Brother in Arms (xp and non xp) wording (L5R rules board)

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, 1 September 2007

I have a question about the wording of Brother in Arms and Brother in Arms xp

Brothers in Arms * Reads, "2F/0C 1HR 3G –PH 3FV Can only attach to a Samurai. Reaction: After this card enters play from your hand: Search your Fate discard pile, then deck, for a Brothers in Arms. Show it. Put it in your hand. [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007]

Brothers in Arms (Experienced) * Reads, "3F/0C 1HR 3G –PH 3FV Experienced • Unique Can only attach to a Samurai. Your Brothers in Arms have the ability, “Battle: Bow this card: Bow a target card opposing it with no attachments.” [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007]

Both cards mention "a Brothers in Arms" or "Your Brothers in Arms" and not "a card named Brother in Arms" or "your cards named Brother in Arms"

So if I follow this rule strictly :

http://rules.l5r.com/Special_wording_ru ... _to_things References to the card’s title, or to a shortened form of the title in the case of Personalities, (such as, “Mareshi” as short for “Mirumoto Mareshi”), refer to the card itself. These references change in a copied ability; see Copy

Then Brother in Arms (non xp) can not get any other card named Brother in Arms (the reaction reffering to Brother in Arms and thus to itself), and Brother in Arms xp only gives an ability to itself and not to other non xp Brother in Arms that could be in play

I clearly understand that this is not the way these cards are supposed to work ! Can you please explain me why these cards wording seem to be in contradiction with the "Referring to things" rule quoted above ?

(For the context : this question was raised when I explained a player that Sasada could not straigthen another Sasada, and when I explained him the rule, he asked "OK, then what about Brother in Arms ?")

Thanks !

Zen Faulkes (rules official), 1 September 2007

Can you please explain me why these cards wording seem to be in contradiction with the "Referring to things" rule quoted above?

Look at the sentence after what you quoted: "Such references by title refer only to that copy of the card, not to any other copy that might exist, unless they use wording such as 'a Mirumoto Mareshi' or "a copy of Mirumoto Mareshi.'" (Emphasis added; http://rules.l5r.com/Special_wording_ru ... _to_things)

That's what the non-Experienced card says, so I don't see a problem with the non-Experienced text.

I suppose that the Experienced version could be worded a little differently. Nevertheless, considering that it's a Unique card, but refers to "Brothers in Arms" in the plural ("have"), there's no other sensible way to interpret the text except as referring to all cards with that title.