MTG Curse of misfortune Recently I made a deck to have fun with when I play with family/friends. So I played Curse of Misfortunes on target player, and he simply didn't understand the card, saying "Why did you cast this on me? when I don't have any curses in my deck? You're supposed to cast it on yourself so that you can use it." So I told him why would I want to curse myself? and add more curses to myself? So he then asks "I don't understand this card. Henceforth I won't be getting any curses from this card unless you can prove it" I tried to explain it by telling him that I get to pull curses from my deck and give it to him. And that there is a difference between this curse and other curses, because the other curses say Enchanted player gets this and that. While Curse of misfortune doesn't say any of that so it means that I get the ability of that card to place curses on him. So he simply said the same thing and didn't understand it. So I questioned myself too, therefore me asking this to you guys.

Another question, If I play curses on players, are those enchanted cards still considered mine? Ex. I play a curse on target players, and I have Sphere of Safety out, and a player attacks me. Do they have to tap as many mana to as many curses I've given?

Any permanent(cards that stick around like creatures, enchantments, artifacts, lands) that you play are under your control unless it specifically says otherwise. You control the abilities of permanents that you control. Since you control Curse of Misfortunes, you control its ability, so when it says "you" or "your" on the card that refers to you since you are the controller of the card.

The card says enchant player which means as you are casting it, you choose a player as its target. When the enchantment resolves it enters the battlefield enchanting the player that had been targeted. That does not mean that player gains control of it just that it is in enchanting them.

Curse of Misfortunes works like you think it would. You curse your opponent with it, then you get to search out a curse at the beginning of your upkeep and attach it to that player.

You still control curses attached to your opponent so Sphere of Safety will count them towards the amount your opponent has to pay to attack you.


Fury of dracula: skipping your turn as the hunters Apparently in the game (Fury of dracula, third edition) you, as a hunter, can skip your turn and do nothing. Personally I think this defeats the purpose of supplying at night. I think a lot of people will skip their night turn in later turns because they have a big disadvantage supplying as that could be there only action left.

From the rules reference book:

  During the hunter phase, each hunter performs one action during the
  day and one action during the night.

  During each day and each night, hunters perform actions in activation    order.
  Hunters can only perform move actions during the day.
  If a hunter is in a sea zone during the day, he must move by    sea—he cannot    pass.
  If a hunter is in a sea zone during the night, he must pass—he       cannot perform an action.
  If a hunter is delayed, he must stand his    figure upright instead    of performing an action.
  A hunter can forfeit his action by passing.

  Related Topics: Movement, Reserve a Ticket, Search, Supply, Trade

You can find the pdf here.

Isn't this a big disadvantage for dracula?

This way he will never/almost never get any dracula event cards late in the game and will be on his own with the cards he has.

Is there a way to forego this rule or would that make it to difficult for the hunters?

While passing a Hunter turn has the potential to deny Dracula a card, it will surely make the Hunter turn non-productive. I would consider this to be a wash, generally speaking.

Only one situation forces the player to pass:

  If a hunter is in a sea zone during the night, he must pass.

The benefits/detriments of passing will be situation specific. Perhaps during the late game as the Hunters close in on Dracula it would be beneficial for one Hunter to pass in order to get to the next Hunter. There are many potential scenarios to consider.

That said, passing is generally unlikely. It is in the rules as a realistic option that may occasionally be useful as well as legitimizing the forced pass by making passing an action that can be taken deliberately.


What card game is this? 3 cards per player; always redraw from stack until end A friend of mine introduced a card game to me she only knows by the name "Schweinemauzen" (we're in Germany, literally maybe "pig's meow"). Surprisingly, googling this word doesn't yield a single result. Maybe someone can help me in identifying the game if I give some basic rules:

Deck: usually standard 52-card deck, but can be played with 36 cards.
2-5 or even more players. First with no cards left wins.
Dealing cards:

3 rounds of 1 card, face down, per player; they are arranged side-by-side,
3 rounds of 1 card, face up, per player, each laid on top of one dealt before,
finally, 3 rounds of 1 card, face down, per player, which the players pick up.
The rest is kept as a stack.

Gameplay:

Some similarities to Durak.
A player plays one or more cards of the same rank.
The next player has to play one or more cards of the same or a higher rank.
If someone cannot play, they have to pick up all cards which were played before.
Ranks 2, 7, and 10 are special, they can be used to match an Ace and/or remove all cards on the "played" stack from the game, so that the next player who can't play doesn't have to pick those up.
Each player immediately redraws from the stack after they played so that they have 3 cards.
When the stack is empty, and no cards are left on the hand of a player, they use their face-up cards to play.
When those are empty, the face-down cards are used to play, at which point the game becomes quite random.

Here you see the stack, the played cards stack next to it, and face-down/face-up cards for two players:

Not sure what the international name for the game is but we've always called it "Shithead", a fun game the face down cards keep the end game close and stops a runaway winner.


Are there any ways to lose in a "You can't lose the game" game? Would cards like Lich's Mastery, and Door to Nothingness effect each other at all? Or Platinum Angel for that matter?

In general in Magic: the Gathering, "can't beats can":

  101.2. 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.

So Lich's Mastery and Platinum Angel prevail against Door to Nothingness. To win the game, you first need to get rid of the opponent's permanent. Or, in the case of Lich's Mastery, have a card that states that you win the game, like Battle of Wits. Lich's Mastery has a ruling below the card in Gatherer:

  While you can’t lose the game, your opponents can still win the game if an effect says so.

and that's the reason why Platinum Angel separately states "your opponents can't win the game".


Does Erebos lose indestructible when he becomes a creature? Erebos, God of the Dead is indestructible. Someone tould me that if i have more than five for my devotion that the indestructible comes off. Is that true?

Erebos remains indestructible, even as a creature.  Indestructible can apply to any permanents.


Can you dredge twice for one card draw? Say I have two Life from the Loams in my graveyard. Can I dredge twice — once for each of the Life from the Loams — when drawing my first card on my turn?

I assume the answer is no, but I figured I'd ask nonetheless.

No, you cannot.

614.6. If an event is replaced, it never happens. A modified event occurs instead, which may in turn trigger abilities. Note that the modified event may contain instructions that can’t be carried out, in which case the impossible instruction is simply ignored.
614.7. If a replacement effect would replace an event, but that event never happens, the replacement effect simply doesn’t do anything.

Once you choose to apply the first Life from the Loam's ability, you are no longer drawing a card; you are instead milling 3 and returning the card to your hand.  Thus, as soon as you apply one replacement effect (and replacement effects must be applied one after the other), there is no card draw for the other Life from the Loam to replace, and so you can't dredge twice.


Humble Defector and Refocus Who retains control of Humble Defector if, after it is activated, Refocus is cast targeting it and its ability is used again?

I know that the player activating the Defector would draw four cards (five with Refocus), but would he/she also get to retain the Defector (a la Avarice Totem) is the question.

Your opponent would still gain control of Humble Defector.

I assume that by "after it is activated", you mean before the ability has resolved. After you activate Humble Defector's ability the second time, then there will be two instances of its ability on the stack, both targeting an opponent of yours.

When the second activation resolves, you draw two cards and you give control of the card to the previously chosen opponent.

Then, the first activation resolves. Even though your opponent has control of Humble Defector, you still control the ability that's resolving, so you draw two more cards you give control of the card to the previously chosen opponent (if it's a different opponent than the one that currently controls it).

Even if the effect were written along the lines of "Opponent of your choice gains control of Humble Defector", it would still end up under the control of an opponent since you control both abilities.


How much space do I need to play with all the Arkham Horror expansions? How much table space do I need to play with all the Arkham Horror expansions?

The main game Arkham Horror and the expansions Dunwich Horror, Kingsport Horror, Innsmouth Horror and Miskatonic Horror, all have game boards with locations.

Are all of the boards the same size as the original board? Also, several expansions contain new decks that should be placed in their own stacks. How does that affect the required space and layout?

Is it possible to play with all the expansions at the same time?

The main board is 2'x3' and each expansion board is 2'x1' (1/3 the size of the main board), which lends itself to two different configurations if you want to use all the boards.

2'x6' and 3'x4'

Also, as the second picture demonstrates, you can make clever use of business card holders to hold the cards using less space. Make sure too keep in mind that you'll also need to have enough space for each of the investigators.

When I've played with all the expansions at home I use two folding tables. I'll use a 6' folding table for the boards (It's about 2.5' wide, so can semi-comfortably fit investigators with items around one side if you push the board to the edge), and then I employ the use of a 4' folding table off to the side for all of the decks. This could easily be an endtable or whatever, I just happen to have a second, smaller folding table. The smaller table allows space for more investigators as well though. Which you'll need if you play with 10 investigators! (Since each expansion board after the first 'reduces' your effective investigator count, you can use 10 investigators without any of the limits breaking).

So yes, completely possible to  use all the expansions at the same time!


How can we win at Bohnanza: Al Cabohne? My girlfriend and I have played the game Bohnanza a lot and we have bought the version Bohnanza: Al Cabohne. But somehow the game always beats us. Does anybody know a good tactic to win this?

For the most part, you can use any Bohnanza guide to win at Al Cabohne. All you have to take into consideration are the fundamental differences between this game and regular Bohnanza. I'll focus on those:

The most important difference created with Al Cabohne is in the way the discard pile affects the proceedings of the game. You can get some good value out of the discard pile if you can manage to remember which cards are on there.

Also something to look out for, if one of the mafia bosses ends up with a bean that you already have, you might not want to harvest them immediately. If your harvest goes onto the discard pile, that's basically the same as giving it to the mafia. If you think you can manage until the mafia harvests their field you can try to get all those cards from the discard pile back onto your field. So unless you really need the space, try to keep these beans on the table.


