post for 8 February 2002
A rules digest from the L5R CCG rules team, copied from the mailing list archive for Oracle of the Void. The askers' names are left out. Rulings are as they stood on this date; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
Rules Question
First, silly question: does Judgement of Toshiken trump (that is, render useless except for focus values, if used to focus): Another Time Kharmic Strike Concede Defeat (when played for its ability)
Judgement of Toshiken is played after focuses are revealed, by MRP. Another Time and Concede Defeat will still defeat it because they both resolve before then and both produce an immediate end to the duel. Judgement will re-override Kharmic's change to how the duel gets resolved.
Next, how does Trenches interact with To the Last Man and The Final Breath? Is the destruction still triggered, allowing the actions to be played, and Trenches to save them? Does Trenches' use preclude the latter?
Trenches' Reaction is taken "when" the destruction occurs and saves your army [card text], thus removing the trigger for any Reactions taken "after" your army is destroyed. [AOF rulebook p. 48] This includes To The Last Man and Final Breath.
Finally, Scenario IV: (Now invited back into the kingdom after the overthrow of the republic with some power diminished due to a new constitution)
An obnoxious person flips Return of Fu Leng. Player A, on his left, plays Kharma. Player B, to the left of A, reacts with Winds and Fortunes. Player C, not wanting the Province hit, reacts with Defenders of the Realm. How hosed is the obnoxious person?
a) Thourough and complete lube-job; serves him right. b) Defenders' timing is technically before Winds and Kharma, precluding their use; everyone takes their cards back. c) Something more twisted and confusing.
I strongly suspect this is going to be a REVERSAL, but...
The answer is b). By their wordings:
Defenders of the Realm is played BEFORE the Province is destroyed. Winds and Fortunes is played WHEN the Province is destroyed. Kharma is played AFTER the Province is destroyed.
They'd have to be played in that order, and if anyone plays Defenders, Winds... and Kharma become unplayable.
Judgment of Toshiken Question
The pertanent line in judgement reads: If either Personality has not focused, each can focus an extra time, starting with the challenged Personality.
If a personality has focused but the other personality has not, and Judgement of Toshiken is played, do both personalities get to focus again?
Yes. That's exactly what it says.