Apeirophobia - Event, cost 2.

Action: Choose a non-AO character. That character's controller chooses to either have that character go insane or discards X cards from his hand. X is the skill of the chosen character.

The wording seems a little odd to me on this card.  What happens if I choose an opponents character that has willpower or a terror icon?  Since they can't chose to make that character go insane, are they forced to pick the discard option?

I believe so.  You can't choose for them to go insane, so that's the only option left.

badash56 said:

You must choose a legal target.  Characters with terror icons or willpower would not be a legal target for this event.

 You can choose the character even if it has terror or willpower. The card does not force them to go insane, nor does it target them to do so. It forces the opponent to make a choice, which isn't much of a choice, the opponent must discard. Wicked powerful against other monster factions, an average tool against the human factions.

Yup. You cannot target an AO, everything else is fair game. A flexible and thus great event card for Hastur!

It's never been so easy to discard an opponent's entire hand

 Hmmm some different opinions. :)

I thought that you could indeed choose a character with willpower, since making a character insane doesn't read like it is part of the cost to play the card.  Is the key the part where your opponent has to choose?

badash56 said:

1) I am of the opinion that characters with terror icons or willpower are a legal target. You must choose an non ancient one character. That's it. Full stop with a period at the end. You then resolve the next part of the effect.

2) If the above opinion is true, then they would be forced to discard since the character would not be able to be driven insane..

This would be a good question to add to the FAQ though.

You can choose any non-AO for the event.  Then the owner of that character may or may not be able to choose them for the "half" he wants.

I just don't see any other possible way to read it.  The event as a whole has nothing to do with insanity, so Willpower or Terror icons will do nothing to prevent it.

Retraction:

Sorry if I caused any confusion on this ruling.  I scanned the card as saying a paraphrase of this: "Choose a character to go insane..."  Of course I was wrong and everyone else is right on this one.

Tokhuah said:

yes, but...  It won't surprise me if Damon says that you have to choose a character that will be an eligible target of the second effect.  Because you must choose a non-Ancient One that the controller must choose to go insane or not, I could see an argument (not by my reading of the rules, but by fiat) saying that the target requirements of the second part passes through to the first part.

TheProfessor said:

Folks: We're looking at separate sentences here, and the defined word "then" is nowhere in sight. Without changing the card text, no other correct interpration is possible: The only limitation for the target is that it must be a non-Ancient One.

 Well, yes that's how I read the rules too.  I'm just predicting...

 Bringing this back up for another rules question.

The card reads: Action: Choose a non-AO character. That character's controller chooses to either have that character go insane or discards X cards from his hand. X is the skill of the chosen character.

What would happen considering the following:

I have a Ghoulish Predator in play, and three cards in my hand.  My opponent plays Apeirophobia on him.  I can't chose him to go insane, nor can I discard X cards where X is his skill (I have 3 in hand and his skill is 4).  What happens in this situation?  Do I have to discard what I have, or since I can't meet the cost (4 cards) the action fails to go off?

 Damon confirmed:

Yes a character with a Terror icon or with Willpower can be targeted by the player of the card. The controller of that character would be forced to discard cards from their hand since according the page 9 of the rule book, "Characters that have a terror icon or the Willpower keyword can never (regardless of card effects) go insane for any reason, nor may such a character be chosen to go insane."

Since the card effect does not target them to go insane they are legal targets of the card, but when it comes time to choose which effect the rules block one of the choices, so the other is the only option available.

 You have to discard the number of cards you have till you reach X. If it said choose and discard X cards the effect would fizzle because you did not have a legal choice to make.

I don't understand the distinction drawn by Penfold.  Anyone care to explain?