Living FAQ

Last Updated: September 30, 2008

This FAQ will initially be posted and edited to update it since many people are just receiving their games and are experiencing their first few plays. As the list of questions slows down I will post a .pdf version in the files section.

I have taken questions and answers from the rules postings, paraphrasing and cleaning up as necessary. I have italicized any responses from the designers/publishers in order to emphasize ‘official’ clarifications. I have also included questions that appear not to have answers or are in dispute and have tried to organize the content where I think it might be most appropriate, making notes of such interpretations. There are some blank sections, which are in place should questions for those Cards/Sections arise.

(I still need to scan the other postings to capture any rules clarifications not in the Rules threads – I’ll get to those soon.)

Any additional insights or feedback is welcomed.

Game Concepts

Q1: Can you carry and use more than one Weapon?

A: You can use any and all Items and Allies that you have at the same time. The only limiting factor is what you can carry in total – one item from each of the four corner locations and three Town Items, unless the limit is modified by another card or the Hero’s ability.

Q2: When a Player rolls a one for movement and is entitled to draw an Event Card, is this in addition to any Event Card that may be drawn by landing on a space with the one movement that rewards an Event Card?

A: When a 1 is rolled for movement, the Hero immediately draws the free event before actually moving. This free Event Card is in addition to any that you might get later in your turn for Encountering the Space (such as in any of the Town spaces, like the Church).

Q3: Are you able to use the special action at a Town Space multiple times per turn? For instance, let's say I have 10 investigation tokens, can I use all 10 to make 5 honor checks, and (if successful), gain a corresponding +5 spirit (or +5 cunning)?

A: No, you can only use the special ability of a Town Space once per turn, when encountering that space. (Note that the Doctor's Office says that you can Heal Wounds for one Investigation each so this may be used to heal any/all wounds you have).

Q4: If a card says to place two Investigation and a Minion on a space. When that Minion is defeated, does the Hero get just those two Investigation, or those two plus the Investigation described in the rules for defeating a minion?

A: You get the Investigation for dealing with the Minion, and then you are able to use an action to Investigate the space for the any Investigation that are sitting there. In the Basic Game a you get all the Investigation in the space, per the Advanced Game you must make a skill check 5+/token to find up the Investigation counters. (Unofficial – player interpretation)

Q5: Are town spaces the five locations in the center of the board or all titled spaces?

A: The Town Spaces indicate just the five locations in the center of the board (Blacksmith, Church, Doctor’s Office, Magistrate’s Office and Town Hall). The other named spaces are all outer-lying areas.

Q6: Are fight dice any dice in a fight no matter which skill is used or just the combat skill?

A: Fight Dice are Fight Dice no matter what Skill you are using so long as you are using a Card, Ability or Modifier that allows you to do so.

Event Cards

Q7: ”I Think Not” Can this Card be used to cancel a ‘Remains in play’ Mystery Card?

A: No, it can only cancel another Event Card.

Manor Cards

Windmill Cards

Abandoned Keep Cards

Olde Woods Cards

Town Items

Q8: ”Silver Shot” If you use the Gun Powder Keg during the Showdown (or anytime for that matter) do the extra 6 combat dice benefit from the Silver Shot ability

A: The Silver Shot modifies all of your Fight Dice as long as you are using a 'Gun' Item (A Gun's bonus usually adds to your Combat - so you normally need to be using Combat to use the Silver Shot). The Gunpowder Keg adds +6 Fight Dice to your attack so it does still gain the benefit from the Silver Shot (as long as you are also using a Gun).

Mystery Cards

Q9: ”No One is Safe” The text for this card reads: "The Villain attacks, killing one of the Town Elders. Roll a D6. Any Town Elder with Spirit equal to the number rolled is Killed. Each Hero gains 2 Investigation." If the Elder with Spirit equal to the number rolled is already dead, is the D6 re-rolled and applied to another Elder? Does the Hero still gain two investigation?

A: If no Town Elders meet the requirement, then no Town Elder is killed. The Hero still receives two investigation.