How can I make Shadows Over Camelot play better with 3 or 4 players? I recently bought Shadows Over Camelot and its a great game, but it seems a shame that it only really works well with 5+ players. Is there anything I could do to combat this and make 3-4 player games more optimal when playing at home? Here's some ideas I had so far:

With 3 players, each player gets to control 2 knights and alternates which one he plays. He plays them as if they were separate eg. he can't swap cards between their hands. Don't use the traitor when playing this way.
With 4 players, one knight is played by all the players. His hand is face up the entire game, and the players make decisions as a group. The collectively played knight cannot be a traitor, but the other players might be.

Does anyone have experience with improving the game with 3-4 people or suggestions to offer?

SoC is one of my favorite games.  I'm going to assume that the answer you're looking for is how to make it easier for 3-4 players.  I actually quite like three to four players games as there are more interesting decisions, risks, and strategies to playing and winning.

To make it easier consider mixing and matching any of these:

Play without a traitor.  Even
with three players you're likely
playing with 8 loyalty cards, so the
traitor isn't likely to be in the
game anyhow.  Removing infighting
and suspicion will make the game
easier.
If you're using a
traitor, don't look at loyalty cards
until 6 swords are around the table.
REMOVE whole sets of fight cards from
the white deck (1-5).  In higher
numbers of players, the game is
easier partially because the knights get to cycle through the white deck making multiple use of special white and merlin cards
Only require two merlin cards to cancel special black cards
Do not play with the grail.  Remove all despair, desolation, and holy grail cards from the decks.  This focuses the number of quests onto a smaller number of knights for balance.  Plus it eliminates a 'boring' quest.  (Grail duty!)
Increase the starting cards and hand limits, allowing longer quests for the knights.


Nivmagus and cipher card rulings Well since the new set is available I was wondering the combo between Nivmagus Elemental and cipher cards[1].

So let's assume that Nivmagus is on the field then I cast a cipher spell from my hand can I:

Eat the spell and mount it on Nivmagus
Eat the cipher spell on each attack

Also is it possible to have multiple of the same cipher spells on a target creature?

The definition is assumed to be "You may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost."

If you eat a spell with Nivmagus, it won't resolve, so you don't perform any of its spell abilities, so you don't perform its cipher ability. You'll get the +1/+1 counters, but that's it.

Now let's say you did let a cipher spell resolve, and you did attach it a creature. Since a copy of a spell is a spell, you can eat the copies created by cipher. But again, the spell won't resolve if you do. You'll get the +1/+1 counters, but that's it.

Note that you can't encode the copies created by cipher because you can only encode spell cards with cipher, so eating the spell copies is not as expensive as eating the original. It actually sounds like a good use of cipher to me :)

Note that the spell triggers after damage is dealt, so the +1/+1 counters it gets will only help it the next combat (except possibly if it has first strike or double strike).

Yes, multiple spells can be encoded on a single creature.


Is there WSOP (or other organisation) Texas Hold-em chip and blind schedule? Is there a WSOP (or other organisation) agreed hold-'em tournament set-up for chips and blinds schedule:

e.g. something that lays out:

Chips arrangement:
Players start with 2000 worth of chips:
200 in 5
200 in 10
500 in 25
600 in 50
500 in 100

Blinds schedule:
5-10
10-20
20-40
25-50
30-60
50-100
100-200
200-400
250-500 (max)

Blind increase:
Blinds increase every 15 minutes/per knock out?

Do any sites recommend set-ups for home games for varying numbers of players (under 10)?

The blind structure depends strongly on too many factors to have a standard structure. Most importantly it depends on the chip values you use.

You can look at the offical WSOP structure on it's site: http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/ (The "Structure Sheet" links)


Is having the Mask Omen Card stolen from you have the same effect as taking it off? Let's say an explorer is wearing the Mask Omen Card that has an effect causing you to gain two knowledge and lose two sanity when you put it on. It says when you take off the mask, the effect of the mask is reverted. But that is what happens when you manually take off the mask.

Then let's say someone steals the mask from the explorer that is wearing it during the haunt. When the item is stolen, would you agree that you lose the effect of the item?

My mates argued that the card didn't say you lose the effect when it is stolen (it didn't say a thing about being stolen at all). My logic was the effect the mask is caused by wearing the mask. If the mask is stolen it is the same as taking it off, and you lose the effect.

I could be crazy but I think my logic is a slam dunk.  As it is two against one I thought I would see if there is consensus one way or the other amongst gamers here.

While it's true it doesn't cover the "stolen" scenario in the text on the card unlike other item omen cards like The Holy Symbol. And it's not in the Errata. There are others like me who believe that if it's removed for any reason (theft included) then it's the same as taking it off.


How to get the eight? I just heard about the Farsight enclaves eight and I wanted to know if you could get them as separate figures or do If I have to modify the battlesuits in order to make them the eight?

The only real modification you'll need is the equipment. Otherwise you just need Commander Farsight, a Riptide, a Broadside, and 5 Crisis suits. The only really "special" thing about any of them aside from Farsight is how they are equipped.


Diplomacy: double attack on a region Diplomacy question about resolving a difficult order set:

French Fleet in Tyrrhenian Sea move to Ionian Sea
French Fleet in Tunis support Tyrrhenian Sea moving to Ionian Sea
Ottoman Fleet in Aegan Sea move to Ionian Sea
Ottoman Fleet in Eastern Mediterranean Sea support Aegan Sea moving to Ionian Sea
Ottoman Fleet in Ionian Sea move to Adriatic Sea

Ottoman Fleet in Ionian Sea fails to move to Adriatic Sea due to a non important reason.

What happens?

Ionian Sea is attacked by French and Ottoman, both with a force of 2. If there was no unit, it would be a standoff.

But Ionian Sea is already occupied by an Ottoman Fleet which failed its movement, making the region defended only by one.

The Ottoman player can't dislodge its own fleet with its force 2 attack.

Does the French player, with its own force 2 attack, can?

Asuming the other fields are not relevant, we have the following setup:

The fleet in ion can not moves to adr because it is blocked.
Both the french fleet in tys as the ottoman fleet in aeg try to move to ion, both with support. Equal forces block. So both fail. Leaving the previously blocked fleet in ion unharmed.

So no unit moves. Leaving the setup unchanged.

Note: if the move to adr did not fail both supported moves still block eachother and the single fleet in ion stays unharmed.

In that case, the result will be:


Do tokens ever go to the graveyard and can they be sacrificed or exiled? If I had a card that said something like, "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for every creature in your graveyard". Would that also apply to tokens which died in previous turns? Also if I play a card which says, return target creature from the graveyard then can I choose a token?

Right now I use Dice to represent tokens, but not sure what to do once any of my tokens die.

Also for cards which say sacrifice a creature or exile a creature, would these apply to tokens?

If I had a card that said something like, "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for every creature in your graveyard".

There cannot be such a card.

Since "creature" means "creature permanent" which means "creature card or token on the battlefield", and since a card or token cannot be in the graveyard and on the battlefield at the same time, the enchantment would never affect the attached object's power and toughness.

The ability would likely read "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each creature card in your graveyard" like Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord's, which means it wouldn't count any tokens since tokens aren't cards.

Let's assume there's a card that has the ability "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each creature card and each creature token in your graveyard".

  Would that also apply to tokens which died in previous turns?

Tokens go to the graveyard just like a card would. However, they only stay there for a very short period of time. The next time State-Based Actions (SBAs) are performed, they will cease to exist.

Tokens placed in the graveyard on a previous turn will have ceased to exist long ago.

In fact, the effect checking for tokens in the graveyard wouldn't even see the tokens that died this turn except for an extremely short (and practically useless) period of time. The longest scenario might be when the tokens are put into the graveyard during the resolution of a spell or ability, because the SBAs will be only be performed after the spell or ability finishes resolving. It could matter if your opponent has Hidden Predators, but that's about it.

  if I play a card which says, return target creature from the graveyard then can I choose a token?

There cannot be such a card.

Again, creatures (aka creature permanents) cannot be found in the graveyard. It would be impossible to pick a legal target.

The effect would read something like "Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield". This excludes tokens since they aren't cards.

You will never find "Return target creature card or token from your graveyard to the battlefield." for two reasons:

Even if there was a token was in the graveyard when targets were chosen, it would have ceased to exists by the time the spell or ability resolved.
A rule prohibits the tokens from changing zones once they've left the battlefield.

  110.5g A token that has left the battlefield can’t move to another zone or come back onto the battlefield. If such a token would change zones, it remains in its current zone instead. It ceases to exist the next time state-based actions are checked; see rule 704.

  Right now I use Dice to represent tokens,

It's a poor (and illegal) choice to use a die to represent a type of token since a die can't be tapped.

  but not sure what to do once any of my tokens die.

Your tokens would move the graveyard, and soon after they will cease to exist. Most people don't bother physically moving them to the graveyard. Simply adjust the count.

  cards which say sacrifice a creature or exile a creature, would these apply to tokens?

Yes. "Creature" means "creature permanent" which means "creature card or token on the battlefield".


How many units and resources will the Germans get when they research logistics? Is there any official/de facto interpretation for this topic?

  After setup, each time the Germans research a tech that upgrades or unlocks a unit, they build one of that unit for free and gain one resource of their choice from the market."

It seems that this description is ambiguous and I think it can be interpreted as below:

They get three units and three resources.
They get three units and one resource.
They get one unit and one resource.

There is not (at least yet) an official, explicit statement for this. For the time before a new FAQ version is released, I would suggest to stick into the Official and Unofficial rules and clarifications made by Itchi (BGG). He was one of the playtesters of the Wisdom & Warfare expansion, and this UFAQ is used in our playgroup if no help is offered by the official rules or the FAQ.

