In MTG, can I use Stave Off to save my creature from Oblivion Ring? I was asked this question by a player at an M12 draft over the weekend, and I would like to get the question & answer up on the internet for all:

Can I use Stave Off to save my creature from Oblivion Ring?

The player was asking while deck building, so there was no specific game state to go with the question. Considering that, please be complete when providing an answer.

Sure you can.  Oblivion Ring comes into targets "another nonland permanent" - your creature.  With this triggered effect on the stack, cast Stave Off in response targeting your creature, giving it Protection from White.  The Oblivion Ring's ability will now be countered by game rules, due to having an illegal target.

What you can't do with Stave Off is bring back a creature that has already been exiled by Oblivion Ring.  The creature is far from the battlefield and can't be targeted; even if it could, it is too late for Protection from White to help it!  You'll need something capable of getting rid of an enchantment to rescue your creature from oblivion in this case.


Can I activate a Legendary creature's abilities before the Legend rule kicks in? Say I have a Krenko, Mob Boss on the field. I use Krenko's ability to create X tokens. Then, I play a Progenitor Mimic choosing Krenko. When the Legend Rule takes effect, I sacrifice the original Krenko. Since the Mimic comes in untapped, on my opponent's turn I tap it for the X tokens. My opponent takes and ends his turn.

Now it comes back to my turn. The Mimic untaps, and then copies itself during upkeep. Would I be able to tap the token copy after it's created for its X tokens, and then use the mimic later in the round for another X? Would the Legend Rule take effect before that could happen? Would I be able to tap the copy in response to the Legend Rule effect, placing the tap on top of the stack?

No, you cannot.

Let's go through this step by step:

  I use his ability to create the X tokens. Then, I play a Progenitor Mimic targeting Krenko. When the Legend Rule takes effect, I sacrifice the original Krenko.

So far, so good. A minor detail is that the mimic doesn't actually target, but that's beside your main question. You currently have an untapped Krenko with a duplication clause.

  Since the Mimic comes in untapped, on my opponent's turn I tap it for the X tokens. My opponent takes and ends his turn.

This doesn't work out so well. Yes, the Mimic came in untapped, but it has summoning sickness until your next turn. You'll need to give it haste somehow if you want this batch of tokens.

  Now it comes back to my turn. The Mimic untaps, and then copies itself during upkeep. Would I be able to tap the token copy after it's created for its X tokens, and then use the mimic later in the round for another X? Would the Legend Rule take effect before that could happen? Would I be able to tap the copy in response to the Legend Rule effect, placing the tap on top of the stack?

As soon as the Mimic's ability resolves, you have two Krenkos on the field, and lose one to the Legend Rule. This is a State Based Action, does not use the stack, and cannot be responded to. You could tap the Mimic in response to the ability triggering, then keep the token, but the token has summoning sickness, so you can't get an additional activation that way.


Spy Kit and Leyline of Singularity Spy Kit gives a creature the names of all non-legendary creatures.  Leyline of Singularity makes all creatures on the battlefield legendary.  If I have the Leyline on the battlefield, as well as a Grizzly Bears equipped with Spy Kit and then cast Storm Crow, does Grizzly Bears lose the name Storm Crow, or is one of the two put in the graveyard because of the legend rule?

They will conflict because of the legend rule.  Spy Kit gives a creature the names of all non-legendary creature cards that exist in Magic.  This can be found in the card ruling:

  The set of names the equipped creature has includes the names of all nonlegendary creature cards in the Oracle card reference, including the back faces of double-faced cards.

Spy Kit is adding names based on the printed properties of those creatures, not the current properties of permanents with those names.  Storm Crow the card is not legendary, so Grizzly Bears is also named Storm Crow regardless of whether or not there is a Leyline of Singularity, and will have a legend conflict with a second Storm Crow if there is a Leyline of Singularity.


Do you have to perform assist abilities? Most assists are worded as if they are required to be performed.  Do they have to be if at all possible?

For instance, the Backdoor card says

  Cancel all abilities on one obstacle for the rest of the game

If I then have only one obstacle left and it's description says that a runner gets 1 HP healed once it's defeated, does this have to be canceled?  The card doesn't say "You may cancel all abilities" but this seems like the sort of thing that would be a deck wide ruling, such as the runner not being required to apply all damage from the cards they play.

No. You do not have to use your assist cards. They are optional. The text on the cards is what happens if you choose to use them, not rules that enter play once the card is drawn.


Does it make sense for a defender to occasionally adopt a slightly inferior line in order to "mix up" the play? Here's the original question that inspired this one: It was about whether West should lead a short major instead of a long, weak minor when the opponents failed to find a fit using Stayman. A number of people weighed in with both statistical and experiential analysis of why the long weak suit was (somewhat) better. That result doesn't surprise me.

Even so, does it make sense to lead the spade one or two times out of ten in order to confuse declarers that are accustomed to West's leading long suits? Meaning that a declarer might be led to "finesse" into the East hand or make other misplays? Plus the fact that doubt is then cast on his ability to read West's hand in general.

Making the occasional "suboptimal" play is a staple of poker for "bluffing purposes." (If you are bluffing, you are making an inferior play and hoping to "get away" with it. And if you are "caught," your opponents can't be sure that you are playing "honestly" next time.) Is there anything that stands in the way of doing this in bridge?

Poker is not a team game; Bridge is. For this reason it is essential that  your plays be reliable at all times when partner has any decisions to be made, potentially or actually. The loss in partnership confidence from not adhering to this maxim is far more devastating than any small gain from mixing up your signals like this.

All too often on Defence the Defenders' knowledge is shared asymmetrically through most of the play. In these cases each Defender needs to trust that, if the situation remains unclear, at a minimum Partner's carding can be trusted to be an accurate guide to decision making. Your suggested strategy confounds this fundamental tenet of partnership confidence.

Further, there are complicating ethical questions about the mechanics of playing such a strategy ethically, Partner and opponents are not only both entitled to knowledge of the carding agreement in place, but Partner must be capable of fully explaining it's nuances, frequency, and constraints to the opponents at the table. Any failure to meet these ethical obligations is an ethics violation subject to the most sever penalties.

If you want to know how top players really bluff you could do worse than to look up a few stories by Randy (Racoon) Bennett


Catan pirates and explorers ships and roads In Catan Explorers and Pirates, can a ship share a hex side with a road?

Yes, 2 ships and a road can share a coastline.
According to the FAQ for Catan Pirates and Explorers:

Sea Routes - Are only ships allowed on "sea routes" located between
terrain hexes and sea hexes / frame, or may I also build roads there?
Roads may be built on all paths, both inland and along the coast. At
the shore, roads can be parallel to ships, meaning that up to 1 road +
2 ships may simultaneously occupy a path on the coast.

Source :
Catan FAQ page 157


Using Vassal on a small screen Related to this question, I'm wondering also whether using Vassal on a netbook (=small screen) is a good idea.  Are there any tricks helping in such a case, like zooming in/out etc.?

No, using Vassal on a netbook is not a good idea. The standard resolution on most netbooks is 1024x600. While this isn't a bad thing for reading most websites, consuming video, etc. it doesn't work particularly well with the high resolution game boards in Vassal. The problems you will face will differ from module to module, but some of them will be pretty standard.

