Ballot Item # 9 - A Chance Meeting / We Have Come to Kill {clarifications}

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Are you in favor of issuing the clarifications described below?

Poll ended at Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:01 am

Yes
49
91%
No
5
9%
 
Total votes: 54
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the JabberwocK
Ex Council Chairman
Posts: 1156
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 4:46 am

INFORMATION
A Chance Meeting
A character (even a Hobbit) may be brought into play with direct influence at any Free‐hold [ [-me_fh-] ], Border‐hold [ [-me_bh-] ], or
Ruins & Lairs [ [-me_rl-] ].
We Have Come to Kill
A character may be brought into play under general or direct influence at any Shadow‐hold [ [-me_sh-] ], Ruins & Lairs [ [-me_rl-] ], or
Border‐hold [ [-me_bh-] ]. This does not count against the one character per turn limit.

This topic is about the timing and permissions of these cards and how they relate to the normal rules for play. The METW rulebook states:
BRINGING CHARACTERS INTO PLAY
During your organization phase, you may perform one and only one of the following activities:
- You may play a character card. You must have enough general influence or direct influence available to control the character. You must place him at his home site or at any Haven site.
- You may play a Wizard card if you do not have one in play. You must place a Wizard at his home site or at Rivendell. You need not control a Wizard with influence - he represents you, the player.
This rule stipulates that characters are brought into play during the organization phase, and that only one such character may be brought into play per turn.

A Chance Meeting and We Have Come to Kill can be interpreted in two ways:
1] They only over-ride the rule for what type of site a character may be played at (except for We Have Come to Kill which also states it may play an additional character).
OR
2] They over-ride both the rule for what type of site a character may be played at, as well as what phase the character may be played in (and in the case of A Chance Meeting, the normal limit of only playing one character in a turn).

It seems clear that ICE intended for A Chance Meeting and We Have Come to Kill to be playable outside of the organization phase. Similarly, it seems clear that A Chance Meeting was intended to allow for an additional character to be played during the turn. The following is presented as evidence of this intent:

1) In ICE Digest 585, Van makes the following answer:
2.) A Chance Meeting

May I use this card to bring my wizard in play ? And what will be the amount of his mind ? May I use ACM at any time during my turn (during movement hazard phase to assign the new character a strike; will this increase the number of hazards) ? May I play a second character with ACM during organisation phase ?

No, you can't use A Chance Meeting to bring in Wizards. You can only play A Chance Meeting when you are _at_ a site, normally, the Untap, Organization, Site and End of Turn phases.
He clearly suggests here that it is legal to play A Chance Meeting any phase you are normally at a site.


2) In Middle-Earth The Wizards Player Guide page 95, it says:
A Chance Meeting allows you to play a character outside of the organization phase and/or bring in an additional character in one turn. Tactically, this gives you many options. In addition to simply being able to reinforce a company, you can have a company of strong fighters move to a site, face the hazards and automatic-attacks and then bring in a scout who plays a scout skill card during the site phase. The scout would not have to face any attacks and risk being tapped or worse. Combining A Chance Meeting, a scout in your hand, and Thorough Search allows you to play an additional item at a site with no foreseeable risk to the scout.
There is no ambiguity to the above. This is an ICE manufactured manual.

Despite these clear intentions, there has been some debate regarding the matter due to the fact the cards themselves do not explicitly over-ride the normal rules concerning character play. A clarification is in order.

BALLOT ITEM # 9:
Are you in favor of issuing the following clarifications?

A CHANCE MEETING
- May be played on your turn during any phase the company is at a site.
- May be used to bring in an additional character during a turn.
WE HAVE COME TO KILL
- May be played on your turn during any phase the company is at a site.


CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR VOTE:
If you vote YES, then A Chance Meeting and We Have Come to Kill will allow play of characters during any phase your company is at a site. Additionally, A Chance Meeting will allow the play of a character even if you have previously played or discarded a character that turn.

If you vote NO, then A Chance Meeting and We Have Come to Kill will remain unchanged and unclear. It will be up to each playgroup and tournament judge to decide whether or not these cards allow character play outside the organization phase and whether or not A Chance Meeting allows a 2nd character to be played after one has already been played or discarded that turn.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
A majority of players today allow ACM and WHCTK to be played during any phase a company is at a site, this is aligned with a YES vote.

REFERENCE TOPICS: viewtopic.php?f=143&t=3327
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