post for 7 Oct. 2002

Uona Sensei

I just have a quickie question today: The rules archive on Uona Sensei says that Banish All Shadows may be used. I'd just like to confirm, can I use The Endless Well under Uona Sensei too?

Banish All Shadows is allowed because it puts cards in your hand by way of drawing, not searching or retrieval. The Endless Well does not give you draws. It won't work under that Sensei.

Tadaka's Last Wish..Ninja Shapeshifter question.

Normally a ninja shapeshifter can not copy an ability of the owners bowed cards for targetting reasons. If I have my Ninja Shapershifter target my Tadaka's Last Wish..can I then copy the abilities of my own bowed cards using the copied ability from the Last Wish?

Sure.

Overwhelmed question.

If I use Overwhelmed in a situation where nobody can be moved out of a battle (ie, Winter Warfare, Entrenchment, Tsuchi-do) does the opposing player have to blow up his personality with the largest force or can he say "I choose to send home two units, but as I can't send them home, they just stay there"?

He must destroy the one with the largest Force.

Rules for 6 October 2002

You didn't read the entire rule. The rule says, "An effect that applies only to its own card does not target *ITSELF*." It may still target another card.

Where do you see that? It doesn't say that in the Gold edition rule book, nor in the official rules on the Alderac Website.

It is from the Broken Blades rulesheet, which is also available on that website. Anything on the sheet supercedes the Gold Edition rulebook wording.

Has anyone official made a ruling on this?

Yes.

Why isn't it in the official rulings at http://l5r.alderac.com/rulings/ then?

Zen tends not to include rulings that result from a straightforward application of the most recent rulebook, unless the question is one that comes up over and over again. It helps keep the rulings file at a managable level.

Rules question about names

When a personality is reprinted with a new name (e.g. Togashi and Hitomi Kokujin, or several Yoritomo's Alliance personalities), are they considered the same card?

Unfortunately, the answer is: it depends. Prior to Gold, the answer was usually "yes".

Titles that were changed to reflect correct Japanese grammar don't count as new. "Tsuburu no Oni" and "Oni no Tsuburu" are the same card.

The "Otaku" -> "Utaku" family name change does not create new cards. Otaku Xieng Chi and Utaku Xieng Chi are the same.

For Personalities who changed title and even Clan affiliation in Jade Edition, like Togashi Hoshi and Togashi Mitsu, the Jade version is an MRP of the other one.

Cards that undergo punctuation changes, like "Enough Talk!" (with quotes) to Enough Talk! (no quotes), don't count as separate. For the completist, titles that changed between the earliest set of demo cards printed and Imperial Edition do not count as separate cards either.

On the other hand, none of the cards in Gold Edition or 1,000 Years of Darkness are MRPs. We learned from Jade that intentionally MRPing Personalities for purely storyline reasons creates an unwelcome amount of confusion in the game. Goju Hitomi is a distinct card from every other Mirumoto Hitomi ever made, and Yasuki Hachi from Gold is different from Daidoji Hachi from Spirit Wars (though you can't have more than three total in your deck by special extra card text).

Could one have both Togashi and Hitomi Kokujin in one's deck? Or 3 copies of Kanbe and 3 copies of Yoritomo Kanbe?

No and no.

Kozue = Sensei

I'd assume it'd be legal to negate someone else's Kozue for a turn using Forgotten Lesson? Or trade your starting Sensei for a bird using the Temples of the Crow ability? Or to use Temples to discard Kozue to play a second Sensei on your stronghold?

When a game term already has a definition, you don't use keywords. The Gold Edition rulebook even lists "Sensei" on page 33 as one example of an instance in which keywords don't apply. References to Sensei only work with cards that match the type displayed on page 8.

solitary engagement

Is the duel on solitary engagement refuseable? or does it have to be accepted

It is refusable without penalty, which is the standard for all challenges that do not say otherwise. [GE p. 61]

Kharmic Strike vs. Poisoned Weapon

I'm writing this to check if Poisoned Weapon can beat a Kharmic Strike in the right situation.

Specifically, I'm thinking that a 6 Chi Fushiki challenges 1 Chi Hida Tenshu. Tenshu focuses a Kharmic Strike and then Fushiki strikes. The duel will be tie because of Kharmic Strike, but each player still has an opportunity to play reactons before the duel resolves. Fushiki's player drops a Poisoned Weapon and Tenshu-chan dies immediately. Because Tenshu is dead, the duel does not resolve and Fushiki lives to smite another day.

I'm pretty sure that is a kosher play, but it would be nice to have confirmation.

It's legal. The MRP of Kharmic Strike says the duel will result in a tie during resolution. It specifically does NOT end the duel immediately, allowing Reactions such as Poisoned Weapon to be taken and have effect.

jeff ruling please...

When you play Overwhelmed you force your opponent to choose (ie Target) one or two of his personalities for the second half of the effect.

Question:

What if you are playing Yogo Towers, and Defending or Attacking with one Personality. There are two opposing personalities in this battle. You bow your personality to bow an opposing personality. Replace your bowed personality with a Kwanchi, and Play overwhelmed. Can your opponent send home both his personalities, or does the unbowed personality get destroyed because he cannot target his bowed personality??

He may not target his own bowed Personalities with HIS actiions. [GE p. 46]. But Overwhelmed isn't his action -- it's yours. He can send home two of his bowed Personalities.

1,000 Years rules questions (with answ ers!)

One additional question did occur to me just a few minutes ago on the definition of "your", though. If a card is in your hand, it is not "your" card according to the Broken Blades rules sheet. Only cards in play are "your" cards.

You may not target your bowed personalites with your actions.

Cards in your hand are not "your" cards.

That would seem to imply that you may now (as of the release of Broken Blades) target your personalities with actions that you play from your hand since those actions are not "your" actions anymore. You still may not target your bowed personalities with actions on your cards in play, but cards in hand are a different matter entirely.

You're conflating the terms "action" and "Action card". The definion of "your" you are trying to apply works on cards and tokens only, not to nebulous, non-physical things like actions.

1,000 Years rules questions (with answers!)

What about inner fire which is out of the "hand" and not "your" card as it is an action card, but still targets a bowed personality, causing it to be unbowed?

You are specifically allowed to target your own bowed Personalities with actions that straighten them. [GE p. 46] It would be kind of silly if you couldn't.