So I've recently bought this game and have now played through all 5 stories one time. I love this game. The people I play it with don't seem to love it as much. This could be the fact that in all five games of playing, each one me playing the Keeper, I've won. They feel the problem is that it's lopsided in my favor, that it is nearly impossible for them to win. I've re-read the rules a few times and am very sure that we are playing everything correctly.

So, my questions: is this common for most groups? Is it harder for the investigators to win? Or are they just lacking a good strategy as investigators? Are there changes that can/have been made to balance this out? Or am I just a bad-ass Keeper who knows how to win?*

I really do love this game and those I play with say how they love the game play and the gameplay and what not, but just feel discouraged when they reach the point where they feel they have no chance of winning. Any suggestions, thoughts, ideas would be appreciated.

*I don't really think that I'm a bad-ass Keeper……..at least not that bad-ass.

Donut said:

Yes.

Donut said:

Probably.

Hard to give tips without knowing how your investigators go about their investigating.

 Well, I think any tips would be appreciated and helpful since they've tried a plethora of strategies.

It is hard for investigators to win a typical scenario. My solution to this has to been to nerf the keeper slightly.

Well, if you're playing for win and enjoy it - you'll need some hardcore players for yourself, capable of sucking it up and keeping going.

As for myself, I',m playing as an "entertaining" keeper, creating a fun, flavored and challenging(but not unbeatable) game. I'd rather see my gaming group happy from winning at the brink of end(or sometimes failing and losing at that brink, I do win sometimes), than see them wither and lose interest over time.

And scheming a good and fun scenario is more fun for me as a keeper, than just straightforward doing everything to win. So, it deeply depends on you, the Keeper. 

I have played 3 stories including one in the expansion and I found that the game tilted a bit to the keeper. As a matter of fact, although I played the keeper all the 3 times, it is definitely more important to run a fun and interesting game than to win the game. Sometimes, I don't mind if the investigator replay their moves in the puzzles or even making some actions. Sometimes, I try to stress on some key hints when I read the narratives so as to remind the investigator to pick up the right direction. In a word, I tried my best to let them enjoy the game without thinking win or loss.

Suggestion: you may allow them to gain an extra skill point in some point of the game like after resolving the 2nd or 3rd event card. 

How we did it : Play as investigator and try with a beginner keeper. Chances of win will then occur, and it's a lot of fun for anyone to be a keeper (and consuming for brain).

This isn't a RPG, so keeper hasn't got to be nice with people. It's a Boardgame, not a C'thulu rpg :)

sorry for my english.

An important point that often gets lost, is that this is a strategic game that needs learning and then mastering.   The investigators have lots of abilities and options that can really give the Keeper a horrible time - If they can work together.

The fact that the scenarios are story based can give some people the impression of "Oh we've played that one once, we're done with it."  No. Play it again. Play it a third time.

I don't believe it's quite as Keeper weighted as some people think - but working together is harder at first than working alone, which is where the Keeper  has the advantage in the early stages of learning the game.

K xx

Mr. K said:

really true. There are great investigator's combo to do. The writer and the typepad is really strong with the detective and his ability to do one more action after exploring. One gives skill points to the other who acts a lot… finds clues (+3 skill point then if you chose that ability).