So I had some questions come up about the new Watcher in The Ring Goes South:

Since he is: " considered to be engaged with the first player"

Does he interact with the "when a player engages an enemy deal 1 damage to the active location" text on the quest card? When does he do this? Just the first time he enters play? Every time the first player token changes? At the beginning of each engagement phase?

The answer to that question would also answer the question of when do the Sam, Pippin, etc's abilities trigger.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

Nice one...

I'd say each time the engagement status changes, and that would be when the watcher enters play, then every time the token changes.

I didn't notice since I played solo, so that was a moot point.

I asked a ruling about Sam some time ago about the effect "put [...] enemy into play engaged with the first player" (check here: http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/92528-sam-gamgee-and-the-prancing-pony/#entry895171 )

Any time an enemy ends up in your play area, engaged with you, it has engaged you and you have engaged it. It doesn't matter if it comes from the staging area, the encounter deck, discard pile, or even out of play: if it ends up in your play area, it has engaged you. And if that enemy's engagement cost is higher than your threat, Sam's ability will trigger at that time.

However, the answer was about "entering the play area", so this might not apply here.

Actually, the watcher never "enters the play area", he's only "considered engaged".

But the more I read this, the more I understand it as "both applies": he engages and he's also in the staging area (meaning that he could also be targeted by dunhere for example).

Think this requires a ruling question to Caleb...

I would say: it doesnt triggers nothing about engagement effect.

It is so because 'it is considered' but it doenst make the engagement action.

Yeah it is only considered to be engaged with the first player but does not actually engage him per say and would not trigger that stage effect.

Sent question to Caleb... will post answer here.

Was already ask with Durin's Bane, and I think considered to be engaged does mean it never engages.

Indeed, Caleb confirmed, same as Durin's Bane:

In order for a player to engage an enemy (or an enemy to engage a player) it must enter your play area. An enemy in the staging area that is “considered engaged” with you has not actually engaged you because it has not been moved to your play area.

Therefore, The Watcher will not trigger Sam’s Response effect or the Forced effect on stage 4b because it does not actually engage you.

Thanks guys!

My Watcher in Water says "considered engaged with each player"

Are there different versions floating around?

Wait a minute yeah mine says each player too so when I played it (and beat it mind you) I had him attack each player (two handed) in player turn.... I really hope that isn't a misprint lol

Either way I still smoked that son of a gun!

Oh!

You know... I probably mis-typed because I was playing solo at the time so that wouldn't have mattered. I don't have my cards in front of me to verify but I'll re-post if it does say something different. A quick Hall of Beorn search show "each player."