post for 19 September 2002

Geisha Assasin Q.

Here is a Q about G Assasin, it says you may not focus, what if I play G Assasin and then use Bend Like a Reed?

It still adds.

Too Much, Too Soon

Hello All, -- Too Much Too Soon -- -Reaction: Play when a target Shugenja attaches a Spell. The Spell's controller chooses to either destroy the Spell or bow the Shugenja. -Open: target a Shugenja. For the rest of the turn destroy any Spell that Shugenja casts.

Player "A" attaches a spell to a shugenja, player "B" responds by playing "Too Much, Too Soon." "A" elects to bow his shugenja rather than destroy the spell. Can "B" play another "Too Much, Too Soon" responding once more to the original attachment of the spell in order to force the destruction of the spell?

Yes.

List Problems

Who can I contact about this, I sent an email to Listadmin, but I don't know if that is what I am supposed to do or if it will fix it.

That should work.

Another Geisha Assasin Q.

player A creates a 1 chi geisha assassin to challenge Player B.

Both players have a poison weapon.

Player B strikes.

what happens,

a) player A plays poison weapon ( because he is left to the person that created the trigger for P.W. i.e. striking) Ending the duel without resolution because player B's personality dies.

B) Player B plays Poison weapon ( because Player A initiated the duel and ergo created the trigger. Causing the geisha assassin to die and the duel to end without resolution.) ( meaning that player A can not play his poisonweapon and kill his opponents poisonweapon)

Forwarded to the Rules Team, since I can see reasons for either answer.

C) Player A and Player B may both play their poison weapons. because technically the reactions happen at the same reaction point. Geisha or player dies, but there is still a brief instance where they other player may play their poison weapon.

( the effects of the PW have not fully resolved yet because the trigger is still exists for a brief period of time)

It is absolutely, positively not C. Timing does not work that way in L5R.

Schroedinger's Card

This gets worse if you are a real pedant (moi?) Bowing the stronghold is a cost of looking for Gifts and Favors. Looking through the deck is an effect of this card, too, even though it may not be in the deck. At the point when you know the card is not in the deck, shouldn't its effects cease? Including the reshuffle?

The reshuffle will still happen by Cardinal Rule 4.

1KYoD Availability (Jeff?)

I'm sure this has been asked already:

1) Must you be an IA member to buy 1kYoD, regardless of how you buy it?

Yes.

2) It is my understanding that 1KYoD is non-retail. Is this correct, and if so, will it ever be released as retail at a later date?

No.

3) Will it be available to non-IA members at a later date?

We have not yet decided.

post for 5 August 2002

Assume The Path Not Taken's been used to copy Counterattack, by a Shiba player. Can the same physical CounterPath be played, recycled, and played again in reaction to the same attack?

No.

Questions

City of the Lost Immediate Terrain Battle: All Shugenja Personalities and Monk Personalities in this battle gain +1F/+2C. Spells and Kihos may not be cast.

I have questions about City of the Lost:

A. Since it is an immediate terrain, only the Shugenja and Monk Personalities in that battle when it is played, get the bonus?

Correct.

B. While it is in play can you still cast Spells or Kihos if the personality casting it is not at the battle?

No. "Spells and Kihos may not be cast."

C. Since it is an immediate terrain, the bonuses are received immediately and the Shugenja and Monk Personalities would keep their bonus even if it was destroyed?

All effects of an Immediate Terrain last only while the Terrain is in play. [p. 55] The bonuses do not last.

Off that subject and onto a new one:

Could we please see a Matsu Goemon Exp.?

He's mentioned on a 1,000 Years of Darkness card. Good enough?

Question

1. As with the ruling with shiryo no Taisa cancelling fall on your knees. Do all cards that can cancel actions cancel reactions as well?

Sure, since Reactions are actions. [p. 48] Always have been.

Like if I have a hunting tiger in the battle, will my opponent discard a card after playing cards like fallonyourknees or test of courage? I may have missed this, but are reactions synonimous with actions?

Not "synonymous". They are one of the four types, along with Limited, Battle, and Open.

2. On the card come one at a time which gives all units in the battle to, as a battle action go home. If I have 2 defending units, can I play COAAT (assuming that the opponent always passes) and then send one of my units home and on my 3rd battle action issue the duel?

Reading the card:

"While there is only one defending Personality, the Personality may, as a Battle action, issue an unrefusable challenge to an opposing Personality, and each player may, as a Battle action, send one of his or her bowed or unbowed ATTACKING units home bowed." [emphasis mine]

All players gain the ability to send one of their own attacking units home from that battle. You, the Defender, will normally not have any such units, and so cannot send anyone home.

3. Can you count your (or your oppinents) remaining dynasty cards? fate cards?

From the rulebook, you may count (or ask about) the number of cards in your opponent's hand, and you may freely inspect the contents of all discard piles. Counting remaining cards in any player's deck is not allowed.

