Daniel (@dungeondive) closes out the Touch of Evil series with the Ghost Ship showdown — and a candid post-mortem on why he both loves the game and (mildly) resents its ending.
The Ghost Captain repeatedly surfaced at or adjacent to wherever the heroes were chasing cursed gold, manufacturing the impression of a rival treasure-hunter on the same hunt. Order’s Influence mystery cards stacked viciously: four out at once, attached to Dr. Manning (doctor’s office becomes deadly), Mayor Carver (+2 to all Shadowbrook item costs — RIP economy), Lady Hanbrook (corner-space ambushes), and Lord Hanbrook (extra mystery card draws). Dr. Manning was eventually cleared as not-evil and joined the hunting party as armour; the Widow Jessica brought healing; the pre-positioned militia squad finally got their cameo.
Heroes’ final loadouts: Argot leaned into mobility via the Coachman + Rider’s Hat combo plus the Necronomicon-as-Book-of-Death; Maria stockpiled 13 investigation but found Daniel’s verdict on her upgrade card lacklustre; Henrik upgraded for the no-loss-on-KO clause. The Ghost Ship’s effective health: 42. The heroes pulled it to 10 before the dice “betrayed” them.
Daniel’s lone complaint after years of play: every game ends in the same dice-fishing showdown. He sketches an alternative — burying the haunted crew’s bones to dismiss the ship — and argues the showdown is the 2% he’d redesign in a game that nails the other 98%.
Would a non-combat victory condition (investigation, ritual, exorcism) make late-game Touch of Evil better, or would it dilute the climactic catharsis?