Evaluating a Dominion Kingdom set How do you analyze a Dominion Kingdom set to determine what your strategy is going to be for the game? In other words, are you looking for specific cards? for abilities (e.g., trashing cards or chaining actions)? for combos (e.g., if I draw these two cards together then I can do X)? for counter-strategies? How do you rank those things in your evaluation process?

I'm trying to learn what the thought process behind the strategy looks like, so walking through specific examples, like the suggested Kingdom card setups, would be greatly appreciated.

Feel free to use any Dominion expansions in your advice.

Know the difference between an early game card and a mid game card

Quickly evaluate what cards will be good for your first few buys (besides money). This is the only time where it doesn't matter if an action is terminal or not because you won't really have many actions. Deck thinning cards like chapel, cards that let you draw a lot like smithy, and cheap attack cards like militia can all be good investments. Plan your first few buys out of the good starter cards.

Other things to keep in mind:

Cards that give you +actions. This will help you judge how many combos to go for. If there's tons, stock up on those and draws to get some major combinations.
Cards that give you +buys. You definitely want a few of these for your later game, its a matter of what options you have. Don't go for woodcutter unless you don't really have any better choices. Having a good amount of buys can also help you end the game early if you want, but that requires some advanced planning.
Cards that give you +cards. How much money do I need to buy? Are cards that give +actions but NOT +cards going to be effective?
Cards that give you +$. If your only source of $ is from treasures, don't skimp on gold because your action chains will only get you more cards and maybe some attacks.
Attack and reaction cards. Helps you judge how much interaction there will be and how you will prepare. If there's going to be a cursing war (witch), might as well not get left out/defenseless.
How strong is big-money? This helps you know how hard you should go on actions. If all you need to win happens to be some silver, gold, a witch, and some counsel rooms, make sure you take that into account. Actually evaluating how strong this combo will be is more complex, but recognizing that it exists is a good start.
Unique cards that need certain combos to work well. Don't get adventurer unless you have a higher density of gold in your deck. Only get gardens if you plan to have the cards to expand your deck to 40+ cards. Don't get a throne room unless you have something worth throne-rooming. Get a library or two if people are going hard on militia because it lets you redraw all the cards you lost.

As per your request, here's an analysis of the starting cards they recommend.

Cellar, moat, village, militia, workshop, woodcutter, smithy, remodel, mine, market. They're listed here.

There's one strong attack card, so a moat or two would probably be a good investment if people end up buying as they should. Hit the village and market pretty hard (maybe cellar as well if you have a lot of weak cards in your deck) because they're the only ones that give +actions and you're main hope for getting big combos if you choose to go that route. Remodel and mine will let you get rid of bad cards, like estates, so get on that soon if possible. woodcutter and market both give +buys. Woodcutter is one of my least favorite cards as a silver is almost always a better bet. Since you can get +buys from market I personally wouldn't buy any Woodcutters at all. Village will be good for combos because there's a few terminal actions that are very useful (militia, smithy, workshop, etc.) Since remodel is available you will able to hone your deck to a slight degree later in the game, so don't be super afraid of buying cards that will only be mostly useful short-term, like a mine at the beginning of the game.

for the beginning:

2-5 split: Get either a moat or a cellar for the 2$ buy and a mine. At this point, anything that gives you extra actions isn't really very beneficial, AKA village. Anything you can do to get rid of your bad cards (AKA mine) in the beginning is almost always a good idea. A moat will protect you from the early militias that will likely be played, but a cellar would help you go through your deck more quickly and get to the better cards in it. I'd probably go with the moat first and then cellar in the next few turns.
3-4 split: Get a workshop and a smithy/remodel/militia. These are all great early 4$ cards, the smithy will let you draw lots of cards, the remodel will let you trash bad cards, and the militia will put you ahead and slow others players down, all of which are amazing strategies. I'd probably go with the remodel or militia, but you'll be able to get more 4 cost cards with workshop soon after anyway, so it won't make a huge difference.

Here's some rough estimates of how many I'd go for long term.

cellar: 2-3, great cards that keeps your chain going. Good if you've only got 2$,  otherwise go with something more powerful.
moat: 1-3, Only get if militia is being used a lot, or maybe you need to draw cards for cheap, a cellar won't work, and you don't have many action cards (otherwise you'd probably have something better to play in your hand).
village: 2-3, good for mid game combos, depends on how many +cards cards you have.
militia: 1-3, beat on your opponents while getting money, what's not to like?
workshop: 1-2, good at the beginning, only buy 2 if you can remodel into market later or have a strategy that works with lots of cards costing 4 or less.
woodcutter: 0, go with a silver instead. This isn't a kingdom set where trading an action for a buy is going to be worthwhile very often.
smithy: 1, good at beginning of the game, maybe remodel later into gold. Only get 2 if you have a couple of villages or a big money strategy (not many actions in your deck).
remodel/mine: 1-2 of each. Try to get them early so you can upgrade your deck. Think about the odds of you getting them and the cards you want to upgrade at the same time. A mine is a total disadvantage if you have very little copper or silver, so plan accordingly. Remodel I'd probably go with 2 just because you can remodel gold into provinces in the later game.
market: 2-5. This is a pretty generic cards that is almost always helpful and will be strong with this kingdom set, but be sure to weigh it properly against the other options and don't just choose it because its a good all-around card.
gold: buy lots early, there's not a set number. As I said earlier you will want to determine how much money you'll want to buy early in the game. Buy some silver early if you like, or use mine/workshop to get it instead. In the beginning you'll want to get gold whenever you have 6, especially since you can remodel them into provinces. Once you get to late game you might want to go with a duchy instead.

Potential combos:

remodel + gold = make money into provinces during end-game.
remodel + workshop = get lots of cards costing 3-4 and crank them up to better stuff later. Workshop is a good early card that you can remodel later if you need to as its not very strong in the end-game.
remodel + mine = get 2 mines early and upgrade as many copper and silver as possible. Then remodel the mine into a gold once you don't need it anymore.
workshop + village = Use workshops to get lots of villages and smithy's while you use you actual money for better things. A village in your deck never hurts as long as you aren't using to much energy to buy it, and the village + smithy combination can get you some mega drawing action.
village + militia = launch a relentless attack with 3+ militias to keep other players' cards down. Add village to keep your chains going. If you buy up moats you can be even more evil.
cellar + moat + village = get some silver and gold
woodcutter + mine = get some woodcutters early with $ or a workshop. Use the extra buys to stock up on copper, and have 2 or 3 mines to crank up the copper into silver and gold. This is sort of a modification of big money, so getting a smithy can help. Just watch your number of terminal actions. I crossed this one out because its actually pretty weak. Buying copper is rarely useful, and relying on getting lucky to use a mine to upgrade it to a silver is pretty bad as it really dilutes your deck.

These are only guidelines. Dominion is a dynamic enough game that no strategy should ever be followed to the letter. Use your judgement and knowledge of combos to make a good choice, but flexibility is always important.

Another very interesting read is about the silver test, which is basically where you weigh all your $3, $4, and $5 choices against a silver. If you read this, be sure to skim through read the replies with +20 score to make sure you get both sides of the story!

Evaluating a kingdom set properly takes practice, and experience is the best teacher. However, this should give you a pretty good start to learning some of the most important issues.

If you want to see some other specific sets analyzed, post them in a different question and I'd be glad to help. :)


What is the duration of copyright on a board game map? If copyright on a board game map exists, how long will it last? When does the map become public domain?

For example, there are plenty of Sokoban maps on-line.
Some of them were created by Thinking Rabbit, some by Yoshio Murase.
When will their copyright expire?

If the "board game map" is subject to copyright restrictions, then it is protected for 70 years in the USA.

As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. For an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first.

IANAL, this does not constitute legal advice. Puzzles cannot be protected by copyright, and neither can map layouts. A computer could probably create trillions of puzzles, many of them might be duplicates of those created by others. These puzzles follow algorithms for legal box pushing rules, so it is quite possible that these puzzles fall under mathematics which isn't subject to copyright protection. If you copy a complete collection of puzzles though, you might be in trouble. Copying individual puzzles from many different sources might constitute research. The Trivial Pursuit lawsuit might be of interest to you.

When you copy from one source, it’s called plagiarism; when you copy from many sources, it’s called research.
Worth's case was thrown out of court by Judge Wm Matthew Byrne, Jr. It never even came to trial. In 1987, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal, declaring that Trivial Pursuit was “substantially different” from “Super Trivia”. The courts decided that the presentation of facts in an encyclopedia, where entries are listed alphabetically, was very different from the rewriting of those same facts as questions, and their division into categories randomly picked on a Trivial Pursuit card


Does Wild Onslaught put counters on Hallar, the Firefletcher before or after it's ability triggers If I have a Hallar, the Firefletcher in play with no +1/+1 counters on it, and I cast Wild Onslaught and pay it's kicker cost would Hallar, the Firefletcher get the two +1/+1 counters from Wild Onslaught before or after Hallar, the Firefletcher's ability triggers?

Hallar's ability will resolve first, dealing 1 damage.
Triggers that react to a spell being cast trigger at the end of the spell-casting process. By the time Hallar's ability triggers and goes on the stack, Wild Onslaught is already on the stack and will resolve second.

Casting Spells

601.2a To propose the casting of a spell, a player first moves that card (or that copy of a card) from where it is to the stack. It becomes the topmost object on the stack. It has all the characteristics of the card (or the copy of a card) associated with it, and that player becomes its controller. The spell remains on the stack until it’s countered, it resolves, or an effect moves it elsewhere.
601.2i Once the steps described in 601.2a–h are completed, effects that modify the characteristics of the spell as it’s cast are applied, then the spell becomes cast. Any abilities that trigger when a spell is cast or put onto the stack trigger at this time. If the spell’s controller had priority before casting it, he or she gets priority.


