Today We Die & Cannot Attack Vs. Assign

L5R CCG Rules board, 20 June 2014 to 29 June 2014

A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.

A player, 20 June 2014

Today We Die

Limited: Target a Samurai Personality who has not been targeted by a Today We Die this game. Until the game ends, he cannot Lobby, after the end of each of his controller's Action Phases, if he can legally assign, his controller must declare an attack and assign him, and give him a +1F/+1C token after each battle resolution he is in.

If my personality is hit by Today We Die but cannot attack (Defensive Miko attached) do they still have to declare an attack and resolve all the battles? Attacking is not assigning, and assigning is necessarily attacking (he can still "legally assign" on defense if my opponent played a Reprisal). And if he did play a Reprisal, would I be required to assign him in defense even if he did not have the attached follower, too?

It was ruled earlier that he gets the token when he defends:

All versions of the card have allowed the target to be able to gain the bonus in defense.

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=107525&p=1415466

So that would imply that the effects (Declare and attack, assign him, and give him a token) are three separate effects that his controller MUST do but are NOT dependent on him legally able to assign to ATTACK.

Or should the card read

...after the end of each of his controller's Action Phases, if he can legally assign to attack, his controller must declare an attack, assign him during that attack phase, and give him a +1F/+1C token after each battle resolution he is in that phase.

Brook Cunningham (rules official), 29 June 2014

Today We Die

If my personality is hit by Today We Die but cannot attack (Defensive Miko attached) do they still have to declare an attack and resolve all the battles? Attacking is not assigning, and assigning is necessarily attacking (he can still "legally assign" on defense if my opponent played a Reprisal). And if he did play a Reprisal, would I be required to assign him in defense even if he did not have the attached follower, too?

It was ruled earlier that he gets the token when he defends:

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=107525&p=1415466

So that would imply that the effects (Declare and attack, assign him, and give him a token) are three separate effects that his controller MUST do but are NOT dependent on him legally able to assign to ATTACK.

Or should the card read

The "if he can legally assign" clause governs the "must declare an attack and assign him" portion (and that portion only).

If the Personality cannot legally assign, you are not forced to declare an attack.