Rules for 13 May 2004

Your Rules for Thursday, May 13, 2004

RULES-To Do What We Must...

If one of my personalities (unbowed) is in a battle with a bowed personality, that unit's total force is considered zero for purposes of TDWWM, right?

Right. Page 83 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook says regarding bowed cards and unit force the following:

"These rules hold true any time at which you need to know a unit's or Army's force total, not just just

during battle resolution."

Akodo Ieshige

Does Akodo Ieshige have to have to be in battle to use his ability. I know the rule that says when it says opposing they have to be in the current battle..but someone was saying this doesn't work for Ieshige because he just says opposing player..I don't think this is right can someone help me out?

[MARTY] Akodo Ieshige does not have any abilities. He has a trait. They are different things. The rule about

"opposing" only applies to taking actions, not triggering effects of traits (DE Rulebook, page 81).

Anyway, he's got standing rulings on him in the Archive. I think I was one of the original people bringing up

the "Hey, what if he's opposed in this battle, but I'm resolving another battle?" line of questioning.

Anyway, the relevant rulings / clarifications you want are these:

"An opposing player" means "a player who controls a card opposing Ieshige in the current battle." [JA, 4

December 2003]"

Must be in the current battle to gain his Force bonus. [JA, 4 December 2003]

Random Questions

1. I have Mirumoto Tsuge in play, dishonored and a Ki-Rin's Shrine Exp. He gets a Force of Will played on him, making him 1 chi (thanks to the shrine). By some minor miracle, he wins a duel and gaines honor, and is thus rehonored, what's his Chi and PH?

He doesn't have 1 chi from the shrine. He has 0 chi and dies. Remember that copying and swapping effects

create stat bonuses and penalties to modify his Current stats to the new values.

Since Tsuge was a 5 C, 0 PH Samurai, the effect of swapping his Chi and Personal honor manifests in a -5 C

penalty.

So now his Chi is: 4 + 1 - 5 = 0.

2. What is the difference between 'an opposed player' and 'an opposing player' ?

That's probably a matter of context in most cases.

"The opposing player" is the Attacker or Defender, depending on which side you are on.

"An opposing player" is a player who controls opposing cards.

I could not find any cards with the text "opposed player." Out of the cards I found with both words in their

text, none seemed to be related. Could you further clarify your line of inquiry?

3. Just to clairfy, in an Ambush, I play Strategic Crossroad, as long as my personality is in the battle, I can use the ability of SC.

No, you can not. It does not fulfill Relevance, because you know it can not move a unit into the battle due

to Ambush's on-going effect.

If my personality is NOT in the battle, I can only use the ability to move HIM into the battle, correct?

That is correct. Moving the target of Ambush into the battle is not prevented, and so it will satisfy

Presence and Relevance.

4. Can you make 2 simultaneous Ranged attacks on the same target?

I think so. I assume you're thinking of Tamori Tsukiro. I also believe you have to let the active player

choose which RA effect resolves first if they both will destroy the target, however. That looks like a timing

conflict.

5. If a card gives a bonus like 'This card gaines +X force where X is equal to this cards RA strength'. Would a card with a variable strength (but known) RA get the bonus (ie Fires from Within)? What bonus would the Dragon of Fire get?

The Glossary on page 105 of the Rulebook does a good job with "Variable." If you can calculate it on the

button without making any choices, it isn't "variable" as far as the game is concerned.

Hypothetical cards make rulings more difficult. Could you give me a specific card? Ambush Strategist

immediately comes to mind, but I can't find any others. Ambush Strategist specifies the "highest" strength

ranged attack, and only gives the bonuses directly to the card with the RA. That means Fires from Within gets

a useless +X bonus, not the shugenja.

Fire Dragon would get a +10 bonus from Ambush Strategist, the highest value amoung his non-variable Ranged

Attacks (of which he has two, with two separate abilities).

Breach of etiquette

Is Breach of Etiquette considered Political?

No. It meets none of the criteria on page 33 to be "grandfathered" into being political, nor does it has any

Errata or MRP to be political.

Blade Of Truth

When entering a duel, if I name 0 as fobidden Value,

Does Private Dojo works or can't it ?

Blade of Truths says, "The opposing player cannot play Focus cards or Reaction Action cards with that Focus

value during the duel."

Private Dojo is neither played as a Focus card, nor is it a Reaction Action card. It is a holding. Blade of

Truths does not affect it in any way.

Utaku Tama + Fires in the Hidden City question

If my opponent destroys my prvoince with Utaku Tama in it and I play Fires in the Hidden City, does Tama gain her +2/+2 permently?

Fire in the Hidden City says, "Play after an attacking army destroys one of your Provinces"

Utaku Tama says, "Tama permanently gains +2F/+2C each time one of your Provinces is destroyed while she is in

play."

Your card puts her into play AFTER the Province has already been destroyed. She's not in play in time to

trigger her bonus.

Rules Questions

1. I have Hitomi Mae and Ring of Fire in play. Mae starts a duel with personality with weapon. Can I use her reaction to destroy opponents weapon, and then use her second reaction to gain first opportunity to focus or strike (opponent has more Chi)?

You can use both Separate Reactions in turn. Just remember that the opportunity passes left after your first attempt, so everyone else gets a crack at Reactions the same trigger before you get your second Reaction in there.

2. Personality has bowed 4 F follower attached, and there is Three-Stone River in play. Personality Force is lowered to 4 or 1?

Three-stone reduces everyone with followers to the force of their biggest follower, and everyone without followers to 1. Being bowed does not change the Force of the individual cards, only the total of the unit. A bowed 4F card is still a 4F card.

Essence of Yomi

Is playing Essence of Yomi from your hand as a Battle Action considered a Spell effect?

I'm leaning towards "yes," but I want to be sure that I want to run it by Jeff first.

question Ruby of iuchiban

I haven't heard anything back about this yet that I recall. I'll bother Jeff about it again.

Rules Question - Summon the Dead + Egg of P'an ku

If you create an egg copy of a personality that was brought back into play by Summon the Dead, is the egg destroyed when Summon the Dead runs out of Porcelin Tokens.

No. Summon the Dead has not targeted Egg of Pan-Ku. It isn't a "permanent change" to the personality. Rather, it is simply historical fact. The Egg has its own unique history in your match.

OK, that seems to cover everything from Thursday that wasn't addressed in-thread. If I missed your question, please repost it with the flag [RULES] in the subject line and I'l get back to you at the first opportunity.