How can I improve my Chandra, Acolyte of Flame plus Cavalcade of Calamity deck? Currently I have a mono-red deck built around the synergy of Chandra, Acolyte of Flame and Cavalcade of Calamity. I'd like to improve the deck but I don't have the deck building chops. Most of the good ideas in the deck were stolen from other versions of the deck that beat me up. The current deck list is:

4 Scorch Spitter
2 Shock
4 Cavalcade of Calamity
2 Chandra's Pyrohelix
1 Chandra's Regulator
1 Scorching Dragonfire
4 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame
4 Chandra's Spitfire
1 Leyline of Combustion
4 Scampering Scorcher
4 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
2 Chandra's Flame Wave
1 Chandra, Awakened Inferno
1 Chandra, Flame's Fury
1 Embercleave
4 Dwarven Mine
20 Mountain

The break-out's shown in MTG Arena are:

Some things I've considered include:

Replacing Chandra, Awakened Inferno and/or Chandra, Flame's Fury with Jaya, Venerated Firemage. The logic being she'd be quicker to get out and be a low level Torbran replacement and/or buff. My concern is I don't see her being ran on Arena. Plus I like the board clearing ability of Chandra, Awakened Inferno and Chandra's Flame Wave. I'm hesitant to keep Chandra's Flame Wave while dropping Chandra, Flame's Fury because I feel like I'm losing value.
Replacing Scampering Scorcher with a goblin alternative like Legion Warboss, Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin, or Goblin Gathering. I like that these other options are cheaper but they are vulnerable to Chandra, Awakened Inferno's board wipe since they aren't elementals. On the other hand that can be a benefit when someone declares a protection from a type....
Replacing Leyline of Combustion with something else. Most times it is kind of a dead draw unless I can put it out for free in my opening hand.
Trying to work in some Grim Initiates but I don't know what I'd drop to include them.
Adding Runaway Steam-Kin to the deck, but once again I don't know what I'd drop to include it. Maybe Leyline of Combustion??

How do you think I could improve the deck? The best answers will include details as to why they're making the suggestions they're making so I can improve my deck building skills.

If you're playing with Cavalcade of Calamity you must go aggro - full out aggro. It's very weak if you're not being aggressive. Consider: if it's turn 6 and you're playing cards like Chandra, Awakened Inferno, Cavalcade is going to be sitting there doing nothing. Cavalcade is only useful if you're attacking, and by extension that means you must play aggressive creatures. Your curve needs to start at 1 mana, and in turn that means you can't run many expensive cards.

You should remove these:

Chandra's Pyrohelix - this card is inferior, you have better removal options (Slaying Fire and Bonecrusher Giant especially)
Chandra's Regulator - the expensive Chandras aren't aggressive enough, so this card isn't worth it.
Scorching Dragonfire - again, you have better removal options.
Leyline of Combustion - not enough impact. If you could reliably start with it on the battlefield, maaaaybe, but if you can't, it's just too expensive to do too little.
Scampering Scorcher - you can't run many expensive cards. With lots of 1-drops, you don't have the power level to compete in the mid-game; you need to run fewer lands and try to overrun the opponent. You can only run so many 4-drops and Torbran is too good to give up.
All cards >4 mana - per above.
Dwarven Mine - this card isn't bad, but it's not appropriate for a beatdown deck. It only becomes better than a basic Mountain at 4+ mana, which you don't want to get to all that often. Meanwhile you will get games where it enters the battlefield tapped and those are crippling to an aggressive strategy. You are better off running Castle Embereth, not too many copies though because you'll get all-Castle hands and then it becomes clunky.

Cards you should run:

Fervent Champion - strong one-mana card.
Light up the Stage - it's how you keep up in cards.
Skewer the Critics - it's 3 damage for one mana if you can trigger Spectacle, which you'll often be able to (although not necessarily pre-combat).
Experimental Frenzy - usually reserved for post-board games, this is the best source of card advantage you have.
Runaway Steam-Kin - too powerful to not run. It can reach 4/4 for a 2-mana creature which is huge, plus the combo with Experimental Frenzy is very strong.
Tibalt, Rakish Instigator - stops opposing lifegain, generates 1/1s which trigger Cavalcade.
Slaying Fire and Bonecrusher Giant - per above, these are your removal spells that can also be used against the opponent. Being able to burn opponent is important; at some point opponent will likely stabilize the board and your win condition becomes burning them.

Some example lists:

SCG Standard IQ Spring Lake, 6th Place
Mythic Championship V, 5-2 (warning: this list was tuned to beat Bant Golos. Since Field of the Dead is now banned, this list is not optimal anymore.)
Deck by MPL member Martin Juza, with guide


Can you sacrifice Implement of Ferocity in response to a revolt trigger? Can you sacrifice Implement of Ferocity in response to a revolt trigger?

So for example can I play a Greenwheel Liberator and then in response sacrifice the implement to give the liberator +1/+1 and then have the liberator get its own pair of counters for a total of +3/+3.

I think the answer is yes, but wondered whether there might be some rule saying the trigger doesn't happen at all if the condition isn't met or some other tricky timing issue.

This cannot work because the Implement of Ferocity can only be activated anytime you could cast a sorcery. This means it must be your main phase and the stack must be empty.

Assuming that you could activate the ability at any time it would depend on exactly how the ability is worded, in most cases you need to sacrifice the Implement before the Revolt ability would happen.

For you example of a Greenwheel Liberator entering the battlefield, you would have to sacrifice the Implement before the Liberator enters the battlefield in order to get the Revolt effect. Also note that the Liberator doesn't have a triggered ability it has a replacement effect that modifies how it enters the battlefield.

For triggered abilities like Airdrop Aeronauts or Call for Unity you also need to sacrifice the Implement before the trigger condition would occur. This is because they have what is called an 'intervening if clause'and if the 'if' clause isn't true nothing happens.

  603.4. A triggered ability may read “When/Whenever/At [trigger event], if [condition], [effect].” When the trigger event occurs, the ability checks whether the stated condition is true. The ability triggers only if it is; otherwise it does nothing.

For instants and sorceries with Revolt, like Fatal Push you can sacrifice them after they have been put on the stack and still get the Revolt effect. This is because the Revolt condition isn't checked until the spell goes to resolve, unlike the other types of Revolt abilities.


If I play a card and playing that card stuns me, do I get to use the effect of the card still? Currently the "Diary" horcrux is active which says "Each time a Hero plays an Ally, that Hero loses 1hp."

My hero is currently at 1hp and has an ally to play. That ally gives me a zap to use. When I play the ally and obtain the zap, do I get to use it against a villain or is it removed by me getting stunned? Our players are currently divided about the issue.

The way I interpret the rules is that you can use the zap. Here's what the rulebook says when being stunned:

  Discard any or tokens you may have saved on your Player Board
  from other Heroes’ turns.If it is your turn, you may still play cards and take actions with whatever you have remaining after being Stunned.

The above was found on page 18 of the rulebook regarding Hero Health. View PDF Rulebook

I would assume that the stun happens immediately and you would follow the stunned steps from top to bottom.


If my partner sorted my cards for me, what would the official ruling be? We were playing the very first board of the first round of an ordinary session at the local bridge club. I was delayed in getting my cards out of the board as I was learning to set up the computer system and BridgeMates. My partner is very elderly. She was eager to start playing so after she sorted her cards she took MY cards out of the board and sorted them for me, leaving them face down on the table. When I came back to the table I was amazed at what she had done and so were the oppenents. However the opponents said not to worry this time and to start the bidding but that she shouldn't ever do it again. It turned out that the one of the opponents had 23 points in her hand and probably wanted to bid rather than call the director.

I now know that we should have called the Director - but what would his ruling have been in this case?

If I was directing I would rule under Law 12-A-2 (Normal Play of the Board Impossible): Average-plus to your opponents, average-minus to you and you partner.

I would further rule under Law 90-B-5 (Improperly Touching Another Player's Cards) a further 10% penalty to both pairs. It is your Partner's duty to obey the Rules of the game, which she flagrantly violated. Likewise, your opponents being at the table, they should have prevented the irregularity from occurring, or called the Director themselves.

This would net your opponents a flat average (average-plus at 60% - 10% = 50%).

This would net you and your partner a 30% (average minus at 40% - 10% = 30%).

Update:
I would not have allowed play of this board to occur (at this table); this is necessary to reinforce the first ruling above in everyone's minds.

If the opponent's were very new to the game I might forgo the second penalty against them; you and your partner always gets both barrels of the penalty however.


Destiny hero dark angels effect Destiny Hero - Dark Angel versus Buster Blader the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman  plus DNA Surgery on the field who's effect works? Or do they cancel each other out

You can only activate the first effect, since while in your hand destiny hero - dark angel is no dragon. Since it becomes a dragon on the field, you can not activate it's effect due to the buster blader.

EDIT: Answering to your comment, if you mean DH Plasma, Then you are probably referring to its effect of negating opponents mosters effects. Since the Buster Blader negates only activated abilities, the continuous ability of Plasma is not negated. Then since Plasma negates Buster Blader, you could also activate it's second effect and equip him with the Buster Blader.


Can I copy Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger's ability twice with Strionic Resonator and Rings of Brighthearth? Just made a colorless EDH deck and I am wondering if this would work

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger attacks, triggers the exile 20, then activate the copy triggered ability with Strionic Resonator, then activate the copy activated ability with Rings of Brighthearth

Now they exile 60?

Yes, this will work as described. You can use those abilities together to exile a total of 60 cards in one combat.

The exact sequence of steps plays out like this:

You declare Ulamog as an attacker, and its ability triggers.
While that ability is still on the stack, you activate Strionic Resonator's ability targeting Ulamog's ability.
Activating Strionic Resonator's ability triggers Rings of Brighthearth's ability.
Rings of Brighthearth's ability resolves. You choose to pay the cost to copy Strionic Resonator's ability, and you don't change the target.
The copy of Strionic Resonator's ability resolves, creating a copy of Ulamog's ability.
The first copy of Ulamog's ability resolves, and the defending player exiles 20 cards from the top of their library.
The original Strionic Resonator ability resolves, creating another copy of Ulamog's ability.
The second copy of Ulamog's ability resolves, and the defending player exiles another 20 cards from the top of their library.
The original Ulamog's ability resolves, and the defending player exiles  another 20 cards from the top of their library.


