Had my first full game on the weekend and came across only one gray issue in a nerve racking game.

Two investigators had explored the same gate and were both on the gate they had just returned through. First investigator successfully closed the gate but couldn't seal it. Can the second investigator then seal it using an elder sign?

The instructions seem to suggest that only the investigator that closed it can then seal it but from a thematic sense I would have expected that two or more investigators should be able to collaborate in this.

If it is not the case, should the first investigator have passed on the opportunity to close to the second investigator who had an opportunity to seal?

If you read the section on Elder Signs on page 18, using the Elder Sign takes the place of both the closing and sealing of the gate. So, an Elder Sign can't be used on a gate that has just been shut to seal it, just as a second investigator cannot spend clues to seal a gate that someone else has just closed.

The rules as printed on the card are somewhat ambiguous, due to the lack of space, although a couple of small changes would have tightened up the wording a lot. Use the rules in the book as the more definitive guide to Elder Sign useage.

Elder signs are a specific type of Unique Item that

Elder signs are a specific type of Unique Item that investigators can use to seal gates. There are several elder sign cards in the Unique Item deck. To use an elder sign, the investigator must be at the location of the gate and must have acquired an explored marker, just as if he were attempting to close the gate . The investigator does not need to make a Lore or Fight check or spend any Clue tokens to use the elder sign.

I found the wording above rather vague but the bolded section does infer that the elder card closes then seals and, since the gate marker is taken on closure, it makes senses that it can't then be sealed by someone else as sealing is effectively an extension of the close action.

Whew! I've survived my first rule query!

garglebutt said:

Either that, or have the second investigator trade the ES to the first.