post for 23 September 2002

(no subject)

I am new to the game and am having trouble choosing a clan. I have a few starter decks from several editions including: Dark Allies, Broken Blades, Gold, Pearl, and Fire & Shadow. I have enjoyed playing Lion and Dragon decks. However, my current favorite deck to play is a Monk deck. I understand that it is best to play one of the major clans. I am wondering if there is any hope for developing Monk decks in the future with new editions of the game. Are there going to be any new strongholds for the Monks? It seems that the Monks can be quite powerful. Should I throw in the towel on the Monks or hold out for more oportunities to play them?

It depends on how easily you can get cards from sets before Gold Edition. There aren't going to be any more Monk strongholds for quite some time, and that means very few other Monk-related cards, like Personalities, either.

The closest clan to the Brotherhood right now is Dragon, and they are getting new cards.

post for 20 September 2002

Erk. Math analysis problem: Hida Tenshu (6F) with the 8F Celestial Sword (14F) above gets the penalty from Berserker Rage (replaced at 12F). ISOTF hits. When the Celestial Sword bonus goes away, does the Berserker Rage remain a 'penalty' and thus stay, or does it revert to a bonus and thus piffle?

Good catch. It remains a penalty. Tenshu's total Force will drop from 12F to 4F because an 8F bonus is turning into a 0F bonus.

Hoturi-Toturi KYD

I noticed that there was a little KYD after the Experienced 3 on the new Toturi card. There isnt one on the new Hoturi card. Does this mean that Hoturi ends up tainted even without supposing that the darkness won the Day of Thunder?

No, it means that the Experienced 3 Toturi in 1,000 Years of Darkness does not MRP the Experienced 3 Toturi in Dark Journey Home.

Shadowlands Question

I am starting to try out Shadowlands for the first time and I have a question. Can I play Imperial Funeral in my Dynasty deck

Yes.

and if so does it still give honor losses to players who do not bow their personalities?

Yes. As a Shadowlands player, you cannot take actions that cause other players unconditional honor losses, but Imperial Funeral A) is not an action, and B) causes conditional losses.

Also what about other events that cause honor losses?

Sure. They're not actions either.

What cards can a shadowlands player play that may mess with other players honor?

Very few, since those tend to be Political -- which the Shadowlands also cannot use.

Alderac Shop Payments

I'm sure this has been asked many times, but there are no stupid questions, only stupid people:

Does the Alderac Shop accept payment in any form other than Visa or MasterCard? Western Union Money Transfer, perhaps?

Our web shop only accepts the forms of payment listed.

Agasha Chieh and Suzume Sensei

Suzume Sensei makes all my Suzume Personalities part of my faction.

Does that mean Agasha Chieh is automatically part of my faction if I play with Suzume Sensei?

No. Family affiliation is based on the printed card base.

Facing Your Devils

May a Shugenja in a battle being resolved use Facing Your Devils to challenge a Personality not in a battle at all? How about a Personality in a different battle?

During a battle, that Kiho can be used if either the caster or the target is in the current battle. This is a straightforward application of the Rule of Relevance.

Some Rules Questions for Jeff

I have Shiba Ningen Exp. with Teeth of Osano-Wo and Firestorm Legion. My question regard the Forestorm Legion, as both a follower and a shugenja with a ranged attack, does Doji Akiko's trait assist in the ranged attack for the Legion.

No. She gives a bonus "for purposes of casting Spells and Kihos", not "while casting Spells and Kihos". Ningen's Chi is not elevated for any other purpose.

Also when I use Teeth, can I also, on the first attack, bow the Legion to increase the strength of the ranged attack from the Teeth.

You're not increasing, you're combining. But yes.

Question:

Is Toturi himself considered to have the family name Toturi (say, for Family Tactics)?

Since, and only since, "Toturi" is a family name due to the existence of other cards, a card titled "Toturi" is considered part of that family.

a few questions

Isawa Natsune says he may not bow to produce spell effects but say i had celestial alignment resolve could he then cast a kiho or spell?

Yes.

Kolat duplicate when this event resolves and one of my shugenja is targeted could i bow towers of asako to cancel it, or could i redirect it to shiba raigen? or bow a shugneja with Isawa's helm?

No, no, and no. All of those only work on actions. Kolat Duplicate is not an action.