Dwarven Ale curse Munchkin We have a dwarf player who got Dwarven Ale as curse that gives him +4 on battle (only for Dwarfs). But he got temporary amnesia on the next turn. And he forget that he is a Dwarf.
Our question is: will Ale give him +4 on this turn or not ?

We have a heated debate around this question. Does amnesia eliminates Ale effect ?

It is not in the FAQ. But the Temporary Amnesia is mentioned on a forum.
Question:

Had a little debate in a game today over this one...
I say that since the card (Temporary Amnesia) says you are Human "for all purposes", that trumps items like Casting Couch for special powers and Fake Ears and
Fake Beard for the sake of monster bonus/penalty and Race/Class
specific items.
The other side says that those are simply items that override or
sidestep your actual Races/Classes and are thus not affected by
Temporary Amnesia. You're actually a plain old Human, but if you put
on Fake Ears, monsters will think you're an Elf, and so on.
Which is right?

Answer

Your friends are right. Fake Ears/Beard don't actually change your Race; they just change the way it appears. The fact that you don't remember your real Race doesn't affect how those Items work.

This implies that as long as Temporary Amnesia is in effect, you are not a dwarf so the +4 does not apply. But if you wear a fake beard, the +4 again works.


Where can I find statistics on good/evil wins for the Resistance:Avalon for different role setups? I'm trying to nail down exactly which roles work best for different numbers of players.  While I have much anecdotal evidence from many game plays, I was wondering if anyone is actually keeping track and has hard numbers?

For example, I'd like to be able to answer if, for a 9 player games, Merlin+Percy+Morgana+Mordred is more or less close to an even win percentage than the same game without Morgana

I would suggest checking out the Board Game Geek Avalon community. People regularly record their play sessions and the users on the forums are usually willing to go into in-depth analysis and discussion on game setup and configuration. For instance, even one of the most recent forum discussions is about statistical anomalies in Avalon games.


How does your opponent verify you have not more than 4 of a particular card in your deck? Inspired by How does your opponent verify that you're able to cast a Companion card?

As of time of writing the top-voted answer basically says you don't verify that the opponent can cast a Companion card, until proven otherwise. So for example if opponent is playing Keruga, the Macrosage, then they can't play any 2-drops. They could conceivably draw them, but since they can't play them, there's no unfair advantage gained.

Let's say instead I'm playing a Fires of Invention deck, which is heavily reliant on drawing the Fires of Invention. So I play eight copies of it. That's illegal, but it doubles my chances of drawing the card. How is my opponent going to verify I'm cheating now? After all, they need to see five copies of Fires of Invention before they can verify that I'm cheating, and that's not very likely in a real game. Otherwise:

I can decline to play the fifth copy if I draw it (this works because I don't usually need to have more than one Fires of Invention in play at a time).
If opponent casts Thoughtseize, I can concede before revealing my hand. Same goes for opponent casting cards like Peek, Surgical Extraction, etc.
If opponent casts something like Glimpse the Unthinkable, I can put the cards in the graveyard one at a time, and concede if the fourth Fires of Invention is milled (thereby ensuring that the 5th-8th copies will never be milled).

I'm pretty sure I'm gaining a legitimate advantage by doing this, but since one can never prove that I'm cheating, one can't call a judge either. How is the opponent supposed to verify that I'm not cheating then?

In general, your opponent cannot conclusively verify that your deck is legal. As you mention, you can always concede to prevent them from seeing certain cards.

However, this statement that you made in your question is incorrect:

  since one can never prove that I'm cheating, one can't call a judge either

Players can call a judge for any number of reasons, including suspicion that their opponent is cheating. And the fact is that conceding in response to a Thoughtsieze or Surgical Extraction is very suspicious, especially if you are otherwise winning the game.

If a judge wants to investigate a deck construction problem, they have the right to perform a deck check, and look through your whole deck and sideboard to verify that it matches your registered deck. If they do that, you can't avoid getting caught.

In addition, in higher-level tournaments decks are randomly checked, so even if you avoid drawing suspicion you would still have to get lucky to avoid disqualification.

More generally, it's pretty clear that this method of cheating has significant downsides. You have cards in your deck that are completely dead if you draw them, because you can't let your opponent see them. You have to concede if you opponent would see them in some other way, tanking your win rate. And you risk disqualification because if a judge decides to look into it, they can easily prove that you are cheating. You may not even experience a net benefit from this strategy, even without accounting for the fact that cheating is wrong.


Is it legal to use a paper and a pen during Android: Netrunner play? Can one make writings or log during the Android: Netrunner play? Or every player should use only its own memory?

Taking notes is not permitted, no.
From the current Tournament Regulations (v3.2):

Taking Notes and Outside Material
Players cannot take notes or reference outside material or information during a tournament
round. However, players may reference official rule documents at any time or ask a judge for
clarification from official rule documents. Official rule documents include all rules documents
and inserts available on the Android: Netrunner page of our website, those found in an Android:
Netrunner product, or any portion thereof.

Edit: Under NISEI, this has been relaxed for Casual tier events.
From the current Organized Play Policies document (emphasis mine):

Taking or referencing notes referring to hidden information or strategy is not permitted at Competitive-level events. Players may reference official rules documents or card text at any time, or ask tournament staff for clarification. Players may take notes at Casual events.


What was the effect of AlphaGo on Go? When the AlphaGo programs first appeared experts claimed certain moves opened their eyes. Now a couple of years later I wonder what the effect is on go. Has human performance improved, like when chess programs first arrose?

I've read a couple of articles discussing the impact of AI on professional Go, the second one being a reply to the first one:

Impact of Go AI on the professional Go world
Impact of Go AI on the professional Go world, Response

Some quotes from the first article:

The second important change I see is the professional players’ race to
learn from AI. (...) it’s a unanimous belief that you need to play like an AI to
win, and every serious player has an AI set up at home. Now, there are
both up and down sides to this. The upside is that we sometimes see a
player who was somewhat past his prime suddenly climb back to the top,
having trained with AI more intensely. There are a growing number of
young and new pros who demonstrate surprising strength.

(...) however, pro players have lost the passion or motivation to develop
their own styles. Before AI, most strong players had distinctive
flavors of play and oftentimes this style was the reason why some Go
fans rooted for one player over the other. Today, everyone is trying
to imitate the AI style, and the pros judge each other only by who is
better at playing like the AI.

The second article refutes the gloomy side of these observations:

While I agree that ai-inspired moves are now increasingly common among
top players, I predict that the situation is a bit more like if
Ancient Greek mathematicians were given a graphing calculator: of
course they will first lose themselves in playing around with the new
toy, but eventually they will get used to the new possibilities and
life returns to a slightly more normal state. For top professionals,
it is valuable to be aware of the newest developments (or ‘meta’) so
that one can on the one hand avoid larger mistakes, and on the other
save valuable time during tournament games. Besides top games, I
suspect the ai has actually made more styles of playing possible.

PS: Bold added for emphasis


How many Healing Surges to start with? On "The Legend of Drizzt" Page 4 of the rule book under "To Start Playing:" it says:

  Unless the adventure says otherwise, place the Start tile in the center of the table and place two Healing Surge tokens beside it. These are the group's surges for this adventure.

And it also says:

  Check the "Starting Awards" section of the adventure's setup section to see how many Healing Surge tokens the Heroes start with, as well as any starting Treasure cards.

So does this mean that 2 Healing Surges is the default and any in the Starting Awards section overwrites this or are the Starting Award Healing Surges in addition to the default?

If the adventure specifies how many Healing Surge tokens you start with, that's how many you start with. (it overrides the default two instead of adding)

  Unless the adventure says otherwise … place two Healing Surge tokens.

If the adventure says to place three Healing Surge tokens, then "the adventure says otherwise" so you don't follow the default instruction. You'd just have three.


Am I allowed to open at the "one" level with hand like AKQxxxx xx xx xx? I am concerned about a ACBL rules that says that an opening "one" bid cannot be weaker than the top of a "weak two" bid. With this hand, many might open with a "weak two, " and many others might preempt at the three level.
The hand has only nine points according to the Milton Work count but I can get to 12-13 in one of two ways: 1) Counting 1 point for each of the three doubletons brings me to 12. 2) Alternatively, I add two points for each suit card over five, so the sixth and seventh give me four points, bringing the total to 13?
The rules also say that a slightly stronger hand of only 10 hcps, AKQxxxx JTxxx x void is allowed to open with a "strong" two clubs. The reason is that it can make game with "minimal" help from partner, e.g. a low eighth trump and the Q above the JT.
Finally I don't want to weak bid when I have such a good suit and my hand is "average" in high card points (for defensive purposes). AKQ are nine points and I add a tenth for the long sequence, because the J is likely to be swept up by my three top cards.
Am I, in fact, allowed to open this hand with one of a suit?
See the section on allowed bidding agreements.

The ACBL Convention Charts are a list of allowed agreements in the ACBL (but not necessarily other organizations).  You would need to determine which convention chart was being used by the particular competition you were involved in.
Let's check a few.  Please note the following applies to 1H and 1S and not to the minors, which have different rules related to them (though in this case, likely the same - just being clear it's slightly different spots in the rules.)

On the Basic chart, the rule that would control what you may mean by "1 Spade", is the following:

Opening Bids

Any Natural opening bid in a suit, as long as it shows at least Average Strength.

Further, let's define terms:

(1c). “Average Strength”: A hand that has at least 10 HCP or meets the “Rule of 19”.
(17). “High Card Points (HCP)”: The total number of points in a hand based on honors,
counting 4 for an Ace, 3 for a King, 2 for a Queen, and 1 for a Jack.
(27). *** “Rule of N”: A method of determining hand strength computed by adding the High
Card Points of the hand to the number of cards in the two longest suits. To meet the
“Rule of N”, this total must be at least N. *

There is no relationship to the Weak Two range here; what is specifically controlled is whether the "1 Spade" bid is considered permissible.
So we must evaluate your holding here, and see if it fits the range for "Average Hand".

