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=== '''Questions on [[#Power of Madness|Power of Madness]]''' ===
 
=== '''Questions on [[#Power of Madness|Power of Madness]]''' ===
   
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<blockquote>A: </blockquote>
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<blockquote>Rule: </blockquote>
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<blockquote>Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.</blockquote>
 
<blockquote>Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.</blockquote>
   
Q: After playing this card, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
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Q: After playing this card, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
   
 
<blockquote>A: You don't discard any card until '''your''' next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.</blockquote>
 
<blockquote>A: You don't discard any card until '''your''' next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Rule: Do exactly what the card says.</blockquote>
 
<blockquote>Rule: Do exactly what the card says.</blockquote>
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Q: It tells me to destroy "one of my minions". Can I destroy a minion I own that I don't control?
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<blockquote>A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Rule: "Your minion" means "a minion that you control".</blockquote>
   
 
Q: I play Unfathomable Goals and an opponent chooses to destroy their minion on [[Field of Honor]]. Who gets the VP?
 
Q: I play Unfathomable Goals and an opponent chooses to destroy their minion on [[Field of Honor]]. Who gets the VP?
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{{The Obligatory Cthulhu Set Navibox}}
 
{{The Obligatory Cthulhu Set Navibox}}
 
{{Sets Navibox}}
 
{{Sets Navibox}}
   
 
= References =
 
= References =
 
 
<references />
 
<references />
 
[[Category:Factions]]
 
[[Category:Factions]]

Revision as of 09:53, 9 March 2018

File:Touch of madness.jpg

From reaches beyond space and time come these incredible horrors, bent on... bent on... well we really don’t know, do we? Everytime we learn a little bit, we go nuts. Perhaps its the madness they cause that gives them power after all...

- The Obligatory Cthulhu Set rulebook

The Elder Things are one of the 4 factions from The Obligatory Cthulhu Set.

This faction specializes in driving other players insane, by making them draw madness cards. Sometimes they'll have a choice between drawing a madness card or giving you an advantage.

Other factions from the same set: Innsmouth, Minions of Cthulhu, Miskatonic University.

Cards

Elder things

The Elder Things have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is unusually high at 39 or an average of 3.9 per minion compared to the usual 30 and 3. However, there are some restrictions on playing the highest powered minions (Elder Thing and Shoggoth).

Among their actions, there are:

  • 1 play-on-minion action: Dunwich Horror,
  • 0 play-on-base actions,
  • 9 standard actions (2 that affect one or more minions, in bold): Begin the Summoning (2x), Insanity, Power of Madness (2x), Spreading Horror, The Price of Power, Touch of Madness, Unfathomable Goals,
  • 2 actions that directly increase a minion's power: Dunwich Horror, The Price of Power.

Minions

1x Elder Thing - power 10 - Destroy two of your other minions or place this minion on the bottom of your deck. This minion is not affected by opponents’ cards. FAQ

2x Shoggoth - power 6 - You can onl

y play this minion on a base where you have at least 6 power. Each other player may draw a Madness card. Destroy a minion here belonging to each player who does not do so. FAQ

3x Mi-go - power 3 - Each other player may draw a Madness card. For each other player that does not, you may draw a card. FAQ

4x Byakhee - power 2 - Each other player with a minion at this base draws a Madness card. FAQ

Actions

2x Begin the Summoning - Place a minion from your discard pile on top of your deck. You may play an extra action this turn. FAQ

1x Dunwich Horror - Play on a minion. This minion gains 5 power. Destroy this minion at the end of the turn. FAQ

1x Insanity - Each other player draws two Madness cards. FAQ

2x Power of Madness - All other players reveal their hands, discard all Madness cards and then shuffles their discard pile into their deck. FAQ

1x Spreading Horror - Each other player discards cards at random until that player discards a non-Madness card. FAQ

1x The Price of Power - Special: Before a base scores, all other players with minions there reveal their hand. One of your minions there has +2 power for each Madness card revealed. FAQ

1x Touch of Madness - Each other player draws a Madness card. Draw a card and play an extra action this turn. FAQ

1x Unfathomable Goals - All other players reveal his or her hands. Each player who reveals a Madness card must destroy one of their minions. FAQ

Elder Things

Bases

Mechanics

Elder Things specialize in giving other players Madness cards, either by forcing them to draw one, or by giving them a choice between drawing one and giving you an advantage. Madness cards usually slow down the other players, forcing them to spend valuable action plays to get rid of them.

