Ursaring Adrenalash clarification Move Adrenalash says add 50 damage on next turn. Does that mean every other turn or every next turn while he's active?

Adrenalash   --> 50 damage

  During your next turn, each of this Pokemon's attacks does 50 more damage (before applying Weakness and Resistance)

So it means exactly what is written. Every time you use this move, your next turn has an additional +50 boost for any move. The boost will continue every next turn as long as you keep using Adrenalash.

For example, here's damage output for two scenarios (Ursaring has another attack for 80 called Strength):

Case 1
Adrenalash -> 50, Adrenalash -> 100, Adrenalash -> 100 ...

Case 2 Adrenalash -> 50, Strength -> 130, Strength -> 80, Adrenalash -> 50, Adrenalash -> 100 ...

(2nd turn receives boost from first turn; for 3rd turn, and you no longer have adrenalash dmg boost because you used strength on previous turn)

So whether it is active every few turns, or every turn, is based directly on when and how you use Adrenalash. If you want to keep the boost active at all times, just keep using that move. If you stop using it, you will have to set up again with one turn of 50 dmg Adrenalash.


How do I handle a late player for Battlestar Galactica? I have a player that may be later for a start of a game. How can I incorporate them into a session of BSG?

I see two simple ways of doing this:

Create the character at setup time  and "zombiefy" them until the player arrives. They exist, but don't interact at all.
Draw up the character when the player gets the.

I think these both amount to the same thing (kind of like adding a character mid-season to the series). But does it cause any difficulties for game play?

The fundamental problem you have in adding a character mid game is that the number of loyalty cards in circulation has to change.  As to the options you proposed, having a character inactive but dealt loyalty cards is a bad idea because it throws off game balance.  For example, if there is a five player game, there are two cylons in circulation (as opposed to the one cylon in four player), making it far more likely that a cylon will be present before sleeper phase, but with one fewer human to balance that out this would severely disadvantage the humans (who already have the weaker position in the base game).  Instead, you actually do want to change the composition of the loyalty deck and deal in a new character when they get there, as long as it is before sleeper phase.  In the situations below, you construct the initial loyalty deck based on the number of players you have at the time, and will modify the deck when a new player (or possible multiple) join.  And, yes, I have actually done this in a game.

After Sleeper Phase (not recommended):

If it is after sleeper phase, all loyalty cards will have been dealt, making it very difficult to add a new player without incident.  If you are playing with an odd number of players to start, you can have the new player join as the sympathizer, but even this is really bad from a balance perspective as the sympathizer condition will almost certainly fall in favor of the humans late in the game.  Having the new player join as a cylon leader (see below) is the best option from a balance perspective, but probably sucks for the new player.  You should probably just finish and start another game.

Adding a Fifth Player:

If you start with four players and want to add a fifth, then you are going from having one cylon and a sympathizer in circulation to two cylons and no sympathizer.  Don't shuffle the sympathizer into the loyalty deck until sleeper phase (if you already shuffled it in, you will need someone who is not in the game to remove the sympathizer from the loyalty deck, as the cards still in the loyalty deck give away hidden information about the current game).  Then, when the new player joins, put the sympathizer back in the box, shuffle one not-a-cylon card into the deck (two if the new player is Baltar or Boomer), shuffle a new cylon card into the deck, and deal the new player starting loyalty card(s).  This will make the new player more likely to be a cylon (which means the new player is suspicious, and is rather accurate in terms of the show) but is about right in terms of game balance.

Adding a Fourth or Sixth Player:

Meanwhile, if you start with three or five players and want to add another, this isn't too bad.  Shuffle one not-a-cylon card into the deck (two if the new player is Baltar or Boomer), deal the new player starting loyalty card(s), and take the sympathizer out of the box, to be shuffled in to the loyalty deck during sleeper phase.

Adding a Cylon Leader:

Another good option is to have the new player be a cylon leader (if playing with the Pegasus or Daybreak expansion), as this doesn't change the distribution of loyalty cards, other than needing to replace the sympathizer card (if relevant) with a not-a-cylon card.  The new player will be at a slight disadvantage going in, having less time to execute on their scheme, but that's what they get for showing up late.

Notes for Expansions:

The Mutineer from Daybreak should behave the same as the sympathizer according to the instructions above, with one exception: if the new player starts as a cylon leader, do not change the composition of the loyalty deck at all (i.e. do not replace the mutineer with a not-a-cylon card).

If you are playing with the conflicted loyalties variant from Exodus, you're on your own on for making an adjusted loyalty deck work.


Does the Diplowinn variant play similarly to the original Diplomacy? The Diplomacy Variant Bank contains a huge number of variants on Diplomacy, ranging from completely different maps and powers, to minor tweaks of the rules.  I was searching for a variant that would play well face-to-face, while being shorter than the original and I came across Diplowinn.

I tried Googling for this and didn't come up with much in the way of reviews or game reports.  I want to know whether Diplowinn has any problems compared to the original.  In particular, does this version result in draws more or less frequently.

Also the description says that stabbing is more attractive in this variant.  Is that the case, and does it consequently feel nastier to play?

Judging by the lack of references on the internet I'm not too expectant of a good answer, and so I'll endeavour to play this variant the next time I get a chance.

Hello @tttppp from 5+ years later!,

I actually called my buddies up to try this variant after seeing your question as the variant looked intersting. Our game lasted about 3 hours (around a table) and was very satisfying as we often stop games around 1910 due to stalemates. It is necessary to note that Italy and Turkey (countries that usually turtle until their neighbors get invaded) were easily overran when they ended up trapped with 4 Supply Centers. It was relatively easy for England to solo the game in 1906 as he did not require too many troops to defend. And those that did, were fleets in the Atlantic which doubled as offensive fleets. Stabbing was very common in our game as you run out of nearby SCs to pick up. Based on the game we played, I would say it would be less likely to see a draw when powers such as the conservative 2-4 SC players get eliminated slowly.

I know this answer comes 5 years after your question but I hope it helps!


In Diplomacy, How Would England Identify Its First Target? England, being an island, has an enviable defensive position. This same fact makes it hard for it to get a foothold on the European Continent, where most of the remaining 31 supply centers lie.

There are three countries that immediately block England's expansion: Russia, Germany, and France. England will inevitably end up fighting at least one of those countries, possibly with the help of one or both of the other two.

Russia blocks the way to Scandinavia, Germany opposes England in the Low Countries and the center of the Continental Europe, France stands in the way of expansion via the Mid-Atlantic, the Iberian Peninsula, and ultimately the Mediterranean.

England is one country I've never played. How does England decide on target supply centers, and by implication, whom to fight? Does it depend on what is going on elsewhere on the board (e.g. the Mediterranean)? Does it depend on the caliber and personalities of the people playing the other three countries? Will other countries flock to seek alliances with England to create a balance of power? Or will it be mostly ignored, since it is an island, and have to "go it" alone?

As England, I would determine my first target the same way as I do for any other country I'm playing. I would talk to the other six (yes all six are important) players, to try to get a feel of what is happening on the board, who is and who isn't likely to want to work with me and use this information to develop a strategy. It is possible to do well as England with any of France, Germany or Scandanavia as a first target. There is no royal road to success in Diplomacy (and the game would be boring if there was).

Now for something more useful: I'll give two internet resources that can guide you in your play.

At Diplomacy Archive there is a collection of strategy articles on each country (eg England's is here). This is a collection of articles by various authors that you may find useful reading. They are of varying quality so it can pay to read some of them over with a critical eye to see what ideas hold up to scrutiny. At the very least they'll give you an idea of the various points of view other players are likely to have.

Another resource is Diplomacycast. This is a podcast about the boardgame diplomacy. In their first episode, they specifically discuss the play of England. Note two things. First this is long (at least 90 min), and secondly don't be put off by the audio quality, its their first attempt and the quality improves after the first two episodes.

Don't forget as England Norway is your natural neutral, and you have about an equal share together with France and Germany in Belgium. You will not be 'ignored' (cf last sentence of question).


Can a player join after the preflop? Can a player join an active game after the pre-flop?
if so what would be the conditions? (for example if he sits between the smallBlind  and the bigBlind

Thanks!

No. A player can join a game before cards are being dealt. In that event he usually pays an out-of-turn big blind to avoid people joining the game at opportune moments or skipping the blinds.
House rules may apply.


Do opposing forces immediately fight upon a Declaration of War? For this question, Russia and Prussia start at peace.  The sequence of events is:

Month 1

Prussia declares war on Mecklenburg
Russia gains control of Mecklenburg - Russia does not DOW Prussia in support of the minor
During its land move Russia puts a depot with garrison in Mecklenburg
Prussia moves a corp into Mecklenburg and drops a garrison in Lubeck

Next Month

Russia Declares war on Prussia

Are the forces in Mecklenburg forced to fight immediately?

They are not forced to fight immediately.  However, if the Prussian corps remains in Mecklenburg, at the conclusion of its movement phase, it would fight a trivial combat with the Russian depot garrison.


Is Maze of Ith actually a common card? Is the card Maze of Ith from "The Dark" series in fact a C1 common card as this checklist states?

I'm posing this question in this manner to avoid phrasing it "why the heck is it a $20 card if it's so common".

What checklist states that? When in doubt, always check the official Wizards Gatherer site. Maze of Ith is an Uncommon in The Dark, and a Rare in Masters Edition IV
And by the way, the price tag might have more to do with the fact that it's an old, not-common, and pretty good card.
Edit:
The comments and Wiki article on The Dark sheds some light on the matter:

Rarity breakdown
The Dark cards come in two rarities, common and uncommon. Of the uncommon cards 43 are U2, meaning that they appear twice on the uncommon print sheet. 35 cards are U1, these are usually dubbed the rares of the set. Of the 41 commons in The Dark 40 are C3. Maze of Ith is the only exception at C1 and is usually denoted as an uncommon although it is 50% more common than the U2 cards of the set. Also the common card Gaea's Touch comes in two versions, one has the mana symbols in the upper right corner of the card shifted more to the right than usual. For collector's purposes this means that one Gaea's Touch is a C1 (shifted mana symbols) and the other one C2 (normal).

