spell. Again, Relic Hunter lets allows you to break the accessory limit as a permanent (!) for no cost other than 3 XP, so why does this card have to be so expensive? I’d think it was still a bit pricey, but more reasonable, if it had a resource cost of 2. A resource cost of 3 just seems mean for a card that does nothing but permit you to then pay for another card which is probably not even one of your best two spells (since those are in your first two slots).

ChristopherA · 113
Yea the only saving grace with this card is that it is Fast, but it being Fast also means it no longer synergizes with Uncage the Soul. Naturally, you can play Uncage the Soul on the spell you now have a slot for, but it really just means you need yet another cards to match up. Perhaps we will see an upgrade in Return To Circle Undone. — LaRoix · 1646
It has actually been kind of confirmed, that there will be an upgrade of this card in the Return box. There's a picture released in the Preview article by FFG, that can also be found on BGG, where you can see it. (Albeit not read, what it will do. better.) There will also be a new Tarot card, "The Hierophant • V", which is already listed here. Until then, I found the Cat ally from Jaqueline qite useful. I run it in Akachi in TFA, where I wanted spells for fight, investigate and evade. You often get into the situation, when you just have one or two charges left on a spell and want to play a third one. The cat is then perfect to get your slots temporarly up to three and use a soak, once one of the spells is empty. Sure, Ally slot is also preciouse, but as long as your only other ally is the Initiate or Renfield, you get by fine. And once you get your Twila or Dayana, there is always Charisma. — Susumu · 381
Meat Cleaver

This is not just a good card when played in a specialized way to maximize its benefits. I want to make it clear that this weapon is also very useful as just a general purpose weapon in the Survivor weapon pool. At the time of this writing, survivors without access to weapon-oriented classes have a very limited selection of weapons, and this can be the most reliable available weapon if you don't want to deal with the weird limitations of the other survivor weapons. The Fire Axe is a great weapon, but it forces you to give up all your money when you use it, which is really annoying if you don't want to play that type of character. And the Baseball Bat is also a great weapon, but aside from requiring two hands, it can suddenly disappear at any time and leave you without a weapon. The Meat Cleaver may look like a weird weapon because the way it manipulates sanity, but it really isn't that difficult for a normal character to use. You do not actually need to reduce your sanity to three to use the weapon as a + 1 bonus is still just as good as a machete, and while your sanity does tend to go down when using the weapon, it is not absolutely essential to play with Peter Sylvestre; it is pretty common that it gives you back the sanity you lose, so your overall sanity loss is usually pretty slow, and survivors have lots of other ways to soak some horror if necessary. In any case, the reality is that if you want to be serious about fighting you normally need more than one weapon in your deck so you can actually draw one when you need it, so even if Meat Cleaver is not your very favorite weapon, it is still available as a perfectly functional weapon to round out your deck.

ChristopherA · 113
Logical Reasoning

Too bad you can't discard Dissonant Voices with this. Yeah, I know, you could do it on somebody else, but not on yourself. Bummer.

Where it would be great, though, is with Farsight. Healing damage and horror is usually a hard sell because of all the actions it costs you...but a FAST heal of up to 6 horror among the whole team? Yes, please!

Pinchers · 133