Hobbit-sense vs. Durin's Bane

By GrandSpleen, in Rules questions & answers

If you play Hobbit-sense, does this prevent Durin's Bane (in Shadow and Flame) from attacking *all* players?

For comparison,

Old Feint and Ticket of Spears cards (pre-errata) could lock down Durin's Bane. You would recycle them with Hama and continuously prevent its attacks against all players. One Feint could shut down Durin's Bane for the whole table. They had this wording:

Thicket of Spears (pre-errata):

"Choose a player. That player's engaged enemies do not attack this turn."

Feint (pre-errata):

"Choose an enemy engaged with a player. That enemy cannot attack this turn."

They received errata to contain the language "cannot attack that player ."

Out of Sight, another Hobbit-themed attack prevention event, also says "cannot attack you ." Hobbit-sense, however, looks like this:

Hobbit-sense.png

"Enemies engaged with you do not attack this phase. You cannot declare attacks this phase."

Because it is neutral, Hobbit-sense can't be recycled in the way that Feint or Thicket or Spears could with Hama, or even Out of Sight (with Dwarven Tomb or Map or Earnil). So it's less powerful. But still, that's a nice way to prevent up to 4 Balrog attacks in a multiplayer setting. Or other big bad "considered to be engaged with each player" enemies (who are not immune to player card effects), like Thaurdir in The Battle of Carn Dum or the Lurker in the Depths in The Ruins of Belegost. Would this work?

I would say it works.

It can be used to prevent several attacks from Durin's Bane since he is considered engaged to every player

Hmmm good one. Out of curiosity, do you know if Hobbit-sense was printed after the Feint/Thicket errata or before?

The errata was first. Errata 1.4 was Feb 2013, Encounter at Amon Din arrived in July. Since it wasn't printed yet when the errata was made, FFG had plenty of time to correct the wording if they had wanted to.

The errata was first. Errata 1.4 was Feb 2013, Encounter at Amon Din arrived in July. Since it wasn't printed yet when the errata was made, FFG had plenty of time to correct the wording if they had wanted to.

Hmm, are you sure it wouldn't already be at the printers by then? I thought they worked more that 6 months ahead of release.

The errata was first. Errata 1.4 was Feb 2013, Encounter at Amon Din arrived in July. Since it wasn't printed yet when the errata was made, FFG had plenty of time to correct the wording if they had wanted to.

Hmm, are you sure it wouldn't already be at the printers by then? I thought they worked more that 6 months ahead of release.

Not sure at all. I mean, I'm pretty sure FFG wouldn't list it as "at the printers" by February. We currently have the third AP, probably a July release, at the printers, updated middle of April.

But in the case of Amon Din, I just did a search for old news articles, and the announcement of Amon Din was on 10 December 2012 -- and it spoiled several cards, including Hobbit-sense. So that particular card had been spoiled, but not released at the time the errata was made.

Since the card had been spoiled already, they could've listed it with the errata in Februrary, if it really wasn't possible to alter the card that was still five months out. Of course, it might be embarrassing to errata a card before it was even released.

Given that the event costs two, requires all hobbits, doesn't have a sphere for recycling, and prohibits you attacking, I think prohibiting attacks against other players is the least it can do.

Yeah, it's a pretty restricted card, and it only other players in a couple of scenarios.

As long as there is no errata you do what the text says, don't you? So it should stop Durin's bane.