To be totally honest, I don't think I have ever used Fatty's ability. I have always just used him for his defensive stats which are actually pretty good, especially for a low threat hobbit(koff koff Bilbo). I'm kinda sad about this because I always liked Fatty as a character and it's a real bummer that Folco Boffin is amazing while Fatty's ability is awful. I hope they come out with a new version of Fatty eventually or errata this one to improve it(or both!).
Fatty Bolger
Hobbit.
Action: Exhaust Fatty Bolger to choose an enemy in the staging area and raise your threat by that enemy's . Until the end of the phase, that enemy does not contribute its . (Limit once per round.)
The Black Riders #5. Spirit.
Everyone says that Fatty is a horrible hero, and blah blah blah. But I disagree. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that he's the best hero in the game or anything like that, but I like him. His ability isn't great but it's still pretty good if you're in a tight spot and need progress on a quest card or something like that. Just add threat reduction or Loragorn and now you can use his ability a little bit more often. Also, he has 2 which isn't a lot, but for a hobbit it's great. Give him DĂșnedain Warning or Hobbit Cloak, Ring Mail, Staff of Lebethron, etc. and he can now take Nazgul attacks in stride.
I would just like to say that Fatty Bolger as a character is getting a major upgrade, thanks to A Long Extended Party. He deserves it.
Last night, we played the Long Dark at 4 players. Fatty Bolger cancelled 18 threat over the course of the 5 turns that mattered. Hobbits have no problem reducing threat now, so somehow this card is way less bad than wahen released. Exhausting is also less of an issue in Hobbits.
The full table was surprised of his effectiveness: can Fatty Bolger really help with 4 to 5 of willpower a turn on the tough scenarios, and defend when needed?
Best art of any card. By far. Not Fat enough though. Sebastian Giacobino did a wonderful job.