post for 17 July 2002

Moon and Terrain

Again, you're WRONG! BWAHAHAHAHAAA!!! Come One at a Time DOES confer an ability - to the Defending Personality! So it would work AGAINST someone playing that Terrain. Heh. Just nit-picking.

Based on the Gold Edition wording, I'd agree with this.

Variable vs Non-Variable[RULES Q]

What I'd like is a hard-and-fast definition of "variable" versus "non-variable."

If, and only if, you have to wait until it happens to discover its quantity, it's variable. The Ikiryo's Ranged Attack strength and associated honor loss are not variable.

Crane Tattoo Q [Rules Q]

When someone who has a Crane Tattoo dies, and the Crane Tattoo is legally activated, do entering-play effects happen again?

By card text, they are entering play, so, yes.

Do some of them (PH gain)?

PH gain happens for paying full price during the Dynasty Phase. That isn't happening with the Crane Tattoo, so there is no gain.

Do they become rehonoured if they were dishonoured? Do they retain previous traits and abilities gained by other Tattoo Actions (pretty sure yes)?

Neither dying nor returning to play change the dishonored status or any other effects, temporary or permanent, on the Personality.

The example: Tamori Chieko comes back via the Crane Tattoo. May I use her entering-play trait thingy to discard a card from my hand to draw a new card?

Yes.

Rules Question (JEFF)

Hi Jeff, Question regarding Honor's Lesson Dojo and canceling actions. Honor's Lesson Dojo reads Reaction: Bow after all players pass consecutively in a battle and before delayed terrains resolve to perform one Battle or Open action. If I'm using Honor's Lesson Dojo and the action I take is canceled do I get to take another action?

No. A canceled action still counts towards its player's one chance to take an action or pass, which is what Honor's Lesson Dojo effectively grants.

In the same vein, if I take an action while Snowy Fields is in play and my action is cancelled does it count towards the number of actions I may play under Snowy Fields or not?

It does not count.

post for 16 July 2002

For that matter why not just SAY "remove from the game" instead of using a phrase like "discard from play"?

You mean like we've been doing since Gold Edition? (Fact: "discard from play" has been in the "Words and Phrases We Don't Ever Use Anymore" section of our style guide since I was at Wizards.)

Timing Questions

Q: On page 51 of the rulebook, under the 4.1.Declaration Segment says: "Declare which player you are attacking. That player is the Defender. You are the Attacker." How long is this true? Does this effect end: 1) After the resolution segment of the last attack. 2) After the Attack Phase. 3) Before the Dynasty phase begins. 4) Some other increment in here.

2).

Q: Are there any other smaller increments of a turn then those I have listed below? Are any of these increments I have listed incorrect/unofficial/un ruled one/unnecessary ? Please note I am assuming a special "wedge" of the turn in-between each of these in which "after" reactions take place:

I) Player becomes the "current player" 1. Straighten Phase a. Straighten Phase begins. b. First Straighten Phase "action" ( (a)Straighten a card; or (b)Straighten your stronghold). c. ... d. Straighten Phase ends. 2. Events Phase a. Events Phase begins. b. Turn over leftmost Dynasty card. i. Resolve event if revealed & refill the province. ii. Attach a region if revealed & refill the province. c. ... d. Events Phase ends.

This is the correct order: 2. Events Phase a. Events Phase begins. b. Reveal cards. i. Turn over leftmost Dynasty card if face-down. ii. If leftmost Dynasty card is an Event, resolve it if necessary, then discard and refill regardless. iii. ... c. If leftmost Dynasty card is a Region, bring it into play if possible. d. ... e. Events Phase ends.

3. Action Phase a. Action Phase begins. b. Current player takes Limited action, an Open action, or passes. c. Next player (to left) takes an Open action or passes. d. ... e. When all players pass consecutively, Action phase ends. 4. Attack Phase a. Attack Phase begins. b. Current Player declares an attack or passes.

