Theo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 7:13 am
MELE wrote:A Ringwraith may carry items (including rings) but may not use them (i.e., an item has no effect on a Ringwraith’s company or on his attributes and abilities).
The underline portion is what I'm curious about. What are item effects on a company?
A "company" is simply a group of one or more character cards. I see no basis for divorcing the concept of "company" from the character cards themselves. I also don't see any reason from the rule to make a distinction between effects on attributes of the company and effects on abilities or actions by the company. Any effect that modifies the attributes of characters in the company or that modifies the company's ability to take actions is an effect on the company.
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Theo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 7:13 am
Some exemplars:
Scroll of Isildur: No; the effect is on a ring test in the company.
Goblin Earth-plumb: No; the effect is on under-deeps movement rolls required by the company.
Orc-draughts: No; the effect is on each character in the company. (still wouldn't effect the Ringwraith individually)
Strange Rations (alternative effect): Yes; the effect is an allowance for the "company to play"
Scroll of Isildur: Scroll's effect is a modifier to a ring test dice roll that affects a ring item in play and maybe one in hand. This is not a modifier to a character or a group of characters. Affecting the items of the company does not affect the company itself.
Goblin Earth-plumb: The RW may not declare movement to an adjacent under-deeps site in the first place. But in general, the company has the ability to move to a site and "moving" is a game-status of companies in MECCG. Affecting the check for the company's movement attempt affects the company's ability to move. Affecting the abilities of the company seems to affect the company but the plumb affects the roll and not the ability itself. Either way, a RW's company is not rolling. Well, maybe they technically roll on the way back up.
Orc-draughts: Affecting the prowess of characters in the company affects a group of one or more characters, which is what a company is. Affecting the attributes of the characters affects the company.
Strange Rations: Affects the company's ability to place region cards for movement. Affecting the abilities of the company affects the company.
As for ICE, I see an offhand mention of Scroll used with Ringwraiths to test for The One but nothing specific.
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Theo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 7:35 am
But I had the impression that "i.e." meant that what followed was the entire scope of what "use" meant in this situation.
That's one way "i.e." might be used but it's not what "i.e." means. It stands for
Id est -- that is. It is a way to restate what has been said in a different way. It's similar but different as it is being restated for a purpose. And this doesn't exclude other similar but different restatements. The restatement is not the "entire scope" of the original statement. In fact, doesn't it necessarily has a slightly different scope by virtue of being a restatement?
To me, "use" of an item in the main statement sounds like an activity performed by the Ringwraith. But the "i.e." statement restates use in a way to cover more passive, receptive use.