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[GendoIkari]

When instructed to gain 2 cards at once, do you choose both cards and then gain both cards? Or do you chose 1, gain 1, then choose 1, gain 1?

This matters for 2 cases involving Stonemason:

If you buy Stonemason, and overpay by $2 while there is 1 Stonemason left in the pile, can you choose to gain 2 Stonemasons, then fail to gain the second? Or are you forced to also gain another $2 action if there is one?

If you overpay for Stonemason by $5, can you gain 2 Knights (if the Knights pile has 2 $5s on top)? Or do you have to choose your 2 cards before gaining the first Knight?

[LastFootnote]

Choose, gain, choose, gain.

[Chris is me]

Choose, gain, choose, gain.

This is how I'm tempted to respond too, but other things in Dominion aren't like this. Eg - Steward trashes two cards simeltaneously.

[GendoIkari]

Choose, gain, choose, gain.

Since DXV +1'd this, sounds official.

Sadly this ruling means that "gain 2 cards with a total cost up to $5" is still ambiguous. Maybe some day we'll get a card with such a mechanic.

[Jeebus]

Choose, gain, choose, gain.

Since DXV +1'd this, sounds official.

Sadly this ruling means that "gain 2 cards with a total cost up to $5" is still ambiguous. Maybe some day we'll get a card with such a mechanic.

Well, Donald has said that you never gain two cards at once, and "gain 2 cards" means "gain 1 card, then gain 1 card", and each time you choose. So a card like that will have to be worded something like, "choose two cards with a total cost of up to $5, and gain them".

[Donald X.]

Sadly this ruling means that "gain 2 cards with a total cost up to $5" is still ambiguous. Maybe some day we'll get a card with such a mechanic.

If I were going to make a card with ambiguous text, I would like to think I'd change the text to not be ambiguous. The rules can't hope to support wordings that cards shouldn't have.

[Kirian]

I'm uncertain how that text is ambiguous.  Gain two cards costing up to a total of $5 works to me as:

Choose and gain a card costing $X <= $5.
Choose and gain a card costing $(5-X) or less.

[singletee]

I'm uncertain how that text is ambiguous.  Gain two cards costing up to a total of $5 works to me as:

Choose and gain a card costing $X <= $5.
Choose and gain a card costing $(5-X) or less.

The problem arises when there is no card costing $(5-X) or less available. You could have gained 2 cards, so you didn't do as much as you could. This is more likely to happen when there is some restriction on the card to be gained, like type.

As an example, you have a Kingdom with Chapel and TotalGainer, which costs $LargeAmount, and the next cheapest Action is $4. TotalGainer reads: Gain two Action cards costing up to a total of $5. So can you gain Ironmonger and then fail to gain something? You didn't follow the instructions whereas you could have if you had gotten 2 Chapels.

[Dingan]

Just curious, does the "overpay" clause prevent gaining cards that cost $0?  So say I pay $2, buy a Stonemason, can I then overpay by $0 and gain 2 Ruins?

[GendoIkari]

Just curious, does the "overpay" clause prevent gaining cards that cost $0?  So say I pay $2, buy a Stonemason, can I then overpay by $0 and gain 2 Ruins?

The general rules for overpay state that you cannot overpay by $0.

[GendoIkari]

I'm uncertain how that text is ambiguous.  Gain two cards costing up to a total of $5 works to me as:

Choose and gain a card costing $X <= $5.
Choose and gain a card costing $(5-X) or less.

It's definitely ambiguous; considering there's another thread in the variants forum of people being unable to reach an agreement on how to interpret such text.

[Asper]

I think we'll go with the (obviously best) Donald X solution and change the wording. I originally thought our wording avoids ambiguity, but it doesn't do a good enough job at it, apparently.