Thicket of Spears and engaged enemies / immediate Attacks

By DrPeterEnis, in Rules questions & answers

A (well technically 2...) quick question(s);

Thicket of Spears (relevant for this question) text reads:

Quote

Action: Choose a player. That player's engaged enemies cannot attack that player this phase.

What happens if a player engages enemies after having played Thicket of Spears but before enemy attack resolution? Can the newly engaged enemies also not attack that player, or does this only apply to enemies who where engaged with that player, when Thicket of Spears was played? I guess since it doesn't mention "currently" it tracks boardstate and applies to all newly engaged enemies as well?

On a similar note:

What happens when an enemy engaged with said player would make an "immediate attack"?

Does Thicket of Spears prevent these as well as regular attacks? No idea about that one...

Thanks in advance!

Correct on both counts.

Actually, don't player card effects only calculate when played? That was the ruling on Burglar Baggins and Nenya to prevent generating infinite willpower. I think any enemies engaged after you play this card are not prevented from attacking.

The question is whether it create a lasting effect on the player, or on the enemies (current), or on the game state in general.

Encounters cards generally do that last one, (regardless of wording) leading to constant re-evaluation. Player cards generally do not - lending themselves more to immediate evaluation, but sometimes leading to exciting question like this one.

I had previously taken it to be an effect on the player, so newly engaged enemies would not attack, and I was content with that for myself given I rare play this card, but I now suspect it was wrong. The object of the effect seems to be ' that player's engaged enemies ', rather than the chosen player themselves and that would mean the set of enemies is fixed at time of play.

On your second question, yes it would prevent any extra 'immediate' attacks. Cannot is a pretty strong work in this game and the effect isn't explicitly limited to any specific causes of attack or timing point, so it affects all.

7 hours ago, Wandalf the Gizzard said:

Actually, don't player card effects only calculate when played? That was the ruling on Burglar Baggins and Nenya to prevent generating infinite willpower. I think any enemies engaged after you play this card are not prevented from attacking.

RR Lasting Effects :

If a lasting effect generated by a player card affects in-play cards (or a specified set of cards), it is only applied to cards that are in play (or that meet the specifications of the set) at the time the lasting effect is established. Cards that enter play (or change status to meet the criteria of the specified set) after a lasting effect’s establishment are not subsequently affected by that lasting effect.

Ah, my apologies. I stand corrected.

Yes unfortunate...

Probably a side effect of the necessary abolishment of the Galadriel-The lucky Number unending combo.

Weeeeell it's not like this would be that influential anyway...