Rules Questions

[The Giant]

2) The game manual says that you can equip or unequip loot at the beginning or end of your turn. Can you equip/unequip at the beginning AND end of your turn? It seems that if you can, the optimal loot strategy is to equip everything at the beginning of your turn, kick a lot of ass, immediately unequip everything at the end of your turn so that no one else can steal it from you, and repeat. After all, there are very few pieces of loot that are actually advantageous to have equipped during downtime, and you can just leave those on anyway. Is this how it's supposed to work?

That's essentially true, but not in the spirit of the game. We may add to the FAQ that anything equipped on your turn cannot be unequipped that same turn.

If you have no Loot equipped, a player attacking you can draw a Loot from your Loot Stash--and generally speaking, Loot with equipped abilities do not provide as many Drool Icons as some other Loot. So, if you want to unequip your 1-Drool Loot with a special ability in return for risking that the player might pull that 3-Drool Loot you collected out of your stash, then hey, that's your decision.

Not to mention that Loot that boosts your Battle Shticks (like the Starmetal Chunk) or your Attack/Defense in player battles (Like the Snacks) won't help you fend off an angry Belkar if they're not equipped.

[Ferrinus]

If you have no Loot equipped, a player attacking you can draw a Loot from your Loot Stash--and generally speaking, Loot with equipped abilities do not provide as many Drool Icons as some other Loot. So, if you want to unequip your 1-Drool Loot with a special ability in return for risking that the player might pull that 3-Drool Loot you collected out of your stash, then hey, that's your decision.

Well, the thing is this:

1) Your loot stash won't, unless you're doing really awesome, soley contain your own loot. Sure, someone attacking me when I'm Vaarsuvius stands to steal my Ultimate Arcane Power, but he also stands to steal my Stepladder.

2) You don't have to unequip everything. Like, let's say I'm Roy. I definitely unequip the Starmetal Chunk and Glory, because those are critical to my ability to kill like eighty monsters at a time. But at the same time, I can just leave my "Gauntlets of Ogre Stench" or some other crappy one-face loot on, so anyone who attacks me has to take away that while leaving me with all the items that actually manner.

Not to mention that Loot that boosts your Battle Shticks (like the Starmetal Chunk) or your Attack/Defense in player battles (Like the Snacks) won't help you fend off an angry Belkar if they're not equipped.

If I need schtick-boosting PvP insurance, I can always leave stuff like the Megaphone and Snacks equipped while all my kickass expensive monster-hunting gear is safely stashed away. And hey, Snacks in your stash is infinitely better than Snacks in Belkar's hands, right?

[Lord Herman]

First of all, the OOTS adventure game is great! Me and my D&D buddies had a great time.

One rules question came up, though: which loot cards can be exchanged for a schtick? For example, if I'm Roy, can I exchange a card with two Elan faces and one Roy face for a schtick, or can I only use a card with three Roy faces? And can I also use a card with three OOTS logos for this?

[Kumquat]

You must exchange three of your character's icons worth of loot to get a new schtick, i.e. if you are roy you need 3 roy faces worth of loot that can be divided between multiple loot cards, such as 3 simple "thank you"s or maybe just your dad's approval. the Order of the stick symbol counts as a face for every member of the order, so comedy gold is an automatic schtick for anyone.

[Lord Herman]

Ah, okay, I thought they had to be on a single card. That's why the wording confused me. Thanks.

[The Giant]

Well, the thing is this:

1) Your loot stash won't, unless you're doing really awesome, soley contain your own loot. Sure, someone attacking me when I'm Vaarsuvius stands to steal my Ultimate Arcane Power, but he also stands to steal my Stepladder.

2) You don't have to unequip everything. Like, let's say I'm Roy. I definitely unequip the Starmetal Chunk and Glory, because those are critical to my ability to kill like eighty monsters at a time. But at the same time, I can just leave my "Gauntlets of Ogre Stench" or some other crappy one-face loot on, so anyone who attacks me has to take away that while leaving me with all the items that actually manner.

If I need schtick-boosting PvP insurance, I can always leave stuff like the Megaphone and Snacks equipped while all my kickass expensive monster-hunting gear is safely stashed away. And hey, Snacks in your stash is infinitely better than Snacks in Belkar's hands, right?

I'm not going to argue with you. If you're dead set to play the game that way, I'm not going to stop you. As apegamer says, though, it's not really in keeping with the spirit of it. You are interpreting the rule correctly, however.