Going by the checklist provided in the comments, The Dark has no rares designated as such, so all cards go up in rarity in proportion to fit today's C/U/R pattern.
As far as I can tell, all C3 remain Commons, C1 (Maze of Ith) and all U2 are Uncommons, and all U1 are Rares, by today's rating.


In cribbage, do you get points for doubles after getting to 31? My opponent pegged for getting to 31 by playing a jack. If I play a jack after that, do I peg for the doubles?

No.

According to the rules of cribbage:

  Card combinations cannot span a reset; once the total reaches 31 (or a Go has been scored) and counting has re-started at zero, cards already played cannot contribute to runs or pairs.


UNO Stacking Wild Draw 4 Cards? Please settle an UNO debate with regards to Wild Draw 4.

The face card on top of the pile is a Blue 0.

Player 1 plays WD4 but does not change the color.

Player 2 plays WD4 changes the color to Blue.

Player 3 challenges player 2 on having Blue cards.  Who is being challenge player 1 or 2?

According to official uno rules:

  Wild Draw Four – This acts just like the wild card except that the
  next player also has to draw four cards as well as forfeit his/her
  turn.

Emphasis mine.

This means player 2 already made an illegal play according to the official rules and you are playing under house rules. As you are playing house rules there is no official answer.

However when it comes to challenging the rules state:

  With this card, you must have no other alternative cards to play that matches the color of the card previously played. If you play this card illegally, you may be challenged by the other player to show your hand to him/her.

The other player here being the next player.

This means that a challenge is always against the previous player, in this instance player 2.

In summary. A challenge is always against the previous player, in this case player 2. However as you are already using house rules by allowing WD4 on a WD4, you can also  make it a house rule that player 1 is challenged in this case.


How long can I wait before choosing to counter a spell? Today, I was playing a duel, and my friend played a Wall of Reverence, which he then ended up enchanting with an Ethereal Armor. Between those two actions he asked me if I would counter it, to which I answered that I would wait for him to play the rest of his cards so I could choose what to do. He said that I had to counter the Wall of Reverence before he played Ethereal Armor for the counter to work. Was he right about that?

Your friend was right.

Casting spells and activating abilities puts them on the so-called Stack before they actually resolve and turn into creatures, enchantments, and so on. The Stack is a pretty important part of MtG.

You can only counter spells and abilities while they are on the stack; indeed, a spell can only be a spell on the stack, and if you read your counter spells carefully, they say exactly that: counter target spell. Therefore, if it's not on the Stack, you can't counter it, because it can't be a spell. Once a spell has resolved, it's off the Stack and it's too late to counter it.

Most spells, like creature, enchantment, or sorcery spells can only be played while the stack is empty, among other things. That means, if your friend first played a creature (the Wall of Reverence), and then an enchantment (Ethereal Armor) on that Wall, the Wall can no longer be on the Stack and must already be on the battlefield. Not to mention that this enchantment requires a target, which can in this case only be a creature that's already on the battlefield.

The only situation where you can choose which spell to counter is, obviously, when multiple spells are on the Stack. The first spell can be anything, and the other spells are typically instants.

Note that your opponent is not required to respond to a spell, even if he could (which he could not in this case) - if he so chooses, he can just let any spell resolve, then cast the next, let it resolve, and so on, until he has played everything he wanted to. Indeed, this is a common strategy against a player like you who plays counter spells, because he forces you to decide on incomplete information. If all spells were on the Stack at the same time, you would of course have a much easier time to decide which spell to counter, if any, which is why a smart player would deny you that opportunity, and he has every right to do so.


Looking for the name of an old board game featuring a wolf, I think he was called Willy Looking for the name of an old board game featuring a wolf, I think he was called Willy. I can't remember much about it, but I played it a few times in the 80s, may have been older than that. It was quite scary for me because I was young. I think there was a figure of the wolf and there may have been a red and yellow piece for a player to choose. Does anyone remember this game?

The Uncle Wiggily board game had colored pieces that moved on a track, and the "Fox Den" had an animal that looked like a wolf.  The game is filled with creatures, unfortunate events, and close calls that could frighten a small child.

It was first published in 1916, but has been republished as recently as 1989.


Can Monty Python Fluxx be used with the regular Fluxx deck, or is it a separate game? As far as I understand, Monty Python Fluxx is a separate game, not an expansion pack, that doesn't require the original Fluxx deck to play. But can it be used with the original deck  - can it be used to supplement the original cards, or does it not work like that?

(This related question What are the differences between the Fluxx games? didn't quite answer my question.)

You certainly can just shuffle the decks together, try to play a game with them, and see what happens.  The core rules of Fluxx are always pretty much the same, after all.

However, everything I've heard from people who've tried something like this suggests that, for maximum enjoyment, you'll probably want to start removing cards that don't work well in the combined game; or adding your own homebrew cards that will work well in the new game.

I'm not very familiar with Monty Python Fluxx, but I've played a bit of Zombie Fluxx - and it's pretty well optimised on its own.  I could add my basic Fluxx game into the mix, but then the zombie theme would be much diluted.  It would be much harder to assemble a critical mass of zombie cards to achieve one of the zombie Goals - or indeed the non-zombie cards required for a base set goal.

But in the end Fluxx is a game that it's best not too take too seriously.  If all you're after is a nice long, random game with the possibility of unexpected interactions between cards from different sets, then I don't see why you wouldn't want to at least give a mega-game using cards from multiple expansions a try!


Glory to Rome: play a role, perform no action In Glory to Rome, if a player leads with a role, say Architect (using a Jack, as it is important to this example) can I follow with an actual Architect card if I either have no legal plays (all in-town sites are built or my stockpile is empty/not applicable to my under construction buildings) or if I want to perform no action other than to get an architect role into the pool at the end of the turn?

(Specifically this is so I can patron an Architect to win the game through the Forum's special ability, and Architects don't make it/remain in the pool.)

In Glory to Rome, I find the general answer to "Can I do X?" questions is yes.  Your question follows that pattern, or else I'd be very surprised for this reason:

If you were forced to have a valid move at the time that you followed, then you could never really follow a legionnaire, because you might have your hand reduced to nothing but jacks, in which case you couldn't actually demand anything.


Dominion: How exactly do cards "enter play" Today we played our second round of Dominion: Nocturne. Quite a few cards (among others: Raider, Magic Lamp) refer to cards being "in play". Even though we are seasoned players of other dominion extensions, we have so far never seen the need to follow the rules too closely with regard to distinguishing between cards "on the hand", "in play" etc, mainly it was "play actions from your hand" and "buy cards with the amount of money and buys at your disposal".
However, today we suddenly realised it became important to do this more conscientously to be able to use the new Nocturne cards.
My understanding of the rules is as follows (though not everyone in our round agreed even on that):

at the start of your turn, the cards in your hand are obviously "on your hand"
at the start of your turn, any duration cards from previous turns are already "in play"
as you play actions, the go from being "on your hand" to being "in play"
at any time before your buying phase, you can lay down money cards, therefore also moving them from "on the hand" to "in play", by doing so, you increase the amount of money available in your buying phase (increased by any text on action cards you may have played)

Is that understanding correct?
Also, it is my understanding that any action card that refers to "cards in play" only takes into account those cards you already moved from "your hand" to "in play", meaning that it matters whether you place your money before or after playing an action card and that there is no fixed time when you play your money (i.e. before or after playing an action). Is that also correct?
Furthermore, as the night cards are played after the buying phase, all actions that were played during your turn and any money played before your buying phase is considered to be "in play". Is that also correct?
After the night phase, any card "in play" goes to the discard pile (except for duration cards that will be kept for the next turn).
Any card not having been played, remains "on the hand" and goes directly to the discard pile, without ever entering play.
The above summarises my understanding of the rules. Is that correct or are there gaps in my understanding?
However, the main point of contention/confusion is if there is any way of bringing "point and/or curse cards" into play, or do they always stay "on your hand" and go straight to the discard pile? This is relevant as it may help to attain the exact number of cards in play for "Magic Lamp".

Quotes from the Q in italics and marked with >>, other quotes are from the rules.

>> as you play actions, the go from being "on your hand" to being "in play"

Yes. Second edition rules, p. 4:

Playing an Action card has three steps: announcing it; moving it to the "in
play" area - the table space in front of you; and following the instructions on it

Same for Treasures, see below.

>>  at any time before your buying phase, you can lay down money cards, therefore also moving them from "on the hand" to "in play",

Playing Treasures happens during the Buy phase (but has to be done before actually buying something). You can't do it in the middle of the Action phase, so definitely not "at any time". This matters very much for the Actions that say "discard your hand". p. 5:

Buy Phase: First you can play any number of Treasure cards from your hand, in any order. [...] You play one by moving it to the "in play" area;

There's nothing in the rules about playing Treasures during the Action phase.

>>  Also, it is my understanding that any action card that refers to "cards in play" only takes into account those cards you already moved from "your hand" to "in play"

Yes, "in play" is explicitly stated as a distinct "area" for the cards to exist. It also matters if you have to reshuffle mid-turn: discarded cards get reshuffled, cards "in play" do not.
Note that the Action or Night card you just played is also "in-play" when it is processed. This follows from the sequence described above, and is reinforced by the FAQ for e.g. Magic Lamp and Raider (also at the back of the Nocturne rules).

>>  meaning that it matters whether you place your money before or after playing an action card and that there is no fixed time when you play your money (i.e. before or after playing an action). Is that also correct?

No, see above.

>> Furthermore, as the night cards are played after the buying phase, all actions that were played during your turn and any money played before your buying phase is considered to be "in play". Is that also correct?