Germans get 3 resources and 3 units by researching or learning Logistics if they havent already unlocked these levels of units. For
example, if they already had Democracy and research Logistics, they
will gain 2 resources and 2 free units (Mounted and Artillery). For
example, if they already have Railroad and Mathematics and learn
Logistics, they will gain 2 resources and 2 free units (Infantry and
Mounted).

Remember, that this is true also even if you have level 3 or level 4 units unlocked. From the official FAQ v.2.0:

Q: If the Germans research a tech which unlocks a level 3 or 4 unit
and later researches a tech which unlocks the level 2 unit of the same
type, do they still get the free unit and resource?
A: Yes


Targeting instants with aftermath in a graveyard Situation: I have a Dire Fleet Daredevil on the stack and my opponent has an Aftermath instant (e.g. Spring // Mind) in their graveyard.

Questions:

I assume that they can cast the their Aftermath in response to Dire Fleet Daredevil?
Can then cast it after I have targeted it (meaning that it is not a valid target and so the ability fizzles)?
Mind has the ruling:

  Once you’ve started to cast a spell with aftermath from your graveyard, the card is immediately moved to the stack. Opponents can’t try to stop the ability by exiling the card with an effect such as that of Crook of Condemnation.

If I can somehow give Dire Fleet Daredevil flash and I cast it in response to my opponent casting Mind, then I assume I can't target Spring // Mind?
Are there any differences to these questions if the card in the graveyard has Flashback instead of Aftermath?

Bonus question: Can I cast Spring? Or Mind? Or both?

Yes, any instant that can legally be cast, including aftermath or flashback instants in the graveyard, can be cast in response.
Yes, you target the card in graveyard once Dire Fleet Daredevil enters the battlefield, until it resolves you haven't exiled the card, and the opponent can respond with any legal play, including using the aftermath, which causes the Dire Fleet Daredevil ability to fizzle due to lack of targets.
Correct, the card needs to still be in the graveyard to be targeted by Dire Fleet Daredevil, once the card has moved to the stack, it is no longer in the zone that daredevil can target.
No differences between flashback and aftermath, or even retrace(You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)

BONUS: You actually can't use mind however with Dire Fleet Daredevil. The ruling on Dire Fleet is:

  The effect of Dire Fleet Daredevil doesn’t change when you can cast the exiled card. For example, if you exile a sorcery card, you can cast it only during your main phase when the stack is empty.

And the aftermath half of cards can only be cast from your graveyard, so it's illegal for you to cast from exile, you can however cast the Spring half, since you target the card with Dire Fleet, not half of the card.


Is there a strategy PVP board/card game with Negative Feedback loops? Feedback loops (for those who aren't aware)

(A Negative Feedback Loop is the technical term for "comeback mechanics", akin to what you experience in Mario Kart.  This is when the game makes it easier for the underdog to come back, punishes those who are winning, and causes games to always feel tense despite differences in experience.

In contrast, a Positive Feedback Loop is when winning encourages more winning.  For example, taking one of your pieces in Chess isn't just tallying another point, but it actually makes the rest of my game easier and your game harder.)

I'm a sucker for negative feedback loops...

However, most of the popular PvP board/card games I've played were the opposite (Star Realms, Netrunner, MTG, Pokemon, BANG, Chess, etc), as these games encouraged uphill battles due to persistent board states.

I know that some games have implemented some N.F.L. mechanics, but I haven't come across a game that uses N.F.L.s as a trend.  For instance:

Monopoly has a Community Chest effect that makes players pay based on the properties that they own (a N.F.L. mechanic), yet is mostly defined by your early success and provides few options for catching up.  The winner is generally the winner by a huge margin.
Magic The Gathering has a few mechanics that reward a player for having fewer lands or creatures, but most mechanics become stronger based on synergies and landing a "win more" solution that your opponent can't respond to/interact with.  Having a strong board state makes you more resistant to loss, rewarding winners with more winning.
Munchkin has several cards/monsters that change how they interact with higher/lower level players, but since gear can assist with earning more gear, and your level contributes to your overall ability to kill monsters, and several low-level monsters have some severe penalties (which will only impact those who are doing poorly), Munchkin feels mostly as a P.F.L. game (although this can be heavily mitigated based on how cutthroat your table is, as agreements/relationships can be a major factor for success at later levels).

The only popular game I can think of that relies on a N.F.L. is Uno, as you start running out of options as your hand gets smaller (which can mean you end up drawing lots of cards and losing your lead).  But I'm looking for something with a little more complexity and skill.

The Question:

Are there critically acclaimed strategic games that regularly use Negative Feedback Loops?

The great granddaddy of deck-building actually does have a negative feedback loop in it:

In Dominion, victory points come in the form of green cards which you add to your deck[1]. In every game of Dominion you will have access to three basic Victory cards - Estate, Duchy and Province - and there are others that get added as part of choosing the kingdom for a given game. The basic Victory cards, and many of the others, have no playable effect, meaning that a player who jumps straight into buying them gets an initial boost in their score, but will soon find that their hands are full of junk cards that they can't use to progress the game. By comparison, a player who focuses on building up a strong engine in their deck may not have any meaningful score until the 10th turn, at which point they can buy multiple Provinces to end the game and win.

Another game which has a kind of negative feedback loop is Power Grid. In Power Grid, the turn order is determined based on increasing number of cities. If you have more cities (and can power them), you get more money, but you also get last pick when buying resources and building new cities. This can mean you get screwed out of both, putting you at a severe disadvantage. This effect is actually so strong that positioning yourself correctly in turn order is an important part of the strategy of the game, and some people dislike it because it becomes such a major component of the game.

[1] In a couple of the expansions, namely Prosperity and Empires, there are ways of acquiring victory point tokens which do not clog up your deck. And in many of the expansions, there are Victory cards that can also be played as Actions or Treasures, so they're not completely useless during the game.


Using Saboteur after Bridge in Dominion In Dominion I play a combo: Any card which gives me an additional 2 actions, then Bridge folloewed by Saboteur.

Bridge makes any card in my hand cheaper (i.e. cost $1 less) and cards in other players' hands, which is directly stated in the card's description. What about cards in other players' decks?

After playing Saboteur players should  normally reveal cards from their decks until they find one which costs $3 or more. Does Bridge affect the prices of these cards too? (i.e. Do other players need to find a card worth originally $4 in this case?)

Bridge affects the costs.
From the Dominion Intrigue rules, page 8

Saboteur
...
Costs of cards are affected by Bridge


Why Deck Building Templates are the same I have been playing MTG since the set was known as Portal. Good times and memories...but it was always casual among friends.

Now...after several very long years of playing off and on through out the history of the game....I have been playing competitive standard and Drafts through the Amonkhet and now Ixalan blocks.

Something that seems to elude me is why deck builds are always the same. No matter what the subtype is... mid , aggro, control, I always see 4 of several creatures, 4 of situational removal, a couple of heavy hitters...rinse and repeat.

Of 16+ creatures they are all made up of the same 4 - 6 creatures....and thats it. Why is there no variety? What are you looking for, and why, in your handfull of repeating creatures?

Question: Why do the templates / expectations for deck building almost always follow the above pattern?

Your premise isn't entirely correct. The template of playsets of about 5 creatures and about 4 spells is a pretty good description of an aggro or midrange deck, because that matches the aggro and midrange gameplan. But that's not the only kind of deck. If you look at MTG Top 8's current Standard metagame breakdown, you can see that aggro decks are in fact relatively dominant in the current metagame. But there's also a significant number of control decks, which have a different game plan, and different decklists to match.

This blue/white control deck, for example, plays 11 different non-creature spells in varying quantities, and only two copies of one creature, which are likely there more for the utility of its ability than for the creature itself. This blue/black/red deck follows a similar plan in different colors. On the other hand, this God-Pharaoh's Gift deck plays a lot of creatures and no non-creature removal spells, because it has a different game plan.

Even if you look at the Aggro category, there are more than 10 different broad archetypes of aggro decks in the current standard meta, and each of those archetypes has a variety of matching decklists.


Is a Ritual Summon still considered a Tribute Summon? I ask because I was summoning my Blue Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon with Chaos Form. And it requires to either remove Blue Eyes White Dragon from the game or to sacrifice monsters from my hand whose levels are greater than or equal to it's level. Now while it is a special summon, is it still a tribute summon since the ritual requires me to tribute monsters for it?

A Ritual Summon is a type of Special Summon, and a Tribute Summon is a type of Normal Summon. These types of summoning are distinct, so ritual summoning Chaos Max will not count as a tribute summon.

Yes, it's true that ritual summoning requires you to tribute monsters from your hand or field (or other places, depending on the card), but tributing these monsters is merely a cost for the special summon. Just because tributing is involved doesn't make it the same as normal summoning a level 5 or higher monster by tributing a monster(s) you control.

However, as an aside, it should be noted that in both the case of a ritual summon and a tribute summon, any effect of the tributed monster that triggers when it is tributed will still trigger (for example, Evoltile Najasho's effect will trigger regardless of whether if it was tributed for a tribute summon, a ritual summon or even a card effect like Big Evolution Pill).


How do dual lands and their mana work? Certain lands, such as Coastal Tower, state that they can add two types of land, but when does that happen? When I cast it, it enters the battlefield as just one land, right? So does it add the additional land when tapped?

Lands and mana are not the same thing. Lands (generally) have abilities that let them tap to produce mana. For example, a basic Island can tap to produce one blue mana, and a basic Plains can tap to produce one white mana. (On modern printings, this is implicit, but on old ones it was actually written out on the card.) The land itself is just an object on the battlefield; it's the mana it produces that you spend to cast spells.