One rules question came up, though: which loot cards can be exchanged for a schtick? For example, if I'm Roy, can I exchange a card with two Elan faces and one Roy face for a schtick, or can I only use a card with three Roy faces? And can I also use a card with three OOTS logos for this?

You must exchange 1-3 cards with a total of 3 or more of your faces distributed among them (minimum of 1 of your faces per card).

So, Roy can turn in any of the following sets:
--Roy, Roy, Roy (3 cards)
--Roy, Roy/Roy (2 cards)
--Roy/Roy/Roy (1 card)
--Roy, Roy/Durkon, Roy/Vaarsuvius (3 cards)
--Roy/Durkon, Roy/Roy (2 cards)
--Roy/Roy, Roy/Roy/Belkar (2 cards. Note that you are actually turning in 4 Roy faces, but there's no "change")
--Roy, Roy, Roy/Elan (3 cards)
--Roy/Roy, Roy/Haley (2 cards)

and so on and so forth.

EDIT: Completely screwed this up before, but the above infomration is now correct.

[Kumquat]

um...I am going to have to question that last part on your response, Giant.

1) I can't find anywhere in the rulebook that mentions that the loot you trade for schticks can't have other players faces on them, just that you have to trade loot that you drool over and have a combined drool factor of 3 (relative to you)

2) That way of playing would seem to make cards like the Dragon Hoard and Comedy Gold far less useful, as then you can only trade them in battle for help, but you can't trade them for schticks as they are drooled over by everyone, so you always have another player that wants it. Also, in a six player game you would barely ever be able to trade loot for schticks, as most loot is drooled on by multiple characters. I can understand not being able to give loot that a player wants to an NPC for help in battle, but not trading it for schticks hurts a lot, especially Durkon and Elan, who rely on loot for schticks more than the other characters.

Normally I would not question your word, but this seemed to big not too.

you changed your answer, so there is no reason for this post anymore...

[Ferrinus]

I'm not going to argue with you. If you're dead set to play the game that way, I'm not going to stop you. As apegamer says, though, it's not really in keeping with the spirit of it. You are interpreting the rule correctly, however.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I definitely don't want to play the game that way. I'd rather that someone who equips monster-hunting loot risk losing it in the normal fashion.

I was just unsure whether you were contradicting Apegamer's suggestion of a "you can't unequip loot that you equipped this turn" rule because you thought that someone cheesily putting on/taking off loot turn by turn wasn't a problem. Thanks for the response!

[Enaloindir]

I also don't remember reading the "trading loot for shticks" restriction the Giant mentions...
However, such a restriction doesn't seem illogical if you take the "trading loot for assistance" rules into account.

@ Kumquat: I would treat the OotS logo on Comedy Gold and Dragon Hoard as wildcards: If you trade them in for shticks, they represent only your own drool icons.


Enaloindir

[The Giant]

OK, yes, I screwed up.

I combined in my head the rules for offering Loot to NPCs with the rules for trading Loot for shticks. You can't trade Loot to NPCs if it is also drooled over by another player, but you CAN trade it for shticks. I think we had it that way in a previous version of the rules, and then dropped it at the last minute because it hurt Elan and Durkon (the primary users of the loot-for-shticks rule) too much.

I'll change my previous answer.

[Amon Star]

I have a couple of questions regarding asking NPCs for assistance. The rules say that you can't other them Loot that is Drooled over by an active player. Well, does this include Loot that everyone Drools over? Also, can you offer NPCs Loot that has your face on it?

[EdgarVerona]

I don't think you could offer them loot that everyone drools over, and I'm not sure about the second question... but my instincts tell me that I'd allow it (since you can't give yourself the loot you drool over for a boost).

I could be wrong though... I'm totally going off of what I think would make sense... but if you can't, then it makes that loot far less valuable in said situation (at least as far as assistance is concerned).

[Kumquat]

no, you can't offer Order Icon loot (the ones everyone wants) because there is always another player that wants it. Yes, you can offer loot to an NPC if you are the only other character that drools over it.

[apegamer]

no, you can't offer Order Icon loot (the ones everyone wants) because there is always another player that wants it. Yes, you can offer loot to an NPC if you are the only other character that drools over it.

Right - what he said.

