Making a written note that says don't forget to Perplex/Outwit is 100% not legal. That is right there with trying to write down an opponents dial so you know what to do if they heal.

You can take notes on what current powers are being used by these types of figures with all of these options, but I would not extend this any further.

Anything beyond writing down powers that are ever changing such as Amazo, Resurrection Man, Ultra Boy etc... I would deem illegal and unethical.

Because we need more markers all over the table.

Some people need it. Not my fault.

I think you can kind of view it by intent.

Reminder? Not okay. This would be written notes on what you should do, information outside of approved sources, etc.

Visual indication of a game effect? All good. A moon token made for your werewolves. A token you place beside an Outwitted opponent. Whatever indicator you may develop for Resurrection Man (even if that indicator is a sticky note you just wrote).

Why? Seriously, explain it. How is this any different than Resurrection Man? They seem pretty much the same.

Yeah, I'm with A_B on this. A blanket statement that notes cannot be kept during a game being overruled/ignored/bypassed for specific instances should be officially commented on in the Tournament doc. And not with verbiage detailing only those specific characters, but in general terms that can apply to future issues, as well.

Sure thing.

Writing down the current powers for Resurrection Man is noting the options that were already selected since you cannot see/know what is current powers are by looking at his card and/or dial.

Writing yourself a note to remember to Perplex/Outwit is a strategic reminder to do something. Those characters already have those powers on their dial/card and as such you do not need to write them down.

Similarly I would say that if RM has both Outwit and Poison you could write down Outwit and Poison, but not something like Do not Forget to Outwit at the beginning of your turn before Poison.

It is a distinct difference. For one you are noting the powers so that the game state can properly be known to all players. The other is purely strategic advise and has nothing to do with the game state.

As with all things there will always be exceptions. Please see my explanations above as to why there is a difference and there must be one.

That's my thought exactly. I can totally understand not making notes about strategy or what's on your opponent's dial (although the argument could be turned to ask why it's legal to study and remember a dial as that's not any different except where the note is)... but why make a random exception just because his power is more complex when I can't make notes about which values I Perplexed on which figures (especially with BT and similar powers)?


No offense, but... what's the difference? Whether you have a sticky note to say "Full moon" or a token/coin to identify it, it's still the exact same impact and intent. When I first started using feats, I kept forgetting so I got markers for my figures to remind me... but I can't write a note to identify it?

Please see post #22 for the difference.

Again, RM and Amazo are different because they gain powers that are not listed anywhere on their card and they can have multiple powers at the same time.

I would say you could do this for figures like WXM Hope Summers as well. This is not only for your benefit, but also for your opponent. It is to be done in the spirit of not misrepresenting a game state.

You writing yourself a note to remember the order of operations for your turn does not help to clarify the game state and it clearly does not equally benefit both players.

I've emailed the rules team about this issue as follows. I'll post the reply I get.

In this thread there's a question about taking notes during a game, such as "Character has Power X and Power Y." Is this legal? Obviously you shouldn't be able to remind yourself of what to do (such as "remember to Outwit before Poison), but sometimes it may become necessary or at least prudent to avoid confusion for both players. Is it allowable to take notes so long as they only reflect the current game state in terms of effects that are subject to change? I'll list some scenarios to get some guidelines. Obviously any written information should by any stretch of reason be available to the note-taker's opponent as well.

1. Cypher/Uhura— Writing down the chosen opposing team ability
2. Visual problems— A player has difficulty distinguishing color, often mistaking (for instance) orange and lime green. May he note on a whiteboard which colored powers are showing on a given character to make up for his visual disability?
   [NOTE: a player at my venue has this problem but has not tried to do this; this question reaches into deeper issues regarding visual impairments]
3. Numerous wildcards copying many different team abilities— Writing down what each wild card is copying to keep it straight for both players
4. Resurrection Man— Noting the result of die rolls because the powers he has available cannot be discerned by merely looking at his dial
5. Phoenix Force and assigned fragments— Writing down who has what because the Fragments can be somewhat hard to distinguish visually from across the table
6. Errata to a dial— For example, WatXM Multiple Man having a special power and not Telekinesis

Indicator allows for game states to be clearly identified and communicated. Its intent is not to remind yourself, but to make clear for all players what is happening.

You could also think of it by the penalty for overlooking the power. Forgetting to Outwit is a missed opportunity. Forgetting to roll Leadership? No big loss half the time. Forgetting to roll for the Moon trait? An illegal game state that MUST be repaired. Forgetting the power set chosen for Resurrection Man, who was just targeted by a ranged attack and may have Stealth, Shape Change, Invulnerability, Energy Shield...? Potentially game-ending problem.

The reason that memorization is legal while notes are not is because that's reality. You cannot police memry, but you can police notes. The intent of the game appears to be that any non-current information is conceptually unknown to all. Whether or not that's fair to players with less memory skills ultimately doesn't matter, because the reality is nothing can be done to stop memorization.

Tell that the DHC.

As the OP, I agree.

I do not want to write myself a reminder to Perplex.

What would be helpful in a hyper competitive game is to make a note that Perplex was used to increase a specific combat value.

Perhaps my experience has not been shared, but there have been times over the last two Gencons where I and another player disagreed what had been perplexed. ("I said I perplexed attack" "No you didn't you perplexed damage.") I do not think such disagreements arise out of malicious intent, but mostly because the adrenalin flows and memory is fallible.

Yep.

The DHC: It isn't about how well you play, it's about managing to not #### up too gravely.