Can I voluntarily delay an objective on an act card if it specifies defeating an enemy?

The idea being that I would like to "mop up" Mobs with victory points in the play area?

Objective is not a glossary term. I assume that an argument could be made that if something isn't specified you rule the least advantageous, correct?

Yes. No issue here unless you complete the objective. Some however immediately advance when conditions are met and others require you to spend clues. If you spend clues, as long as it doesn’t say to immediately spend them, you can also delay spending them until you are ready to advance.

12 minutes ago, Soakman said:

Yes. No issue here unless you complete the objective.

I believe the question was whether you could delay advancement after completing the objective. The answer is no; if there's an objective text without the word "may," advancement is immediate and mandatory.

Act 3a of The Gathering, for example, is not optional. As soon as the condition is met, you advance. No going back for more XP. 2a, on the other hand, says "may", so you can delay that one.

Ah yes sorry I misunderstood the question. I was assuming he had not killed the enemy yet and was asking if he could avoid the objective until he was ready.

Thanks for confirming folks!

3 hours ago, rsdockery said:

I believe the question was whether you could delay advancement after completing the objective. The answer is no; if there's an objective text without the word "may," advancement is immediate and mandatory.

I've never understood it this way. Advancing is a fast ability, which by definition makes it optional. Objective text doesn't change this unless it says so. There are a fair number which do say you must advance immediately, which points pretty strongly to it not being required otherwise.

Edit: The distinction here in some cases is that you can't spend clues. In those cases it's a constant ability which triggers whether you want to or not. But if you have an objective on an act which requires you to spend clues, doing so is a fast and optional ability even if there's no "may".

36 minutes ago, Buhallin said:

I've never understood it this way. Advancing is a fast ability, which by definition makes it optional. Objective text doesn't change this unless it says so. There are a fair number which do say you must advance immediately, which points pretty strongly to it not being required otherwise.

There was a recent discussion on BGG about this. The intermittent usage of the word immediately (or not) threw me off as well. The word immediately is only used if the Objective involves the spending of clues. Otherwise the Objective itself is essentially a Forced effect that you cannot decline to trigger, despite the lack of the word immediately.

For example, Act 2a of Essex County Express says: Objective - If there are no clues in the Engine Car, immediately advance.

Meanwhile, Act 2a of Blood on the Altar (literally the scenario after Essex) says: Objective - If there are no clues in the Hidden Chamber, advance. (note the lack of the word 'immediately'). Regardless, you still must advance if you clear all the clues from the Hidden Chamber (you can't delay and then decide to defeat Silas Bishop to earn additional VPs)

The following Objectives are mandatory and you must advance as soon as they are satisfied (cannot be delayed):

• Objective - If there are no clues on <Location>, advance.
• Objective - If <Some-Enemy> is defeated, advance.
• Objective - When the investigators possess the required number of clues, they must immediately spend them and advance
• Objective - If an investigator enters <Location>, advance.
• Objective - If each surviving investigator is at <Location>, advance.
• Objective - At the end of the round, If <Some-Condition>, advance (without the use of the word may).
• Objective - If an investigator takes control of <Story-Asset>, advance.
• Objective - If <some-number> of the following (List-of-tasks) are true, advance. (I believe all instances of this use the phrase must advance to make it clearer)

The following Objectives are optional and can be delayed even if the investigators possess the required number of clues

• A standard Act card with no Objective text and just a number of clues listed
• Any Objective that uses the word may, or otherwise places a condition on who/when/where the clues can be spent from (e.g. only investigators at Such-And-Such-Location may spend the clues to advance)