Rules for December 21st

Question- What is the ruling on events that "Stay in play"? Do they stay in the province, or are they just sort of floating, but "in play". For example, if Monsoon comes up, and someone is playing Yokuni Sensei...

As far as I know, there are only three Events that somehow refer to entering play or staying in play. Those Events are Duty to the Empire, Monsoon, and Sacrifices for Our Future. Those Events will trump Yokuni Sensei, but unless an Event says something specifically about entering/staying in play or reshuffles itself as part of its effect, Yokuni Sensei will stick it in the province.

What I meant with the Palaces was the Imperial reduction, So it and Kyuden Kitsune continue to modify the cost even after its in play?

Yes.

Also can I get a quick confirmation... Moto Ride to the Shadowlands will make House of Tao players discard their ring right (assuming it's their event)? (and unplayable by Kaiu Crab too...)

No. Moto Ride says nothing about entering/staying in play, so it just resolves, like any other Event. It doesn't count as bringing a Shadowlands card into play for either of the two Strongholds mentioned above.

Player A (with the Plains of Fast Troubles) played Will of the Emperor on player B. Player B used Ambush to fulfill the requirements of Will of the Emperor. Now the question. Since Ambush is an actual Attack Phase, and only skips the first three steps of the Attack Phase (according to the accumulated rulings), does this mean that there is a battle going on at each of your provinces too?

No. Ambush says pretty specifically that it 'begins a battle'. *A* battle, not several. I guess this is just one more thing that needs to be added to the ever-lengthening list of rulings on Ambush.

Player A on his turn resolves Troll Raiders.

Player B on his turn has Architects of the Wall come up.

The problem arises when reading Architects' last setence. This event resolves every time for every player. This setence seems to trump Troll Raiders. Does it? It was ruled that Troll Raiders Trumped Architects, but inquiring minds would like to know for sure.

I think that Troll Raiders should trump Architects. The last sentence on Architects is pretty clearly intended to allow the Event to break the one-time Event rule, and I don't think that, despite its very general wording, it should be allowed to trump things like Troll Raiders and Avoid Fate.

I have 3 provinces, each with a Moat. And I play with a Kaiu Sensei. Is each attacking personality and each attacking Follower at -3 Force?

Yup. Kaiu Sensei is very cool.

Test of Courage says that:

"Reaction: When one of your Personalities has been targeted by an action that would remove them from this battle, play this card to cancel the action. You may not bow this Personality to produce actions or target this Personality with actions for the remainder of the turn."

Does this mean:

1. No force pumps such as Charge or Strenth of Purity?

If the action targets the personality, no. Something like Contentious Terrain, though, will still be able to give a force bonus to the personality who has been Tested.

2. No Rally Cry?

Rally Cry doesn't target the personality specifically, so it's still legal.

3. If Block Supply Lines or the Imperial Favor Targets the Personality and ToC is played, the personality does not go home but is bowed?

Not true. You're mixing up two different rulings, there. One ruling says that a personality who cannot be sent home or moved out of a battle, targeted by an action that would send them home from battle bowed, will not move home, but will become bowed. That, however, has nothing to do with Test of Courage, because ToC cancels the action entirely, and that doesn't even come close to touching the above ruling.

If I have 2 uragirimonos with 2 shadowlands followers each (like skeletal and zombie troops), and I play evil portents, do the followers gain +1 chi, even if it does not transfer to the personality, so that I have now 10 chi for purposes of attacking ninja provinces?

Absolutely.

The question revolves around the first sentence on the sensei i.e. "you cannot target other players' personalities with card effects" and Aramoro's first ability i.e. "Limited: Bow to force the discard of a dynasty card from any one province in play". Say I'm playing Scorpion (or anyone else who can use Yodin Sensei, for that matter), and want to use Aramoro's forced-discard ability. Now according to the accumulated rulings, Aramoro targets the *card*, not the *province*. So:

1. Can he target a personality sitting in a province i.e. does it matter that the personality isn't in play?

He can target a personality sitting in a province, yes. There was a little bit of intent errata to Yodin Sensei, and its targeting restriction only applies to personalities who are totally, fully in play.

Cards not in play do not have card type. Personalities in provinces are cards in provinces, not personalities. Aramoro works fine under Yodin Sensei.

Not true. If cards not in play don't have a card type, then there are quite a few cards that need rulings. Architects of the Wall, Regions of Rokugan, Battle at Isawa Palace, Soshi Jomyako, etc. All of them refer to the card type of something that isn't in play at the time. Aramoro does work under Yodin Sensei, but it's because Yodin's restriction only extends to personalities in play.

Aramoro targets the province since no "province"* can have more then one card. Just like entering a duel reactions dont target the duellist because you've only got one guy in the duel.

* yes even the Plains of OU: counts as 2 provs for holding cards.

Plains of Otosan-Uchi * Imperial Region * Unique * This Province always holds 2 Dynasty cards instead of one. Treat this as if there were two provinces for the purposes of drawing/holding cards, but as only one Province for purposes of targeting Provinces and during the Attack Phase. If this Province is destroyed, you lose 10 Honor.

'...as only one province for the purposes of targeting Provinces'. Aramoro does target the card, but that's irrelevant in regards to Yodin Sensei, because Yodin's targeting restriction only extends to personalities in play.

By the way, in case you missed it, Yodin Sensei only prevents you from targeting personalities in play. Personality cards in provinces are still considered to be personalities, but because Yodin's effect has been given semi-errata, that doesn't matter.

Does judgement of Toshiken turn off the O-ushi sensei? the second sentence/effect clearly states that the outcome is based solely on chi plus focus....or can the O-ushi player immediately switch it back to force?

Judgement of Toshiken doesn't turn off O-Ushi Sensei, because the Sensei's effect is considered to be coming from the Stronghold, and not from a card. Therefore, because JoT only stops *card* effects that would affect the outcome of the duel, it can't stop O-Ushi.

That's not *too* surprising, though, because *nothing* stops O-Ushi!!! ;)