Most boards will require scrolling. - You can help mitigate this issue somewhat by enabling scrolling with the keyboard arrows. The keyboard is a much better input device for quickly moving the board slightly up, down, left, or right than moving your mouse or built in touchpad to the scrollbar to click/drag the gameboard in the proper direction. You can enable this feature within File->Preferences for each individual game.
Additional Windows always overlay (are always On Top of) the main window. - This will only be an issue if your particular game requires multiple open windows, and each of those windows needs to be open constantly. You can attempt to give your self a little more room to see each of the individual windows by using the zoom controls for each particular window. Fit to Width/Fit to Height will fit the graphics within the current dimension of the window. Additionally, you can shrink the Windows Taskbar to a 5 pixel bar (it won't show the icons of your open programs) which should give you another 20 pixels of screen real estate.
The Vassal Toolbar isn't dockable or configurable within the module. - This means that you cannot remove elements from the toolbar and make them their own floating windows, hide them, or dock them to other windows or other locations on the application. This means that when the module designer creates a toolbar icon, it will always be displayed above your game board. (Example: I play D-Day Dice. This module has 7 buttons that open other windows, 2 that roll dice, and the standard Vassal toolbar controls. Because I cannot configure the toolbar, it takes up two rows of space (about 90 pixels). You can modify the game module yourself to remove unwanted items from the toolbar with Edit Module. Refer to the Help Guide within the Edit Module dialog for more information.


Do Gather The Townsfolk's (or cards like it) tokens go on the stack separately? A friend of mine was playing a deck that uses Cathars' Crusade and Gather the Townsfolk (and cards like it) to pump his creatures.

Another guy was watching and said that all the tokens went on the stack separately so each subsequent token was smaller than the last.

This leads to my question: Is this correct? And, if it is, what happens if, in response to the first or second token going on the stack, someone played a split second spell so nothing else could enter the stack (like the rest of the tokens)?

Tokens don't go on the stack, only spells and abilities. Gather the Townsfolk creates both tokens simultaneously.

You cast Gather the Townsfolk.
Gather the Townsfolk resolves:

Put two 1/1 white Human creature tokens onto the battlefield. Cathars' Crusade's triggers twice.

Cathars' Crusade's ability is placed on the stack twice.
The second instance of Cathars' Crusade's ability resolves:

Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

The first instance of Cathars' Crusade's ability resolves:

Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

Both tokens (and any other creatures you might have had) got two +1/+1 counters.

As for your second question, someone casting a split second spell would not change anything.

A split second spell between steps 1 and 2 would resolve before step 2, then you continue with step 2. Same goes for one cast between steps 3 and 4, or between steps 4 and 5.

Split second merely stop you from casting a spell or activating an ability in response to the split second spell.


Khet opening set-ups What are the different merits of the Khet opening set-ups - Classic, Imhotep & Dynasty?

While I wouldn't call myself an expert, I have played a lot, and here are some of my thoughts on the matter.

Classic is the most simple of the three, and does not lend itself to defence, both players are rather open. For this reason, classic games tend to be short when the players know what they are doing.

Dynasty is my personal favorite. The defences of this setup are very tight. Players normally will have to attack from both the front and side. This results in long games, while players march up the side and get into position.

Lastly, Imhotep! Imhotep opens a lot of options; the defences are good, but not too tight, and many types of pieces are scattered across the board. The end game is often a dance of hiding the opening in your defences long enough to close in on the enemy.

I developed a fourth one a while back, mainly for use with the beam splitter, but still good without it, if I can find it somewhere around here, I will post it if you like.

So there you go, there you have it.


What is the purpose of opening this package in March? Spoilers for the Pandemic Legacy Season 1 Legacy Deck for the beginning of March below.

According to the legacy deck in Pandemic Legacy Season 1, in the beginning of March, you are instructed to open box 5.

I opened all the other packages that you are also instructed to open, and all of them related to

   military base construction

but I cannot figure out for the life of me what the items within box 5 are for.  Was this a misprint and they will become useful later, or did I miss something?

You should have opened door 5, not box 5. You can tape box 5 back up and continue with the game with no ill effects, especially as the meaning of the contents of box 5 is not apparent to you at this time.

From what I remember, when you are instructed to open a box (or package as the game refers to it), it will specifically say "Open Package #". Numbers in circles are doors to be opened, and letters in circles are rules to be opened (same mechanism as doors).

According to this thread, the contents of door 5 is

   Three additional scars, so you're not missing anything vital


What are good ways to learn to "read" a sequence of moves mentally? What are good ways to learn to "read" a sequence of moves mentally (i.e. visualize it in one's mind), in Go? Is practicing on a goban useful, or is trying to stick to mentally imagining the moves better? or a mix of both?

(I am asking this question because I feel that better reading skills can have a strong impact on the outcome of a game.)

PS: I now realize that the question of reading sequences of moves mentally is only part of the story: in addition to "pure" reading, it is also extremely useful to learn to not read certain moves (because they have little potential, or because the outcome of some board situation reached while reading is known). In other words, learning how to prune the move tree helps read faster: it is wasteful to read down many branches of the move tree when theory can prune these branches (the theory of killing shapes, of their vital point, of semeai,…) or give them a lower reading priority (useful moves tend to exploit weaknesses, or choke the opponent, or have multiple good effects, etc.). In essence, learning to read well involves both the raw skill of imagining a sequence in one's head and the art of pruning moves or giving them a lower priority while reading.

TLDR: Putting stones on the board is not always possible. Reading is super important. Practice it with tsumego and apply it in games.

You're definitely right that it has a strong impact on the outcome. Reading is the most fundamental skill in Go, and improving in that area is absolutely required to become a strong player.

In serious games, it is usually not possible to put stones on the board "just to see what happens". You'll have to imagine the results in your mind before you put down a stone. This is a fact that can't be changed.

However, as a beginner, you should try some stuff by yourself or in non-serious games (with knowledge of the other player, obviously) first. Then, it is absolutely fine to put the stones on the board to check what happens. You'll then quickly become aware of typical shapes (for instance a ladder), and be able to spot it immediately (if not, just keep trying!), without the need to put actual stones down. This is the first step on the road to strong reading.

In teaching games, you'll usually also lay down important sequences (during or after the game), in particular when they are not easy to see. Try to remember them so you'll notice them next time!

Further, you will need to improve your reading abilities. Typically, players practice solving tsumego for this purpose, as they require reading skills of a particular level (yours in this case). First make sure you really solved the problem - do not miss a strong, difficult-to-see reply by your virtual opponent. Then, to check your solutions, it is fine to put down stones to make sure you did not miss anything. It is also beneficial to have reliable solutions at hand with which you can compare your own, for instance by using a tsumego book.

Over time, tsumego as well as simply practicing reading in real games will improve your abilities and you will be able to read faster, deeper and more precisely. In particular, as you memorize the involved shapes, you'll immediately know which moves are impossible without considering them. This will drastically speed up the selection process and cut down the variation tree to very few branches, each of which you have to explore as best as your visualization abilities allow you to.

As a beginner, it is actually often sufficient to always read only 2 or 3 moves ahead to avoid stupid mistakes. Once this does not help you anymore, try reading a few moves more, and you'll certainly do more than most lazy dan players :)

This last tongue-in-cheek sentence is actually true - when they are not serious, advanced players often rely on shape exclusively without reading much, as they can already tell the results from the initial shapes (often, but not always correctly). This ability is beneficial in very fast games, but in serious games you still need to actually read (deeply) to find the best moves. Use memorized shapes only to reduce the tree width.

By the way, aspiring pro players typically spend a few hours every day on tsumego. It is, after all, said that pros solved every tsumego in existence at least twice. If you enjoy it, feel free to do alike! If not (which applies to many people), well, just do it if you feel like it - Go should be fun! Tsumego are often more fun when hand-picked and given by a friend, possibly to many people at once, with a joint resolution session which typically includes a lot of "Oh!"s and "Aaah!"s.

