Noob here, so please bear with me.

On the neighborhood tiles there are icons that indicate what you can expect on the encounter cards. My question is: can those items just be looked at/purchased aside from waiting for a chance through the encounter card?

Also, when it says on the encounter card to receive an item, do I have to pay the price shown on the card, or is it free as a part of the encounter?

If an encounter says you receive a common item or curio, you don't have to pay for it unless the encounter specifically states otherwise. If you're on a space with a common item/curio icon, you can't just look at or purchase those items without resolving an encounter.

4 hours ago, jeremyj621 said:

If an encounter says you receive a common item or curio, you don't have to pay for it unless the encounter specifically states otherwise. If you're on a space with a common item/curio icon, you can't just look at or purchase those items without resolving an encounter.

Thanks, that's how we've been playing it.