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The text for the Dog Companion is as follows:

Take a small monster token to represent the Dog. Put it in your room. (Use a token of a different color from other monsters, if any.)

Once during your turn, the Dog can move to any explored room up to 6 spaces away, using doors and stairs, and then return. It can pick up, carry, and/or drop 1 item before it returns.

The Dog isn't slowed by opponents. It can't use one-way passages or rooms that require a roll. It can't carry items that slow movement.

So in other words, the instructions say:

  1. Use a token to represent the dog
  2. The dog can go to another room (and can carry items, perhaps to trade with another investigator) and then come right back
  3. The dog can't get stuck by using a one-way door or a room that requires a roll

Since the dog always comes back to you immediately, and there is no situation where a dog can go somewhere they can't return from, what's the point of having a token for the dog?

Thunderforge
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4 Answers4

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To the best of my knowledge, there is none.

I had the exact same question come up in my last game of Betrayal, in fact. We talked about it a while; couldn't see any reason to use a token, so we just didn't.

It could be only for theme purposes, that you can actually see the dog following you from room to room.

GendoIkari
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Apart from the flavour, which is the basis of Betrayal, I suspect the main reason is to act as a visual aid to check how far the dog can go to do stuff with items. For most players this isn't necessary, but it's easy enough to include in case it's helpful to someone.

At my table, we tend to keep the dog token on the character sheet so we don't have to move it around.

Samthere
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  • I agree that, aside from theme, counting rooms is a viable reason as to why a token might be desired. I've accepted this answer. – Thunderforge Apr 07 '17 at 20:11
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Technically speaking, the card never says that the dog needs to move where you move. The way I've always played it is that the dog remains in the room in which it was found for the rest of the game. From there, it can help its owner with item management. It's just a little boost, provided you're near it (which, if you're the traitor, and the Dog started the haunt, you will be).

Therefore, the tokens shows the origin point (and permanent location) of the dog.

JokerPixel
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    What is the basis of saying that the dog remains in the room in which it was found? Is this a houserule? It always seemed to me that the dog followed you around. – Thunderforge May 02 '17 at 21:39
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    Based only on the wording on the card, you would be correct. But the rulebook says different when talking about companions: "Companions: The Dog, Girl, and Madman omen cards are companions that follow the explorer who has custody of them. Companion omens don't have physical or mental traits." There's some discussion about this here: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/574555/dog-token – GendoIkari May 02 '17 at 22:24
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The rules on the Dog card say it isn't slowed by opponents. However, it doesn't say anything about the reverse. My playgroup is of the opinion that because the Dog has a token, it counts as an opponent for slowing movement by those opposed to the explorer to which it is a companion.

Cadrac
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