Looking for a specific variant of Tic-Tac-Toe I came across a nice variant of Tic-Tac-Toe game, but since I don't know the game, nor remember the exact parameters of the game, it is hard to find info about it, as existence of optimal strategies etc. The part where I'm not sure is the dimension of the grid, but I think it was 4x4 because of the nature of the pieces. Each pieces have four traits, 2 possibilities for each trait. For example, the traits of the game I saw were:

1: Height (Small or tall)

2: Color (White or black)

3: Shape (circle or square)

3: Fillness (Filled or with a hole)

Most likely all 16 possible pieces were present. Now here is how the game is played:

Player A has the white pieces, player B has the black one. On player's A turn, he gives one of his piece to player B and player B decides where he puts it. He then gives one of his (B's) piece to A and A places it where ever he may wants. This keep going on until a player places a piece that gives a Tic-Tac-Toe, a Tic-Tac-Toe being 4 aligned pieces that possess a same traits.

I hope I am making myself clear.


BSG Exodus: What happens with a damaged base star on launch raiders? We played the Exodus expansion with the Cylon fleet option for the first time last night.

We had a situation where there was a single basestar on the main board, and we'd damaged it with the "can't launch raiders" token.

Then, the crisis told us "Basestars launch raiders".

What happens?
a) Nothing
b) Raider appears on cyclon fleet board

Nothing happens. The Exodus rule regarding raiders launching states:

  Launch Raiders or Activate Cylon Basestars: When either of these icons
  is resolved, if there are no basestars on the main game board, place 1
  basestar on the Cylon Fleet game board, according to the placement
  rules below, and advance the Cylon pursuit marker one space on the
  Pursuit track

Adding to the Cylon Fleet game board has an explicit condition which is not met in your example: no basestars on the main game board.


Is team approval voting kept secret? In The Resistance the rules state that everyone votes on the team selected by the team leader, and then reveals their votes.

However I was taught by a friend that the votes are randomized by the leader and then revealed to hide who voted what. This second way makes much more sense.

Is this a typo?
Has anyone played it both ways?

The rules say to do it without randomizing. This is from official rules (you can find the PDF file here, emphasis is mine):

  Mission Team Vote: After appropriate discussion, the Leader calls for
  a vote on the Team assignments. Each player, including the Leader,
  secretly selects one Vote Token. When all players have their selected
  Vote Token ready, the Leader asks for the Votes to be revealed. All
  players flip over their Vote Tokens so everyone can see how they
  Voted. The Mission Team is approved if the majority of Votes approved
  and fails if a majority rejected the assignments; a tied vote is also
  a rejection. If the Mission Team is approved, play continues in the
  Mission phase. If the Mission Team is rejected, the Leader passes in a
  clockwise manner and the Team building phase is repeated.

I actually don't agree with you that the second method makes much sense. You get way more information about the other players if you know how they voted in the past. Is player X always voting No, is he voting yes only if the player Y or himself get selected to the mission team? You wouldn't be able to tell any of that even after few rounds of play, and say, 10+ votes.

Another thing is convincig other players to vote for the team you want - if you know who voted No, then you present good argument why you think they should change their mind, and they got nothing to reply you with, or say that they agree with you... Then everyone will see if they actually changed their minds or only said so, but voted No anyway. If voting is secret, they could just listen to you, vote No anyway, and they say "Hey, I voted Yes, someone else must have changed his mind". And discussion can become dull.

I also think that randomizing votes would make things easier for the spies - they always should vote no (they might just win the round with 5 teams voted down), unless the team selected is perfect for they needs. They would never have to think harder than that, and that seems less fun for me. That's why I would generally be against secret voting, but might give it a try a couple of times. Hope this helps.

If you're interested in the history of the game, I'm sure you can easily see that The Resistance originates from Mafia/Werewolves games. In those games, players openly suggest who to "linch" each day, and voting is (at least in most cases) open for similar reasons. In the prototype version of The Resistance, actually using your thumb down/up was used to vote Yes/No, and this is the way I do it with in my group to this day.


How can I beat "Big Money" in Dominion? Our group has determined that buying (almost exclusively) money and points is the way to go.

Most kingdom cards are ignored, or are bought very sparingly. This has lead to games feeling 'samey' and has taken a lot of the fun out for us.

What strategies should we use to counter "Big Money"?  Or are house rules needed here?

There comes a time in every Dominion group's life where they figure out that Big Money (the strategy you describe) is beating everyone else who is going heavy on action cards. Do not fret - it's most often not actually the best strategy.  For example, if everyone else is going Big Money, buying a single Smithy will win a 4-player match about 60% of the time and a 2-player match about 80% of the time (via a trial run of 5000 matches on my simulator program).

There is pretty much always a superior strategy to Big Money on the table; you just have to find it.  A common mistake is to spend turns buying too many Kingdom cards to have giant crazy combos that don't pan out. Another thing to watch out for is going for a longer game with a fantastically combo-heavy deck, but then by the time your deck is all situated someone else has bought all the Provinces.  Even still, combo decks do sometimes work - I have been in some thrilling Village+Bridge decks that beat the pants off Big Money.

I haven't been playing around enough with it to know for sure, but it seems that the new expansion Prosperity also lends itself toward Kingdom card strategies winning more often. The reason I feel this way is because Prosperity seems to stretch out the game a big longer such that bigger decks with lots of cool combos can succeed quite well.

Generally I like to measure my strategies against Big Money - if it can't reliably beat Big Money, it's not a good strategy.

But even still: when in serious doubt, buy a Silver.


Oxygen level card restriction on Terraforming Mars The restrictions to be met for playing a card are always clear when referring to temperature; they either say "temperature below or equal to X degrees" or "above or equal to X degrees". However, when the restriction is on oxygen level, we have only found cards explicitly saying "below or equal to X% level", but none explicitly stating "above or equal to X% level". We therefore have the doubt on how to interpret the restriction for those that state only "X% level". Does it mean the card can only be played when the oxygen level is that "exact X% level"? Or can it be played when it is "X% level or above"?
Thanks!

It is "X% level or above".
The rulebook gives a few examples of cards, along with the restrictions of when they can be played. Card "D" in the example list is Livestock, which shows "9% oxygen as a requirement", and the rules state:

To play card D, the oxygen level must be 9% or higher. You also need to have plant production, since the card requires you to decrease your plant production.

(Emphasis mine).
Card E is Shuttles, and it shows the same requirement icon, needing 5% oxygen. The rules state:

Card E requires 5% oxygen and energy production.

So the rules consider "requires x% oxygen" to be interchangeable with "requires x% oxygen or more".


Can I read a tome in Other Worlds? In Arkham Horror, tomes require movement points to use, e.g. Old Journal:

  Tome
  Movement: Exhaust and spend 1 movement point to make a Lore (-1) check. If you pass, gain 3 Clue tokens and discard Old Journal. If you fail, nothing happens.

Because I never receive movement points in Other Worlds, is it possible to use a tome?

The FAQ on Fantasy Flights website covers this question.

Q: Characters in Other Worlds receive no movement points. But if a character in an Other World has an item that gives them movement points, such as the Motorcycle or Ruby of R' lyeh, can the character use an item that requires the character to spend movement points, such as the Necronomicon?
A: No. You can not receive movement points or use any item requiring movement points while in an Other World.


What do you recommend to learn Go? I am a beginner at this great game, and I would like to improve my skills at the game of Go. What resources would you recommend?

Once you have learned some basic strategy, the best way to learn is to play.  If you don't have a friend or neighbor to play with, then I highly recommend the American Go Association.  They have a great resources page, links to clubs, books and teaching software.

The AGA maintains a list of Internet Go Servers for on-line play, including some turn-based servers.  Turn-based servers are good for beginners because there is no pressure to move quickly — you play via email.  The Dragon Go Server is dedicated to Go.

The great thing about Go is that it is easy to handicap.  You and a much more accomplished player can both enjoy a game together, you just have to handicap the expert player.


Does an equipped creature become an artifact creature? Does a creature become an artifact creature when an artifact is equipped onto it or just a creature with an artifact on it?

No, an artifact creature is specifically a creature that has "artifact" written in its type line. See Platinum Emperion for an example; it specifically says "artifact creature". A creature could also become an artifact creature through an effect that says it changes the type, such as Mycosynth Lattice. But attaching an equipment to a creature will not affect the creature's types unless that equipment specifically says something like "equipped creature is an artifact in addition to its other types" such as Silverskin Armor.


Bestow and Intimidate - what color do I need? What color do I need to block a bestowed creature which got intimidate? Example: I cast a black bestow aura which grants intimidate on a blue creature. Do I need a blue creature to block it?

Yes, only blue (or artifact) creatures can block it.

Cavern Lampad unfortunately doesn't include reminder text for Intimidate, but if it did, it would say "This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.". It's granting the ability to your blue creature, so it's that creature's color that matters. Yes, Cavern Lampad does also itself have intimidate, but that's irrelevant; you're attacking with the enchanted creature, not the Lampad.

Sometimes Auras do actually have abilities, as opposed to granting abilities to the creatures they enchant. For example, Crown of Flames has the firebreathing ability ({R}: Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn), while Dragon Mantle gives that ability to the creature it enchants ("Enchanted creature has {R}: This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn."). But in the case of intimidate, it has to be like this, with the creature, not the aura, having the ability. You're attacking with the creature, not the aura, so for intimidate to do anything, the creature has to have it!


Flip-Walkers Forcibly Transforming If I have a Geier Reach Bandit / Vildin-Pack Alpha whos allows my werewolves to transform upon entering the battlefield. Or just a Moonmist

What happens if I have a Conspiracy / Arcane Adaptation then I cast one of the Flip-Walkers (Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh, Liliana, Heretical Healer, Nicol Bolas, The Ravager)
My assumption is that without the self-exiling effect card flips to the walker side with no loyal counters and instantly kills itself. Please confirm?

