Apologies if I've misread something or missed a rule somewhere, I'm asking all of these based on a list of notes I wrote up during my last few games.
1) Can you intentionally pick a skill you don't have (d4) to try and fail an encounter? E.g. a card says check to defeat: dex disable, your dex is a d10 but you don't have disable, can you play a d4 on that check?
2) After you defeat the villain and there are no places for the villain to escape (thus fulfilling the ending scenario requirement in this hypothetical example) does the current player need to end their turn? I'm concerned about spending too many cards to defeat a villain and not being able to reset your hand after your turn ends, thus killing your character.
3) The spell Call Weapon doesn't seem to say anything about shuffling your deck after you've rifled through it looking for a weapon. Does this spell have the added benefit of knowing what cards are coming up next in your deck?
4) Unless otherwise stated (e.g. 'your'), do On Permanently Closed effects affect everyone at the current location, or just the person who closed the location?
5) I saw a rule about what cards you're allowed to play during encounters but I don't understand the limitations. I believe the rule was something along the lines of "during an encounter you may only play cards that affect that encounter". Does this affect only the current player, or everyone? Could someone else play a strength spell on you during the encounter? Could someone else play a cure spell on you during the encounter? Could you play a cure spell on yourself?
1. Sure, if you really want to. The rules just tell you to choose from the types of check offered. The choice is yours and is independent of what skills you have on your character card.
2. No, they don't need to end their turn. You win after you close the villain's location, apply the "When Permanently Closed" effect, then notice that the villain has nowhere to escape.
3. It tells you to search your deck. And the rules specify that, by default, you shuffle a deck after you search it.
Sometimes a card allows you to search a deck and choose any card of a particular type; that means you may look at every card in the deck and choose any card of that type. Unless instructed otherwise, shuffle the deck afterwards.
Searching is different then examining. When you examine a deck, the default is you don't shuffle it. (That is covered in the rules just before the part about searching.)
4. Just the person who closed the location, unless the location says otherwise.
5. The rule is you can only play cards that relate to the steps of the encounter. And it applies to everyone.
Encountering a Card... During each of these steps, you and the other players may perform only the specified actions. Players may only play cards or use powers that relate to each step (or relate to cards played or powers used in that step). Each player may play no more than 1 card of each type during each step.
Someone else can play Strength during you encounter when you are making a Strength check. For example, if you had to make a Strength check "before you act" someone could play Strength during that part of the encounter. Or if you played a Weapon for a combat check during an encounter and the Weapon used your Strength skill, someone could play Strength during "attempt the check."
No one can play Cure, because it doesn't apply to any step of the encounter (at least any encounter I've seen).
I hope that helps. Good luck on your adventure.
That helps a lot, thanks!
...No one can play Cure, because it doesn't apply to any step of the encounter (at least any encounter I've seen).
And this is key (at least for all of us who played RPG for decades). You have to heal yourself BEFORE you open the door and know who is the monster. Because once the door is open, you have no time left to get the bandages out. The tricky decision "do I heal myself before (re)exploring or am I better with few cards left (so less potential damage to lose)" is part of the fun of this game. Hope Mike/Vic won't ever change that.
One follow-up on the stuff you can play during the encounter, that I hadn't really thought of before. If I have 2 strengths in my hand, and my buddy encounters a monster with a 'before you encounter' effect, can I play one strength on him on the 'before you act' step and another for the actual encounter? I assume you can't, unless the 'before you act' step involved a strength check, but I had previously always taken the encounter holistically.
...If I have 2 strengths in my hand, and my buddy encounters a monster with a 'before you encounter' effect, can I play one strength on him on the 'before you act' step and another for the actual encounter? ...
...you can't, unless the 'before you act' step involved a strength check...
This is correct.
Exactly. But also note, you can play Strength outside of an encounter too. And if you did it between steps, you could play both of them.
For those types of cards, if I know I'm going to make multiple explorations, I'll often pre-play all of them rather than wait and see if I need them during the encounter.
Exactly. But also note, you can play Strength outside of an encounter too. And if you did it between steps, you could play both of them.
For those types of cards, if I know I'm going to make multiple explorations, I'll often pre-play all of them rather than wait and see if I need them during the encounter.
Yeah, when we have multiple buffs like that, we'll usually play one near the start of someone's turn, then maybe another between their first and second exploration. I just wanted to check, since this would allow more flexibility.