Small Trader error

[cjesqip]

It seems like the Small Trader Occupation should be activated with the "Meeting Place / minor improvement" space (assuming a minor improv. is played), but it does not. It should work for an action that includes a minor improvement action the card says "major or minor" action. The nonsense about italics being controlling is not crazy, but it's ambiguous and likely to throw inexperienced players off.

[Tisaac]

It seems like the Small Trader Occupation should be activated with the "Meeting Place / minor improvement" space (assuming a minor improv. is played), but it does not. It should work for an action that includes a minor improvement action the card says "major or minor" action. The nonsense about italics being controlling is not crazy, but it's ambiguous and likely to throw inexperienced players off.

No, you are getting it wrong, the italics are very important : "major or minor" action means an action space where can build BOTH minor and major improvement. So being able to play only minor improvement does not qualify to such a card. It's not a bug

[Lasertrip]

Does it work for passing minors? Unsure if you technically play those.

[Lumin_S]

Does it work for passing minors? Unsure if you technically play those.

Yes, those are indeed played. However, they are not placed (for effects such as Scales.)

[cjesqip]

It seems like the Small Trader Occupation should be activated with the "Meeting Place / minor improvement" space (assuming a minor improv. is played), but it does not. It should work for an action that includes a minor improvement action the card says "major or minor" action. The nonsense about italics being controlling is not crazy, but it's ambiguous and likely to throw inexperienced players off.

No, you are getting it wrong, the italics are very important : "major or minor" action means an action space where can build BOTH minor and major improvement. So being able to play only minor improvement does not qualify to such a card. It's not a bug

If the card literally read "action space" then you'd have a point. But it doesn't. So you don't.

[Lumin_S]

It seems like the Small Trader Occupation should be activated with the "Meeting Place / minor improvement" space (assuming a minor improv. is played), but it does not. It should work for an action that includes a minor improvement action the card says "major or minor" action. The nonsense about italics being controlling is not crazy, but it's ambiguous and likely to throw inexperienced players off.

No, you are getting it wrong, the italics are very important : "major or minor" action means an action space where can build BOTH minor and major improvement. So being able to play only minor improvement does not qualify to such a card. It's not a bug

If the card literally read "action space" then you'd have a point. But it doesn't. So you don't.

A "Major or Minor Improvement" action is a specific type of action, almost always from an action space. It is true that some card effects granting specifically a "Major or Minor Improvement" action such as Angler can also trigger Small Trader.

Meeting Place does not come with a "Major or Minor Improvement" action, just a "Minor Improvement" action. You can see the difference in the rulebook appendix on pages 6-7.

Consider debating more respectfully, especially towards one of the BGA developers who have spent a lot of time working directly with the publisher and expert players to make sure rules are working correctly.

[AlexTFish]

I just came looking for this bug report. And I'm shocked to discover it's not a bug. I can see, now, in retrospect, how the printed text could be taken to mean "you need to use a spot that could give you a major, but use it to play a minor". But that is definitely not how I read it. And I'm a longtime Magic the Gathering player and rules advisor, used to looking for the precise nitpicky details of wording.

So yes, I guess I can believe that the card is working as intended. But I'd definitely argue its wording is misleading and should be clarified. Perhaps replace the current

> Each time you take a Major or Minor Improvement action to play an improvement from your hand, you also get 3 [food].

with something like

> Each time you play an improvement from your hand using an action that would also allow you to to play a major improvement, you also get 3 [food].