Balrog Rules Summary wrote:To play a faction, tap one character in the company to make an influence attempt. Roll the dice, add the character's unused direct influence, any standard modifications for the character's race (heroes) or other factions in play (minions), and any other modifications from other cards. If the result is higher than the number listed on the faction, put the faction in your MP pile, and tap the site. The site does not tap otherwise.
MELE wrote:BRINGING A FACTION INTO PLAY
In order to play a faction card, you must tap one of your characters that is at the "site" indicated on the faction's card. Then you must make an influence check. Make a roll (2D6), add your character's unused direct influence, and add any appropriate modifications (any applicable standard modifications from the faction card and from any other cards played). All influence check modifier cards must be played before making the roll (2D6).
If the modified result is greater than the value required on the faction card, you place the faction in your marshalling point pile (it now counts towards your marshalling point total). Otherwise, you discard the faction card. Once a faction is brought into play, it is not controlled by any specific character and it does not count against general or direct influence.
MELE wrote:During your site phase, one and only one of your characters may tap to attempt to influence away one of your opponent's characters, followers, allies, factions, or items. This may only take place if the influencing character and the target of the influence are at the same site.
Balrog Rules Summary wrote:To influence a faction, you must be at the site where the faction is playable.
So, lots of mess here. Most, if not all, factions are listed as playable only if there is a successful influence check. This presents no particular difficulty with playing a faction from the hand, as neither the Balrog Summary nor the MELE rules state that you have to be at the site where the faction is playable. The Balrog Summary doesn't mention the correct site at all, while the MELE Rules merely state you need to be at the site "indicated" on the faction's card.MEDM wrote:To influence a faction, the agent must be at the site at which the faction is playable.
However, when influencing a faction already in play, you either have to follow the MELE Rules, which means that factions are actually at sites in this game, or you have to go with the Balrog Rules Summary, which squares with MEDM. In this case, the question is: was the influence check that was used to bring the faction into play in the first place sufficient to establish its playability as long as the faction remains in play?
(Yes, this is a train wreck, but there's at least a path through the rules to what is presumably the intended functionality.)