The Planeswalker will have no loyalty counters and will die immediately from a state-based action.

This is stated in a Gatherer ruling on each of those cards. For example, the first five have this ruling:

  In some rare cases, a spell or ability may cause one of these five cards to transform while it’s a creature (front face up) on the battlefield. If this happens, the resulting planeswalker won’t have any loyalty counters on it and will subsequently be put into its owner’s graveyard.

Transforming a card doesn't cause it to leave or enter the battlefield. It just turns into whatever is on its other face. So the planeswalker side doesn't "enter" with no loyalty counters, it just becomes the planeswalker side and doesn't have any loyalty counters.

If one of those cards enters the battlefield with its back face up for any reason, it enters the battlefield with a number of loyalty counters equal to its printed loyalty. Each of them has an ability that causes it to go to exile, and then enter the battlefield transformed, to ensure that it gets those loyalty counters.


When Using Throne room on a Throne room do you need two more action cards already in hand? In the base game Dominion, Throne Room lets you play an action card twice.
The Dominon complete reference guide on BGG singles out the Throne room on a Throne room play for some helpful notes.

  When you play Throne Room on Throne Room, this will let you play two other cards (each twice).

What I'm not clear on is if you need to have both "other" cards in hand already to be able to do this, or can the first card played allow me to draw the card I use on the 2nd Throne room?

Is this acceptable?

Hand: Throne Room, Throne Room, Moat, Copper, Copper
Play: Throne Room, Throne Room, Moat (drawing 4), Play Laboratory (which I've just drawn using the Moat), etc...

Or do I have to have the action card already in hand to make use of the "third" Throne Room created by duplicating the second card played?

In Dominion, the general rule is that you have to do everything on a card in order before you can play another card.

This affects Throne Room in an odd way, because it means you have to do everything printed on the card Throne Room tells you to play, then do everything on that card again.

Thus, when you Throne Room a Throne Room, you play one card and resolve it twice, then play a second card and resolve it twice.

TL;DR Yes, you can play the Laboratory you drew with the Moat as the second Throne Room's second play.


Infiltrating in new Caprica Suppose you are playing a game with a Cylon leader. He is not infiltrating. The humans reach New Caprica. Is there now no mechanic by which a Cylon Leader can infiltrate? So the only way for a Cylon leader to infiltrate is for him to already have been infiltrating when we arrived?

That is correct; there is no way for a Cylon leader to start infiltrating while on New Caprica. (See the Unofficial FAQ at BGG)

If a Cylon leader needs the humans to win and wants to be able to help them out on New Caprica, s/he needs to be infiltrating when they get there. Otherwise, s/he won't be able to use the Human actions, which is the main way to help the humans.


What's the name of the move where the player swaps King and Rook/Castle in Chess? Why is this move important? I'm a chess beginner, and I was wondering: why was this movement introduced to chess, and why is it important to the game?

It's called castling. It's important because it gets your king out of danger (the centre is not safe), while simultaneously moving your 'tower' (also called a Castle, or a Rook) into the centre, where it is much more useful.

See this related question: Is castling still done in the openings in modern chess?


Question about Join the Military square of The Landlord Game? I recently got obsessed with board games, specifically Monopoly, I have been buying other Monopoly sets, and that obsession took me to the other board game called The Landlord Game. To make the story short: I downloaded it from this web page, and I start playing with my family.
I was playing as the Owner, and I landed on Join the Military square, but then I had a doubt: Is it optional or not for an Owner to join the military?
Here on this link, are the rules.

From the rules : The rules

Join the Military. When passing through this square, Unemployed and
Employees may choose to stop on this square and join the military,
with the following results:

The rules clearly state
«When passing through this square... may choose to stop...»
Joining the military is therefore NOT compulsory for Employees and the Unemployed; you can just move on, i.e. «pass through».
Since this rule applies only to the specified players, one can logically deduce that the other players, Owner and Manager, do not have this choice. [Edit : The author has confirmed this. See below]
The copyright holder of the game must then decide which of the alternatives these latter players must take. I have contacted Randal Sean Harrison, Ph.D. at the University of Notre-Dame and asked him to give a ruling.
Edit :
The author, Dr. Randal Sean Harrison, has answered in a private email.

It’s totally optional. Certain player classes [Employee and Unemployed]  “may choose” — is the key phrase.
Managers and Owners may not join the military—as the rules were
written.
I suppose you could change that rule, but why would you? What
benefit would it provide the owner? In Landlord, that mechanic is a
vehicle for rising socioeconomically. I don’t know many business
owners or MBA or capitalist billionaires who join the military, etc.
:-)

Dr. Harrison also gives further information concerning play involving the «Join the Military» square that is not germane to your question but I expect would be extremely useful; so here it is:

Certain player classes “may choose” — is the key phrase. The idea
being that, say, I’m an unemployed player, am 2 squares away from
Military square and I roll a 6. I move the two squares and stop on the
military square. I exchange my unemployed card for employee. I’m not
an enlisted man/woman. I move now with a D6 (as an “employee class)
-1, since, the military restricts movement in ways civilian life does not. > And until I pass the Payday square next, I roll an additional D6.
If that roll is a 1, I roll again. If I roll again, I’m killed in
combat.
When I play this with students, some choose to join, some don’t.
Without college or the military, though, it’s nearly impossible to
rise up through the socio-economic classes. There are change cards
which will allow you to rise up, but they are few and the odds of
striking them are slim. Another fun fact. Every class of four boards
with 4-5 students, 1 or two students who join the military die. It’s
1/36 chance after all.
All that said, the most important way this is NOT monopoly (sic) is that
you can and should make rules (analog for politics). You (the player) can
remake the world. So the ultimate arbiter of the Military square
question is the player in the game in the moment.

In my estimation, this is the ultimate game for Monopoly players who like house rules. The way I understand it, the author's objective is to get you to tweak the game rules so that you become more aware of what policies (rules) are overpowering certain social classes and what is required to make a more level playing field for all.
Also, the game's name is «The Landlord Game», and not «The Landlord's Game», the latter of which is Elizabeth Magie's 1904 game.
The Landlord's Game 1904


Value of Joker options How should one compare the value between the two main options of Jokers?

In Yomi, Jokers have two primary purposes: Gold Burst, which allows one to gain aces, and Time Rewind (also affectionately known as Blue Burst), which acts as a "combo breaker" when being hit.  There are also other minor uses, such as using them for pumping fodder in extreme cases.

Being so rare and having powerful effects, Joker's are extremely valuable.  As such, it becomes important to judge the opportunity cost of the two options against each other.  It seems to be a general guideline that Blue Burst is substantially more valuable than Gold Burst in the broadest strokes, but it is not a hard rule.

What is the estimated mathematical value between the two options?  In what situations or character match-ups does it significantly change?  If one is playing for winning in the long-term over multiple games, as one might do in Poker, what is the most conservative way to value these cards?

Blue burst is more valuable for simple reason. Let's compare them

Blue burst:
+ It's more certain to hit than gold burst
+ It gives +1 card advantage
+ It makes you immune to damage
- OR -
+ It gives you card advantage over opponent that thinks you are bluffing

Gold burst:
+ It's less certain to hit than blue burst generally 50% case.
+ It can give opponent chance to retaliate for free
+ It gives +1 card advantage, while it gives +2/3 card advantage compared to power-up (3 cards for 2 aces)
- Other cards can achieve similar effect, and can recur more often.
- If you lose your opponent is almost guaranteed to gets some free damage in.

With blue burst, you win whether opponent does something or not (assuming you played a Joker). With gold burst it's a bit more all-in.


Does Morphtronic Cameran defense effect negate trap and spell? I wanna know if the effect in defense of the monster "Morphtronic Cameran" negate only effect of other monster or also trap and spell ?

I may be answering this in a most "catch all" way, but I wanted to make sure how it works was clear to future readers who may misunderstand the card effect in this context.

The card text of Cameran reads:

  Morphtronic" monsters on the field cannot be targeted by effects.

This is a continuous effect Card Rulings: Morphtronic Cameran that prevents all card effects from targeting Morphtronic monsters.

What this means is that it technically does not negate the card effects, it prevents Morphtronic monsters from being selected as targets from card effects that require choosing a card as a target.

Effects from cards like Dark Hole still apply and will destroy all the Morphtronic monsters because Dark Hole's effect does not select targets.

Effects that target will resolve something like so:

If a player chose to play Compulsory Evacuation Device (target one monster to return to the hand CED) when he/she controls one monster and the opponent has a Cameran in defense position and another Morphtronic monster, the player cannot select either of the opponent's monsters as targets, therefore he/she must return his/her own monster back to their hand.

Or in the instance that the player did not have that monster, they cannot activate the card because it does not have a legal target.

When it comes to resolving off of a chain: If a valid target was chosen (CED activated and Cameran was selected) and then it was no longer valid (i.e. a card was chained to CED's activation and the effect changed Cameran's position to defense before CED resolved), then in the resolution of CED nothing happens and CED goes to the graveyard because it is a normal trap card.


How can you make Twilight Imperium games not take forever? I really like Twilight Imperium (3rd edition), but I haven't really enjoyed my time playing it due to the long playtimes.  I've played one 4-player game, two 6-player, and one 8-player game.  The shortest game was the 4p - it clocked in at 6.5 hours.  And that was with experienced players.  I don't feel like anyone had serious Analysis Paralysis during the game but approximately one hour per full game round is just ridiculous.

One option is to play the variant where everyone starts with several systems (neighbor systems are just given to you for free).  I do enjoy the early expansion part of the game, so I'm leery about trying that.  Are there any other suggestions for speeding up play?

Some minor tweaks that can help:

1) Use the variant Imperial II from the expansion.  Tricky juggling of the turn order to ensure you get Imperial is one cause of delay in selection.  (Also, Imperial is badly designed and dull...)  That variant expects the goals to be face-up - which speeds the game up; everyone can see which vps they're aiming for later on.

