Searching for Izzie

This has been updated to match my "Signature Weakness Project." I have done my best to make sure that the original content isn't altered too much, out of respect for any comments.

Another bad, trauma-inducing weakness. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: This Weakness has many of the same issues as Roland's Cover Up, although Jenny has a greater capacity for mental trauma, so a bad draw at the end of a scenario isn't quite as deadly. On the other hand, while Jenny's Weakness can always be resolved if you can get to it (no clue shenanigans), it does appear on the furthest location, which can be very bad in large or unusually-shaped maps, plus it goes into her discard pile when resolved for extra drawing possibilities. Any investigator can trigger this, although the and an Investigate test is a tougher nut to crack and more vulnerable to a bad location choice. Missing the test on Searching for Izzie effectively costs you an extra turn. Searching for Izzy can cost Jenny 2 Trauma if she gets defeated while it is out, adding injury to more injury. Since it's attached to a location, if the scenario discards locations, the Weakness will also get discarded, so that's nice. There are not many specific mitigating strategies besides making sure someone can pass that Investigate test and movement boosts like Nimble or Elusive (and maybe "I'm outta here!" to get back to a Resign point).

The discard condition: Get to the location, spend two actions, and succeed on an Investigate test.

Taking everything together, this is a way above average signature weakness, being very action intensive and subject to timing. It might be a little easier in higher player counts. It can end a campaign.

Box vs book Between the two signature weaknesses, the "book" set has an advantage (especially in solo), while the assets are about the same, although they do pretty different things. Players might well prefer the "book" to the "box," and who would want both?

Can I Investigate - Searching for Izzie with a flashlight or lockpicks? — LTT · 1
No. You must take the actions on the card for its effect to take place (discarding it). — dscarpac · 1172
Grete Wagner

It makes me laugh that Roland Banks, the most straightforward investigator, has seen more and more weirdness appear in the guardian set. From knives and pistols In the basic box, you’ll now often see him with magical blades or flesh wards. One version of him involves Dr. Elli fishing for mystical artifacts. You wonder how he writes around having a mystical mirror on his special reports.

This is another thing he’s probably covering over with the trademark agency black highlighter: a mystical purifier. Of course.

For five resources, It’s an expensive pairing. But it’s an effective one. You can either investigate when enemies aren’t around with a solid degree of comfort. Staying in place while getting clues elsewhere is an extremely useful thing. And if you’re already running beat cops, and have some ally healing tools, it becomes even better.

For either one action or a fast exhaust of your beat cop, you can remove two clues from your weakness. Next turn, kill another rat or aloof foe and you’re out of the hole completely.

The German witch hunter helped you discover numerous clues from the rat swarm. Maybe that would stay off the official report.

MrGoldbee · 1477
Really, don’t make such a big deal of this! Roland just has to fill out a RRF-333(M) and get it signed by his immediate superior, the Section Chief, and the Regional Chaplin. No sweat! — LivefromBenefitSt · 1073
Regional Chaplin? I think there was only one Chaplin in the 20s... — MrGoldbee · 1477
Naw, the country was lousy with the little scamps. I blame autocorrect. — LivefromBenefitSt · 1073
The Dirge of Reason

This has been updated to match my "Signature Weakness Project." I have done my best to make sure that the original content isn't altered too much, out of respect for any comments.

One of the "shuffle this back into your deck" signature weaknesses. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: Put 2 of Roland's clues on his location. If you don't have 2 clues, place what you can, take 1 horror, and shuffle the back into your deck to dirge you again. Obviously, this is no fun, but Roland generally doesn't mind dropping clues, since can scoop them up again by Investigate or Fight actions. The "horror and reshuffle" is pretty nasty to Roland with his sad 5 Sanity, but, if you are running Roland, you should be packing horror healing (e.g. Logical Reasoning or Hallowed Mirror), so you should have answers, but getting defeated by horror is a credible threat, especially if you can't or won't hoard clues. This is definitely a lighter weakness than Cover Up, in that it can only possibly give you 1 mental trauma, but it does have a weird synergy with Roland's "box" signature weakness, so he may be the best investigator to run both sets of signatures.

For those who don't read the comments: Dirge can't take clues off of Cover Up, since they aren't "Roland's Clues." It can, however, get unspent clues off of Roland, so he can Investigate to get them, clearing Cover Up in the process. It's pretty inefficient (it could take 5+ actions with a bad hand and bad luck), but it beats the pants off a mental trauma or two....

The discard condition: Have 2 clues when you draw this, otherwise you get hurt, and it shuffles back in your deck.

All in all, this is an average signature weakness, maybe above average if you are in a horror-heavy campaign like Carcosa.