Yes, except that the money is played during your buy phase. The Night step happens before Clean-up, which is where the "in play" cards are put to the discard pile. Nocturne rules:

Nocturne adds Night cards and the Night phase. In games using Night cards, the Night phase happens after the Buy phase - it goes, Action, Buy, Night, Clean-up.

>>  After the night phase, any card "in play" goes to the discard pile (except for duration cards that will be kept for the next turn).
>>  Any card not having been played, remains "on the hand" and goes directly to the discard pile, without ever entering play.

Yes. The rules don't say anything about the cards going "in-play" in between. (And why would they, they were never played.) Second ed. rules, p. 5:

Clean-up Phase: Take all of the cards you have in play (both Actions and Treasures), and any remaining cards in
your hand, and put them all into your discard pile.

Nocturne, p. 4:

Nocturne has Duration cards, [...] Duration cards are not discarded in Clean-up if they have something left to do; they stay in play until the Clean-up of the last turn that they do something.

>> However, the main point of contention/confusion is if there is any way of bringing "point and/or curse cards" into play, or do they always stay "on your hand" and go straight to the discard pile?

Unless there's a rule or a card that allows playing them, then no, you can't play them. The easiest way to get a Victory card "in-play" is probably the dual Victory/Action and Victory/Treasure cards from Intrigue (e.g. Harem), but that of course only works
because they're also Actions or Treasure. (I can't think of any ways to play them purely through being Victory cards, but that doesn't prove there isn't one.)


Othello - Most number of legal moves in a given turn Can anyone help me figure out the what the largest number of possible moves for a given turn would be in Othello/Reversi? On the first turn, there are 4 possible legal moves, the next player has 3 possible, and depending on that move, the next turn there are 4 or 5 possible moves. I'm not sure how to go about figuring out the best-case case scenario for a player to gain the most possible moves that turn, and I'd like to find out what this maximum is. I searched around, but only saw information on maximum number of games possible, which is not what I'm looking for.

It is very hard to say it without browsing all possible combinations. Another question is are you asking about moves in game that make sense or any random game.
I was playing this game many years and usually one consider move choosing out of 3 maximally 5 possibilities for good move. However in mid-game there are 10-20 legal moves frequently.

You can try some maths to estimate max number of legal moves. Board is 64 fields. You can move only on adjacent. So in my opinion max number possible moves is when you have filled center 6x6, lets say white are on boarder of 6x6 and black are in center. Black have a move so he can move on any field left on board. It gives 28 possibilities. I would say it is maximal estimate.

If you still need to analyse that you should have a look on that program. It is used by most good players. There is also big openings book.


Mystic mine vs Denko Sekka Does Mystic Mine stops all monster effects? Or just activation?

It sounds like only activation, so continuous monster effects may still be active? Like Denko Sekka's effect?

Mystic Mine:

If your opponent controls more monsters than you do, your opponent cannot activate monster effects or declare an attack. If you control more monsters than your opponent does, you cannot activate monster effects or declare an attack. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if both players control the same number of monsters: Destroy this card.

Denko Sekka:

Cannot be Special Summoned. While you control no Set Spells/Traps, neither player can Set Spells/Traps nor activate Spell/Trap Cards that are Set on the field.

Case 2:

Another similar case would be Mystic Mine vs Majesty's fiend, will Majesty's Fiend effect will be active?

Majesty's Fiend:

Cannot be Special Summoned. Monster effects cannot be activated.

Case 3:

Another case would Majesty's Fiend vs Denko Sekka, will Denko Sekka's effect by active?

Mystic Mine only prevents the activation of monster effects for the player who controls more monsters.

Continuous effects, such as the effect of Denko Sekka, are simply active as long as the card is face-up on the field.

Moreover, Majesty's Fiend imposes the same restriction as Mystic Mine. In all three cases named, there are no activated effects. Therefore, yes - Denko Sekka and Majesty's Fiend will both be applying their effects in each of the three cases.


How do "twice that many" & "that many plus one" replacement effects interact? Let's say I use Abzan Advantage to put a single +1/+1 counter on my Charging Badger.

Winding Constrictor and Hardened Scales both increase the number of counters by one.
Corpsejack Menace and Primal Vigor would double the number of counters.

Let's say I have at least one from each category out: Winding Constrictor and Corpsejack Menace for example. In what order should I apply their effects? Do I apply them in timestamp order, or should I be specifically doing either the doubling or adding one first, or can I choose?

This matters since it would always be preferable to perform all the adding before all the doubling: if I add one then double I get 4 counters; if I double then add one I just get 3 counters.

When multiple replacement effects affect an event, the player affected by that event control the order of in which the replacement effects are applied.

615.1. If two or more replacement and/or prevention effects are attempting to modify the way an event affects an object or player, the affected object’s controller (or its owner if it has no controller) or the affected player chooses one to apply, following the steps listed below. If two or more players have to make these choices at the same time, choices are made in APNAP order (see rule 101.4).

615.1d Once the chosen effect has been applied, this process is repeated (taking into account only replacement or prevention effects that would now be applicable) until there are no more left to apply.

In your example, when faced with "Put 1 +1/+1 counters on that creature" you can choose to apply Winding Constrictor's replacement effect. Since "Put 2 +1/+1 counters on that creature" can still be affected by Corpsejack Menace, it's further modified for a net result of "Put 4 +1/+1 counters on that creature".


Are there any EDH commanders whose colour identity is not solely determined by their mana cost? Colour identity is not only the colours in the casting cost, but any mana symbols that appear in the rules text (but not the reminder text!). Are there any legendary creatures that have a different colour identity to their card colour?

There are. The color identity rules were purposefully changed in 2010 to allow these legendary creatures to be played as commanders:

Bosh, Iron Golem
Memnarch
Thelon of Havenwood
Daughter of Autumn
Rhys, the Exiled


Are There Any Real-Life Applications of Chess? Chess seems to develop a specialized skill set that in my experience is mostly irrelevant to everyday life. However, I would like to know of any real-life applications that I have overlooked. I am a novice chess player.

[edit]For Example: My brother's University Statistics teacher was a veteran Blackjack player and used the game to teach statistics (and keep the class interesting).  More abstractly: There is an ancient game called Go, which still poses real problems for artificial intelligence; unlike chess for which Deep Blue has already been programmed to win (I think that might technically be an application).

If you play chess a lot, you'll probably develop some or all of these:

Critical thinking (Are some moves better than others?)
Analytical skills (What's my opponent likely to do?)
Spatial awareness (Where can a given piece move?)
Patience (Good strategies take time to develop)
Courtesy (Be a good loser and winner, no table flips, etc.)

I think one would be hard-pressed to argue that any of those aren't useful for everyday life.


Dominion: When to use Platinum and Colony I recently acquired Dominion: Prosperity (yay Christmas) and came across the Platinum and Colony Cards which are designed to be new Basic Cards (like Estate, Copper, etc...).

My question is, should I (or do you) always play with Platinum and Colony even when you're not using Prosperity kingdom cards? Or do you only play with them if you're doing a Prosperity only game? Or do you use them whenever some (or certain) Prosperity cards are chosen as kingdom cards but otherwise you leave the Platinum and Colony to the side?

From the Prosperity rulebook:

If only Kingdom cards from Prosperity are being used this game, then the Platinum and Colony piles are added to the Basic cards in the Supply for the game. If a mix of Kingdom cards from Prosperity and other sets are being used, then the inclusion of Platinum and Colony in the Supply should be determined randomly, based on the proportion of Prosperity and non-Prosperity cards in use. For example, choose a random Kingdom card being used - such as the first card dealt out from the Randomizer deck - and if it is from Prosperity, add Platinum and Colony to the Supply. Platinum and Colony are not Kingdom cards; when those are included, there are 10 Kingdom cards, plus Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Estate, Duchy, Province, Colony, and Curse, in the Supply. Use 8 Colonies for a 2-player game, or 12 Colonies for a game with 3 or more players.

Seems like there isn't much I can add to that!


What is the actual name of this card game similar to Go Fish, but with teams and complications? I'm looking for the name of a game that my friends call Fish (note: not Go Fish). I have reason to believe this isn't the real name of the game, because I can't find a game called Fish (that isn't Go Fish) anywhere, even on Pagat. (It may be actually possible, in this case, that this game is uniquely new, created where my friends play it, but I still find this unlikely.)

The game setup works as follows:

The cards are grouped into half-suits: one low, one high, of six cards each. Low is 2-7, high is 9-A. There is a ninth half suit: the eights, and two jokers.
An even number of players four or more sit around a table; every other person is on the same team.
The cards are dealt out to completion to each player.
Players may not communicate about the game.

The gameplay works as follows:

When any player thinks the players on their team collectively hold all the cards in a half suit, they may say so. Cards in that half-suits are revealed, and if they're right, the team scores a point. If they're wrong, the other team scores a point.
The player whose turn it is may ask an opposing player for a specific card - suit and number - under the following conditions:

They must have that half suit in their hand.
They must not have the card they ask about in their hand.
If the player guesses correctly, the opponent hands them the card, and the player guesses again.
If the player guesses incorrectly, their turn ends and the opponent they asked the incorrect question to takes the next turn.

Game ends when one team scores five points.

There are another couple smaller rules, but hopefully this is enough to figure it out. It's mostly complete.

What is the actual name of this game?

Your description seems to match the one of a card game called Literature which is apparently sometimes called Canadian Fish

I found references to it on Wikipedia and Pagat

Hope this helps...


How can I find the price of non-english cards? I have several German cards, from Unlimited - Fourth. How can I tell the price of German (ex. Hypnotic Specter)? TCGplayer's website doesn't appear to have much data for foreign language cards.

Starcitygames.com has a built-in foreign language price/ordering. The search page for Hypnotic Specter has a link to the old german version.