Regarding "visualization" of moves. I did not go into that point yet. This is something I kind of wonder about myself, as I found it difficult to see clearly the moves very deeply, in particular when "new" stones touch stones from a while ago or are even played on top of them (this is called "ishi no shita" or "under the stones"). As far as I can tell, you cannot work on this specifically - it's simply a result of studying and will hopefully improve as one gets better at tsumego.

As a final, practical advice: Copy or print out tsumego from a good book on cards or cut little paper sheets. I liked this a lot, but definitely start with the easiest book, as the problems are often harder than they appear at first! Then put them in various places in your house as well as in your pocket. Every time you are forced to wait for a minute or more, pick one of them and try to solve it. Repeat until the wait is over. I often did that in waiting rooms (even though I have to admit that it sometimes made me rather sleepy).

Quoting tasuki on the above works:

  Cho Chikun’s Encyclopedia of Life and Death is a wonderful progression which will take you from an absolute beginner to mid dan level.

  Next, we present you with the three most famous classical tsumego collections. Gokyo Shumyo deals mostly with patterns occuring often in real games. XuanXuan Qijing focuses on feeling and vital points, and the insanely difficult Igo Hatsuyo-ron is here just to make you cry.

They come without solution due to copyright, but you can mostly check them with friends and/or stronger players. By the way, I can absolutely confirm his statements, in particular about Igohatsuyoron :'(


Getting Joker from the existing groups in Rummikub I have a group of tiles made up of 3 fours and a joker:

  4 4 4 Joker

Now, if a player removes the joker, do they have to replace it with another 4?

The Joker has poorly written rules, and the version of the rules you are playing by matters.

First of all, sets of 4 tiles are never required to remain as 4 tiles, the minimum of 3 tiles is the only requirement. So a fourth tile can always be removed from a set without needing to be replaced.

By the latest version of rules, if you have (4-4-4-Joker) as a set, the Joker is already clear and ready to be used elsewhere without needing to be replaced. Here's why:

OLD RULES:
The 2009 version of rules says (emphasis added):

  A joker can be retrieved from a set on the table by a player who can replace it during his turn with a tile of the same numerical value and color it represents. The tile used to replace the Joker must come from a player's rack and not from the table.

This version is very restrictive, and even though it says can and not must, it does not provide any alternative examples of how to clear the Joker. So if you want to play in a way where the Joker MUST be replaced no matter what, then these are the rules you want to follow.

But the game has been improved since then, so I suggest following the new rules. It makes for much more interesting manipulation of the table, where the fun of the game lies.

NEW RULES:
The 2017 version of rules says this about Jokers:

  A joker can be retrieved from a set by replacing it with a tile of the same numerical value and colour it represents. The tile used to replace the joker can come from the player's rack or from the table.

Notice the small update there so that Jokers may be cleared now either from the rack or from another tile on the table. The rest is still worded the same but it does say can instead of must.

HOWEVER, this version of rules includes a section, 4 ways to clear the joker are:

1 Joker is replaced.
2 Joker is not replaced
3 Joker is not replaced
4 Joker is not replaced

There is nothing in the rules that differentiate between Jokers in groups and runs, so the fact that example 1 shows replacing in a group should not be taken to mean that Jokers in groups must be replaced but Jokers in runs do not need replacing. If Jokers in runs do not always need replacing, then Jokers in groups do not always need replacing.

Also, rummikub.com/rules/ has a video tutorial for the basic game. Watch the section on Jokers here:

  @2:30 "You can clear the Joker with tiles from your rack, or by manipulating the table."
  @2:45 "Cleared Jokers on the table are waiting to be used again, as long as 3 tiles remain in every set"

While explaining, the video shows the same example (#2) in the image above. There is no mention of needing to replace the Joker. That line has been updated to simply say "as long as 3 tiles remain in every set" as the only requirement. Sometimes you have to replace to achieve that, but not always.

Another source is the Official Rummikub App, where the Joker can be cleared from a group of 4 tiles without needing to be replaced. Below the game on that webpage, another version of rules are written. About Jokers it says:

  Sets containing jokers may be split and manipulated like regular sets.

And under Manipulation Examples of regular sets it has:

  Removing a fourth tile from a set and using it for a new set

So if the Joker (or any tile) is a fourth tile of a set, then it can be removed without needing to be replaced.


Looking to see why cards are banned I'm looking to see why certain cards are banned in certain formats. It doesn't seem to make sense. The specific cards I'm looking for are:

Jace, Memory Adept (ok, sort of makes sense)
Daggerdrome Imp
Dimir Aqueduct
Mind Grind
Pilfered Plans

Can anyone tell me where I can get these rulings at?

tappedout.net says that my deck is not standard legal because of these cards.

For format restrictions and banned lists, see the following:

http://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/formats

http://magic.wizards.com/en/gameinfo/gameplay/formats/bannedrestricted

None of the cards you listed are on a banned list, they just aren't legal in "Standard", which is a format that only includes cards printed in the last two years


Can the Wasabi card and a Nigiri card be played together at once? If I use a chopsticks card to play two cards, can a Wasabi I play simultaneously with a Nigiri be used together to triple the Nigiri points? My inclination from a strict reading of the rules is to think no, but from a sushi eating perspective, it seems reasonable to be able to.

The designer of the game clarified this rule in a boardgamegeek thread

  The intention of the rule is that you can choose the order you play the two cards when using chopsticks. So you can play a Wasabi and then a Nigiri on top of it right away!


In Crisis Mode, what do you do with cards that involve villains in your deck? In the instruction book for Crisis Mode it says:

When you buy or gain a villain from the Line-Up, destroy it.
When you defeat a Super-Villain, remove it from the game.

What do you when you have a card that involves villains in your deck? For example, "Canary Cry" from Heroes Unite:

You may put a Villain from your discard pile on top of your deck. If you choose not to, draw a card.
Defense: You may discard this card to avoid an Attack. If you do, you may put a Villain with cost 7 or less from your discard pile into your hand or draw a card.

What do you do with that?

I have not seen any FAQs or other rulings regarding cards that involve Villains while in Crisis Mode, so it looks like they do not behave any differently, aside from the fact that their Villain effects will never occur.
In the case of "Canary Cry", you are simply forced to always choose the option that does not involve a Villain card in your discard pile. If it helps, you can think of the card being rewritten like so:

Draw a card.
Defense: You may discard this card to avoid an Attack. If you do, draw a card.

Not nearly as powerful as the original form, but for what it's worth, there are other cards that are more powerful in Crisis Mode than in the regular game, so it balances out I suppose.


Is an artifact paid ability considered a spell? I happen to be one lucky man who managed to get Erebos God of the Dead, Demon's Horn, and Staff of the Death Magus. All three were in play, but Erebus was not a creature yet as i didn't have enough devotion. His ability though, (pay one black and one colorless mana and pay 2 life: draw a card) doe's it count as a spell when i activate it, and therefor gain back the 2 life I lost from Demon's Horn and Staff of the Death Magus?

EDIT:
Looking at the MTG Rulebook says (some) abilitues go on the stack (as spells do)

No, it is neither a spell nor black. Neither Demon's Horn's ability nor Staff of the Death Magus's ability will trigger when you activate Erebos's activated ability.

Spells are cards on the stack (and copies thereof). While activated abilities  are very similar to spells, they are not spells.

111.1. A spell is a card on the stack. As the first step of being cast (see rule 601, “Casting Spells”), the card becomes a spell and is moved to the top of the stack from the zone it was in, which is usually its owner’s hand. (See rule 405, “Stack.”) A spell remains on the stack as a spell until it resolves (see rule 608, “Resolving Spells and Abilities”), is countered (see rule 701.5), or otherwise leaves the stack. For more information, see section 6, “Spells, Abilities, and Effects.”
111.1a A copy of a spell is also a spell, even if it has no card associated with it. See rule 706.10.
111.1b Some effects allow a player to cast a copy of a card; if the player does, that copy is a spell as well. See rule 706.12.