BTW, what does a cut constitute? Can your opponent

shuffle your dynasty/fate deck? Or is that just from another CCG?

Cutting to reveal a focus means temporarily dividing your deck into exactly two portions and revealing the bottom card of the top portion. Cutting during the shuffling process is not so rigidly defines. Under tournament rules, your opponent can shuffle and/or cut your deck if he or she wishes after every time you shuffle it.

4. There was a mention in the BB flyer that you can opt to use imperial favors using the old rulebooks. Is this referring to the contesting of the favor (sending gifts, adding PH, etc) which is no longer legal with the latest rulebook?

It refers to both the more complex method of lobbying itself, including contesting the attempt, and to the four built-in abilities of the Favor.

5. In Night of a thousand fires, what is a Ninja Limitted?

It is a Limited action that has the extra keyword "Ninja", much like "Political", "Maho", and "Elemental".

That's it's just a ninja effect not coming from a ninja card?

Action cards (and ONLY Action cards) are also considered "Keyword" cards if the trait "Keyword" appears in any of their actions. Night of a Thousand Fires is a Ninja card.

6. Can you discard face down dynasty cards for no reson?

You may not discard any cards for no reason.

Broken Blades Event.

There is an event in broken blades, that let you search for an expirience personality an put it in place of the event.

What you do if you don´t have any more exp. personalities in the deck, when the event resolves?

Search your deck, find nothing, shuffle the deck, then, since you have an empty Province, immediately refill it with the top card of your deck, face-down.

If I don´t have any more fortifications in my deck, and I bow Isawa Taeruko to search for one paying 0 gold. I´m doing an ilegal action?

No.

Question

3. Can you count your (or your opponents) remaining dynasty cards? fate cards? BTW, what does a cut constitute? Can your opponent shuffle your dynasty/fate deck? Or is that just from another CCG? From the Code of Bushido (L5R Tournament rules):

The Duel Play Sequence ... ... ... 5. Each player shuffles both their Dynasty and Fate decks and presents them to his or her opponent for further shuffling or cutting.

Side note: cutting to see who goes first happens before shuffling and searching for sensei. It also happens before players reveal their stronghold and wind, so I'm not sure how you know what your starting honor is without revealing your stronghold, so...

Cutting to see who goes first should happen after Strongholds are revealed and Sensei are chosen.

Question

Here's an interesting little fact, if you use Akodo's Map with COOAT it increases all numbers on the card and therefore you can have two people there...

Untrue. Akodo Map increases all "numerals". That is a special game term in L5R, and is in the rulebook Glossary. A numeral in L5R is "a number written using digits, including any leading + or - sign." "1" is a numeral, but "one" is not. Akodo Map only increases the former.

G&F: why all the hubub?

It can't be used if a GPH has been brought into play this turn. Can I use it second turn, then use the holding I got first turn to buy a holding from a province?

No. Holdings are bought in the Dynasty Phase. [rulebook] G&F's Reaction is used after that, in the End Phase. [card text]

What about Small Farm? Is there a window where I can grab a G&F before a free holding drops down into play?

Whether a Holding costs 0 gold or more than 0 has no effect on the timing with which it enters play. There's no reason to test Small Farms separately from GPHs in general.

The Shadowlands Horde stronghold produces no gold. Can it fetch a G&F?

Sure. "Bow your Stronghold to do 'X'." Where is gold production mentioned?

Can I use Kaneka Wind to put a face-up G&F back into my dynasty, then fetch it with the stronghold?

Nothing on the card says you can only retrieve it if it's face-down in the deck or if it has not yet been in play this game.

Hmm. You bow your stronghold. There are 3 cards in your deck that could/would respond to this trigger, but you PICK one, which then responds. Will this have any implications down the road?

Bowing your Stronghold is not a trigger. It's a cost. ("During your End Phase, if [legal play condition is met], bow your Stronghold to...") You have already picked one particular G&H to use by this point, and that's the one you're retrieving.

See what I mean?

Sure. And they were all addressed in more or less straightforward fashion.

Hound of the Lost Question

I would just like to get confirmation that when a Citadel of Daigotsu player is trying to bow a personality via the SH trait, you may bow the Hound of the Lost to make the fear effect bow a personality regardless of their force. Is this correct or not?

It's not straightforward.

The Hound's reaction MUST be used first ("before another card in this army produces Fear" versus "When one of your cards is producing Fear"), and the Hound requires that you target one particular Follower in the unit the Fear is targeting. In order for you to use the Citadel's power as well, the target Personality must have no unbowed attached cards. So the combo is only legal against a unit that has no unbowed attached cards AND at least one bowed Follower.

post for 5 August 2002

The second Counterattack is not the same printed Reaction. It can't be -- it's on a different card. Multiple identically-worded Reactions ARE legal, provided they come from different cards.

