Hi guys,

I'm hoping there's some die hard english people out there to help our group ersolve a little internal conflict about the wording of an ability, Fetchin Casey's "The Infector" It reads as follows (taken from warrenborn)

THE INFECTOR Whenever this unit eliminates an opposing figure, put a token on this card. When this unit makes a ranged combat attack against multiple targets, it can target a number of figures equal to the number of range type symbols next to its range value +x, where x is equal to the number of tokens on this card. This unit deals 1 damage to each figure successfully hit by the attack in addition to any other damage.

(I left off the last part, everyone gets tokens for other squad kills)

Ok so our dispute is this:

Does Casey get +1 damage BEFORE he has any tokens. So, off the bat he has one target, does he get his primary damage (3 balistic starting click) and then +1 damage for targeting one thing? Or is it just the 3 damage? Basically it helps to negate the -1 for streaking, so he's still streaking at 3 damage.

Our group is in agreement that he does 1 extra damage to 2 two things if he has a token and two targets etc.

Thanks guys, appreciate it!

Really the tokens themselves are irrelevant to the question. The question is basically this:

"If Fetchin Casey does not make a ranged combat attack against multiple targets, can he still get the bonus +1 damage to the single target involved in the attack?"

This covers off a few scenarios, including:

Starting with no tokens and only a single target for ranged combat.

Close combat (regardless of tokens).

Late in the game when the guy may have several tokens, but is only able to target a single unit due to range/line of sight issues.

Sounds like the question answers itself without difficulty.

You can even look at it as a basic math problem. Let's define the terms ....

"target a number of figures" is the variable term "y"

"equal to" is self explanatory "="

"the number of range type symbols next to its range value" that would be a constant figure or number as "1"

"+x, where x is equal to the number of tokens on this card." which is the other variable in the equation. This can mean as few as zero tokens.

So, Let's do Math, y=1+x (or even y=x+1) and you see that during the game no matter where or how many tokens collected, this always do at least that much.

The tokens only increase the number of Targets, but the Damage remains the same no matter how many targets there are. All targets get the same damage bonus value.

off the bat he has one target

3 balistic starting click +1 damage for targeting one thing = 4 total to one target

Close combat (regardless of tokens). .... the ability only applies to ranged combat

only able to target a single unit due to range/line of sight issues. .... it then only affects one Target.

So yes it's very convenient for using Streaks.

GC

Unfortunately though, the "math" ignores one important thing:

"...ranged combat attack against multiple targets..."

Tokens and everything else are irrelevant really. It all boils down to the question of "if he does NOT make a ranged combat attack against multiple targets, does he get the bonus" (i.e. any of the examples I listed above)?

It's a question of English, rather than math (and I'm a math person). Really no matter how you try to bend the logic, 1 target does not ever equal multiple targets...

Single - only one in number; one only; unique; sole: a single example.
Multiple - having or involving more than one part, individual, etc: he had multiple injuries

The other argument we encountered is that the 2 abilities are not linked to each other. Again, a question of English. The second part of teh ability is worded off as follows:

"This unit deals 1 damage to each figure successfully hit by the attack in addition to any other damage.
"

By the wording, and English again, it states "the attack" rather than "an attack". "The" is a specifier, meaning that it applies to something specific (in this case the attack previously mentioned). "An" is a generalizer, and had that been used instead I would say remove the link between the 2 abilities.

Definition again:

The - (used, esp. before a noun, with a specifying or particularizing effect, as opposed to the indefinite or generalizing force of the indefinite article a or an ): the book you gave me; Come into the house.

Actually now that you point out that one word, it becomes clear that the ability does not function if there are less than two targets.

Everything else you said after that was meaningless and irrelevant.

Yes I did miss seeing that single word in the text. It kind of makes me wonder why anyone would ask the question in the first place.

It really becomes a non-issue. And, of course, Streaks only tagets one unit, and so is counter productive there too.

GC

I posted all of that partly because I've heard your argument before and have already had to counter it.

I didn't clarify things more because when the question came up (4 months ago), it was a rather heated argument and I didn't want to muddy the waters before we heard input from outside our group.

The actual argument that I was trying to counter at the time had to do with whether or not the 2 abilities (extra targets, extra damage) are part of a single ability, or are 2 separate abilities. Think Refuge here, who has multiple abilities.

My contention here is that if it were to be 2 separate abilities, then they wouldn't have used the word "the".

"When this unit makes a ranged combat attack against multiple targets, it can target a number of figures equal to the number of range type symbols next to its range value +x, where x is equal to the number of tokens on this card. This unit deals 1 damage to each figure successfully hit by the attack in addition to any other damage.
"

If the second part of the ability was meant to work on any attack, I contend that they would have used "an attack" rather than "the attack". "The attack" refers to a specific attack, in this case the attack previously mentioned (ranged combat attack against multiple opponents).

I have to agree with that, it's all in the context of the attack being made while using that ability.