Furthermore, while Erobos is black, the ability on the stack has no color.

602.2. [...] Activating an ability follows the steps listed below, in order. [...]
602.2a The player announces that he or she is activating the ability. [...] That ability is created on the stack as an object that’s not a card. [...] It has the text of the ability that created it, and no other characteristics. [...]
109.3. An object’s characteristics are name, mana cost, color, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, rules text, abilities, power, toughness, loyalty, hand modifier, and life modifier. [...]


In Uno, can you play a Wild Draw 4 Card when you have another Wild Card in your hand? My wife insists that if you have a Wild Card in your hand you cannot play the Wild Draw 4 Card because the first Wild Card constitutes having the same color card as the one on the Discard pile.

I say it does not as a Wild Card can be any color you choose when you play it.
Who is correct?

According to the rules sheet from Mattel:

  You may only play this card when you do NOT have another card in your hand that matches the COLOR on the DISCARD pile (but it is acceptable to play this card if you have matching number or Action Cards).

Since Wild cards are classified as Action cards, you are legally allowed to play a Wild Draw Four when you have a Wild in hand.


Handling dwindling supplies in Splendor Splendor is a great game, but the rules were written sub-optimally.

The following quotes the rules that specify what actions a player can take on his turn:

  On their turn, a player must choose to perform only one of the following four actions.

  Take 3 gem tokens of different colors.
  Take 2 gem tokens of the same color. This action is only possible if there are at least 4 tokens of the chosen color left when the player takes them.
  Reserve 1 development card and take 1 gold token (joker).
  Purchase 1 face-up development card from the middle of the table or a previously reserved one.

As written, it's not hard to get into a situation where it's impossible to perform a legal turn. I presume you can pass if you can't perform any of the actions, but there might be other options.

Can you reserve a development card if there is no gold left (taking the development card without gaining gold)?
Can you take gems if there are fewer than three colors of gems left (taking one from each of the remaining colors)?

Yes you can still reserve without being able to get a gold (some disadvantage: you get the card, but not the gold)
Yes you can still take gem tokens when there are fewer than three colors left (obviously you might get fewer than normal).

Combining these two leads to a useful money-starvation strategy (esp. in 3-player games) if there is some critical color needed for either the nobles or the middle/top row cards. Reserve up to three of the critical color-generating cards (from any rows) and leave the other player with junk in the first row and excessively expensive junk in the middle row. When you run of gold, the other players are then forced to either buy junk, pick up useless color coins, reserve without getting gold, or even gamble by reserving a random (face-down) card.

Even better if you time things so that when you do purchase the cards you've reserved and return useful coins to the supply, they are near their 10-coin limit so can't (net) pick up many coins in that turn, letting you try to get your useful money back before they can get it :) and continue the money-starvation for even more rounds (you can't do that with 4+ players, someone will pick up the useful money).

In a 3-player game, if two of you collude you can mess up the third player.

In one extreme case of a game I played, 10 of the 12 face-up cards ended up being black-producing, which was totally useless for nobles and top row.


In Love Letter, can you discard a card instead of playing it? Are players compelled to use the power of a card, or can they choose to not use it (and simply discard it)? For instance, can I choose to

not have anyone discard after playing the Prince
not to compare my card to another player after playing the Baron
not to trade hands with anyone using the King?

Those three are the cases where I could see a distinct advantage to being allowed to not use the power. Other cases that are more questionable when it comes to assisting the player are whether one can choose to

not look at anyone's card with the Priest
not use the Handmaid's protective power

No, you must always apply the effect of the card even if that card would hurt you, such as playing the prince with the princess in hand when the other 2 players have handmaidens out. Always having to play the effect of the card is spelled out in the rule book and making a house variant to change that would greatly alter the balance of the game as it would remove the negative side of some of the more powerful cards in the game.

The point of this is that there will be times when playing a card can be very bad for you and that is to balance out the fact that playing a card can be very good for you or at worst neutral most of the time

Love Letter PDF Rules

  On your turn, draw the top card
  from the deck and add it to your
  hand. Then choose one of the two
  cards in your hand and discard it
  face up in front of you. Apply any
  effect on the card you discarded.
  You must apply its effect, even if it
  is bad for you.

If there are no valid targets because all other players have a handmaiden in play you can still use the card and in most cases nothing will happen.

Guard - Nothing happens
Priest - Nothing happens
Barron - Nothing happens
Handmaiden - Does not target others
Prince- You must target yourself and discard your other card
King - Nothing happens
Countess - Does not target others
Princess - Does not target others


What happens when Fate Cards become Expendable in Ivory Edition? If a Fate card gains the Expendable keyword, as in the example of Holding Cells with Kobi Sensei, does playing the card form hand trigger the Expendable keyword?

Would this affect a Kata or Allegiance with Expendable, as they do enter play?

my understanding of it is that the holding cell isn't a Kolat card.  It creates a Kolat Battle.  The only cards currently which are Kolat are:

Oboro, the Liar
Yasuki Jire
Yasuki Makoto
Yoritomo Yusuke


Can anyone identify this variant of Yukon solitaire? I learned this game from my grandfather, and I want wondering if anyone else has seen it before or knows the name of it.
It uses one deck with no jokers. To set up the starting stacks, moving left to right deal one card face up and 6 face down to form 7 rows. Then, on top of those cards from left to right deal 2 face up and 5 face down. Then from left to right deal 3 face up and 4 face down, so on and so forth until there is a face up card dealt on the rightmost stack. You will end up with 7 stacks all with the same number of cards. You will be left with 3 leftover cards that can be played at any time.

From this point on it is played in the same way as standard Yukon, where stacks of cards can be moved around as long as the destination card is opposite suit and one number larger, while trying to build 4 stacks above starting with aces and up to kings. This is what leads me to think it is a Yukon variant.

Any wisdom on this would be much appreciated, thanks!

My mom and I also played this version. She called it Long Solitaire. I have looked for this version online but haven’t been able to find it. I still play it with real cards.


Designing a Yu-Gi-Oh! like card game - the game phases Yu-Gi-Oh! has 6 phases, of which only 4 are actually visible to a player playing in real life.

Main phase 1, battle phase, main phase 2, end.

I personally do not like the way these phases work, and am considering designing new rules that allows players to play without these phases being visible, so that there's only 1 phase where you can attack or play magic cards (and then end turn).

The one problem that my friend has pointed out to be is that this changes the effectiveness of certain cards like Call of the Haunted.

If I have no monsters on the field and the opponent has a panoply of monsters on the field, I would normally be able to save myself with Call of the Haunted. As a trap, I can activate it when the opponent attacks, and revive a strong monster to defend myself. However if the opponent has a magic card such as exiled force, they can kill my strong monster immediately, something they wouldn't be able to do in the attack phase of normal Yu-Gi-Oh! rules.

Now my solution to this is to add special exceptions to cards like Call of the Haunted, so that they or the monster they summon cannot be targeted by magic cards within the same turn as their activation.

Would that fix the problem of trap card balance? Are there any problems with my proposed system?

Some context: This is a new rule set based on Yu-Gi-Oh! rules. I don't intend to try to get anyone to play Yu-Gi-Oh! with my rules.

Thanks.

Edit:
Some more context: Not working on existing cards, I have new cards.

Here is a video demonstrating what I mean:

In this new game note that there are no attack/main phases, just one END TURN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL1KS-qQrPw

I'd advise against basing your system on oversimplified YGO rules. These phases that seem arbitrary were added precisely to avoid adding many exceptions and forcing players to remember them all. Having regular rules with such a gigantic deck is much better than writing exceptions on card and then have lots of pain trying to match them together.

