Debunking: What You Need to Know

There are a few important things that happen when you debunk a theory:

1. You gain 2 reputation points.
2. The alchemical token is taken off the theory board.
3. All the seals on that theory are revealed.
4. If you used an unstarred seal and the color behind the question mark matches the aspect used to debunk the theory, you don’t lose any points.
5. If you used an unstarred seal to hedge against a different color, you lose 5 reputation points.
6. If you used a starred seal (silver or gold), you lose 5 reputation points.
7. All the seals on that theory are removed from play. They can be kept near the theory board for reference.

If you have a cube on the Publish Theory action space, you can choose to publish right away.

Hey there! I’ve got a cool story to share with you. Picture this: I’m at a mystical card reader’s shop, and I ask her to uncover the hidden blue side of the scorpion. In response, she tells me something unexpected. Can you believe it? Even though her revelation doesn’t exactly disprove my theory, my reputation takes a hit. It’s a bummer, but hey, that’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Next up is Red. She’s curious about the scorpion’s green side. The tarot reader responds, confirming that the alchemical symbol is indeed wrong.

Red earns 2 reputation points and flips over the three seals.

Guess what? All three seals are gone for good! Yeah, you heard me right – they’re out of the game, never to be seen again.

Now, here’s something interesting: you have the power to debunk your own theory. Yup, you can go ahead and poke holes in the very idea you once believed in and shared with the world. And get this, if you succeed, you actually earn yourself a cool 2 points of reputation. Not bad, right?

But here’s where things get a bit tricky. If your debunking doesn’t hold up, and your seal wasn’t able to protect against the color you used, well, you’re in for a bit of a reputation hit. In fact, you’ll lose a whopping 5 points. Ouch! But hey, let’s not get too discouraged. If this unfortunate scenario does happen to you, count the gain and loss together as a single change in reputation. So, instead of losing 5 points from, let’s say, 15, you only count it as a 3-pointer loss from 13. Phew, that’s a bit better, right?

So, there you have it – the double-edged sword of debunking your own theory. It can be a risky move, but it can also be a game-changer.

Now, onto something else. Have you ever considered immediate publication? I mean, why wait around when you can put your ideas out there right away? Well, if this sounds like the kind of thing you’d be into, I’ve got some good news for you.

When I prove that a specific theory is wrong, I have the option to immediately publish a new theory if I have any cubes on the Publish Theory action space.

The theory I publish must be one of two things:

• A new theory about the ingredient in the theory I just debunked;
• Or a new theory involving the alchemical token from the theory I just debunked.

If I have 2 actions on the Publish Theory action space, my first immediate publication uses up the first action. If I earn a second immediate publication, it uses up the second one.

If you don’t have any cubes on the Publish Theory action space, you can’t immediately publish your theory. It’s up to you whether you want to wait for the Publish Theory action space and then publish or endorse any theory you want. Just remember, though, that a colleague might debunk a theory and publish ahead of you.

No Memory

Drinking all those potions has its consequences.

You can still publish theories that have been proven false. For instance, if a debunking action shows that scorpion contains #image.jpg, that doesn’t stop anyone from publishing a theory that scorpion is the alchemical #image.jpg.