Good Samaritan question

Other Games SotM Game Engine
1

Good Samaritan says, “At the start of the environment turn, the players may choose to play the top card of the villain deck. If they do, put this card under the safe house card.” My question revolves around “they do”. Does it mean if they choose, or if they play the card. The reason why I ask is that it determines when the Good Samaritan is placed in the Safe House. If it’s based on them choosing, then as soon as they choose to play the top card of the villain deck, Good Samaritan is placed in the Safe House. If it’s based on them playing the card, then you play the card, resolve it fully, and then place the Good Samaritan into the Safe House. I can see situations where either is favorable:

  1. If the next card is Collateral Damage or On the Prowl, you’d prefer to put the Good Samaritan in when they choose, so he would be safe from being destroyed.
  2. If the next card is Forced Entry, you’d prefer to put him in after the card resolves, so that (assuming you can kill off some other Victim) you’ll have one card in the Safe House after all is said and done.
2

The programmer in me sees playing the villain card as villainPlayer.Deck.Play(), a method which doesn’t return until the card has been played and any effects on the card have been satisfied. Thus, the card is played and all effects dealt before sheltering the Good Samaritan. The “If they do” part, I consider that to be if the villain card was successfully played, as there are potentially ways for playing the top card to not succeed, such as Bunker preventing villain cards from being played.

3

I believe TheJayMann’s interpretation to be correct. It seems to me the rule are generally based on things that happen physically on the table than on the players themselves.

4

The action triggers after the card is played.