Q10: ”Wicked Manipulation” This card instructs you to send all Heroes to the Crossroads. The Crossroads space instructs you to draw an Events Card among other things. Do each of the heroes do this? If a minion comes, who fights it? What happens if a person retreats? Can two minions get placed in this case with two events?
A: A Hero only 'Encounters the Space' during the Action Phase of their own turn. With “Wicked Manipulation”, none of the Heroes have to Encounter the Space. The only exception to this is if the Mystery Card was drawn as part of a Hero's turn - such as from visiting the Town Hall. In this case, the Hero whose turn it currently still is DOES Encounter the Crossroads space.

Lair Cards

Q11: If for any reason you end a Showdown without defeating the Villain, do you get to keep the Lair card you used and return to the same place for another Showdown?

A: No, you have to discard it when you pay the cost for it. If you wish to start another Showdown, you need to buy a new Lair card.

Town Elders and Secrets Cards

Q12: Lady Hanbrook Lady Hanbrook’s ability states “Ignore the first hit taken during each fight round." Can this ability be used to avoid a wound on her or another member of the Hunting Party?

A: No, Town Elder special abilities are meant to only work on the Hero (not other Town Elders). In the same way, Doctor Manning cannot try to prevent wounds that the Town Elders of the Hunting Party would take, only the actual Hero.

Q13: The Showdown section of the rules state that the Villain must target each member of the Hunting Party with one fight die: "When the Villain attacks, it must roll one of its Fight Dice specifically against each of the Town Elders in the Hunting Party; its remaining Fight Dice then target the Hero." Based on this wording, it sounds like the attacks against the Town Elders are resolved before the attack against the Hero, is this correct, and if so does that mean that the Elder’s Special Abilities do not count during that Fight Round?

A: No, attacks are resolved simultaneously unless modified by a Card that lets the Hero resolve their attach first. If a Town Elder is killed, their abilities still count towards the Hero for that fight round, at the end of which they die. (Unofficial – my interpretation)

Q14: Is there a limit to the number of times in a turn a Player can pay to look at the Town Elder's Secrets and do they need to be in a specific location on the Map when they do this?

A: Any of the Actions (including looking at the Secrets of a Town Elder) may be taken as many times as you like, in whatever order you like, with the exception of those listed as 'Limit once per turn'.

Q15: If a Town Elder gets more than one Secret, does the Evil Secret trump any/all Good secrets?

A: If a Town Elder has multiple Secrets, all Good Secrets are used unless there is one or more Evil Secrets, then all the Evil Secrets are used. A Good and Evil Secret do not cancel each other out to become Neutral. (This is my best estimation of how it may work, in part based on a thread with seiyaa, gpritch3 and Grenadier.)

Q16: When a player spends Investigation to look at a Town Elder Secret, and they come across a Reveal Immediately card, are they required to show it?

A: Yes. As noted on page 23 of the Rulebook, the only time you would not have to reveal a 'Reveal Immediately' Secret is if the card or ability being used to look/peek at it actually says, "...without revealing". Paying Investigation as an Action to look at a Town Elder's Secrets DOES require you to reveal any marked as 'Reveal Immediately'. This applies whether the Secret is Good or Evil.

Q17: If a Player decides to NOT reveal that Reveal Immediately card (because they peeked at it using an Event card), can they reveal that Secret card at any time during the game, or would they have to find a way to peek at it again to reveal it?

A: The Player would have to use a card/ability/or pay Investigation as an Action to look at the Secret again in order to reveal it.

Q18: When going to a Showdown, can a Player select a Town Elder who is already in a hunting party (Hero to the People) or another space on the board (On the Hunt) to go with them?

A: When starting a Showdown, the Hero may choose from the Town Elders that are currently 'In Town', sitting at the top of the game board. This DOES include Elders that are 'On the Hunt' as their card is still at the top of the game board (even though their counter is on the map somewhere). It DOES NOT include Elders that are currently attached to a Hero such as with 'Hero of the People' as their Elder card is NOT 'In Town' sitting at the top of the game board.