HCP: It has 9 high card points, and does not meet this standard.
Rule of 19:  The distribution is 7-2-2-2, and with 9 HCP, it is evaluated at 9+7+2 = 18.  Thus, it does not meet this standard.

Thus, it is not permissible under the ACBL Basic Convention Chart to have an agreement to open this hand 1S, as a natural bid.

On the Basic+ chart, the rule is:

Opening Bids

Any opening bid in a suit which is Natural, as long as it shows at least Near-Average
Strength.

Defining Near-Average strength:

(1b) “Near Average Strength”: A hand that has at least 8 HCP or meets the “Rule of
17”

This hand is "Near Average Strength", both because it has 9 HCP and 18 "Rule of N" points.  This would be allowed on Basic+ to be opened 1s.

On the Open chart, the following rule applies as to what is disallowed - Open allows all agreements other than what is disallowed.

*** A Natural or Quasi-Natural 1-level opening bid in any seat that could contain less than Near-Average Strength.

This hand is Near-Average Strength, as previously discussed, and so is permitted.
Open+ is more permissive than Open, and so also permits this hand to be opened 1s.

In summary, here are the options:

Chart
1S permitted?

Basic
No

Basic+
Yes

Open
Yes

Open+
Yes


Examples of Magic Cards that use rule 115.2c What are some examples of cards in Magic the Gather that use the rule 115.2c?

  115.2c Some effects allow a player to take an action at a later time, usually to end a continuous effect or to stop a delayed triggered
  ability from triggering. Doing so is a special action. A player can
  take such an action any time they have priority, unless that effect
  specifies another timing restriction, for as long as the effect allows
  it.

An example of this (very rare) special action would be paying {U} to prevent the delayed trigger from Quenchable Fire.

Quenchable Fire {3}{R}
Sorcery
Quenchable Fire deals 3 damage to target player or planeswalker. It deals an additional 3 damage to that player or planeswalker at the beginning of your next upkeep step unless that player or that planeswalker’s controller pays {U} before that step.

There are three other cards with a similar template that also use 115.2c: Glass Asp, Nafs Asp, and Sabertooth Cobra.
The Licids from Tempest block also use 115.2c to enable you to end a continuous effect:

Calming Licid {2}{W}
Creature — Licid
{W}, {T}: Calming Licid loses this ability and becomes an Aura enchantment with enchant creature. Attach it to target creature. You may pay {W} to end this effect.
Enchanted creature can’t attack.


What does this number represent? I've been away from Warmachine for a while and it looks like things have been significantly revised (RIP mage hunters VS warcasters). I was looking around in the new War Room v2 app and noticed a  number in the top right with the other abilities and stats that I can't find the purpose of. For Kaelyssa here, that value is 30. What is it?

It's the base size of the model. In Kaelyssa's case, and all other small base models, it's 30mm.

Here's a reference from PPS_Jackson on Reddit where he answers this very question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warmachine/comments/6afm9k/comment/dhfgmxg

  That indicates the models base size which is a new addition given how dragoons are now shown as two separate cards.


Do you have to move backwards with a 10 in Sorry? If you are unable to move forward when drawing a 10, do you have to move backwards 1?

Yes,

From the rules are on Wikipedia.

  10 - Move a pawn 10 spaces forward or 1 space backward. If a player cannot go forward ten spaces, he must go back one space.


Firefly - getting rid of parts (dumping cargo)? I just played Firefly the board game for the first time. I ended up with a ship modification that made spare parts invalid, but I had about 6 of them in my cargo hold. I was on a supply planet and wanted to buy fuel, but all of my cargo and stash spots were full. I looked for any thing in the rule book that talked about selling the spare parts (or dumping them)...couldn't find anything. What's protocol for getting rid of fuel or parts to make space?

From the official FAQ,

Question: How do I get rid of stuff on my ship I don’t need or want anymore?
Answer: On your turn, you may dump Fuel, Parts, Cargo or Contraband at any time. You may drop Fugitives and Passengers off in any sector with a Planet. You can’t toss them out the air-lock in deep space! This does not use an Action and can be done during another Action, on your turn.

You also have the option to trade with other players. From the rules,

When two or more players’ ships are stopped in the same Sector, players may buy, sell and trade Crew, Fuel, Parts, Cargo, Contraband, Ship Upgrades and Gear to one another without restriction. Players are free to discuss and make these deals outside of the normal turn order and other players may take their normal turn while bargains are struck. Dealing with others players in this fashion does not require using an Action. The opportunity for Trading ends when one of the players leaves the sector.

There doesn't seem to be any option of selling back to the house, but we house-ruled they can be sold off at half-price at Suppliers. This has allowed people that would otherwise have been eliminated from the game to keep on playing.


How to store cards when game boxes don't have slots for them I have two board games which use a lot of cards, but their boxes don't have dedicated space to store them in an ordered manner and whenever I'd like to play them again I have to start with sorting all the cards by type.

How can I store these cards so they don't fly all over the box? The exact two games I have in mind are Lord of the Rings LCG and Dragon's Ordeal, but I'm looking for a solution which I could apply to a greater variety of dimensions. I am not from the UK or US so I'd prefer more generic items, because it might be difficult/too expensive to purchase stuff from Amazon or online shops.

Hair Bands

Similar to using rubber bands, but they don't deteriorate and stick to the cards over time. If possible get metal free ones, rather than the type on the right - less likely to catch on the cards.

Small Cardboard Boxes

Have a look around your house, you'll probably find something that's the right size. Plasters often come in boxes that are a good fit for cards.


Mistake on Josekipedia after probe & invasion on keima shimari? I have found a possible problem in this joseki, see josekipedia:

http://www.josekipedia.com/#path:qdttocrdreqcpdpbrcrbsdobnbncmcndmbpcodsb

They comment this white's move as "Makes life". But it seems to me that white is dead actually - what about this sequence?

$$c Black kills white?
$$ ---------
$$ ...3412.-
$$ .XXOO5OO-
$$ .XOXOOX.-
$$ ..OXXX.X-
$$ ......X.-
$$ ........-

So that T18 move seems like a big mistake. White perhaps should have played R19 instead and go to a ko fight?

So is there a mistake on josekipedia or did I miss something?

White Q19 is a mistake.  The correct move is R18.  Then Black can't connect at Q19 because the stones would still be in atari.

$$c White survives!
$$ ---------
$$ ..63512.-
$$ .XXOO4OO-
$$ .XOXOOX.-
$$ ..OXXX.X-
$$ ......X.-
$$ ........-

After the capture, a and b are miai to make White a second eye.

$$c Resistance is futile!
$$ ---------
$$ ..Oab.O.-
$$ .XXOOOOO-
$$ .XOXOOX.-
$$ ..OXXX.X-
$$ ......X.-
$$ ........-


Can an imprinted spell be kicked when it is cast? Can an imprinted spell be kicked when it is cast ?

For example : Isochron Scepter and Orim's Chant

Can I pay the kicker cost each time I activate Isochron Scepter?

Yes you can pay for Kicker when you can a spell off of the Scepter. The Scepter gives your spell an Alternative Cost, and Kicker is an Additional Cost. These work together to make the full cost of the spell. So you pay {2} to activate the Scepter and then when you cast the Chant you can pay an additional {W} if you want to kick it.

  117.9. Some spells have alternative costs. An alternative cost is a cost listed in a spell’s text, or applied to it from another effect, that its controller may pay rather than paying the spell’s mana cost. Alternative costs are usually phrased, “You may [action] rather than pay [this object’s] mana cost,” or “You may cast [this object] without paying its mana cost.”

  117.9d If an alternative cost is being paid to cast a spell, any additional costs, cost increases, and cost reductions that affect that spell are applied to that alternative cost. (See rule 601.2f.)

  702.32a Kicker is a static ability that functions while the spell with kicker is on the stack. “Kicker [cost]” means “You may pay an additional [cost] as you cast this spell.”

Also from the rulings on Gatherer:

  You don't pay the spell's mana cost. If the spell has X in its mana cost, X is 0. You do pay any additional costs for that spell. You can't use any alternative costs.


Strategy for two blank Scrabble tiles I had two blank tiles at the beginning of the game. The other letters were not high scoring letters, but I was able to use all seven, for a total of 59 points. Would it be a better strategy to use the blank letters on two different turns, in order to maximize score?

People often consider a blank to be "worth" 25 points to a good player. That is to say, even though it has no points value in itself, it can improve your scoring possibilities by about 25 points through, for example, greatly increasing the chances of using all your tiles.

There's no single answer to your question and it will depend on the other tiles in your hand, but one way to approach the decision would be the following: if you could assemble a score of more than 34 and still keep a blank in reserve (i.e. the 59 that you could score, minus 25 for the retained blank), then it would be worth doing so. Otherwise, play your bonus word.


Can I disable Sliver Overlord's abilities with Pithing Needle? I was looking through different cards to try and find something to counteract my dad's Sliver Overlord aside from directly killing or exiling it, and when I initially saw Pithing Needle I got really excited, but then I saw it didn't target mana abilities, which kind of renders it useless against the Overlord.

Is there a card that does target mana abilities, or will I just have to exile/destroy his Overlord?

Sliver Overlord's abilities are not mana abilities. Mana abilities are abilities that produce mana, like the ability on Sylvan Caryatid. (There are a few restrictions; not everything that produces mana is a mana ability. See rule 605.1 if you're curious.)

Sliver Overlord's abilities are simple activated abilities, with mana in their cost. Pithing Needle will work just fine against them, as will anything else that prevents abilities from being activated (e.g. Arrest), and anything that makes it lose abilities (e.g. Lignify).


Does my Dryad Arbor stop being a creature with a Blood Moon in play? Does my Dryad Arbor stop being a creature with Blood Moon in play?

