Are you asking why it works this way or are you asking why they don'tsimplify it?

This isn't something I can explain better than I have I'm afraid because I'm going off Nate's responses to this card and the short version of a flowchart. I expect the full version to either be laid out in a fashion that makes this obvious, or errata on the card (Nate did say he was concerned about how confusing it could be and how it may restrict future design space).

It would be simpler for it to be considered a window unto itself, though we run into the problem of potentially abusive combos (not game winners, but ways to get around built in restrictions on cards).

I trust that it will get sorted out in a fashion that is easy to remember, and if not completely intuitive, what is good for the game.

I am complaining about the now overly complexed beginning of a turn and ffgs politic in only providing e-mail help.

Page 5 of the rule book states "THE GOLDEN RULE: If the rules text of a card contradicts the text of this rulebook, the rules on the card take precendence."

Abandoned Mine states " KINGDOM. ACTION: At the beginning of your turn, you may return one of your developments to its owner's hand."

This card clearly contradicts the rulebook (not conflicts) and allows the person to return one development at the BEGINNING of the turn. It doesn't say anything about "this effect happens at some point during your turn" and neither does it say "you may return one of your developments to its owner's hand when it's convenient for you".

In this case the card is creating an ACTION step at the beginning of the KINGDOM phase. On page 15 the ACTION paragraph states "In order to trigger an action on a unit, support, or quest card, the card on which the action is printed must be in play, unless the action specifies that it can be triggered from an out of play state." I beleive this to be the situation as the ACTION in question is being performed more or less between each players turn and is already in play.

In the case of DEMORALIZE I would say it has to be played during an actual ACTION step since the same paragraph states "TACTIC cards are actions played from a player's hand" and therefore do not have the "in play already" chance.

Hurdoc said:

I just wanted to point out... I said it first!

It does open up a lot more tactical opportunities... I'm not sure that in this case it was the best of decisions in regards to the original rule set, but there have been enough changes in a few areas that it is easy to see this game is going in a somewhat different direction than the core set sort of outlined, which is to say that it felt like a fast paced RTS with a strictly controlled turn sequence and opportunity for player and card interaction and now it feels like a much more free0-form RTS with a lot more potentially going on. I suspect the game will slow down a bit because of this, and will eventually get a much more strategic feel than I thought... these are all good things overall in my mind, just not quite what I was expecting.

That said you did call it first. Way to read those tea leaves man.