I've noticed that there are a few cards that pump the cost to play cards up (such as Dampen Light). I'm wondering does paying for a character count as an action ? If so, this would only mean that you can play such cards after the first character is played (in the case for another player's active turn).

During your Operations Phase (when the majority of cards are played), playing any card counts as an action. Playing a character, support, consipiracy, or event card are all considered "an action" in terms of the gameplay diagram in the rulebook.

Here's a fun one for you though ... once again, involving everyone's favorite complicated card - the Doppelganger !

The Doppel, as we know..is a Yog-colored card. However, the moment he's played, he becomes an "exact copy" of the card you choose...meaning he gains the Faction, Text, Cost, etc - everything really - of that card.

Say there was a card in play (some made-up Support card) that said:

"We Hate Hastur" - Support - Spell - while "We Hate Hastur" is in play, the cost to play any Hastur card is increased by 1.

If you were going to play your Doppel - and target an existing Hastur card (say a Demon Lover) - would you suffer the penalty for cost-to-play from "We Hate Hastur" - or would you not - reasoning the Doppel is actually a Yog card as he falls from your hand ...and only "becomes" a Hastur card immediately after he "hits the table" ?

KallistiBRC said:

I see...then I guess with Dampen Light, you can't truly affect the cost of the first card the opponent plays.

As a rule, no.

To be pedantic (which is always fun), you could - on your turn, you could play Dampen Light first, and then raise the cost for every successive action. But generally that would be a bad idea.

In theory, you could also play TWO Dampen Lights - correct ? Though you would effectively raise the cost to play the second one to 2 ... IIRC...so if you did manage to draw them, and really wanted to mess your opponent up a bit in his deployment....

...though...actually...the more I think about it....Dampen Light really doesn't stand out to me as a very good card - which is why I have never used it in a Yog deck that I've created. You are wasting card space and actions playing it ...to MAYBE make something cost more for the opponent (he may have not planned on playing anything that turn, depending on the situation on the board, as he sees it at the time). Also...as you mentioned, he will always have priority on his turns...meaning he gets to resource and play a card "first" - in his Ops Phase - before the "action window" passes back to you, where you might play Dampen Light. But, again, this assumes he is even planning on playing more than 1-card that turn.... in many cases, Dampen light could merely end up being a "waste".

Or, worse yet...he plays a 1-cost Character....then you play Dampen Light.... he then plays another 1-cost guy, but is forced to use his 2-cost Domain.

This really isn't a HUGE deal to him, one might say.

If he was going second anyways, he could in theory attack Stories with those 2-characters, now, and your having played Dampen Light just makes your Shotgun Blast or any other "Event" // "Surprise" card costs' increase by 1.

Overall, I can't think of too many instances where one would definitely want Dampen Light.

The time's I've used this card have been to prevent some card destruction during my story phase.

Like, if my opponent has a Cthulhu domain ready to Deep One Assault something during the story phase, I'll play this card as the first action during the story phase to keep it from happening. Similar with Small Price To Pay, or other type things. If I can be sure to be blocking some play that will totally jam me up, thats when I use it.

But overall, I generally just don't have it in my decks.