Some of your cards also get stronger the more Madness cards are in the hands of the players. Knowing that, the other players may want to get rid of their Madness cards before your turn comes. So you should keep track of which players managed to get rid of their Madness cards.

This faction also has some of the strongest minions in the game, including THE strongest minion in the whole game, Elder Thing. However, these minions are trickier to play, requiring some amount of setup to bring them to the board. Thankfully, slowing down the other players with Madness should give you the opportunity to set up your game.

External Strategy Guides

FAQ

Questions on Elder Thing

Q: It lacks "Ongoing", so does it mean it's only immune on the turn it's played?

A: This clearly seems like an oversight. The intention is probably that its immunity persists, and therefore it should have been phrased "Ongoing: This minion is not affected by opponents' cards."

Rule: TBD

Q: I don't get its first ability. Why would I place it on the bottom of my deck?

A: This card seems to be badly worded. The intention is probably that when you play Elder Thing, you must destroy two of your other minions. If you fail to do that, either because you chose minions that are immune to destruction, or because you don't have enough minions to destroy, then you must place Elder Thing on the bottom of your deck.

Rule: TBD

Q: Why would I play it if I can't destroy two other minions?

A: Some rare abilities may force you to play it despite not having minions to destroy. (e.g. Secret Volcano Headquarters)

Rule: N/A

Q: If I only have one minion to destroy, do I still destroy it?

A: No, if you cannot satisfy the destruction requirement, you don't destroy any minions.[1]

Rule: Do exactly what the card official answer says.

Q: It tells me to destroy "two of my minions". Can I destroy minions I own that I don't control?

A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.

Rule: "Your minion" means "a minion that you control".

Q: An opponent has Elder Thing in play. Can I play Curse of Imprisonment or Potion of Cowardise to remove its immunity?

A: No. Their Elder Thing cannot be affected by your cards, and playing an action on it counts as affecting it, so it won't work.

Rule: Definition of "affect". Playing an action on a minion counts as affecting the minion.

Q: Can I play Elder Thing with Last Call or Rude Awakening without having to destroy minions?

A: Yes. You play it, then immediately cancel its ability until the end of the turn. At the end of the turn, its immunity is restored and you can ignore the destruction part because it's only resolved when Elder Thing is played.

Rule: Do exactly what the card says.

Q: I play Bear Hug (or Unfathomable Goals, Griefer, Out of Sight) and an opponent chooses to destroy (or return) their Elder Thing, claiming that it can't be destroyed (nor returned) by my card and therefore survives. Is that correct?

A: Yes. Elder Thing is immune to any effect caused by other players' cards, as long as the effect is included in the definition of "affect", such as a destruction or a return.

Rule: Definition of "affect".


Questions on Shoggoth

Q: If I play Shoggoth, only the other players get a choice whether to draw a Madness card or not, not me. Yet, it tells me to "destroy a minion here belonging to each player who does not do so." It says "each player who does not do so", not "each other player who does not do so" (especially compared to Mi-go), so am I included among the players? Do I have to destroy one of my minions because I didn't draw a Madness card?

A: The intention is probably that you only destroy other players' minions, not yours. To be confirmed. TBD

Rule: TBD

Q: Can I play Shoggoth with Last Call or Rude Awakening on a base where I have less than 6 power?

A Yes, if you can play enough minions to get your power up to 6. If you can't reach 6 power on that base you can't play him there.

Rule: TBD.

Q: With Disguise, if I have minions on the same base for a total power of 6 or more, can I play Shoggoth there before returning one of them because of Disguise?

A: Based on the wording the Shoggoth (as an extra minion) isn't played before the chosen minion is returned, but the intent of the designer may be different.

Rule: TBD

Q: I have a Mimic on a base with power 3 (for example). Can I play Shoggoth on its base? It will be power 6 because of Shoggoth after all.

A: No. Mimic will only be power 6 after Shoggoth is in play. Before that, it's still power 3 and therefore Shoggoth can't be played there because it's not a legal choice.

Rule: Your minion and base choice must be a legal play.


Questions on Mi-go

Q: The other players allow me to draw cards, but that would bring my hand to over ten cards. What happens then? Do I draw until I have ten? Do I discard any remaining cards once I have ten cards in hand? Or do I draw all required cards and immediately discard down to ten?

A: You draw all required cards and don't discard any until your upcoming Draw 2 Cards phase. At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.

Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.

Q: Another player already has ten cards in their hand. I play a Mi-go. What happens if they decide to draw a Madness card? I suppose they don't draw any because they already reached the limit of cards in hand, right? Or do they draw one and immediately discard it in their discard pile? Or do they draw it and choose which card to discard?

A: They draw the Madness card and don't discard any card until their next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, they will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if they have more than 10. That's the only moment where they must discard down to 10. At any other time, they keep their hand of cards.

Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.


Questions on Byakhee

Q: Another player already has ten cards in their hand. I play a Byakhee to make them draw a Madness card. What happens? I suppose they don't draw any because they already reached the limit of cards in hand, right? Or do they draw one and immediately discard it in their discard pile? Or do they draw it and choose which card to discard?

A: They draw the Madness card and don't discard any card until their next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, they will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if they have more than 10. That's the only moment where they must discard down to 10. At any other time, they keep their hand of cards.

Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.


Questions on Begin the Summoning

Q: It doesn't say to reveal the card you place on your deck, so I don't have to reveal it if I don't want to, right?

A: No. Discard piles are "public knowledge", so you can check which cards are in any player's discard pile at any time. If you take a card out of the discard pile, players are supposed to know what card was taken out. So, you should reveal it. Otherwise, how are you supposed to prove that you didn't put an action instead of a minion?

Rule: Anyone may look through any discard pile at any time.


Questions on Dunwich Horror

Q: The card is a bit unclear. Does the minion have +5 power forever (assuming it survives the destruction) or only the turn it is played?

A: This card seems to be missing an Ongoing keyword. Based on existing cards, it should be phrased "Play on a minion. Ongoing: This minion gains 5 power. Destroy this minion at the end of the turn." To be confirmed. TBD

Rule: TBD

Q: Is the minion destroyed before the base scores?

A: No. It is destroyed at the end of the turn (phase 5), which happens later than the Score Bases phase (phase 3).

Rule: "At the end of the turn" means "during the End Turn (phase 5) of the current turn".

Q: I know that if I play this on Brownie, I have to discard two random cards. But at the end of the turn, Brownie is destroyed (which counts as affecting it), do I discard two more random cards?

A: No. Brownie's ability only triggers immediately after you play a card that affects it. When Brownie is destroyed, the card is already in play.

Rule: Do exactly what the card says.


Questions on Insanity

Q: Another player already has ten cards in their hand. I play Insanity to make them draw Madness cards. What happens? I suppose they don't draw any because they already reached the limit of cards in hand, right? Or do they draw them and immediately discard them in their discard pile? Or do they draw them and choose which two cards to discard?

A: They draw the Madness cards and don't discard any card until their next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, they will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if they have more than 10. That's the only moment where they must discard down to 10. At any other time, they keep their hand of cards.

Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.


Questions on Power of Madness

Q:

A:

Rule:


Questions on Spreading Horror

Q: Spreading horror does not specify that the discard has to come from the players' own hands... Is this the case?

A: Yes. When a card tells you to discard a card, it comes from your hand unless it says otherwise.

Rule: Unless otherwise specified, discarding cards refers to cards in your hand.


Questions on The Price of Power

Q: It gives power to "one of my minions". Can it give power to a minion I own that I don't control?

A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.

Rule: "Your minion" means "a minion that you control".

Q: A base scores, another player uses The Price of Power to give a minion some power, then I move that minion with some special action (ex.: Some Day My Prince Will Come). Does this minion still have the bonus in the following turns or not?

A: This clearly seems like an oversight. The intention is probably that the power increase expires at the end of the turn, and therefore it should have been phrased "Special: Before a base scores, all other players with minions there reveal their hand. One of your minions there has +2 power until the end of the turn for each Madness card revealed". To be confirmed.

Rule: TBD


Questions on Touch of Madness

Q: Another player already has ten cards in their hand. I play Touch of Madness to make them draw a Madness card. What happens? I suppose they don't draw any because they already reached the limit of cards in hand, right? Or do they draw one and immediately discard it in their discard pile? Or do they draw it and choose which card to discard?

A: They draw the Madness card and don't discard any card until their next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, they will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if they have more than 10. That's the only moment where they must discard down to 10. At any other time, they keep their hand of cards.

Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.

Q: After playing this card, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?

A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.

Rule: On your Draw 2 Cards phase, if you have more than 10 cards in your hand after drawing, discard until you have exactly 10 cards left in your hand.


