another fine line / grey area of the wording question.

of course cost 2's can only COMMIT to negotium, but is the actual act COMMIT, seperate to the definition COMMITTED??

it could be said that the black dog doesn't COMMIT to a story using its special ability, but enters play already COMMITTED.

therefor the question is, can it 'phase in' to a different story if negotium is in play???

Yes it can. Committing is the game process to commit to stories. A card effect could cause a character to be committed outside of the regular game mechanics, in the same way a card can enter play insane even if the card cannot be made insane otherwise.

excellent. just that black dog actually has the word 'committed' in its text so threw me a bit. thanks mr. penfold.

Wow, good catch! My intuition would have been that it doesn't work. But since Penfold seems to think otherwise I'm inclined to believe it - considering his almost telepathic insight into Damon's mind and therefore rules knowledge

I would hardly call it telepathic. I read the rules and FAQ a lot. I've played Damon and discussed the game with him at cons/events but every once in a while he catches me with his rulings. I have yet to see something that after he explains it doesn't make sense, but sometimes it requires him to draw a map for me to follow. I bow down to his rules-fu.