This is not strictly correct. If the active player does not attack, there is no Attack Phase at all.

c. The Attacker and Defender invite allies. d. Attacking infantry assigns e. Attacking Allied Infantry assigns f. Defending infantry assigns. g. Defending Allied infantry assigns. h. Attacking Cavalry assigns. i. Attacking Allied Cavalry assigns j. Defending Cavalry assigns. k. Defending Allied Cavalry assigns. l. The Leftmost province resolves

As has been pointed out, the Provinces are fought over in an order chosen on-the-fly by the Attacker, not left-to-right.

i. Defender takes open action, battle action or passes. ii. Player to the left takes an open action, battle action or passes. iii. ... iv. Resolution m.-o. ... p. Attack Phase ends. 5. Dynasty Phase a. Dynasty Phase begins. b. Current player brings dynasty cards into play. c. Current player discards unwanted dynasty cards and refills them. x. Dynasty Phase ends. 6. End Phase a. End phase begins b. Current Player draws a fate card. c. Current Player yields the table to the next player.

My final question is this: How do you deal with a player who has in some way violated the rules?

This issue, by its very nature, goes beyond the rules of L5R. I can't give you an official answer.

A whole ton of stuff

1. When units are in a battle, do they count as being in the Defender's Home?

Not if they're at a Province. (They COULD be in an Ambush, after all.) Provinces and players' homes are mutually exclusive.

2. I know that all cards are moved into your Home when you bring them into play, which means that all personalities not in an Attacking or Allied Attacking army are in your Home, as are holdings (except fortifications), and all cards attached to these two. My question is: since Winds and Senseis are considered cards, do they exist in your Home, as you never bring them into play?

Sure.

3. Where do non-Battle duels occur? If my Personality Iaijutsu Challenges my opponent's, are both personalities still in their respective Homes? Are they perhaps in the forementioned "Battle" zone?

Entering a duel does not change a Personality's location.

4. Is there anywhere that I should send typos and errors I've noticed in AEG products? I have seen people credited before in reprints for doing this, but I don't know where to send these things if I notice them.

I'm as good a person to notify as anyone.

5. Are non-follower, non-"card" tokens considered to be a part of a Unit? I know they are discarded if the personality they are attached to is destroyed, butthe rule book says: (p.25) "A Personality and all attached cards, if any, is called a Unit." Technically this does not include the tokens I mentioned, but I was wondering if these are targeted along with the rest of the Unit for perposes that don't envolve destroying or discarding.

Zen answered this.

6. How can I go about getting more l5r exp packs for local demos? I don't run a store (who get 10 sets free) but I do run the local l5r scene, and the exp kit I got was exactly what was needed to hook a new player who had never seen the game before. He has now told his freinds and they have come to me looking for similar packs.

email David Lepore at dlepore@alderac.com. He'll know if we have any product to spare.

Company You Keep

Quick question, if someone plays The Company you keep and you bring in someone with more personal honor then the person that it was played on for the full, do they become honorable again?

No, since they create a 0-point honor gain.

Alliance

Quoth from www.dragonstrategy.net: "Another interesting side effect of the monk trait stemming from open is that of the open faction called Monk which you can still use for the event called alliance. Therefore all dragon clan monks will join you for 2 cheaper at honour or 4 cheaper without honour after the event alliance resolves and you ally with the monk faction."

Is this true? I don't think this makes sense....

It's true. "Monk" is a legal faction alignment in all tournament formats.

Kozue has a Friend

Loyal Yojimbo is a good metagame defence against PKill, but it's also an enabler for certain kinds of PKill decks.

I'm confused. What on earth do you mean by this?

Questions about Event Resolution

Yes, this does pertain to good old (and man, do I mean OLD) Jukio.

If your opponant pops an event, then the same event comes up for you later, is there still consider a 'before it resolves' time, or is it completely dead in the water when it comes up?

There is no window "before it resolves" if it does not resolve, and it doesn't resolve if another copy resolved earlier that game.