Similarly, some nonbasic lands have abilities that let them produce more than one kind of mana. Your Coastal Tower can tap to produce mana just like a Plains or Island could, except you get to choose: you can produce a blue mana or a white mana. It's sort of like being able to play an Island and a Plains in one card, with the downside that it enters tapped and is not actually an Island or a Plains.

For example, if you want to cast a New Prahv Guildmage, which costs a white mana and a blue mana, and have an Island and a Coastal Tower on the battlefield, you can tap the Island for a blue mana and the Coastal Tower for a white mana. Or if instead you had a Plains and a Coastal Tower, you could tap the Plains for a white mana and the Coastal Tower for a blue mana.

A final note, you don't cast lands. They're not spells. You simply play them.


What are "Centipede" and "Greedy Roach"? Just played Mice and Mystics for the first time and we had a few issues with spawning monsters with encounters. Specifically, we had two monsters spawned my encounters that we were not 100% sure what they were.

"Centipede" had no initiative card, so we assumed that the "Cave Centipede" initiative card was correct (and we couldn't find any references to Cave Centipedes anywhere after a quick search)
"Greedy Roach" had no initiative card, so we assumed that the "Roach" initiative card was correct (but "Roach" is also referenced on encounter cards)

Are these substitutions correct, or are we missing initiative cards?

Yes, those are the correct Inititive cards
From the rulebook (page 15, or 17 of the PDF)

Greedy Roaches
Some encounters include ’greedy roaches‘. Greedy roaches use the same initiative card as normal roaches. When greedy roaches are placed on the board, all roaches in play become greedy roaches. When a greedy roach steals a cheese from a mouse, that cheese is placed on the minion cheese wheel on the story control board.

Jerry Hawthorne the Mice and Mystics' game designer, said in this thread to the question:

Q: When you fill the cheese wheel and a surge occurs, if the surge on the encounter card is a Centipede, which initiative card do you use? There doesn't seem to be a 'normal' centipede card - and there are two to choose from. Which one is used? They both appear to be 'named' centipedes with different special abilities and stats.
A: Use the Cave Centipede card.


What Is a "Reverse" In Bridge? Partner opened one diamond. I responded 1 NT with the following hand.

♠Txxx ♥Axx ♦Txxx ♣Ax

Partner then rebid two spades. I raised to four spades, reading my partner for 17 points or so. We went down two because he only had 13.

I said, "I read you for 17 points because you "reversed" (bid a higher-ranking suit at a higher level with the second bid).

Partner answered, "I was just bidding my 5-4 pattern. It said nothing about extra strength."

Did partner, in fact, "reverse"? Does it require about 17 points to do so? And if so, did it make sense for me to raise to four spades (I counted "eight" HCP, plus something extra for the club doubleton, and the two tens, located strategically in his suits).

I agree with your understanding of the situation.  By forcing you to go to the 3-level if you decide you prefer his first suit (diamonds)... well, that's a textbook reverse.  I would suggest that "about 17" points is a fair reading of such a bid.

Since your partner only had 13 points, and your bid should clearly have allowed him to infer that between you you only barely have the balance of the points, it's difficult to see what he hoped to achieve by going to 2S.  You are extremely unlikely to have 5 or more spades after your NT bid, so at best you're finding a marginal 4-4 spade fit, at worst no fit at all.  And that's if you stop bidding there, which of course you are unlikely to, because your partner has just falsely suggested that he has some basis on which to keep the bidding going... 4S sounds about right for an 8 card fit and roughly 24-25 points between you, yes.

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again - send your partner back to basic Bridge school!


Can you spend more than 2 gold on the House of Wonder to purchase more than one Cleric or Wizard? The House of Wonder says you can spend 2 gold to get either a cleric or a wizard.  If I have 4 gold, can I get 2 of those adventurers in one turn?

No you cannot spend more than 2 Gold, yes you get 2 Adventurers.
The rules (page 5) under Assign Agent require that a building has an unoccupied action space to place your Agent. Immediately below that, the parts of a Basic Building are diagramed, showing what an Action Space looks like. On page 8, the House of Wonder is detailed, showing a single Action Space and the following text:

Action: Spend 2 Gold ( G G ), and then take 2 Adventurers from the supply and place them in your Tavern. These Adventurers can be only Clerics ( C ) or Wizards ( W ).

So, yes you get 2 Adventurers with spending 2 Gold. You cannot get 4 Adventurers, because the Action Space would be occupied by your first agent.

Assign Agent - If you have any Agents in your pool, you assign 1 of them. To assign an Agent, place it on any unoccupied action space of a Building, whether a basic Building or one that has been put into play. You cannot place an Agent on an action space that contains another Agent (yours or another player’s) or on Buildings that are not yet in play.
When you assign an Agent, follow the instructions for that action space. You take that action just once.


If a player sets a monster that is revealed to be invalid when it is flipped face up, what happens? Say that a player sets a monster. It sits there for a few turns and then the opponent attacks it, flipping it face up. Unfortunately, it turns out that it couldn't have been set. Perhaps it was a Link Monster (which can never be put in Defense Mode) or a Tribute Monster that was set without the proper tribute.

What happens? Given that a few turns have passed, it may be impossible to "rewind" to a point where the monster was set, so I'm not sure how the game can continue. In a tournament, would the player who illegally set the monster be required to forfeit the game?

In a tournament, the player who made the illegal play could be given a game loss, if the gamestate can't be reconstructed (and sometimes even if it can). Many calls like this are up to the discretion of the judge, and if you're at a larger tournament, you'll be able to appeal to a head judge for a final ruling if you disagree.

Be very careful about this. Even doing something like not activating a mandatory effect (like adding counters to a certain card when something happens) could give you a loss depending on the judge and if the opposing player calls a judge for it. I've heard of people being given game losses for not activating the effects of cards with multiple effects in the order printed on the card (Wavering Eyes in this case, for just the first 2 effects), even though the order wouldn't affect the gamestate in any way.

If you're playing with friends or in a more casual setting, oftentimes people just do the best they can to rewind it, or just play it out.


Immunities/Resistance, Red Sign of Shudde M'ell and Equipment Timing The spell Red Sign of Shudde M'ell allows an investigator to ignore one of a monster's special abilities other than Magical Immunity, such as Magical Resistance.

I would like to know how the timing of the spell in conjunction with equipment usage affects the value of a combat check.

For instance, an investigator faces a monster of type "Witch" with the special ability Magical Resistance, armed with an Enchanted Knife (+4 combat check, magical weapon) and a Red Sign of Shudde M'ell.  First, the investigator equips the Enchanted Knife, using up one hand, and then equips the Red Sign with the other hand.

How much skill check bonus does the investigator get?  There are two possibilities:

1)  The Enchanted Knife is used against the Witch first, but only gives +2 combat check because of the resistance, so the investigator rolls the two additional dice.  Then the resistance is removed by the Red Sign, giving a total of only 2 bonus.  Since the order in which the items are equipped is important, the player should've tried to cast Red Sign first (because it can fail).

2)  Even though the Red Sign was equipped after the Enchanted Knife, the player must retroactively apply the removal of Magical Resistance against all Magical Weapons equipped in case the Red Sign was successfully cast.  After rolling the two dice for the Enchanted Knife against the magically resistant witch, the investigator can remove those two dice from the pool of rolled dice and then roll an additional four dice to take its place (since the Enchanted Knife would give +4 combat check given the absence of Magical Resistance).

The first case is easier to calculate using a spreadsheet program because more cell values become immutable.  The second one is harder because it involves adding a means to reset the current calculation and a more complicated conditional expression to evaluate all skill check value bonuses depending on the presence and subsequent negation of monster special abilities.

The tactical decisions are more pronounced when there are more hand resources to allocate, such as Marie's third hand for spells.  The player using Marie can decide how to allocate the third hand based on the resulting successes of the rolls resulting from the equipment and Red Sign used for the first two hands.

To recap: How is the Red Sign of Shudde M'ell supposed to affect the value (i.e. number of dice rolled) for a combat check based on the timing of its use?  Does it matter whether you use it first or last?  Why or why not?

While generally it doesn't matter, all the dice in a skill checks should be rolled at the same time. So it doesn't matter which order you use various spells and items. (The only corner case I can think of at the moment is the Lucky Cigarette case, which lets you reroll all the dice that you had in the check normally in addition to any that were added to the check due to clue token expenditure, but that's not quite the same situation). It looks like your confusion is arising from your second scenario, in which you roll dice for the skill check as you select additional items to use. You should be looking at everything that's getting used in the battle (weapons, allies, environment, injuries, combat penalty, etc.), figure out the aggregate bonus/penalty, apply that to the base state (Fight, Lore, etc.), and then roll that many dice. So the order in which items are 'applied' is irrelevant.

So the correct scenario is this:

3) If you succeeded at casting Red Sign, the Witch no longer has Magical Resistance, so the Enchanted Knife gives it's full combat bonus of +3 (The +4 is the Enchanted Blade, not the Knife). Adding in your Fight score of (as an example) 3, the Witch's Combat modifier of -3, and (for further example) Tom 'Mountain' Murphy's bonus of +2, you end with a bonus of five, so you roll five dice. Everything gets summed up and everything gets rolled all at once.


In multiplayer, in which order are replacement effects from different players applied? In multiplayer, in which order are replacement effects from different players applied ?

Here's the situation : This is a 3 players game.
I control a random creature. Both my opponents control a single Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. I cast a Damnation killing all creatures. Each of my opponents will get a token from the other player's Kalitas dying. But who will get the token for my creature ?

I'd say the replacement effects are applied in turn order, so the next player will get the token, but I'm not sure.

The order in which replacement effects are applied to an event is chosen by the player or controller affected. In this case, the event in question is your creature dying, so you choose which replacement effect applies first, and which opponent gets the token.

