So I spotted something in the combined FAQ that made me wonder if I'm doing it right when a gate opens on my investigator. The bit was on page 9, and is:

Q: Why is an investigator delayed when a gate opens up in their location, but not delayed if he enters the gate normally?

A: If the investigator was not delayed by a gate opening up in his location, he would be able to get through the Other World having only one Other World Encounter rather than two.

Surely the investigator could only have 2 OW encounters if the gate opened due to the Mythos card. When a gate opens on an investigator due to an Arkham Encounter he's still delayed and then he has 3 encounters, doesn't he?

Am I reading it right or am I missing something? It just seems odd that a rule designed to stop people getting away with only one OW encounter also leads to some investigators having 3.

If the only reason is to stop people rushing through an OW in just one encounter, why doesn't the delay only affect gates opening on investigators in the Mythos phase. (Okay - the OW phase as well, but I've not seen any cards that open gates to OW locations in OW cards).

Correct, you have to face three OW encounters when a gate opens on you during the Arkham Encounters Phase.

If the gate opens on you during Mythos, you enter the OW delayed, but clearly you can't have an OW Encounter during that turn because you entered there in the Mythos Phase (Phase V) and OW Encounters Phase is Phase IV. So, during the Movement Phase in the following turn, you stand up your character and later on you'll have your first OW encounter in the first area of the OW.

Buuuut, if you enter the OW because of a gate appearing as a result of that encounter, you are delayed AND have to draw the first OW encounter card during the OW Encounters Phase of the very turn the gate opened on you. And in the movement phase of the next turn you stand up your character & remain in the first area of the OW. So, technically, if nothing strange happens and you don't have a Find Gate spell, you need to survive three encounters in the OW before returning to Akham

If you want my personal opinion, I think they could avoid expliciting the motivation why you're delayed after a gate opens on you. They should have said "if a gate opens on a investigator, he's immediately drawn in the matching OW and he's delayed". Full stop. No explanations, hence no questions, confusion, doubts, and so on.

It'd have been easier maybe accepting the Nightgaunt FAQ entry, then

So when a gate opens on you, you have an Other World encounter during the mythos phase of that turn?

Why isnt the first encounter during yoru next turn during other world encounters?

Is this sort of a punishment for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Predator said:

Never said that. You can't have OW encounters during a phase different from Phase IV. Two cases:

a) the gate opens on you as result of an encounter in Arkham. Hence you have three encounters in the OWs: one during the tun the gate opened (and you're in the first area of the OW delayed), a second one during the following turn (you're still in the first area of the OW since you started the turn delayed), a third one one turn later, when you're in the second area of the OW

b) the gate opens on you during the Mythos Phase. In this case you have two encounters in the OWs: the turn after the gate opened on you, in the first area of the OW, since the opening had you be delayed; a second encounter during the next turn, when you're in the second area

So it is as I thought.

Thanks for confirming that I've not missed or misinterpreted something (this time).

Julia said:

Agreed!

Wow! I have completely missed this detail. I guess I better read the FAQ in its entirety, and re-read all the rules. Although, truth be told, I don't really like this rule, which makes you have three Other World encounters before returning to Arkham. Whether you pass through an already open gate in the Arkham encounter phase or as a result of an encounter card doesn't make much difference to me. The only difference is that in the first case the action was planned and in the second case it was (probably) not. I might house-rule this, just like with the Nightgaunt. I think it makes more sense to always have two Other World encounters, and that Find Gate lets you skip one of these.

The problem is that you have to follow the rule of the Phases. If you enter an OW as result of a "gate" encounter, you're delayed, but as soon as the OW Phase of the turn you're sucked in begins, you must pick-up a card. Sad, but true