Question about playing Shadowlands [Jeff]

I want to know if a Shadowlands player can play with events that cause opponents a honorloss (Suspicions, A Time for Action, ...) and if yes, why?

This is a common topic today, isn't it?

Yes. They're not actions.

Second thing I want to know is, if a SL player can play with cards that have the "Imperial"-trait? (Plains of Otosan-Uchi for example)

Sure.

Schroedinger's Card

* When an effect allows to search for a card meeting certain conditions from a deck, is it illegal to activate the effect if it is known to the player that there is no such card in the deck? (from one of Dave Williams' comment on this list, I assume it is indeed illegal)

No. What Dave said is illegal is activating an ability on a card you know you don't have.

* Is a player supposed to know exactly the contents of his deck for deciding the legality of actions? I mean, I usually don't have a deck list with me, and absolutely never know the exact deck list by heart; would my "Superior Strategist" play, above, have been considered illegal?

Superior Strategist says "get a card and play it". It doesn't force you to name the card beforehand. If the card you want to play isn't there, you have to get another legal Action card and play it instead. Only if there are no legal cards left can you skip that part of SS's effect.

Looking to clear up a few rules for my group

1- May I Uncertainty any personality in play on my opponent's side, in a battle or not, if we are in a battle, I have Presence in the battle, and it is the current one being resolved? Or may I only target an opposing personality?

You must satisfy Presence and Relevance. The only way to satisfy Relevance with Uncertainty is to target a Personality in the current battle.

2- Can Agasha Hamanari cancel a Stand Against the Waves if it is effecting everyone in his army? If yes, why? as it doesn't seem to be an action that effects the battle itself.

Read the card:

"When a player plays an Action card from his or her hand that targets you, your cards, or your tokens (or, if Hamanari is in a battle, that affects the battle, such as a Terrain), bow Hamanari to cancel the action."

Stand Against the Waves targets you (and your cards), and Hamanari cancels cards as soon as they're played. He can stop it.

Which is another confusing ability at times. Which brings me to...

3- What are considered actions that effect the battle?

Pretty much anything that's legal to play during the battle, really.

Is there a definitive list somewhere? Sneak, terrains, etc...?

Both those count. Changing the player action order, changing whether terrains can be played, changing the terms under which actions can be played, adding costs to actions...

4- Bayushi Tai can pick a province with a face-up personality and reduce the province's strength by that personalities personal honor. Correct or not?

Correct. (The L5R Experience version was reworded to make this clearer.)

Schroedinger's Card

* When an effect allows to search for a card meeting certain conditions from a deck, is it illegal to activate the effect if it is known to the player that there is no such card in the deck? (from one of Dave Williams' comment on this list, I assume it is indeed illegal)

And what if I used Ninja Spy on a players provinces and know that his last G&F is in it? Can he still search for it even if I tell hem he can't use the reaction cause it isn't in his deck?

Yes. Your word isn't first-hand knowledge of his deck.

Question about bowed cars

do bowed followers still have their abilities ? ie: Shield Wall, if I "fear" the unit, the wall bows. Can I now target the unit with ranged attacks ?

Traits remain fully active even when a card is bowed.

Hida Shara.... ranged cannot target his unit. If he is bowed, can ranged attacks target hit unit now ?

I looked throught the FAQ and rules but I can't find anything on this ?

Gold rulebook p. 33.

Looking to clear up a few rules for my group

Can you use Shrine of Stone to straighten your Personality if they are Ambushed?

No. During an Ambush, you are in an Attack Phase, not an Action Phase.

Rules question

1. I kill an opposing personality (either in battle, or in a duel, or as a result of an action or spell). How many martyrs can my opponent play?

However many are in his hand.

2. In a battle, my army destroys an opposing army. How many To The Last Mans can my opponent play?

However many are in his hand.

3. I destroy an opposing personality. How many duties to the clan can my opponent play?

Eight!

Just kidding. However many are in his hand.

4. In a battle, my army again destroys an opposing army, which is composed of two personalities (for example two daidoji ujis, 2F/2C) My opponent plays final breath which destroys one of my X force / 1 chi personality. Then he plays To The Last Man. My question is, how many ujis count for his To The Last, one or two? Does he have two ujis since final breath and to the last both happen at resolution? Or does he have just one since the first uji was used for final breath?

This question misses a key point: The Final Breath does not "use up" the friendly Personality. It does not kill him "extra dead", it doesn't kill him before resolution...heck, it doesn't kill him at all! Whether you play The Final Breath has no influence on whether To The Last Man is playable or on what it will do when it is played.

