Does helping have to be helpful?
 

If you are forced to help someone in combat by an opponent using "bond by talking about sports" or "kneepads of allure" are you obligated to ensure victory or can you play enhancers and one-shot items to prevent a win?

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

You are never obligated to be helpful, but if you offer to help, then sabotage things often enough, you might not get invited to the party.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

Given that he's talking about things which force a player to help rather than offering to help, that's probably the point.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

Yep, I was forced to help a player win the game,when I started burying our side they objected saying I had to be helpful. I argued my help is limited to my combat strength, how I play my cards is my decision though.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

You are only obligated to add your current combat strength. You are more than welcome to buff the monster or even play things to make you run away. Usually you can't be compelled to help with the winning level either.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

It depends on the method used to compel your assistance. If it doesn't say otherwise on the card, then you CAN be forced to help for the winning level.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

Kneepads of Allure (mentioned in the OP) certainly can't, in its current iteration. If they had the original version of the card, and were ignoring/unaware of the update to it, I guess it could be.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

In my case it was bond with sports. No winning restrictions with that one.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

Yes, I got the point. Notice that I said, "You are never obligated to be helpful[.]" This answers the OP's question, but applies to every situation where one is a helper. However, I added a caveat that if you start helping the other side after being accepted as a willing helper, you're likely to get yourself into trouble.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

That's not true. I've used Kneepads of Allure to win the game while I was at Level 8 and fighting a 2 Level Monster. Unless I have an older version...

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

You might. Is it in color? The current version can't be used on players that are lower level than you, and can't be used to win the game.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

Yeah it is in color. It is entirely possible that we've all stopped reading after getting to the lower level part. I'll have to go back and read it.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

I don't remember if Curse! Zombification does or not, but I don't believe it does.

Anyway, we were a little bit jerky to a guy who HIMSELF was jerky beforehand when he hit Zombification.

We were passing him around like a hanky at a sad movie. Then, when it was finally his turn to try and fight a monster again, we made it impossible for him to win that fight. We stopped doing it after that first time, but needless to say it was great to have the "help" and extra 12 Combat Bonus.

Sadly, no-one was near the winning level except him (lv7), so we weren't concerned with that too much.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

Yeah, somebody stricken with Curse! Zombification can be compelled to help in a game-winning combat.

My initial reaction to anyone getting a power which means I may be forced to compel someone to help is to unequip all my Items before ending my turn and equipping them again at the start of my next. If I actually want to make a fair deal to help someone for a reward, I'll equip before I make the deal, then unequip again once combat is over.

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

Except, of course, in Zombification you must help without reward.

PLUS, who's to say that someone won't ask you for Help against a horrible nightmare of a monster, just to make a Run-Away with a Loaded Die and leave you to potentially suffer the Bad Stuff?

I'd rather be fully armed and operational in that situation and just be used like a dish rag than give everyone any MORE reason to beat on my poor pathetic excuse of a corpse, y'know?

Re: Does helping have to be helpful?
 

You do make an interesting point, but in the case of a monster with nasty Bad Stuff, if there is somebody else at the table that can beat it and your zombified corpse can't, the player is much more likely to reach an agreement with them before they'll settle upon dragging you down with them. And hey, if they are going to settle on you, maybe they'll let you equip stuff first anyway...