Rules for 1 December 2004

Your Rules for Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Savagery of the Moto

Savagery of Moto : Battle: If you are a Unicorn Clan player, target a Personality you do not control in the current battle and a Personality with the same controller at a different location. Switch their locations. Battle: Target a Region you control and a Region attached to the current Province. Move them to each others' Provinces until the battle ends.

And the question :

What Happens to the regions if one of the province is detroyed during the resolution step of the battle ?

When the effect ends, the cards would go back to where they originally came from, if possible. Any Region that can't be moved back where it came from stays where it is until such a move is possible - just like if a rule prevents you from returning a "borrowed" card in the case of Otomo Ambassador or Show of Good Faith and the Singular trait.

So, if a Province is destroyed, the Region that used to be there can't move back there, so it remains. Most likely, the Region that was Destroyed will consequently be unable to move back to the other Province as it already has the other region there. If it is ever legal to move the Region to that province later in the game (not very likely, but it could happen), you must immediately move it there.

The basic rule here is this: "If you can't put it back where you took it from when the effect ends, it stays put until you can put it back."

Agasha Tomioko and Bishamon's furry.

Agasha Tomioko Phoenix Clan Water Shugenja. Fifth Legion Commander Reaction: Once per turn, after Tomioko attaches a Spell as a Limited, Open, or Battle action, take an additional action of the same type.

Bishamon's Fury (U) Coste: 10; Focus: 3. You may bring this card into play from your hand as a Battle action. If you do, you may gain an additional Battle action to use the following ability. Ritual Battle: Bow and destroy a number of Shugenja Personalities you control, including this one, equal to the number of targets: Target any number of opposing units. Destroy them.

Now the question : If I attach to Tomioko Bishamon's Fury during battle, by card's texte I win an action to cast the spell, but can I also win an action using Tomioko's reaction ? ie : must I cast the spell immediatly after attaching it, therefore destroying Tomioko (so the answer would be no), or do I have the time to use tomioko's reaction ?

The first Battle Action must completely resolve its immediate effects AND allow all players to play their Reactions in response BEFORE the next Battle or Open Action can be taken.

So it works like this:

1.) Play Bishamon's Fury as a Battle Action

2.) Gain an Additional Battle Action to cast it (pending)

3.) Resolve any other triggers to #1

4.) Play any Reactions to #1 (Tomioko's Reaction)

5.) Active player decides whether Tomioko's Effect or Bishamon's Fury's Effect resolves first (conflicting simultaneous effects) and resolves it.

6.) Any attending responses / Reactions

7.) Whichever effect did not happen in 5 happens now (if possible)

Web of Lies rulesheet additions, including the Duelist trait

Credits:

Justin Walsh was incorrectly named as a member of the Design Team for Web of Lies. Credit should go instead to Mark Wootton. A thousand apologies, Mark.

Glossary:

conditional [errata, p. 98]: An effect is conditional if, at the time the action, Event, or trait producing that effect begins resolving, it has not yet been determined whether the effect will occur.

Duelist:

There have been many changes to the fundamental mechanics of dueling over the past month of development that have kept us from giving a definitive function to the Duelist trait until now. Dueling, and the Duelist trait, will work differently in Lotus Edition. This interim rule is a simple addition to the game that will still give the trait sufficient functionality to make Duelist Personalities more worth playing:

After the first time each duel a Personality with this trait focuses, his controller may draw two cards.

"effect" and "end this effect"

Are two different uses of the same ability, different "effects"?

Using an ability twice creates two distinct effects, yes.

I am asking because of this card:

Yoritomo Matsoru

Raid Battle: Bow Matsoru: If Matsoru is attacking the current Province during a Raid Battle, target one of the Defender's Provinces. For the rest of the game, cards in that Province may not be discarded or enter play, and the Defender may pay 3 Gold as a Limited action to end this effect at the end of that turn.

If the same Matsoru is used several times on the same Province, or if more than one Matsoru is used on the same Provinces, does the Defender have to pay 3 Gold several times before they can get use of their Province again?

Yes. Making just one payment won't end multiple effects. Even if they are all from the same ability on the same card, they are distinct.

Web of Lies rulesheet additions, including the Duelist trait

Is the effect for the Duelist trait going to be in effect for SoCal Gencon, or will it be put into effect when Web of Lies becomes tournament legal?

We recommend that Tournament Organizers not adopt the interim rule until Web of Lies becomes legal. It will NOT be in effect for GenCon SoCal.

Rule of Obvious Legality/Cardinal Rule -Jeff

Cite a single instance where you can have an honourably dead personality in play, and I will give it to you. Until then, it's just sophistry.

So bad rules should be left alone until the exploit comes out, and then Jeff & co gets to issue errata to fix it? Do you wait to run out of gas before you go to the station to fill you gas tank up? No, you deal with potential problems when they are discovered, not when they actually occur.

Part of the definition of "dead" includes being in a discard pile. Thus, an instruction to "Target a dead Personality" is an explicit instruction to target a card that is not in play. It is unmistakably a case of a card overriding the rule that restricts targeting choices to cards that are in play only.

There are certain things we are never going to allow, such as having more than two Personalities in a duel or overriding definitions such as "Infantry" and "dead". There is no reason to reword every card that says "Target a dead Personality" to say "Target a dead Personality, even if he is not in play" instead as a precaution against the day it becomes possible for cards to be both in play and dead at the same time. Demanding that cards be worded so robustly that their function does not change even if fundamental definitions in the game change around them goes beyond the point of diminished returns on accuracy versus readability.

That should cover everything for Wednesday. If I missed your question, please repost it with the flag [RULES] as part of your Clear and Distinct subject line. I'll get back to you at the first opportunity.