Multiple copies of a card - double effects?

I feel like this question was probably addressed before, but I can't find a clear answer to it and I would like to make certain. The question is if there are multiple copies of a card in play, do its effects double or are they counted as one instance.

Example 1: This situation is the most common one. Baron Blade's Backlash Field does 3 damage to a target that deals damage to Baron Blade the first time each turn. If two are in play, do both Blacklash Feild cards activate and deal 3 damage (for a total of 6) to the hero that dealt him damage, or is it still only 3 damage?

Example 2: Wraith's Mega Computer reduces damage dealt by environment cards by 1. Since it is not limited, I assume that with 2 Mega Computers, the environment damage would be reduced by 2. Is this correct?

Backlash field:  Both would activate to the first damage dealt to Baron, each causing 3 damage.

Mega Computer:  you are correct, each would reduce damage by 1, the overall effect increasing the more MC's are in play.

Just for the sake of clarity, one thing I have seen is people trying to activate a card with a power and doubling the effect if two copies are out. This does not work. I can't think of particular examples at the moment... oh, bunker's healing card, that was the one I think he was trying to use that way.

I've seen the topic of double powers addressed in the semi-official rules and clarifications PDF, but did not see anything on the doubling of any other on-going card effects.

Thanks for clearing it all up!

Another thing to remember is that only Hero cards can be limited, so those nasty villain or environment cards can always have multiple copies and stack their effects if applicable.

Perhaps a related question: if two cards require the same payment, does paying the payment once activate both cards?

I'm afraid not - you have to perform the action for each copy of the card in play. Examples are the Scholar discarding to keep his Elemental Form cards in play (one discard per Form card) and environment cards such as Hostage Situation and Papparazzi on the Scene (both in Megalopolis) which require each hero to discard in order to get rid of it (every hero would have to discard a total of two cards each to get rid of both the aforementioned cards).

A sort of exception of note which can be easy to miss is the Toxic Sludge, a card in Rook City - this specifies that at the start of the environment turn, "each hero may discard a card to destroy one environment card" or words to that effect. In this case, each hero may individually choose to discard a card. For every card discarded, one environment card is destroyed.

Be sure not to confuse payments with triggers.

A payment is a cost to do something. a trigger is something that happens when you perform a certain action.

e.g. Critical Multiplier is a trigger so having more than one will trigger each of them if only one card is discarded. Snap Decision is a payment, discarding one card would allow one additional card play and not one card play for each copy in play (if you were able to get two or more into play somehow)

I would say Toxic sludge is a bad example as an exception, it is a single payment that each player can make use of it.

I had the same question.  My situation was Spite's Victim cards.  There were a couple of Victim cards that said to discard 3 cards.  "If you do then put this card under the Safe House". 

Is there different wording between the Spite's Victim cards and Scholar's cards that would change the functionality of it having to be for each instance?

No, they're pretty much the same. Anything that says "do X; if you do, then do Y" is a payment. Triggers usually say "whenever X happens, Y also happens." Critical multiplier is a trigger. Police Backup is a trigger. Kismet's 4 damage Jinx destruction is a trigger. Victims, most environment cards, Elementals, and the like are all payments.

How about cards which require you to discard your hand? I cannot find an example at the moment, but say a card read "Discard your hand to destroy this card" and there are 2 copied in play. For the first one, you would discard your hand of X cards. For the second payment, would it count discarding your hand of 0 cards as the second payment?

Yep, you can discard a hand of zero cards.

A "hand" can be composed of zero to 40 cards.  Any hand in this range can be discarded in its entirety to fulful an effect that requires you to "discard your hand".  However, if you have to "Discard X card(s)" you must discard X to fulfil the requirements.

I have a related question.

In the fight against the V5, Friction had 2 copies of the card that prevents a hit of 5 or more.

My teammates said that both copies would be set off by a single attack, cancelling it twice. I...have my doubts on that. It just feels like cheese to me. Were they correct? It just seems odd that she would have a possibility of a "blank" card play.

I don't have the card in front of me, but I think they're parallel mousetraps. The typical phrase is "The first instance of damage of five or greater points of damage are prevented".  Both cards would then trigger.

The same thing happens when Iron Legacy has out Superhuman Redirection - it only works the first time he is dealt 5+ damage from a single source. If he has two copies of it out, then he's basically wasted a play in putting the second one out (unless both entered play during setup, that is ;)) since there can only be one "first time" for him to take damage per turn. It's also similar with Omnitron's Adaptive Plating Subroutine - if he has two out and gets hit by any damage type, he's now immune to that damage type…twice? All it means is you have to destroy both of them to make him no longer immune to anything.

Friction's card is Speedy Sidestep and reads  (Don't forget we have all card text 'spoiled' now, no excuses anymore!)

"If Friction would be dealt 5 or more damage from a single source, prevent that damage and destroy this card."

So what happens here is

1. Someone tries to deal Friction 5 or more damage
2. The first of Friction's Speedy Sidesteps sees 5 or more damage coming in and triggers, it prevents the damage and destroys itself
3. The second of Friction's Speedy Sidesteps checks to see if 5 or more damage is coming in, as it's already been prevented there is no damage so it does not trigger
4. Frictions taunts the heroes
5. (Optional) You may taunt your friends for being wrong.

What Matchstickman said. This is the one time when simultaneous events not being quite simultaneous works against you.

So, by that logic, Silver Lining only goes off one at a time? Sounds good to me...