Advice for responding to "Kwabang" attack when playing Japan? When playing Axis & Allies as Japan I occasionally have an opponent use the "Kwabang" opening against me, which is where UK attacks Kwangtung on her opening move with the two infantry and fighter in India (landing the fighter in China, typically).

My usual opening move with Japan involves attacking the Pearl Harbor fleet, but when UK opens with a successful Kwabang attack (meaning they capture the territory with at least one infantry) I call that attack off and instead do the following:

Send one infantry from Burma into India.
Send my two transports with four infantry into Kwangtung, along with the two battleships (and pray that the transport doesn't strike a blow).
Throw all of my available infantry (3 in Manchuria, 1 in Burma) plus all air power into attacking China, especially if the UK fighter is based there.
Move all remaining naval units to the Japan Sea Zone.

While this strategy usually works well enough to retake Kwangtung and to capture China (and, more importantly, to remove the US and UK fighters in Asia), it has the following undesirable consequences:

It leaves the Pearl Harbor fleet unmolested.
It leaves Manchuria and Burma unguarded. Granted, these are two territories that are usually easy to take back because they are reachable from Japanese transports in one turn, but if Russia has stacked infantry in east Asia on turn 1 then it can take up to two turns to get Manchuria back.

I'm curious how others deal with this opening and if there are any recommendations on how to refine my response.

The problem with the Kwabang attack is it can give the UK a decent foothold in Asia, as well as denying Japan some early IPC, and it really screws with Japan's starting strategies.

Part of me wants to say, "Just ignore Kwangtung, go after Hawaii, and start grinding out transports and armor turn 2 for a mainland attack", but I think the Kwangtung attack swings things enough that you need to deal with it first turn.

While 5 infantry plus 2 battleships against 1 infantry anywhere would normally be overkill, in this case I don't think it is, because:  what else are you going to do with them?

To successfully attack the Pearl Harbor fleet, I feel you should throw everything in your fleet and air force at it, and if you're already sending your bombers into China instead of Hawaii, and you probably want at least one battleship in Kwangtung for the bombardment, there's not much left you can send against the Pearl Harbor fleet.

Sooo... finally to your question, where does that leave us?  I guess it depends on what the US does.  With an intact fleet, I think the US have two options -- harass Japan so they can't start a mainland invasion, or swing through the Panama Canal and support UK's landfall into Germany.

If the US goes after Germany -- good news, it's not your problem, at least not directly.  You'll just have to push hard into the mainland to advance into Russia, and find other ways to support Germany (ideally by eliminating the US and UK presence, setting up a mainland factory, and cranking out infantry and armor from the east coast of China).

If the US uses their first turn to move towards you, their fleet can't make it to Japan in one turn, so you'll have a turn to buy units and bulk up.  If you're playing with two-hit battleships, consider one; otherwise, consider subs and destroyers to counter their navy.  You'll want to go after the US navy pretty fast, because they'll do one of two things:  camp out in the Japan sea space, or start island-hopping with the UK to drain you of IPCs quickly.

Oh yeah, as for Manchuria, if you think you can get away with it, leave one unit in Manchuria for the defense.

Wow, that ended up being longer than I intended.


Rules for bribes when "Asking For Help" in turn vs bribing outside of a turn In the Munchkin instructions it says:

  You can bribe someone to help. In fact, you'll probably have to. You may offer your helper any Item(s) you are currently carrying, or any number of the Treasure cards the monster has. If you offer him part of the monster's treasure you must agree whether he picks first, or you pick first, or whatever.

While under the trading section it states this regarding a "bribe":

  You may also give Items away without trade, to bribe other players - "I'll give you my Flaming Armor if you won't help Bog fight that dragon!" You may show your hand to others. Like we could stop you.

This is within the same trading section that states that you may only trade Items from the table that are items.

Does this mean that all "bribes" can only be given from your hand (carried items)? Or are bribes handled differently when "Asking For Help" for help as opposed to out of turn bribing under the "Trading" section?

There's nothing in the second rules quote that contradicts the first rules quote. Regardless of in-turn versus out-of-turn, giving an item to a person requires that the item is in your inventory (it's on the table in front of you, regardless of whether it's equipped or not).

This doesn't mean that's the only way to affect a combat or bribe your opponents, of course: you could threaten/promise to play a potion, one-shot item, or monster-enhancer on the current combat (or someone's future combat), either for or against the player(s). You wouldn't be giving the player an item, but you would be using the item in a way that could affect their current decision. There's nothing requiring you to follow through on a promise, of course, but it's going to affect your reputation: if you don't follow through on a promise, your fellow players probably won't believe you the next time you promise something.

Some clarifications that may help:

Equipped items are face-up in front of you (i.e., part of your inventory), and they add to your Levels because you have sufficient slots to use them. (Potions and some other items are slotless, but most other items take a slot: one hand, headgear, armor, etc. Potions can be played from your hand or your inventory.)
Carried items are in your inventory; they're whatever you're not equipping. You don't have to drop them, and you don't have to apply Charity to them, but they're not adding to your Level. If you have three one-handed items, then you're going to equip two of them and carry the other one. I usually turn carried cards sideways to make it clear what I'm equipped with.
Your hand is not your inventory, and is unrelated to your equipped and carried items. It's always referred to as "your hand" in the rules.


What are good general strategies for Pandemic? I've looked at a lot of forum posts on several sites on Pandemic and it seems that there is a decent amount of luck. You may win two 6-epidemic games in a row, then lose three 5-epidemic games. I have no trouble at all with luck, but I'm curious:

What Pandemic strategies did you figure out after several games that help you get better win %'s on normal and heroic modes?

After reading through a large portion of this thread I've gathered a few things that are important. Any other suggestions on strategy are appreciated as well!

Know special combinations: when a disease is cured you can use the dispatcher to walk the medic around, which automatically cures any cubes of the cured color on those cities. Any other good combos you've discovered?
Know when it's worth it to eradicate a disease, and when to focus on curing diseases vs. removing cubes. How can I tell that? What other hard decisions are there that I should be aware of?
Know the rules. I just found out that you can take cards from another player if they would be able to give them to you on their turn. So if you're on the same tile as the researcher, you can take any other their cards for 1 action each. Any other rule gotchas that make the game easier?

A few points:

Movement is usually the most expensive action. Sure, you're getting closer to be being able to do something useful, but the moving itself isn't technically doing anything - it's just using up a turn. Because of this, if you go to a city with 3 disease cubes on it - strongly consider clearing them all off. If you don't, it just means you'll need to return sooner, and waste more turns getting there. The exception is late in the game - you're probably safe reducing it to the point where it cannot outbreak (ie. when there are two Epidemics left...you only need to reduce a city down to 1 disease cube).

When you have an Operations Expert in play, build research stations liberally. There are lots of instances where you can save someone else 2 (or many more) actions at the cost of building 1 research station with an Ops Expert. Even something that seems like a 1 for 1 tradeoff is probably worth it, especially if your Ops Expert doesn't have any pressing needs. Late game, you might be able to save someone who has a cure (or is about to have one) 3-4 movement actions that they would have needed just to get to a research station. Build a station in the city they are already in.

I used to place one research station in the middle of a problem area, then fan out from it to clear the surrounding cities. Now I build one station at either end of a problem area, so I can enter on one side, sweep across the problem cities, and leave from the other side, without having to backtrack. (But don't leave huge gaps - I'm talking like: research station -> city -> city -> research station)

This might be obvious, but pay attention to how many cards of a particular color you've already played. Later in the game, you'll have to make decisions about which to keep. Keep the colors that you've discarded the most of, since there are fewer of them in the deck.

And when deciding what to keep: I used to think that it made sense to keep the cards that are furthest away from existing research stations. Now, I believe that it might be better to keep cards that are closest to research stations, since you'll be able to quickly get to that area, and you'll probably be there often since it's a problem area, you can use those cards for charter flights - which offer greater flexibility.

Also, wait as long as possible to make the decision of which color to go for (since you'll have to discard so you don't go above 7). If you have 3 red and 3 blue, don't even think about picking one and discarding the other. Get rid of whatever the 7th or 8th card in your had is. Even consider using a special, that is if it will provide a solid benefit at that moment. (An exception would be if another player has 4 red or 4 blue - then you know that they will be curing that disease, not you - so you'd probably rather keep those 2 yellow cards.)

I know I said movement is the most expensive action, but getting together 5 of one color is probably worse. It takes a TON of move actions to use the Share Knowledge action.

That said, if you have the Researcher at the start, find someone with two or more cards of one color, and give them more of that color. This will be the easiest chance you'll have the entire game to use Share Knowledge.

As for eradicating - I only do it if I can guarantee eradication in the next two player turns (using all 8 of their actions). No scientific basis for that really, but it's something that I have to be able to almost guarantee, given the state of the board (where an Epidemic is unlikely, or unlikely to stymie the attempt). The number of movement actions this will save you down the line is massive. This most often happens with the Dispatcher, Medic combo you mentioned. Also, don't eradicate late in the game (unless it somehow won't negatively affect your ability to cure the other diseases).

Plan ahead as much as possible, but be wary of Epidemics. Don't plan out 4 player turns ahead if an Epidemic is probably going to happen before then. Having a long term plan get interrupted (because of a new emergency) can be devastating.


Banishing Spell Cards from the graveyard I'm looking for cards that allow me to banish one or more Spell Cards from my own graveyard repeatedly. By repeatedly, I mean that they can be used several times per turn, including with some workaround. An example of what cards fit my needs is Spell Striker, who banishes one Spell Card to Special Summon itself, then if I somehow get it back into my hand, I can use it again.

