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, 12 August 2010
Beginning Arbitration (The Truest Test) Political Battle: Your non-Weapon Items have +2F while at the current battlefield.
Hypothetical scenario: I assign two armies to two different battlefields. Each one has at least one non-Weapon Item attached to a personality. I am unopposed at both battlefields. At battlefield A, I play Beginning Arbitration, thus creating the effect for the rest of the turn, increasing the force bonus of all of my non-Weapon Items at the current battlefield by 2. While resolving battlefield B, do my non-Weapon Items also have +2F, as they are at what is now (but not when Beginning Arbitration was played) the current battlefield?
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 12 August 2010
While resolving battlefield B, do my non-Weapon Items also have +2F, as they are at what is now (but not when Beginning Arbitration was played) the current battlefield?
EDIT: Thought this one over a bit, talked on it with my esteemed colleague Alex, and I have reconsidered.
Answer:
No. The ongoing effect only assesses what is the "current battlefield" once, at the time it's activated. Later on, since other battlefields are not that battlefield, the bonus is not applied.
A player, 12 August 2010
Card text: Political Battle: Your non-Weapon Items have +2F while at the current battlefield.
http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Effects#Ongoing_effects "Ongoing effects may be thought of as “virtual” effects because they are not officially recorded with a physical game element; for example, giving stat bonuses or penalties, granting keywords, or putting a condition on a card such as “may not assign.” Unlike continuous effects, ongoing effects start and end at definite times stated by the effect itself and do not end if the card they came from leaves play.
Ongoing effects last until the end of the turn in which they were applied unless otherwise indicated. Example: “permanent” or “until” a certain game time are phrases that override the default "end of turn" duration. " Further in Ongoing Effects: "An ongoing effect that is applied “while” some condition is true ends when that condition is no longer true, and takes effect again if the condition becomes true within the stated duration of the effect. Nevertheless, a conditional ongoing effect is a single effect, regardless of how many times it is reapplied." "Ongoing effects that affect all things of a certain kind (such as, “Battle: Your Samurai have +1F”) or that meet a condition (such as, "Battle: Your opposed Personalities have +1F") change the game state. They affect all things in play of that kind throughout their duration, even ones not in play or not meeting the condition at the time the effect took place."
What is the stated duration of Beginning Arbitration? If it is 'while at the current battlefield', does that mean that non-weapon items lose the 2F bonus when removed from the current battlefield and are not able to regain that bonus by moving back in to the current battlefield? And that non-weapon items that are not present at the current battlefield when Beginning Arbitration is played are not granted a 2F bonus at any point?
Alex Jones (rules official), 13 August 2010
Card text: Political Battle: Your non-Weapon Items have +2F while at the current battlefield.
http://rules.l5r.com/CE_Effects#Ongoing_effects "Ongoing effects may be thought of as “virtual” effects because they are not officially recorded with a physical game element; for example, giving stat bonuses or penalties, granting keywords, or putting a condition on a card such as “may not assign.” Unlike continuous effects, ongoing effects start and end at definite times stated by the effect itself and do not end if the card they came from leaves play.
Ongoing effects last until the end of the turn in which they were applied unless otherwise indicated. Example: “permanent” or “until” a certain game time are phrases that override the default "end of turn" duration. " Further in Ongoing Effects: "An ongoing effect that is applied “while” some condition is true ends when that condition is no longer true, and takes effect again if the condition becomes true within the stated duration of the effect. Nevertheless, a conditional ongoing effect is a single effect, regardless of how many times it is reapplied." "Ongoing effects that affect all things of a certain kind (such as, “Battle: Your Samurai have +1F”) or that meet a condition (such as, "Battle: Your opposed Personalities have +1F") change the game state. They affect all things in play of that kind throughout their duration, even ones not in play or not meeting the condition at the time the effect took place."
What is the stated duration of Beginning Arbitration? If it is 'while at the current battlefield', does that mean that non-weapon items lose the 2F bonus when removed from the current battlefield and are not able to regain that bonus by moving back in to the current battlefield? And that non-weapon items that are not present at the current battlefield when Beginning Arbitration is played are not granted a 2F bonus at any point?
The duration of Beginning Arbitration is, like all other ongoing effects with no stated duration, until the end of turn. However, since the current battlefield disappears after the battle during which it was played, no cards can be at that battlefield, so no cards will get a bonus from it after the battle.
For the second question, I think you've answered that yourself: An ongoing effect that is applied “while” some condition is true ends when that condition is no longer true, and takes effect again if the condition becomes true within the stated duration of the effect.
A player, 13 August 2010
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=85754
Card text: Political Battle: Your non-Weapon Items have +2F while at the current battlefield.
The effect of this ability is to create a game state change with a condition. "Ongoing effects that affect all things of a certain kind (such as, “Battle: Your Samurai have +1F”) or that meet a condition (such as, "Battle: Your opposed Personalities have +1F") change the game state." The effect is to give your non-Weapon Items +2f. The condition is "while at the current battlefield." No duration is stated, so the ongoing effect exists until the end of the turn.
I have units with non-weapon items at each battlefield and in my home. The ability is played during the battle at province A. That battle is resolved, and I choose to resolve the battle at province B next. We engage. Is my non-weapon item currently located at province B at the current battlefield?
Alex Jones (rules official), 13 August 2010
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=85754
Card text: Political Battle: Your non-Weapon Items have +2F while at the current battlefield.
The effect of this ability is to create a game state change with a condition. "Ongoing effects that affect all things of a certain kind (such as, “Battle: Your Samurai have +1F”) or that meet a condition (such as, "Battle: Your opposed Personalities have +1F") change the game state." The effect is to give your non-Weapon Items +2f. The condition is "while at the current battlefield." No duration is stated, so the ongoing effect exists until the end of the turn.
I have units with non-weapon items at each battlefield and in my home. The ability is played during the battle at province A. That battle is resolved, and I choose to resolve the battle at province B next. We engage. Is my non-weapon item currently located at province B at the current battlefield?
Is my non-weapon item currently located at province B at the current battlefield?
Yes, but that's not the battlefield that was "the current battlefield" when Beginning Arbitration was played. Beginning Arbitration's bonuses only apply at one battlefield: the one that was the current battlefield when it was played.