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, 10 April 2008
You'll forgive me if I don't have the exact card text in front of me, but:
A Crab Clan Player assigns Hida X to attack a Dragon Clan Player. Upon assignment, Dragon Clan player reacts with Fusami's reaction. Crab Clan Player accepts the challenge, and loses. Can the Crab Clan Player react with Courage in Death, even before armies engage? (Since they engage after Maneuvers).
I guess the true important questions are: When does a "battle" start? Do reactions that require that you be in battle work before armies engage?
A player, 10 April 2008
Dan Jacobson wrote:When does a "battle" start?
See Battles, Choose Battlefield (emphasis added): "Engaging is the time point at which the battle, and the Combat Segment, both begin. Specifically, things that are triggered “before engaging” do not occur in or during the battle, and things that are triggered “after engaging” do occur in and during the battle."
Dan Jacobson wrote:Do reactions that require that you be in battle work before armies engage?
No.
Dan Jacobson wrote:Can the Crab Clan Player react with Courage in Death, even before armies engage?
No. Courage in Death requires that the destruction happens during battle. During an Attack Phase, Maneuvers Segments happen before any battle starts.
Courage in Death Reaction: Before one of your Personalities is destroyed during battle: Give another target Personality a Force bonus equal to your Personality's Chi. If you are a Crab Clan player, delay your Personality's destruction until after the battle ends.