Sméagol Hunt-tile

[redsimon]

What happens if Sméagol is in play and the second Sméagol Hunt-Tile is the only tile in the Hunt-pool and the Fellowship is still outside Mordor?

• 1. Do you draw it again and again until the Fellowship is in Mordor and the Hunt-pool is replaced? Note that this would mean that the hunt-damage is always 0 and the Fellowship cannot be revealed anymore except via Event cards.
  
• 2. Do you replace the Hunt-pool according to the rules (with the second Sméagol-tile still in it) once the Sméagol-tile is the last one and was drawn?
  

[mrweasely]

The answer is 1.

Obviously, this is good for the fellowship, except it means the fellowship has absorbed a massive whacking already, and is probably on the brink of death.

[SevenSpirits]

Are you certain, MrWeasely?

When I was playtesting, I asked that and the answer was 2.

[mrweasely]

I don't understand why one would even consider this a question. Don't the rules say that when Smeags is guide and his tile is drawn, its a '0' and the tile goes back in? Why would that be conditional on the number of tiles left in the bag?

[SevenSpirits]

Yes, but the rules also say that if at any time all the tiles are used, then you put them back in. This condition occurs when you draw the last (Smeagol) tile. So the question is whether the Smeagol tile rule supercedes it.

[mrweasely]

Good point. I have mentally morphed the "after drawing it, put the smeagol tile back in" rule to be "when Smeagol guides, there's always one smeagol tile in the hunt pool".

[redsimon]

And that's why I asked the question. Btw, seems like Veldrin hasn't been here for some time now.

[Veldrin]

As soon as the Hunt Pool is empty (which happens as you draw the last Sméagol tile) you replenish the Hunt Pool as stated in the rules.

[glow=green,2,300]Veldrin[/glow]

[redsimon]

With that Sméagol hunt-tile, right?

[Veldrin]

Yes.

[glow=green,2,300]Veldrin[/glow]