When can or can you not play an event without a legal target? For example:

I'm pretty sure that you can't play a "To be" event without a target just for the standing effect (or maybe it's just To Be a Dragon?)

I'm pretty sure that you can't play a Hatchling's Feast without three characters on the board.

So when else can't you play events? Example from play that mattered:

I'm running KOTHH and preplot ambush in a character obviously setting up for Rule by Decree. My opponent plays an event (I forgot the name, but the Greyjoy one that lets you recur a location from your discard and put it into play by paying its cost). Since there are no locations in his discard, does he get to play the card for no effect or is he precluded from playing it? And, more importantly, how do you know when you can or can't play an event?

OKTarg said:

OKTarg said:

OKTarg said:

OKTarg said:

OKTarg said:

OK that makes sense. So what you're saying is that something like Forever Burning has to be played on a character….if none are in play then I can't play the event. So far so good.

So what about something like At Night They Howl. Does "all creature cards in play" mean 0 or more?

OKTarg said:

Don't use "has to be played on a character" as a shorthand. If you do, cards like At Night They Howl become confusing.

OKTarg said:

There is a section on Event Cards in the FAQ that explains all of this in detail.

Yeah, ktom got the right of it.

I'm feeling more than a bit thick-witted for having to ask this, but Somehow I cannot quite get my head around it.

Let's take Ambush from the Plains. It doesn't have a target, but it still involves a decision which character to apply the effect to. Now, after all that's been said above, it's clear that I can play the event without having any applicable characters in my hand or my discard pile. If I do, whether on purpose or because of an error on my part, the event is considered played and ends up on my discard pile.

But if I trigger the event, and I do have at least one applicable character, I do have to put a character into play, right? And let's say I do have an applicable character in my hand, but none in my discard pile. If I trigger the event and decide I'd rather not put the character into play, that's cheating, right? In a tourney, my opponent could call a judge to verify that I indeed do not have an applicable character in my hand, right?

Sorry if that's a stupid question (and I'm pretty sure it is).

That's all pretty much correct. What are you having trouble wrapping your head around?

ktom said:

Oh, I don't quite know, tbh. After I was thinking about it somewhat, I was pretty sure I had it down. I guess it was the fact that the card has you picking a character to apply the effect to, without that being the choosing of a target, that threw me. I guess it would've fit better into the common templating, and been cleaner overall, if the card to be put into play were to be chosen as a target.

Yeah, but it's kind of hard to openly target a card in your hand based on its printed cost.

ktom said:

Why? "Choose and reveal a [TARG] character in your hand or discard pile with printed cost lower than your total initiative, and put it into play." Wouldn't that work? Sure, it would work differently from how it does now; your opponent would see which character you chose before deciding to cancel it. But you couldn't just chuck the card with no effect, which is something I dislike. Also, the situation would be avoided where one player is under the obligation to do something and his opponent can't verify that player's compliance with said obligation. That situation is also something I dislike. To me, it's suboptimal design. We had that discussion with Manning the City Walls before; as I recall people didn't really understand what my problem was, so I guess it's just me.

Anyway, it's not a big thing, just something that irks me. AftP is fine (~apart from the fact that it's totally broken and should be banned) the way it is. I just sought confirmation that I had gotten it all right. Thanks for that.

Ratatoskr said:

My comment was more about the inability to "read" a target into the event than it was to rewrite the text so as to include a target. You are correct, though, that there is a way to openly target a card in your hand by printed cost - reveal it as part of the cost, too.