post for 11 December 2002

Misunderstanded Question on Gold starters (small rant)

Don't tell me this is only a Magic: the Gathering thing. Check out <http://www.decipher.com>www.decipher.com and their site for the recent Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. Too much to ask for?

It could be something as simple as lack of demand...

Death by Gifts and Favors (Solution offered.)

I think my favorite suggestion so far has been a general ruling that no given search effect can be performed by a player again once it yeilds no results. This would cover G&F, Taeruko, the occasional Superior Strategist, and a few other things.

I don't favor that solution. There are ways to get a Fortification back into your deck after using Taeruko and not finding any.

Question Regarding Ancestors

Do Ancestors negate the cavalry trait in personalities? I don't recall seeing any Cavalry Ancestors, and it would seem rather silly to think Chagatai would lose his horse simply because the disembodied spirit of Tetsuko was tagging along....

They used to. And it was ridiculous. They decided that Ancestors were Followers.

It wasn't "rediculous", it was disliked. And Ancestors were defined as a special type of Follower in the rulebook when they were originally introduced, so the ruling that they affected the cavalry status of units was merely a direct application of existing rules.

Rules Question (Jeff)

Hi Jeff, First question for you on Gaijutsu no Shiryo. Relevent text: Gaijutsu may have, but not use, Tattoos as if he were a Tattooed Personality. Tattoos on Gaijutsu are treated as if they were on this Personality if the Personality does not have that Tattoo. For tattoos that permanently modify the personality's stats (ie. the +1 Chi from Spider Tattoo), is the modification doubled? Example, Gaijutsu is attached to Tamori Chieko. Gaijutsu has a Spider Tattoo and Chieko does not. Since Chieko does not have a Spider Tattoo she is treated as having one (Gaijutsu card text).and therefor has +1 Chi. Does Gaijutsu no Shiryo also have +1 chi since the restriction is not that he is unaffected by tattooes but rather that he cannot use them?

Forwarded to the Rules Team. I know what the intent was, but it's ambiguous what "use a Tattoo" means.

If Gaijutsu does have the +1 chi is it treated as a +1 (and therefor added to Chieko's chi) or does he now have a chi of 1 (meaning that it does not add to Chieko's chi).

If he does get the bonus, his Chi would just be a "1", and would not add. Only Items add their stats to the Personality regardless of whether there's a "+".

Second question on Hoshi Chuichi. Relevent text: Chuichi gains +2F/+2C while bowed. If Chuichi is casting Kihos whose effects depend upon his stats (ie. Chasing Osano-Wo or Facing Your Devils) do we check his stats before or after he bows?

If bowing is the cost, then after, since costs come before effects.

ie. for Facing Your Devils would my opponent have to discard more than 4 focus worth of fate cards to refuse (4 being Chuichi's Chi before he bowed to cast Facing Your Devils) or more than 6?

More than 6.

Jeff- Vengeful Dead

I'm a bit slow on the errata, but I wanted to re-ask it.

You have ruled the following...

May be reshuffled if it did not destroy a Personality. [JA, 4 December 2002]

Why is it going this route? Besides the english wording which I could interpert one way vs another, is this really the way this card should be used?

The Rules Team found that to be the more natural reading of the card. Simple as that.

Wind choices

Is there any reason that non-Horde players can't choose Daigotsu, if they feel that way inclined (the 'bring back the real Hantei' gang)?

Probably to discourage fringe groups from trying to corrupt everybody in reach just because they could.

ratling ancestor Q

Does the ratling ancestor (To lazy to type out the name) get any bonusses from the conjurer etc? I am not sure because ancestors tend to be very different from followers...

The Ratling Conjurer gives a bonus to all Ratling cards in play. It doesn't matter what type of card it is -- if it's a Ratling card by the Keyword Rule, it gets the bonus. Whether something is an Ancestor or a Follower isn't an issue.

Death by Gifts and Favors (Solution offered.)

That's what I mean by assumption of intent. There is no Rule of Obvious Legality in print. We've also called it Designer Fiat. The problem with it is that what's obvious to one person is not necessarily obvious to another person.

fiat (n): An arbitrary decree or pronouncement, esp. by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it.

The long-standing-but-no-longer-current ruling that Shadowlands Horde players couldn't benefit from the Alliance event was fiat. A ruling that a card that says "Take this card from Location X" can, in fact, be used when it's in Location X -- regardless of whether Location X is a place where actions can typically be used from -- is not fiat.

There may very well exist one or more people who insist that such a card's action is illegal without explicit text or published errata specifying that it's valid, but those sorts of people are in the extreme minority. There is a limit to how verbose we can be on these cards, and the time and effort required to craft every single card to these individuals' needs lie past the point of diminished returns.

Rules Q

Kitsune Gohei's ability is considered to be use of fear, but is he/it considered to have a fear ability?

Yes.

Ie can I use shaihai's fan to straighten him?

Yes.

If he straightens can he use his ability a second time? Or no since fear is once per battle?

He can't, because Fear is once per battle.

If Kitsune Gohei is in the same army as Kyofu, can he use his ability a second time?

If he can straighten (or avoid bowing the first time), yes.

Also private dojo, raises chi by the personalities fear effect, if that personalities fear effect has no printed value (like kitsune gohei) can the dojo grant a bonus to the personality?

Kitsune Gohei's Fear effect does not have a variable strength, so Private Dojo may be used. However, since no strength is given, it's treated as 0 [GE p. 32]. You'll get a +0 bonus from the Dojo.