BTW, historically first versions of YGO were much simpler and very close to what you describe, which can be seen from many legacy normal and fusion cards. Instead of the fun and dynamic game of today it was just a race to see who would draw or fuse a card with the highest ATK on the board first.


Do I score fishermen for settlements on water? The Fisherman kingdom card states:

  1 gold for each of your own settlements built adjacent to one or more water hexes.

With a harbor sector in play, I can move a settlement to a water hex. At the end of the game, do I get a point for settlements on water hexes in addition to hexes adjacent to water?

No. For scoring the Fishermen card, you can ignore any settlement on a water hex, no matter if it’s adjacent to another water hex or not.

From the rules about the Fishermen card (page 5):

  Note - Extra harbor action:
  The "Fishermen" card does not generate
  gold for settlements on water hexes.

This is also part of BoardGameGeek’s Kingdom Builder FAQ: Fishermen: no points for settlements on water hexes


What is the timing of building and paying debt? To reiterate on previous questions (1, 2), the general timing goes like so:

Players decide which card to play.
Players decide how to play that card (build, discard, wonder).
Players decide how to pay building costs (who to buy from), and then announce/reveal their play.
Players complete the action and resolve building effects.

In the Cities expansion, there are building effects that cause debt, forcing other players to pay money or take negative VP tokens.

Let's assume that an opponent will play a debt 2 building this turn, and I start the turn with no money. Also assume that I know this will happen (from passing them the card and them playing a black card strategy). What happens in the following situations?

My neighbour pays me 2 coins to build the debt building. From the turn timing, it seems clear that I can pay the debt, since building costs are paid before their effects (I've included this for completeness).
I build a yellow card that gives me enough coins to pay the debt. Since the money gain and the debt happen at the same time, can I pay with the income?
I discard a card to get enough coins to pay the debt. Does money from discarding come in in step 4 (above), or earlier (step 2 or 3)? If it's earlier, it seems clear I should be able to pay, but if it's 4 (or after) then it's similar to the second case above.

According to the cities rulebook, p. 4:

  Important: Monetary losses are always resolved at the end of a turn, after players have played their cards, possibly having paid for trade and/or obtained money...

Therefore, for all your examples, you do have enough money to pay the debt. Monetary losses is the last effect to resolve itself, even following the "take a card from the discard pile" ability of Halikarnassós.


In the game betrayal at house on the hill. What are all the ways to stun the zombie lord? I'm playing betrayal at house on the hill and I had a discussion with my friend. The only way to damage the zombie lord is when a player has the medallion. However, when players do not have the medallion their damage does no harm because the zombie lord is a monster and it should therefore only stun the zombie lord, correct?

I assume you're talking about Haunt 21, House of the Living Dead.
Rather than parse if "can be harmed only by" means the Zombie Lord can or can't be stunned, just look at the Survivor's Guide:

The attacks of heroes who are not carrying the Medallion have no effect on the Zombie Lord (they do not even stun it).

The base rules also say

Even if a haunt says to do something other than stun monsters when they take damage, they can still be stunned by effects that specifically stun monsters.

So, if there was an item that has the specific effect of stunning monsters that could stun the Zombie Lord if you attacked it without the Medallion. I haven't looked through all the items to find which, if any, that might be but I presume there are some since they included that clarification.
So if the hero posesses:

No special items - attacks have no effect on the Zombie Lord
Medallion - damage/kill the Zombie Lord
Items that specifically stuns monsters & is not the Medallion - Zombie Lord is stunned.


Why should a player reveal his victory points if someone else wins? In the base Catan rule book it says 'keep victory points cards hidden until you have 10 points in your turn and you can declare victory. (You should also reveal them if someone else wins.)

Why should a player reveal his victory points if someone else wins?

Can you please clarify what this means?

You should reveal everything when the game ends so that

You know who came second
You know all the bits end up back in the box
You know someone hasn't made a mistake and failed to claim victory.

The rules state.

  If you have 10 or more victory points during your turn the game ends and you are the winner.

Which can be interpreted to mean you don't have to 'say' you have won and people can keep rolling and building, but you are already the winner.

Though this is controversial. And Here, and here.


MTG Trapjaw Tyrant vs Butcher of Malakir and tokens I have a question about interaction between Trapjaw Tyrant's enrage ability and Butcher of Malakir's sacrifice ability. I was playing a multiplayer EDH game with friends and one of them had the Butcher of Malakir out and the other had the Trapjaw Tyrant. A spell was cast that dealt 3 damage to all creatures. Damage is dealt to the Trapjaw activating enrage, and tokens die triggering butcher's ability.
My thoughts were this:

The active player is the owner of the Trapjaw. On the stack, he chooses to exile the Butcher of Malakir. My thought was that he chooses the Butcher, then priority is passed to the owner of the Butcher of Malakir, his ability triggers and is put on the stack. As things resolve, everyone has to sacrifice due to the Butcher of Malakir, then the butcher is exiled under Trapjaw's enrage.

The active player thought that he can exile the Butcher prevent his ability to go on the stack so that he would not have to sacrifice from killing the tokens. We got into a debate and I became unsure about how everything resolved after that and wanted to clarify who was correct?

The description you wrote is very similar to what happens, but there are some minor differences. Here's the actual exact sequence of events, starting with the spell.

The spell resolves, dealing 3 damage to each creature. The Trapjaw Tyrant's triggered ability triggers.
State-based actions are evaluated. Each creature that was dealt lethal damage dies. The Butcher of Malakir's ability triggers for each other creature its controller controls that dies this way.
All of the triggered abilities that triggered this way are put on the stack, starting with the active player's triggered abilities. Targets for these abilities are chosen at this time.
The active player gains priority for the first time in this process, and players can start responding to the abilities or allowing them to resolve.

The end result is that all of the abilities trigger and resolve, creatures need to be sacrificed to the Butcher's ability, and in the end, the Butcher will be exiled by the Trapjaw Tyrant.

There are a couple of caveats to be aware of here:

If the active player sacrifice Trapjaw Tyrant to Butcher of Malakir's ability before the Tyrant's ability resolves, the Butcher will not be exiled at all because the "until Trapjaw Tyrant leaves the battlefield" period has already ended.
Other than that, the outcome isn't much affected by who is the active player, or which ability is on top of the stack. Once abilities go on the stack, they exist independent of their source. So even if the Butcher is exiled while its abilities are still on the stack, those abilities will still resolve, and still force players to sacrifice creatures.


Playing Hidden Predators after an opponent already controls a large creature What if my opponent ALREADY has a creature with power 4 or greater in play when I play Hidden Predators?

Hidden Predators has what is called a 'state trigger', this means that it looks for a specific thing to be true and then it triggers. So if your opponent already controls a creature with power 4+ when Hidden Predators enters the battlefield it will see that the game state it is looking for is true and trigger. Hidden Predators will then become a creature when the ability resolves.

  603.8. Some triggered abilities trigger when a game state (such as a player controlling no permanents of a particular card type) is true, rather than triggering when an event occurs. These abilities trigger as soon as the game state matches the condition. They’ll go onto the stack at the next available opportunity. These are called state triggers. [...] A state-triggered ability doesn’t trigger again until the ability has resolved, has been countered, or has otherwise left the stack. Then, if the object with the ability is still in the same zone and the game state still matches its trigger condition, the ability will trigger again.


Which player is responsible for completing a pawn promotion in tournament-level chess? Given that players want to conserve their clock time, which player is responsible for placing a pawn-promoted piece on the board, is it the pawn-promoter or the opponent? Related: is there a rule about where captured pieces must be placed during the game?