It does not.

Taken from the rulings found here:

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=282542

"If Dryad Arbor is changed into another basic land type (such as by Sea’s Claim), it continues to be a creature and a Dryad."

Blood Moon would turn it into another basic land type, in this case a Mountain, so it would continue to be a creature and a Dryad.

========

Edit:

With regards to Blood Sun, this too will not stop Dryad Arbor being a creature.

Blood sun simply removes any abilities that are not mana abilities (i.e. abilities that generate mana). Being a creature is not considered an ability, but a type, so Dryad Arbor would still be considered a creature. See below:

305.7. If an effect sets a land’s subtype to one or more of the basic land types, the land no longer has its old land type. It loses all abilities generated from its rules text, its old land types, and any copy effects affecting that land, and it gains the appropriate mana ability for each new basic land type. Note that this doesn’t remove any abilities that were granted to the land by other effects. Setting a land’s subtype doesn’t add or remove any card types (such as creature) or supertypes (such as basic, legendary, and snow) the land may have. If a land gains one or more land types in addition to its own, it keeps its land types and rules text, and it gains the new land types and mana abilities.


Do I need to get a noble in order to win Splendor? Is it necessary to win a noble in order to win the game of Splendor?

I have heard two different sets of rules, one is to reach 15 points, the other is to reach 15 points and possess at least one noble.

Which one is the correct rule?

No. From the rulebook, hosted on the creator's website, no mention of nobles as part of the win condition:

  END OF THE GAME

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


How can we have a permanent without a controller? The comprehensive rules use at several points the phrasing:

  109.5. [...] or its owner (if it has no controller)

What are the most common cases where a permanent has no controller?

I thought it might be during multiplayer when someone loses, but it does not seem to be the case.

The full text of rule 109.5 says this:

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

This rule is about objects, a broad category of things in the game that, as the rule shows, includes permanents, cards, spells, abilities on permanents cards and spells, and other things. Some objects, like permanents and spells, always have controllers. Others, like cards in exile, do not have controllers, because the concept of "control" isn't defined for that zone. Rule 109.4 says this explicitly:

  Only objects on the stack or on the battlefield have a controller. Objects that are neither on the stack nor on the battlefield aren't controlled by any player. See rule 108.4. There are five exceptions to this rule: [...]

The only other usage in the rulebook of "owner (if it has no controller)" is in the Glossary definition of "You, Your", which is basically a summary of rule 109.5.


Can an Instant spell be played during upkeep to interrupt a triggered ability? BACKGROUND:
I played a Saga Rite of Belzenlok.  When the saga fully resolves you end up with four 0/1 Cleric creature tokens and a 6/6 black Demon creature with flying and trample.  At the beginning of my next upkeep I have to sacrifice a creature or the Demon token creature deals 6 damage to me. “At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice another creature.  If you can’t, this creature deals 6 damage to you.”

At the beginning of my up keep I specified that I was sacrificing one of the 0/1 Cleric token creatures.  My opponent played an instant spell (Shock) killing the 0/1 Cleric token.  He then claimed that I revived 6 damage from the token Demon since I did not sacrifice a creature.

QUESTION:
Can an Instant spell be played during upkeep to interrupt a triggered ability?

If so, in the situation described above, do I receive the 6 damage as my opponent claims?

The sacrifice ability of the Demon token is not targeted, so you don't target the creature as the ability goes on the stack. You only choose the creature at resolution, during which no player can play other spells or abilities.
As you already quoted, the sacrifice ability reads:

At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice another creature. If you can’t, this creature deals 6 damage to you.

That means the beginning of the upkeep step is the trigger that puts the ability on the stack. Since it doesn't include the word "target", you don't get to choose anything at that point. Your opponent is then free to respond to the ability and kill any creature before it resolves. When the ability does get to resolve though, no player gains priority during the resolution, and you choose one of the remaining creatures to sacrifice, if any remain.

114.1a An instant or sorcery spell is targeted if its spell ability identifies something it will affect by using the phrase "target [something]," where the "something" is a phrase that describes an object and/or player. The target(s) are chosen as the spell is cast; see rule 601.2c.
116.1. Unless a spell or ability is instructing a player to take an action, which player can take actions at any given time is determined by a system of priority. The player with priority may cast spells, activate abilities, and take special actions.
116.2e Resolving spells and abilities may instruct players to make choices or take actions, or may allow players to activate mana abilities. Even if a player is doing so, no player has priority while a spell or ability is resolving.


What the value of a misprinted Graverobber Spider? Could anyone give me an idea on on how much a misprint Magic card could sell for? It's a Graverobber Spider, rarity is uncommon.

Due to their rarity and inconsistency, there isn't really an established market for misprint cards. You may be able to find individual collectors who are willing to purchase misprints, but the value will often depend both on which card it is and how it was misprinted.


Does Hardened Scales interact with the undying mechanic? Would a creature with undying (like Young Wolf) get 2 +1/+1 counters instead of 1 when it dies if I had Hardened Scales out?

Yes, Young Wolf would get 2 +1/+1 counters. The reminder text for Undying says

  When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.

A ruling on the Hardened Scales Gatherer page says

  “Placed on a creature you control” includes that creature entering the battlefield with +1/+1 counters on it. If a creature would enter the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters on it while you control Hardened Scales, it enters with that many counters plus one.

When Young Wolf returns to the battlefield from the graveyard, it enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter, so Hardened Scales makes it enter with 2 instead.


Does the pandamonium card counter blinding light's effects? Does the pandamonium card counter blinding light's effects?

By explicit card text, yes. Blinding Light only affects Unicorns

... of your Unicorn cards...

and Pandamonium explicitly counters exactly that.

All of your Unicorns are considered Pandas. Cards that affect Unicorns do not affect your Pandas.


Are you required to pay all mandatory additional costs for Wild Evocation? I found this year old question on a blog.

Anthony controls Wild Evocation. At the beginning of his upkeep, he triggers and begins resolving Wild Evocation's triggered ability, revealing Disaster Radius. Disaster Radius has a mandatory additional cost of revealing a creature card from your hand.

Is Anthony required to pay the mandatory additional cost of revealing a creature card from his hand if he is able?

If Anthony can pay the cost, and it isn't a mana cost, and it doesn't involve cards with a specific quality in a hidden zone, it must be paid if able. If it is a mana cost and there is enough mana in his mana pool to pay it it must be paid, otherwise he has the option to activate mana abilities to pay for. If the cost involves cards with a specific quality in a hidden zone Anthony may choose to pay for it if he wants to, but is not required to. If the cards mandatory additional costs can't be paid, or he chooses not to pay an additional mana cost the card is uncast and stays in his hand.

  117.8c. If an effect instructs a player to cast a spell “if able,” and that spell has a mandatory additional cost that includes actions involving cards with a stated quality in a hidden zone, the player isn’t required to cast that spell, even if those cards are present in that zone.

From the Gatherer Rulings:

  If casting the revealed card involves paying a mandatory additional cost (such as the one Fling has), the player casting that card must pay that cost if able. If he or she can't, the card remains uncast in his or her hand. If the mandatory additional cost includes a mana payment, the situation is more complex. If the player has enough mana in his or her mana pool to pay the cost, that player must do so. If the player can't possibly pay the cost, the card remains uncast in his or her hand. However, if the player has the means to produce enough mana to pay the cost, then he or she has a choice: The player may cast the card, produce mana, and pay the cost. Or the player may choose to activate no mana abilities, thus making the card impossible to cast because the additional mana can't be paid.


How can I elegantly increase the difficulty of Elder Sign? I think there's consensus that Elder Sign is not satisfyingly difficult. The variants I've seen suggested are either too long for my taste, or don't look play-tested.

Has anyone found a satisfying (read: you've played it at least once and liked it) way to tweak the difficulty up without adding more than, say, half an hour to the base game or ramping up the complexity and housekeeping?

I would love for the change to meet most of these conditions:

Add no new mechanic or a very simple one
Add more decision making rather than more chance
Add no more than half an hour to the game
Tweak the win rate down to somewhere between 50% and 80%

That said, if you have something you love, post it regardless.

One that is simple to implement, doesn't add any time, and seems to up the difficulty without making it overpowering is to ignore the word "unless" and everything after it on mythos cards.

So, for example, "Add a Doom token to the Doom track unless at least 1 investigator has a Spell." would become "Add a Doom token to the Doom track."

Particularly if you're playing with 4 players, these cards never seem to add doom tokens by the base rules. Another alternative would be to change "unless at least 1 investigator" to "unless ALL investigators".

That same thread has some simple rules for making the final battle harder, but I haven't tried that one. Definitely seems in line with your goal of being simple and not adding time to the game, though.


In Robo Rally, what happens to locked registers if I power up with more than 4 damage? If I wake my robot with locked registers, do I have a 'blank' there until it unlocks?

They're programmed randomly. This is dealt with explicitly on page 10 of the rules:

LOCKING REGISTERS DURING POWER DOWN
Because robots can still be damaged during a power down, they can sometimes accumulate Damage tokens for a register to lock up before they reenter play. Registers that become locked when your robot is powered down are immediately programmed randomly: Draw a card from the top of the deck and put it in that register, face up.


Contract Bridge Games Verses Party Bridge Scoring? In scoring contract rubber bridge, if you make 2 or more games out of 3 you get 500/700 pts for a rubber.  If you make 2 games consecutively before your opponents make a game at all you get 700 pts.  But if your opponents get a game before you make 2 games in a row you only get a 500 rubber.  My question is: in party bridge do you score this the same or do you score 300 pts to each parnership that scores a game and then an additional 200 or 400pts depending on if  they score another game before opponents can score a game? In other words, do you get any additional points for making a game if you don't win the rubber, other than the 100 or 120 below the line?

Neither - as each hand is scored individually for the Game Bonus of 300 Non Vulnerable and 500 Vulnerable.

