Frequently Asked [Rules] Questions

We try to be thorough in our game text and rules but questions will still arise. We’ll answer the most common ones below, but in case a game situation arises which we haven’t answered yet, there are three general principles of the game that we recommend using to solve any disputes.

1. Cards Override Rules – Unless a rules document mentions a card by name explicity (which means it is an errata), then a card’s gametext overrides the rules. Example: The rules say you can only play an Adversary condition during the Adversary phase. Doolaga Cobweb says “Response: If your [cobweb] Yeti won a skirmish → fetch a [cobweb] condition from your scrap pile. If it’s an enchantment, you may immediately play it.” Doolaga overrides the rules and lets you play a condition outside of the Adversary phase.
2. Between Cards; Cannot Wins – If two cards create a situation where one card says you can do something and another card says you cannot do that same thing, the “cannot” effect overrides the other. Example: If Player 1 plays a card which says “Remove a burden” while Player 2 has a card in play which says “burdens cannot be removed” then Player 1’s card will NOT remove a burden.
3. With Effects, Do as Much as You Can; Ignore the Rest – If the costs of a card have been fully paid, then the controller of that card must do as much as of the effect as possible, then ignores anything they cannot do. Example: If a card said, “Exert a companion → draw 3 cards.” If your book has less than 3 cards in it, then once you have exerted a companion, you would draw all the cards remaining in your book.
4. Timing Conflicts – If multiple game effects want to occur at the same time, resolve them in the following manner:
   • Mandatory comes before optional. (Though sometimes optional effects can happen in response to the mandatory ones.)
   • Then resolve things in action procedure order. A player may choose the order of effects of cards they control.
        Examples: Player 1 has two cards with text “when your companion wins a skirmish…” and an event with “Response: If your companion won a skirmish…”. They must resolve the two “when” cards before they can play the event. 
        Player 1’s companion has lost a skirmish. They may play an event with “Response: If your companion is about to receive a wound…” to the mandatory effect of skirmish loss, even though they cannot use any “Response: If your companion lost…” actions until the mandatory ones have resolved.
        A skirmish has resolved in a 4 player game. Player 1 is currently the Protagonist. P1 has the mandatory effect of a skirmish outcome and three other cards with relevant “When…” text. Player 3 also has a card with a “When… skirmish ends…”  P1 goes first and chooses their card A’s text to resolve. P4 is next in action procedure. They have a “Response:…” to the skirmish but cannot play it right now because not all mandatory effects have resolved, so they pass. P3 now resolves their card B’s text. P2 passes. P1 now chooses to resolve the skirmish outcome. P2-P4 all pass. P1 then chooses their card C’s text to resolve. Now that all mandatory effects have resolved, an action procedure begins for optional actions, starting with the Protagonist. So P1 uses an action in response to the skirmish action. Then P4 can use their response action to the skirmish, followed by P3 and then P2 before P1 gets another chance to use another response action.