Quick question: if I have a character with the Intimidate keyword but it doesn't count it's strength for the challenge, does Intimidate still work? Or is it considered to have 0STR and, thus, Intimidate doesn't really work?

Thanks.

I'm going to say it wouldn't count (I'm also assuming your character is attacking, not defending). The Core Set Rule Book explains Intimidate as follows: "While a character with the 'Intimidate' keyword is attacking, characters with a lower STR than that character do not count their STR for that challenge."

If the attacking character with Intimidate isn't having it's strength counted then it's strength is effectively considered to be zero, which makes Intimidate meaningless. That's how I see it, but I've been wrong before.

I have a question too: Can a character with Intimidate be "Intimidated" by another character with Intimidate? If I recall correctly the answer is no, but I just want to double check.

FATMOUSE said:

Sorry to say, but you are incorrect here, too.

Let's paint a scenario for you. Melee game, Greyjoy, Targ and Stark players. The Greyjoy player attacks the Stark player with Victarion during a power challenge (3 STR, Intimidate). The Targaryen player uses Drogon to give Victarion "-1 STR/kill if 0" until the end of the phase. If the Stark player then defends with Catelyn and uses her "one attacker does not count its STR" effect on Victarion, does Victarion die from Drogon's effect?

According to your reasoning above, he would die because with his STR not being counted his STR "is effectively considered to be zero." And he dies at 0 STR, right? But that's not what happens because Victarion's STR is never actually 0. It would still be 2 in the above scenario, but that 2 STR just isn't counted for the purposes of totaling challenge STR. So with that example in mind, it should be easy to see that a character that does not count its STR for a challenge still has all of its STR, it simply is not included when counting up who wins and loses the challenge.

Since the character still has as much STR as it ever did - and the keyword is not shut off by any other card effect - Intimidate will still "work" even when the attacking character is not able to count its STR toward winning/losing the challenge. For example, if Victarion Greyjoy with +2 from Iron Victory attacking Catelyn Stark, the challenge would end with no winner at all (Catelyn's effect stops Victarion from counting his STR, Victarion's Intimidate stops Catelyn from counting hers).

FATMOUSE said:

Not sure where you heard this one, but it is nowhere in the rules. Intimidate on a defender (or even a fellow attacker) will not protect it from the effects of Intimidate on an attacker. If it has lower STR, it is out of luck.

Cool, that's what I thought. Thanks.

Thanks, ktom