6-4A: Partially Nonfunctional Scenario Reward (RAW vs RAI)

[Yewstance]

Yes, this is a separate thread, but very closely tied to my previous thread discussing a similar issue with an associated reward. Please see the linked thread to confirm that, in that case, Keith Richmond confirmed that the intuitive RAI was correct; even if the RAW technically prevented the reward from working 99% of the time.

Thanks to my party members, I noticed a similar - if less significant - issue with the previous scenario's reward, however.

Scenario 6-4A Reward text wrote:

For the rest of the Adventure Path, after you use the Base's power to recharge cards, you may move or shuffle your deck.

Note that if you choose to 'move' (usually a much more desirable option, whether to continue exploring another location or to set yourself up to assist local allies or to guard locations) then, RAW, you will immediately forfeit the Supporter you just drew during the exploration which occurs in the same step as the Base's aforementioned power.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Storybook, Base and Supporter rules, emphasis added wrote:

You may play supporters from your hand only while you are at the Base. Once displayed next to your character, you may use their powers regardless of your location. If you move from the Base, shuffle any supporters in your hand into the Base. At the end of each scenario, return all supporters to the vault.

And I'm pretty sure that the Scenario 4A reward text does not give you a timing window to display the Supporter before you use it to move. You are not in-between steps (including exploration steps, since you can't 'delay' an "after you X" power - you have to use it as soon as it's triggered), so you can't just play a card arbitrarily, and playing the Supporter is clearly not relevant to a current check or encounter.

TL;DR: If you wish to use the 4A reward power to move from the Base (likely its main purpose), you will be forced to shuffle away the Supporter you drew before doing so, effectively removing the main motivation to elect to explore the Base in the first place.

So the question is; is this intentional? Is this reward written with the expectation that you would spend an exploration at the Base, get to choose only one of its potentially positive options (the one that is almost certainly the least used among any table I've seen played), and give up the Supporter you drew (and shuffle away the 'known' Supporters atop the Base) just to move? Or is the RAI that you can display the Supporter before moving?

[Keith Richmond]

RAI is that you can display the supporter. Clearly, the reason it's relevant to play it is the fact that it will shuffle away otherwise ;)

[Yewstance]

Keith Richmond wrote:

RAI is that you can display the supporter.

Awesome to hear! Thanks!

Keith Richmon wrote:

Clearly, the reason it's relevant to play it is the fact that it will shuffle away otherwise ;)

I believe you're joking, but for the purposes of any less-rules-savvy players reading this thread, I'd just like to clarify that that's not usually how 'relevance' is treated in rulings.

For example, a common new player question of "Can I recharge this card to examine a location, or play my Cure just as I take 10 combat damage, so I don't have to discard it to damage as a part of my hand wipe?". To which the answer is, of course, no. :)