From the official laws of chess:

  3.7.5.1 When a player, having the move, plays a pawn to the rank furthest from its starting position, he must exchange that pawn as part of the same move for a new queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour on the intended square of arrival. This is called the square of ‘promotion’.

(emphasis mine)

Of captures, nothing is said apart from

  3.1.1 If a piece moves to a square occupied by an opponent’s piece the latter is captured and removed from the chessboard as part of the same move.

In practice, any place on the table where it does not hinder either player is fine, e.g. you shouldn't put them in front of or even on the clock.


Life gain against fatal spell damage I was recently in the following situation. I had an untapped sunscorch regent and 5 life. It was my opponents turn and he cast Beacon of destruction.

Would I have died or would I have 1 life remaining.

You would have 1 life remaining. Action order:

Opponent casts Beacon of Destruction, it goes on stack.
Sunscorch Regent triggers, it goes on stack.

If both players pass, the stack starts resolving top to bottom. First you gain 1 life and put a counter on Regent. You now have 6 life. Next, Beacon resolves, you are dealt 5 damage and now have 1 life.


Does Zada, Hedron Grinder work with Soul's Fire and other similar instants? Does Zada, Hedron Grinder work with

Fall of the Hammer
Soul's Fire
or Tail Slash?

Would it spread to the other creatures? Does Soul's Fire's ability to target a player change this?

No, it would not.

Zada:

  Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell that targets only Zada, Hedron Grinder, copy that spell for each other creature you control that the spell could target. Each copy targets a different one of those creatures.

Fall of the Hammer:

  Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature.

Since there are two instances of the word "target" (and Zada can't be both), Zada is not the only target.

I suppose Soul's Fire could target Zada herself, so each creature you control would deal damage to itself


How should my strategy change in an MTG Draft based on the number of players? I am curious as to how the number of players in a draft should affect my strategy and deck-building tactics. With fewer people, there will obviously be fewer card choices, so building a good mono-colored deck will be more difficult with four people as compared to with eight. How do you change your thinking to accommodate differences in the number of players? What number of people tends to make for the best draft play? Are drafts ever done with extreme numbers, like 4 or 9 players?

The traditional number is, of course, 8 players. This is the only pod size used in high-level tournaments as far as I know, but for something more casual like FNM, it's not uncommon to hold drafts with 6 to 10 players. Personally I've participated in (non-sanctioned) drafts with 4 players and with 9 players.

Perhaps surprisingly, the difference in the size of the card pool isn't that significant. Keep in mind that even though you'll have fewer (or more) cards to choose from, there are also fewer (or more) people to choose them. As long as you draft with 3 packs (42 or 45 cards) per person, those two effects balance each other out. It is an imperfect balance, though. Your decks tend to be a bit looser in a smaller pod, in the sense that if you're drafting a very specific archetype (perhaps one that relies on a specific card), you probably won't see enough of the cards that archetype needs to build the deck as focused as you would in an 8-player draft. You'll have to branch out and incorporate some cards that are less relevant to the deck you're trying to build, or perhaps combine two or more specific archetypes. Taking Innistrad draft as an example, instead of drafting a self-mill recursion deck as you might in an 8-player pod, if you're in a 4-player pod you might have to draft blue fatties, only some of which will be relevant to the recursion theme. Inexperienced drafters tend to just draft broad color-based strategies anyway, so they will likely not be affected much by the change in the pod size.

A much more noticeable difference, in my opinion, is that as the pod size shrinks, there are fewer people intervening between your first and second picks from a given pack, and so your chances of tabling your second or third choice card from the pack goes way up. As long as your archetype of choice is sufficiently broad, it's actually easier to make a consistent deck in a small draft pod. If you think about it, with 5 colors and 4 or 5 players, there's a decent chance that the colors will sort themselves out 1 per player.

Conversely, as the pod size grows, your chances of tabling any given card in a pack goes down. In fact, if you go up to 9 drafters, there will be 3 whole packs which you only see once. With 10 drafters, there will be 5 packs you only see once, and so on. This phenomenon reduces your ability to communicate with the rest of the table through your picks, and so you're less likely to get cards that fit into your strategy late in the draft. You should still be able to make a fairly focused deck because of the large card pool, but be prepared to have to fit in some "stragglers," cards that you wouldn't ordinarily want in your deck.

I've heard a lot of people say that pods with an odd number of drafters (like 7 or 9) are undesirable. I'm not sure why that is, though. The effects I've discussed above are minimal for a 7-person or 9-person pod, so the only disadvantage I can think of is that one person has to sit out each round during the games.


Crazy eights use of 8 to keep suit In crazy 8’s can you use an 8 to change the suit of the game to the suit that is currently being played. For example, if the current play is clubs can you you use the 8 of spades and state “clubs”.

There isn't a definitive set of rules. It's a game learned through word of mouth over generations. And house rules are easily added. All this means that not everyone plays by the same rules. Ultimately, the answer comes down to whatever rules the group agreed to use.
What? You didn't agree to a set of rules? ;) Well, the Wikipedia page for Crazy Eights has no variant listed concerning the functioning of eights. It only lists the following rule:

They can also play any 8 at any time, which allows them to declare the suit that the next player is to play; that player must then follow the named suit or play another 8.

And this version of the rules says:

An Eight may be played on any card, and the player of the Eight must nominate a suit.

In both cases, no limit is mentioned concerning the stated suit. Words such as "other" and "change" that would imply a different suit should be picked are conspicuously absent. This means the suit already being played is a valid choice.
This is consistent with how I played.


How much damage do I deal? (How is damage dealt if an attacker gains power as combat damage is being assigned?) My board:

1 Vigor (If damage would be dealt to a creature you control other than Vigor, prevent that damage. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each 1 damage prevented this way.)
1 7/7 creature with Trample (Attacking)

Opponent's board:

1 1/1 creature (Blocking)

I assign 1 damage to the blocker, and the rest of it (6) to my opponent. As our creatures take damage, Vigor's ability triggers and Garruk's Horde gets a +1/+1. How much damage does my opponent take: 6 or 7?

Now to further convolute the question: what happens if the blocker was replaced with an Abuna Acolyte? Knowing that it could tap to prevent the 1 damage that I assign it, must I assign it 2 damage? If I only assigned it 1 damage and it tapped to avoid that damage, would it successfully block me?

You will only deal 6 damage to your opponent.
This is because when determining how combat damage gets dealt the fist thing you do is assign damage based on the power of the creature (in this case 1 gets assigned to the blocking creature and 6 to your opponent), then after you decide how it is assigned it actually gets dealt. The fact that the creature gets bigger at the same time that it is dealing damage doesn't matter since it can only deal the damage it has assigned.

510.1. First, the active player announces how each attacking creature assigns its combat damage, then the defending player announces how each blocking creature assigns its combat damage. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. A player assigns a creature’s combat damage according to the following rules:
510.2. Second, all combat damage that’s been assigned is dealt simultaneously. This turn-based action doesn’t use the stack. No player has the chance to cast spells or activate abilities between the time combat damage is assigned and the time it’s dealt.


Reduce toughness and cast dmg spell - cause of death? Let's say on the board is a creature with toughness 6. I reduce the toughness of this creature by 3 until end of turn. After this spell resolves, I cast a burn spell which does 3 dmg to that creature. Now the creature has 0 toughness and dies but what is the cause of death?
And how does this interact with regeneration? As fair as I understand the rules, if a creatures dies because of 0 toughness it cannot be regenerated because its not lethal damage nor a destruction event that causes death.

If you reduce a creature's toughness from 6 to 3 you just treat it as a creature of toughness 3. So dealing 3 damage to it can be regenerated. The 3 damage does not reduce the toughness to 0. It will still be a creature with toughness 3 with 3 marked damage on it that will usually die but can be saved with regeneration.


