Siege Engine

[Gidoza]

I don't know where to begin with this. Lots of interpretations at the table as to what the description could mean...hoping for clarifications on this one. Here's some thoughts we came up with.

1. If you only choose whether to ride in the Siege Engine at the beginning of combat, then are you riding in it during non-combat as well? Thus, would it count as a big item at the instant the combat ends, thus forcing you to get rid of one of your big items?

2. The second sentence of the description (that the Siege Engine needn't count as a Big item) does not linguistically or grammatically connect with the first sentence, of riding in it. Does this mean that it is simply an item that is marked as Big that does not count as one?

3. Does the combat bonus of the Siege Engine not apply if one does not ride in it, or does choosing to ride in it only affect one's run away roll and Big item status?

4. Even though the Siege Engine does not count as Big item if one rides in it, is it also the case that it uses up 2 Hands if one rides in it? What if one is not riding in it? (Without it requiring no Hands, the Siege Engine bonus is almost completely pointless unless one happens to have a handless Big item around, or the Coat of Arms.)

5. I'm sure we came up with at least 5 other interpretations of what this card could mean. I don't even remember them anymore. What we did conclude was that the wording on this card was hopelessly beyond ambiguity.



6. In any case, it would be most appreciated if a point-by-point explanation of this use of this card could be provided...

Thanks muchly. :)

[Gidoza]

I re-read the FAQ on this and that clarifies it a bit, but the whole thing still begs the question of why I'd bother with the Siege Engine when it's a 2-handed item and I can get much better bonuses with other 1-handed items anyways...

[Clipper]

It's useful in the case that the other Items you want to use in your Hands aren't as good. Perhaps you might have the Tuba of Charm (no combat bonus buy a Run Away one) in one Hand and a +2 Item (Sneaky Bastard Sword perhaps) in the other one. It has been ruled that you can free your hands to make room to use the Siege Engine, so you then have a choice for every battle whether you want the +2 combat bonus and +3 to Run Away, or a +4 combat bonus with -1 to Run Away. And when the Siege Engine is your only Handed Item, you can decide whether you want the extra bonus or a better chance to escape.

You can make this decision upon seeing the first monster you will be fighting, so you can decide what to do based on your chances of beating the monster and how bad its Bad Stuff is to you.

[tremorlaine]

So it doesn't count as a Big Item when you aren't using it? Otherwise unless you were a Dwarf (or had something else that let's you carry extra Big Items) you couldn't have both the Tuba of Charm and the Siege Engine out at the same time...I think.

[Gidoza]

The FAQ seemed to suggest that it is always a BIG item, but it doesn't count as one for carrying purposes.

Anyways, Clipper, all you've said makes sense. Thanks!

[Clipper]

Originally Posted by tremorlaine

So it doesn't count as a Big Item when you aren't using it?

Yes, its one of the few cards where the power is in play regardless of whether the Item is equipped (because the text says so). This aspect of the card has been officially supported in the main forum too.