The specific rule that covers this is rule 616.1:

  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).


Wingspan - Player out of eggs In Wingspan there are certain actions which require the payment of eggs which have been previously acquired.  If a player reaches the point where any action on their part requires at least one egg and the player has none, what happens? I can't find the anything in the rules, but I would think the options are:

That player defaults their turn and play continues with other players.
The game is over.
The player automatically gets one egg to use for their turn (least likely event).

A player cannot choose to take an action that requires them to spend eggs they don't have.
This means that a player with no eggs cannot chose to place a bird in anything but the first column, they cannot choose to spend an egg to get an extra card, and they cannot take any bird actions that require spending eggs.
But bird actions and spending a resource for a bonus resource are both optional, so the only full action that is outright prevented is adding new birds.  A player will always have an option to take an action that does not require spending eggs.


Does Monopoly involve skill to a considerable degree? Many classic children's board games, like Snakes and Ladder and Candyland, are essentially pure games of chance. Is it reasonable to regard Monopoly as a game of this type? How important is player skill (as opposed to luck) in Monopoly?

You didn't lay out criteria in your question so I'm going to assume that what you're asking is: Let's say Bob diligently acquires as much skill as possible in Monopoly and practices with 50 or more games. If Bob plays several beginners (10 or fewer games - little study of the game), and no players know other players' skill level - is Bob highly likely to win?

The answer is yes. Monopoly definitely involves skill, and therefore Bob is highly likely to win that first game.

The most sophisticated and difficult skill involves working favorable trades. Though trading occurs only a few times a game, it is the primary means by which skill can cause the odds of winning to shift dramatically.

To make favorable trades, you must:

understand relative worth of different properties (you must know landing frequencies, development costs, etc.)
understand risk/reward
be able to quickly understand what your opponents care about, which in many cases will NOT be optimizing for greatest relative worth trades
be persuasive

There are also some simpler skills such as learning when it makes sense to buy a property and when to let it go up for auction, when it makes sense to start building houses (and how much money to keep in reserve), that the third house is the most valuable, etc.

Like Settlers of Catan, however, once it is clear who is the most skilled player, it is very easy for everyone to stop the most skilled player via trade embargos. I have had the experience several times of trouncing new opponents at Monopoly for a game or two and then losing more than average thereafter when my opponents refuse to trade with me. Actually - it's usually a little more gradual than that as first they just refuse to trade on my terms and start demanding more. And then they won't ever let me have a monopoly result from a trade. So then I resort to ever higher risk trades until I reach a point where nobody is willing to give me any trade I would want.

It is only when playing with fresh opponents that I have an opportunity to exert maximum skill, without fear that trading reputation will mean embargoes. That is why I carefully rephrased your question to assume lack of knowledge of the opponents. Because once it is clear who the most skilled player is in the game, it is very easy for opponents to gang up and actually cause the most skilled player to lose more often than average.

Side Note: several other answers imply that the luck of what you get has to be pretty good to even have a chance at making favorable trades. To that I say, you can make your own luck. For example, if you've studied Monopoly, you know that the two best monopolies to get in terms of risk/reward and Return on Investment are the oranges and light blues. So you may try trading for them earlier in the game. Many players are under the mistaken belief that Boardwalk is the best property. So if I obtain Boardwalk and I own one light blue, while the 2nd is owned by a different player and third by bank - I may offer Boardwalk for the light blue that is owned - and they think they are getting a steal. I now have two light blues and have created the possibility that I may get a monopoly if I get the third. So even though I had bad luck in not having 2 out of 3 of either light blue or orange, I have created a 2 out of 3 situation with one of the best two colors to increase my chances of getting lucky, or at least being able to trade for the 3rd.


Can regenerate save a creature from -X/-X effects? My opponent has a Rakshasa Deathdealer. What happens when I cast a Bile Blight on that creature? Does regenerate let the creature survive or will the -3/-3 until end of turn from Bile Blight simply kill the creature whether it regenerates or not?

I also appreciate that the +2/+2 ability on this particular creature would in fact save it without any of the above interaction, but certain plays beforehand had caused this to be an unviable option for my opponent.

Regenerate will not save the creature. The state based action that moves the creature to the graveyard in this case does not technically destroy it.

  704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.

Even if regeneration could replace this kind of death, the creature would simply die again anyway because it would still have -3/-3.

Regeneration can replace:

Actual destruction, such as the destruction wrought by Dreadbore
The state based action described by 704.5g

  704.5g If a creature has toughness greater than 0, and the total damage marked on it is greater than or equal to its toughness, that creature has been dealt lethal damage and is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event.

The state based action described by 704.5h

  704.5h If a creature has toughness greater than 0, and it’s been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch since the last time state-based actions were checked, that creature is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event.


How soon is "Just Played" Ainoa and some other general have an ability which reads:

  Force an opponent to move an Agent he just played to a different District

Does this mean I have to use the ability at the same time as the player is playing the Agent? Or can I wait a another players turn, or right before they place another Agent to refer to the "Just played" agent from previously?

For instance, if it is possible to wait, then a tactic that could be used is to wait and see what other players place first, or if the player next turn uses a relic - the ability can be used then on the previous Agent.

The rules are not clear on this.

My understanding of this is that it should be from the current round of play.

I must admit but it's been a while since I've played Arcana. Good game, with enough innovations to have a place among my deck builders!


4-4 high approach - why is the defensive approach prefered? In the 4-4 high approach joseki, why would black ever want to play the defensive - left variant?

The result of the right variant looks much better! While the left variant leaves monkey jump opportunity for black, this only takes points from white, while in the right variant, black has already taken those points from white and established his own territory there, which is double points! Also, the 3-3 corner invasion is impossible!

The only thing which seems advantageous in the left variant is the black 6-4 stone on the 4th line - which is better for influence than the 6-3 stone in the right variant. But, black could play the last move at 6-4 in the right variant as well, correct? The 3-3 corner invasion is still impossible.

It seems that Josekipedia is preffering the left variant over the right one, which is very strange to me:

Josekipedia mentions the aji in the final position with the 6-4 variant:

but these are just aji's - it seems that all of these invasions can be killed if black responds right away, and this variant seems much better for black - much more points.

The main reason why I think you think this is good is because this joseki looks a lot like another familiar 3-4 joseki: http://josekipedia.com/#path:qdodocncpcndqfjd

$$ Good possibilities
$$ --------------|
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$$ . X . X . . . |
$$ . . . , X . . |
$$ . . . O X . . |
$$ . a . O O . . |
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But even though the difference between these two positions is only one line it cannot be overstated, black is good in that situation because he's closer to the corner, and it's secure, it's difficult to attack black.  Because black is solid, he doesn't have to worry about follow up moves and he has nice follow up moves of his own against white.  But in your right side variation, because it's one line farther out, there are too many weaknesses, black's corner is not secure.  So he can't necessarily count on the same follow up moves.

$$ Maybe not an option
$$ --------------|
$$ . . . . . . . |
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$$ . X . X . . . |
$$ . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . O X . . |
$$ . ? . O O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . |
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$$ . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . O . . . |
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So it's becomes a trade, you're getting a little more corner "territory" for massive weakspots in that territory.  Later on white can even make an approach at the 8-3 point on the other side.  Black would normally want to pincer such a close approach, but cannot because the aji in the corner would become a big problem.  Black would need to play defensively, so white gets a free move, and black becomes overconcentrated and inefficient.  But it's either that or lose the corner, but if you were planning on giving up the corner then other moves would have been better suited.

As you can see from the given diagrams, black gets a large chunk of the side on the left as well and is difficult to attack.  On the right he's got a few more points in the corner, but because of the bad aji, he can't expect to get the side as well.  Even if he already has a stone at the 10-3 or 10-4, white has enough potential here to invade or reduce easily given the correct whole board situation.  There's not really an upside.  On the other hand, white's shape is ideal in the right side variation.

$$ The stuff of nightmares
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You pointed out the monkey jump.  Generally, monkey jumps are 10-point sente moves. (But that, of course, depends on the exact situation.)  Because it's normally sente for black, but gote for white, black is almost certainly going to get that move.  Those 10 points are 10 points you can count on if you're playing endgame correctly, because it's bigger for you to play it than your opponent.  If your opponent does get it that either means that you made a mistake and didn't play it early enough, or your opponent did and there's still larger points on the board.  So you can count on those 10 points.


Can I mix Fantasy and 40k in a game? I'm trying to get my fiancée interested in playing Warhammer games. She's interested in fantasy and I'm interested in the sci-fi 40k branch of the game, plus I've already got an army in the making. If we got a fantasy army, is there any adapter between the two rulesets?

Unfortunately they are completely different rulesets.  While they have a few similar mechanics(rolling to hit/wound or making characteristic tests), the structure of the games do not synch up.  Turn structure is different. Ranged weapons, saves, movement, and combat are all different.  Applying some fairly common rules in one system to the other can have game breaking results.

Even if you did build a bridge between the two systems the armies would just not play well against each other.  Stats aren't balanced between the two systems.  They have different baselines(Armor saves in fantasy are mostly 6+, if you have one at all, and in 40k 2+ and 3+ are not uncommon).

The closest you could get would be to have one person play Chaos Demons.  The same demon models can be used in fantasy and 40k with the appropriate army book.  It's a little awkward because 40k and Fantasy use round and square bases respectively, but most players would give you a pass in friendly games.


What are the most useful Major Improvements in Agricola? What Major Improvements do you see as most useful in Agricola, and why?

For a grain-based strategy the Clay Oven is key. It's incredibly efficient (1 grain-> 5 food), and crucially, requires only one stone, so you can get it early (guaranteed before the second harvest). In most of my Agricola games, one player will take the fireplace/animal eating option, and the other will go for a grain/baking option.

