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, 18 May 2012
This came up last night, and we played it as printed... but I there might be an issue here.
Scenario, I play Ambush and use my "Death Monkey Alpha (actual card does not matter)" to jump my opponents "Wiener Dog Billy". Ok, so normal Ambush, nothing out of the ordinary played, one attacker and one defender assigned. My opponent however is Unicorn, and he has Shinjo Hayan on the table. Upon engaging at that battle, can he assign another person to the battle to help the person who was Ambushed?
Typically Ambush covered any tricky things like this. It was pretty clear that no one could move in, but you could create guys in that battle. The forced assignment always superseded the Infantry or Cavalry assignment steps, so the battle begins with no distinct assignment stages, that's why a cavalry unit could not be 'assigned' to help out the target of an Ambush, but this creates a new assignment opportunity that didn't really exist before.
1) So, if a Unicorn player has Shinjo Hayan in play and is targeted by an Ambush, can he assign another unit to the battle to help the target of Ambush?
Right now, current reading of card text, I would have to assume yes....
2) Is this intended, or an oversight on the wording of Ambush?
Relevant Card Text:
Text of Ambush: Limited: Choose your performing unbowed Personality and target another player's Personality: Create a battlefield (not at any province). Assign your Personality to attack there. Assign the target to defend there, even if he is bowed. Other Personalities will not move there. Fight a battle there (after this action's resolution). After the battle ends, lose 5 Honor.
Shinjo Hayans Trait: After engaging: Once per turn, you may assign your (unbowed) Unicorn Clan Personality in your home to the current battlefield.
Ben Higgins (rules official), 20 May 2012
This came up last night, and we played it as printed... but I there might be an issue here.
Scenario, I play Ambush and use my "Death Monkey Alpha (actual card does not matter)" to jump my opponents "Wiener Dog Billy". Ok, so normal Ambush, nothing out of the ordinary played, one attacker and one defender assigned. My opponent however is Unicorn, and he has Shinjo Hayan on the table. Upon engaging at that battle, can he assign another person to the battle to help the person who was Ambushed?
Typically Ambush covered any tricky things like this. It was pretty clear that no one could move in, but you could create guys in that battle. The forced assignment always superseded the Infantry or Cavalry assignment steps, so the battle begins with no distinct assignment stages, that's why a cavalry unit could not be 'assigned' to help out the target of an Ambush, but this creates a new assignment opportunity that didn't really exist before.
1) So, if a Unicorn player has Shinjo Hayan in play and is targeted by an Ambush, can he assign another unit to the battle to help the target of Ambush?
Right now, current reading of card text, I would have to assume yes....
2) Is this intended, or an oversight on the wording of Ambush?
Relevant Card Text:
Text of Ambush: Limited: Choose your performing unbowed Personality and target another player's Personality: Create a battlefield (not at any province). Assign your Personality to attack there. Assign the target to defend there, even if he is bowed. Other Personalities will not move there. Fight a battle there (after this action's resolution). After the battle ends, lose 5 Honor.
Shinjo Hayans Trait: After engaging: Once per turn, you may assign your (unbowed) Unicorn Clan Personality in your home to the current battlefield.
As worded, yes Hayan can assign another unbowed Unicorn Clan Personality to an Ambush created battle.
Assignment is not movement, and therefore is not limited by Ambush.
There is currently no reason to think this is against intent, as other card effects that create Personalities or bring them in to play can and have been used with Ambush already this arc.