Open Gate: Investigators may move between any two locations with an attached Open Gate as if the locations were connected.

Safeguard: ...as they move from your location to a connecting location...

Anyone have opinions on whether you can use Safeguard to follow someone through an Open Gate? I'm inclined to think not - the "as if the locations were connected" would only apply to the move action so the locations aren't connected as far as Safeguard is concerned. But I'm also not sure completely sure of the timing - "as they X" doesn't seem to be a defined window but it makes sense that both moves are simultaneous (and this seems to be the consensus), and maybe since it's triggering off the move the "as if" is active for Safeguard as well?

It seems clear and thematic to me to follow people through an open gate.

Also seems to be within the realm of rules interpretation, as those locations are essentially connected for investigator movement purposes. I see no reason why this wouldn’t include more exotic movement like shortcut, track shoes, or safeguard.

one might argue they are not connected for Luke’s ability to play events at adjacent locations, since that isn’t a movement.

I think that you are right - Open Gate doesn't create any new connections, it just enables you to move as if those connections did exist. Barring an FAQ entry (the words "as if" cause so many headaches) to the contrary, there's never a moment where the locations in question count as actually being connected for any other reason, and so the specific requirement of Safeguard isn't met.

But it is very unintuitive; I would not be surprised to have that overturned by a designer ruling or FAQ entry. It also means that you cannot use Shortcut to move through an Open Gate, but that at least does make thematic sense (you're hardly going to find a shortcut to get you through a magical portal more quickly).

I did get the impression from the AMA that FAQ entries about thorny rules issues are in the works, and "as if" seems like the community's biggest query at the moment, so we may learn more with the next update.

To play devil's advocate: Open Gate doesn't specify a move action — so it should allow any ability that moves an investigator to resolve as if the locations are connected, which includes Safeguard's ability. After all, the definition of a move action states that the destination must be marked as connected just as Shortcut and Safeguard specify a connecting location.

So, potentially related question - you can’t use Marksmanship, Dynamite Blast, the Springfield, etc. to attack enemies thru an Open Gate right? You can only Move between them but are otherwise not considered connected?

similar deal with uhh... The Compass thingy that gives you stat boosts based on how many locations are connected to yours?

Correct on both counts. That, at least, seems unambiguous.

That's a good catch. I had overlooked the "connecting location" clause of Safeguard. So it would work with Pathfinder, but only conditionally with Elusive.

14 hours ago, Spritz Tea said:

To play devil's advocate: Open Gate doesn't specify a move action — so it should allow any ability that moves an investigator to resolve as if the locations are connected, which includes Safeguard's ability. After all, the definition of a move action states that the destination must be marked as connected just as Shortcut and Safeguard specify a connecting location.

The problem isn't the move that Safeguard gives you, it's the trigger condition. Safeguard only lets you move with an investigator when they move to a connecting location. When someone uses Open Gate, their destination is not actually connected - it is for their move, but that's it. So the trigger for Safeguard isn't met and you can't follow them.

At least that's my read, applying the most minimal "as if" we can.

I was trying to say that if Open Gate allows us to resolve the entire ability — or even just the effect (which in this case is everything after the colon) — as if the locations are connected, then the "as if" is active while checking for a connecting location.

But I agree that that might not be the most natural reading.

Edit: I should clarify my position — I think that Shortcut, Track Shoes, Pathfinder, and most movement abilities do work with Open Gate because Open Gate interacts with them in the same way as it does with the move action. I think it's not clear whether Safeguard works with Open Gate but until we know more, 'probably not' is our best answer.