2) Play to 1-2 fewer vps; that'll normally save a full turn, without damaging the endgame too badly.

3) Use a fixed board instead of dealing out; then the host can set up in advance and skip the board dealing phase. (FFG publish suggestions for this at the TI site.)

4) Assign admin tasks to players - make one player in charge of the planets deck, one in charge of action cards, etc.

5) Use a tech / status tracker or other ship reference sheet to keep quick track of tech effects on your units.

6) Get in the habit of planning your builds during other people's turn, or allow 'honor builds' in which you announce a build and then the next player moves on with the game while you build.  Builds need time-consuming decision making and are rarely affected by the next player's move.


Reserve cards and winning Can you have cards on reserve and still win if you reach 15 points? We have had arguments that a person cannot win using gold coins if cards still on reserve and not yet purchased. Some players feel that there should be a penalty at the end for having unused reserve cards.

There is nothing in the rules that prevent you from winning based on certain conditions and getting 15 points just triggers the end of the game. Once the final round is done the player with the most points will win regardless of how many reserve cards they may have.

Rules

Reserve a development card

  To reserve a card, a player simply needs to take a face-up
  development from the middle of the table or (if you’re feeling
  lucky) draw the first card from one of the three decks (level
  ; ; ) without showing it to the other players.
  The reserved cards are kept in hand and cannot be discarded.
  Players may not have more than three reserved cards in hand,
  and the only way to get rid of a card is to buy it (see below).
  Reserving a card is also the only way to get a gold token
  (joker). If there is no gold left, you can still reserve a card, but
  you won’t get any gold.

END OF THE GAME

  When a player reaches 15 prestige points, complete the
  current round so that each player has played the same number
  of turns.
  The player who then has the highest number of prestige points
  is declared the winner (don’t forget to count your nobles).
  In case of a tie, the player who has purchased the fewest
  development cards wins.

As a note this is how the ios app works


What is meant by "built" regarding the Vineyard card? On the recommendation of a friend, I picked up 7 Wonders, and two other friends and I played our first game a few nights ago.  When one of my friends played Vineyard, we had a lengthy discussion of what the rules meant.

  The card is worth 1 coin per brown card built in the player's city AND in the two neighboring cities.
  Clarification: The brown cards built on in the neighboring cities on the same turn as the Vineyard are counted.

Emphasis mine.  The key discussion is what is meant by built.  In this context, it's ambiguous as to whether "built" is in the past tense or the future tense.  During our first game, we came to the conclusion that it must mean future.  We arrived at this conclusion through the misconception that the players would be paying the Vineyard owner instead of the owner drawing the funds from the central bank.  By the second game, we had forgotten our misconception, and decided that built must be past tense, as there are far too few  resource cards in the second age, and none in the third, to make Vineyard worth while.  We didn't really worry about it that much, since I discarded Vineyard on the last turn.

So, what is actually meant?  Do I collect a coin for every brown card I have in play right now, as well as a coin for the brown cards my neighbors have in play at the end of this turn?  Do I disregard existing brown cards, and collect a coin when my neighbors or I play a new brown card?  Or is it everything - do I instantly collect a coin for existing brown cards, as well as a coin for each future brown cards when they're played?

You get 1 coin per brown card that already exists, including brown cards built by your neighbors in the same round. Note that brown resources built into player boards do not count for this.

You do not get any coins for brown cards built in future rounds. All Age cards that provide coins provide them immediately.


Mass Spell Recursion & Storm If one overloads a card such as Mizzix's Mastery to recur a graveyard full of instant/Sorceries, including a card with Storm (Grapeshot). Will Storm trigger for each spell you're also casting from the graveyard? As I understand storm is an on-cast trigger, so does order stacking matter in this instant?

This is question is not specific to Mizzix's Mastery or Grapeshot. If there is a better example of Mass Recursion & Storm please use that.

The spells cast by Mizzix's Mastery would count towards the storm count if you casted them in the correct order.

From the Gather rulings under Mizzix's Mastery:

  If Mizzix’s Mastery exiled multiple cards, you may cast the copies in any order. The last copy you cast will be the first one to resolve.

The correct play to maximize your storm count would be to cast every spell other than Grapeshot first, and then cast Grapeshot last.

For instance, lets say your graveyard had Time Walk, Ancestral Recall, and Grapeshot, and you had casted no other spells that turn.

You cast overloaded Mizzix's Mastery (Storm=1)
Each player passes priority, Mizzix's Mastery resolves.
Exile Time Walk, Ancestral Recall, and Grapeshot, making copies of each of them
Cast the copy of Time Walk (Storm=2)
Cast the copy of Ancestral Recall (Storm=3)
Cast the copy of Grapeshot
Grapeshot's Storm ability triggers on cast with the Storm count equal to 3
Place 3 copies of Grapeshot on the stack on top of the original Grapeshot
Each player passes priority, Grapeshot storm copy 3 resolves
Each player passes priority, Grapeshot storm copy 2 resolves
Each player passes priority, Grapeshot storm copy 1 resolves
Each player passes priority, Grapeshot Mizzix copy resolves
Each player passes priority, Ancestral Recall copy resolves
Each player passes priority, Time Walk copy resolves


Why doesn't the enemy's afterlife resolve first? When my Dreadhorde Butcher destroys a Tithe Taker in combat and dies
 as a result of the combat during my turn, doesn't Rule 405.3 say that the afterlife should resolve first, since the Dreadhorde Butcher's effect should be lowest on the stack? I put Rule 405.3 below for reference.

  405.3. If an effect puts two or more objects on the stack at the same time, those controlled by the active player are put on lowest, followed by each other player’s objects in APNAP order (see rule 101.4).

Yes, on your turn your opponent's Afterlife triggered ability gets put on top of the stack, so it resolves first, and then your Dreadhorde Butcher's triggered ability resolves.

However, that isn't enough to kill the newly created spirit token with the Butcher's ability. You choose targets for abilities when you put them on the stack, so the Butcher's ability needs to target a player or a creature or planeswalker already on the battlefield at that time. This happens before the Afterlife ability resolves or is even put on the stack, so the spirit token won't be available to target.


What to do with an early $8 hand? What should I do with an $8 hand that appears in Turns 3 through 6, in a game that only goes up to Provinces? Consider 4-player games primarily, but if games with other numbers of players significantly change this decision, please mention it.

(This might happen a few different ways: Coppersmith and a lucky draw will get you this in T3/T4, but even a simple Big Money strategy can pick this up on T5/T6.)

I realize the answer here is most likely "it depends," but what does it depend on? Does the availability of $7 cards make an early Province buy less tempting? If the other worthwhile cards cost only $5 (or even $4), does it change the answer?

I ask because I've been playing a fair amount of 4-player Androdominion, and early $8 hands crop up occasionally. I usually buy the Province, simply because victory usually occurs somewhere around 5 provinces, and I prefer the bird in the hand rather than trusting what the future might bring.

In a 4p game, you should be more eager to take an early Province than in 3p or 2p. There are two reasons for this. First, in 4p each Province is a larger share of the available points, and you have on average a smaller number of turns. Second, in 4p you are more likely to see the game end on three piles before all the Provinces are gone. As a rule of thumb, I would grab the early province in 4p, but not in 3p or 2p.

That said, what are some of the Kingdom cards that would indicate that you should hurry or not hurry?

Tournament, as swbarnes2's answer indicates, is a very powerful card, and its presence means that Provinces in your deck are very important. In Tournament games, never pass up the opportunity to get a Province.

Explorer is another card that keys off of Province, but it's a fairly weak card, and you can't be sure of connecting it with a Province when you need to. I don't consider its presence a reason to hurry.

Cards that give you something else very strong to do with your money should make you think twice. Overbuy cards like a Masterpiece or Stonemason (with a good target) give you more than the usual opportunity to improve your deck quickly, and are likely a better choice than Province on turn 5. Goons, King's Court, and to a lesser extent Expand are other important cards can be very attractive for an early turn. Depending on what the other players are doing, other powerful $5 cards like Wharf, Cultist, or Rebuild might need to take priority.

By contrast, what would suggest that you need the Province right away? First and foremost, look for piles that might empty out. For instance, if Ironworks is available with attractive targets like Great Hall, Fishing Village, Ironmonger, Gardens, etc., those piles are likely to deplete very rapidly in a 4p game, and you should grab the points while you can!

By contrast again, look for cards that will slow the game down--an absence of buys, and delaying attacks like Militia or Ghost Ship. If those attacks are flying, you're going to have a lot of trouble buying a second Province without a good deck, so you're likely to want Gold. (Sometimes in a 4p game you don't need to bother with attacks yourself if everyone else is playing them for you!)


What happens if the Heliod/Spike Feeder combo meets the Heliod/Walking Ballista combo? Alice's board: Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Spike Feeder equipped with Swiftfoot Boots

Bob's board: Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Walking Ballista, 2 mana to activate Heliod

The turn prior, Alice played the infinite life combo and went to "infinite" life. By the rules she can't actually go to infinite life, just some very high but finite number (let's say 1 Googol). Then she passed the turn. Bob played Walking Ballista for 2, activates Heliod, and starts shooting. What happens now?

Bob: shoot you for one? (Alice says OK) Gain life, pump my Ballista, shoot you for one? (Alice says OK) Loop 1 Googol times?
Alice: OK, after your 1 Googol activations, with the 1 Googolth activation on the stack, I activate my Spike Feeder and gain 2 life?
Bob: Okay, after you gain two life, shoot you 1 Googol times?
Alice: In response, gain 1 Googol life?

... and repeat.

Looks related: What happens if both players have the ability to pump their creature an unlimited number of times? However the two infinite combos above might never lead to the same state, e.g. Bob can say "I shoot you half a Googol times", and it's not clear what life total Alice has afterwards (if she survives).

It depends on which creature has more counters

Say the Ballista has 4 counters, the Spike has 2.

