Had a discussion in my last playnight about nightwatch card old bear mormont.

The player that controlled old bear said that he could put a card out from his hand after the challenge phase even if he was not challenged at all. I believe that you have to be challenged to use that trait.

The card says, when the challenge phase ends, if you have not lost a challenge as the defending player this phase, put a (night watch) card into play from your hand.

We went with that you could not do this after some discussion. Any info about this would be appreciated.

I have the same question but with the card:

The Red Keep

Location. Cost: 3.

We have been playing the opposite of Zharek and even if the player was not challenge, he would pick 2 cards.

Just a confirmation of what is the right way would be nice

Always read the cards as literally as possible.

Interrupt: When the challenges phase ends, if you have not lost a challenge as the defending player this phase, put a card into play from your hand.

The card does not say that you have to WIN a challenge, or PARTICIPATE in a challenge, but that you "have not lost a challenge".

You do not have to participate in a challenge in order to use this ability.

Likewise with the Red Keep, if no power challenges occurred, then certainly you didn't lose any of them.

Old bear mormont card.

Interrupt: when the challenge phase ends, if you have not lost a challenge as the DEFENDING player this phase, put a night watch card into play from your hand.

I believe the card says it best(as the defending player).

To be the defending player the rules claims you have to be challenged.

Page 9 in the learn to play rules(middle of the page).

Or am i wrong in my thinking here.

Old bear mormont card.

Interrupt: when the challenge phase ends, if you have not lost a challenge as the DEFENDING player this phase, put a night watch card into play from your hand.

I believe the card says it best(as the defending player).

To be the defending player the rules claims you have to be challenged.

Page 9 in the learn to play rules(middle of the page).

Or am i wrong in my thinking here.

Or am i wrong in my thinking here.

Not wrong so much as compartmentalizing the wording of the ability too much.

Old Bear's condition is, "if you have not lost a challenge as the defending player this phase." You have to consider that phrase as a whole, not chopped up. When you consider the play restriction as a single phrase and go to check the play restrictions on this, you ask the following:

1. Did I lose a challenge this phase?

2. If so, was I the defending player when I lost?

If no one ever declared a challenge against you that phase, the answer to #1 is "No." And if the answer to #1 is "No," you never get to #2.

The confusion here seems to be that people apparently are wanting to flip the order of the questions to:

1. Was I a defending player this phase?

2. If so, did I lose any challenges while I was the defending player?

This is incorrect because "as a defending player" modifies the "if you did not lose" part of the phrase, not the other way around.

Look at it this way - if you were told, "when the month ends, if you have not had a collision as the driver of a red car, receive a $100 gas card," would you expect to receive the gas card if you didn't drive at all the previous month?