[Ferrinus]

I'd swear this has been clarified somewhere earlier in this thread, but I can't find it:

If Belkar has Jump Attack and he makes a ranged attack on another player with his Twin Daggers of Doom, does he get to collect (or lose) loot at the end of the battle as though the fight were conducted at Range 0?

[Enaloindir]

The question was brought up by Khanthal, and a first answer was given by Arcade. The final answer, contradicting Arcade, came from apegamer.


I also have a question regarding the "up a level, down a level" Screw This! card. It says you pick one player who does not get to put a shtick into play. Does this mean the player who plays the card can also put a shtick into play?

There's also another Screw This! card (I think it's "scream like a little girl", or something to that effect), where you can ask any player for assistance. While it would seem illogical to assist yourself, the card text does not seem to prevent this...


Enaloindir

[apegamer]

I also have a question regarding the "up a level, down a level" Screw This! card. It says you pick one player who does not get to put a shtick into play. Does this mean the player who plays the card can also put a shtick into play?

Yes, the person laying the card also gets a shtick.

There's also another Screw This! card (I think it's "scream like a little girl", or something to that effect), where you can ask any player for assistance. While it would seem illogical to assist yourself, the card text does not seem to prevent this...

It should say 'any other player'. That reminds me - the same should be true for Elan's Banjo the Clown shtick. I'll add these to the FAQ.

[Arcade]

The question was brought up by Khanthal, and a first answer was given by Arcade. The final answer, contradicting Arcade, came from apegamer.

Unless I'm reading it wrong, I came to the same conclusion that Apegamer did. Belkar attacks at range and then moves into the room after the attack is resolved. He can then take a loot from the player if he won the attack. If I am reading it wrong, then someone please correct me.

I'm wrong enough the rest of the time that I can have self doubts here. :)

[Amon Star]

There's also another Screw This! card (I think it's "scream like a little girl", or something to that effect), where you can ask any player for assistance. While it would seem illogical to assist yourself, the card text does not seem to prevent this.

It should say 'any other player'.

Concerning the "screams like a little girl" Screw This card, can you pick NPCs for assistance? Also, can you play it on yourself?

[Krisjohn]

"...put in the Loot discard pile and removed from play, possibly for the rest of the game if the Loot pile isn't reshuffled."

Oo, can you please point me to the rules regarding reshuffling of discarded loot?

Also, what do you do when you reach the end of the Battle cards?

[Edna]

Can resting heal a wound that is incurred during that rest turn? Here's what happened to us yesterday: after a successful battle, Roy decided to rest on his next turn, so that he could pick up two more loot and unflip his shticks. He was not wounded during the battle. However, while he was resting, another player moved into the room to pick up loot, and triggered a trap with the multiple target icon. Roy failed to evade, so he took a wound as indicated on the trap card. Can he heal that wound during the current rest phase? We decided that he could, since page 20 of the rules specifies that "At the start of your next turn, you are done resting...Heal 1 Wound and unflip all of your flipped shticks."

Also, is there a penalty for evasion while resting, like there is for defense?

Edna

[The Giant]

Concerning the "screams like a little girl" Screw This card, can you pick NPCs for assistance?

No. The card requires the players chosen to decide whether or not to assist when there is no Loot being offered. NPC players can't really do that, because there is no one to make the decision for them. Therefore, they can't be one of the two players chosen to assist.

As a rule of thumb, if an effect that can target a player requires any sort of decision on the part of the targeted player, then that effect can't target an NPC. Likewise, anything that moves a player, causes a player to do something with a shtick, Wounds a player, etc., cannot target an NPC, because NPC's don't do any of those things.

Also, can you play it on yourself?

If you mean when you are the battling player, yes. (The fact that you can be one of the two players offering assistance is spelled out on the card.)

Oo, can you please point me to the rules regarding reshuffling of discarded loot?

They are not specifically spelled out, but are inferred from the "Removing Traps from the Game" heading on page 26. It will be added to the errata at some point.

Also, what do you do when you reach the end of the Battle cards?

At the end of the turn during which the Battle Cards ran out, you reshuffle the discard pile. Note that this means that if you are in the middle of playing a big battle (like Xykon), every player may run out of Battle Cards before the Battle Size is reached. If that happens, then that's the end of adding cards to that battle, and the current player faces it as-is. In any case, don't reshuffle until the end of that turn.

This will also be added to the errata at some point.