What I'm not looking for:

Trap Cards. I need cards that work immediately.
Cards that banish any number of Spell Cards once. I need to use them again and again, banishing my Spell Cards one by one. Banishing all at once doesn't help unless I can do it as often as I like.
Cards that banish a specific Spell Card. Like Spellbook shenanigans. I need to banish generic Spell Cards.
Cards that banish only non-Normal Spell Cards. I need to banish Normal Spell Cards. If a card can banish other Spell Cards too, it's still fine, if it can banish only Normal Spell Cards, no problem. But it has to be able to banish Normal Spell Card.

Also, Monsters that must be Normal Summoned are of limited use unless their effect can be used as often as I like. Chaosrider Gustaph comes to mind, but he's more or less useless because he banishes 2 cards and that's it.

From my preemptive search, I found litterally no cards that fit my description except
Spell Striker and Banisher of the Light / Radiance (which needs to be on the field before the Spell Card is played). I'm hoping someone knows more cards I can use to achieve this.

Due that I'm not familiar with the type of Deck you have I'll add various card suggestions:

Unfortunately, I couldn't find other card than Frost Blast Of The Monarchs that could be useful for your Deck and matches with your requirements.

Another options could be:

Option 1: Pseudo Space

  Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Field Spell Card in your Graveyard to have this card be treated as that card, and gain the same effects until the End Phase.

Strategy:

Use "Terraforming".

Option 2: Shuffle Reborn

  If you control no monsters: Target 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it, but its effects are negated, also banish it during the End Phase. You can banish this card from your Graveyard, then target 1 card you control; shuffle it into the Deck, then draw 1 card, also during the End Phase of this turn, banish 1 card from your hand. You can only use this effect of "Shuffle Reborn" once per turn.

Strategy:

Don't set monsters on the field in the turn you use this card.
Have (al least) 1 monster card in the Graveyard.
Have (al least) 1 card in your hand for banish.

Notes:

All previous cards can be used once per turn, but if you use these cards together, you can get the results that you desired.
You can still use Chaosrider Gustaph o Spell Striker and other cards that allows you get back your summoned monsters to your hand like Spirit monster cards.

If you're interested, you can check this link from Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia that lists all cards that banishes from your graveyard.

You can play with the query for get more concise results.


Identify board game with a 1 ┤SK token Can someone please help identify the board game which has this token?


Othello (Reversi) Online community Are there any online big communities similar to FICS or Chess.com for Othello (Reversi) where you can play against many players and so on?

You can play online on Yucata http://www.yucata.de/en/GameInfo/Reversi.  Generally the games are played over days rather than "real time" though.

Lots of other great games too


Can I shortcut a loop with conditional actions? I control Wirefly Hive, Filigree Sages, Darksteel Forge, and some means of making an arbitrarily large amount of mana. My opponent is at two million life, and there are ten minutes remaining on the clock.

I activate Wirefly Hive's regular ability
The ability resolves and I flip a coin

If I win, I get a Wirefly

I activate Filigree Sage's ability targeting Wirefly Hive
The ability resolves and Wirefly Hive untaps

I demonstrate my ability to make an arbitrarily large number of Wireflies. I also demonstrate my ability to make an arbitrarily large amount of mana. My opponent understands, but we call a judge anyway to ask if shortcut is legal.

Does the judge allow me to shortcut making a million Wireflies?

716.1a says that as long as both players understand the intent, I can use any "shortcut system" I want. My opponent understands my intent (to keep flipping coins until I make a million Wireflies), and so the shortcut is acceptable.

  The rules for taking shortcuts are largely unformalized. As long as each player in the game understands the intent of each other player, any shortcut system they use is acceptable.

716.2a says that I cannot shortcut a loop with "unpredictable results" or "conditional actions". My loop contains conditional actions, so I cannot shortcut it.

  At any point in the game, the player with priority may suggest a shortcut by describing a sequence of game choices, for all players, that may be legally taken based on the current game state and the predictable results of the sequence of choices. This sequence may be a nonrepetitive series of choices, a loop that repeats a specified number of times, multiple loops, or nested loops, and may even cross multiple turns. It can’t include conditional actions, where the outcome of a game event determines the next action a player takes. The ending point of this sequence must be a place where a player has priority, though it need not be the player proposing the shortcut.

This loop definitely includes conditional actions, because when you have 999,999 Wireflies, when activate the ability and it resolves, you make the following choice:

If the ability created a Wirefly, you stop
Otherwise, you flip again

Rule 101.2 says

  When a rule or effect allows or directs something to happen, and another effect states that it can't happen, the "can't" effect takes precedence.

Therefore, the restriction in 716.2a overrides the allowance in 716.1a.

In addition, if you assume that 716.1a effectively allows any shortcut that both players agree to, then the restrictions in 716.2a don't really make sense.


Can I bounce the creatures I've chosen for sacrificing to Annihilator? I have Hibernation Sliver in play, which allows me to pay 2 life to return a Sliver to my hand.  My opponent controls an Eldrazi with annihilator 2 and attacks, making me sacrifice 2 permanents.

Can I sacrifice 2 Slivers and then, before the sacrifice resolves, return them to my hand with Hibernation Sliver, so I don't have to sacrifice anything and only have to pay 4 life?

Short answer: no.

Longer answer: The permanents you sacrifice to the annihilator ability are only chosen upon the ability's resolution. Since no player gets priority during its resolution, you can't do anything before the permanents are sacrificed.


What is the purpose of the Attack stat for a unit with no melee weapons? According to the 8th Edition Core Rules, the attack stat is defined as follows:

  Attacks (A): This tells you how many times a model can strike blows in hand-to-hand combat.

As I understand, this only affects the fight phase, and as such only melee weapons. However, I see several units, such as the Kustom Boosta-Blastas, which have an attack stat, but no melee weapons. What is the purpose of this stat? Or is it just "filler"?

All models have a close combat weapon in addition to the listed equipment (described in page 183 of the 8th Edition Core Rule Book). It is Strength: User, AP: 0, Damage: 1.

I think this is supposed to represent fighters using their fists, guns as clubs, body slams and any small knives etc they carry.

Some people have been taking advantage of this for units (like helbrutes) that have a bonus for having two melee weapons. It also allows models with weapons like power fists (2x strength, good AP, -1 to hit rolls) to use a different attack against targets where the power fists abilities would be wasted.


In the Final Battle, do all spells have to be recast each round of combat? Investigators Refresh
  At the beginning of a round of combat with an Ancient
  One, the investigators may refresh their cards, use any
  character abilities, and adjust their skill sliders as though
  it were the Upkeep Phase. Next, the first player marker
  should be passed to the left. Finally, they may trade
  items among themselves as if they were in the same
  location (see “Trading Equipment” later in these rules).

Is this really an upkeep phase in every single respect, or is it a psuedo-upkeep phase with slightly different rules? Do spells have to recast every round? Dread Curse of Azathoth says it lasts until end of combat, and the rules specifically say investigators may refresh cards. If they chose not to refresh a spell would it mean that the spell would continue in effect, possibly for the whole battle without having to be recast at all?

EDIT: in addition, if investigators have blessings, do they need to roll to see if they discard them every round of combat?

From page 16 of the rulebook

  A spell or weapon that gives you a
  bonus (even one that says it lasts
  until the end of combat) only
  continues to give you the bonus while
  you devote the required number of
  hands to it. You can choose to switch
  weapons/spells in later combat rounds,
  but as soon as you “release” a spell
  or weapon, it stops working for you.
  Similarly, spells that are refreshed
  (such as at the beginning of each
  combat round in the final battle)
  cease to work and must be re-cast.

And from page 6

  Some cards exhaust themselves when used, which
  means that they are turned face down for the remainder
  of the turn. At the start of the Upkeep Phase, each player
  refreshes those cards by turning them face up. Simply
  remember that you can use face-up cards and that you
  cannot use face-down cards until you turn them face up
  again during the next Upkeep Phase.

So, exhausted spells are refreshed every round during the final battle and thus need to be recast. It's much simpler to think of the final battle as a combination of multiple combats through which damage carries over.


Karn, the Great Creator - what defines a 'card from outside the game' in sealed? In the upcoming set 'War of the Spark' there is the Planeswalker Karn, the Great Creator. His -2 ability reads as:

  -2: You may choose an artifact card you own from outside the game or in exile, reveal that card and add it to your hand

Now my question is, in a sealed tournament, like the Prerelease, is a player allowed to also choose cards from outside his sealed cardpool, or only out of the cards therein. Does anyone know any rulings on stuff like that?

It's the same wording as used on e.g. the Wish cycle from Judgment. An example is Golden Wish. Its rulings at the bottom say

10/1/2009     In a sanctioned event, a card that’s “outside the game” is one that’s in your sideboard. In an unsanctioned event, you may choose any card from your collection.

So in a Sealed event, you're limited to your sideboard, which according to the Tournament Rules are the 'rest' of the opened cards you're not using in your deck. (Of course, exiled cards can be chosen as well.)

7.1 Deck Construction Restrictions
Limited decks must contain a minimum of forty cards. There is no maximum deck size. Any drafted or opened cards not used in a player’s Limited deck function as their sideboard.


Can Ice Witches use Winter markers on the turn they were earned? The Ice Witches from "A Spider's Web" have the following ability:

  Ice Witches collect 1 Winter marker for each Magic Source they control at the end of their Redeployment phase. At the end of their Redeployment phase, Ice Witches may place their Winter markers in their own Regions or any adjacent Region (there cannot be more than 1 Winter marker per Region though). A Winter marker permanently augments the Region's defense by 1. It remains on the board as long as the Ice Witches are active. Regions with a Winter marker that are not controlled by an Ice Witch earn 1 less Victory coin than usual.

My initial reading of this was that you earned Winter markers on one turn and could use them on the next. This was due to the fact that both earning and using Winter markers happens on the same trigger - the "end of the Redeployment phase". In other words, by the time you've earned that turn's markers, the trigger that allows you to use them has already passed.

This would be similar to how the Fireball special power works, although that power specifies that Fireball markers are to be used on subsequent turns.

