• Q: Read the Signs vs Locked Door. Are triggered abilities on encounter cards considered to be "on the location"? My understanding is that locked door has a permanent ability, not triggered. But we were curious about the fact that locked door prevent any investigating, could read the signs be played if it would allow instead to ignore permanent abilities as well? A: You are correct, but there are two reasons why Read the Signs does not interact with Locked Door. The first is that the text on Locked Door that prevents you from investigating is not a triggered ability, it is a constant ability. Read the Signs says “you may ignore any effect or keyword on your location which would trigger during this investigation.” Therefore only triggered abilities (keywords and Forced abilities, for the most part) are ignored. But secondly, Read the Signs only allows you to ignore effects or keywords on the location itself, not on cards attached to the location. Locked Door does not grant any text to its location, it simply reads “The attached location cannot be investigated.” Even if this were a forced ability, Read the Signs would not allow you to ignore it, since it isn’t text on the location, it’s text on a card attached to the location. (This would be different if it said something like “The attached location gains: ‘some forced ability’”)

This card joins the ranks of a growing list of events that grab 1-2 clues. I think Read the Signs is not the best of these, but also not the worst. In general, events like this get one clue for 2 resources and a card (Working a Hunch or 2 clues for 2 resources, a card and an action (Scene of the Crime, for example). Some cost less but have limitations (Eavesdrop) or drawbacks (Drawn to the Flame). Most require skill checks but a few are test-less (Working a Hunch and Scene of the Crime.

Good things about Read the Signs include lack of limitations, special requirements or punishments, and a bonus that is better than all the other similar events that require skill checks. The ability to ignore a location effect is probably pretty limited (only works on keywords effects triggered during the investigation), but of note “ignore” triggers Diana Stanley’s power. However, overall Read the Signs is probably second only to Working a Hunch in terms of flexibility, and so is less likely to be a dead card sitting in your hand compared to many of the other similar events.

The main consideration when deciding whether to include a card like Read the Signs is that its effect should provide a major advantage over a regular investigate action. So it is less valuable with strong investigators like Daisy Walker and Norman Withers. Diana Stanley is a special case because it could activate her power. Sefina Rousseau loves it, as pointed out by others, since she needs events and since she would rather avoid possible enemies coming from Drawn to the Flame, so I think Read the Signs either joins DtoF or replaces it for Sefina. Many other mystics would at least consider this card, since they tend to have 3 or less intellect.

What exactly does it mean "which would trigger during the investigation"? Things like Haunted are included? Location effects like "When you discover the last clues at this location: ..." ? Does this card automatically make blank the text on a location?

Haven't had a chance to play this yet, but at first glance it seems like a prime taboo candidate. The minimum that any investigator who can take it would be investigating at would be 6, but that's really only the off-class or splash card people and it assumes no boosts to either will or int are in play. For most players you're going to be able to get up to 9 or 10 very easily when using this card, which is enough to smash almost any shroud level in the game. As such it effectively amounts to "pay 2 resources to discover 2 clues while ignoring all triggered effects". It compares very favourably to Intel Report in that respect and is arguably superior to Drawn to the Flame since it doesn't require the drawing of an encounter card. Granted, this is not testless and can still fail, but I'd suggest that in most cases failure is very unlikely and the consequences for failure are not very severe. I'm surprised that this is available at level zero, or that they didn't make it cost a little more.