In the tunnels of that twisted wood, whose low prodigious oaks twine groping boughs and shine dim with the phosphorescence of strange fungi, dwell the furtive and secretive Zoogs; who know many obscure secrets of the dream world and a few of the waking world, since the wood at two places touches the lands of men, though it would be disastrous to say where.

     - H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath

 

After the trip to the Dreamlands, Miskatonic University made sure to bring something back. Bag and tag in the name of science and an orderly universe. Experiment Subject #613b ( The Twilight Beckons , F10) is something that came out of The Dreaming and illicit ESP experiments. A little gremlin that encourages others of its kind to cross over. One for the theme decks, then. Time to look back at the Dreamlands Asylum Packs, and find some way to break Furtive Zoog ( Twilight Horror , F15) and its kin. What can go wrong when The Twilight Beckons?

 

A steady flow of Zoogs is preferable, even though it could be slightly difficult to mix in Miskatonic in a deck that centers on a generally neutral tribe. The Zoogs have a little bit of overlap with the playstyle of Miskatonic, though. Miskatonic likes to overextend. You keep playing their characters and just hope some survive long enough. To compensate and to avoid to run out of steam, the University has plenty of card draw. Still, this faction is most suited for either short game plans, or combo decks.

 

Zoogs are similar. The domain and resource system causes an effect called the "three-action soft cap," meaning that you can play up to three actions each turn, although there are ways to play more. Activating Zoogs from your domains can cause you to break the cap and do more in one turn.

 

In order to take full advantage of this, it's best to use cheap characters like Laboratory Assistant (Core Set, F29,) Hapless Graduate Student ( The Horror Beneath the Surface , F23), or Clever Zoog ( The Terrors of the Tide , F76). #613b brings these themes together. It gets you more Zoogs to resource, keeps your hand filled for backup, and allows you to drain domains to trigger other Zoogs.

 

Theme decks aside, even on its own, #613b can act as a draw engine, as it counts itself the turn it comes into play. The 'draw' effect is not a response, so it can triggered as many times as you'll be able to drain domains for it.

 

If the game goes well enough, Arkham Advertiser Archives ( The Horror Beneath the Surface , F28) or The Spawn of Madness ( The Thing from the Shore , F99) are good options to get more from your domains, and tap deeper into the Zoogs' potential.

 

The Miskatonic University will try to use that potential. It will take a lot of prodding and unethical experiments on the strange Dreamlands creature. Few of these scientists could resist using the creature as a perpetuum mobile, even if it means crossing every line in the book. Could you? And will there be consequences?