My other key improvement is the Well. The in-game effect (5 food) is marginal, but the 4 points at the end make a huge difference, and are great value (often equivalent to renovating your entire house, for example).


Can we extend the game by playing Multiple Boards At Once? I play Ticket To Ride with my gf and friends and we love it! So much so that we always reach the end thinking, 'this went too quickly!'. We've toyed with playing two maps simultaneously, has anyone else tried this? If so, what was the experience like? Is this a viable way to get a longer version of Ticket to Ride? Would we need to modify other things to make it work? Is there a better way to achieve this?

I'm expecting that playing two at once can be even more infuriating and head-hurting than just one! Trying to complete different tickets on different maps, trying to keep up with what I need on this map while you're doing something on the other one! I have the Europe and Asia versions.

Firstly, to extend the game you will need to add twice the train pieces as well as 2 boards. Maybe you should double the tickets too. This soon degrades into playing two different games at the same time, where you choose which one to play each round.

The second problem is all the advantage is on the side of playing on only one board. This is because adding more trains to a single board makes it easy to get more tickets on that board, while trains on both boards leads to spreading yourself thin. My solution to this is to modify (or replace) the longest railroad card to include a benefit for using both boards.
(eg. longest railroad on board A * longest railroad on board B)

I think this variant is not a good idea, but you can try it and see what its like. Seems to me  an interesting experiment at least.


Interaction between Time of Ice and Rescue If I play Time of Ice and immediately tap down creature A, then next turn tap down creature B, then play Rescue and replay Time of Ice to tap down creature C. On my opponent's turn after that, do creatures A and B stay tapped, since I still control Time of Ice, or do they untap since I stopped controlling that instance of time of ice after it went back to my hand briefly?

Below is the rules text for Time of Ice:

  (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)

  I, II — Tap target creature an opponent controls. It doesn't untap
  during its controller's untap step for as long as you control Time of
  Ice.

  III — Return all tapped creatures to their owners' hands.

No, creatures A and B will not stay tapped.

See the first Gatherer ruling on Time of Ice:

  The effects of Time of Ice’s first two chapter abilities expire if you lose control of it, even if you immediately regain control of it or cast another Time of Ice.

And the comprehensive rules that back up this ruling:

  611.2a A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability lasts as long as stated by the spell or ability creating it (such as “until end of turn”). If no duration is stated, it lasts until the end of the game.

So the moment you return Time of Ice to your hand, that ability that was keeping A and B tapped has ended. That ability no longer has any effect on A or B; nothing that happens after that can change that.

Also, when you cast Time of Ice later, it is a completely different Time of Ice that has no connection to the one that you used on A and B.

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

(None of the exceptions apply here).

And when it says "for as long as you control Time of Ice", it means specifically that Time of Ice, and not any other objects with that name.

  201.4. Text that refers to the object it’s on by name means just that particular object and not any other objects with that name, regardless of any name changes caused by game effects.


Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, and cards with a * as their power So my question is if I have Alesha, Who Smiles at Death on the battlefield can I use her ability to bring back a creature where * is the cards power, for example Kolaghan Forerunners?

The Forerunners have what is called Characteristic-Defining Ability, and those function in all zones. So you can only return them with Alesha if you have less than 3 creatures on the battlefield.

  208.2a The card may have a characteristic-defining ability that sets its power and/or toughness according to some stated condition. (See rule 604.3.) Such an ability is worded “[This creature’s] [power or toughness] is equal to . . .” or “[This creature’s] power and toughness are each equal to . . .” This ability functions everywhere, even outside the game. If the ability needs to use a number that can’t be determined, including inside a calculation, use 0 instead of that number.


Can you build a road on the other side of another player's settlement? Player A: Wants to expand to resource-rich area of board. They build two roads and plan to build a settlement and continue their road to the resource-rich area.

Player B: Also wants same location as player A for their next settlement. They build two roads, ending at same hex intersection as player A.  Player B builds their settlement first.

Player A: Still wants resources further away, so places another road on the other side of player B's settlement.

Player A has a road going into the hex intersection, and argues that they can build a connecting road going out of the intersection, regardless of whether another player has a settlement there.

Is this really a legal move?  If not, where in the rules does it specify that this it is not allowed?

From the official FAQ:

  Can the roads I build “go through” other players’ settlements
  and cities?

  Answer: No. If you build a new road, it must always connect to one of
  your own roads, settlements, or cities.

The inverse situation is also interesting:

  Longest Road - How can I interrupt the Longest Road of a game partner?

  Answer: By building a settlement on an intersection within the Longest
  Road. Of course, you have to observe all building rules when doing
  this.


"Dead Rubber" definitive etymology What's the etymology of the phrase "dead rubber". Googling attributes it to some obscure bridge reference, but I don't seem to understand it.

A rubber is a series that consists of an odd number of matches where a majority of wins takes the series.  For example, in baseball, the World Series is an example of a rubber; the team that wins 4 games out of 7 wins the series.  Rubber bridge is a form of contract bridge where the teams play best out of three games.  (Wiktionary lists this the etymology of this definition of rubber as "unknown."  If you want more information, English Language & Usage would be a good place to ask.)

The rubber match is a match that decides a series after a tie.  For example, in this year's World Series, after 6 games the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals were tied 3-3.  The last game on October 29 was the rubber match, and the winner, San Francisco, won the series.  In rubber bridge, the rubber match is the third game.

A dead rubber is a match in a series that has already been decided, but the match is still played.  In the World Series, this doesn't happen; once a team has four wins, no more games are played.  However, this term is used in other sports, such as some tennis tournaments, cricket, or the FIFA World Cup.  For example, in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup, you might have a match at the end of the group stage where it is already known which teams will advance to the knockout stage before the match begins.  This is a dead rubber match, and no matter who wins, the result of the tournament doesn't change.

In rubber bridge, the rubber is over when one team has won two games, so I don't think that "dead rubber" is a bridge term.


How does roll and move affect games like Talisman? I'm wondering if the roll and move mechanic has any real effect on how Talisman, or any similar game, plays out. Would the overall experience be fundamentally changed if, for instance, you could only move one space at a time? I'm just trying to understand how it enhances the game relative to the other mechanics.

Roll and move is obviously there to create randomness.  Talisman is all about randomness, you never know where you're going to go or what you're going to draw.  Having more control over that introduces a lot of balance issues, because there are spaces that are not meant to be visited over and over again.  Of course, there are a number of Talisman cards that do give you more control over where you are moving, but they are all "temporary" in the sense that they can be stolen, destroyed, etc.

The biggest issue I would see with one move at a time in Talisman is the impact on PvP.  Some classes are designed for fighting other characters, while others are designed to avoid such fights.  With one move at a time, there would not be a way to escape other characters, so you'd need to introduce other ways for characters to get away from someone else.  Even with that, there would still be the potential to "grief" people by "camping" at a location that you know they need to get to.


Is there a list of routecards for Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries? Is there a list of all routecards with points on the internet for nordic countries? I tried to look for it but could only find them for the normal version.

BoardGameGeek has what you are looking for here. They require an account to download files, so I've copied the relevant information below:

24  KØBENHAVN – MURMANSK
21  OSLO – HONNINGSVÅG
18  KØBENHAVN – NARVIK
18  STAVANGER – ROVANIEMI
17  BERGEN – TORNIO
17  STOCKHOLM – TROMSØ
16  BERGEN – NARVIK
14  KØBENHAVN – OULU
13  HELSINKI – KIRKENES
13  NARVIK – TALLINN
12  GÖTEBORG – OULU
12  HELSINKI – BERGEN
12  KRISTIANSAND – MO I RANA
12  NARVIK – MURMANSK
11  NORRKÖPING – BODEN
11  TROMSØ – VAASA
11  ÅLBORG – UMEÅ
10  HELSINKI – KIRUNA
10  HELSINKI – KØBENHAVN
10  OSLO – MO I RANA
10  STOCKHOLM – KAJAANI
10  TAMPERE – KRISTIANSAND
10  TURKU – TRONDHEIM
10  ÖREBRO – KUOPIO
9   OSLO – VAASA
8   BERGEN – KØBENHAVN
8   HELSINKI – ÖSTERSUND
8   OSLO – HELSINKI
8   STAVANGER – KARLSKRONA
8   STOCKHOLM – BERGEN
7   BERGEN – TRONDHEIM
7   GÖTEBORG – TURKU
7   STOCKHOLM – IMATRA
7   STOCKHOLM – UMEÅ
6   GÖTEBORG – ÅNDALSNES
6   STOCKHOLM – KØBENHAVN
6   SUNDSVALL – LAHTI
6   TAMPERE – BODEN
6   TORNIO – IMATRA
6   ÅRHUS – LILLEHAMMER
5   HELSINKI – LIEKSA
5   ÅLBORG – NORRKÖPING
4   OSLO – KØBENHAVN
4   OSLO – STAVANGER
4   OSLO – STOCKHOLM
3   TAMPERE – TALLINN


Is cascade triggered by putting a creature into play? If Wild Pair is on the field when I cast a 5/5, and I use Wild Pair to put Enlisted Wurm into play, does Enlisted Wurm's cascade trigger?

Wild Pair: Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, if you cast it from your hand, you may search your library for a creature card with the same total power and toughness and put it onto the battlefield. If you do, shuffle your library.
Enlisted Wurm: Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.)

No.  Cascade triggers when the spell with Cascade is cast.

Casting a spell is different from putting a permanent into play.  Casting a permanent spell puts that spell on the stack.  When a permanent spell resolves, that permanent enters play.  There are other ways of putting a permanent directly into play (like Wild Pair) that do not involve casting a spell.