Are there any differences between the Ticket to Ride games I should take into account when choosing one? There are many different variants and expansions for the Ticket to Ride series, and I'm curious about the differences. I know the standard version and the Europe version differ only by map, but I'm not so sure about the others.

What are the differences between the different games? What are there strengths and weaknesses? Is the dice expansion worth getting?

Looking for stuff like player #'s, game length, and any other things that change the experience. :D

The original and Europe versions differ HUGELY, it's not just a different board.

The US version is the simplest formulation of the game.  It accommodates up to 5 players, I believe, and it'd be a great one to play with non-boardgame-obsessed family members, including the old and the young.  It's still got a great deal of strategy and depth to it once you know where to look, but it won't turn off anyone who can handle Monopoly, Scrabble or Risk.  (The 1910 expansion adds less unwieldy cards and a few new variants, but keeps things maximally simple and elegant.)

The Europe version is also good for large groups but takes the complexity level up a notch.  Now you have to deal with concepts such as tunnels, ferries and stations, which severely alter the dynamics of collecting cards and claiming routes.  It's a more gamer-y Ticket to Ride which I would probably recommended over the US version to anyone who plays with mostly hardened gamers.  The 1912 expansion offers variants at a similar complexity level.

I haven't played the Marklin (German) edition but I believe it's got extra twists over the US version that probably put it on about a par with the European set.

I have played with the Nordic Countries edition and it's my personal favourite.  The caveat here is: it's only for 2 or 3 players, so don't get it if you need to regularly cater to a larger group!  It is even more complex than Europe, with a lot of exceptions to the normal rules that are pretty hard to grasp on the first play - but it's perfectly balanced and my wife and I come back to it again and again.  The Switzerland game is another 2-3 player outing, and again I haven't actually played this one, but most of what I've seen written about it suggests that most people prefer Nordic Countries.

Hope this helps!


Are my opponents unable to cast spells for the rest of the game if I cast an Epic spell with Hive Mind on the battlefield? I have a question about the interaction between cards with the "Epic" mechanic and Hive Mind.

Since the Epic ability happens on resolution instead of casting, that means if the original spell is copied, those copies will be epic as well.  If I have hive mind out and cast something like Enduring Ideal, my opponents will be forced to copy it as well.

Does this mean that as long as my original cast isn't countered, all my opponents will be stuck with an epic ability and are unable to cast for the rest of the game?

If so, this seems like a powerful combo that could shut down most opponent decks, while you (having expected this outcome) pull a million enchantments out of your deck.

Correct, Hive Mind gives every player a copy of the Epic spell. No player for whom it resolves will be able to play spells for the rest of the game.

Since Hive Mind copies the applicable spells without limitation, these copies of e.g. Enduring Ideal will have the Epic ability and no player for whom it resolves will be able to play any more spells that game.

Only the copies made by the Epic ability itself do not have the Epic ability. Therefore, you could also use any other spell or ability to copy an Epic spell and get that many copies each turn, e.g. through Chandra, the Firebrand


If I flash in Teferi, Time Raveler, can its passive ability counter a spell on the stack? If I play Teferi, Time Raveler at instant speed, by way of, for example, Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage, will Teferi's passive ability counter a spell being played by an opponent at a time when they can not cast sorceries?

The ability in question reads

Each opponent can cast spells only any time they could cast a sorcery.

So if, for example, my opponent casts Vraska's Contempt on Raff during my end phase, and I respond by flashing in Teferi, does the Vraska's Contempt resolve?

My suspicion is that the opponent's spell will, in fact, resolve, because it has already been cast (i.e. is already on the stack) when Teferi resolves and hits the board.  Is this correct?

Your suspicion is correct, Teferi prevents opponent's cards from being cast outside the main phases, but if the opponent's spell is already on the stack, then it has already been cast, and as such Teferi's passive will not have any effect on it. They could not, however, respond to the stack again after Teferi resolves.


When I gain control of a creature, do I also gain control of any auras or equipment attached to it? What would happen if I Portent of Betrayal'd a creature that had been enchanted by a bestow creature and cast a spell to give it protection from the enchantment's color on it to remove the bestowed creature?

For instance:

They have just bestowed a Nighthowler on a Asphodel Wanderer and passes the turn. I use Portent of Betrayal to take control of the Asphodel Wanderer, attack and in the second main I cast Gods Willing to give the Asphodel Wanderer protection from black. Nighthowler detaches and where does it go, my control, opponents control or graveyard?

As an additional question, in the same vein:

What if I destroyed the creature while it was on my side? So change the gods willing to a hero's downfall in the example.

Relevent (under state-based actions):

  704.5n If an Aura is attached to an illegal object or player, or is not attached to an object or player, that Aura is put into its owner's graveyard.

Your opponent controls the Nighthowler.

Control of an enchantment and control of the object it enchants are independent.

Changing control of a permanent doesn't automatically change control of any Auras or Equipment attached to that permanent. Your opponent still controls the Nighthowler, even while you control the creature it enchants. And your opponent will retain control of the Nighthowler if it becomes detached from the creature you've stolen for any reason (e.g. that creature leaves the battlefield or Nighthowler can't enchant it anymore because it gains protection1), because none of the game actions described are changing control of the Nighthowler.

1 - The rules for bestow+protection are a bit poorly worded, but Rules Manager Matt Tabak has confirmed that this is the correct interpretation.


How can I keep track of which outbreaks I've resolved? In a situation where outbreaks chain into other cities, how can I manage cube placement so that I know which cities I've resolved? If I just place the cubes into the city, it's easy to lose track of which cities still need cubes.

I normally place the 4th cube on top of a triangle of the three existing cubes in the infected city. Then, place a cube in all it's neighbours and move the outbreak meter up 1. Move the 4th cube off the stack of three and place it on the board (making a square) to show you've resolved that outbreak. Repeat for any other cities which just received a 4th cube (which is on top of the pile of 3). Once you have finished, remove all the 4th cubes which are on the board.


How do Data Raven and Chum interact? Chum deals 3 damage if the next encountered ICE doesn't have all its subroutines broken. Data Raven gives the runner the option to either take a tag, or end the run when encountered before proceeding to its subroutine.

If the runner takes the option to end the run after encountering the Data Raven, do they still take the 3 net damage?

(This would also apply to a TollBooth the runner couldn't pay 3C towards)

From the FAQ:

Does the Runner take damage if he jacks out after encountering a Chum
and not breaking its subroutine?
No. The Runner has not encountered
another piece of ice, and  so the subroutine on Chum has no effect.

Data Raven's "tag or quit" ability triggers when the runner encounters the ICE, though.  So by that point the runner MUST now break all the subroutines or pay the Chum penalty... jacking out of the run now won't save them.


Can you walk through rooms with aliens? Being in a room with an alien prevents you from walking out, but can you walk through a room with an alien as a 2 room move originating from a room that didn't have an alien?

No you can't as the allowed actions that you can do are not based just on your starting or ending location. As soon as you enter a room with a hostile alien you will be limited to either killing it or using the teleporter to leave that room.

If you look at the action card it only lists kill a hostile alien in your location as an action

English Rules

  Move up top 2 spaces (can do when injured)

  Kill a hostile alien in your location (can do when injured, must do when a hostile alien is present)

  Cary another player 1 space

  Give a skill or tool to another player in your location

  Take a skill or tool from another player in your loctation

If you look at the teleporter card it shows that it can be used remotly, while injured or while a hostile alien is present.