On further thought I realised I was probably reading into it too much and that the power is intended to be used immediately.

Still is there any verification as to which way is correct?

They should be played the same round. The rule is not explicit and I have found no official statement. But this topic on boardgamegeek took the same conclusion:

  All the magic sources do is indicate how many markers the Ice Witches may play at the end of their turn. Highlighted this bit as this is a rule we've got wrong a few times when playing.


Releases for the Lord of the Rings LCG I have been thinking of getting into the Lord of the Rings LCG from Fantasy Flight Games. I realize the game has been out for a while and there are a LOT of deluxe expansions and Adventure Packs for the game.

Does anyone know the release order for the Expansions and Packs and the general theme of each?

That would probably help me in deciding what I want/need to pick up first.

There are two ways you can go about collecting the expansions, one is order of release, the second is chronological order of events.

Here are a couple good resources for choosing what order to buy the expansions in:

New Player Buying Guide (Updated January 2015)

This guy went through the effort of placing each expansion into chronological order of events according to the books, I've quoted his summary below.

Play Chronology / Quests Timeline

  To Summarize…

  The Quests in Chronological Order

  Over the Hill and Under Hill (2941 TA) [Gadalf: Sending an Hobbit to
  slay the last fire breathing dragon. What could possibly go wrong? On
  a totally unrelated sidenote, dang these are some good pipeweed!]

  Battle at Laketown (2941 TA) [Bard: Stupid Dwarves, stupid fat Hobbit,
  and most of all stupid procrastinating weed addict wizard. In the end
  I did all the work and all saving laketown and all slaying Smaug.]

  Shadow of Mirkwood (3009 ~ 3017 TA) [Gandalf: Oh, Sauron is in action
  again? Ah oh… he must be searching for the One Ring….. I am kind of
  suspicious about Bilbo's ring. Maybe I will try and learn more about
  Bilbo's ring by questioning Gollum]

  Core Set (Spring/Summer 3009 TA) [Thranduil: Oh shizzle, the fortress
  of Dol Guldur, which White Council cleansed couple decades ago, is
  sending out evil vibes again. I better send warning to all nearby
  allies]

  Khazad-Dum (3009 TA Early Winter) [Elrond: I'm hearing a lot of
  reports about evil things stirring in the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood
  and such. But oddly no report came from Moria for… 15 years, that
  seems like a long time. Maybe I'll send someone to check them out, to
  see if they are doing okay.]

  Dwarrowdelf (3009 TA Winter) [Elrond: Sweety how was your journey over
  the Mountain? I know it was wintertime but Lorien was just too close
  to Dol Guldur. What? You were attacked by the Orcs? Come to think of
  it, the scouts I've sent to Moria hasn't returned yet. This is
  concerning… maybe I'll send another group to see Moria has something
  to do with increased Orc activity.

  Massing at Osgiliath / Heirs of Numenor (3019 TA) [Sauron: I will
  launch multiple attacks against Gondor on various fronts to see how
  strong their defences are. Also, while they are busy defending my
  'attacks', I will sneak my Nazguls disguised as 'Black Riders' across
  the river Anduin in search for this Shire, Baggins to get my Ring
  back.]


Can I build on a different tile to the one I terraform? In a game I played recently, there was an adjacent territory that was my home terrain that I wanted to build a dwelling on, but also the bonus for that round was terraforming, so I wanted to do a terraform on a separate tile as well.

Am I allowed to do that as Action #1?

On a related note - I take the two spades power action - can I use it to terraform two different tiles?

No, you can only build on the space that you terraform. From the rules:

  First, you may change the type of one Terrain space. Then, if you have changed its type to your Home terrain, you may immediately build a Dwelling on that space.

If you are using the 2 free shovels power action, then you can use the second one to terraform a second adjacent space if the first one was enough to make your first space into your home terrain.

  (If these Spades do not suffice to transform a given Terrain space into your Home terrain, you may exchange Workers* for the missing Spade – at the current Exchange rate on your Exchange track. If you only need one Spade to transform a Terrain space into your Home terrain, you may spend the second Spade on another Terrain space. However, you may not place a Dwelling on this other space.)


Removing to Reapply Decals I've painted my new Space Marine chapter Blood Angels style, trying to respect as much as possible the color scheme: squad decal on knee, company decal on shoulder and winged blood dop on other shoulder.

The decals I first used were the 90's decals from Games Workshop, but I just noticed that the new decals are smaller, and thus pretty much better (ie. don't overlap shoulder edge).

I've bought some decal paper, scanned the decals I wanted and will now print out my own decal sheets to have the exact number and style of decals I wish to have.

The only problem is, and thus the question: how can I safely remove a decal from a figurine? Is there an easy way? Or must I scrape and repaint the parts that I need to reapply decals to?
The decals were sealed with Lahmian Medium and the figurines then coated with Humbrol Mat finish.

I usually have the exact opposite problem, I can never keep mine from cracking and peeling.

If the model wasn't sealed, you could have tried pressing some masking tape over the decal and peeling it off.  That may take off the decal with out taking off the paint underneath.

Once the model is sealed, I don't think there's a good way to get the decal off without taking the paint with it.  Any kind of chemical you use will need to get through the sealer and would probably dissolve the paint as well. You'll probably have to paint over the area and apply the decal on top of the old one.


Wolf Form - one or two damage? In the third edition the Rules Reference book states that using Wolf Form causes Dracula to take one damage, but the rulebook and Wolf Form card both state two damage. Is this is an error in the rules reference book?

It doesn't matter.

The section in the first page of the Rules Reference from FFG itself, titled Golden Rules says

  This Rules Reference is the definitive source of rules
  information. If something in the Rules Reference
  contradicts the Learn to Play booklet, this document takes
  precedence.

  If the rules text of a card or game component contradicts
  information from the Rules Reference, the component-
  specific rules text takes precedence.

Thus a hierarchy of correctness is established, so that the "most correct" statement is whatever the card itself says.

The card says two damage. Dracula takes two damage. End of story.


MTG - Cards that share names stack abilities? Ability: When Aether Poisoner enters the battlefield you get {E}{E}.

Does this mean if I already have one aether poisoner on the field and I play a second that the ability will stack and I'll get {E}{E}{E}{E}?

If the answer to the previous question in yes, then consider the following:

{U}: Dukhara Peafowl gains flying until end of turn.

Does this mean that if I have 2 Dukhara peafowls I merely have to pay {U} once in order to give both flying?

No. This does not work that way, The first Creature has entered the battlefield and triggered the ability. It does not then enter the battlefield a second time if you play a second Aether Poisoner. In this situation the only thing the cards share is a name. The ability is exclusive to the card it is read on at the time unless it states otherwise.

In your second example Manna abilities are exclusive to each card so you would have to pay the cost twice - Once for each copy of the card in play. That's provided that you wanted to give both of them flying, you can pay the cost once and give one of them flying.


Does a face down creature get the bonus from Muraganda Petroglyphs? Does a face down creature get the bonus from  Muraganda Petroglyphs?

Yes, they do get the bonus. See the first ruling below the card in Gatherer:

  Muraganda Petroglyphs gives a bonus only to creatures that have no rules text at all. This includes true vanilla creatures (such as Grizzly Bears), face-down creatures, many tokens, and creatures that have lost their abilities (due to Ovinize, for example). Any ability of any kind, whether or not the ability functions in the on the battlefield zone, including things like “Cycling (2)” means the creature doesn’t get the bonus.

(emphasis mine)

For example, a morphed card:

  702.36c To cast a card using its morph ability, turn it face down. It becomes a 2/2 face-down creature card with no text, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost.

One could argue that the ability to turn the card face-up is an ability of the 2/2 face-down card, negating the Muraganda Petroglyphs condition, but it's not.


How does infect step of epidemic interact with mutation? As the current player pulled an epidemic card, we do the following steps: increase, infect, and intensify.

  Infect: Draw the bottom card from the deck and put three cubes in that city.  Discard that card.

In this case however the bottom card that was drawn was a mutation card.

  If the purple disease is not eradicated, draw a card from the bottom of the deck. Place 1 purple disease cube (only) on this city.

How do you proceed in this situation?  Does the effect of the epidemic make it so you place three purple cubes in the location drawn for the mutation location?  Does the phrase "1 purple disease cube (only)..." supercede the effect of the epidemic?  Or is there some other interpretation?

This situation should never occur.  The mutation cards are put into the Infection Discard Pile at the beginning of the game.  So they aren't even in the deck until after the first Epidemic, and at that time they will be put on the top of the deck with the rest of the discard pile.  The only way for them to be on the bottom is to draw the entire Infection deck without hitting an Epidemic, which shouldn't be possible (at least without fan-based rules.


In MTG, what happens when Sakashima the Imposter copies Halcyon Glaze? If I cast Sakashima the Imposter, copying Halcyon Glaze, what happens?

My guess is that Sakashima becomes a 4/4 Enchantment Creature - Illusion until the end of the turn (that's the current state of Halcyon Glaze) with Halcyon Glaze's text ("Whenever you play a creature spell...").

So, Sakashima would revert to a 3/1 with Halcyon Glaze's text at the end of the turn. This means that on future turns, if I cast a creature spell, Sakashima would again become a 4/4.

Something about that doesn't seem quite right, however. What actually happens?