Bob activates their Ballista (3 counters left).  While the trigger is on the stack:
Alice activates their Spike (1 counter left).  While the trigger is on the stack:
Bob activates their Ballista (2 counters left).

Alice cannot activate her Spike again, or it will die and she will have no combo.  She's forced to let Bob resolve his Ballista trigger and his lifegain trigger.

Before Alice's Spike trigger resolves, Bob activates their Ballista again (2 counters left).

As you can see, Bob's combo is running, and Alice's is stuck.  Bob can kill Alice.

On the other hand, if the Spike had more counters than the Ballista, then Bob will lose his ability to run his combo before Alice does, and Alice will always be able to gain more life than Bob deals.

If the Spike and the Ballista have the same number of counters, whomever starts activating their combo first will lose the race.  If Alice activates her Spike before Bob activates his Ballista, then he can kill her.  But if he activates his Ballista first, Alice will survive.

Of course, the Ballista combo also generates an arbitrarily large sum of life for Bob, so he is motivated to activate it anyways (since Alice already has a large lifetotal).

Notes: Letting the activated ability resolve and then activating your own ability on top of Heliod's triggered ability achieves the same result as if you had interrupted the activated ability.


Where can I find wooden pieces (or alternates) for Diplomacy? I'd like to play Diplomacy, and have the old Avalon Hill version of the game which, unfortunately, comes with plastic pieces (stars and anchors). It also lacks indicators of who controls which supply centers.

I like the original wooden pieces, seen here:

Fleets are clearly fleets, armies are clearly armies, and supply centers are demarcated by the colored circles.

Another good example are these pieces:

What works as a viable replacement for these parts? Where can I find them? I've seen around suggestions to:

Make them myself - this is time-consuming, and (for me) generally doesn't work out well
Use wooden beads - while this works, it doesn't really look professional
Purchase parts sets - these are typically expensive; I haven't found anything that wouldn't require a large investment to complete
Use the original wooden Risk parts - these lack enough fleets required to run a game, as well as lack supply center indicators. They're also expensive

I'm looking for better options. Any ideas?

Please, check the following question: What's a good source of generic pieces/components? There are a lot of board game components shops listed there.


Does Copperhorn Scout untap land creatures? I have an Ambush Commander out which makes each forest that I control a 1/1 green Elf creature that's still a land.

If I have four tapped Forests and I attack with Copperhorn Scout, does this cause the land creatures to untap (since they are creatures), or would they stay tapped (since they are lands)?

They are creatures, therefore they untap. If the ability doesn't specify that it applies only to nonland creatures, then it applies to all creatures, regardless of other types they might have.


In King of Tokyo, can you get more than 1 evolution per turn? In the rules, it states that you must roll AT LEAST three hearts to earn an evolution card.  If you are able to roll/use card(s) to garner, for example, 6 stars, can you apply the 'at least' statement to mean per heart, or does AT LEAST indicate that a maximum of 1 evolution can be earned per turn?

No, you may only draw one Evolution per set of rolls.

The rulebook states:

  If a monster ends their rolls with at least 3 [hearts], they draw the top Evolution of their deck

Firstly, the term "at least 3" indicates that any number above 2 will match the condition, thus 3 or 6 or anything between will give you the same result.

Secondly since the card effect happens at the time that you end your rolls, only one card can be on top of your Evolution deck at that time.


Can I buy an "underneath" Major Improvement without paying for the top one first? Can I purchase a Major Improvement card that is underneath another Major Improvement without first having to buy the top improvement?

No, you have to buy the Major improvement that is above first. This isn't explicitly defined, but it is implied on p.2 of the rules:

  An advantage of placing 12 of the 14 new Major Improvements underneath others at the start of the game is that the use of the cards does not need to be explained in detail at the start of the game. The only two new Major Improvements that need to be explained are the Peat-charcoal Kiln and the Forester's Lodge.

There are also Minor Improvements which change the order of the stacking, again implying that the order is significant. For example, the Pastoral Letter (p.30):

  If the Well has not yet been built, you can immediately place it under the Village Church. (The Well and the Village Church swap places.)...

Finally, this is confirmed in a response on BGG by Hanno Girke, a game designer who founded Lookout Games along with Uwe Rosenburg (designer of Agricola):

  Major Improvements are now stacked. There are 12 stacks of 2 cards
  each. Only after the top card is bought, the other card is revealed
  and available for purchase.


How does the four card limit work? I'm new to the game and trying to make my first constructed deck. My understanding of the card rule is I can only have four cards of one kind.

What does this precisely mean?

For instance, does this mean I can only have four rat cards total or four rat cards of several kinds? If two different cards do the same thing (like Remove Soul and Essence Scatter), can I have four of each?

Other than basic lands (Island, Forest, Plains, Swamp, Mountain, and Waste) you are only allowed to have four cards in your deck with a given name. (Barring a few exceptions where the card itself says otherwise, or the card is restricted in the format you're playing.)

As an example, you are allowed to have four copies of Plague Rats, and four copies of Ravenous Rats, you can also have any number of Relentless Rats, as the card has specific text allowing "any number" which overrides the four card limit.

In short, you are allowed any number of distinct card names, but only four instances of any given name.


What is the highest score recorded for a single play in Words with Friends You can only play 7 tiles in one turn in Words with Friends, so that makes a maximum of eight words you can make at once. By maximizing use of the bonus squares (Triple Word Score etc.) you can get some very high scores.
What is the highest score anyone has achieved in a single turn in Words with Friends?

According to recordsetter.com the current record for a single word turn is 1674 points with the word "oxyphenbutazone".
This word has been used for various other records such as 1670, 1672 and 1673 points.
It's worth mentioning that most of these records have been set by setting up the game in a way that optimized for this specific play.


Is there skill in rolling a spinner? Several board games, particularly those made for young children, use a spinner instead of a die to control movement. A spinner is harder to lose, less likely to choke a younger sibling, and easier to manufacture with odd probabilities.

There are tricks to manipulate the probability of outcomes on dice without resorting to loaded dice. For example, "Tricks to Rolling Dice" by Jessica Fletcher mentions a "bowling" trick in which the player avoids two numbers on opposite sides of a fair d6, such as 1 and 6, by carefully rolling the die down the equator to pass over only the other four numbers. Are there analogous tricks to manipulating a spinner?

Part of the motivation is a comment by PotatoEngineer to an answer by Task to "Is Fluxx a game of skill or luck?". It states that while luck dominates each individual hand of poker, iterated poker depends far more on skill, calling out Hasbro's Hi Ho Cherry-O as "the sole exception" that remains purely luck. HHCO is a put-and-take game analogous to teetotum or dreidel. Yet like HHCO, Hasbro's Chutes and Ladders and Care Bears: Warm Feelings use a spinner, and neither game offers any player agency other than through the spinner. Another part is finding a way to keep C&L interesting as children grow into appreciating agency, though that might be a question by itself.

A spinner will move along one of two paths every time you spin it (clockwise or anti-clockwise).  There is no variation in the spin which could occur with dice, such as bounce, roll, etc.  It's always travelling consistently along one path.  This means that the distance it travels is always dependent upon how much force was used to spin it.  Therefore, if you get used to a particular spinner, you can adjust your flick power to make the spinner travel further or shorter depending on need.  Hasbro's Game of Life has a twist spinner instead of a flick spinner, but it's the same concept.  Growing up, my brother and I were able to figure out how to spin the spinner with enough force to fairly reliably get the number we wanted.  Every spinner will be a little bit different between copies of the game, so you may need to calibrate when playing at a friend's house.


Can I pause a game of Magic: The Gathering to read and understand a card? Can I pause the game before I use a counter target spell?

For example, they play a spell and I don't know what it is, so I say "hold on", take 7 seconds to read it, then decide to counter - or, do I have to skip the time to read it and decide whether to counter it without even knowing what the card does, sort of like a guess.

You can't "pause" the game, as the game isn't progressing by itself. Instead, it progresses only when all players agree that the game should go on, which most of the time means to pass priority. The most relevant rule to this is:

  500.2. A phase or step in which players receive priority ends when the stack is empty and all players pass in succession. Simply having the stack become empty doesn't cause such a phase or step to end; all players have to pass in succession with the stack empty. Because of this, each player gets a chance to add new things to the stack before that phase or step ends.

Each time a player acts in a way that uses the stack, such as cast a spell, there's a round of priority, as defined by the rules, which (as stated above) all players have to pass in succession in order to progress.

So not only do you get to take the time to read and understand the card, but you get to think about in what way, if at all, you want to respond. You may even ask a Judge or another player for clarifications on cards or rules. This is true at all times, for example if you're simply in need of clarification of the game state.
Nothing that isn't clearly labelled as such or banned in tournament play is luck- or random-based, requires manual dexterity, or requires fast reflexes or high reaction.

In a tournament scenario, the only requirement is to do this in a timely manner ("playing at a reasonable pace") to avoid Slow Play, which means you're not allowed to stall the game by thinking about what you want to do for more than a sensible period of time in order to not slow down the tournament as a whole, or take an unfair amount of the shared round time for yourself. What that timespan is depends on the game situation, but you will always be given enough time to read a card that's reasonably unknown to you, and understand what it does.
It isn't expected of you at any tournament level that you know all Magic cards out there, however it's expected at any level that you keep track of the game state and don't re-evaluate the entire board before making a decision.

The reason you might be thinking there's a certain time limit to take action is that the Duels of the Planeswalkers games include an automatically progressing bar that gives you only so much time to react. This is supposedly done to prevent idling players from stalling the game, but has nothing to do with the paper version of the game.


If I kill an opponent's Guile while I control a Planar Void will they get to shuffle it back into their library? This came up in a commander game last week.

Cards Read:

Guile:

  When Guile is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.

Planar Void:

  Enchantment - Whenever another card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile that card.

What we ended up doing was exiling it-was that correct?

