Sorry about this but I'm finding it difficult to get my head around the rules regarding Traits, How do they interact with each other?

The Waywatcher career has the identifying trait 'watcher' and I note that there are two action cards 'Bullseye' and 'Arrowstorm' with the 'watcher' trait also but there is no apparent explanation as to how (in game mechanic terms) they react/interact with other. I'm unable to find any other cards with that particular trait. Does it mean that the Waywatcher is the only career that can employ the use of those two cards - the Errata suggests that's not the case?

Can you enlighten me on this and provide maybe another example when traits combine?

All the best,

Larry.

As you say, in the RAW and in the FAQ, it is explained that traits are not in themselves restrictions (unless they are stated as such. specifically), so with regard to your watcher career and your watcher action cards, as far as I know in the RAW currently the meaning "nothing", as there are no specific rules that reference those traits at the moment.

An example of where the traits have been referenced so far is with the slayer career and one of the slayer traited action cards (I think it is shrug it off?) that card specifically states that the user must be in a slayer career, so that card can only be used by people that have the slayer trait in their career card.

Now, personally, I have decided that the traits (in some cases) are restrictions, so only careers with the watcher trait can take wtahcer actions, only slayers can take slayer actions, only iron breakers can take the ancestor cards, wardancers and ritual dances, swordmasters and way fo the sword etc..

I have also ruled that only witch hunters can take judgement action cards, to give that advanced career a bit more of a reason to be selected.

The FAQ gives this as an option, but by the RAW, the traits aren't restrictions. Very few of the traits actually combine together at the moment. For instance, without my house rule mentioned above, the "judgement" trait has zero effect on game play with the current rules and cards.

pumpkin,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, appreciated. I can only imagine that FFG intend to release supplements and cards in the future that give some sort of relevence to the aforementioned cards, otherwise traits as a whole just seem generally a bit pointless and serve only to confuse. As for now I'll just have to make it up as I go along!

I love FFG stuff but they seem to write the rules in such a way as to encourage alot of interpretation and 'house ruling'. Is this by fault or design? I've not known of other systems that have such large Erattas and forum queries regarding ill-defined or opaque rules.

Anyway, cheers & all the best,

Larry.

I'm doing the same thing pumpkin is in my game, because I'm also using the house/option rule that actions/talents/etc have a "component limitation." If there isn't a card for an action available (because someone else has selected it) you can't take it. Given this rule, it only seems fair to reserve the more "specialized" action cards for those that are in (or have completed) that particular career. If, however, someone was a Wardancer, and finishes the career (along with the dedication bonus) I'm going to let him keep buying Ritual Dance abilities.

but yeah, currently, traits don't always do much. but it's reasonable to expect to see actions cards in expansions that will have more cards with these traits. i think they're meant to serve as organizers, for one thing. if you're looking for social actions, you can skim through and pick out those that have the Social trait at the top. And they're also meant to make it easier to tie various cards and effects together. for example, I believe I saw an effect that allowed the GM to place recharge tokens on currently recharging cards in front of the player, as long as they weren't Ongoing cards. Or you might have something, like in the case of many Ritual Dances that alters the effect if you have a card with a particular trait currently recharging. With traits you can refer to an entire category of cards rather than needing to list all of the specific card names. this makes things more expansion friendly as well.

Traits don't CURRENTLY do much. I believe there are plans in the future (and future cards) to make more use of these. I don't have my stuff in front of me, but IIRC some of the the Wardancer ritual dance action cards interact with other ritual dance cards (as well as the wardancer career bonus I think).

There are a few Support cards that give bonuses to cards with the Social trait too. So, there are a smattering of them, and I expect we'll see more as more cards get introduced.