hoffman Mechanical Attendant - does he need to be summoned?

[Brassfist]

I read in the rule book that totems don't start on the board, but have to be summoned (p65 small book). So does Hoffman need to spend an action to summon the Mechanical Attendant? I've been playing with him already on the board. Can someone clarify using totems? Thanks.

[Vidd]

You've been playing it correctly.

I assume you're referring to this (which is page 54 in the large rulebook):

 

A Totem only takes the field when beckoned by its Master.

That's just a piece of flavour text. If a model can't be hired and may only be summoned, then it will say so on the card. For example, some cards have the ability "Unhirable".

That said, some totems can be summoned, such as the Zoraida's Voodo Doll or Skeeters.

 

[BigHammer]

Totems follow the same rules as any other model (except that you can only have one per crew and they can be limited by the crew's leader as well). There is no generic rule that states they must be summoned. Some totems *can* be summoned by certain game effects (Shenlong can summon a second Peasant if only one is on the table, Zoraida can summon a Voodoo Doll, Leveticus can summon a Hollow Waif by sacrificing himself, etc), but they don't *need* to be.

[solkan]

See also:

28) Q: If a Henchman is leading a Crew, can a totem be hired?

A: Yes. There is some fluff description about masters beckoning totems, but the totem rules are in the second paragraph of the entry. A Henchman leading a Crew may hire a totem. However, keep in mind that most totems can only be hired by a specific Master, so Henchmen will need to look at the generic totems.

which basically says that the rule ends up being like this:

Totem

Totems are emblems of a Master's power on the battlefield. A Totem only takes the field when beckoned by its Master.

A Crew may only hire one model with the Totem characteristic. In addition, some Totem characteristics list a Master, such as Totem (Rasputina). Only Crews lead by the listed Master may hire these Totem models.

 

[Brassfist]

Thanks everyone! That makes perfect sense.