Friendly
| Friendly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Info | |
| Type | Trait |
| Set |
Plunder |
| Illustrator(s) | Brian Brinlee |
| Trait text | |
| At the start of your Clean-up phase, you may discard a Friendly card to gain a Friendly card. | |
Friendly is a Trait from Plunder. Cards with this trait allow you to gain a free copy of them if you leave another copy in hand until the start of your Clean-up phase.
FAQ
Official FAQ
- You may only discard one Friendly card per turn this way.
Other rules clarifications
- If a split pile is Friendly, you can discard a Friendly card to gain a Friendly card with a different name (e.g. discard a Battle Plan to gain a Warlord).
- If Encampment is Friendly, you can first return a set-aside Encampment to its pile, and then discard an Encampment (or Plunder from your hand to regain it.
Strategy
The Friendly trait is rather complex and requires thought and skill to play optimally around, because it presents you with a trade-off between using a card now, vs. gaining a copy of it. When a Friendly card is part of a strong engine strategy, the Friendly trait can make the engine easier to build, allowing quick construction in the absence of early gainers or +Buy. However, the presence of a desireable Friendly card makes it likely that the Friendly pile will run out quickly, which can increase the likelihood that the game ends on piles, thus making it less likely that an engine strategy is viable, and instead rewarding rush strategies.
The degree to which the Friendly trait alters the game depends a lot on the card's cost, with it tending to have a bigger effect when it is attached to stronger, pricier cards. The effect can be quite strong with cards costing 
, and increases from there.
When there is a card where you are racing other players for the split, the Friendly trait can make it especially important to either obtain the card first, or to obtain multiple copies of it quickly. Because the effect can only be utilized once, cards that allow deck manipulation such as sifting or top-decking can be beneficial in these cases.
In many cases, the Friendly trait has little to no effect on the game and can be ignored, such as when it is attached to a card that is undesireable, or when it is attached to a card that you only want one copy of in your deck. It also is not always beneficial even when the card it is attached to is desireable and when you want multiple copies of it. In some cases it is more beneficial to simply play the card ASAP and then buy more of it on another turn. This is often the case with a junking attack, but it may also be the case with a number of other actions, depending on the situation.
English versions
| Digital | Text | Release | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
At the start of your Clean-up phase, you may discard a Friendly card to gain a Friendly card. | Plunder | December 2022 |
Other language versions
| Language | Name | Digital | Text | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch | Vriendelijk |  |
Aan het begin van je opschoonfase mag je een vriendelijke kaart afleggen om een vriendelijke kaart te pakken |
||
| German | Freundlich |  |
Zu Beginn deiner Aufräumphase darfst du 1 Freundliche Karte ablegen, um 1 Freundliche Karte zu nehmen. |
Trivia
Secret History
