Marie got lucky the other night and picked up a Retainer while working for Ma around the boarding house. Two turns later, she met with Erica Carlyle and was told to get another Retainer. Just to verify--can a single Investigator have more than one retainer?

Dr. Faust,

No...just like Blessings , Curses , Retainers , an Investigator may only have one at a time. As a matter of fact, when you picked-up the Retainer the second time , you can ignore rolling to see whether you lose it during the next turn (just like the first time). Great question...we see this one about three or four months.

Cheers,

Joe

Yes, I think it's written somewhere that you can only have 1 special card per type at a single time.

Yep, FAQ, pag. 6:

Q: If an investigator gains a second Blessing, Curse, or Retainer when he already has one, does he roll a die to keep or lose it next turn? In other words, has he just acquired a new card, or does he simply keep the old and roll normally in the next Upkeep Phase?
A: Treat the card as if it were newly acquired, so do not roll during the next upkeep to see if you lose it.

The wording of the question implies you can keep both

That FAQ answer is a bit vague. You're not allowed to have more than one of each (Blessing, Curse, Retainer): you instead replace the current version you have with a new version, which has the consequence of not rolling on the next upkeep.

For the Nodens Guardian, this would also mean that you get a new Blessing of Nodens card (and probably lose the current one you have).

Well, it makes obvious sense one cannot have more than one Blessing since they are, essentially, all the same thing. But a Retainer, in terms of logic, would say one could have more than one since, well, in real life, one can get paid for more than one job! XD But rules is rules so one Retainer from now on!

Double blessing would also be useful, because you have a good chance to keep at least one for more than two rounds.Or am I the only one that rolls a 1 in the first upkeep-roll for blessings?

But thats is all just hypothetical...

Well, it makes obvious sense one cannot have more than one Blessing since they are, essentially, all the same thing. But a Retainer, in terms of logic, would say one could have more than one since, well, in real life, one can get paid for more than one job! XD But rules is rules so one Retainer from now on!

Uhm... real life taught me you can have double taxes and zero retainers, but not the other way round...

Double blessing would also be useful, because you have a good chance to keep at least one for more than two rounds.Or am I the only one that rolls a 1 in the first upkeep-roll for blessings?

But thats is all just hypothetical...

Definitely NOT the only one. I usually keep them for 3 turns, tops. Like Starting Possession retainers, which either last for the whole game (rare) or go after Mythos 3 (plenty).

I got lucky with a starting retainer and held onto it for nearly the whole game. But Curses seem to be on a weird plane for me--they either are gone within a round or two, or I get something to remove it (usually the Blessing spell). Retainers I, knock on wood, seem to have the best chance of keeping.

My Blessings and Retainers usually hang on for most of the game. I believe the odds favor keeping one about 4 turns, and then it gets increasingly unlikely.