Rules for 19 and 20 September 2004

Your Rules for Sunday, September 19 and Monday, September 20, 2004

The only new question on Sunday was about Dawn of the Empire, so we'll move on to Monday.

Math and co

It was previously rules that printed values are values and cannot drop below 0 (exept Family Honor). I think it is not very elegant, but don't let the mathematician part in me talk to much.

Not quite. All the ruling did was clarify that Printed Values are subject to the, "Minimum of zero," stat-floor on page 62 of the Diamond Edition Rulebook, just like a card's non-Printed Values are. That's all.

If your Printed Value is 0 - 1 (for a penalty) = (-1), then you treat it as a 0, unless it is one of the special kinds of values that are exempt from the minimum.

Gozoku and

Mishime/Yajinden

Does the Open action to pay 6 gold meet relevance in battle?

If the Personality is in the current battle, yes. Initiating or Eliminating an effect on a Personality would be directly affecting it.

* Chuda Mishime & Yajinden:

Do they work together ?

If Mishime makes a Chi Penalty Effect with his Maho action (reduces someone's chi), Yajinden can redirect that Chi Penalty Effect.

Some questions about unicity

1 / Can I take control of a singular card if I already control one ? Why ?

No. It says so in the Rulebook under the glossary definition of "Singular"

2 / Can I take control of a Unique Card if I already control one ? Why ?

Yes. Nothing about unique refers to control, only entering play

3 / My opponent have a Unique personality into play. He play Egg on it. I take control of one of them (with a duration specified eg Show of Good Faith), do I return it whren the duration expires ? Why ?

Yes, for the same reason as 2.

4 / My opponent have a Singular personality into play. He play Egg on it. I take control of one of them (with a duration specified eg Show of Good Faith). AR says I don't return control ? Why ?

You don't return it, because the Glossary says that Singular limits each player to controlling one copy of that Singular card.

5 / I have a Singular into play, can I take control of my opponent same singular card ? Why ?

No, for the same reason as 4.

Setai Sensei and Honorable Seppukku

would Honorable Seppukku be a legal Reaction to dishonoring a personality with Setai Sensei that you are bringing into play?

i don't think so, since Setai would dishonor him before he was "your" Samurai, but perhaps not.

You are correct. The Samurai is dishonored before it enters play, thusly before it is "your" Samurai and can make a valid trigger for Honorable Seppuku.

Someisa Sensei and Unbowing Rings

The card in question:

Someisa Sensei Open: Once per turn, bow one of your Monk Personalities that had not cast a Kiho this turn to straighten a Ring.

I could not, then, bow a Monk at home during a battle to straighten a Ring, correct?

Correct

But, what about bowing a Monk in the current battle to straighten a Ring? I only ask because of the Rule of Relevance:

You have to choose a Monk to bow when you have more than one Monk. Therefore, the ability always Targets the Monk bowed. It the target Monk is a card at the Battle, you meet Relevance.

Beyond that, bowing the Monk to pay the cost would be considered "Directly Affecting" the Monk.

By extension, Satsu's ability to straighten a Ring can be used in battle if he's in the current battle per the first clause: the action is coming off of Satsu, correct?

It comes from a card in the battle, so it is Relevant

Kakita

It would appear that while kakita is out all personalities in duels have to focus once, not just in duels involving kakita. Could I get an offical yes or no on this?

You are correct.

The rules for traits change slightly in Dawn. Traits remain active at all times, but do not affect anything except the card they're on while the card is out of play. Kakita does not force players to focus while he is still in the deck.

Barbarian Wall

"The base strength Provinces is the current Province Strength on your Stronghold. [JA, email, 25 August 2004]"

Uh, using this ruling, Barbarian Wall would never do anything. "Current" would mean that whatever strength your province has now, is also the base strength.

I think we need a better definition than this one. Base needs to either mean printed or printed plus or minus any permanent changes.

Current means neither of those things.

Your Stronghold has a Province Strength stat.

Each of your actual Provinces also has an individual strength.

The *current* value of your Stronghold's Province Strength stat is considered the *base* strength of each of your individual Provinces.

Effects that refer to or modify Province strength need to be double-checked whether they're talking about Stronghold values or Province values. Sensei, for instance, modify the Stronghold stat.

The End phase

So, how do these work?

Kyuden Tonbo: "Political Reaction: Bow Kyuden Tonbo and discard the Imperial Favor to draw a card after you focus a card from your hand or you discard an unplayed card from your hand. You need not discard the Favor if your Wind is Toturi Sezaru."

I have Tonbo unbowed, and 8 cards in my hand at the end of my dynasty phase. I draw a card, and discard one to keep my hand size at 8. I react to the discard by bowing Tonbo, and draw another card. I end my turn with 9 cards in hand. Does this work?

Sure. You only discard down to 8 cards once in a turn.

Oracle of the Void: "Elemental Reaction: During your End Phase, if you have fewer than five cards in your hand, bow Oracle of the Void to draw cards until you have five in your hand. Lose 2 Honor each time you draw. These losses cannot be modified."

I have the Oracle unbowed, and 3 cards in my hand at the end of my dynasty phase. Which is the correct way to use the Oracle? Do I draw a card like normal, then bow the Oracle and draw one card? Or do I bow the Oracle, draw two cards, then draw my normal End phase card?

Drawing a card and then discarding if you have over 8 does not have a specified timing. You can have it happen at any time during the End Phase.

"If an effect happens "during" one of your Phases, you can have it happen any time in the Phase that you want. [DW, 12/9/96]" (Accumulated Rulings, "Timing")

Oracle of the Void's Reaction trigger when you are both in the End Phase and have less than 5 cards. You must immediately React to the trigger, or decline to use the Reaction to that trigger.

Once the window of opportunity has passed, you can not later use the Oracle on that same trigger - you'd need to either wait until your next end phase, or draw to 5+ cards and then discard back down below it. Either of these would create a new trigger.

If you enter into the End Phase with 3 cards and an Oracle of the Void, you can choose whether to trigger your Draw and Discard first, or use the Oracle of the Void first.

I suppose that when an effect makes me draw "extra" or "additional" cards during the End phase (Touching the Void, Ashigaru Spearmen, etc), these draws happen at the same time as the normal End phase card draw, correct?

That makes sense. The normal rule is "Draw 1." The effect basically changes that to, "Draw 1+1."

What about other things that occur "during" the End phase (Gifts and Favors, Shinsei's Shrine). When do these happen, exactly?

Shinsei's Shrine produces an effect that happens "during" the End phase, and thusly can happen at any time during the phase, as per Dave William's ruling above.

Gifts and Favors has a Reaction, so again, it would have to happen in response to entering into the End Phase (the first point at which the trigger == true) or not at all. Of course, it is up to you whether you order "during" triggered Effects before you take your Reactions or at some point afterwards.

That should be everything from Sunday and Monday. If I missed your question from these days and it was not related to Dawn of the Empire, please repost it with the flag [RULES] as part of a clear and distinct Subject Line. I'll get back to you at the first opportunity.