Q19: If a Player already has a Town Elder in their Party because of a ‘Hero of the People’ Secret and they start a Showdown, do they still get to select two additional Elders to join them, or just one?

A: They may still take two Town Elders along as their Hunting Party. The Town Elder that is with the Hero as a 'Hero of the People' is not technically part of the Hunting Party (he is more similar to an Ally). The 'Hero of the People' will NOT be attacked separately by the Villain like the Hunting Party Town Elders are.

Q20: If a Town Elder has a ‘No Effect’ Secret and they are selected to join a Party for a Showdown, do they still participate, or are they just considered neutral and don't participate on either side?

A: The term 'No Effect' on a Secret card only means that the Secret itself has no lasting effect on the gameplay. The Town Elder still functions normally in every way including being part of a Hunting Party.

Q21: What happens to the Secret Cards when the Town Elders return to Town from being sent back, or escaping a Showdown? Do they keep the same old cards, new ones, or none at all?

A: When returning to Town, the Town Elders keep their revealed Secrets, face up.

Villains and Minions

Q22: What happens when a card calls for a Minion, but you roll something else on the chart, like an Event?

A: You reroll until you roll a Minion, placing it as described. (Unofficial – interpretation)

Vampire

Q23: When or how do you remove Bats and Wolves from the board?

A: Bats and Wolves only take affect once. When they are encountered by a Hero, they take their effect (fight the Wolves or roll for the Bats to steal your Items), then they are removed from the board. The only time the counters for these particular minions are going to stay out on the game board is when they appear in a space where there is no Hero. Then when a Hero enters the space later, the Bats or Wolves will attack and then be removed.

Q24: Mist Form - The Vampire ignores any hit done to him on the D6 roll of 5+" – how does this work?

A: For each and every successful hit you make against the Vampire, you make a separate roll and on a 5 or 6 he ignores that wound.

Werewolf

Q25: After receiving the ‘Curse of the Werewolf’ do Werewolf Heroes, when they attack the nearest Hero, attack other Werewolf Heroes?

A: Yes. This may lead to multiple attack rounds if there is more than one Hero that is Cursed and they are nearest to one another.

Q26: Can a Werewolf Hero be wounded and if killed as the Werewolf, what happens?

A: Cursed Hero’s take wounds as normal and can be Knocked Out, but cannot be killed.

Q27: What happens when a Cursed Hero is knocked out?

A: The Cursed Hero returns to the Town Hall as per the regular rules but maintains their Cursed status. Note that if the Knock Out occurs during the Mystery Phase the player will lose their next Hero Turn and will awake during the start of the next Turn’s Mystery Phase and must attack the nearest Hero.

Allies

Q28: How do Allies work? How do you determine when they take Wounds? Can they be killed?

A: Any card that plays on your Hero and has a Health box on it, such as the Padded Jacket Town Item or Franklin the Old Hound, just adds to your personal Health Boxes. Allies are NOT discarded if Wounds are assigned to them and these wounds MAY be healed as normal. Think of them as just extending your Hero's total number of Health Boxes, regardless of what type of card it is (Ally, Item, or Event).

Q29: For cards that grant both an additional Wound space and another bonus (such as +1 Combat) does the additional bonus still apply for the remainder of the combat if you've filled the Wound space on the Ally card?

A: They do. Don't think of Ally cards as separate entities so much as just an extension of the Hero itself. While you have the Ally card, your Hero gains all of the bonuses listed. These only go away if the Ally is discarded somehow.

Showdowns

Q30: When a Player initiates a Showdown with the Villain and the Shadow Track is at one. If a Town Elder is killed during the fight does the Shadow Track move two steps closer to Darkness, thus bringing it to zero, does the game immediately before the showdown is complete, with the Villain the winner?

A: Yes, when the Shadow Track hits zero, the game is over immediately and the Villain is the winner. (Unofficial - based on player reasoning)

Q31: In the Cooperative Game the rules say: "The game also ends in defeat if all of the Heroes are ever KO'd at the same time." What if this happens during a fight round where the Villain is also killed (simultaneously)?