One option that I have seen played is to carry part-scores forward after any of the first three deals of a set instead of awarding a Part Score Bonus of 50. When this is done the Part Score Bonus is 100 rather than 50 on the Fourth hand, when the set is closed off. Be sure to discuss in advance with your partner and opponents if this option is in effect.


Are there big differences in gameplay (not just theme) between Munchkin sets? I have looked around and was overwhelmed by the number of Munchkin base sets out there. I googled what the best Munchkin set is, but so far, all I found is that I should pick the theme I like best. But I'm not sure if there might be other factors.

In reality I'm looking for the answer to the question: what Munchkin set is the best in terms of card functionality, bad stuff, and surprising and interesting turnouts? Or is the gameplay broadly similar between them and the theme is the only big difference?

I have played the super hero, pirate, legendary, old west, and "normal" munchkin.  There is no significant difference between them wrt "Card Functionality", "Bad Stuff" and "surprising and interesting turnouts".  All 5 sets have similar card functionality, similar bad stuff, and lots of surprising, amusing, and interesting turnouts.

Really it does just come down to, "is there a genre you enjoy?"  Then, that's the variant you should play because you'll get the jokes.

ps. Tsuama534 mentions some very interesting rule changes in Munchkin Cthulhu and Munchkin Apocalypse in his answer.  There are no corresponding rule changes in the expansions I mentioned.


Baltimore wargame stores in 1980 It seems that 1980 was the all time peak year for board wargaming, and Baltimore was the center of the industry and hobby. I gather that there has been a tradition in the U.S. of game stores providing in-store play, so presumably there would have been many stores in Baltimore at that time with people hanging out playing war games.

Is there any information on such available these days? I've been able to find some articles on games and companies from those days, but not on stores. The ideal would be detailed firsthand accounts, but even fragments like store names would be interesting.

In 1980, I had a job at a toy store in Columbia, MD that sold boardgames and RPGs, among many toys.  This store, Patowmack Toys, had a branch in Baltimore at the Inner Harbor Mall.  The name, I believe was "The Play is the Thing".  Neither store offered in-store play.

I don't recall any stores in Baltimore at that time offering in-store play.  Baltimore was a bit off my normal roaming ground, but I think I would have made an effort had I heard about such a store.


How can a Morph ability counter split second spells? Voidmage Apprentice is a creature with Morph that counters target spell when it is turned face up.

I've read that it can counter spells with split second.  How does it do this?  Is it that the ability is an added effect of the morph action and does not use the stack?  Or is it a triggered ability that split second cannot prevent from being placed on the stack?

The Gatherer ruling on Voidmage Apprentice explains it fairly well:

  If a spell with split second is on the stack, you can still respond by turning this creature face up and targeting that spell with the trigger. This is because split second only stops players from casting spells or activating abilities, while turning a creature face up is a special action.

The triggered ability still does use the stack, but split second doesn't stop it. And of course, you're able to turn it face up in the first place because that's a special action, not an activated ability that uses the stack.


Question about pawn moves In the board game "Sorry!", can I use a 7 card split moving one pawn 6 spaces around the board and 1 pawn 1 space from "Start"?

No you may not use a 7 card to move a pawn from start as only a 1 or two card can do that.

Rules

  7: Either move one pawn forward 7 spaces -- Or split the forward move between any two pawns. Notes 1. You may not use a 7 to start a pawn. 2. if you use a 7 to get a pawn home you muse be able to use the balance of the move for another pawn.


Dwarf giant slayers and runic weapons The giant slayers in the dwarf says they can bring runic weapon worth up to 25 points.

The rule of pride for the dwarfs says each rune item must be unique.

So does each giant slayer in my unit have to carry a unique runic weapon? That seems very annoying.

I don't have the Dwarf rule-book, but I thought that Giant Slayers(and Demon Slayers) were champions who could be attached to a unit of Troll Slayers. This means that as champions, they will have to follow the Rule of Pride and all have unique runic weapons.

I think the idea is you have a unit of troll slayers to soak arrows/give rank bonus and then add in 2-3 Giant slayers as champions to add more damage to the front rank.


Advice on acquiring / constructing Dice Towers A dice tower is a useful tool for keeping your dice from ruining your game (physically, that is).

Can anyone point to:
- Good dice towers, and possibly places to acquire them.
or
- Resources of information on how to build one yourself.

The primary goals of a dice tower being

Keeping the dice on the table
Improving the randomization by reducing the ability to manipulate the dice.

There are several good designs, however, the basic principle to check for: it should have at least 3 slanted faces, and all the slanted faces should be covered in felt or corduroy. Friction is your friend, here.
The shape is almost always an L. Let's compare it to a cowboy boot...

The toe is opened up so that you can see the landing zone. It needs about a 3/4" to 1" high rim.
The heel has a slanting plate, angled to kick the dice out to the toe.
The shaft of the boot: deflectors.

Plates: The shaft has anywhere from 0 to 5 angled plates within, usually about 30° to 45° downward, angled to toss the dice about in the tower. I don't use ones without at least 2 additional plates. Most have a top plate, angling down to the front, and a second plate below angled down to the back. The plates should cover about half to 2/3 the cross section. Better designs may have left and right angled plates, or even a narrow center triangle, to toss the dice side to side.
Dowels: if plates are too much trouble, dowels can be used instead. The dowels should be about 3/8" to 1/2" hardwood, and are placed in levels. Top is usually a front to back and a side to side cross, centered. 1.5"-2" down, 2 off center parallel; a crossing set another 1.5" to 2" down. Taller ones may have additional crosses, or even run dowels corner to corner.

Plastic, Foamcore, Bare Wood, Felt, or Corduroy? What do I cover the thing with?

only the inside of the tower and the tops of the deflectors need covering if you opt to do so, and dowel deflectors can have slipcovers rather than glued down ones.
Bare wood is noisy, and some dice will slide flat along it. It's acceptable, but not preferred.
Felt: cheap, easy, reduces noise, no nap, so it produces less hang potential than corduroy.
Corduroy: has a clear nap. This will help catch and tumble the dice. The nap, however, should be arranged to put the lines at a downward angle of 20°-40°, so that the dice also get some sideways motion and better tumble. Probably the quietest of the mentioned materials.
Bare plastic: extremely noisy, very slick. Least tumble.
Foamcore: as slick as plastic, but not as noisy, but often puts more bounce on the dice. A foamcore sole of the boot can easily result in dice bouncing OUT of a low toe. (personal experience.) Also, damaged by water, unless sealed with paint or glue.

There is another design for a dice tower I've seen used: spiral staircase. Each stair was angled 30° down, and it went clockwise with 1/4" drops off each stair. Being bare wood, it was rather noisy, but it also was very random.
Plans & howto's
The plans at http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-Formboard-Dice-Tower/ are decent enough; it's a short 2 deflector boot-style.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/13307/dicebox-pdf
Plans for a 2 deflector tower. Annotated.
http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/games/articles/HirstDiceTower/HirstDiceTower.html
Building with plaster molded "stones".
http://webspace.webring.com/people/xc/crosstowngames/crosstowngamesdicetowerplans.pdf
Another set of plans for a square boot.
http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/games/articles/DiceTower.html
A square castle design, using 3 deflectors.
http://www.geeknews.net/2008/01/02/very-cool-diy-dice-tower
Spiral path in square tower; wood core with polycarbonate sides.
commercially made towers
http://www.chessex.com/dice%20accessories/Dice_Accessories.htm I have one of these! It's noisy as a monkey house. But it's good and random, tho' it lacks side-to-side deflectors. the toe plate is a little short, however. Also, it's friction fit, so it can be taken down and stored flat. This is great for the GM on the go... unless you space where you shelved it!
http://boardgamegeek.com/image/625539/gruumsh
the same clear boot after adding some felt to the deflectors...
http://www.bluepantherllc.com/BP3_DT.htm
Kits to construct both small and large dice towers... just need "... glue, rubber bands and about 10 minutes..." The mini is a "land in drawer" mode, and the larger ones are a variation on the boot.
http://www.uniquedicetowers.com
Assembled dice towers started on Kickstarter.
Alternatives to the tower
The dice tray: a dice tray of some kind (we've often used the box lid) controls the dice, but doesn't add much to the randomization unless requiring a bounce off the back wall.
Dice Cups: all the material issues for towers apply to dice cups. Plus, as dice stacking displays show, it's possible for the skilled to manipulate them pretty well, tho' it's still MUCH harder than in a tray or tower. It does, however, take some practice to shake-flip-slam so that the dice don't roll across the table. Again, good ones are felt or corduroy lined (my good one is). An inepensive one can be made by taking a soup can (not a poptop, tho), carefully filing the edge smooth (steal your sister's emery boards!). Then line with felt or corduroy, gluing it to the inside. Use some more, or some inexpensive leather, to cover the outside. This gets you a lunch and a dice cup for under $15...


Three-space jump on third line: how to connect? I've seen that in the diagram below, the two black stones can connect by attaching to the white stone, but I can't work out the sequence. How does black play to connect her stones?

$$cm1

$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

The 3 space extension is vaguely connected, but compared to the more solid 2 space extension, it can be split a lot easier.

$$cm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . a O b . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

If the opponent invades and there are no other relevant circumstances (nearby stones of either player), the moves to think about are a and b.

Attach on top

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . 1 O . . |
$$ . . . . . 3 2 . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

If black attaches on top and white plays bad shape at 2 (bumping her head), black will nobi at 3 and a short fight will ensue, however, black should be able to stay connected.

$$Wcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . 3 5 . . |
$$ . . . . 4 X O . . |
$$ . . . . . 1 2 . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

So instead, white will hane at 1. If black cuts at 2, white 3 is the only move (anything else dies). Next, black could think about extending at 4, allowing white to connect at 5. The marked black stone is damaged and black is split. Also, white 1 is not captured yet. This should be very good for white.

$$Wcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . 1 4 a . |
$$ . . . . 3 X O 2 . |
$$ . . . . . O X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

It is a better idea to counter-atari at 2, forcing white to capture. Next, black usually connects solidly at 4, sometimes at a, or plays tenuki. If white plays 3 at 4, black happily connects solidly at a and white still has to capture at 3.

$$Wcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . O X . . |
$$ . . . . O . O X . |
$$ . . . . . O X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

In this result, black is connected and pretty strong, but white got a good shape in the center. Usually, this is considered slightly bad for black. On the other hand, it may be the best way to try to get this result, if white is strong nearby and black would really hate to be split.

$$Wcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . O 2 1 . |
$$ . . . . O a O X . |
$$ . . . . . O X 3 . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

If black tenukis, white can start a ko, so black should be careful.

