A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from the Wayback Machine (its copy), so posts 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, 1 April 2005
My apologies if these have been asked before, but I was not sure if we needed to ask the questions again on/after April 1 to get answers or if the previous ones had been stockpiled for later answering.
Warrens of the One Tribe questions:
The picture I found of the SH says the following: "You may play cards in all discard piles as if they were in your hand. Remove all Fate cards you play from the game after the first time they enter a discard pile."
1) As I understand it, cards focussed in duels, focussed for Tactician, or discarded to pay costs (such as to the Ratling Conjuror) are not 'played' in the way mentioned above. Therefore I cannot use cards from players' discard piles as focusses in duelling or for tacticians or when I need to discard a card for some reason. Is this correct?
2) Would this also mean that cards I discard from my hand or Fate deck would not get removed from the game, since they were not played?
3) If I discard a card from my Fate deck, Block Supply Lines for instance, without using it for its action, then at a later time use it to send an attacking unit home, it would be removed from the game, correct? It first hit the discard pile well before it was used. Since it has been used once and hit the discard once, though, it would be removed, regardless of the order it happened in. Or is it only removed from the game if it has been played, then enters the discard pile for the first time (which seems very powerful).
Zamalash question:
The pic of Zamalash says: "Reaction: After a Battle, Limited, or Open action on a Personality with the printed Ratling trait resolves: Once per turn, Zamalash performs a copy of the action, paying all costs."
If Tik'tek is in a battle and uses his ability to toss three cards off your Fate deck to make the enemy leader toss 3 cards off their Fate deck, and Zamalash is in your Home, can Zamalash copy the action, or does he also have to be in a battle?
Sentei no Oni question:
The pic of Sentei no Oni says: "Battle: Target an opposing non-Unique card. Destroy it. If you used this ability previously this battle, move Sentei no Oni home before the Resolution segment."
This means that if he uses the ability twice, he still is not sent home until just before the Resolution segment, correct? He can thus destroy an entire opposing army provided he survives long enough and there are no Unique personalities in the opposing army (since you can get rid of Unique Items, Followers, and Spells on a non-Unique Personality by just destroying the Personality)?
Midnight Raid question:
As an Action card that costs 15 gold and gives you a Province (if the requirements are met), can you bow Yoritomo Kajiko to reduce the cost to 0? Kajiko's card says: "Reaction: When paying a gold cost to gain an additional Province, Bow Kajiko to lower that gold cost to zero."
Martin Lund (rules official), 3 April 2005
1) As I understand it, cards focussed in duels, focussed for Tactician, or discarded to pay costs (such as to the Ratling Conjuror) are not 'played' in the way mentioned above. Therefore I cannot use cards from players' discard piles as focusses in duelling or for tacticians or when I need to discard a card for some reason. Is this correct?
Correct (unless card text specifies otherwise).
2) Would this also mean that cards I discard from my hand or Fate deck would not get removed from the game, since they were not played?
Correct.
3) If I discard a card from my Fate deck, Block Supply Lines for instance, without using it for its action, then at a later time use it to send an attacking unit home, it would be removed from the game, correct? It first hit the discard pile well before it was used. Since it has been used once and hit the discard once, though, it would be removed, regardless of the order it happened in. Or is it only removed from the game if it has been played, then enters the discard pile for the first time (which seems very powerful).
Any time that it hits the discard pile after it has been played at least once in the game, it gets removed from the game. The first time this happens, it tends to preclude it from happening again.
If Tik'tek is in a battle and uses his ability to toss three cards off your Fate deck to make the enemy leader toss 3 cards off their Fate deck, and Zamalash is in your Home, can Zamalash copy the action, or does he also have to be in a battle?
The Reaction causes him to perform the Battle action. That Battle Action still needs to be legal - abiding targeting restrictions, costs, and the Rule of Relevance.
If Tik'tek isn't in the Current Battle, his ability fails to meet the Rule of Relevance.
If Zamalash tries to perform the same ability, it will fail to meet the Rule of Relevance if he's outside the Current Battle.
Sentei no Oni question:
The pic of Sentei no Oni says: "Battle: Target an opposing non-Unique card. Destroy it. If you used this ability previously this battle, move Sentei no Oni home before the Resolution segment."
This means that if he uses the ability twice, he still is not sent home until just before the Resolution segment, correct? He can thus destroy an entire opposing army provided he survives long enough and there are no Unique personalities in the opposing army (since you can get rid of Unique Items, Followers, and Spells on a non-Unique Personality by just destroying the Personality)?
Correct.
Midnight Raid question:
As an Action card that costs 15 gold and gives you a Province (if the requirements are met), can you bow Yoritomo Kajiko to reduce the cost to 0? Kajiko's card says: "Reaction: When paying a gold cost to gain an additional Province, Bow Kajiko to lower that gold cost to zero."
It is the cost of an Action that's effect makes you gain a Province. You can bow Kajiko to reduce the Gold Cost of Midnight Raid to 0.