A relevant paragraph from the MtG Comprehensive Rules:

  706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of
  the original object's characteristics
  and, for an object on the stack,
  choices made when casting or
  activating it (mode, targets, the
  value of X, whether it was kicked, how
  it will affect multiple targets, and
  so on). The "copiable values" are the
  values derived from the text printed
  on the object (that text being name,
  mana cost, card type, subtype,
  supertype, expansion symbol, rules
  text, power, toughness, and/or
  loyalty), as modified by other copy
  effects, by "as . . . enters the
  battlefield" and "as . . . is turned
  face up" abilities that set
  characteristics, and by abilities that
  caused the object to be face down.
  Other effects (including type-changing
  and text-changing effects), status,
  and counters are not copied. Example:
  Chimeric Staff is an artifact that
  reads "{X}: Chimeric Staff becomes an
  X/X artifact creature until end of
  turn." Clone is a creature that reads,
  "You may have Clone enter the
  battlefield as a copy of any creature
  on the battlefield." After a Staff has
  become a 5/5 artifact creature, a
  Clone enters the battlefield as a copy
  of it. The Clone is an artifact, not a
  5/5 artifact creature. (The copy has
  the Staff's ability, however, and will
  become a creature if that ability is
  activated.) Example: Clone enters the
  battlefield as a copy of a face-down
  Grinning Demon (a creature with morph
  {2}{B}{B}). The Clone is a colorless
  2/2 creature with no name, no types,
  no abilities, and no mana cost. It
  will still be face up. Its controller
  can't pay {2}{B}{B} to turn it face
  up.

I think that what this implies is that Sakashima does NOT become a 4/4 creature when copying a creatured-up Halcyon Glaze, but rather an enchantment with Halcyon Glaze's rules text.  So you'd have to cast another creature to turn enchantment-Sakashima into a 4/4 flyer.  I don't think he'd revert to being a 3/1 at end of turn; he'd stay a noncreature enchantment until returned to hand with Sakashima's ability.

Essentially the key issue here is about what the Magic rules like to call "copiable values". The switched-on Glaze is a valid thing for Sakashima to copy, because it's a creature in play, but its switched-on status is not a copiable value. So Sakashima just becomes a switched-off Glaze, with all the extra characteristics as defined in the Sakashima rules text.


Are token creatures considerd as a creature spell? Are token creatures considerd creature spells? For instince when I use Drana's Chosen tap effect combined with Zendikar Resurgent would it allow me to draw a card?

No.

A creature token IS a creature, but that has nothing to do with your combo in this case. Tapping Drana's Chosen is activating an ability, it is not casting a spell. These are two completely different things.

If Zendikar Resurgent triggered on "whenever a creature enters the battlefield" instead, then a creature token entering would count.

The title of your question shows that you have mixed up two very different concepts: a creature spell (or, creature card on the stack) and a creature are not the same thing. A spell exists only on the stack, while a creature is a permanent that exists only on the battlefield. So a token, which can be a creature, can't be a spell. A spell could create tokens, but that doesn't mean that a spell can be a token or a creature.


What is Ol' George's Nail Wail? This has been sitting on the bookshelf in my parents' house since I was a kid, and to this day, I still have no idea what it is or how to play:

It was given to us by my grandma, and the best my dad can remember is that "it's a puzzle of some sort". He claims to have solved it once, but can't recall anything beyond that.

I tried Googling "Ol' George's Nail Wail" to no avail. Here are a couple more pics from other angles:

It looks like a "nail balance" puzzle. It is very similar to some of the results of this Google Image Search.


How does the whole EX/GX thing work? (Pokemon TCG) So I'm new to the Pokemon TCG, atleast when learning how to play the game itself. I've gotten confused to what distinguishes EX and GX cards. I looked it up and all I found was that GX are majorly basic cards that can be played without the need of evolving it, for quick turnarounds. Ex on the other hand need to be evolved into from a basic card, so planning is necessary. However I need help with the tournament rules, so If I'm right only 1 EX is a allowed. I don't know if EX and GX follow the same rules. This is mainly because I want a lucario and M Lucario (M Lucario is only EX). I want to use a Lucario GX and a Mega Lucario EX, is that allowed, or do I need Riolu, a normal Lucario, then a M. Lucario EX? I ask this because I don't want to accidently get used to just for fun rules, then to have my cards be pulled as tournament illegal, and have to make a new deck all over again. Thanks for the help :D

The only things needed to know the rules of a particular card are just a rulebook[1] and the card itself.

Regarding EX cards, there's nothing written on them about limiting them to one per deck so this rule from rulebook applies[1]:

  When you are building a deck, you can have only 4 copies of a card with the same name in it, except for basic Energy cards.

Also the text "Evolves from X" on Evolution cards (= not Basic) is important because it's the name of the card you can only play the Evolution card onto. In your case, Lucario-EX is Basic, M Lucario-EX is Mega evolution that "Evolves from Lucario-EX" so you only need Lucario-EX in play to be able to evolve to M Lucario-EX, any other combination won't work[1].

In the rulebook there are appendices for both Pokémon EX and Mega Pokémon explaining the rules that are written on the cards if you'd like to know more.

In tournament, as long as you have at least one Basic Pokémon card in your deck, you can't be punished for playing an impossible evolution cards (like Riolu+Lucario with M Lucario-EX), you would just have cards in your deck that you are not able to play under any circumstances (you can't put M Lucario-EX into play without Lucario-EX). On the other hand, don't forget to check the actual format of the tournament, all premier events nowadays use either Standard format (cards released in last ~24-36 months) or Expanded (Black & White and newer)[2] and your M Lucario-EX is legal only in the latter one. If you showed with M Lucario-EX on a Standard event, than you would really have an illegal deck[3].

As you pointed out, the difference between Pokémon EX and Pokémon GX is that the former ones are always Basic whereas the latter ones are always the stage they are supposed to be[1] (except for Tag Team GX cards which are also always Basic). However this difference is conceptual and has no impact on the game itself. You just read the cards and you are fine.

[1] Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules (Sun & Moon rulebook)
[2] Play! Pokémon TCG Rules and Formats
[3] Pokémon TCG Penalty Guidelines


Can more lands be tapped for mana than needed? I was playing with a friend last night, and during one of our games i miscalculated the amount of mana needed to activate various abilities on my permanents. I ended up tapping too many lands (2 too many). Just as I pass the turn I realize that I have tapped too many lands. I inform my friend of this, and he says he knows, but that he did not wanted to tell me.

He says that it is too late, and that the lands should stay tapped. I should have paying better attention in the first place.

My question is therefore: Is it at all possible to tap lands for mana if the mana has nothing to activate/pay casting cost for?

I know I made a mistake in the first place, but what is the ruling on this kind of situation?

You can always tap any lands at any time that you have priority (any time you could do pretty much anything in the game); it doesn't matter if you have anything to spend that mana on. Note that you can either tap lands for mana as part of the process of casting a spell (or activating an ability), or you can do it as a separate action. But in either case, there is nothing to stop you from tapping for more mana than you need / intend to use.


Does everyone get to see the color of a train card drawn from the pile? Does a person drawing a train card from the pile have to show everyone the color of the cards drawn?

No, when you draw a card from the deck it is hidden to the rest of the players. Other players only know what you get when you pick one of the face up cards.

One of the benefits of drawing from the deck is others don’t know what you get but you also don’t have a choice of what you get. Another possible benefit depending on the version is the ability to draw a wild card from the deck and get another draw afterwards.


Chandra exiles a card, I play it, it gets exiled again I exiled a creature card with Chandra, Fire Artisan. I then played it, and it got countered by a card that put it back into exile. Can I play it again?

No, you can't play it again.

It's necessary to understand that everything in the game is only an imaginary game object. Objects are the things that players actually play with. Cards only represent objects; they serve as a reminder that there is an object and what its base properties are.

Whenever an object leaves a game zone (such as exile), it ceases to exist. If that object was represented by a card, a new object is instead created in the zone it moved to. Those new objects have no relation to their previous existence.

That means the object you exiled with Chandra is different from the one you cast and was countered, and different yet again from the exiled object put there by the counter. That means you can not cast it again with Chandra, because it's a different object to the one Chandra exiled.

  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 a few exceptions to this rule, but none apply here.


Can colorless mana be generated from things that say "Add one mana of any color to your mana pool"? Can colorless mana be generated from things that say "Add one mana of any color to your mana pool"?

One example card would be Coalition Relic.

Reasons:

For example for sunburst spells, when the caster wants less of the sunburst effect, for whatever reason.
You need to win the game with Scrapyard Salvo this turn, but you're one artifact in your graveyard short - casting a Sunburst creature as a 0/0 could be your only out

No, it cannot.

  105.4. If a player is asked to choose a color, he or she must choose one of the five colors. "Multicolored" is not a color. Neither is "colorless."


Life Link on an opponents creature by enchantment With cards like spirit link does the controller of the spirit link gain the life or does the controller of the creature that is dealing the damage gain the life?

The card is worded so that it says "...whenever enchanted creature deals damage, you gain that much life." does this mean you as the controller of the creature or the controller of the enchantment?

Life link is very clear. It says the controller of the creature, but does spirit link not give the creature life link?

You on a card always means the cards controller, or owner if it has no controller.

  109.5. The words “you” and “your” on an object refer to the object’s controller, its would-be controller (if a player is attempting to play, cast, or activate it), or its owner (if it has no controller). For a static ability, this is the current controller of the object it’s on. For an activated ability, this is the player who activated the ability. For a triggered ability, this is the controller of the object when the ability triggered, unless it’s a delayed triggered ability. To determine the controller of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.

  303.4e An Aura's controller is separate from the enchanted object's controller or the enchanted player; the two need not be the same. If an Aura enchants an object, changing control of the object doesn't change control of the Aura, and vice versa. Only the Aura's controller can activate its abilities. However, if the Aura grants an ability to the enchanted object (with "gains" or "has"), the enchanted object's controller is the only one who can activate that ability.

Spirit Link does not grant the enchanted creature Lifelink, which is a Keyword ability.

  702.15a Lifelink is a static ability.

  702.15b Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller, or its owner if it has no controller, to gain that much life (in addition to any other results that damage causes). See rule 119.3.

  119.3f Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller to gain that much life, in addition to the damage’s other results.

It has a triggered ability that triggers whenever the enchanted creature deals damage.

