Role Card Power Feat

[pearlmike]

I just finished Hook Mountain Massacre and have a question about Lem's power feats on the Virtuoso Role Card. The power where Lem helps other characters at his location has an option to recharge the card to help himself. Do I have to level up that power to a 1d4 +3 before I can choose the that box? I have read the information about starting with boxes to the left, but this one seems to be separate from the upgrading of the die.

[csouth154]

It is separate.

[3Doubloons]

No. The restriction is only on adjacent boxes. You need to get +2 before you get +3, but you could have Lem help himself without putting a single feat in his performance power (In theory. In practice, he can't use all 3 power feats without putting at least one in performance)

[pearlmike]

Thanks for the help. I knew it was written somewhere but couldn't find it. Can't wait for the next Adventure to arrive in the mail!

[quicksilver89]

I also have a question about Lem's power feat. On the ability that allows you to exchange a card at the beginning of your turn, it is upgradeable to "or end of your turn". There is some disagreement within our group about what this means. Does it mean you get to do it twice, at both the beginning and end of your turn or does it mean you can only do it once, at the begging or end, but not both.

[csouth154]

Beginning OR end. Not both.

[Russ Taylor]

I would answer both, as cards have no memory.

[csouth154]

Russ Taylor wrote:

I would answer both, as cards have no memory.

The wording is "or"; not "and".

[Hawkmoon269]

Mike actually answered this. It is definitely usable twice a turn.

[csouth154]

Hawkmoon269 wrote:

Mike actually answered this. It is definitely usable twice a turn.

Wow. OK. Then why the hell did they use "or" instead of "and"?

[Russ Taylor]

Because you don't have to do both, so "or" is more correct. But both and and or COULD be used, and still be correct within the normal confines of English usage.

Keeping with my example on your other comment:

"I can have milk with breakfast and dinner"
and
"I can have milk with breakfast or dinner"

Both mean the same thing in common usage.

[csouth154]

The fact that you don't have to do both, or either, is conveyed by the word "may". It would have been far less confusing if they had gone with "and" instead of "or", but a ruling is a ruling.

[Russ Taylor]

Far less confusing for some, perhaps. I certainly got it right the first time.

[Vic Wertz]

I guarantee you that if we said "you may do x and y" somebody would ask if they have to do both or if they can just do one or the other.

[quicksilver89]

On the card Amiri, you use the term and/or. Why not use it here? In other places such as Harsk's peek ability, you use or to mean one or the other but not both (we know it's not both because he has a later ability to give both). On Amiri you use and/or to mean one or the other or both. Why use or to mean both when you have precedent for using or to be mutually exclusive as well as precedent for using and/or when you mean either or both?

Now sure some players may have a question about being forced to do it twice, however I think the confusion would be far less. I think as it is currently worded, the majority of players would get it wrong, while if worded with an and, only a minority would even question it. Of course you could easily have used and/or to have no confusion at all.

The fact that you used and/or in another place made me positive that if you had meant and/or you would have used it here, and thus the only valid interpretation of this must be an exclusive or.

How is a player suppose to know, beyond random guessing, when you mean or to be mutually exclusive or not when you use or in different ways with absolutely no way to be able to tell which way you are using it?

[Russ Taylor]

Context.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Cream or sugar?"

That gives you less to go on than the cards, but most people know which one of the two is exclusive.

In this case, the context of "pick from two cards right now" indicates an exclusive use of or much more strongly than the context of "you use this ability at the start or the end of your turn".

As for and/or, I hate that construction enough I wish it wasn't on any card, but for Amiri I can see it being an economical way to word her ability. It's a more complicated case than the two above, as far as ferreting out what's meant. If it said OR I'd expect it meant pick one of the two choices, if it said AND I'd expect it meant you must do both. I'd probably opt for "or both" at the end, which I prefer to "and/or"

[Vic Wertz]

"And/or" may indeed be better here.