Response cards have me a little confused.

For example:

Longbeard Orc Slayer

Response: After Longbeard Orc Slayer enters play, deal 1 damage to each Orc enemy in play.

That means immediately after I pay Longbeard's resource cost and he enters play we deal 1 damage to every Orc on the board, correct? But what if there are no Orcs on the board when he enters play? Do I still initiate his Response which simply does nothing? Or can I wait until there are Orcs on the board and then initiate his Response?

I appreciate the help everyone. New to the game and LOVING it! Can't wait to get some expansions!

First, response is optional. You don't have to do trigger the response, even if there are orcs in play. Obviously, if there are no Orcs, you cannot deal any damage.

Secondly, response is immediately after a specified condition has been met. In this case, immediately after Longbeard Orc Slayer comes into play, you may trigger the response. After that, say, you played another ally or do something else, then you can no longer trigger the response because the condition has passed. Also, you cannot wait to trigger the response until an orc shows up. You can wait to play Longbeard when there's already an orc in play.

Excellent! Thank you for your...Response (tee hee). Not what I wanted to read, but it makes total sense.