How is Members of the Book club relationship meant to work? Once an investigator uses a tome, does he then simply hand it over to the other investigator refreshed? Or does the other investigator simply get to "borrow" the tome to try to make the same check? If it's the latter, I can see a problem here: if the investigator in the relationship possessing the tome fails the skill check, and then lets his partner use it, and the partner passes, it doesn't specify if you still discard the tome. After all, it is still in the possession of the first investigator who failed the check when the tome might say, "if you fail, nothing happens." Anybody have any insight here on how to clarify this card?

Are you able to use the Naacal Key to open a gate at any location or just at an unstable location? I would assume that since it does not specify, you can open a gate at any location, and then you would simply be subject to the restriction that you can only seal a gate at an unstable location.

I thought it meant the partner had a virtual copy of the Tome, but it now occurs to me that that's hugely exploitable if the partner with the "real" copy deliberately failed over and over.

I'd say that if the person with the real copy fails, and the person with the "virtual" copy succeeds, then the real copy is discarded.

Right, Naacal Key seems to work anywhere. And thanks to their non-stringent application of terminology, gates probably may be opened in the street. But, as you said, they may only be sealed at unstable locations.

Tibs said:

Yeah, I think I'll send that question FFG's way to get it clarified, so it can be added to FAQ.

Doesn't it say, "...the other may immediately attempt to use the SAME Tome"? I figured it was like your partner using the SAME card. It's got that clause that allows them to use it regardless of whether or not you failed and exhausted or succeeded and discarded, so it's simply a matter of "borrowing" the card (sorta like a Skill with the old Psychic Card?). If your partner passes, then THEY will discard the card instead of you. There's no "virtual" anything here.

jgt7771 said:

But then, what if the first person successfully reads the Tome? Does the other not get a shot at it? That would make it kind of a crappy relationship ability. Like, unintentionally crappy.

Tibs said:

What? How? Tibs, you scanned the card yourself on BGG: "Anytime either you or your partner attempts to use a Tome (...), the other may immediately attempt to use the same Tome, even if it has been exhausted or discarded." Player 1 reads Tome successfully ("...has been discarded"), but before the card goes back to the deck, Player 2 gets to take the same shot at it. Whether Player 2 passes or fails, the card is still slated to return to the deck.

So how is managing 8 Clues out of one King in Yellow crappy? Or two Spells, two Skills, two anythings? I think this is actually one of the best relationships out there, powerful but not overpowered nor necessarily easy to activate. Take it for what it is, and not for what it might threaten to loophole if you wiggle the language in front of your face like a rubber pencil.

jgt7771 said:

Okay, I didn't actually look at those scans (because I didn't want to spoil anything) and I haven't been dealt that one yet. Sorry!

8 clues is not crappy. I just thought that if the first person discards it then the other doesn't get a chance to use it (which would be crappy). Clearly, this is not the case, and I'll shut up about things I'm not fully up to date on.

Though, the fact that the partner reads a tome that's been discarded and is not in his own possession means that he effectively does have a "virtual" copy, from a mechanics standpoint.

This does, of course, mean that the tome is discarded when the partner successfully reads it, even if the owner did not.

Tibs said:

Aw, geez. No no, I'm sorry to be throwing out spoilers like that. Obviously, I assumed that you had already seen it. (Blind Scanning: what will they think of next?)

On the other hand...yeah, maybe you shouldn't have been in this bar, kid. Now get outta here and come back when you're older!

It's not a problem. I have to spoil crap for myself for all sorts of reasons (stats, thematic starting possessions, scenarios, dark pharaoh pick-n-choose, etc). I should have been smart enough to remember that I scanned those images for Grudunza and so they exist to be seen when needed.