According to the Kingsport Horror FAQ, you get an explored token anytime you move from another world to a location with a portal to that other world.

For example, if an arkham encounter sends you to the dreamlands and instructs you to return, and the location you're in has a dreamlands portal, you would count as having explored it. Another example is one Abyss encounter which instructs you to move to the black cave; if they black cave had a portal to the abyss, you get an explored token when you move there.

The gate box is an obvious exception to the rule that the portal must match the outer world you just came from. Example, if you enter a dreamlands portal, move through the dreamlands, and exit through a R'lyeh portal using the gate box, you get an explored token and can attempt to close.

But to what extend would the gate box help? If you get the arkham encounter that sends you to the dreamlands and back, and you land on a portal to City of the Great Race when you come back, do you get an explored token if you have a gate box? If you get the abyss encounter that sends you to the black cave, and the black cave has a non-abyss gate, do you get an explored token if you have a gate box?

In the case of the Arkham encounter sending you to the Dreamlands and then returning to a non-Dreamlands gate using a Gate Box, then I believe you should get the explored token.

In the case returning to Arkham to the Black Cave, if the Black Cave has a gate then you should get the explored token.

eriktheguy said:

Let's go with order:

a) Arkham encounters are usually worded this way: move to the Dreamlands, have an encounter there, and then return to this location. So, if you have an encounter during the AE phase, this implies you're in a location without a gate, hence, upon returning to Arkham in the same location you had the encounter, there is no way you receive the explorer marker (you return to a place with no gate)

b) I believe the Abyss encounter uses the wording "move to the Black Cave": you don't receive any explorer marker if the card doesn't specifically states "return to Arkham". Anyhow, it's in the FAQ, pag 10:

Q: An Abyss encounter says “the caverns split” and make a Luck check. If the result is 0-1 successes, the investigator
must “Move to the Black Cave.” If there is a gate on the Black Cave location (not necessarily to the Abyss), would the investigator get an explored marker since the card does not say “return to Arkham?”
A: No. The investigator got spat out of an unexpected exit and was not returned to Arkham.

The gate box is an obvious exception to the rule that the portal must match the outer world you just came from. Example, if you enter a dreamlands portal, move through the dreamlands, and exit through a R'lyeh portal using the gate box, you get an explored token and can attempt to close.

But to what extend would the gate box help? If you get the arkham encounter that sends you to the dreamlands and back, and you land on a portal to City of the Great Race when you come back, do you get an explored token if you have a gate box? If you get the abyss encounter that sends you to the black cave, and the black cave has a non-abyss gate, do you get an explored token if you have a gate box?

As for the Gate Box conundrum, the encounter in Arkham sending to an Other World takes precedence, hence you can't return to a different location and get an explorer marker. Also in the FAQ (pag 9):

Q: If a location card tells an investigator to go to another location, have an encounter, and return; what happens if the second encounter directs the investigator to move again? Does the second encounter cancel the first or is the first encounter resolved completely? If they are in conflict, which trumps?
A: After subsequent encounters have been fully resolved, the investigator returns to the location in which he had the first encounter. In the event of conflict between the resolution of the first and subsequent encounters, the first encounter takes precedence.

The key here is that the first encounter always has precedence. You have to fulfill all the points of the encounter, and you can't return somewhere else because of the Gate Box.

Hope this helps

JULIA

Hmm… I think the kingsport horror FAQ differs from the FAQ you're referencing.

I'm not reading Julia's post because I know she's on the ball and will be citing the most recent FAQ.

To summarize:

• If an Other World encounter says, "return to Arkham," you will get an explored token, even if you used the Gate Box. If there are no valid exit gates, you are Lost in Time and Space.
• If an OW encounter says, "go to X" such as "go to the Black Cave," you do not get an explored token. You have been spit out of an unexpected exit. This particular encounter is one of a very rare few that do this.
• If an Arkham Encounter says "to go X other world, then return to this location ," you will not get an Explored token. If that OW enounter then says "return to Arkham" or winds up getting you knocked unconscious or driven insane or LiTaS, that's a whole new complicated matter. I generally treat these encounters parenthetically: in the end, you'll return to the Arkham Location that sent you off in the first place, and will thus have no Explored token. But Unconscious/Insane/LiTaS trumps all: you'll be stuck until you return from LiTaS.

Guess I have my answer then. Thanks Julia (and Tibs).

Tibs said:

:laughter: yeah, Julia (and the latest FAQ) said exacty this :-) Your answer was definitely more concise, though!