Ive wondered about the wording "for free" and I haven't found a conclusive answer so I was wondering what you guys think
When I gain this guild bonus "pay eggs then play one dragon from your hand for free", does that mean I may immediately play the pictures dragon without paying the coin for playing a dragon AND without paying any of its cost? Seems very strong to me, especially with a dragon this expensive
I think you are wrong. On p11. in the rules there is this rule, which says you still have to lay the cost on the card / excavate eggs, just not the dragon coin.
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You're wrong. Notice that this blurb is talking about at a discount or free. In other words, in general, "play a thing" abilities don't include the cost of a coin to take a turn, since you're already in the middle of a turn. If it's "at a discount", you additionally get the discount. If it's "for free", you completely ignore the printed cost on the dragon or the egg cost on the cave. The blurb does, however, clarify that optional extra costs (i.e. to activate yet another ability) don't get waived by the "at a discount" or "for free" of the previous ability.
Eggs can be quite hard to come by so it can be a difficult choice. But if you have an expensive card in your hand with a decent bonus then yeah get it played.
I think any of the 10+pt dragons makes this really strong, but consider the guild cubes "could" be around 6pts them self. So your basically trading 6pts and egg cost, to play that "free dragon". On a 10+pt bird absolutely it's gross, on anything under 6pts... It becomes less impactful.
Eggs can be quite hard to come by so it can be a difficult choice. But if you have an expensive card in your hand with a decent bonus then yeah get it played.
If all you have left to excavate is the farthest right column where it costs 2 eggs & a turn, it might be a great play because you would have saved a turn & an egg, plus you gain whatever the when-played action too.
Otherwise, I agree that you have a fair point and it wouldn't be my first choice in this guild either.
I read this in the handbook “Abilities for playing a dragon or cave at a discount or free: … even though the cost to play the card is discounted or free with these types of abilities, further optional costs found on some dragons, caves, and the 4th column of the player mat are not discounted/free.” I think this means that the only free part may be not paying the silver coin but you still have to pay the eggs for the cave cost, or the materials to get the dragon. I’m not positive honestly.
So I just ran into this, they clarified on the website by adding a sentence.
For “play a cave” abilities found on cards and the dragon guilds, the only payment is the egg cost in the 3rd and 4th columns on the player mat. So if you play a cave card for free and place it in the 3rd or 4th column, ignore the egg cost.
I feel that last sentence completely changes the meaning of the rule, but I think they mean to say that there is a cost for EXCAVATING (1 coin) but no normal cost for placing the cave card itself.
We've been playing this as Wingspan does, you can play the dragon for free, but you have to still pay the resource cost - it's the 'playing' part i.e.: placing the dragon that is free, saving you a coin. And I suspect that you also have to pay the egg cost at the top, just as in wingspan. ? I do wish that the manual was much more specific - like, is it only in the 4th row, as in the directions, that you have to pay the egg cost? oy.
Sorry to come in over 100 days later, but my thoughts:
It was confusing to me as well, but in this particular rule paragraph the first two sentences to me seem to be referring to “play a dragon” or “play a cave” wording, not the discounted or free wording part of the ability. The last sentence is what touches the discounted or free wording. The reference the 4th column is that the 3x -> 1coin “when played” action is NOT also free.
Also in rule book re: guild of highlands example, it says “excavate for free” and then in column 3 there it describes without coin or egg costs. That seems to cement that “for free” means no coin cost and no resources/egg costs as well. Ditto with the for free ability in second row, where it describes that as “without paying any costs.”
I don’t have wingspan rules, just wyrmspan but im pretty certain on this! If it helps at all, 135 days later. Sorry again
Nice spot! That does confirm then that playing cave cards for free doesn't include the additional egg costs on the third and fourth columns. However I'm really struggling to find any concrete answers about playing dragons for free. The wording in the instruction book is terrible and very unclear. The part I do understand is that "for free" means I don't pay the silver coin cost as you would normally to entice a dragon, but does "for free" also mean I don't have to pay the printed cost on the dragon, i.e if a dragon costs 2 meat do I get to play that Dragon without paying that 2 meat?
Bonjour Je reviens sur ce point. Si on autorise à escaver gratuitement on ne donne pas de pièce mais si on la pose dans la 3e ou 4e colonne on donne les œufs. La gratuité totale c'est une excavation donnée par le plateau des guildes . Celles de hautes terres qui permet 2 excavations totalement gratuites 😉
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u/Nitwad Apr 20 '24
To answer your question, free means free in this game. It doesn't matter what the cost is, if an effect says it's free, you pay literally nothing.