It depends on who controlled which card and whose turn it is.

Both cards trigger on the same event, namely Guile going to the graveyard. Therefore the triggered abilities go on the stack at the same time. When that happens, the active player (the player whose turn it is) starts putting his or her triggered abilities on the stack, then the other players do the same in turn order.

  603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. (See rule 101.4.) Then the game once again checks for and resolves state-based actions until none are performed, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the stack. This process repeats until no new state-based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets priority.

So there are 6 scenarios:

You control Guile and Planar Void:

You choose the order of the triggers, so you decide whether Guile goes to exile or the library.

Your opponent controls Guile and Planar Void:

Your opponent chooses.

You control Guile, your opponent controls Planar Void, it is your turn:

Guile is exiled.

You control Guile, your opponent controls Planar Void, it is your opponent's turn:

Guile is shuffled into the library.

You control Planar Void, your opponent controls Guile, it is your turn:

Guile is shuffled into the library.

You control Planar Void, your opponent controls Guile, it is your opponent's turn:

Guile is exiled.


When does Thorncaster Sliver's ability resolve? When you attack with Thorncaster Sliver and the ability triggers, does it do the damage from the attack first or the ability first?

Ability, before blockers are even declared.

The ability triggers when the Sliver attacks, which means when it's declared as an attacker.

The ability gets placed on the stack the next time a player would get priority [CR 112.3c], which is still within the Declare Attackers step. That means the ability resolves and causes damage to be dealt in that step too.

My earlier answer covers a very similar scenario in detail.


How fair is an almost perfect riffle shuffle? I've been practicing an in-hands riffle shuffle, just to make it look and sound smooth. In doing so, I've noticed I'm able to weave the cards almost perfectly.

An almost perfect shuffle.

Is such an almost perfect shuffle, repeated a reasonable number of times, less fair than one with a higher proportion of imperfections?

Note

The question is about almost perfect shuffles. Obviously a perfect shuffle does not randomize the deck at all, as anyone who has seen a magician do a faro shuffle knows.

Simply observing an almost perfect shuffle randomizes the cards less is not an answer. The premise of the question implicitly states that. How much does an almost perfect riffle shuffle randomize or not randomize the deck? Do eight almost perfect riffle shuffles mostly not reorder the deck, with perhaps a dozen cards out of order? Or do the errors compound with each shuffle such that it's really impossible to shuffle unfairly if the shuffle is done N times? How big must N be?

Please, no speculation or guessing. Cite sources, or show some math.


Can land and sea units adjacent to the territory or sea zone being attacked ( also units range permitting) move in and help defend? My friend and I recently started playing a&a 1941. I played the germans which attacked Caucasus then my friend started moving in units from other territories into Caucasus to defend. Can you do that?

First of all, a defender can't move sea units into the Caucasus. (An attacker can fire a one-shot bombardment from a battleship in conjunction with a land attack.)

The second thing is that a defender can't move units during another player's attack portion of the turn. A defender may move defenders into a territory during the portion of the turn when s/he is entitled to attack.


I have an idea for a card game. How can I best start testing it? I've been playing around with an idea for a card game for some time, and I think I've finally got the idea fairly well in place. How can I best start testing it out to refine it?

There are different stages to testing.

You need to make sure the core idea and gameplay is workable.  You can do some of this by playing through a few games with just you playing for each other player.

Then you need to start creating the game.  This will be an iterative process.  You get the game together, and draft some instructions, and get some friends round to play it.

Take many notes!  See how they understand the instructions; make notes of any oddities during play; see if they understand the game in the way you intend.

Make changes, and do this again.  Do this a few times.

Eventually you'll get a game that's ready for beta testing with people who don't know you; maybe as a print and play download. Make sure people know it's a beta test, and make sure they have some good method for reporting problems they have and getting help.

You'll also want to think about asking people to try to break the game; trying to use weird strategies to win or "king making" or rushing or such.


Does this dice mechanic exist in other games and does it have any drawbacks? Forgive me if this is an obvious question: I've only just started looking at board game design, so I'm still learning of the different game mechanics.

I have a concept for a dice mechanic and I as hoping to find out if it's used in any other games and whether it has any noticeable drawbacks.

For any particular skill, the play can create a pool of n number of dice, but they can be any type of dice (D4, D6 etc.). n being representative of their character's abilities, so the greater the character's ability the more dice they get.
It works on a min/max = fumble/critical basis: 1 is always a fail. A max roll is equivalent to a critical hit. Any other number is moderately successful.
The conceit here is that the player can attempt to increase the odds of a critical hit by opting for a smaller die (such as a D4 or D6), but this also increases the risk of a complete failure. Or they can play it safe and use a larger die (D12 or D20) with much lower risk of failure, but also lower odds of a critical.

In my concept for a game the successful dice are effectively used to 'buy' clues, with any critical dice being inherently more valuable.

EDIT: Here's a example of how it might be applied:

Player One wants to search for clues. Their search ability is 3× dice.
The player is feeling cocky, and really wants to find something good, so they opt to roll 3D4.
They roll a 1, a 2, and a 4: so that's 1x fail, 1x success, and 1x critical
As a result they discover 1x somewhat mediocre clue, and 1x excellent clue.
Player Two wants to search: they have a better search ability, so they get 4x dice.
Player Two decides to roll more conservatively, and opts to roll 4D12.
They get a 3, a 4, a 6, and a 9. So, 4x mediocre clues.

Formula D is a racing game where you select your die (non-standard D4, D6, D8, D12, D20, D30) based on your "gear".  So if you are in first gear, you roll the D4 and you can roll between 1-4.  If you are in 6th gear, you roll a D30 with numbers 20-30 printed on it.  You move forward the number of spaces specified on the die.  It also has a D20 Danger Die where specific events can happen.  For example, during the start rolling a 1 is a stall (lose a roll), and rolling a 20 is a very good start (extra roll).  It's similar to your case where you have different dice for different power-levels, and you have events where you roll critical or very bad rolls.

Zombiecide is a game where you search for weapons and roll dice to kill zombies.  In this game you'll end up with weapons such as the Chainsaw (5d, 5+).  The chainsaw lets you roll 5 dice.  For each 5 or 6 rolled, you kill a zombie in your current square.  Another one is the baseball bat (1d, 3+).  With this weapon you only roll one die, but a 3 or higher results in a kill.  It's similar to your game where you can power-up with more dice.  It also has chances of failure/success, but not quite like you described.


Is there a human-like chess AI? I have yet to find a chess AI that plays like a human opponent at an amateur level. Most AIs seem to play a tactically perfect game but throwing in a really bad move every now and then.  Has anyone undertaken (and had any success with) the project of writing a chess computer that plays like a human?
To make the question precise, is there a chess-bot that would pass a turing test?

The Chess Master series is arguably capable of doing this.  It creates personalities that are defined by their personal valuation of the various pieces.  Starting with the standard, rough approximations that are typically used (Queen = 8 points, Rook = 5 points, Bishop = 3 points, etc...), each AI personality has these numbers adjusted, often subtly (down to small fractions, such as Queen = 8.08 points, or Rook = 4.73 points).  These different weights lead to different (and often non-optimal play) where moves are not-necessarily "bad" per-se, but rather simply valued in a way that a master would not value them.


What does X mean in a spell's cost? What does the X in a spell's cost do? For example, Strength of the Tajuru has X in its cost. What do I need to do in order to cast that spell, and what happens with the X when it resolves?

Note: If you need help understanding multikicker, see How does multikicker work?

When you cast a spell with X in its cost, you decide how much X will be and then add that amount to the rest of the spell's cost when you pay it. When the spell resolves, you treat any "X" in the text box of the card as the chosen number.

In the specific case of Strength of the Tajuru, you choose a number for X, then (assuming you don't kick it) you pay the chosen number mana of any color, plus 2 green mana. When the spell resolves, you add the chosen number of counters to the target creature.

The basic rulebook has a description of X costs in the glossary:

  X, {X}—Some spells and abilities have effects
  that change depending on how much mana
  you use to pay for them. For example, Heat Ray
  is an instant spell that costs {X}{R} and deals X
  damage. If you paid {3}{R} to cast it, it would deal
  3 damage. If you paid {6}{R} to cast it, it would
  deal 6 damage.

Rule 601.2b more specifically covers paying for spells with X costs:

  If the spell is modal the player announces the mode choice (see rule 700.2). If the player wishes to splice any cards onto the spell (see rule 702.46), he or she reveals those cards in his or her hand. If the spell has alternative or additional costs that will be paid as it's being cast such as buyback or kicker costs (see rules 117.8 and 117.9), the player announces his or her intentions to pay any or all of those costs (see rule 601.2e). A player can't apply two alternative methods of casting or two alternative costs to a single spell. If the spell has a variable cost that will be paid as it's being cast (such as an {X} in its mana cost; see rule 107.3), the player announces the value of that variable. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes hybrid mana symbols, the player announces the nonhybrid equivalent cost he or she intends to pay. If a cost that will be paid as the spell is being cast includes Phyrexian mana symbols, the player announces whether he or she intends to pay 2 life or the corresponding colored mana cost for each of those symbols. Previously made choices (such as choosing to cast a spell with flashback from a graveyard or choosing to cast a creature with morph face down) may restrict the player's options when making these choices.

When a card with {X} in its cost is in any zone other than the stack, the X is considered to be 0 for the purpose of any calculations. This is specified in rule 202.3b:

  When calculating the converted mana cost of an object with an Manax.gif in its mana cost, X is treated as 0 while the object is not on the stack, and X is treated as the number chosen for it while the object is on the stack

The one exception is permanents' abilities that need to know about their own mana costs, as rule 400.7c says:

  If an ability of a permanent requires information about choices made as that permanent was cast as a spell, including what mana was spent to cast that spell, it uses information about the spell that became that permanent as it resolved.


