Rules for 12 April 2004

Here we go again. Preferably, no typos this time. More caffeine. Yeah, that'll fix it right up.

The Rules for Monday, April 12, 2004

How does Barren Fields works in a multiplayer game??? If the attacker has all holdings bowed him and all allies have to bow everything???

Allied players' cards in an attacking army are still attacking cards. Allied players' cards in a defending army are still defending cards.

So, yes, Barren Fields can make the Attacker or Defender bow the cards of his or her Allies in their Army that battle to make the numbers match up (unbowed cards vs. unbowed holdings)

rules question.

AFTER the end of the turn. So, the turn has ended. Whose turn is it? Has the next turn begun? Or is there a time when it's nobody's turn inbetween turns?

Ah, I feel a the Shogun of Sorrows looming near...

OK, effects that trigger off of the End of the Turn resolve before effects that trigger off the Beginning of the Next Turn. That much I will say for certain.

As for who's the Active Player? I couldn't tell you. I don't know if it would matter in game play, really, but I can forward the question to Jeff.

No, I promise I don't have anything Leon-ish in mind...

I don't trust that "..." - not one little bit... ;-)

Rules question

Marty... Can fall on your knees negate Kisada's shrines ability?

Yes, provided you played Kisada's Shrine's ability during the Battle Action Segment. If you played Kisada's Shrine's ability during Battle Resolution, for instance, Fall on Your Knees would be of no use.

Strategic Crossroads

Can bowed personalities be moved into battles with for ex. Strategic Crossroads?

Strategic Crossroads can certainly let you move bowed Personalities into a battle. You can't assign Bowed Personalities to Battle, but you can move them in with card effects.

Also (I believe I had asked this but my question wasn't very clearly formulated so here goes again...) does each unit moved due to SC's ability count towards the 4 battle actions needed for the Ring of Water?

Each successful use of the Ability given by Strategic Crossroads counts as you taking a Battle action in a battle, which is what Ring of Water looks for.

So 1st action play the Crossroads, 2nd, 3rd and 4th move a unit into the battle, play Ring, is legal?

Yes.

Finally, if you bow say a monk to cast the 3rd Kiho needed for RoA, play RoA as a reaction, can you then use the Ring's ability as a reaction to straighten the monk who cast the 3rd Kiho?

No. Ring of Air says,

"Play Ring of Air after casting three or more Spells and/or Kiho in one turn.

Elemental Reaction: After one of your Shugenja or Monks bow to cast a Spell or Kiho, bow Ring of Air to straighten that Shugenja or Monk."

You pay the costs of casting the Kiho before you move on and consider it "cast."

That means you bow the Monk and take any Reactions to bowing the Monk, before the Spell is considered "cast" and it is legal to play Ring of Air. Once the Kiho is considered "cast," it is time to play Ring of Air and it is already past time to play Reactions to paying the costs of the Kiho (like using the Ring to unbow the Monk).

No Hiding Place + Kuro's Fire

How do these two cards work together?

No Hiding Place says, "Play before producing a Ranged Attack from exactly one of your attacking cards to target a card in the Defender's home with a Ranged Attack. This Ranged Attack has -1 Strength."

You can play No Hiding Place before any point in which you are required to choose a Target for a Ranged Attack produced by Kuro's Fire.

Kuro's Fire is a bit tricky, though. It has an Action that produces Consecutive Ranged Attacks.

The FIRST Ranged Attack Kuro's Fire makes has to have its target chosen when you play the Action itself - before you pay the cost of the Action or produce any effects.

All the other Ranged Attacks Kuro's Fire makes have their target choosen immediately before producing the next Ranged Attack effect.

Play No Hiding Place immediately before you choose a target for a Ranged Attack from Kuro's Fire. That Ranged Attack (and only that Ranged Attack) can be targeted against a card in the Defender's home.

It gets -1 Strength, but that counts against the maximum total Ranged Attack Strength Kuro's Fire permits you to produce. You can just declare the number of the Ranged Attack's Strength as 1 greater to compensate.

Will my Kuro's Fire Range attacks be allowed to target Units in my opponent's Home?

Just one of them.

Shinjo House Guard plus a few Calvalry Questions

If I assign Otaku Komoko with a Shinjo House Guard(SHG) during the infantry manuvers segement could I after the calvalry segement use the reaction on SHG to assing Komoko to another Province?

Shinjo House Guard says, "After the Cavalry Maneuvers Segment, if Shinjo House Guard is the only Follower in this unit and their Personality has the Cavalry trait, assign this unit to attack, or defend."

I'm going to ask Jeff about his intent on this card. Normally, a card must Assign once during the Attack Phase (you can't assign Cavalry during Infantry Maneuvers and then assign the same unit again during Cavalry Maneuvers).

I'm not sure if Shinjo House Guard's ability let's you reassign a unit that has already assigned. I've got my own feelings on this issue, but not much else to go on. I'm leaning strongly towards, "no," but I'm not the Game Designer, so this one is Forwarded to Jeff.

If I assign a calvalry unit during the infantry segment is the unit still considered calvalry and what about individual cards?

Cavalry in relation to cards is a trait.

A unit is a "Cavalry Unit" if the Personality all Followers in it have the Cavalry trait. (Diamond Edition Rulebook, pages 78-79)

Assigning during the Infantry Maneuvers Segment does not change either of these definitions.

Question: Scouting Maneuvers x Kenson Gakka

Personalities assigning to attack are already in an army for purpose of having the Tactician Trait with Kenson Gakka?

Well, for the purposes of anything, really. It is all or nothing.

Once a unit is successfully assigned, it is either Attacking or Defending a Province, and thusly is considered to be in an Army.

The question is: Can I use the reaction Scouting Maneuvers with any lion with more than 2 chi with Kenson Gakka?

Scouting Maneuvers says, "Target one of your Scouts or Tacticians after assigning it to a Province."

After a unit is assigned, its cards are definitely part of an Army. That will qualify your non-Tactician Lion Clan - Samurai - with greater than 2 Chi for the Tactician trait from Kenson Gakka. That means they are eligible to use Scouting Maneuvers after they are assigned to the Province.

OK, that looks like everything that was not address in-thread or involved Hidden City cards. As always, if I've missed a question, please repost it with the flag [RULES] in the subject line and I'll respond at the first opportunity.

Thanks,