Box vs book If you are afraid of Trauma, stick with the "book" signature set, but, if you a e more daring, the "book" set actually helps with the problems of the "box" signatures, so maybe take both.

I think you're implying that you can take the clues from Cover Up and dump them on your location if you draw this; that is not the case. You don't control the clues on Cover Up and they're not "your clues." If the synergy you refer to is this putting clues out on a formerly clueless board, that makes more sense, and I apologize for the misunderstanding. Just wanted to clarify. — SGPrometheus · 827
No I absolutely mean getting clues back on a location so you can clear Cover Up. The clues on Cover Up aren't "your clues," since they are on a weakness. I expect everyone who runs Roland has had a scenario or two where Cover Up came out after the last clue was picked up and there is nothing to be done. As long as you haven't spent all of Roland's clues, Dirge will actually help you get them down to let you clear the other weakness. For 5 actions (including getting the orignial clues back), but, still.... — LivefromBenefitSt · 1073
Mysteries Remain

Nothing too fancy, this is basically a free Working a Hunch with the added option of creating a clue out of thin air, which is a fairly unique ability for a card. It might allow you to avoid a hard-to-access location while still finishing the act. It could also turn back on Fieldwork or Inquiring Mind or any other card that requires a clue on a location. If you are a bad person, it could cancel a VP location for your team. Most interesting, maybe, is that it can serve as a safety net for Roland's "box" set signature weakness if you draw that late enough in the game that there are no locations with clues. This makes Roland the only investigator with a clear synergy between his "box" and "book" signature sets.

So, if you are risk averse, play the "book" set. If you aren't, consider playing both.

On edit, that should read "clear positive synergy." When one weakness helps you with another, that's amore.

I don't think it's right to say that Roland is the only investigator who had synergy between his original and replacement weaknesses. Dexter could use Molly to find Showmanship (if he doesn't have another Talent), Carolyn could use Hypnotic Therapy to heal Foolishness. There are probably others. — Zinjanthropus · 229
I said weaknesses, I meant signatures. oops — Zinjanthropus · 229
True, I should have said "signature weaknesses" and also clarified that I meant a positive synergy. Silas, Carolyn, and Dexter's weaknesses all make each other harder. — LivefromBenefitSt · 1073
In the case of Mr Rook you might want to keep Roland's original sigs over his replacements for fear of drawing The Dirge of Reason over and over again! — mogwen · 254
Cover Up

This has been updated to match my "Signature Weakness Project." I have done my best to make sure that the original content isn't altered too much, out of respect for any comments.

Everyone seems to think that this is a really bad weakness, and everyone is right. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: Roland needs to discover 3 extra clues at a location that has clues. This seems fairly easy, since Roland is pretty good at getting clues with his off-class access and special ability, plus cards like Evidence! and Scene of the Crime. So it's handleable, if it goes down early, and the fact that any investigator can trigger the action, and a dedicated clue-getter can clear this tout de suite (as someone more Francophonic than Roland might say), but, if it goes down late or in a scenario where there aren't clues in the normal way or after they've been discovered, Roland is in for a world of trauma. Roland can hedge his bets by reserving a clue until the last moment and using cards like Dr. William T. Maleson and Forewarned to get it back on a location, lessening that late-scenario "clue desert" problem. Remember that, if Roland gets defeated with this thing out, he gets 2 trauma for his pains. And with a low starting Sanity, this weakness can be campaign-ending.

The discard condition: Discover an extra 3 clues from a location with at least 1 clue. At least it stays in your threat area, so it's a once per scenario problem.

All in all, this is a way above average signature weakness.

Box vs book You need to ask yourself if the pretty pistol is worth the pain of this card. If no, consider the "book" signatures, which are less nice but also less awful. If yes, maybe use the "box" set or both for some extra Roland-ness.

It seems odd that a clue is required to be at the location, when the rules do not state that a clue needs to be at a location to investigate. It only states that you investigate against a shroud value, then you discover a clue. Given that plenty of cards let you discover two clues, it follows that you can discover less clues than are available, but they simply go to waste. — eskimoform · 102
Given that it's so easy to draw this card with absolutely no clues available, its the natural expectation based on the games design and the actual text in the rules. — eskimoform · 102
Cover Up does not require you to Investigate, though; it requires you to "discover 1 or more clues at your location." You can investigate a location without any clues; Ursula's Weakness would be much worse and at least one Basic Weakness impossible if you couldn't. However, to discover a clue, there has to be a clue to discover. The Rules Reference under "Clues" makes it clear that clues "at a location" specifically means "undiscovered clues at that location." — LivefromBenefitSt · 1073