Got questions? We have convinced Nickel to take a break from the battle for supremacy in the shadows of humanity to answer your queries. Sure, he may not be warm and fuzzy... well he is kind of fuzzy... but the important point is that he's been around the block a couple times and if he doesn't know the answer then he'll make one up for you. Click here to ask Nickel a question. He'll post an answer if he feels like it.

Animals · Deck Building · Equipment· Events· Gameplay · General Questions · Humans· Leaders · Legends · Locations

Animals
"Hi Nickel! I was playing the 'Junkyard Dog', who upon recruitment can come into play onto any unoccupied City Location. Do I need to move him into the field first, then jump him to the location?"
"You must keep this fact in mind; animals' powers are not active until they ENTER the playing field (unless of course otherwise noted). The Junkyard Dog must have space to move into your field according to his Vectors. Once in your field, he may then immediately move to the City Location. This goes for every Animal!"

"Nickel, the card states that 'after a Nomadic Sheep moves, another one..' Since it doesn't specify it has to be a sheep, can I move any animal I want?"
"You're kidding, right? The sky is blue. Water is wet. Sheep follow sheep. Here endeth the lesson."

"Nickel, my friend says that the Peregrine Falcon's ability to be considered a Forest animal for recruitment can be used for other Forest-related stuff too. Is that true?"
"The Falcon's ability extends to anything that requires a Forest trait (like bringing in Forest locations). However, the Falcon cannot be considered simultaneously a Forest and a City animal. She must choose what habitat she sides with for each case."

Deck Building
"Nickel, the handbook states that there can be a maximum of 30 Troops in a deck. However, the Battle Boxes ship with 33 Troops per deck! What gives?"
"Trust humans to mess things up. I'll make you a deal. The new rule reads 'A custom deck can have up to 35 Troop cards.' Happy now?

"Does the counter card count against your 70 card limit?"
"Nope. So every standard deck has room for one additional card. Might I suggest a 'Nickel' card?"

Equipment
"Nickel, if you're tilted can you equip an item?"
"No. Tilted animals are useless in a wide variety of ways; this is another example. An animal must be untilted to equip an item."

"N-dawg, the rules state that you can bring out a 'Dark Nature' item even before you're in Dark Nature. You simply can't use it until you're in Dark Nature. Is this true for the 'Human Child' card?"
"You may NOT play the Human Child card until you're in Dark Nature. I don't see my humble, good-hearted self kidnapping a kid just to have him sitting around in case I go evil and want some collateral. Maybe that's just me... call me old-fashioned. "

Events
"Say someone plays 'Animal Control' against one of my Legends. The card says no tricks can be played as a defender. Can I burn tricks to raise my combat value?"
"OK... Originally I had said no, but I think I will allow it. A Legend MAY burn tricks in his or her defense against 'Animal Control'. Hey, if eggs can be good for you one week and bad for you the next, then I'm allowed to change my mind too."

Gameplay
"Is it OK to peek at your face-down animals in your pen during other player's turns?"
"If everyone agrees at the start of a game, players may peek at face-down Troop cards in their Pens while waiting for their turn.  This can speed up the game, but can be used as an slight advantage (for example, when deciding not to flip over every face-down card in one's Pen). Remember, that Troop cards CANNOT be dismissed or deferred until they are FACE-UP in your pen. Personally, I suggested the brothers sell 'I like to peek.' buttons on their website, but they didn't bite."

"Can an animal activate two different abilities or actions with one tilt?"
"NO. A tilt activates a single event. Maybe it is using equipment, maybe it is declaring an attack, maybe it is using an inherent ability, maybe it is... well, you get the point, kids. Don't double-dip!"

"What can I do to or with animals in the pen?"
"The only thing you can do to animals in the pen is recruit, defer, or dismiss them. Animals do not have their special abilities until they are in play in your field. Nor can you play a card that gives animals in the pen special abilities. For example, it would be a keen idea to use Illia's power to give animals in the pen extra movement vectors, if it wasn't ILLEGAL!! However now I am legally obligated to note that, as always, any card specifically worded as an exception to this rule takes precedent. But it better say it right on the card and specify pen animals, otherwise talk to the paw. I can't think of any right now, but the brothers like to leave their options open."

"Animals can group up to combine their Clout when recruiting. Can they group up to combine their Rank to dismiss? "
"An animal can ONLY be dismissed by a single animal of greater Rank. Maybe that is a sad commentary on the hierarchical nature of modern society. Maybe not."

"Is there a limit on the number of cards in your hand?"
"Sky's the limit... as long as the sky is five cards high. If you end your turn with more than five cards, you must discard until your hand size drops to five."