Besides, The Final Breath and To The Last Man are both played after resolution, not during. (TTLM by card text, TFB by old, old errata.)

5. In a battle, my army destroys an opposing army, which is composed of just one personality. How many final breaths can he play?

However many are in his hand or however many of your units he can target with them, whichever is less.

Assuming my army is composed of three 2 chi personalities and he has a 3 chi personality, can he play three final breaths, since all three are reactions that take place at the same time, thus killing three of my peeps after I destroy one of his at resolution?

Absolutely.

Essentially, I think my question is, how many reactions can react to one trigger?

As long as you don't use any one printed Reaction more than once, there is no limit. [GE p. 48]

Oh one last thing, what is the mrp for Togashi Hoshi?

Which experience level?

Q: Flattery

From rules Archive Reads, "Flattery 0G 3FV You must have cards in your hand with total Focus values greater than the opposing army's force to play this card. Battle: Discard cards from your hand one at a time until the total discarded Focus values exceed the opposing army's force, to end the battle without resolution and send all units home without bowing. You may take this action during a battle in which you have no units." [MRP, Gold Edition, 1 July 2001]

Q: If a '2 Force Unit' is attacking my province and I have in my hand a Flattery, a '3 focus value card' and a '4 focus value card'. May I use Flattery and discard BOTH cards (total focus 7)?, or may I only discard one of them?

This one is answered right on the card. "Discard cards from your hand one at a time until the total discarded Focus values exceed the opposing army's force, ..." You play Flattery, you discard either of the other two cards, and you're over his Force. Stop discarding.

Traits

Traits are not effects are they?

No, they're not.

Like the Yu Trait. I know that the yu trait when you use it it is not an action or a card effect. So going on that thought a region like sorrows path "Which i believe is all trait"cannot be negated by the Old Lion Champion Tsunari can it?

Destroying attacking cards is clearly an effect of the Region, though. Tsanuri would definitely nullify it.

questions.

Some questions,

1.Faith in my clan can be used by a shadowland player if he has goyu kyuden in play?

No.

Goju Kyoden is only a "Champion", not a "Clan Champion". More imporantly, the Shadowlands has ZERO Personalities that are "members of their Faction". They will never be able to play Faith in my Clan.

2. One player is playing scorpion he has 0 family honor. Another player is playing phoenix he has 10 family honor. The scorpion Player activates Yogo Tjeki and make the phoneix lose 2 honor, the phoenix uses winds truth to redirect the loss to the scorpion player. What happens?

The Scorpion player suffers no change to his Family Honor.

3. How does Seductive Kansen works? If I attach it to a Shadowland personality, the personality is never destroyed? The personality only survives if I reveal cards with focus 4 or 5?

You flip a card. If its focus is 3 or less, nothing happens. If it's 4 or more, kill the Shugenja if he's Shadowlands, or permanently make him Shadowlands if he isn't.

IA Mebership information [Ray]

I'm going to be moving soon, and need to change my address information for mailing my Herald Subscription. If I make the change over at Organized Play, will my Herald be mailed to the right address? Do I have to change it with anyone else?

You will need to change it with both Organized Play and the Imperial Assembly.

Question on bowed cards

As we all know, a bowed card cannot perform any actions. But how about bowed personalities with attached unbowed cards performing the actions on those cards? Specifics

Can a bowed personality fire a Fox Nagamaki?

Yes.

Can a bowed shugenja cast a spell that doesn't require bowing (Such as the Wolf's Proposal?) How 'bout Asako Yuya?

No. No.

Can a bowed shugenja cast a kiho if the kiho does not require bowing?

No.

Can a bowed personality use a Diplomatic Apprentice to perform an action?

No. The Apprentice only pays for the action.

Can a bowed shugenja cast a kiho that's attached to the shugenja through Blessings of Isawa if the kiho does not require bowing or the shugenja can cast kiho without bowing?

No.

Ancestor question

can a personality attach more than one ancestor ?

Yes.

Shinjo Tech Question

Rules question:

As a Unicorn player, can you use a Shinjo Technique to redirect the effects of Secrets on the Wind to one of the personalities of the player who casted it?

So in essence - can I use Shinjo Tech to redirect spell effects?

No. Only Action cards. [card text]