Why did a damage-triggered ability trigger after the creature holding it died? In Arena, I had Fynn, the Fangbearer and another creature with deathtouch in play. My opponent had one creature with at least 3 power. I attacked with both creatures and my opponent blocked Fynn with their creature, killing both of them, while my other creature damaged the opponent. Immediately afterward Fynn's ability triggered and my opponent received two poison counters.
Why did that happen? The closest I can find is rule 603.10 relating to looking back in time, but a creature dealing combat damage to a player is not listed in the exceptions.

The triggered ability actually triggered before Flynn died, not after.
This happened because Fynn doesn't die immediately; it only dies when state-based actions are checked. Simultaneously, Fynn was dealt damage and your opponent was dealt damage by a creature with deathtouch. This event caused Fynn to trigger; as Fynn was still on the battlefield and was an "object that exists immediately after an event" to quote rule 603.10. In other words, Fynn triggered because Fynn was still on the battlefield at the moment the damage was dealt and immediately afterwards.
Before the next player gets priority, state-based actions are checked, and Fynn will die because it has at least as much damage as toughness. But it's ability has already triggered by that point, it just hasn't gone on the stack or done anything yet.

603.2. Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability’s trigger event, that ability automatically triggers. The ability doesn’t do anything at this point.

704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 117, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. If any state-based actions are performed as a result of a check, the check is repeated; otherwise all triggered abilities that are waiting to be put on the stack are put on the stack, then the check is repeated. Once no more state-based actions have been performed as the result of a check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, the appropriate player gets priority. This process also occurs during the cleanup step (see rule 514), except that if no state-based actions are performed as the result of the step’s first check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, then no player gets priority and the step ends.


Athreos, God of Passage and Gift of Immortality With Gift of Immortality, if a creature is destroyed, it is returned to the battlefield and then at the next end phase Gift of Immortality is returned onto the creature.

With Athreos, God of Passage, when a creature dies an opponent can choose for it to return to my hand or they lose three health.

If when my monster equipped with Gift of Immortality dies, would Athreos' effect trigger, and if it does and they decide to return the card to your hand does it go to your hand because of Athroes or does it return to the battlefield because of Gift of Immortality?

We're dealing with two triggered abilities here that trigger upon death and move the card around:

  Gift of Immortality's ability: When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. Return Gift of Immortality to the battlefield attached to that creature at the beginning of the next end step.

Movement: Graveyard → Battlefield

  Athreos, God of Passage's ability: Whenever another creature you own dies, return it to your hand unless target opponent pays 3 life.

Movement: Graveyard → Hand

The important rules

Both abilities attempt to move the card out of the same place. Because of rule 603.6, they're in a sort of race: the one to do the move first 'wins', whilst the other will fail to find the card in the graveyard and do nothing to it. Important part emphasised:

  603.6. Trigger events that involve objects changing zones are called "zone-change triggers." Many abilities with zone-change triggers attempt to do something to that object after it changes zones. During resolution, these abilities look for the object in the zone that it moved to. If the object is unable to be found in the zone it went to, the part of the ability attempting to do something to the object will fail to do anything. (ed: the rest snipped)

From rule 603.3b, you get to define the order these two go on the stack, and thus you choose which one will resolve first and win the race.

  603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order1, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. (ed: the rest snipped)

1 This refers to the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, defined in 104.4, and modified by 805.6 for teams. In short: the player/team whose turn it is puts their stuff on the stack, then the next player/team in turn order, and so on until everyone's done.

Therefore: what happens depends on the order you choose.

If you let Gift of Immortality resolve first...

Put Athreos's ability on the stack first, and Gift of Immortality's ability last. They resolve in this order:

Gift of Immortality's ability returns the card to the battlefield. Gift of Immortality will return attached to it later.
Athreos's ability triggers. It will do nothing regardless of your opponent's choice, because it can't move the card.

If you let Athreos's ability resolve first...

Put Gift of Immortality's ability on first, and then Athreos's last. They resolve in this order:

Athreos's ability offers your opponent a choice to pay 3 life, or do nothing.

If they pay 3 life, the card stays in your graveyard. (They will probably not choose to do this, because it works out badly for them.)
If they do not, it returns to your hand. (They will probably choose this.)

Gift of Immortality's ability resolves.

If the card's still in your graveyard, it moves to the battlefield, and Gift of Immortality will return attached to it later.
If your opponent made it return to your hand, Gift of Immortality does nothing and becomes a benign card in your graveyard. It will not return from the graveyard even if you re-cast the card, because of rule 400.7: the newly summoned creature will be considered a new and different creature to the one the Gift of Immortality remembers. None of 400.7's exceptions apply here.


Various questions about Karametra's Favor If you tap Karametra's Favor, does that mana gotten from this card disappear on your next turn, or does it work in the same way than a normal Basic Land card?
If you attack or block with a creature, which has the Karametra's Favor, can you use it's ability at the same time when attacking or blocking with the Creature?
Can you decide not to gain more mana with Karametra's Favor, when you choose to attack or block with a creature it's attached to (do you need to tap the ability, since the card is attached to a Creature you tap by wishing to attack or block with)?

1) Karamertra's Favor doesn't tap, it gives an ability to the creature it is enchanting allowing it to tap for mana. This mana works just like any other kind of mana and empties from your mana pool at the end of the step or phase.

2) You can use the ability anytime you are able to tap the creature, so you can do it with blocking creatures and attacking creatures with vigilance.

3) If the enchanted creature is tapped to attack you are not able to use the ability granted by Karametra's Favor. You do not need to tap in order to block so you can still tap the creature for the granted ability after it has been declared as a blocker.


What happens if you ambassador a hovel? In Dominion, what happens when you Ambassador (Seaside) a Hovel (Dark Ages)?

Nothing happens at all.

There's a (likely unofficial) rules clarification on Ambassador's Dominion Strategy wiki:

  If you reveal a card which is not in the Supply, such as Spoils, Madman, Mercenary, or Shelters, Ambassador does nothing.

The same article also quotes an official FAQ clarification:

  If the pile for the chosen card runs out, some players may not get one; cards are given out in turn order starting with the next player.

Since Hovels are not present in the Supply, you cannot return your hovels there. Further, nobody can gain them: since they aren't available in the Supply, they are effectively perpetually out of stock.


What happens when a player loses all of their colonies in Cosmic Encounter? It may seem hard to believe but I played a game recently where I lost all of my home colonies and foreign colonies (all of my ships were in the warp), and I wasn't playing the Masochist.  How does the game go on?  The way I played it was that I got a ship out of the warp on my turn, but since I had no colonies to land it on it was simply "in space" so that I could use it to launch an attack.  I have not found anything in the rule book or on the internet that addresses this.

The Fantasy Flight Games rule book addresses this in multiple locations

Stripping a Planet of Ships
As soon as a player removes the last of his or her ships from any planet, that player no longer has a colony on that planet. Any ships involved in the encounter cannot return to that planet. Ships retrieved from the warp cannot return to that planet. That player has no colony there. If a player has no ships left on one of his or her home planets, he or she must still defend it (with zero ships). If a situation arises where a player must relocate ships but he or she has no colonies anywhere on the board, those ships go to the warp. (Pg. 12)
1. Regroup
Throughout the game, ships will go to the warp when encounters are lost. At the start of an encounter, one of the offense’s ships is retrieved from the warp and placed in one of his or her colonies (home or otherwise). If a player has no colonies, the retrieved ship is placed directly in the hyperspace gate. (Pg. 7)

The FAQ covers what to do if a Mobius Tubes is used.

Q: How does Mobius Tubes work if you have no planets?
A: Your ships exit the warp, then any ships that have no colony to return to are returned to the warp. If you are the offense, you may place up to four of your ships in the hyperspace gate before the others are lost to the warp.


Can a flashed creature block? If I summon a creature with the flash rule in my opponent's turn as a response to their attack is it able to block?

Or is it suffering from summoning sickness and can't do anything?

If you flash the creature in during the Declare Attackers step or earlier, you can block with that creature. You can do it after attackers are declared, but it's too late once blockers have been declared.

"Summoning sickness" prevents three things:

Declaring the sick creature as an attacker.
Activating abilities of a sick creature with the tap symbol (aka {T}) in their cost.
Activating abilities of a sick creature with the untap symbol (aka {Q}) in their cost.

Blocking is permitted.


Smash up Sprout and Weed eater Played special ability of Sprout (On your turn you may search a minion of power 3 or less on your deck and play it here as an extra minion).

So I choose Weed eater she has 5 power but has an ability ( The turn you played has -2 power ).

Can I choose her?

Or should I look for a specific 3 or less power from my deck?

Weed Eater: This cannot be played to replace a
Sprout, since it does not lower its power until it is
in play. Its power goes back up to 5 after the end
of the turn in which it is played.


What are the most expensive cards in Magic: The Gathering? I've heard of the Black Lotus and Dual Lands. Are there any other really expensive cards in Magic: The Gathering?

Here's one possibility for what you're looking for: a search for all of the cards that TCGPlayer.com sells (directly or as a middleman) for at least $200. At this time, it lists 64 cards in that range.


Quickened Seize the Day On my opponent's turn, during main phase 2, I Quicken a Seize the Day. My opponent gets an additional combat phase, correct? One of my friends is convinced that the caster of the Seize the Day "controls" the extra combat, and so can attack on an opponents turn, but I'm pretty sure this is not the case. Clarification?

One of the rulings on Seize the Day addresses this situation:

  If you somehow cast Seize the Day during an opponent’s main phase, that opponent attacks during the resulting combat phase, since it’s still that player’s turn. If you somehow cast it not during a main phase at all, all that happens is you untap the target creature.