A: In this case the Hero’s have won the game, as is the case with the Competitive Game. The Villain only wins if all Hero’s are knocked out during a Showdown and the Villain still has at least one Wound spot remaining. (Unofficial – player interpretation).

Q32: When a Villain has a Town Elder in his Party, how are Wounds applied?

A: Wounds may be applied to an Elder by first declaring that a number of Fight Dice will be used to attack the Elder, rolling and resolving those Fight Dice, using the remaining Fight Dice against the Villain. If a Hero has not designated any Fight Dice against an Elder but has succeeded in enough hits to fill all of the Villain’s remaining Wound spots, then the last Wound (or Wounds in the case of Lord Hanbrook) would be taken by the Elder, thus killing him or her, and leaving one remaining Wound spot open for the Villain.

Credits:

Thanks to the following members for their questions and answers which have provided the substance for this FAQ:

athmok
branwheat
Burning Monkey
ChildeRoland
coolpapa
Curtis Anderson
dougadamsau
Hastur666
Ghostwriter
gpritch3
grandslam
Grenadier
guantanamo
jchill7
Jawhuice
Kalidor
Keltheos
Kevin9793
Kfritz
kgaud1
killjoy00
KingCroc
Kwakkie
Kymfox01
le_cygne
Marky-marc
MasterDinadan
Model359
papasnewbag
poulos_tim
Nickmodaily
OrangeCat X
Ribberchrist
seiyaaa
soundgirl
Stormknight
Stuporman
Tuna
wallen68
wdgrant

Let me know if I missed anyone!

Hold for extra space if needed.

Town Elder section:

Sophie, the Midwife's ability should have added "(One roll per card)" -

Can be useable on ALL Mystery cards in play, and any Event that comes out while she's alive. A 3+ roll needed for each.
"You roll for all remains-in-play Mystery cards as soon as you bring her to the showdown, and once you miss the roll for a particular card, you cannot reroll it if you start another round of combat. You roll for events as they come, but once they are rolled for, you cannot reroll them again." (Mary Beth Magallanes)

Great work!



I think I would argue against this one. I think only if it explicitly states to reroll do you reroll. No?

Thx

^ Yeah, you only re-roll if it explicitly tells you that it can't be an event.

This one is incorrect, per a post from Jason on Oct. 20 (from this thread: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/348808):

They're not quite saying the same thing.
Jason is clarifying that if the villains dies on the same showdown round at the shadow track moves to zero, it's a victory, since there's no villain anymore. However, if the fight's not over by the end of the round, then you've lost.

The FAQ entry could/should be reworded slightly, to avoid saying "immediately", but the basic ruling is correct.

EDIT: There is a subtle difference which I found after writing this. While the answer above isn't totally off, it definitely needs a bit more clarification.

EDIT: Joe realized my point while I was working on this clarification. I'm keeping it to clarify what the argument was about.

Let's try this again:
1. A showdown is comprised of several showdown rounds.
2. If a villain dies on the same round as "losing conditions" are met by the players, it still counts as a victory for that player (or players). (As per Jason's answer.)
3. If the "losing conditions" are met by the players during a round, but the villain is still alive, the game is over and the villain has won. (As per Q30.)

Now, #3 might still be false. However, it is not invalidated by Jason's answer.

I'm a bit slow sometimes, what can I say.

First let me say that I believe #3 is correct. However, I think a clarification or rewording of this question is definitely in order. A FAQ entry should be as clear as possible, else, what's the point? The question as written is tricky to answer as it could be read as yes or no, depending on which part you're focusing on. Part of the problem is the question doesn't concern itself with Showdown Rounds at all and instead only asks if the game ends immediately (and the answer to that question is no, hence my confusion). I don't think removing the word "immediately" is the best solution as while it does remove part of the ambiguity, it doesn't resolve all of it (because it never mentions Showdown Rounds).

