Complication's Abandonment Modifier

[Frewfrux]

When does a 's modifier take effect, how long does it last, and are all captains affected by it?

Options for when it takes effect:
- When the is first revealed
- When the is first attempted
- When a captain goes to pay the penalty

Options for how long it lasts
- Until the is removed from play
- Until the is resolved
- The rest of the round/turn (depending on when it takes effect)

Options for who is affected by it:
- All captains attempting the
- Just the acting captain

Example:

There's a Turkera Lines Subcontract card in play with Cryptic Rider and An Expedient Arrangement .

Cryptic Rider says to pay the cost of the contract, and An Expedient Arrangement modifies that cost by - .

If An Expedient Arrangement is resolved first, does it's - still have an effect when resolving Cryptic Rider? If Cryptic Rider is resolved first, does the - from An Expedient Arrangement apply?

[Frewfrux]

Page 29 states:

During the game a captain may find it necessary to abandon a , at which point that player is required to pay the cost, modified by any modifiers from attached .

That makes me think that the modifiers only have an effect as long as they are revealed and attached.

[Frewfrux]

That means that, if a is resolved, it's modifier no longer applies.

So in my example the captain would need to resolve Cryptic Rider first in order to take advantage of An Expedient Arrangement's - .

Hmmmm....I think I answered my own question.

[Horizon Jeff]

You've got it!

[Frewfrux]

As a subtle note, this would also means that the modifiers are not cumulative, right?

[Frewfrux]

As a subtle note, this would also means that the modifiers are not cumulative, right?

I don't know why that is a "subtle note."

[Horizon Jeff]

modifiers are cumulative. In fact, all modifiers of any kind stack (rulebook, page 22 sidebar).

[Frewfrux]

Why did I think they weren't cumulative? I don't know what I was thinking there.

Maybe I was thinking about going into the negatives for cost. I'm guessing that the minimum cost to cancel a contract is zero, right? You can't get "credit" if the mods bring the cost to -2 or something.

[Horizon Jeff]

Correct. In fact, no modifier may result in a final value less than zero (again, page 22 sidebar explains it).

[korric]

Just to be sure that I understand this correctly, the cost to satisfy Cryptic Rider in this case would be 4; that's 3 for the base cancellation cost, +2 for Cryptic Rider, -1 for An Expedient Arrangement. Is this correct?