Ordeal of Nylea and the stack I was playing MTG with my lady and came across this scenario:
She had a creature with 2 +1/+1 counters, and 2 Ordeal of Nylea.
She attacks with the creature, both triggers hitting the stack.
I play Murder while the triggered abilities on the stack, killing the creature.
Since the creature isn't around anymore, I believe the triggered abilities will fizzle, meaning she doesn't get the lands as no +1/+1 counters are placed as the creature is dead.
Can anyone confirm my resolution?

Your conclusion is correct: no counters will be placed, and the creature's controller will not get any lands.
Strictly speaking, each Ordeal's first triggered ability does not "fizzle". They still resolve as always, but the actions they try to take are impossible so they don't actually do anything. The creature is dead, so no counters can be placed on it, and the Ordeal is already in the graveyard, so it can't be sacrificed.
Since the Ordeal can't be sacrificed, its last ability cannot trigger, so the player can never get lands in a scenario like this.


Calculating the probability of a combo hand Before I ask the question, I should mention I already saw this and just don't get it.

I have a 40 card deck with cards I'll label:

A (3 copies)
B (3 copies)
C (3 copies)
D (2 copies)
E (1 copy)
F (2 copies)
G (3 copies)
H (1 copy)
I (11 copies)

And I need to know for a hand of 5, and a hand of 6, what the likelihood of getting any one (or more) of the following is:

(A and B), (A and G), (A and C), (A and F), (H alone), (E and I), (E and C), (E and H), (E and G)

What is it/how can I do it?

The name of that sort of problem in probability is 'draw without replacement'.

When you do this sort of problem, it's easier to first figure out the probability of not getting what you want, then subtracting that from 100% to get the probability you're interested in.

First, we'll find probability of finding H alone.  We start by finding the probability of having a hand without H. If we draw 5 cards, then the probability of the first one not being H is 39/40, then, if that happened, the probability of the second one not being H is 38/39.  We want the probability of all draws not being H, so we multiply the individual probabilities with each other. The probability of all 5 cards not being H is (39/40) * (38/39) * (37/38) * (36/37) * (35/36) if you multiply that out, you get .875, so that's a 87.5% chance of not getting H in a hand of 5, subtract the percentage from 100 and you have 12.5% chance of getting that H.  If you do the same thing with 6 cards, you get 85% of not and 15% of getting it.

Did you follow all of that?  I hope so, because combinations of 2 cards will get more complicated.

Doing the same thing we did for H, we can find that the probability of getting at least 1 A is 33.75%.  The probability of getting at least 1 B is the same, but getting at least one of each together is a little harder.

To find the probability of drawing an opening hand with A and B (P[A and B]), we need to find 3 probabilities first, the probability of drawing just A but not B (P[A and ~B]), the probability of drawing just B but not A (P[~A and B]), and the probability of drawing neither A or B (P[~A and ~B]).

For P[A and ~B], take P[A] * P[~B].  That's 0.3375 * 0.6625 = .2235.
(NOTE: This is technically incorrect.  It's an approximation that works okay when A and B are a lot less than the total number of cards)

Since the number of As is the same as the number of Bs, P[~A and B] is the same.

The neither part is similar to the 'not H' problem.  Same as last time we do cards-in-deck-that-are-neither/total-cards-in-deck. Again for a hand of 5 cards: (34/40) * (33/39) * (32/38) * (31/37) * (30/36) gives you 0.4228 for drawing neither A or B.

Then we do P[~A and ~B] + P[~A and B] + P[A and ~B] = 0.4228 + 0.2235 + 0.2235 = 0.8698.  That's the probability of drawing 5 cards without the A and B combo.  So, you'll have a 13.02% chance of having that combo.

I hope that's enough info for you to calculate the other combinations you're interested in.


What are the basic tactics for the heros in Last Night on Earth? (Zombies dominating) I have been playing Last Night on Earth with my family after my daughter got it for Christmas.  So far we have played five games and the zombies have won each time.  We played "Die Zombies Die" and most recently "Defend the Manor".

We have switched around who played who.  Either things are out of balance or we are playing the heroes badly (or perhaps we misunderstand the rules).

What are some basic tactics that the heros should apply?

Generally our attempts so far have been along these lines:-

Run away from zombies and attempt to get some breathing space to search in a building,
If you get a gun, stand within range and pick-off the zombies,
If you get a hand weapon or other special bonus, perhaps try and fight a zombie or two

There's also been a bit of trying to heal each other, and luring of zombies away from the Manor House.

The zombies seem to be getting a lot more cards to play while the heroes lack useful items.

Our first couple games went very similar to that. Virtually every time we play now though, the humans have dominated. Which is the opposite problem I guess.

A large mistake we made in our first game was that we had zombies moving double speed. Don't know how we looked over that in the rules, but make sure you only have zombies moving one space. Ignoring the use of special cards of course. Note that the human players ran roll a die to see how far they would be able to move before choosing to search or run. There's been many a time a player has chosen to stay and search rather than run a futile single space. Make sure that the Zombie Player is evenly distributing zombies within a single spawn among their spawning pits. Don't forget that the Manor House is only in play during the 'Protect the Manor' Scenario. Otherwise it's the big open field. I've found the Manor scenario to a harder, if not the hardest, scenario to win as the Humans by the way. The Zombie player is limited to a hand of four cards, a good number of which involve combat. The less you are in combat, the fewer chances the Zombie player has to use the cards. So if they want new cards, they'll have to discard those combat events (good for the humans) or hold onto the cards and not draw new ones (also good for you, reduces the changes of getting a 'Play Immediately' event)

An important thing to consider is that if the scenario you're playing doesn't directly involve killing zombies, it may be better to leave zombies alone if you have the option. Especially since actually killing zombies with a melee weapon doesn't have very good odds. Left to their own devices, the humans will find what they need to get out easily, so the Zombie Player isn't going to be holing up somewhere protecting an area; he just doesn't have the resources to both guard an important area while also putting pressure on the humans. So you're going to be pursued most of the time already, why make it easier to be caught? If you're running from one side of the map to the other and pick off a zombie with a ranged weapon just because you can, this gives the Zombie Player a new figure to work with and they can just spawn them closer to where you were going anyway. Unnecessarily fighting/shooting zombies also gives you a chance to get hurt through combat or lose your weapon (either by running out of bullets or through a Zombie Player card). A human would need four dice to a Zombie's one to have better odds of killing it then getting hurt from the attempt. Plus the zombie player has cards to force rerolls and add additional dice to the zombies. Unless you have found an Instant Kill weapon like the butcher knife (which auto-kills if any of your dice show a 6, regardless of what the Zombie player rolls), survivability-wise, it's always better to run.

If the scenario you're playing involves finding specific items, searching buildings is the top priority. You can spend all day killing Zombies, but unless you find the keys and gas, you can't escape in the car, so get to searching! Having the Survivors stick in pairs (while this does make them potential targets for cards like 'This Could Be Our Last Night on Earth') allows you to split up groups of attacking zombies and allows for other strategies, like healing each other, trying to lure zombies away, etc. Make sure you remember though that each Survivor has to fight all the Zombies in their space when they end their turn, even if they're in the same space as someone else. You can only divide the Zombies between Survivors during the Zombie Player turn. Zombie Hunger can be a useful trait to use against to Zombie Player. If a human is within one space of a zombie, the zombie has to move to a human (Zombie Player choice if there are multiple spaces). If a zombie shares a space with a human, it cannot leave. There has also been many human sacrifices to allow another player with a scenario item to escape a building. Remember though, even superior strategy is subject to the whims of the dice gods. Zombies winning ties


Question about priority and how spells would resolve Fleecemane Lion enters the battlefield from hand on the owners turn.

Opponent casts Terminate on Fleecemane Lion.

Owner of Fleecemane Lion makes it monstrous.

This would make Terminate invalid correct?

Then following this, opponent casts Chaos Warp, again targeting Fleecemane Lion.

Would chaos warp then resolve before the ability can complete and give it Hexproof?

Thanks for all your help!

Here is the sequence of events.

Fleecemane Lion is on the battlefield.

Opponent casts terminate on Fleecemane Lion and passes priority.

In response, owner activates Fleecemane Lion's monstrous ability (which can be done at anytime the owner has priority) and passes priority.

At this point, the stack has on it (in top down order)

Fleecemane Lion Monstrous
Terminate targeting Fleecemane Lion

Now your opponent, realizing that if this stack resolves, his terminate will do nothing, casts Chaos Warp and passes priority.

Chaos Warp targeting Fleecemane Lion.
Fleecemane Lion Monstrous
Terminate targeting Fleecemane Lion.

Two different things can happen next.  If you have enough mana, you can activate Fleeceman Lion's monstrous ability a second time.  If you do so, and this stack resolves, the Fleecemane lion will stay on the battlefield, and be monstrous.

If you don't have enough mana, and have to let the stack resolve as it is above, then the Chaos Warp will resolve before Fleecemane Lion gets it's hexproof, and it goes into the deck.

In both cases, the terminate will fizzle, as either the Fleecemane Lion will be off the battlefield, or have hexproof.


The Scarab god and commanders If I use The Scarab gods activated ability on a commander (regardless of whose commander it is), if the owner of the legendary creature in question sends their commander back to the command zone will I still get the token copy?

The activated ability says

  {2}{U}{B}: Exile target creature card from a graveyard. Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a 4/4 black Zombie.

Pretty sure I do in this case since the replacement effect occurs AFTER I exile with the scarab god.

Yes, you get the copy.

400.7h (if moved to public zone) or 608.2g (if moved to hidden zone) allows the The Scarab Gods (TSG) to obtain characteristics to copy because it's still TSG that moves the card when the replacement effect is applied.

Let's start at looking at what happens without the replacement effect.

There are two instructions (verbs) to follow. First, The Scarab Gods (TSG) exiles the creature card. Then, the copy is made. TSG must be able to find the creature card in order to copy it, or else it wouldn't know what characteristics to give the copy. It's pretty obvious that it can (or the card would never work), but let's find out why.