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . 1 O 3 . |
$$ . . . . . 2 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

It is also possible to play at 3 directly, but this leaves more options to white than the way previously shown.

Attach below

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 2 . |
$$ . . . . . . O 1 . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

The attachment below is far more common. The goal is not to connect, but to get a good result, usually outside influence. White naturally hanes. Which side to hane on depends on the environment, especially nearby corners. This is a very large topic so I won't go into it, just keep in mind that hoshi stones in the corner allow for easy invasions, thus it is more difficult to attack very strongly.

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . B . . |
$$ . . . . . . 4 2 . |
$$ . . . . . . O 1 . |
$$ . . . . . . . 3 . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

Drawing back at 3 leads to large damage to the marked stone and is rarely a good idea.

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . 1 O . |
$$ . . . . . a O X . |
$$ . . . . . . . 2 . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

Practically always, black will cut at 1 and white will capture the single stone at 2 (very rarely white will nobi to a instead, this is a special plan).

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X O . |
$$ . . . . . 1 O X 2 |
$$ . . . . . a 3 O . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

Next, black 1 is the only move. If white captures at 2, black will probably play at 3 or at 3 and white is in trouble.

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X b . |
$$ . . . . . . X O . |
$$ . . . . . 1 O X . |
$$ . . . . . 3 2 O . |
$$ . . . . . 4 X a . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

Thus, white will extend to 2 and black must cover at 3. Depending on the board white might crawl at a or b, allowing black to fix his outside. But far more often, white will cut at 4, splitting the single stone.

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X O . |
$$ . . . . . X O X . |
$$ . . . . . X O O . |
$$ . . . . . O X a . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

This resulting shape massively depends on nearby corners, and it's difficult to tell the best variation without a complete board.

As mentioned earlier, black will use the aji in the position (mainly the atari at a) to either fix his outside and get thick, or to jump down the side, usually into a corner.

$$Wcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ . . . . . . 8 7 . |
$$ . . . . . 0 5 6 . |
$$ . . . . . . . 9 . |
$$ . . . . . . 2 . . |
$$ . . . . 3 , . . . |
$$ . . . . . 1 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -------------------

This is a common situation featuring a kosumi in the corner.

$$Wcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . X O . |
$$ . . . . . X O X 5 |
$$ . . . . . 2 1 O 7 |
$$ . . . . . 3 X 4 6 |
$$ . . . . O . . . . |
$$ . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -------------------

Black sacrifices more stones by playing 4 and 6...

$$Bcm1
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . b |
$$ . . . . . . X 3 a |
$$ . . . . . . X O . |
$$ . . . . . X O . O |
$$ . . . . . X O O O |
$$ . . . 5 1 O X X X |
$$ . . . . O 2 4 . . |
$$ . . . . . O . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -------------------

... only to get to play 1 and 3 in sente (the order of 1 and 3 depends on the board, it is almost no difference). Later, a or b are sente, too. 5 finally fixes the shape, and black got a somewhat thick shape while white got a mediocre corner. This is a joseki.

$$Bcm1
$$| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$| . . . X . . . . . , . 6 8 9 . X . . . |
$$| . . . . . . . . . O 4 1 7 O . a . . . |
$$| . . . . . . . . . b 3 2 5 0 . . . . . |
$$| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ---------------------------------------

Another common shape that involves a hoshi corner. This time, white plays 10 and aims at attaching at a to live in the corner. The idea is to force black to crawl at b. I am not familiar with the joseki involved here so I can't tell sequences.

Conclusion

The 3 space extension is not very solid, but if you treat it right, it is pretty flexible. Connections can usually be enforced, but it is often a better idea to sacrifice for a better result. Nearby corners play an important role.


Identify an unknown letter cube game (not Boggle) We managed to lose the instructions of this game and cannot remember the name.  It seems similar to Boggle - but has groups of similar cubes, each with the type in a different colour, and a die.

The box closes the cubes tight so there is no shaking like Boggle. I tried google goggles but with no luck. The box contains the following six-sided dice sets:

6 White dice: D H A R O and a blank.
4 Grey dice: P C I S N and a blank.
2 Orange dice: F U E T B and a blank.
2 Blue dice: J O E L G and a blank.
2 Purple dice: K V I T L and a blank.
2 Pink dice: Q W E S G and a blank.
2 Yellow dice: V U E T M and a blank.
2 Green dice: X T M Y E and a blank.
2 Red dice: Z Y A W N and a blank.
and a plain numbered d6

It's probably cubeword.

Check it here: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/27935/cubeword


Wild ricochet and clan defiance? Suppose I cast a Wild Ricochet onto a Clan Defiance. My Clan Defiance targets flying, non flying and player: can I redirect all of them?

If I do, can I choose the target to be all on the player or do the new targets have to be under same targeting rules?

Yes, and no.

The choice of mode ("Choose one or more") cannot be changed.[CR 114.7]
The number of targets cannot be changed.[CR 114.6a]
Any number of the targets can be changed (including zero).[CR 114.6c]
The targeting conditions still apply.

For example, if the original spell targeted a flying creature and a player, the copy must also target a flying creature and a player.

Or in the example you gave, the copy will also have to target a flying creature, a non-flying creature and a player.


How do you awaken the Ancient One by opening the gate of Kadath? The Arkham Horror Statistics spreadsheet lists one of the ways to awaken the Ancient One as "Opening the gate of Kadath". To date, it has never been achieved and I'm curious about why. I took a look through all of the encounter cards for Unknown Kadath but didn't see any that referenced opening a gate that would awaken the Ancient One.

So how does one open the gate of Kadath and why is it so difficult that it has never been accomplished yet?

It's talking about this encounter:

Unknown Kadath
In response to your pitiful knocking, the massive gate of the Castle of the Great Old Ones swings wide. Lose 1 Stamina and 1 Sanity. If you are devoured as a result, the Ancient One immediately awakens.

It's a literal physical gate in the encounter, not a gate like the ones that open normally during the game. And for some reason you decide to knock on it. Pretty hard to awaken the Ancient One that way - you have to manage to get that encounter and already be at 1 Stamina and 1 Sanity.


Does Containment Priest exile one's own creature? Containment Priest says "If a nontoken creature would enter...exile it instead," but it doesn't specify "opponent," so does casting this creature mean that Containment Priest's controller would also have to exile all noncasted nontoken creatures?

does casting this creature mean that Containment Priest's controller would also have to exile all noncasted nontoken creatures?

Yes, when it comes to creatures entering the battlefield after Containment Priest. It does not mean you have to exile all existing non-token creatures.
Creatures entering simultaneously (including the Priest itself if it isn't cast) won't be affected, as is reflected by the rulings under the card in Gatherer:

If Containment Priest enters the battlefield without being cast, its ability won’t exile itself.

If Containment Priest enters the battlefield at the same time as other creatures, its ability won’t affect those creatures.


What is this pattern/tile board game? It has blocks in different arrangements- L shaped joined, three-in-a-line joined, single. Colours were red, blue and black. The objective of the game as I remember it was to put the tiles/ blocks together in different ways to make a pattern shown in a book that comes in the set, the over-all pattern usually contained in a square outline. Levels range from easy to hard, definitely a game that adults can attempt too. Someone said Tetris but it's nothing like that, although the blocks are similarly structured. Got this as a present when I was younger but I can't for the life of me remember what it's called.

edit: Comments below say it's a variation of Tangram and pentominoes and I think that sounds about right! Hopefully this image will help identify the name.

It very much reminds me of a pentomino puzzle. Square board where you try to build certain shapes. I believe Tangram is a pentomino puzzle variant. Linked is an example of what I'm talking about (pieces are made of wood but you get the idea).

https://www.amazon.com/Square-Root-00012-Pentominoes/dp/B00000IZUL

Good luck finding your game!


Are stations used in Ticket to Ride: The Heart of Africa? Are stations allowed in Ticket to Ride: The Heart of Africa?

The rulebook explicitly mentions that the plastic carriage pieces and scoring markers from the main game are to be used, but doesn't appear to mention stations. We played without stations, and completing routes was much more stressful than a standard game.

No, the rules explicitly state what pieces are required from an earlier set:

  This game is an expansion and requires that you use the following game
  parts from one of the previous versions of Ticket to Ride:

  A reserve of 45 Trains per player and matching Scoring Markers taken
  from any of the following:
  - Ticket to Ride / Ticket to Ride Europe  110 Train Car Cards taken from:
  - Ticket to Ride / Ticket to Ride Europe / USA 1910 expansion

Anything not mentioned in the above list should be considered surplus to official requirements.  Though you could always try playing with stations as an interesting variant!

EDIT: yes, without stations Heart of Africa is a very claustrophobic Ticket to Ride game.  But this does seem to have been the intention of the designers, as they've admitted as much in a footnote in the rules booklet:

  In 5 player games, the Heart of Africa (center of the map) area can
  get crowded very quickly. Players beware! - and if you like your games
  to be less competitive, stick with 4 players or less.


Could an actual mono black storm (Tendril of agony) deck be viable for Legacy? From experienced deckbuilders, how would you approach building a budget-friendly Tendrils of Agony deck? I'm thinking of basically only swamps for the manabase, but the rest (hand disruption, tutors, etc.) is okay. Would it be more of the 0-cost creatures sac or maybe sac-lands?

Is it even possible to make a good, viable storm deck that could stay consistent even without blue cantrips?

A very brief answer to your last question: no.