  112.3c Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as “[Trigger condition], [effect],” and include (and usually begin with) the word “when,” “whenever,” or “at.” Whenever the trigger event occurs, the ability is put on the stack the next time a player would receive priority and stays there until it’s countered, it resolves, or it otherwise leaves the stack. See rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”

This is an important distinction, because if the controller of Spirit Link has less life than the Power of the creature, it can deal sufficient damage to kill the Spirit Link's controller, causing them to lose the game as a state-based effect before Spirit Link triggered ability will gain them back the life they lost.

  104.3b If a player’s life total is 0 or less, he or she loses the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

  800.4d If an object that would be owned by a player who has left the game would be created in any zone, it isn’t created. If a triggered ability that would be controlled by a player who has left the game would be put onto the stack, it isn’t put on the stack.


Firefly Fluxx Upgraded Creepers The Creeper's from the upgrade pack state "during your turn, if you discard a Keeper you have in play you may move this to another player." Does the Creeper alone allow you to discard a Keeper or do you need another card's effect to discard a Keeper then use the Creeper's effect? And can you get rid of two Creepers with a single discarded Keeper?

It's just "if".

The Creeper doesn't give you an extra ability to discard a Keeper. It just says what to do "if" you discard a Keeper.

Contrast this alternate wording:

  During your turn, you can discard a Keeper you have in play to move
  this to another player.

which is similar to Gold-Pressed Latinum's

  You can discard this to steal any Keeper...


Do "play immediately" cards in the zombie turn affect the number of cards a zombie player will have in his hand? This is probably a silly question, but I've just read the rulebook of "Last Night on Earth", and need a small clarification: the rulebook says that a zombie player must draw up to two cards at the start of his/her turn. It also says that the player must play immediately any "Play Immediately" cards that he/she draws from the zombie deck.

If I have no cards in hand, and one of the the cards I draw is a "Play Immediately" card - do I draw another card, so I'll have two cards in my hand, or does this count as though I've already drawn two cards?

When playing as the zombie, you first fill your hand of cards (4 cards if there is 1 zombie player, 2 cards if there are 2 zombie players). After drawing all cards, you then decide in which order you would like to resolve all of the "play immediately" cards just drawn. After resolving these cards, they are not replaced.


Small World : purpose of hiding VP Have you ever tried playing Small World with visible VP ?

It sometimes frustrates me to discover in the end that some player had much more or less VP that we expected. Memorizing the VP count for every player is feasible but requires so much concentration.

Consequences I envisaged :

game might take longer because of added strategic thinking
new players may get earlier the feeling of which strategy is successful and also who they should attack
less talk during turns "you should attack him, not me since he made 14 points last turn"

What are your experiences or feelings with this variant ?

In Vinci, the original game that Small World is based on, VPs are open.  In that game it can lead to end game kingmaker effects where a player can't possibly win, but can decide who does win based on who they attack.  With hidden VPs, the kingmaker effect is still there but its less obvious, as players who aren't precisely tracking every VP won't know when a particular attack will make a difference of who wins.


Is a player locked in to a poorly worded trade offer? Is the following allowed?
Player A: holds up two woods and says "I will take any one resource for two woods"
Player B: Gives him a wood for his two woods.
Player A: tries to say he meant any resource besides wood since this trade is not allowed.

There are multiple issues with the way this played out.
First of all, trading 2 wood for 1 wood is not a legal trade, as outlined in the rulebook:

You may not trade like resources (e.g., 2 wool for 1 wool).

But aside from that, simply stating "I will take any (1) resource for (2) woods" is not actually making a trade, it is simply proposing a general offer. Once players respond to that offer, there can be negotiation and then eventually an actual trade is made.
In this case, Player B doesn't just "give him 1 wood", rather player B would say "ok, how about 1 wood?" at which point Player A can say "no, what else you got?"
It is important to distinguish between "proposing a trade" and "making a trade". I can say "I will give a sheep for a wood", but if the only player willing to do it is someone who has 9 points so I don't want to trade with them, I don't have to trade with them. I can always just say "sorry, not trading with you". Making statements about what sort of trade you want is not a binding agreement; the actual agreement comes when 2 different players say "ok" to a specific set of resources exchanging with other resources.


Are the German tanks in Axis & Allies Panthers? I know in some A&A rulebooks it is printed what the plastic miniatures represents.

I own A&A 1942 and Pacific. When I see the German tank it looks like a Panther.. is it?  Is it the same tank issued for 1940? Which is .. a panther?

The 1942 2nd edition does indeed list the German tank miniature as a Panther. This is the most recent printing. You can make out the text in the top picture.

You can check the rule books from the official wizards site, unless you are talking about the older Avalon Hill versions, to discover if the units were changed from any of the different versions. If they are attempting to be historically accurate, you can compare the miniature to the Panzer I-IV, Panther, and Tiger I/II.

The game page on Wikipedia agrees with the other sites, but notes under Units that:

  Changes in the figurines used may be due to evolving game mechanics (such as the introduction of player-specific antiaircraft gun pieces in 1942 Second Edition necessitating the replacement of artillery units that were previously represented by antiaircraft guns), increased realism (For example, prior to Anniversary, many British and Soviet units were recolored versions of American pieces; in later games they were replaced with pieces representing units from their own armies. Similarly, most ANZAC and Italian pieces, including infantry, were replaced in Pacific 1940 Second Edition and Europe 1940 Second Edition, respectively).


can wishes let you get 5x of a card? So normally in tournaments you're restricted to a max of four identical cards per deck but can you, with wishes, get, into your hand, a fifth Force of Will, or a second Yawgmoth's Will or something?

In tournaments "outside the game" as stated on the wishes only consists of your sideboard. The maximum of 4 of one card rule extends to your sideboard. So your deck + sideboard can only have 4 of one card, so NO you can't have a 5th card this way in tournaments.


In Gin Rummy, what happens when one knocks but the opposing player has a lower deadwood? In Gin Rummy, what happens when one knocks but the opposing player has a lower deadwood?

E.g. I knock placing everything but a 6. My opponent was able to place everything but a 4.
So, my opponent had a lesser amount of points she couldn't place than I, but I knocked.

What does one do regarding points when this happens?
Does she get the difference, or does no-one get points?
Or does she get points like she would if she had successfully gotten a Gin?

Your opponent Undercut you and scores usually 25 points plus the difference between your score and theirs (+2 in your case). Actually, unless you knockout on gin (zero points), if your opponent ties your score you are undercut. From pagat.com:

  If the knocker did not go gin, and the counts are equal, or the knocker's count is greater than that of the opponent, the knocker has been undercut. In this case the knocker's opponent scores the difference between the counts plus a 10 point bonus.


Late 80's game, post apocalyptic dinosaurs and guns I am trying to remember what was either a board game or a strategy game from the late 1980s. The setting was a post-apocalyptic USA with a campy 1950s vibe. You controlled dinosaurs that you have to upgrade to battle others. Upgrades included armor and weapons. I also remember some of the upgrade cards were labeled 'Factoids' and were shaped like CRT Televisions.
I don't think it was:

Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs
Impact: The Battle for Wolf Ridge
Cadiliacs and Dinosaurs (a video game)

Could it have been Gammarauders?  That has Factoid cards with images of TVs (with feet!) and came out in 1987.  Some, although not all, of the creatures in the game were dinosaurs.


How does Fae of Wishes / Granted work in a THG limited event? Fae of Wishes can be cast as the adventure Granted, which has the text:

  You may choose a noncreature card you own from outside the game,
  reveal it, and put it into your hand.

How does this work in a Two-Headed Giant sealed event? Usually cards that do this allow you to search your sideboard, and usually for limited events that would be anything in your card pool that isn't already in your deck. For Two-Headed Giant, though, teams of players share a card pool. So how does this work? I can see several possibilities:

I can only search for a card from the packs I opened
I can search for any card from our combined card pool
Cards in the card pool are divided up between team members before the game starts and each team member can only search for cards in their half.

You can search for any card from the combined pool.

From the Magic Tournament Rules for the Two-Headed Giant Limited format:

  Cards not used in a team’s starting decks are considered a shared
  sideboard by the two players that both players can access.


Can someone explain the Damage on the Stack rule change? I played Magic: The Gathering when Unlimited first came out, and quit shortly after Antiquities were released. About a month ago I started playing again.

I was trying to find what the biggest changes are, and saw someone say the biggest difference was the elimination of Damage on the Stack. I've read the new rules and noticed a few differences, but am not sure what "Damage on the Stack" refers to as being different. Could someone explain what it was, and how it has been eliminated?

Formerly, in combat, it would go something like this:
Declare Blockers -> (Players can do stuff) -> Stack Damage -> (Players can do stuff) -> Damage resolves

This allowed players to do various combat "tricks." Some examples:
You attack with a 2/2, and I block with my Mogg Fanatic. After damage was stacked, I could use Mogg Fanatic's activated ability, sacrificing him and dealing an additional 1 damage to your 2/2. This 1 damage, coupled with the 1 combat damage on the stack, would kill your 2/2.

Under the new rules, this is not possible (and thus Mogg Fanatic has been significantly weakened). I could either deal the 1 combat damage to your 2/2, OR sacrifice him to deal 1 damage to any target. By sacrificing him, he no longer is alive to deal the combat damage; and I can't sacrifice him after damage because he would already be dead. From a "common sense" perspective, this seems more intuitive, and I think that's why they changed the rules. (Personally I liked Damage on the Stack better; it added more possibilities).

Here's another example, just to be perfectly clear:
Suppose you attack with a 2/2 and I block with a 2/2. Formerly, I could stack the combat damage, and then use a "bounce" card such as Unsummon or Boomerang to return my guy to my hand. The damage would then resolve; your guy would die, and mine would safely be in my hand.

With the new rules, I can block your guy (preventing damage to me) and still bounce my guy to save him from death, but I do not get to also kill your guy. Thus, bounce effects have also been weakened.