Council of Elrond

Can someone explain exactly how Fireworks works? As worded, I can see two different ways of reading it and I'm not sure which is correct.

The exact wording is:
Ritual. Playable on an untapped sage at a tapped Border-hold or Free-hold. Tap sage. Make a roll (draw a #) and add the mind of the sage (+10 if a Wizard) -- if the result is greater than 12, the site untaps. The next time the sage would otherwise become untapped, make him tapped and discard this card.

Does this mean the sage doesn't untap and the card is discarded only after the roll is successful? In essence, the sage can keep trying until he untaps the site (since Fireworks is a permanent event).

OR, does it mean that, success or fail, next turn he doesn't untap and Fireworks goes away?

It seems like the latter might be the intent but other cards where a roll is required include all of the effects for a success in multiple sentences after defining what a successful roll is in the same way as Fireworks. Examples would be: Call of Home which has a clause for moving items, The Riddle Game allows the user to name two cards, forces the opponent to reveal his hand, then discards cards, Stay Her Appetite has the ally attack as well as additional actions based on the result of that attack.

SuperNovice wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:34 am OR, does it mean that, success or fail, next turn he doesn't untap and Fireworks goes away?

Next time when sage would otherwise become untapped.

For Call of Home "Any one item held by the removed character" may be transferred, so if roll fails there is no possibility of transfer.
For The Riddle Game winner names the cards, so still depending on result of roll.
For Stay Her Appetite the same - "Discard the ally if it attacks and is not defeated".

Thanks! I figure that's the way it's meant and that's how I've been playing it. The wording on the card is ambiguous but, if the community is playing that way, happy to continue to do so. Even something as simple as a line break before the last sentence would clarify the intent a lot but that is an observation that comes almost 30 years too late.

SuperNovice wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:00 pm Even something as simple as a line break before the last sentence would clarify the intent a lot but that is an observation that comes almost 30 years too late.

I would wish a consistency with using paragraphs.
Fireworks does not have alternative uses.
It also does not have any forks (paths of execution that happen only if some condition is fulfilled).
"discard this card " is not part of main effect of Fireworks. It is like " Discard Align Palantír if the company carrying the Palantír moves" . Apparently there is no convention of placing such sentences in separate paragraph.

I think that "The next time the sage would otherwise become untapped, make him tapped and discard this card." symbolizes that the sage is exhausted with doing fireworks (regardless of result) and needs more time to recovery.
You may help him by playing Fireworks with Crown of Flowers and then use Twilight or count on Doors of Night.

Could I play "Crown of Flowers" to Fireworks and then discard "Fireworks" with a Twilight? If so, would that allow the character to untap normally? Your last comment left me thinking: Even if fireworks is no longer in play, does leaving play removes the "next time the character should untap"?

Nico1920 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 1:59 pm Even if fireworks is no longer in play, does leaving play removes the "next time the character should untap"?

Just because Fireworks is no longer in play its text does not have an effect on play.

Nico1920 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 1:59 pm Could I play "Crown of Flowers" to Fireworks and then discard "Fireworks" with a Twilight?

If you mean a playing of Crown of Flowers on Fireworks already in play, then no.
Crown of Flowers needs to be in play if other resource has to be played with it.