A common question has arisen over the years as to whether non-moving characters at Under-deeps sites can be taken prisoner because the MEDM rules insert fails to clarify which site(s) can be used as the rescue site if a character is taken prisoner while at an Under-deeps site. Here are those rules:
The closest answer to the posed question could be covered by Rule 4 above, but the problem there is that Under-deeps sites are not located in a region. Rule 5 above also suggests a potential answer, but specifies that it only applies to characters that are moving.Certain hazard permanent-events cause a character to be taken prisoner-these are called hazard hosts. A character taken prisoner immediately leaves his original company and is placed under its hazard host “off to the side.” Additionally, the player playing the hazard host must take a site card from his location deck and place it with the hazard host-this is called the rescue site. Playing a rescue site is governed by the following rules.
1. Any restrictions listed on the hazard host must be observed (e.g., it must be a Ruins & Lairs, must have an Orc automatic-attack, etc.).
2. If the hazard host is played on a character moving with region movement, the rescue site must be a site located in a region in which the character was moving or in a region adjacent to a region in which the character was moving.
3. If the hazard host is played on a character moving with starter movement, the rescue site must be located in the region containing the site of origin or the new site.
4. If the hazard host is played on a character not moving, the rescue site must be located in the same region as the character’s site.
5. If the hazard host is played on a character moving to a new site that is an adjacent site of an Under-deeps site, the rescue site can be that Under-deeps site.
6. If a rescue site is not available within these rules, the hazard host cannot be played!
7. When removed from the play surface, rescue sites always return to the location deck.
Another potential answer was offered in COE 16, which simply stated that a non-moving character at an Under-deeps site cannot be taken prisoner using that same Under-deeps site as the rescue site:
And this was effectively added to the CRF:CoE WEEKLY RULINGS/CLARIFICATIONS #16
NetRep: Brian Wong Source
QUERY 8
Can I take prisoners from a company stationary at an Under-deeps site, using that same Under-deeps site as the Rescue Site?
No you cannot. Expect this to be clarified in CRF #16. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
However, this ruling was re-questioned in COE 56, and the NetRep team at that time announced that they would study the case, implying that perhaps a shift was in order:Prisoners
- You cannot take prisoners from a company stationary at an Under-deeps site (using that same Under-deeps site as the Rescue Site). [CoE 2002]
However, that NetRep team never published any further decision.CoE RULINGS DIGEST #56
03-11-2003 NetRep: Chad Martin Source
QUERY 15
A recently found this strange note in the CRF:
CRF: Rulings by Term, Prisoner: You cannot take prisoners from a company stationary at an Under-deeps site (using that same Under-deeps site as the Rescue Site).
I guess this is because of the MEDM-rules, which say:
[MEDM excerpt on rescue sites]
So, since the case where the company is at an Under-deeps site and not moving is not properly covered here, it is ruled that it’s impossible to take prisoners... Is the NetRep-team really serious about this one?
The ruling is strictly correct, according to the current rules. The NetRep team will take this into consideration and publish our decision in a future Digest.
Since upholding the ruling in COE 16 would make some prisoner-taking cards unusable (e.g. Spells of the Barrow-wights on a character at the Under-leas), and it seems hard to believe that this omission was anything but an accidental oversight by ICE given the logic of being able to take prisoners from stationary companies (per Rule 4) and from companies moving through the Under-deeps (per Rule 5), this committee believes that the most appropriate solution is to make a slight errata to Rule 5 for rescue sites in the MEDM insert:
This paragraph should now read:5. If the hazard host is played on a character moving to a new site that is an adjacent site of an Under-deeps site, the rescue site can be that Under-deeps site.
Please note that, in the case of a non-moving character at an Under-deeps site, this rule is more specific than rule 4, and therefore overwrites it.5. If the hazard host is played on a character at or moving to a site that is an adjacent site of an Under-deeps site, the rescue site can be that Under-deeps site.
Accordingly, we will also remove this sentence from the CRF:
Note that this overturns CoE WEEKLY RULINGS/CLARIFICATIONS #16 Q8 and CoE RULINGS DIGEST #56 Q15Prisoners
- You cannot take prisoners from a company stationary at an Under-deeps site (using that same Under-deeps site as the Rescue Site). [CoE 2002]