Introduction and Spoiler Warning
This is a full, in depth-guide to Cyclopean Foundations, a custom Arkham Horror Card Game campaign by The Beard. This article discusses potential XP, story paths, secrets, and FULL SPOILERS, so be warned!
Experience
Available XP per scenario/interlude:
Scenario 1: Lost Moorings: 3 (locations) +2 (drowning stalker, in the encounter deck) 1 (Bill Bledsoe) +1 (Tomaz Ribicki) +1 (all three evidence) = 8 XP
Scenario 2: Going Twice: 5 (locations) +1 (O'Bannion Sentry) +1 (for winning three auction lots) OR +2 (for winning zero auction lots) = 8 XP
Scenario 3: Private Lives: 5 (locations) +2 (Tik Tok Men) +1 (finding all 6 evidence) = 8 XP
Scenario 4: Crumbling Masonry: 4 (locations) +3 (conspirators) +1 (Luther Lynch defeated or the scenario is successful and he's still alive) = 8 XP
Scenario 5: Across Dreadful Waters: 5 (locations) +3 (act goals) = 8 XP
Scenario 6: Blood from Stones: 3 (locations) +1 (Barrier Architect) +3 (geometric seals) +1 (traitor cultist, if 2-3 are still alive) = 6/7 XP
Scenario 7: Pyroclastic Flow: 8 (locations) +1 (star spawn of cthulhu) +1 (successful scenario completion) +3 (for each traitor cultist, if any are still alive) = 10-13 XP
Scenario 8: Tomb of Dead Dreams: 1 (locations) +3 (arcane pillars) +5 (campaign completion) = 9 XP
With these numbers, you can go into the final scenario with up to 56 XP. While you won't actually achieve that, this campaign does feel on the high end of XP - most of it is on locations or by scenario goals, and very few (only 2, in the first encounter!) are in the encounter deck. If you're willing to aggressively pursue clues, you can easily count of 40 XP by the end of the campaign.
Campaign Breakdown
Notice:
A campaign wide mechanic introduced is Notice, which increases the difficulty of some scenarios. First, it's worth looking at how you can get Notice:
Scenario 1: +1 Notice for reaching Act 3
Scenario 2: -1 Notice for resigning or being defeated (also adds a elder thing token to the chaos bag), +1 Notice for making it to act 3 and acquiring the warped idol
Scenario 3: +1 Notice if you're defeated or resign, +2 Notice if you finish the scenario with 5 evidence, +3 Notice if you finish the scenario with 6 evidence
Scenario 4: -1 Notice if you resign in Act 1 (essentially skipping the scenario), +1 Notice for each Cultist elite enemy killed (up to 3)
Scenario 5: +1 Notice if you take the most direct route, -1 Notice if you take a less traveled route, -1 Notice if you fail the scenario, +1 Notice if you complete the scenario
Scenario 6: -1 Notice if you resign or are defeated, +1 Notice for completing the scenario, +2 Notice for defeating a traitor
Scenario 7: +2 Notice for successfully completing the scenario, +2 for each Traitor Cultist killed
Scenario 8: N/A
In addition, in all scenarios, you get +1 Notice if any investigator earned 3-5 XP, and +2 Notice if any investigator earned 6 or more XP. Given how free the XP is in the campaign, you really have to try hard - or fail badly - to not get this Notice.
Notice has a few effects. First, there's the countermeasures, which are specific surging encounter cards that get added into the encounter deck. The countermeasures penalize specific classes of investigators, and only those investigators can get rid of them - requiring an action that requires a cost for each member of that class in play. None of these are particularly killer, but all of them are ones you'll want to get rid of sooner than later. The countermeasures come into play in:
Scenario 1: N/A
Scenario 2: 3 Notice
Scenario 3: 4 Notice
Scenario 4: 7 Notice
Scenario 5: 11 Notice
Scenario 6: 14 Notice
Scenario 7: 17 Notice
Scenario 8: 20 Notice
Avoiding the countermeasures is generally pretty difficult without taking an intentional loss, which is often a bad idea. Overall, I wouldn't suggest it - avoiding the countermeasures is a catch-up mechanic you get rewarded with if you're doing poorly, not something you should actually aim for.
In addition, there's some additional scenario effects that are based on Notice, which are sometimes easier to avoid:
Scenario 1: N/A
Scenario 2: N/A
Scenario 3: If you have 4+ Notice, the Tik Tok Men elite enemy who spawn with Agenda 2 are considered to be at each location. Otherwise, they just patrol to a location with the most clues.
Scenario 4: There are two "Marked" hidden cards in the encounter deck that put a doom on a cultist when you enter its location or vice versa. They take 1 action to remove if you have 3 or fewer Notice, two actions to remove if you have 4-6 Notice, and three actions to remove if you have 7 or more Notice.
Scenario 5: For every 4 Notice you have, you place 1 doom on agenda 1a (which has a 7 doom threshold)
Scenario 6: If you have 10-16 Notice, you begin the scenario with 1 fewer card and resource. If you have 17 or more Notice, you begin the scenario with 2 fewer cards and 2 fewer resources.
Scenario 7: There are 3 Agent of the Deep enemies in the encounter deck. They're 3/3/2 with 1 damage and horror, and gain +1 fight and damage if you have 10 notice, and an additional +1 fight and evade if you have 20 notice.
Scenario 8: For every 12 Notice, you put a copy of Ia! Ia! into play at the beginning of the scenario
Some of these are a pretty big deal if you can avoid them. For Scenario 4, the Marked cards can be a really big deal if you don't have a plan to deal with enemies very, very quickly. Needing to take 3 actions to get rid of them is a huge pain, but unfortunately, 7 Notice is pretty easy to get by this point - you'll likely have 4 Notice just from completing scenarios, which means you'll have to get only 2 or lower XP from one of the scenarios to avoid it.
By the time you get to Scenario 7 and Scenario 8, you may have been able to catch up on the Notice game. Getting under 20 notice for scenario 7 is a nice little boost, but not a particularly huge deal. The biggest gain is not getting more than 23 by the end - having two copies of Ia! Ia! In play in the start of the last scenario mean you'll hit your weaknesses very fast, and they're not particularly easy to get rid of unless you have a very high willpower character.
Planning a trip
At Scenario 6, you're given a choice on which route to take. Each route is basically a completely different scenario - they all have the same structure, but the locations and goals are totally different.
The least predictable route means you add 1 doom to the start of the next scenario, but removes a Notice for you.
The most populous route gives no particular bonuses or penalties.
The most direct route removes a doom from the start of the next scenario... which only matters if you fail Scenario 6. It also gives you a Notice either way. Overall, not a great choice.
Overall, the best choice is likely the least predictable route, but if you've already given up on handling Notice, the most populous route is good too.
More on Cyclopean Foundations:
Cyclopean Foundations: Spoiler-Light Review