We’re back, folks! Yes, it’s only been a few short months since I left Ursula Downs and Lily Chen in the Mexican jungle, but I am finally getting back to The Forgotten Age campaign.
The City of Archives
So, following on from the Heart of the Elders, I knew we would be in for some weirdness as we had been abducted by alien Yithians at the end of that scenario. Well, for this one the investigators are basically Yithians themselves for the duration! Our minds have been transplanted and we’re wandering around the archives with Yithians observing our behaviour in their never-ending thirst for knowledge. Somewhat based on The Shadow Out of Time, having a knowledge of that tale did give me something of an idea for what I would be in for, although I do still feel fairly adrift at the minute with the campaign, not knowing where I am headed etc!
The scenario is definitely interesting, giving us the Yithian investigator cards for the duration. To begin with, we cannot use any Item assets as we basically don’t understand how our new Yithian bodies work. Then, we can use items but we’re still stuck in these bodies, and our hand size is reduced as a result. There are cards that will discard from our decks, making us approach the brink all the quicker, and this becomes especially important near the end, as we need to be able to draw up to a hand of 10 or more cards to advance the final act of the scenario. Throughout, however, it’s interesting how the enemies are Aloof and leaving us be, and the main threat comes from the slew of encounter cards we’re drawing.
We also need to complete six tasks, which influences how well we will complete the scenario. I was able to complete four of them, all with Ursula Downs, though at the last minute, Ursula took too much horror and was eliminated! It worked out well for me, though, because she had the most cards to draw – Lily already had a few cards in hand, so was able to get to 10 without any major problems and so could advance the act without her buddy in arms.
At the end, we are able to restore our minds to our bodies, but Alejandro is nowhere to be seen – the dastardly villain! I was able to get 7 experience points, so have taken the time to upgrade both decks for the final two scenarios. I already have 11 points left from the last two scenarios, so I definitely need to spend some of this! Though I’m toying with the idea of throwing in a side quest, almost as a “we need to take some time out after all that outer body experience!” but thematically it doesn’t really fit, as my investigative duo are in the middle of getting to this Nexus…
The Depths of Yoth
This one was a very peculiar scenario, but the more that I think about it, the more I think I really liked it! There’s only one Act card, and basically you are forced to repeat the same action over and over again – collect three clues per investigator, advance the Act deck, add a depth counter to the scenario card, then reset and go again. When you get to five depth counters, you’ve gone down far enough and you can reach the resolution. Obviously, there are nasty things in the encounter deck, some of them are particularly nasty and you can see how they are designed purely to wear down the investigators. It’s an interesting take on the usual type of scenario like this, where you’re having to get to a set point, but instead of discovering a specific location at a specific point in the game, as we’ve seen with other scenarios where the location is put in by the act or agenda deck (or is the reverse of one of those cards), here we’re almost wandering aimlessly through the caverns, trying to find the Nexus.
Of course, I didn’t bring any torches with me, so I guess it could be different if you chose different supplies at the start of this journey!
It was interesting, to me, because it’s a definite race against the Agenda deck, which is quite big this time around. All of that Vengeance and Yig’s Fury comes into play here, as it decides how far into the Agenda deck you begin. There is an actual Yig ancient one card involved here too, but fortunately I was able to get to the fifth depth counter before he appeared.
Shattered Aeons
The finale is here, and it’s another interesting scenario. We’re at the Nexus, and almost for the whole scenario, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was trying to do. At one point, I had the option to join forces with Alejandro but, thinking back to my experiences with how he sold us out to the Yithians, I didn’t want to end the world just yet. It felt a bit like each time I was able to advance the Act deck, the goalposts shifted, and I had to do something different. However, the final stage became pretty much a race through time and space as Ursula strove to explore as many ‘shattered’ locations while Lily went around beating up cultists, and we were able to do pretty well to mend the tear in the fabric of time, and win the campaign!
Any scenario that uses the Dark Cult and Ancient Evils decks together is a winner in my book, and basically this final game was an exercise in stopping Cultists from winning, classic Lovecraft for sure. I was a bit surprised when we didn’t end up going to a specific other world, but instead there are locations such as Yuggoth, or the shores of Ry’leh. It fits with the theme of a tear in the fabric of time, or reality, or whatever, but up to now I suppose I have been somewhat expecting the finale to see us travel to an outer realm.
I do like Central America as a location, and it does evoke that kind of Indiana Jones vibe by having us exploring hidden temples and forgotten ruins in the Mesoamerican jungle. The surprise, for me, was how we ended up going back to Arkham for a few scenarios as well, but I suppose it is the name of the game! It’s definitely been a wild ride, this time around!
Now, I’m not sure why The Forgotten Age is seen as a bad campaign. I enjoyed myself, even if I did find some elements difficult, or I was unsure what I was supposed to be aiming for. I suppose it all adds an element of mystery that I think is probably what this game is all about – you shouldn’t know what to do from the off, and decisions like whether to join with Alejandro were based on my experiences with him in-game, rather than from any other reason. It all helps to tell a story that I think is really interesting – I may not have trusted Alejandro at first, but I thought it was important to keep him on side. When he betrayed us, it felt real, somehow!
I think the investigator team I took with me this time, Ursula Downs and Lily Chen, really worked well for me. Ursula is built for investigation, and I was able to assemble a really good deck around her over the course of the campaign. I think it really shows how quickly she was able to explore those locations and just win, in the end. What a beast! Lily was a different kettle of fish, I think the whole she’s-a-mystic-no-she’s-a-guardian thing was a bit weird, and made deckbuilding for her a bit awkward at times, as there were Mystic cards I would have loved to upgrade her into, but couldn’t. I’m sure I missed some auto-include cards, as well, but I ended up with quite a beefy deck which, in a scenario like Depths of Yoth which is mainly throwing treachery cards out, she didn’t have a lot to do. I feel as though she needs some specific cards that are right for her, whether that’s more multi-class cards that she’s allowed to level into, or something more bespoke still. It’s definitely an interesting character design, but while she is one of my favourites from the Arkham Files, I don’t see myself playing with her again in a hurry.
On that note, however, I suppose it’s time to give some thought as to what to go for next! Now, I am leaning very heavily into the Edge of the Earth campaign, as I’m excited to see what that has in store for us. The Scarlet Keys is due out in about a month’s time, though, so I could give myself a break from Arkham maybe, and try that one when it’s fresh? I have a Trish Scarborough deck still built from ages ago, though, and I’m kinda keen to get that to the table for a game, so I might have a think and see how much the urge to play is there. I might well start on another campaign in the coming days, anyway!
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