Number of uses of traits (plus number of decks)

[Robert Bohl]

In several places in the rules, there are references to something like "marking off one use of the trait."  But I can't seem to find the rule that indicates how many uses of a trait you get per episode.

Also, when I played in the Overtime game, we used two decks.  One I think was for fan mail and the other was the common deck.  It seems to me that that would change the odds, wouldn't it?

[Matt Wilson]

Hi Rob.

Uses of traits per episode is equal to Screen Presence.

I dunno about using two decks, except that you'll have the potential problem of tied cards.

[Robert Bohl]

Thanks.  That's probably how I would've ruled if forced to wing it.

[IMAGinES]

... when I played in the Overtime game, we used two decks.  One I think was for fan mail and the other was the common deck.

I was thinking of doing the same once, but I just had a thought: If you're using poker chips to track Fan Mail, you get the players to put their Fan Mail chip on the card and just pass it straight back to you if the card comes up reds.

[Ben Lehman]

Two decks doesn't change the odds enough to be worth considering.

yrs--
--Ben

[Judd]

I was thinking of doing the same once, but I just had a thought: If you're using poker chips to track Fan Mail, you get the players to put their Fan Mail chip on the card and just pass it straight back to you if the card comes up reds.

That is precisely what we've been doing.  Works like a charm.

[Sindyr]

Hi Rob.

Uses of traits per episode is equal to Screen Presence.

I dunno about using two decks, except that you'll have the potential problem of tied cards.

Where in the book does it say "Uses of traits per episode is equal to Screen Presence.", or is this an omission to be fixed next time?

I assume that any unused trait uses are lost at the end of an episode, and don't carry over to the next one?

[Matt Wilson]

It's in the beginning, under Basic Rules Concepts: Traits. I don't have a book nearby for page ref, but that's in the introduction chapter.

[Sindyr]

Found it, thanks.

Also in the same place, it says: "After that the player must spend fan mail each additional time he or she wishes to use that trait"

Assuming that you have run out of free uses of your traits, when would you want to  spend a fan mail to use one of your depleted traits?  Because, as I understand it, during any conflict you can spend a fan mail to get an extra card without necessarily involving a trait at all.  So how is using a fan mail to use a depleted trait any better or different, apart from being more limiting to uses of that trait?  IE, wouldn't one always just use fan mail to get the extra card directly instead of using it to activate a depleted trait to *then* get a card?

Am I making any sense?