Cactus Game Design Message Boards

A Covenant activated on Book of the Covenant is considered an Artifact and a Covenant.

But why is it considered an artifact? It was activated as a Covenant.

I understand what you are saying, and I'm really not trying to be a pest, but wouldn't the wording of BotC create an exception in this case to keep the Covenant at face value? The ability is able to activate because BotC's SA says so, rather than any rule for using artifacts or enhancements.

no because it is being used as an artifact

It's not being used as an artifact. It is being used as a covenant. What game rule says that it is being used as an artifact? It is not in the Artifact Pile and it is was not activated by Temple.

Enhancements can't sit on the table and have lasting effects? Thats news to me I wouldn't count that as a way that only an artifact acts.
Fine, what if I activate Book on the artifact pile, now its not in the temple.

Enhancements can't sit on the table and have lasting effects?

As a default, they cannot--the ones that do specify that they do.

It does no such thing.  You are trying to read the card ultra-literally to say they are activated "as Covenants" but you have nothing in the rules that tells you how a Covenant is supposed to behave at face value, other than to mimic one of these other card types.  Additionally, Book does not say to "place" the cards nor does it say in any way that they must remain in play.  It says only to activate.

And everyone making the wiseacre remarks about lingering Enhancements is taking my statement out of context, ignoring the earlier rule that I mentioned (and which they should already know) about activating Enhancements only on characters.  Every Enhancement that is activated outside of battle is still activated on a character of matching brigade in order to have its effect.  Enhancements that stay on the table apart from the Battle Phase have been PLACED there by that special ability, AFTER it was activated by being played on a character.  I don't see the benefit in having to stop the discussion in order to go down this other rabbit hole, when I'm pretty sure there is nobody in this thread who ever activated a Covenant on Book actually thinking they were playing it like an Enhancement.  For example:

Fine, what if I activate Book on the artifact pile, now its not in the temple.

I'm sorry, the "what" pile?

I provided an example, with a name (not yours) of someone (not you) who was "asking" about Enhancements rhetorically, and you still took this as personal dig directed at you?

Yeah, it also came before I said, for example, which tends to suggest that what follows is an example of what was said before.

I would think a cursory examination of your own post, whether it was asking a question regarding the card, or going "Enhancements never stay on the table?  lol?" would make it pretty clear whether you're included in that group.

In addition to which, you're not arguing that the Covenants are treated as Enhancements, but as Covenants (though I'm still not clear what that is supposed to mean), so it doesn't seem to me like this would be addressing you at all anyway.

And just to be clear, since our focus seems to be on very specific language, that while "lingering Enhancement" was your phrase, I have been trying to stick exclusively to game language whenever possible.  I grabbed that phrase in my last post because it just happened to be in the one post immediately preceding my response, but there have been two specific distinctions I have been trying to make:
1). Enhancements typically are played, have their effect, and are discarded.  This includes cards played outside of battle, such as healing cards and Territory class Enhancements.  Set-asides stay with the cards they set aside only by game rule, and only as a reference "marker" for the time those cards are set aside.  They have specific rules regarding why they stay in play, for how long, and when they are discarded.  Placed Enhancements stay on the table because their special ability specifically says they stay.  These are outliers and the general rule is that Enhancements are played, have their effect, and then are discarded, immediately outside of battle or at the end of battle if played within.
2). Lasting effect was a term I used off the top of my head from the rulebook definition of an Artifact.  The actual term listed in the rulebook says "continuing effect".  The point being that, in contrast to Enhancements which are played and then discarded, Artifacts are activated, and tend to stay that way through an entire round of turns.

Your idea is a valid idea, but the game simply does not give the option of activating a covenant as a covenant, there is no game rule that defines what that would mean. 

Oh good. So I'm not as much of an idiot as it may have seemed. (Or I am, but you are being gracious).

Thank you Sir!