Hi,

I was hoping someone could explain the meaning of the table on the "Gambling World" card (associated with the consume power if memory serves me right). I get the rule of "choose a number from 1 to 7, draw a card and if the cost/defense is the same as your choice, keep the card"... what I do not understand is what I'm supposed to do with the lookup table on the card itself. (It's got 8 columns with headings numbered from 0 to 7 and 3 rows for values associated with development, normal world and military world respectively) - what's up with this? It's not mentioned in the rulebook either.

I appreciate any ideas.

The table is a frequency listing of cards and their costs in the deck. The top line (0-7) is the cost/defense of the cards. The next line is how many developments there are with that cost. The third line is how many normal worlds there are with that cost. The last line is how many military worlds there are with that defense.

Fantastic! Thanks a lot! Quite useful then...

So....when the expansions come out will it make this table obsolete?

Mark's answer is correct. Thanks, Mark!

There's an updated copy of the Gambling World (replacing earlier copies) slated for each expansion...

...though players who buy the second expansion, but not the first, will have to put up with a chart in the rules, as the second expansion Gambling World's chart assumes that players bought the first expansion as well.

(You can play the game with just the base game and second expansion if you really want to, but allowing for this slightly weird case is causing me some minor headaches with the second expansion rules.)

Heck, just require the 1st expansion and base game on the box of the 2nd expansion. I'd be surprised if anyone buying the 2nd expansion wouldn't have the first one. If you are invested enough to buy the 2nd one you most likely have the 1st one already!

Do you get to use both powers for this card in a single Consume phase? Thanks!

Yes, you can use both of the Gambling World's consume powers in a single Consume phase (that's why the note on the power in the rules mentions that this card has an "additional" consume power).

Wow, I misintepreted this card last night. We never played it so it didn't effect the game but here's how I read it. You pick a number from 1-7. You flip a card and look at what type of card it is. Then you cross-reference the type of card you drew and the number you picked in the grid. If the build cost of the card equals the number you cross-referenced you keep it.

Nope, you keep it if the number you name (1-7) equals the build cost or military defense. The chart is just a reference.

It takes two goods to activate both consume abilities, correct?

No, the first of the Gambling World's two consume abilities (Draw if Lucky) does *not* require a good to activate (the standard consume 1 good for 1 VP chip power does).

So, for example, if you settle this world on the first turn and another player consumes, then you can name a number, flip a card, and see if you get lucky even if you have no goods in your tableau.

(Edited) Thanks for the quick reply Tom! Now I can feel safe that I didn't break a rule that time I called for a 6 point building and got the one I was looking for...

Yup; using the Gambling World to help you find 6s (or 5s when you have a Colony Ship already built), even though this reduces your odds of gaining an extra card from it, is one of its "secret" uses! ;-) It's so sweet when it pays off...

The card goes into your hand, not the tableau, correct?

Correct; if the card flipped over matches the named cost/defense number, it goes into your hand.

OK Now let's immagine I've a world with a good. Must I use the secondary consume power of gambling world (1 good for 1 vp) or I can use the gamble power and consume my good with a better consume power?

The rules specifically say that Gambling World has two Consume powers. And, for powers which happen simultaneously, you are allowed to choose the order.

So it would be perfectly legal to choose to resolve the 'Gambling' power (pick number and flip card), then choose to resolve the better consume power on some other card, and then skip the secondary consume power of Gambling World since you have no more goods.

I think the question is on 'MUST'.

You MUST you name a card value and flip a card over during every Consume, because you can always meet the requirements.

You MUST you consume a good (if one is available) through the 'normal' Consume power.

You may choose the order of all of your Consume powers.

Gambling World has two Consume Powers.

Pretend you have:

(1) IV: {good} => 2 cards

(2) IV: {good} => VP + card

(3a) IV: {name a number} flip a card
(3b) IV: {good} => VP

-=-=-

And, now pretend that you NEED to have 2 cards for something you want to do next turn and have one good to consume.

If you succeed at the gamble, you want to use the VP+card.
If you fail at the gamble, you want to use the 2 card consume.

The question is...
If I 'flip' first, do I then HAVE to Consume for a single VP, or can I flip and then consume on another power and then be unable to use the Gambling World's 'normal' Consume power?

This is what I intended...

I thought that was the question I answered. Sorry if it was unclear (or unconvincing). Anyway, you may flip first and still consume on the other card.

You do not HAVE to Consume for a single VP because you have three different Consume powers happening simultaneously and the rules say you may resolve them in the order of your choosing. As simple as that.

The rules say absolutely nothing about how you ended up having the three different powers. There is nothing specific nor even roughly implied by the rules that would lead one to think that it matters that two of the powers happen to have been granted by the same card.

The only possible confusion I could see would be an argument that Gambling World only had one Consume power and therefore it had to be completely performed. That is why it is important that the rules make it clear (at least to me) that Gambling World has two powers.

The problem with expansions is often that the shops don't get enough of them. Or you come later to the game and can't get expansion one, but can get expansion 2 and the base game (3rd edition or whatever).

So it's not a good assumption.

Chris,

I hear what you're saying, but after discussing the issue with Jay of Rio Grande Games, we are going with requiring the first expansion in order to use the second one (which we will state clearly on the box). The number of rules issues got so large that we felt it wasn't worth it...

I would say, you don't really need the first expansion to use the second expansion (like the box says), but if you get just the second and not the first, the rules often won't make sense and the game balance will be rather whacked out. If you can tolerate that, more power to you.

Do people actually use the gambling world? I've played about 30 games with 8 different players and no one has ever played it.