1

Ashcan Pete is allowed to gain assets. Do artifacts, and unique assets for that matter, have values like normal assets? He can only gain less than his observation skill, so it can be useful to know. No rule book seems to have the answer.

3
  • 2
    Hi @Jamie this is the third question you've asked, but you've yet to accept an answer for the previous two questions. You should know that being willing to accept answers will give incentive for others to make the effort to answer your questions. Please become an active member and accept answers you deem correct.
    – Ginji
    Feb 24, 2018 at 10:02
  • Oh, right. Sorry. This site is less user-friendly than others, so I only use it if I have to. I forgot that was necessary here. Done. Mar 21, 2018 at 6:54
  • Thanks for coming back and doing that, you've asked some interesting questions which I've enjoyed answering!
    – Ginji
    Mar 22, 2018 at 7:38

2 Answers 2

5

I also was unable to find a definitive answer in the rule books, reference guide and FAQ. So let's look at it thematically.

Look first at Pete's character card.

After you perform an Acquire Assets action, you may gain 1 Item or Trinket Asset with value less than your Observation from the discard pile.

So after looking at the shops, you can scrounge around the garbage for anything that has been discarded but might be useful for you. Notice that it says "the discard pile", as you discard into specific card type piles, it seems appropriate to limit this to the common assets discard pile.

If we were to ignore that, and deem it appropriate to delve through the unique item discard pile or artifact discard pile, what value do we assign to those items and trinkets? Well those items are priceless, not able to be purchased by anyone through normal means.

Instead blood, sweat and tears (and probably sanity) must be spent to bring these items into your possession. It would be reasonable to say they have a value greater than any mere common item, and would always exceed Pete's observation skill.

This also fits into the general concept for the game of "if you're uncertain about the rules, choose the interpretation that makes it more difficult for the players". You're fighting against unmentionable evils, ancient things, and it shouldn't be as easy as picking up an artifact of immeasurable power from the trash heap.

Summary: Pete's skill is limited to the related discard pile, not the others. Ignoring that, unique items and artifacts are of unknown wealth and can not be purchased, so have no known value, but it should be assumed they are all valued well above Pete's observation skill.

1
  • There is no need to guess the rule from the theme. "Assets" are only the cards from the Asset deck, not from the Unique Asset deck, not from the Artifact deck. These three concepts are distinct and separate. The one thing they have in common is that they are all "possessions", along with clues, spells, and resources.
    – Max
    Apr 2, 2020 at 18:10
1

Artifacts and Unique Assets don't have values.

But this doesn't matter in your case as Pete's skill only allows him to gain Assets from the discard pile and Artifacts aren't Assets.
As for Unique Assets those count as Assets but they can only be gained when an effect specifically calls for a Unique Asset and Pete's ability doesn't do this. Besides, Unique Assets don't have a discard pile.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .