Hi there

Me and my friends were discussing an aspect of the game concerning trained followers (or other cards which has gained extra bonuses through abilities, spells or events). If the current "owner", in this case the gladiator, has trained the guide to fight him and another character uses a spell or ablitiy to make the guide follow him instead. Does the guide lose his training? I can imagine the game rules saying that this is the case although it doesn't make sense. Not in the same way that characters other than the bard can't control animals, even if the animal has been following the bard around for a while. Can anyone tell me the official ruling in this situation?

Does this apply in other cases concerning extra bonuses on objects and followers as well or are there excepetions?

//R

The Guide is only trained by the Gladiator, as this is his special ability. If the Guide is taken by Mesmerism, it is no longer trained!

The "training" ability is an ability of the Gladiator. When another character takes one of his Followers, the Gladiator is not using his ability on that Follower anymore. So no bonus for nobody.

The word train is only a distinctive name for the Gladiator's ability and should not suggest that this is a permanent bonus for a Follower.

The cases you quote as a comparison have nothing to do with the Gladiator. Gladiator's ability works on Followers (=cards that are specifically identified as Followers), while the Minstrel's charmed Animal or the Ghoul's raised Enemies are not real Followers. They can't be targeted by effects affecting Followers and are discarded instead of being ditched on a space.

The general "rule" of Talisman is: never use logic or comparisons with real life to understand game mechanics. There are things which make sense but are not permitted by the rules, such as a Guide keeping his fighting skills after training, and others that have no sense but are legal, e.g. the Gladiator training a Hag or a Mule to fight to his side.

Thank you.

That confirms my suspicion.