Questions on Unfathomable Goals

Q: An opponent plays Unfathomable Goals and I have a Madness card in my hand. Can I choose to destroy a minion in my hand instead of in play?

A: No. The card specifically tells you to destroy one of "your minions", which by definition refers to "minions in play that you control".

Rule: "Your minion" means "any minion you control". (and a minion is only controlled if it's in play)

Q: An opponent plays Unfathomable Goals and I have a Madness card in my hand. Can I choose to destroy a minion that cannot be destroyed? Even if I have another minion that's not immune?

A: Sure.

Rule: The card you target may be immune to the effects of the ability you are performing, but it is still a valid target.

Q: An opponent plays Unfathomable Goals and I have more than one Madness card in my hand. Do I still have to destroy one of my minions? The card says "a Madness card". If I have to, do I destroy one minion per Madness card?

A: You have to destroy one minion in total. The card meant to say "at least one Madness card".

Rule: Do exactly what the card says.

Q: It tells me to destroy "one of my minions". Can I destroy a minion I own that I don't control?

A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.

Rule: "Your minion" means "a minion that you control".

Q: I play Unfathomable Goals and an opponent chooses to destroy their minion on Field of Honor. Who gets the VP?

A: Your card made another player destroy the minion, so it's that player who did the destruction. Therefore, your opponent gets the VP because Field of Honor rewards the player who destroys it.

Rule: If a card specifies another player to carry out an effect, that player gets the credit for the effect, not the card player.[2]

Q: I play Unfathomable Goals and an opponent chooses to destroy their Awesome Guy, claiming that it can't be destroyed by my card and therefore survives. Is that correct?

A: No. There's a subtle nuance. When you play Unfathomable Goals to make another player destroy a minion, the minion is considered both "destroyed by your card's ability" and "destroyed by that player". So the cause of the destruction is your card's ability, but the person who carried out the destruction is that player. A card that can't be destroyed by "other players' abilities" is only immune to destruction if the cause is another player's ability. However, a card that can't be destroyed by "other players" is only immune to destruction if the person who does the destruction is another player. So Awesome Guy is not immune to destruction if it's destroyed by its own controller, even if the destruction was caused by another player's card.

Rule: If a card specifies another player to carry out an effect, that player gets the credit for the effect, not the card player.[2]

Q: I play Unfathomable Goals and other players are forced to destroy their own minion. Can I activate Mako's ability and play it?

A: No. Mako's ability can only be triggered after you destroy a minion. When you play Unfathomable Goals, you make other players destroy their minions, so they are the ones who destroyed them, not you. On the other hand, if your opponent played a similar card as Unfathomable Goals (e.g. Bear Hug) and made you destroy one of your minions, then you can activate Mako's ability.

Rule: If a card specifies another player to carry out an effect, that player gets the credit for the effect, not the card player.[2]

Trivia

  • The artist is Alex Konstad.
  • In the Touch of Madness, the play is a reference to "The King in Yellow".

In other languages

Language Name
French Grands Anciens
German Fremde Wesen
Italian Gli Antichi
Russian Старцы
Spanish Antiguos


The Obligatory Cthulhu Set
Factions: Elder Things  •  Innsmouth  •  Minions of Cthulhu  •  Miskatonic University
Mechanics: Madness  •  Titans (optional, since the TITANS Event Kit)
Sets
Main: Core Set  •  Awesome Level 9000  •  The Obligatory Cthulhu Set  •  Science Fiction Double Feature  •  Monster Smash  •  Pretty Pretty Smash Up  •  Smash Up: Munchkin  •  It’s Your Fault!  •  Cease and Desist  •  What Were We Thinking?  •  Big in Japan  •  That ’70s Expansion  •  Oops, You Did It Again  •  World Tour: International Incident  •  World Tour: Culture Shock  •  Smash Up: Marvel  •  Smash Up: Disney Edition  •  10th Anniversary  •  Excellent Movies, Dudes!
Big Boxes: The Big Geeky Box  •  The Bigger Geekier Box
Event Kits: All Stars Event Kit  •  TITANS Event Kit
Booster Packs: Smash Up All Stars  •  Smash Up Sheep Promo  •  Smash Up Penguins  •  Smash Up TITANS  •  Dead Reckoning Promo  •  Smash Up Goblins  •  Smash Up Knights of the Round Table  •  Smash Up Teens
Cancelled: World Tour Event Kit

References