A fundamental rule of MTG dictates that an object moving from one zone (e.g. the graveyard) to another (e.g. exile) doesn't truly move. What actually happens is that the original object ceases to exist in old zone, and a new object is created in the new zone.

  400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are nine exceptions to this rule:

But TSG can find the creature card in exile. How? Well, it's because of one of the aforementioned exceptions.

  400.7h If an effect causes an object to move to a public zone, other parts of that effect can find that object. [...]

So, because TSG is the one that placed the creature card in exile, it can find it there, and thus, can make a copy of the card (as it appears in exile).

Now let's look at what happens with the replacement effect.

Again, there are two instructions (verbs) to follow. First, The Scarab Gods (TSG) moves the Commander to the Command Zone (instead of exiling it). Then, the copy is made.

The key is that the replacement effect doesn't cause the Commander to move to the Command Zone; it causes TSG to move it there instead of exiling it. So, even though the Command Zone is not mentioned anywhere on TSG, 400.7h still applies, and the copy of the card (as it appears in the Command Zone) can be made.

But what if a replacement effect similar to the one that allows Commanders to be placed in the Command Zone instead of exile allowed the card to be placed in a hidden zone (e.g. a library) instead of exile. Would the copy fail then?

Well, The Scarab Gods (TSG) would not be able to find the card after it moved, so TSG wouldn't know its characteristics, and TSG wouldn't be able to make a copy of it, except for the following rule:

  608.2g If an effect requires information from the game (such as the number of creatures on the battlefield), the answer is determined only once, when the effect is applied. If the effect requires information from a specific object, including the source of the ability itself, the effect uses the current information of that object if it’s in the public zone it was expected to be in; if it’s no longer in that zone, or if the effect has moved it from a public zone to a hidden zone, the effect uses the object’s last known information. See rule 112.7a. If an ability states that an object does something, it’s the object as it exists—or as it most recently existed—that does it, not the ability.

So even then, TSG would still be able to create a copy of the card (as it appeared in graveyard).


Who dies if Defenderer has the 2nd most votes? This is similar to a previous question of mine: Bodyguard vs Hunter

In this case, though, the problem comes about using the Defenderer role from One Night Ultimate Supervillain.

The rules for the role are that the Defenderer protects whoever they point to except in the case where the Defenderer herself has the most votes in which case the person she is pointing to is caught instead.

The situation we had was:

The Defenderer pointed to another player, let's call him Player 1
Player 1 received the most votes
Because Player 1 was protected by the Defenderer, the player with the 2nd most votes is caught
The player with the 2nd most votes is the Defenderer

I can see 3 possible ways of resolving this:

The Defenderer is caught because she can only act in one way or the other, not both,
Player 1 is caught because the Defenderer's only protects from being caught due to votes, not other abilities, or
The player with the 3rd most votes is caught

Which of these options is correct?

The rules for the Defenderer:

The rules for the role are that the Defenderer protects whoever they point to except in the case where the Defenderer herself has the most votes in which case the person she is pointing to is instead caught.

The situation:

The Defenderer pointed to another player, let's call him Player 1.
Player 1 received the most votes.
The Defenderer has the second most votes.

The resolution:

The Defenderer does not have the most votes, so the exception does not apply.
Player 1 has the most votes, but he is protected by the Defenderer so Player 1 is not caught.
The player with the second most votes, the Defenderer, is next. So she is caught.


What exactly does "will not pursue" mean in Munchkin? My friends and I were playing Munchkin last weekend and we had an interesting experience.

I happened to be lucky enough to have the "Kneepads of Alure" (and not much else).  I was level 1.  My friend who was winning was level 6.

On my turn, I opened a door and came across a high level monster that would not pursue anyone of level 4 or below.  I wanted to make sure that my friend would be included in the fun so I used the Kneepads to bring my level 6 friend into the fight.

We were not going to win the fight and my friend (who himself was in the fight) promised to help the monster should we be able to win.  He wanted to force me to have to run away (and him as well), but I argued that because the monster wouldn't pursue characters of level 4 or below I didn't have to roll to escape the "Bad Stuff".

What is the correct rule in this situation?  Do we both have to roll to escape or just my friend who was level 6?

The monster that will not follow level 4 or below will not pursue you, only your helper will suffer bad stuff if they fail to escape. The FAQ at Steve Jackson Games covers this.

Q. I'm at Level 2 and I encounter a Level 9 monster. Another player (Level 5) joins the combat. A third player wanders in a new monster that will not pursue Level 3 or below. We are now losing and have to run away. Does the wandered-in monster go after both of us?
A. In combat, monsters fight side by side. But when it comes to pursue the fleeing munchkins, they act individually and munchkins must attempt to escape from each as normal. So the wandered-in monster will not pursue you, but will pursue your helper.


Does "When enter on the battlefield" trigger heroic? When a Satyr Grovedancer enters on the battlefield and I choose a creature with heroic to recieve the a +1/+1 counter, does it trigger the heroic? I don't think so because the heroic says explicitly that when a spell targets that creature but I would like to check.

No. Heroic abilities trigger whenever you cast a spell that targets this object. Creature spells (e.g. Satyr Grovedancer) do not target. Satyr Grovedancer has a triggered ability that targets, but abilities aren't spells.

In contrast, Gossamer Phantasm has the ability When Gossamer Phantasm becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it. Targeting Gossamer Phantasm with Satyr Grovedancer's triggered ability would trigger Gossamer Phantasm's. (Gossamer Phantasm's will resolve first.)


Where does the Shoggoth come from in story 1B? Am I missing something in the rules?  One of the objectives references a Shoggoth, but there is no mention of one on any clue, mythos, or Keeper action card.

I've read references to taking samples being involved in producing a Shoggoth, but can't find a reference to this anywhere in the rules or guides.
Help! Have I gone mad!?

The Objective card for 1B reads (at the top, emphasis mine):

  If there are 2 sample tokens on an altar reveal this objective and place a shoggoth in the Ceremony Room.

Once the keeper gets 2 samples using the Take a Sample Keeper action and gets them back to the altar, the fun begins. :)


What kind of damage do you deal when successfully defending with Chalk? The Chalk item allows the explorer who has it to defend with Knowledge instead of Might.  If they successfully win the roll--that is, roll higher than their opponent--do they inflict mental or physical damage?

We were playing a haunt the other night with monsters that were immune to physical damage, but attacked with Might.  Would a defender with Chalk stun them or not if it won the combat roll?  (We played it as yes, but I have no idea if that was correct.)

You will still inflict or take physical damage.

The rule that allows you to deal mental damage with attacking refers specifically to attacking with that trait, not defending with that trait:

  When a card or a haunt lets you attack with Sanity or Knowledge, then you inflict mental damage. You and your opponent move down your Sanity and/or Knowledge traits.

Also note that if the monster doesn't have a knowledge trait (which most do not), then you cannot inflict knowledge damage in the first place:

  You can’t use a trait to attack an opponent who doesn’t have that trait. For instance, if a monster doesn’t have Sanity, you can’t make a Sanity attack against it.

So if Chalk did allow you to deal damage as if it were mental; you wouldn't be allowed to use it against most monsters. However, Chalk simply changes the way you defend; it is still a normal might-based combat.

Finally, note the wording on the item Ring:

  [...] (Your opponent then defends with Sanity, and damage is mental instead of physical.)

Ring calls out specifically that damage is mental; while Chalk does not.


Double after a pre-empt? A bridge player opens with a pre-emptive bid of 3 or 4  of a suit and the opponent doubles.  Is this bid assumed to be for take out?

You can't make any assumptions without agreements. In North America, the most common agreement I've seen is that doubles are takeout oriented for bids through at least 4D; I've seen 4D, 4H, 4S, 6D, and 6H as upper bounds on the takeout double range. Standard American Yellow Card specifies that doubles of partscores are for takeout.


Can Silent Gravestone prevent someone from casting an Aftermath spell from the graveyard? A player has Silent Gravestone on the battlefield and the opponent has Commit // Memory in their graveyard, where Memory has Aftermath. Can they cast Memory and would it have its effect on the player with Silent Gravestone?

I don't see Memory targeting anything and couldn't find rules saying aftermath requires you to cast target card from the graveyard.

If you cast Memory from a graveyard, nothing is targeting a card in graveyard. Therefore Silent Gravestone won't prevent you casting Memory. When Memory resolves, both players shuffle their hand and graveyard into their library, then draw seven cards. Silent Gravestone only prevents the casting of a spell (or ability) that targets a card or cards in a graveyard.


Storage for Eldritch Horror Is there an optimal strategy for storing Eldritch Horror cards and tokens so that game play is facilitated.

I am not looking for answers that including "zip bags" and other things to keep the game element safer while is storage. Although, a strategy that works well for both cases will clearly be superior to one that only works for game play.

I am not limiting this to commercial solutions. I am quiet happy to build your custom made solution if you release the specification/plans of course!  Although, it it requires a 3D printer, more power to you.

Have you looked into foam core?

There

are

a lot

of solutions

available

on BGG


Scoring when two triple word squares are covered in one play The word QUAGMIRE is on the board vertically, with the Q on the top row, second column. The next player creates SQUEEZED horizontally, landing the S on the triple word square in the top row, first column, and remaining UEEZED landing to the right of the existing Q, ending with the D on the triple word square in the eighth column. Since two triple word squares are covered in this one placement, how would it be scored?

Letters:

S: 1
Q: 10
U: 1
E: 1 x 2 (double letter)
E: 1
Z: 10
E: 1
D: 1

27 Total for letters. Do you then multiply by 3 for the first triple word square, and then multiply that result by 3?

27 X 3 = 81,
81 X 3 = 243

Bonus for all 7 tiles placed:

243 + 50 = 293

If you cover multiple bonus squares, all of their effects are applied -- multiple letter modifiers first, and the full word score added up, then all multiple word modifiers are applied.

