So, it's time for another incredibly specific circumstance. Return to the Old Ways, if you fail, causes all Common Items to be discarded and the deck to be removed from the game. The question is this: what does the deck being removed from the game mean? Does it just mean that all of the cards in it are gone? I ask because of Finn, who would not have to discard his Common Items. Say that, in this instance, Finn had one Common Item, which he later discarded to use (let's say it was Old Journal for the sake of argument). Does this Common Item get removed from the game as well? Does return to the deck (and thus form the ony card in the deck)?

i'd say he never has to _discard_ common items, but the rumor forces the items out of the game, not to be discarded (as discarded = put at the bottom of the deck, still in the game). so your scenario wouldn't come up, as the rumor would hit him as hard as it will hit everyone else.

Well, is the consequence of the rumor that the townspeople go crazy and get rid of all modern items? Because Finn could hide them away and keep them. But then so should all the investigators, since they're not the ones going mad. Or do the items all just crumble to dust, as the ongoing effect implies? Then Finn can't do anything about it.

I'm voting for the latter. All common items are out of the game, period. Finn can't do anything to stop it, nor can any other retaining ability. They all become dust.

But have a look at the fail condition for Unending Darkness from Miskatonic Horror: "All players discard all of their Spells and then the Spell deck is returned to the box. Investigators may not use Spells for the rest of the game." That last line would indicate that there is some way for investigators to hang onto Spells, and I can't think of any effects that would let them do so except Finn's. It's possible that this is redundant wording, but if so, it's extremely redundant, and FFG have gotten better about that sort of thing recently. Also, I would say that the name of Return to the Old Ways slightly favors your first thematic interpretation over your second, Tibs.

Walk said:

It's just a "return to the old ways" though—that could be achieved by convincing people to voluntarily cast off their modern conveniences, or forcefully destroying them with a ritual. I don't think the name favors one over the other. However, the ongoing effect strongly implies that the "crumble to dust" interpretation is the more correct one, thematically anyway.

By the way, about passing returning to the old ways.

Are players allowed to discard common items willingly just for purpose of passing this rumor(for example discarding common weapon during movement phase) or it's must discarded as a result of an encounter? Or intentional usage of an item? Such as eating food which naturally results in card discarding.

I've always understood that you just voluntarily discarded the item to pass the rumor, and that losing it because you used it or because it crumbled did not count.

Tibs said:

Seconded. It's a voluntary sacrifice. Otherwise you could use Duke to recover Sanity and discard it to pass rumors requiring you to discard an Ally (so, obtaining a double benefit from a single action)

As for the other question, I'd say Finn has to get rid of his common items.

Ah, a return to the grand Old Ways. A time before such conveniences like food.

In a land with no food, the man with the steak dinner is king.. in this case, Finn.