Can resting heal a wound that is incurred during that rest turn? Here's what happened to us yesterday: after a successful battle, Roy decided to rest on his next turn, so that he could pick up two more loot and unflip his shticks. He was not wounded during the battle. However, while he was resting, another player moved into the room to pick up loot, and triggered a trap with the multiple target icon. Roy failed to evade, so he took a wound as indicated on the trap card. Can he heal that wound during the current rest phase? We decided that he could, since page 20 of the rules specifies that "At the start of your next turn, you are done resting...Heal 1 Wound and unflip all of your flipped shticks."

You played it correctly, you may heal wounds suffered while resting.

Also, is there a penalty for evasion while resting, like there is for defense?

No.

[Kiero]

Apologies I've not browsed the entire thread. If they've been answered already, could you link me to the post in response?

Anyways, here's my little brace.
1) Xykon's stack - he's at the top of it, often with a massive wedge of monsters courtesy of supports. Yet once he dies, they all run, right? So do they exist only to give him boosts to make that one final fight harder?

2) Schtick-less combat. If you have no schticks which are applicable to a contest, can you still get assistance? Ie all your bonuses will come from the assistance of others, even though you're on +0 for the purposes of schtick? We've been playing it that as long as the character in question is on the same level as you, and there isn't anything else preventing it, you can always ask for assistance.

Cheers.

[Enaloindir]

1) Xykon's stack - he's at the top of it, often with a massive wedge of monsters courtesy of supports. Yet once he dies, they all run, right? So do they exist only to give him boosts to make that one final fight harder?

Correct

2) Schtick-less combat. If you have no schticks which are applicable to a contest, can you still get assistance? Ie all your bonuses will come from the assistance of others, even though you're on +0 for the purposes of schtick? We've been playing it that as long as the character in question is on the same level as you, and there isn't anything else preventing it, you can always ask for assistance.

You can get assistance for any combat roll, whether you use a shtick or not. Just remember that the best result you can achieve when fighting without shticks is a draw...

Enaloindir

[Kiero]

You can get assistance for any combat roll, whether you use a shtick or not. Just remember that the best result you can achieve when fighting without shticks is a draw...

Enaloindir

Where does it say that? We've always taken it that win is a win.

[Millennium]

1) Xykon's stack - he's at the top of it, often with a massive wedge of monsters courtesy of supports. Yet once he dies, they all run, right? So do they exist only to give him boosts to make that one final fight harder?

That's correct. It seemed strange to my group, so we decided to move Xykon to the bottom of the stack (but ahead of any Henchman cards in the stack). We got an idea of the problem here when Roy ripped through the entire stack with Great Cleavage and arrived at Xykon with triple-digit Attack/Defense bonuses: very dramatic, but no contest whatsoever. We won't be doing that again.

[Kiero]

That's correct. It seemed strange to my group, so we decided to move Xykon to the bottom of the stack (but ahead of any Henchman cards in the stack). We got an idea of the problem here when Roy ripped through the entire stack with Great Cleavage and arrived at Xykon with triple-digit Attack/Defense bonuses: very dramatic, but no contest whatsoever. We won't be doing that again.

That's exactly it; if he's on the top the rest of the stack is irrelevant besides the Boosting. If he's on the bottom, he doesn't get boosted and the characters get to whittle their way through a horde of minions (potentially getting stronger in the process, or using Great Cleavage) before they get to a much-depleted Xykon.

[Enaloindir]

Where does it say that? We've always taken it that win is a win.

The rule is located on page 18 of the rulebook:

• If you win a battle without a Battle Shtick, the result is treated as a draw.

Enaloindir

[Kiero]

Ah, we stand corrected. Now I understand why Armour/Hide/Poorly Planned Illusion and so on have a use.

[Amon Star]

No. The card requires the players chosen to decide whether or not to assist when there is no Loot being offered. NPC players can't really do that, because there is no one to make the decision for them. Therefore, they can't be one of the two players chosen to assist.

As a rule of thumb, if an effect that can target a player requires any sort of decision on the part of the targeted player, then that effect can't target an NPC. Likewise, anything that moves a player, causes a player to do something with a shtick, Wounds a player, etc., cannot target an NPC, because NPC's don't do any of those things.



If you mean when you are the battling player, yes. (The fact that you can be one of the two players offering assistance is spelled out on the card.)

Thanks, however, I'm afraid I have another question. If you get a Trap in your initial 3 Loot Cards, do you discard it and draw another one, or just discard it?