Hantei Sensei and other Senseis (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, 14 May 2008

Hi,

I have many questions about Sensei :

- Is a Sensei Unique? I think it is not because nothing say that in the Legacy rules, it is n ot written on them. - How many copies of a same Sensei may i put into my deck : 3 ? - May the effect of the Hantei Sensei be stopped by "Sap the Spirit" or if the Sensei is discarded ? - Is using the limited action of the stronghold called "Temple of the Crow" considered as "playing a Sensei" ? For example, I start the game with Temple of the Crow and the wind called "Toturi Tsudao" and the "Hantei Sensei". May I use the limited action of the Stronghold to put the Gozoku Sensei into play ?

The Cards : Hantei Sensei : All Clans. Sensei Limited: Once per game, target another player and name a non-Elemental Ring Fate card. For the rest of the game, the player cannot use any copy of the card except for its Focus value. The player may name a non-Elemental Ring Fate card that you cannot use for the rest of the game except for its Focus value.

Gozoku Sensei : All Factions Sensei You may not play this card if you have a Wind. Political Open: Discard the Favor to bow a Personality. He may not straighten until after you discard the Favor again or his controller pays 6 Gold as an Open action. Political Reaction: Once per turn, before any player gains or loses Honor, bow your Stronghold or one of your Courtiers to reduce the loss or gain by 2.

Wind : Toturi Tsudao Political Limited: Discard the Imperial Favor to send an attacking or allying Personality home from this battle, bowed. You may take this action during a battle in which you have no units.

Stronghold : Temple of the Crow : Limited: Bow the Temples of the Crow and discard one of your Sensei in play to bring a Sensei into play from your deck or hand. If the Sensei comes from the deck, shuffle the deck.

Thanks in advance, Best regards, Rémi.

[Mod edit: Thread title. -ZF]

Brook Cunningham (rules official), 14 May 2008

- Is a Sensei Unique? I think it is not because nothing say that in the Legacy rules, it is n ot written on them. - How many copies of a same Sensei may i put into my deck: 3 ? - May the effect of the Hantei Sensei be stopped by "Sap the Spirit" or if the Sensei is discarded ? - Is using the limited action of the stronghold called "Temple of the Crow" considered as "playing a Sensei" ? For example, I start the game with Temple of the Crow and the wind called "Toturi Tsudao" and the "Hantei Sensei". May I use the limited action of the Stronghold to put the Gozoku Sensei into play ?

1. No, they are not Unique. 2. Yes, you may include 3 copies of any Fate-backed* Sensei in your deck. 3. No, discarding a Sensei will not end any ongoing effects of its actions (unless the action explicitly said so, and none do that I can think of off hand). Also, Sap the Spirit's Most Recent Printing (MRP) in Samurai Edition no longer affects Senseis or Winds. 4. Yes, bringing a Sensei into play, whether at the beginning of the game or during it, is considered "playing a Sensei". You could not use Temples of the Crow to bring in Gozoku Sensei if you have a Wind.

*I don't think there are any non-Fate-backed Sensei, but I've been forgetting to actually confirm that; as it stands, the Legacy rules only allow you to put Fate-backed Sensei in decks.