I have a couple quick questions regarding these Lurker components.

For the split gates, is there any reason to take the more risky of the two possibilities? I know all the Other Worlds can be dangerous, but some are certainly more dangerous than others. Has anyone tried making it random which of the two Other Worlds you enter, by rolling dice, perhaps?

For the Sledgehammer, does the +1 to Fight stack with the +3 to combat? As in, your investigator's fight is at 2, the monster's modifier is +0, and you have a sledgehammer: Do you roll 5 or 6 dice for the combat check?

Thanks!

Joseph_Lavode said:

One reason to take the more risky OW is to get to leap frog to another gate matching that OW that, for whatever reason, you cannot enter through (too far, blocked by monster, etc). For the most part, though, I find myself taking the easier one.

ricedwlit said:

And that is an option that did not occur to me. Thanks!

If you recall the coloring paradigm for other worlds:

• Red: stamina is at risk
• Yellow: sanity is at risk
• Blue: items are at risk
• Green: nice all round

Then it may be wiser to send someone with low stamina and high sanity into Lost Carcosa rather than the generally more benign "Another Time."

Joseph_Lavode said:

It's not clear yet. Some say that by naming "fight checks" and "combat checks" separately, the sledge is supposed to give you one or the other for any given check. Others say that since combat checks ARE fight checks (that's a mantra us grognards have been chanting for years), both apply for combat, while only the +1 would apply to, say, a Gate Check using Fight. Still others just babble incomprehensibly in the corner, barking loudly on occasion.

So...uh...go with your gut. What do YOU think?

Hah, well, I think the RAW means it's +4 to combat checks, since the card says +3 to combat and + 1 to fight checks, rather than using the word "or."

But I think the intent is probably the other way around.

I've been working under the assumption that since Combat check is listed first, and no clarification is given, it's meant to be an either-or case. Not to mention that a weapon that lowers a monster's toughness by 1 and gives a +4 to combat checks (and it can help a non-combat fight check) is probably supposed to be worth more than $6. From the viewpoint of value, it's probably supposed to be +3 for combat, +1 for non-combat fight.