How does a freeze/stop pile work in Canasta? I played Canasta many years ago in my teens - so memory may have faded somewhat - but O would like to refresh and try playing more.   On revisiting the rules, I am confused by the Freeze Pile / Stop Card as described by Scarne (the rules by which we used to play).

The 'Frozen pile' is created by either a wild card (Joker/Deuces)  OR a RED three being placed on the discard.

The 'Stop card' is either by a wild card OR a BLACK three

A Red three 'freezes' the pile, and a black three 'stops' the next player picking up the discard - but how do you know if a pile is stopped or frozen when a WILD CARD (J's/2's) is used?

I have looked everywhere for explanation of this ruling, but nowhere can I find a reference to a 'stopped' card, only to the 'Frozen' pile.   Has this 'stop card' part of the game now changed and is it no longer used?

A wild card on the discard surely 'freezes' it and takes precedence over being a 'stop'card.   Does this mean that it is ONLY a BLACK three which 'stops' the discard for just the next player?

Hope this makes sense!  Never seemed to be a problem years ago, but now I can find no reference to a 'stop card' and Scarne's version seems unclear - I am not sure which way to play this.

Update

Thanks Joe & Gendolkari, I am aware of all the points you make on the rules. I though my question was straightforward, so to clarify I will quote Scarne on the points concerned!

“frozen pile - discard becomes frozen whenever it contains a wild (J’s & 2’s) OR A RED THREE (contrary to a comment above). Discard may only be taken up when player holds two natural cards ....etc”

“Stop card. When the upcard is a WILD card (J’s & 2’s) OR A BLACK THREE. It is a stop card; the next player cannot take the discard pile......etc”

Why is Scarne implying that a card which is known as a freeze card (J’s & 2’s) when added to the discard, can somehow become ‘just’ a stop card?

I don’t think I am ‘overthinking it’ given Scarnes unclear explanation!

So I will go with J’s, 2’s AND red 3’s s freezing the pile - but only BLACK 3’s as being a stop card.

Technically, I guess, if you deal with the red 3 in just one hand - pick-up and discard into the discard pile, you are actually disclosing you have one! Yes, not something you want to do willingly - but there may be times when nothing else will do!

I think you are over complicating what a "stop" card is. When looking at the rules to draw a card from the discard you will note that you have to include it on a meld on the table. Also it should be noted that the only time you can play a black 3 to the table in the meld is when you are going out so normally if a black 3 is on the top of the draw pile it is impossible for the next person to draw a card.

Also with red three's they should never be in your hand as when you draw them they are immediately placed on the table and a replacement card is drawn.

As for your overall question the only state that matters for the draw pile is if it is frozen from a wild card being discarded and that can be noted by discarding the wild card perpendicular to the other cards there is a visual that it has been frozen.

If a red 3 is the first card flipped over to start the discard pile at the start of the game it will be frozen just as if a wild card was flipped over.


Are card modifications from Continuous cards thought of as "effects" - what happens to them? I'm trying to determine what happens to modified cards when the Continuous card in question is destroyed.

From the Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia;

Continuous Monster Effects (Japanese: 永続効果 Eizoku Kōka) are a type of monster effect that is active as long as the monster is face-up on the field (although some don't have any effect until certain requirements are met), and don't disappear until the monster is no longer face-up on the field.

Which monster? The monster that has the effect or the monster that affected it?

I'm assuming the former.

Example card:

NIGHTMARE PENGUIN

Description: All face-up WATER monsters you control gain 200 ATK. When this card is flipped face-up: Target 1 card your opponent controls; return that target to the hand.

What happens to the other monsters when this card is destroyed?

I'm assuming that when this card is destroyed, the monsters that were modified by this card would reset or be negated.

The text is rather unclear about this and only refers to "effects".
Is a card modification a type of "effect"?

Thanks

"The monster" in each statement refers to the monster causing the effect.
As with any magic or trap card, once the card is removed from the field, its effect no longer applies (unless the card explicitly states otherwise).


How do multiple death triggers work with a board wipe? So, question, I have a hooded Hydra face up and a Vastwood Hydra out. They both have 4 (+1+1) counters on them. Someone goes to boardwipe, since they both have death triggers can I then move the counters off of Vastwood and turn Hooded Hydra into an 8/8, then get the 8 snake tokens? Or could I wait for both of them to die, get the 4 snake tokens and then distribute the counters from Vastwood any way I like?

Both Vastwood Hydra and Hooded Hydra have leave the battlefield triggers. As their name implies, they will trigger only when the creatures actually leave the battlefield.

What that implies is that you cannot move the +1/+1 counters off Vastwood Hydra and into Hooded Hydra because (assuming, by your question, that they will both die at the same time), none of the hydras will be on the battlefield by the time Vastwood Hydra's trigger resolves.

You can, however, put the triggers into the stack in any order you want. That means that you may put Hooded Hydra's trigger on top of Vastwood Hydra's, get your snake tokens when it resolves, and then resolve the trigger that puts the counters onto those tokens, so the answer to the second part of your question is yes, as long as you stack the triggers properly.


In Bridge, What's the Difference Between the Blackwood And Gerber Conventions? I have an idea that both conventions are used to check for aces in slam bidding, and that one starts at four clubs and the other at 4NT. Beyond that, I'm confused.

Why would a bidder use one over the other? Or is it that some systems prefer one over the other?

How would I tell which one my partner is using? Or must we agree beforehand?

Blackwood is used for suit contracts, while Gerber is used for Notrump contracts.  This was a necessary evil based on how Blackwood develops.

Say we have established that we should be in Notrump, and I want to try for slam.  If I bid 4NT Blackwood, and find out that we are missing 2 Aces, how can I sign off?  5NT would ask for Kings, and 6NT is obviously too high.  There's no way to bid a safe level of Notrump anymore.  By using the Gerber 4C bid, I can sign off in 4NT if we are missing two aces.


When can the "build a wonder stage for free" tokens be used? In the Seven Wonders - Babel Expansion, when can the reward tokens that allow a player "to construct a Stage of their Wonder for free" be used?  Can they be used immediately or do they just remove the cost (except coin costs, as noted) but still need to be played on a normal turn by discarding a card?

The question came up during a recent game when a player with Rhodes (B-side), who had participated in the successful project that awarded these tokens, wanted to immediately complete a stage, thereby giving them military dominance over a neighbor.  Without finding anything explicit in the rules, we denied the request, supposing that to build a stage the player must have a card in hand to discard and place under their board for that stage.  I'm hoping someone else has a ruling that can help.

You have to also use a card, as in the base game. In order to understand it better, look at the previous token, "construct a building for free".

  The player takes from the reserve a corresponding token. They can return this token to the reserve to construct a Building for free.

In order to construct a building, you have to play it from your hand, right? So, next time you construct a building from your hand, you may throw in the token and declare "I am constructing it for free". You can't obviously construct immediately an additional building for free, as your hand would have less cards than the other players and thus break the game's mechanism. It works exactly like Olympia's A 2nd wonder bonus.

Same story for the wonder token:

  The player takes from the reserve a corresponding token. They can return this token to the reserve, to construct a Stage of their Wonder for free. Note: if the cost of the Wonder stage contains 1 or more coins, these must still be paid.

In order to construct a wonder, you have to put a card below the corresponding wonder stage, to indicate that it has been built (and to remove a card from the game, as well). Thus, you keep the token and the next time you construct a wonder stage you may discard the token to ignore the resource cost. If you could immediately construct a wonder stage, how would you indicate that the wonder has been constructed? A basic principle of the game is that no memory is required; thus, you have to use a card. But you can't just take an extra card from your hand, as you'd leave your hand with less cards and break the game's mechanism.

TL;DR: you keep the wonder token and the next time you use a card to build a wonder stage, you may discard the token to ignore the resource cost of your wonder.


Following the official rules of Jenga, what is the highest possible level that can be placed? I can't seem to find the answer to this question anywhere.  Also, to preempt a couple possible answers:
I have read about the current record. However, I want to know if this is the highest level possible following the official rules. That is, the preceding level must be completed before beginning the next highest level.
I'm sure there is a mathematical method to solve this but my brain isn't working sufficiently right now to figure it out.
Also, I saw an answer posted somewhere of 54. Though it is possible to stack all 54 blocks atop one another individually, this would violate the rules of the game.

51 levels. Achieving this requires 97 moves.

Let's start with a fresh tower, and let's try to minimize the number of blocks in the top levels. The rest of the tower will consist of one-block levels.
I shall denote the state by the number of blocks on the top level, followed by the number of blocks on the next level down, etc. So a fresh tower is 3,3,3,...
One can't remove a block from the uppermost complete level, so our attempt goes as follows:

1,3,2,... ⇒ 6 in top 3.
2,3,1,... ⇒ 6 in top 3.
3,3,1,... ⇒ 7 in top 3.

And from there it loops.
Jenga has 54 blocks, so the tallest tower can have at most 51 level.

1,3,2,<48 levels with just 1> after 97 moves.
2,3,1,<48 levels with just 1> after 98 moves.

From the above, we can also determine that the tallest tower with a complete top level will have 50 levels. This takes 96 moves.


Fury of Dracula 3rd ed. - Escape as Bat clarification In Fury of Dracula 3rd edition, when Dracula plays Escape as Bat combat card, and decides to move to a new location, Dracula clears his current hideout, places a new location card there along with the face-up Escape as Bat card. But what about an encounter card? Does Dracula also place an encounter card on the new location, as he normally does?

No, encounters are placed during the encounter phase of Dracula's turn. Moving by escaping as a bat occurs during dawn or dusk, which is outside this phase so no encounter is placed.

The first space location (where the combat was taking place) is cleared, and then the new location card - without an encounter - replaces the cleared location on the first slot on the trail.