Nemesis: Retaliation · Board game rules
What happens when a Room is empty in Nemesis: Retaliation?
Quick answer
An empty room functions normally unless specified otherwise; its effects can still be used, intruders can enter, and environmental effects (like fire) persist.
Details
An empty room in Nemesis: Retaliation operates under standard rules unless explicitly modified by specific effects. Here’s how key aspects interact with empty rooms:
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Room Effects: A room’s effect (e.g., Life Support Control, Surgery Room) can still be used by a character entering it, even if the room was previously empty. The room’s functionality is not tied to its current occupancy. [p.20 — Rooms]
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Intruder Movement: Intruders may move into or through an empty room as part of their movement rules (e.g., during Event card resolution or Noise rolls). Empty rooms do not block intruder movement unless blocked by Closed Doors or other obstacles. [p.31 — Intruder Movement]
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Fire and Malfunctions: Fire markers in an empty room persist and can spread to adjacent rooms (unless blocked by Closed Doors). Similarly, a Malfunction marker on an empty room renders its effect unusable, but this is unrelated to occupancy. [p.23 — Fire Markers, Malfunction Markers]
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Secure Tokens: Secure tokens in an empty room remain but only activate if intruders later enter the room while a character is present. [p.23 — Secure Tokens]
Watch out:
If a room’s effect requires specific conditions (e.g., "discard a Malfunction marker in this room"), an empty room still allows resolution of such effects, as long as the required components (e.g., a Malfunction marker) are present. The absence of characters or intruders does not inherently disable the room’s capabilities.