Hi everyone, this is my first time posting on the forum so forgive me if these questions have already been asked. I went back several pages and didn't see a similar topic (though I did end up finding answers for my questions on the Tinkerer and how the Alchemist's abilities work with The City, so thanks for that!)

I'd like to get some clarifications on how the Tavern Maid works, since it seems to be a pretty unique type of character whose abilities are worded in a way that makes things somewhat ambiguous, leading to a few rules arguments in the last play session. Any advice would be appreciated.

1.) When the Tavern Maid lands on a space with multiple characters, can she use her "pour them a drink" ability on all of them? The way it's worded makes me think she can, since it specifies that she chooses the order in which those characters are encountered.

2.) Can the tavern maid "pour a drink" for a character without any gold? Common sense makes me think she can't, but the wording on the power leaves room for argument.

3.) If a character rolls a 1 on the "pour them a drink" table, but the character has no items, does nothing happen? I'm positive the answer to this is yes, but thought I would ask since I'm here already.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: edited my additional question into the original post.

HAYLADY said:

Yes, she can and usually will.

HAYLADY said:

Giving 1 Gold to the Tavern Maid is not a condition for the ability to work, but a side-effect of the ability. It's not a case that the words "if able" are put in brackets. It's to clarify that characters must give the Maid a Gold if they can; if not, the ability still works.

HAYLADY said:

Yes, nothing happens. In general, when you are instructed to lose or give something and there are no instructions about what to do if you don't have anything, nothing happens.

A very basic example is losing 1 Gold in the Tavern and having no Gold to lose. You're not charged with a substitute penalty, since there's no specification or rule to establish that. This is good terrain for house-rule crops.

It looks like the only one I got wrong during the game was the second question, then. I will make sure to correct that for future games. Thanks again!