A bit unsure on the wording of this Agency card . . .
"Action: Choose a character you control and a character an opponent controls. Choose one of those characters to go insane, then wound the other character."
Say I'm playing Agency and all I have out are characters with Willpower. Is it still valid for me to choose one to "go insane" and wound the opponent's Cthulhu character, or would a character with Willpower be invalid to target for the insanity choice?
I believe this is a case of the "Then" keyword coming in to play. If you don't choose a valid target for going insane, the "then" portion can't happen.
Any time two effects are linked by the word
"then," the first effect must resolve in order for
the second effect to occur.
So yes, someone must got insane first, to get second part of action to work. And as guy with Willpower can't, second part will not happen.
Had a hunch . . . thanks
Not only that, I'm pretty sure that you cannot legally play the card without choosing a character who "can" go insane. You can't play a targetted card while lacking a legal target. Just in case you wanted to pay one to remove the card from your hand... bad luck.
This reply from Marius seems to indicate you can play it, even if the second sentence can't kick in.
"-- Agency --
Small Price to Pay
------------------
Type : Event
Cost : 1
Subtype :
Game Text: Action: choose a character you control and a character an opponent controls. Choose one of those characters to go insane, then wound the other character.
Flavor text:
Illustrator: Josh Hagler
Collector's Info: FC C11
Note it reads: "then wound the other character." Then is an important word here. If a trigger resolves, the part after the then won't resolve unless the part proceding it has been succesfull.
So, if you choose a willpower character, the part before then will be unsuccesfull (no character was turned insane,) and the part after then (the wounding) wont resolve.
If you choose to turn something insane, and the other has invulnerability, it works, though. You'll have one insane character and the other dodges the bullet."
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=37&efcid=4&efidt=35585
Or am I reading that wrong?
Dam said:
This reply from Marius seems to indicate you can play it, even if the second sentence can't kick in.
"-- Agency --
Small Price to Pay
------------------
Type : Event
Cost : 1
Subtype :
Game Text: Action: choose a character you control and a character an opponent controls. Choose one of those characters to go insane, then wound the other character.
Flavor text:
Illustrator: Josh Hagler
Collector's Info: FC C11
Note it reads: "then wound the other character." Then is an important word here. If a trigger resolves, the part after the then won't resolve unless the part proceding it has been succesfull.
So, if you choose a willpower character, the part before then will be unsuccesfull (no character was turned insane,) and the part after then (the wounding) wont resolve.
If you choose to turn something insane, and the other has invulnerability, it works, though. You'll have one insane character and the other dodges the bullet."
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=37&efcid=4&efidt=35585
Or am I reading that wrong?
No, that's correct. You can target, but nothing will happen.
Ahhh, I get it. With the two separate sentences, the first is the one for targetting the card (i.e. choose two characters), and then the second sentence applies afterwords. Now that ruling makes sense, and is consistent with prior ones. Tricky.