Here's the original text:

Q30: When a Player initiates a Showdown with the Villain and the Shadow Track is at one. If a Town Elder is killed during the fight does the Shadow Track move two steps closer to Darkness, thus bringing it to zero, does the game immediately before the showdown is complete, with the Villain the winner?

A: Yes, when the Shadow Track hits zero, the game is over immediately and the Villain is the winner. (Unofficial - based on player reasoning)

Here's a first attempt at an edit. It's not perfect, I think it's correct as written but is a little clunky. It's a starting point, though:

Q30: A Player initiates a Showdown with the Villain and the Shadow Track is at one. A Town Elder is killed during the fight the Shadow Track moves two steps closer to Darkness, thus bringing it to zero. Does the game end immediately, before the Showdown is complete, with the Villain the winner?

A: No, the game does not end immediately. If the Shadow Track is reduced to zero during a Showdown Round, the Hero/Heroes can still win if they manage to kill the Villain during that Showdown Round. However, if the Villain survives the Showdown Round he will then win immediately before the next Round can begin.

Thoughts on that? I'm still not mentioning Showdown Rounds in the question - but do bring them up in the answer. Should they get a mention in both?

Hello,

Is there any limit to how high can any of your attributes be? (luck, spirit, etc)

Hi I just got a question..

Regarding the Showdown..
- say a Hero initiated a Showdown but lost against the Villain.

What happens when.
- Another Hero wants to initiate a Showdown.
-- does he need to purchase a Lair Card as well and then still pay for the Showdown

- The Same Hero wants to try another Showdown
-- does he need to purchase a Lair Card again or just need to pay for the Showdown?

I don't think so.

Each hero must have a lair card and must pay for a showdown in competitve games. After loosing a showdown the hero must buy another lair card and pay again.

Ok the question.

We had an instance tonight where a player had an elder following him and then he played a lair card and had a showdown.

In that scenario could a player still recruit 2 elders for a total of 3?

I'd say yes but in the showdown if the shadow track reaches a new stage for any reasons then you will lose the 'Town hero' elder who was following the player as stated on the secret card.

Er... I am a beginner in ATOE. I woiuld like to ask if damage between fight rounds accmulates on the minions as well?

Would you be able to buy that town elder back in the middle of a showdown?

We had an interesting situation last night. We played the against the Werewolf minion and drew the card Laying in Wait which states that the Villain gets to add +1 to their fight dice. Would this enable the were wolf to hit on a 3,4,5,6? The reason for the question is that the card say enabling for you to hit on a 4,5,6 instead of the normal 5,6.

Thanks

We played this was last night, but the events on the minion chart were never used. I am not sure if this is a correct way to play. I noticed that some cards specify that if you roll an event to re roll. So would the correct way to play be to roll and if it triggers an event you do that, but if a card specifically calls to re roll events you would do that?

No because your cannot perform actions in the showdown other than fight rounds once you are set.

No, it means you roll one extra fight die. Meaning, the minion gets to roll 4 dice instead of the normal 3.

You do use the events on the minion chart, unless the card that was drawn specifically says to re-roll any event results.

Could you verify that this answer from the Boardgamegeek.com forums is indeed correct?


Villains and Minions

Q22: What happens when a card calls for a Minion, but you roll something else on the chart, like an Event?

A: You reroll until you roll a Minion, placing it as described. (Unofficial – interpretation)


Thanks. Looking forward to the new Martian Invasion game.

-Adam

Reply

|
Chris Kemnow
to me

Adam,

That is incorrect. Roll on the minion chart and work out the result according to what is stated on the card.

(THAT'S THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE.)

I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this, but what about on the roll before the Mystery card in the cooperative game? It calls for a Minion Attack and doesn't say to re-roll events, but if you roll an event where the villain attacks, whom does he attack? If it were a normal roll, it would attack the person whose turn it was. Does it attack a random location?

We wound up deciding to re-roll, but the more I thought about it, the more I favored the random location attack.

Any thoughts? Any official word?