That means that if you cover two triple word squares, your letter count (including the one double letter you cover along the way, assuming it wasn't already covered) is multiplied by three, and by three again, so total of nine times the letter count before adding the Bonus for a full tray play.

Your 293 seems like a correct count.


Does a creature that has both double strike and first strike deal damage three times or only twice? In the new Dark Ascension expansion, the card Markov Blademaster has double strike. Stormkirk Captain gives all other Vampires first strike and +1/+1.

This means that the Blademaster has double and first strike. Does that mean it deals combat damage three times?

It will only deal combat damage twice.  First Strike and Double Strike create an additional combat damage step.

  702.4b/702.7b If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike or double strike as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.

Only one extra combat damage step is created in which all creatures with first strike and/or double strike deal their combat damage.  Then it moves onto the "normal" combat damage step where double strikers deal their comabt damage again (along with anything that had neither first strike nor double strike)


Canasta rules for melding and picking up pile In canasta. Can you meld three wild cards and two jacks to pick up a jack on the discard pile?

Yes, assuming that your total point value of the meld meets your minimum. From various sites that gives rules for Canasta:

  A meld must contain at least two natural cards and not more than three
  wild cards.

Your meld would have 3 naturals along with 3 wilds, which meets both criteria.

It does not matter what the meld looks like not including the top of the discard. The top card of the discard is part of the meld, so you include that when seeing if the meld is legal. This is true both for determining if the meld meets the minimum points and if the meld has enough naturals.


What happen if I use cast out on my creature which is under my opponent's control and then cast out leaves the battlefield? Let's say my opponent is controlling one of my creatures. And then I target that creature with Cast Out or Hostage Taker's ability. After the ability resolved, Cast Out or Hostage Taker leaves the battlefield. Would the creature return to the battlefield under my control?

My guess is it would return under its owner's control. Since card that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory, there is no difference between (1) using cast out on my creature under my control and (2) using cast out on my creature under my opponent's control. In the first case it is easy to see that the creature would return to the battlefield under my control when cast out leaves the battlefield, and both cases are actually the same.

Yes, if the effect that changes control specifically affects the creature that was exiled.

You never actually move an object from one zone to another. It works more like a transporter, where the original object ceases to exist, and a new object is created at the new location (in a different zone).

Specifically, the creature that was exiled, the creature card in exile, and the creature that returns from exile are all completely different objects.[CR 400.7] Anything that specifically affected the exiled creature won't affect the creature that returned from exile since they are two completely different creatures (even though they are represented by the same physical card).

Since nothing affects the new object, it enters the battlefield as it always does: Under it's owner's control.[CR 110.2]

Note that continuous effects from static abilities (but not those created by the resolution of a spell or ability) applies at any given moment to whatever its text indicates.[CR 611.3a] So the static ability "Gain control of all white creatures" would affect the new creature if it's white, but the continuous effect created Kefnet's Last Word targetting the original creature would not affect the new creature.


In Bridge Play, What is Meant by "Combining Your Chances?" I was in a NT contract. After the initial rounds of play, the last few (visible) cards were something like these in two suits (call them spades and hearts):

dummy:
spades KJx
Hearts xxx

Me:
Spades Ax
Hearts AKQx

I had five "top" tricks, but needed six to make game. I could play out AKQ and hope that the hearts were split 3-3, a 36% chance. Or I could take the spade finesse, a 50% chance.

I took the spade finesse and lost. A passerby commented that I would have been "odds on" (better than 50-50), if I had "combined my chances." Apparently, I needed to start with hearts, though. Then he left.

What did he mean by "combining my chances"? And why would I start with the lesser (36%) chance?

You have two ways of making your sixth trick given this ending.  You can find the outstanding hearts divided 3-3, or you can find the spade Queen onside.

The beauty is that you can take both chances.  First, play the hearts.  If they break 3-3 (or somebody has done some lousy discarding in the build up to this end position), you're set for your sixth trick with your baby heart.  If they do not break, you can then play the Ace of Spades (in case somebody has the singleton Queen), and finesse the Jack.

Your chance of success now are the 36% chance the hearts split, and the 50% of the time that the Spade Queen is onside in the case that the hearts do not break, or:

36% + (50%) * (64%) = 68%

Note that you have to start with the Hearts.  Testing the hearts does not result in the loss of a trick, it only establishes a trick for the opponents if the suit does not break.  Testing the Spade finesse will lose a trick if it is not correct.


In the Game of the Goose, keep moving again and again if I keep landing on geese? In the Game of the Goose, if you land on a square with a goose, you may move the same amount of squares again. If that lands you on a square with a goose again, can you move yet again?

In theory, since squares with geese are 9 squares apart, if you're on go and throw 9, you keep going again and again until you've won. This can't happen on your first turn, since throwing ⚂ + ⚅ (3 + 6) takes you to square 26, while ⚃ + ⚄ (4 + 5) takes you all the way to square 53. But if you land on square 58 and die, you go back to the start, but then it's no longer your first turn.

Am I correct in assuming that throwing 9 then, wins you the game?

The game of goose has many variants, including different square orderings, different rules for landing on certain squares and different numbers of dice.

The variant you describe (two dice, geese every 9 squares) is quite common, and the rule for rolling a nine on the first turn is as follows:

  If the roll is a 6 and 3, move directly to field 26; if the roll is a 4 and 5, advance all the way to 53.

Since you could only roll a nine and land on a goose when you are on the start square, you don't have the opportunity to land on multiple geese in one go from any other square on the board.

The rules quote was from this goose page. Interestingly this set of rules explicitly says moving to square 26 or 53 only applies on your first go. So if you find yourself back at the start, e.g. due to the death square, or somebody landing on you on their first go, then you can throw a nine and win the game.

Another site with two-dice goose rules is here, and it features an image of the game board that shows a pair of dice on squares 26 and 53. This acts as a visual reminder of the rule. This rules page does not allow a throw of nine to ever win the game from the start square, as it associates the rule with the square:

  A lucky throw of 9 at the beginning of the spiral path advances a player to one of the fields with dice.

The game of goose has been played over many hundreds of years, and plenty of variation has been introduced during this time. Consequently the important thing is to pick a set of rules everyone's happy with before you start the game.


Can a player take both a madness and injury card if his investigator gets reduced to zero stamina and sanity? The Dunwich expansion allows for drawing Madness or Injury cards in place of going insane or being rendered unconscious. Can this be used to draw both Injury and Madness when both go to zero? I believe given that this usually leads to being devoured and that there is no explicit mention of this in the Dunwich rules, the answer is no. Is there any supporting documentation otherwise?

The investigator is devoured.

The Dunwich Horror rulebook reiterates the basic rule

  If an investigator is reduced to both 0 Sanity and 0
  Stamina at the same time, that investigator is devoured.


Do you have to sacrifice a transformed creature put into play via Through the Breach? If I put Thing in the Ice into play via Through the Breach, and it transforms during my turn, do I have to sacrifice Awoken Horror at the beginning of the next end step?

Yes.

From the Comprehensive Rules:

  711.12. When a double-faced permanent transforms, it doesn’t become a new object. Any effects that applied to that permanent will continue
  to apply to it after it transforms. Example: An effect gives Village
  Ironsmith (the front face of a double-faced card) +2/+2 until end of
  turn and then Village Ironsmith transforms into Ironfang. Ironfang
  will continue to get +2/+2 until end of turn.


Does the Machine Gun also affect the player using it? The description of the Machine Gun card says: "Your attack will affect all characters in your attack range."

Does this mean that the player himself gets damaged as well? That wouldn't make much sense logically from a machine gun, but the rules seem pretty clear about it.

No the machine gun does not attack you as well. When you attack you can only attack other players and it specifies that in the rules. The only time you can do damage to yourself is on weird woods and when a card says you can target any player with damage.

The problem with being able to damage yourself with the machine gun is that there are roles that want to die first and being able to damage yourself like that would make it to easy to win.

Rules

  Attack other player(s)


Can a player choose not to move in Quoridor? The rules of Quoridor state that if a player has run out of walls, the player must move his or her pawn. However, is it a valid move for a player to choose not to place a wall (and therefore move), then choose to maintain the current position of the pawn? In other words, is remaining in place considered a valid move?

No, you must act on your turn. From the rules:

  Each player in turn chooses to move his pawn or to put up one of his fences. When he has run out of fences, the player must move his pawn.

The second sentence there, which you reference in your question, is merely a clarification on the first: if you can't place a fence then you must move because you must always either move or place a fence.

The definition of "moving" your pawn is given in the rules:

  Pawn moves

  The pawns are moved one square at a time...

...in particular, not zero squares at a time. This is also what is reflected in the plain English meaning of "move a pawn" (as opposed to "make a move in a game", which is a more abstract meaning of the word "move" that might include passing, i.e. doing nothing).

Note that the requirement to make a (non-empty) move every turn is a common feature to most if not all abstract strategy games. Chess even invented a name for the situation where any move you make will be bad for you: zugzwang.


What is the difference between thickness and heavy stones? Thickness in Go describes a strong formation of stones.  A heavy group is one that's over-concentrated.  How do I know when my stones are thick, without going too far and becoming heavy?  It seems like this can happen in just a very few moves.  Are there any good tutorials that illustrate positions where a player turns a thick group into a heavy one?

You know your stones are thick when they form a safe group that secures some territory and/or build some influence, threatens to attack... or just give you some kind of advantage.

There is no official definition for "heavy stones", but I think the term was used instead of the term bad shape for a group of 5 stones or more.

In any case, if you have a group of stones all connected together that doesn't do much to secure some territory or reduce the opponent's, then you probably have a bad, heavy, over concentrated shape.

-----EDIT-----

To add to my answer, I found some good definitions and examples of heavy vs overconcentrated and heavy which might be useful to you.