Jim started with some inquisitive yet brave faculty and students from Arkham's Miskatonic University. No human beings know more about the Mythos than the learned professors at Miskatonic U. Miskatonic's chief strategy is to get in, get the information, and get out as fast as possible, hopefully avoiding Terror and Combat. Miskatonic excels at speedy Investigation and card draw, and appeals to "rushing" players.
Grant played the always terrifying Cthulhu faction. The cult of Cthulhu can be found throughout the world's history, in all cultures, among all races, human and otherwise. As can be expected from the faction of Cthulhu itself, this faction specializes in striking terror into opponents and then destroying them utterly. This faction can often turn on itself, though, so invoke Cthulhu carefully!
Game #2 saw a number of Deep Ones, bolstered by the Shadowed Reef location. Truly terrifying! Miskatonic was continually harassed by Innsmouth bus driver Joe Sargent and his ability to destroy enemies based on the number of Deep Ones in play. Cthulhu didn't rise, but he won.
This would be the closest of the three games with Yog-Sothoth winning 3 stories while The Agency only won 2. It's interesting how very completely different the game is based on which faction/deck you play. We have a wide variety of cards to choose from and the deck building portion of the game can be overwhelming at times. I think we'll try to find some decks other players made online and give them a try.