A slightly less brief answer: the card draw and selection that blue provides, along with the additional "truly free" (it doesn't cost mana or a card) storm of Gitaxian Probe, is essential to the deck's viability, letting you find your key cards more consistently.  Also, while it wasn't mentioned, the red cards (Past in Flames and/or Empty the Warrens) allow for a viable backup plan when you can't get enough storm to consistently Tendrils for lethal.

Could you build a mono-black Storm deck?  Yes, at least in principle, in the same way that you could build a mono-black burn deck.  Would it be viable?  Unfortunately, not in any at least modestly competitive play environment.


What happens when a land attacks then stops being a creature? The card Nature's Revolt is out, then a mountain and is declared as an attacker, then the enchantment is destroyed.

What happens to the mountain? Is it still attacking, can it be blocked e.t.c.

The mountain will be removed from combat; which means it stops attacking, blocking, etc.

  506.4. A permanent is removed from combat if it leaves the battlefield, if its controller changes, if it phases out, if an effect specifically removes it from combat, if it’s a planeswalker that’s being attacked and stops being a planeswalker, or if it’s an attacking or blocking creature that regenerates (see rule 701.14) or stops being a creature. A creature that’s removed from combat stops being an attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. A planeswalker that’s removed from combat stops being attacked.


How does Ashiok, Dream Render interact with the Vigor/Hostility and Profane Memento cards? I have questions regarding this ruling on Ashiok, Dream Render:

  If Ashiok’s last ability targets an opponent, the cards put into their graveyard will be among the cards exiled by the ability. No player may take any actions between the time the cards are put into a graveyard and the time your opponents’ graveyards are all exiled.

Suppose player A uses Ashiok, Dream Render's -1 loyalty ability to target player B. Player B puts the top four cards of their library into their graveyard. But:

What if Player B puts Vigor or Hostility into their graveyard as part of those four? Would Vigor or Hostility be shuffled into player B's library?
What if Player C has Profane Memento on the battlefield? Does player C gain life for each creature that that is put into the graveyard?

The ruling states that a player does not get an action during Ashiok's loyalty ability, but are these effects player abilities?

Vigor and Hostility will be exiled and not shuffled back. The controller of Profane Memento will gain life.

The part about players not being able to take actions during the resolution of Ashiok's loyalty ability means that no player may cast spells, activate abilities, or take special actions such as playing a land. For all of these, priority, the right to do these things, is necessary. Players do not get priority during the resolution of spells and abilities.

However, there are more kinds of abilities than just activated abilities. Vigor/Hostility and Profane Memento have triggered abilities that trigger automatically whenever their trigger condition is met. They can trigger anytime, even during the resolution of spells and abilities, and do not require anyone to have priority, so they will all trigger as soon as Ashiok's ability puts them into the graveyard.

However, they only enter the stack (and can later resolve) after the current spell or ability has finished resolving. By that time, Vigor/Hostility have already been exiled, and their triggered abilities resolve without doing anything, because the creatures they are referring to, respectively, are no longer in the zone they were expected to be. Profane Memento's ability, on the other hand, does not care where the creature card that triggered it is right now, so when those Profane Memento's triggered abilities resolve, its controller will gain life.


Who determines the target creature or player when a card says "deals 1 damage to target creature or player"? Vigilante Justice says "Whenever a Human enters the battlefield under your control, Vigilante Justice deals 1 damage to target creature or player." Do I decide if the damage goes to the creature or player or does my opponent?

Whoever controls Vigilante Justice chooses the targets. The ability is a triggered ability, and the rules for triggered abilities say

603.3a A triggered ability is controlled by the player who controlled its source at the time it triggered, unless it's a delayed triggered ability. To determine the controller of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.
603.3d The remainder of the process for putting a triggered ability on the stack is identical to the process for casting a spell listed in rules 601.2c–d. If a choice is required when the triggered ability goes on the stack but no legal choices can be made for it, or if a rule or a continuous effect otherwise makes the ability illegal, the ability is simply removed from the stack.
601.2c The player [who controls the ability] announces his or her choice of an appropriate player, object, or zone for each target the spell requires.

The "source" of the ability is the object that has the ability, which in this case is Vigilante Justice, so Vigilante Justice's controller controls the ability. When the ability triggers, as part of the process of putting it on the stack, that player chooses the targets.


Is Brasilia a weak starting investment in Imperial 2030? The other day I was playing said game, and I draw Brasilia as my starting investment. While I don't feel I played particularly well, I did find it harder than the others to expand my empire. Further more, they told me that the last time someone had had Brasilia they also suffered.

Is this common in games? And if so how can I turn Brasilia's weaknesses into my strengths?

According to link below, some people think that Brazil is a good place to start investments (in a poll with 26 votes titled "And where do you put your money in the future?", 50% people choose Brazil). Joe Wyka user thinks Brazil is well positoned on board...

Rpggeek - Berkeley board gamers games played tuesday june 7 2011 - Imperial 2030
Rpggeek - Best new boardgames - Imperial 2030

A quote from there:

  [...]This was a weird game. I don't quite remember how things started out,
  but Adam was trying for a US/Brazil combo, and the rest of us were
  kinda spread around. For the first half of the game things went pretty
  slowly, but we all had a decent cash flow - countries weren't taxing
  for very much, but just enough that we were able to reinvest, and the
  countries were fairly balanced. India was looking good but fragile for
  a while, everyone was in Brazil, which was doing well (as usual) [...]
  Eventually though after a series
  of close Investor actions everyone except me had a big wad of cash,
  most of which ended up in Brazil. India and Brazil started moving up
  the power track fairly quickly (due to cross investments by Charles
  and Garrett, their owners), while China harassed the US (which was
  unable to slow Brazil) and Europe and Russia fought. Charles and
  Garrett had huge investments, Charles in India/Brazil, and Garrett in
  Russia/India/Brazil. I had a decent spread across all countries except
  China, and Adam was mostly in Brazil/US/Europe. The game ended
  semi-unexpectedly when Brazil jumped to tax to just make it to 25.
  Final scores:

  Brazil 5x India 4x US 2x China 2x Russia 2x Europe 2x

  Garrett 205 Charles 186 Deniz 144 Adam 129

  If Charles hadn't ended it right then, Europe and Russia would have
  each jumped up to 4x, which would have put me in a better position but
  would also have put Garrett even further into the lead. I was hoping
  all the countries would level out at about 4x, given how slowly it was
  going (I had about ~7 interest in non-Chinese countries), but those
  who were big in India and Brazil only (Charles and Garrett) won out.


Carcassone Hills & Sheeps - how do the sheep rules make sense? We were playing a game of Carcassone last weekend. We've a pretty large setup with a lot of expansions. One of them was "hills & sheeps".

The day after the game-night I wondered how the rules of the sheep part even make sense. As I understood them correctly it goes like this:

place a card with a field-section on it
place a shepherd on it
immediately draw a sheep-token
if it shows sheep good for you, if it is a wolf everything is "undone"

This is the only process to get the sheep-thingy up and running as far as I understood.

What you've gained is a new ability. Every time you add a field card to the field occupied by the shepherd, you are able to draw a sheep token. Same rules apply: displaying sheep good, displaying wolf bad.

This is the first option. But you are also able to just score your sheep. You get your shepherd back, the tokens are removed and you get a point for each sheep.

My issue with these rules is why on earth I would even consider to draw a new sheep/wolf-token? It adds risk while giving no benefits.

Example:

Lucky Guy

Adding card with field
Placing shepherd on it
Drawing a token displaying 3 sheep
Adding card with field
Drawing a token displaying 2 sheep
Adding card with field
Scoring the sheep (granting 5 points to the player)

Unlucky Guy

Adding card with field
Placing shepherd on it
Drawing a token displaying 3 sheep
Adding card with field
Drawing a token displaying wolf
Everything gets reset

Clever Guy

Adding card with field
Placing shepherd on it
Drawing a token displaying 3 sheep
Adding card with field
Scoring the sheep (granting 3 points to the player)
Adding card with field
Placing shepherd on it
Drawing a token displaying 2 sheep
Adding card with field
Scoring the sheep (granting 2 points to the player)

The clever guy example reduces the risk significantly:

You have less chance that the shepherd is not going to get rated (when the game is over, the shepherd doesn't give any points any more)
It's less likely to get points eaten by the wolf. In the clever guy example you secure three points by immediately rating them.

My statement is: it's always more efficient to just rate your shepherd as soon as possible.

Is this true? Am I missing something?

Yes,  you are missing something.

'Lucky guy' in your example gains the same benefit as 'clever guy', despite playing fewer field tiles.

Each time you place a tile and cash in the accumulated points for that field you are foregoing a chance to (maybe) increase those points. The optimal number of points accumulated before cashing in depends strongly of the distribution of tiles.


In Jenga, how do we define the "highest completed layer"? The rules that come with my copy of Jenga state that on each turn, a player should "remove a block from anywhere below the highest completed layer."

I played Jenga for the first time in years yesterday and one of the players involved insisted on what sounded to me like an unusual interpretation of this rule. They asserted that blocks always had to be selected from a level that is lower than the top level of the original tower, not whatever the highest level is currently.

I'm curious if others interpret this rule in this way. To my reading, the "highest completed layer" is the highest layer that currently contains three blocks. It seems to me that if the rule were dependent on remembering the height of the original tower, there would be some easy way to remember where that was.

The rules as of 2018 don't refer to the "highest completed layer", but older versions and variants (like Jenga Quake) do refer to it.

The highest completed layer is the highest layer that has had all three blocks placed on it. Recall that when you remove a block, you must place it on the top level until it has three blocks. After three blocks are placed, the next block is placed on the next level.

The current iteration of the rules corroborate this by referring to "the one below an incomplete top level" where older rules would say "the highest completed layer" (emphasis mine).

  Moving in the game Jenga consists of:

  1) taking one block on a turn from any level of the tower (except the one below an incomplete top level), and

  2) placing it on the topmost level in order to complete it.