Does that go for the following, if I cancel it can they do it again?

The Dark Path of Shadow Faction Ninja Text Your non-Personality Ninja cards enter play for 2 less Gold. You cannot lose Honor from opponents' card effects or your Ninja cards. Battle: If the total Chi of an army attacking one of your Provinces is less than 10, send all attackers home, bowed. You can do this while this Stronghold is bowed and in a battle in which you cannot perform actions. Honor 0 Gold 3 Provence Strength 0

The rule against using a printed action multiple times on the same trigger applies only to Reactions. The Dark Path of Shadow is worded so that you can use it every single time you get a chance to take an Open or Battle action (or pass).

Also, if since it's a Battle action, you get only one attempt at a time. If it's canceled, you don't get an immediate retry -- you have to wait until the turn order passes around to you again, giving everyone else a chance to take a Battle or Open action in the meantime.

CoAaT

Can someone tell me if Come one at a time targets thisone defending unit or not?

It does not. If it did, you could not play it with no defending units, or with more than 1.

Gold/diamond YKOD reasoning

There might be no storyline reason for this, but I need to ask.

the YKOD cards/ personalities

why are they gold legal.

do these peopl exhist in both timelines?

Personalities like those Gold-bugged exist in both storylines. Remember, non-Unique Personalities in L5R represent archetypes, not just individuals. The other cards -- actions and items and such -- are even more likely to exist in both worlds. A sneaky military maneuver is pretty much the same sneaky military maneuver no matter who the Emperor is.

The Company you Keep

The Company You Keep Political Open: Target a Personality controlled by the active player. Personalities brought into play by the active players this turn with a Personal Honor higher then the target's enter play dishonored. (This happens befor honor is gained.)

If I target a 0 Personal Honer personality my opponent controls during his turn, and he attacks with that personality and it is killed. Will any other personality he brings out with Personal Honor greater then 0 come out dishonored?

Yes. Personal Honor is compared at the time the new Personality is played.

Light of the Kami

Light of the Kami Battle: Bow this Shugenja to produce a Fear 1 effect. This Fear is compared against Honor Requirment instead of Force, and even affects cards that are immune to Fear. An Honor Requirment of "-" is considered 0 for this effect.

Ok.. as far as I know of NO followers have an honor requirment of "-", however a great many personalities have a "-", 0, and 1 FAMILY Honor Requirment. This fear also effects cards that are immune to fear (which personalities are not innatly immune to as per the FAQ). Will this spell bow any personality as well as his followers who have a 1, 0, or im the case of a personality "-" in the Honor Requirment box?

No. Light of the Kami will not bow Personalities unless something specifically makes its Fear affect Personalities as well as Followers. (The last line of the card was put on it to answer questions about what happens when this IS done, and the Personality has a "-" HR.)

Question

For those of us who never played before gold. If you can use the old favor rules could they be reprinted somewhere?

Alright, but first, a disclaimer:

This is NOT an official change to how lobbying works. I'm just indulging a request!

USING THE FAVOR

Any player with the Imperial Favor may discard it to take any of these actions:

* Political Limited: Draw a card.

* Political Open: Restore a Dishonored or Dishonorable Dead Personality to Honorable status.

* Political Battle: Send any unit home from the current battle, bowed. You may do this in a battle in which you have no units.

* Political Reaction: Before any player loses Honor, negate that loss.

LOBBYING FOR THE FAVOR

Once per turn, as a Political Limited action, you can lobby for the Imperial Favor. To do so, target and bow one of your Personalities with over 0 Personal Honor and announce that you are lobbying. If no player controls the Imperial Favor -and- you have more Family Honor than each other player, you immediately gain the Favor and the lobby attempt ends. No other players may interfere.

If you do not have the highest Family Honor, or if you try to take the Imperial Favor from another player, your lobby attempt is automatically contested instead. All players, including yourself, may now aid or oppose your bid for the Imperial Favor by temporarily raising or lowering your Family Honor. These changes aren't true gains or losses, and they wear off as soon as the lobby attempt ends. There are two ways that all players can adjust your Family Honor, and they can be done in any order:

* Bow a Personality he or she controls to increase or decrease your Family Honor by the Personality's Personal Honor. This represents that Personality speaking for or against you in the Imperial Court. (The Personality you originally bowed to start the lobbying effort does -not- contribute Personal Honor for this purpose.)

* Discard a card from his or her hand to increase or decrease your Family Honor by the card's focus value. This represents a gift made by the player's family to the Court. Each player can only do this once per lobby attempt.

As the lobbying player, you can send the first speaker or give the first gift. Then, each player can send speakers or give a gift in turn until all pass.

If you have more Family Honor than each other player once no one wishes to bow or discard any more, you take the Imperial Favor. Otherwise, it remains where it was (either in the possession of the player that had it or uncontrolled).