"Some card games require that I say how many cards are in my hand when asked. What is the NOB party line?"
"1-800-NOB-GAME. Heh. Get it... 'party line'. Eh, whatever. If someone asks you how many cards are in your hand, you tell them to mind their own beeswax. NOB does not require you to admit how many cards you're holding. But remember, under most conditions you must discard any extra cards above FIVE in your hand. If you deliberately cheat about this, then you've really got it coming to you when they find out... and don't think I won't tell them. 'Cause I will."

"Nickel, I understand that animals only get half their Clout (rounded down) when recruiting outside of their own Habitat.  However, what if they gain Clout bonuses through items, locations, leader status, etc.?"
"N.O.B. likes to adhere to the school of K.I.S.S.  Not the rock band, instead that legendary acronym: 'Keep It Simple, Stupid'.  Total ALL Clout bonuses an animal could gain and add it to their original Clout.  Cut that total half, rounding down if recruiting outside their own Habitat  See?  Simple."

General Questions
"Nickel, what's your idea of a perfect evening?"
"I don't know, maybe world peace and a huge wheel of government surplus cheddar. In a pinch, you could skip the world peace thing."

"What's the sound of one hand clapping?"
"Keep up those questions and you'll learn about the sound of one rat leaving."

"Five Cent, I think you're the bomb. Anywho, here's my problem. After I unwrapped my starting decks, once I put them back in the box, they keep getting mixed up. My forest is getting in my farm and my farm is getting in my forest."
"When the owner's away, the decks will play, eh? Heh. Well, I thought it was funny. Anyway, just put the second deck into the box so that it is facing the opposite way than the first deck. That way if there is any 'mingling', you can tell easily next time you open the box."

Humans
"Can I use the TV Journalist to lower the Favor cost of equipment?"
"No. Listen, the Journalist's ability to impact humanities response to your actions does not extend to the retail sector. Darn it, Jim, she's a reporter, not a wholesaler."

Leaders
"Hey rat. I'm looking at page 10 and page 11 in the handbook and they seem to contradict each other as far as the handling of leader cards."
"Hmmm... OK, I see what you mean. All I can say is thank goodness it isn't my name on that handbook. Here's the 411 on Leaders...

If you flip a Leader card you must immediately:
A) Dismiss/defer the Leader card.
B) Pair it up with the next animal. 

If you pair it up with the next animal, you can then:
A) Recruit them as a set,
B) Dismiss them as a set,
C) Trash them as a set for a recruitment,
D) Defer them as a set, but this will cost 2 actions since there are two cards.
E) Bad luck might be your co-pilot and the troop card that you place on the Leader card could be a Legend card. In this situation, you may DEFER or DISMISS the LEGEND or the LEADER. If you dismiss the LEGEND, place a new troop card on top of the Leader card. (Leader cards are meant to elevate new animals to Legendary-like status, not increase the power of those already at it! As a Legend myself, I can respect that. I'm perfect as packaged, thank you very much.)
F) More bad luck could be a Leader card played onto another Leader card. Here you may choose the Leader card you keep. The other one must be Trashed (no action cost) or Deferred (at the cost of one action). "

Legends
"Nickel, your special ability is that you can move in any direction, regardless of your Vectors. Does this include coming into play from the Pen?"
"NO! An animal's ability is not active until they enter your playing field. I must enter the field according to my printed Vectors. Once I'm in the field, all bets are off, baby!"

"Nickel, how exactly does Lukas gain his 'Battle Tokens'? "
"Lukas, now that's a bird that I never want to tangle with. He gains a Battle Token if you leave him tilted for your entire turn.  This means he began your turn tilted and did not untilt for anything for the entire turn.  He does not gain tokens during your opponents' turns!"



Locations
"Nickel, how's it shaking? Quick question... what are civilized and wild locations?"
"I'm shaking well, thank you. The fact that I almost got bitten in half by a wolverine this morning might have something to do with it. Civilized locations mean that mankind has a significant presence. These include the City, Suburb, and Farm locations. Wild means humanity hasn't managed to screw them up yet (but give them time... those humans are persistent...). Right now, only the Forest locations qualify as Wild."

"Imagine this Nickel... you have a Leader card matched up with an Animal on a 'Mystical Burial Ground' or 'Animal Hospital'. That animal gets trashed on that location. If I resurrect the animal, how does the Leader card come into play?"
"Eh. The Animal Hospital is ok, in fact I think the Vet is kind of cute... but that Burial Ground gives me the willies. I'd rather stay dead then wake up buried beneath six inches of freshly shoveled dirt. Regardless, both cards are retrieved from the discard pile such that they will come into play together again in the Pen. If the animal was a Leader before, she'll still be one when she comes back from the dead."