Rulings for 15-16 February 2001

Sensei Sayings and Subtle Scorpions Ruling

I am confused as to the logic behind a set of rulings involving the term "opposing" and wanted official response, as it can easily be argued several ways. As it stands, a Personality with Dead Eyes, or the Berserkers Follower, will not be destroyed by their own card text, despite said text, when in battle resolution when their are is no opposing army. However, one cannot use Crushing Attack against a nonexisting army, nor can one Flattery for the zero-Force nonextant army that failed to cause Amoro to self-destruct; it's there enough to give a berserker a challenge, but not enough to be impressed with Flattery.

This was more confusing, to me, when my games began to involve Bayushi Shoju (inexp.) and Trusted Counsel. Shoju's reaction can't be used against a player who doesn't have units placed in opposition to him. Yet that player is still an "opponent" for Trusted Counsel. (Vaughn ruled that a player without units in the battle can draw cards from Trusted Counsel, even if his opponent is alone there.) Again, there and not there.

What is the logic here, Jeff, Vaughn, and/or Zen?

Vaughn and Zen have already said everything I'd planned to.

Questions about Kolat Duplicate & Kage Sensei

This event states that the personality targeted is shuffled back into the deck and there gold cost is reduced to 0. No honor is gained from bringing these personalities into play. Do you still have to meet the honor requirement of a personality who was targeted by this event?

There are no changes besides the 0 gold cost and lack of honor gain. You still have to meet minimum honor.

Also, just for clarification, if a Ninja player is using Kage Sensei then the kolat personalities have the Ninja trait correct? Thereby being able to use the Night Medallion?

Yes, they gain the "Ninja" trait because that's his Clan alignment trait, and yes -- especially since the Night Medallion can go on a Ninja or Kolat to begin with.

Rulings for 5 February 2000

Quoth Jeff Alexander:

There _is_ a distinction between a rule effect and a card effect. If you cannot see the difference, you need to (re)read the rules for this game.

The point of view that many have on this is that Tactician is a shorthand notation for an action, and that if the shorthand form is on the card then the action itself is there in a convenient, space saving manner. The fact that the full meaning of "Tactician" is spelled out elsewhere is beside the point - the word represents a full action, and it is printed on the card. There are many games which take precisely this approach. Clan War and Diskwars come to mind.

"Other games are different" isn't a good enough reason, all by itself, to change the way this game works.

I was not trying to change the way L5R works. I was trying to explain to those on both sides of the argument some of how the other side thinks. This is one of those situations where there really is a valid argument and point of view for both sides, and you all (the Junta) had to choose between the two. I recognize that you may not perceive it as two valid options. Frankly, that's irrelevant, since it has been ruled upon. What I was addressing was the fact that many on both sides still failed to comprehend the other side, and why some may think the other side is more intuitive.

Oh, and you all chose the less intuitive option. ;}

The reality of the matter is this is a card interaction which was done badly. With that many cards and effects out, it was bound to happen. Tactician is the only text I can think of which has an action directly associated with it allowable only to those cards which have the word printed on them. All other actions in the game are either printed directly on the card, are available to every card of a certain class (lobbying for the favour),

Not quite true. Lobbying also requires that something be true about the card beyond being a Personality: it needs a Personal Honor above 0. Lobbying is closer to gaining a Tactician bonus than you think.

I was defining the "certain class" (in "every card of a certain class") as personalities with a current personal honour greater than zero. All cards which meet this description is allowed to perform this action, but there is no one symbol (text or graphic) on the card directly linked to this action, unlike the word "Tactician" and the associate action.

Fall on your Knees question

Nope. That's just the way that it is. All 'Sneak' timed actions, including Purusha and Sneak Attack and Daikua, are part of the Battle Action Segment, because as soon as you decide which battle you are going to resolve, you have begun the BAS. In the rulebook, there's no part of battle resolution listed after Cavalry Maneuvers and before the BAS, so all Reactions have to be played in one of those. If the resolving battle has been decided, then you're in the BAS.

If that's the case, then how can you play Sneak Attack when it clearly states to play it before the Battle Action Segment for a battle?

If the MRP of Sneak Attack says it's played "before the Battle Action Segment", then the ruling on it will have to be reversed.

Akodo Sensei question

If someone is using Akodo Sensei, and a personality of theirs qualifies (3 chi or higher and doesn't have Tactician already) can they play Moment of Brilliance on him or give him the Fan of Command so he can gain force bonuses?

Yes. If a Personality acquires the Tactician trait from somewhere besides the Sensei, the restriction against using it to gain a Force bonus no longer applies.

Rulings for 12-13 February 2001 / Scope of Agasha Join The Phoenix: related question

How is this affected by the various aligning sensei? As in the, Suzume aren't traditionally a family in a Clan. But if someone is using that Sensei, and then another player had this event come up, could they name Suzume?

Nothing that happens to the alignments of Personalities during the game affects which families can be named.

Oh? I would think the game checks the state when the event comes up. Sort of like how a clan "that can't win by honor" would include people who renounced to RoFL even if the clan can normally win by honor.

There's a problem with your analogy. There aren't any cards that check whether "the Crane Clan" (for instance) can win by honor. There are cards that care whether one particular player can win that way, but not whether the Clan can as a whole.

Consider the related question, "Is Mirumoto Daini part of the Dragon Clan?" I can't answer that unless I know whether you're talking about THAT Mirumoto Daini RIGHT THERE, that you just payed Oath of Fealty on, or Mirumoto Daini, the general card by title. Family affiliations are determined by the latter.

Rulings for 12-13 February 2001

In a message dated Fri, 16 Feb 2001 4:29:50 PM Eastern Standard Time, Jeff Alexander writes:

<<>And does the Dark Path Stronghold still bow the attacking army (if under 10 chi), but not send them home if Winter Warfare has gone off?

Yes.

I know this has been stated before, but could someone enlighten me on the logic of the above ruling. After searching the accumulated rulings all I find is:

Winter Warfare Negates "send home" effects rather than cancelling actions. [ZF, 1 August 2000]

Is not being bowed an effect of being sent home?

According to the rulebook, negating some of an action's effects doesn't stop any of the others. (This is something that's pretty much always been true, really.) The trouble that arises is that going home bowed is two effects -- you go home, and you bow.

RULES - Yokai no Junzo & Strength of the Dark One

Just a quick question - Does the Strength of the Dark One ritual count for Yokai no Junzo's ability (fear effects created by it's personality affect personalities as well as followers)? If so does it matter whether the personality with junzo attached is the primary shugenja or just participating?

The Ancestor's Personality has to be the primary shugenja for his benefit to kick in.

Shadowlands and gold edition.

I was looking through the list of gold cards and for the first time in a while I though..Shadowlands has the worst set of personalities I have seen to date. They have pretty much made the Horde SH useless in gold, as there are no 4 gold useful personalities.

No one gets a 4F first-turn Personality in Gold. NO ONE.