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, 15 July 2007
Relevant Text-
Coward
0GC
Battle: Target one of your unbowed Samurai at the current battlefield: Target one of the Defender's units in his home. Straighten it. The Defender may move it to the current battlefield. If he chooses not to, he loses 2 Honor, the unit's Personality is dishonored, and you may draw two cards.
Assuming the battle phase happens every turn, and it's just skipped, can I assign defenders when my opponent doesn't declare an attack? Would this allow me to play 'Coward!' by assigning defenders with no declared attack?
Zen Faulkes (rules official), 15 July 2007
Assuming the battle phase happens every turn, and it's just skipped, can I assign defenders when my opponent doesn't declare an attack?
No. Rules, Sequence of play: "After the Action Phase the active player may create an Attack Phase if he or she wishes. This attack is optional." (Emphasis added.)