Kaeru Contractor and variable gold costs - Alderac Entertainment Group

(bow): When paying for an action on a Strategy, it costs 3 less Gold.

Battle, (*) : Ranged Attack with strength equal to the amount you paid minus two.

Political Open, (*): Bow your target unbowed Courtier. Destroy a target attachment with Gold Cost less than or equal to the amount of Gold paid, plus 3 if you control a Yojimbo.

Maho Battle/Open, : Target your dead Personality. Bring him into play if his Gold Cost is equal to or less than the amount paid.

Questions: 1 - If Kaeru Contractor bows to reduce the cost of the action on Deliberations by 3, does the cost reduction contribute to the strength of the ranged attack? 2 - If Kaeru Contractor bows to reduce the cost of the action on Provoked Violence by 3, does the cost reduction contribute to the comparison with the Gold Cost of the target attachment? 3 - Assume for a moment that Blood of the Preserver is a Strategy, and thus valid for Kaeru Contractor (since I can't find a Strategy that brings something into play). Would reducing the cost of the action by 3 contribute to the Gold Cost comparison for the target personality?

[In past arcs you paid for the card coming into play - in Ivory it looks like you pay for the action itself. So...] 3a - if playing Open under Ivory rules, and you play At Any Cost

Battle: If you control any units at the current battlefield, choose your performing dead Samurai: Bring him into play at the current battlefield, paying all costs.

Are there any costs to be paid for bringing your Samurai into play? If there are, why do you not have to pay twice for your Personality when using Blood of the Preserver?

Thanks.

Questions: 1 - If Kaeru Contractor bows to reduce the cost of the action on Deliberations by 3, does the cost reduction contribute to the strength of the ranged attack? 2 - If Kaeru Contractor bows to reduce the cost of the action on Provoked Violence by 3, does the cost reduction contribute to the comparison with the Gold Cost of the target attachment? 3 - Assume for a moment that Blood of the Preserver is a Strategy, and thus valid for Kaeru Contractor (since I can't find a Strategy that brings something into play). Would reducing the cost of the action by 3 contribute to the Gold Cost comparison for the target personality?

I'm afraid the answer in all those cases is "no", because those actions check "the amount paid", s cost reductions don't help.

We are aware that this can be frustrating and measures have been taken in upcoming cards so this interaction doesn't happen, but for now, I'm afraid actual gold production is needed for those cards.

[In past arcs you paid for the card coming into play - in Ivory it looks like you pay for the action itself. So...] 3a - if playing Open under Ivory rules, and you play At Any Cost

At Any Cost wrote:Battle: If you control any units at the current battlefield, choose your performing dead Samurai: Bring him into play at the current battlefield, paying all costs.

Are there any costs to be paid for bringing your Samurai into play? If there are, why do you not have to pay twice for your Personality when using Blood of the Preserver?

Well, because using a card with Emperor wording under Ivory rules is tricky! (Most) Ivory cards are worded so they "Recruit" a Personality, and in that case "Recruit" compares gold paid with current gold cost, no extra payment is needed. Older cards don't follow this template, and therefore the payment of the gold cost isn't included in the action, it happens outside of it. Old cards follow old rules, at least until Brook updates them (which usually takes time). So you can't play At Any Cost under Ivory rules because it was written to work under Emperor rules, thus you must (for now) follow Emperor rules when using still-not-updated Emperor cards.

I noticed your ruling here: http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=106695 and wanted to know if this also covered the cost reduction from Yoritomo Kanaye • Experienced? Yoritomo Kanaye • Experienced 4/3 -/7/0 Keywords Brute • Experienced • Extortionist • Fallen • Magistrate • Mantis Clan • Naval • Samurai • Unique Text After Kanaye enters play, lose 3 Honor. Actions on your Strategies cost 1 less Gold.

1. It was previously ruled that it did not apply to Strategies that stated gold amount "paid" in the EE rulings and I was wondering what was the Ivory Edition ruling on him? Does he reduce the costs of variable cost strategies like Unsettling Gathering now?

Unsettling Gathering Text Limited, : Target an attachment with Gold Cost equal to or lower than the amount paid. Transfer it to any player's target Personality (this may change control of the attachment).

If the answer is no, then can you explain the difference between the above mentioned and other cards which appear to be similar in mechanics like:

Secluded Outpost Gold Cost 6 Text w: Produce 4 Gold. Tireless Interrupt, : If this Holding bowed to produce Gold to Recruit a Personality, Equip an attachment to him from your hand for 4 less Gold after he enters play.

and the rule book equip action as both reduce costs and yet look for an amount "paid" (which to me seems to be what previous rulings have been targeting as the reason):

Equip Repeatable Open, : Attach an attachment card, with Gold Cost equal to the amount you paid, from your hand to your target Personality.

Kanaye Xp still has the same issues as Kaeru contractor. The gold cost may be reduced, but the relationship between "amount of gold paid" and the resulting effects still stands. If you paid X, you get X.

Secluded Outpost doesn't reduce the cost of the action, it reduces the gold cost of the attachment. It looks similar but it's radically different. When the Equip effects try to compare gold paid = gold cost, gold cost is lower than the printed, and therefore it works. In general, cards that use the game terms "Equip" and "Recruit" will work better with cost reductions than other actions with variable costs.