Questions about the Deputy

[Food Eater Lad 15]

My friend became the deputy and quickly lost the car and the gun.  He then instructed me to become the new deptuy to get a new car and a new gun.  I said that since he still had the 1 salary, he was still the deputy and that was that.

 

He then  got LOST IN TIME AND SPACE and  discarded the salary, and wanted to become the deputy again.     I said he couldn't lose that card as its like a skill and not something physical to lose.

 

But if he was devoured, could someone else become the deputy?

[Tibs 184]

1. Right, the Deputy card is not an item, it is a title. The other cards are items and can be traded.

2. So far as I'm aware, if the Deputy card is lost, it is returned to the box. Only one deputy per game.

[Tox 47]

Tibs said:

2. So far as I'm aware, if the Deputy card is lost, it is returned to the box. Only one deputy per game.

 

Interesting, if I'm not mistaken the rules or FAQs don't explicitly state this. After all, when an investigator is devoured his cards are discarded, not returned to the box. Thematically it would make sense to have a new deputy/Captain of TWS/whatever when the last one gets devoured. In case the former deputy had given his car and/or gun away, the new one would only get the salary, of course.

[Food Eater Lad 15]

Ok more Deputy questions.   Can the deputy take more than just himself and his allies in his car?

 

 

And can he use his car to get to Dunwich, Innsmouth or Kingsport?  Is the car limited to Arkham proper?

[Walk 0]

First question: No, he can't take anyone else, simply because the card does not say it.  Second question: Confusingly, "in Arkham" actually means "in Arkham, Dunwich, Kingsport, or Innsmouth".  So, yes.

Tox: I'm inclined to agree with Tibs.  Unlike all the other specials, the Deputy, Changed, Captain, etc. cards are very clearly delineated as being entirely singular.  They aren't items, so we can't apply item rules to their being removed from play.  It's a very murky issue, but my instincts say he's right.  What's more (and this is a rather tenuous argument, but I thought I would lay it out anyway), compare them to the condition cards.  The condition cards are similar in that they are special cards of which only copy exists.  But all the effects that give you a condition card say "take x condition if it is available".  This means that you can only take the card if no one else has it; it is important whether or not someone else is in possession of it.  The effects that allow you to claim the Deputy (et al) cards, on the other hand, do not include the "if it is available" clause; thus, it is not important whether someone else is in possession of them.  This could mean that you immediately take them from their current owner, but I find it more likely that it means only one person is ever allowed to gain these cards.

[Tibs 184]

I suspect that the ability can only be used once, because if it could be used multiple times, then a player could go become Deputized while another player was Deputy (taking it from them), and that would be stupid.