Hello, I have a question on how the Mirkwood cycle objective allies work. More specifically Grimbeorn the Old and Wilyador. There card text say that "They join the first player as an ally" or "First player gains control as an ally". My question is. Does this mean they go to who ever the first player is at the time the condition is met and stay with that player for the remainder of the quest? Or do they move with the first player token around the table from player to player ? Like Frodo in the black riders.

Since the effects are passive, they continually apply, so they move around the table with the first player token.

I'm pretty sure there was a ruling sometime back that said that Grimbeorn stays with the player he first joined, while Wilyador is passed back and forth between the players. Search these forums for "Grimbeorn" and you should eventually come across the relevant thread.

EDIT:

Here are a few threads with answers regarding control of objective allies:

https://community.fa...f/?hl=grimbeorn

https://community.fa...r/?hl=grimbeorn

You may be able to find the designer ruling in here somewhere (I don't have time to look):

http://www.cardgamed...clarifications/ or in Alogos's helpful unofficial FAQ compilation document

Wilyador changes hands, but Grimbeorn does not for reasons that have always escaped me.

Grimbeorn should change hands, because his ability is a passive triggered when he has 8 resources on him, and it doesn't tell you to remove the resources so it should keep triggering.

If it said to remove the resources, then having joined the first player he would remain with that player because he no longer satisfied the condition for the first player taking control of him.

Or if he read " Response: after the 8th resource token is placed on Grimbeorn the Old, the first player takes control of him as an ally." Then that would only happen once and he'd stay with whoever was first player at that point.

But as it's written, he should keep moving.

I think he should move around every turn too.

Thats how we played Grimbeorn. We passed him every turn with the first player token. And then I used Arwen to give him Sentinel. One of the guys in our play group thought he stayed with the player who first attained him. The cards text could have been written clearer.

As it stands, the most recent designer ruling apparently indicates that Grimbeorn does not change hands. End of story until someone gets the designers to change their minds (but I agree that the wording could have been clearer, regardless of intent).

Of course, feel free to house rule as you wish.

As it stands, the most recent designer ruling apparently indicates that Grimbeorn does not change hands. End of story until someone gets the designers to change their minds (but I agree that the wording could have been clearer, regardless of intent).

Of course, feel free to house rule as you wish.

Citation please?

As it stands, the most recent designer ruling apparently indicates that Grimbeorn does not change hands. End of story until someone gets the designers to change their minds (but I agree that the wording could have been clearer, regardless of intent).

Of course, feel free to house rule as you wish.

Citation please?

This is the best I could find.

http://www.cardgamedb.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1702-official-nate-rule-clarifications/

i actually got a response from Nate French the game designer. He said that the intention of Grimbeorn is that he does not change players each round since his effect does not mention a control change. He is going to put this into the next FAQ either as a clarification or a wording change of the card to make it more clear (ie making it a forced effect).

He did say though that the new eagle in the next adventure pack DOES use the word control and so that ally will change hands each rounds to the new first player.

As it stands, the most recent designer ruling apparently indicates that Grimbeorn does not change hands. End of story until someone gets the designers to change their minds (but I agree that the wording could have been clearer, regardless of intent).

Of course, feel free to house rule as you wish.

Citation please?

Same as that posted by cmabr002. It's unfortunate that the designers never did add the response to the FAQ (I think this citation goes back to the original post: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/695939/changing-control-wilyador-what-about-grimbeorn).

Text in italics below from that same thread:

Well actually not very straight forward. The Viluador text is allmost identical to Grimbeorn at it does move. Nice to get clarification though!

Wilyador - "This card has a constant effect that reads, 'The first player gains control of Wilyador, as an ally.' This means that the first player takes control of Wilyador, and can use him in the same manner he would use any ally he controls. At the end of each round, when the first player token passes to a new player, the new first player also gains control of Wilyador."

Grimbeorn - "If the players claim Grimbeorn the Old (as instructed by his card text), he becomes an ally under the control of the first player. The first player may then use Grimbeorn in the same manner as he would use any ally he controls."

The only difference is tha Wilyanor is actually errated in game suplement to have constant effect. Grimbeorn did't have that errata... But the actua card text are close enough...

Wiluador - The first player gains controll of Wiluador as an ally."

Grimbeorn - "If Grimbeorn the Old has 8 or more resource tokens on him, he joins the first player as an ally."

in -> Wilyador you gain control, in -> Grimbeorn he joins you...

So gain means it moves ja he joins you means it does not move...

Without ruling it is very hard to see, how this can be rules as it has been ruled... Or Is this clear to native english speakers?

If you remain unconvinced, PocketWraith, perhaps you could follow-up with the designers and post their actual reply to this thread?