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 April 2012
I think I got jipped here so please help me understand this:
I'm playing Steel Soul Dojo
My opponent attacks, I defend.
In the first battle I play a Dark Virtue and draw a card. Battle resolves, Attack Phase ends. I play Retribution. My opponent manages to get a defender into the battle. I play a Dark Virtue and go to draw my card........only to be told that I can't since I already used the trait this phase. I think this is incorrect.
Additionally, that scenario continued as follows:
I win the battle but the province is saved. I play a second Retribution to send my other unbowed personality at my opponent now that my opponent has no defenders. I play A Brave New World to move in my bowed personality who attacked in the previous Retribution. My opponent says I can't do this since the personality was already at a battle as an attacker. I think this is wrong. I checked the rules I saw that it is only specific to the current phase.
Am I misunderstanding how Retribution works? Retribution (and A Perfect Moment) state "Create an additional Attack Phase....." Is this additional attack phase somehow part of the original attack phase, or was I just being told wrong?
Brook Cunningham (rules official), 14 April 2012
I think I got jipped here so please help me understand this:
I'm playing Steel Soul Dojo
My opponent attacks, I defend.
In the first battle I play a Dark Virtue and draw a card. Battle resolves, Attack Phase ends. I play Retribution. My opponent manages to get a defender into the battle. I play a Dark Virtue and go to draw my card........only to be told that I can't since I already used the trait this phase. I think this is incorrect.
Additionally, that scenario continued as follows:
I win the battle but the province is saved. I play a second Retribution to send my other unbowed personality at my opponent now that my opponent has no defenders. I play A Brave New World to move in my bowed personality who attacked in the previous Retribution. My opponent says I can't do this since the personality was already at a battle as an attacker. I think this is wrong. I checked the rules I saw that it is only specific to the current phase.
Am I misunderstanding how Retribution works? Retribution (and A Perfect Moment) state "Create an additional Attack Phase....." Is this additional attack phase somehow part of the original attack phase, or was I just being told wrong?
You were told incorrectly in both cases.
Each Retribution/Perfect Moment creates a new, separate Attack Phase after the one you're reacting to has ended.
As such, you WOULD be able to draw again during your Retribution thanks to Steel Soul Dojo. Also, you are correct that the Second Battle Rule also only restricts moving into another battle per phase. So again, it WOULD be legal for you to move during your second Retribution the Personality who bowed from resolution in your first.