Permanent +1/+1, and −1/−1 until end of turn As I understand things, if my Korozda Gorgon gives −1/−1 counter to a creature that has a +1/+1 counter on it, as a state-based effect the −1/−1 cancels one of the +1/+1 counters.

What happens at the end of turn? Does the −1/−1 “go away” by the creature getting its +1/+1 back, or is that gone forever now that it’s been annihilated by the −1/−1?

Unfortunately, you've misunderstood - there's nothing to cancel here. Korozda Gorgon doesn't hand out any counters.

Only effects that explicitly say "counter", like "remove a +1/+1 counter from..." or "place a -1/-1 counter on..." use counters.

An effect that grants ±X/±Y doesn't involve counters, whether it be until the end of the turn like Korozda Gorgon's "Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn." or Honor of the Pure's "White creatures you control get +1/+1." These effects just modify power/toughness.

So while it's true that -1/-1 counters cancel out with +1/+1 counters as a state-based action, Korozda Gorgon never places a -1/-1 counter on anything, so there's nothing interesting going on here. The +1/+1 counter never goes away, and the creature really does just get -1/-1 until end of turn.

Hypothetically, if Korozda Gorgon said "...put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. At the end of the turn, remove a -1/-1 counter from that creature." and you used it on a creature with a +1/+1 counter, then they'd cancel when the -1/-1 counter is added, and then at the end of the turn there'd be no counter to remove and nothing would happen. But it doesn't say that, and cards generally won't. Counters are used when the effect is meant to last: you put the counter on the creature and it stays there as a probably-permanent reminder of the effect. Nothing ever says "put a -1/-1 counter on target creature until end of turn"; it'll always say "target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn" like Korozda Gorgon does.

Thanks to Kevin in the comments, there are a couple cards that do this: Bounty of the Hunt and Shambling Swarm. They're definitely the exception though. I suspect if they were printed today they would not use counters; the text is a lot longer, the unfamiliarity makes it even harder to read, and it doesn't even cause very much functional difference. And Kevin helpfully pointed out an example: Seeds of Strength avoids using counters.


How do you counter a fuse card? If your opponent plays a card with the fuse special rule and opts to play both sides you get a chance to respond.

If you're holding a counterspell do you dispel one or both spells of the fuse?

It is actual still one spell so "both spells" is not the correct term. So yes, both halves would be countered.

Here the full rules of Fuse:

  702.101 a Fuse is a static ability found on some split cards (see rule 708, “Split Cards”) that applies while the card with fuse is in a player’s hand. If a player casts a split card with fuse from his or her hand, the player may choose to cast both halves of that split card. This choice is made before putting the split card with fuse onto the stack. The resulting spell is a fused split spell.

  702.101b A fused split spell has two sets of characteristics and one converted mana cost. The converted mana cost of the spell is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its two mana costs, regardless of color.

  702.101c The total cost of a fused split spell includes the mana cost of each half. (See rule 601.2e.)

  702.101d As a fused split spell resolves, the controller of the spell follows the instructions of the left half and then follows the
  instructions of the right half.


Does a heroic trigger still resolve if the heroic creature is gone? Having read When does Heroic trigger? I think the answer is yes, but I'd just like to double check:

I have Akroan Crusader and I cast Nyxborn Rollicker for its bestow cost so my stack looks like (LIFO):

heroic trigger (token creature)
Rollicker

My opponent then casts Disperse on my crusader:

Disperse targeting crusader
heroic trigger (token creature)
Rollicker

That's the final play, so after the stack resolves the creatures I should have are a 1/1 red soldier with haste (token) and a Nyxborn Rollicker. Is that correct?

Yes. Abilities still resolve if the creature that created them is gone*, or cards like Torch Fiend would be a little bit useless. This is because of the following rule:

  112.7a Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability. [...]

So in this case: your Akroan Crusader gets targeted by a spell, and puts a triggered ability on the stack. Even if the Crusader goes away, the ability still resolves. Then your Nyxborn Rollicker enters the battlefield as a creature instead, since its target is gone.

* Other stuff can make it fail to resolve, such as if the ability has targets and all its targets are now illegal - see rule 608.2b. But the originating creature dying won't do anything to prevent the ability from resolving.


Do you have to buy the books to get the 40k model rules? The 8th edition of warhammer 40k was recently released and every model now has new rules.

In Age of Sigmar you can access models' rules for free either via the app or on the Games Workshop site.

Can you do the same with the new 40k or do you need to buy the new books?

Some packages are/will be released with 'data cards' which will give you the unit stats, and presumably the app will follow the same format as the AoS one.

You will still need the Rulebook, Indexes (in the interim) and Codex (when released) to play, or build your army, in anything more than the most basic manner.


Does Dixit need any modifications to play with 7, 8, 9, and 10 players? I've enjoyed Dixit greatly with groups of 5 and 6, and I'm curious if it needs any rule variations to extend it further. I was thinking perhaps requiring at least 2 players to guess the correct card instead of just 1 when playing with 8 or more people, because otherwise the storyteller can tell a rather unspecific story and still rely on 1 person getting it by guessing.

Does Dixit need any adjustments to play with more than 6 players? If so, which rules would you recommend adding and at what number of players? How would the overall game change when more people were added?

Do not worry about running out of cards to use and having to reshuffle to keep the game going. If you're curious, I actually use Magic: The Gathering cards to play the game, so we have a deck of around 250 cards, which is more than enough.

Dixit Odyssey has rules for 7+ players.  The suggested scoring system for 7+ players:

Each player has two vote tokens, not just one.  They can split their guess between two cards if they want.
If all players correctly identify the storyteller's card, or none do, everyone except the storyteller receives two points each.
Otherwise, the storyteller receives three points and so does anyone else who correctly identifies the storyteller's card.  If they only used one of their two votes, they receive a bonus point.
For each other card, the person who played it gets a bonus point (to a maximum of three) for each player who voted for it.

The game ends when the first player reaches 30 points.  Calculate the rest of the scoring for the round (in case someone overtakes), and then the winner of the game is the person with the highest number of points.


Evaluating an opponent in a game you're familiar with? I love playing some of the old Avalon Hill games like PanzerBlitz and Midway (1964 edition) (I have the 1991 edition as well, but haven't played it much).

In PanzerBlitz, there are generally two approaches that work well: the widely-spaced unit approach and the heavy stacks approach. However, picking which method to use seems highly biased on how the other player will operate (ie, you've played against them several times and have gained an understanding of their tactical methods).

Likewise in Midway, there are only a couple viable options for the Japanese player - come on full strength, or spread way out and converge from multiple angles from their entry side.

Many other games follow in these two examples' footsteps: what is the best way to gain an understanding of a particular opponent before playing a game with them? Or, asked another way, how can you quickly change your playing methodology based on your opponent?

Reading people like this is something that takes years of practice and experience.  there are no easy answers.  However, to get you started, here's something:

One common personality trait that distinguishes people, fairly 50/50, is risk-aversion.

In such a game as you describe, ask yourself which of two strategies is more based on chance.

More risk averse people will choose a strategy that minimizes chance (variance), even at the expense of overall win percentage.  For example, in a dice game, a certain strategy might win only 40% of the time, but the decision of win/lose is more based on a player's positioning than the rolls of the dice.  Likewise, the 60% winning strategy can lose spectacularly, if lady luck isn't on the gambler's side.

In such a situation, a risk-averse personality will choose the 40% strategy more often because in the case of a win or lose, they can 'blame' themselves instead of luck, and a win feels more sweet, and a loss doesn't feel uncontrolled.

Determining risk-aversion is fairly simple before the game starts.  Everything from dress to occupation to speech patterns can betray one's temperament.  Salesmen tend to be gamblers, accountants risk-averse.  Suits: risk-averse. Flashy or colorful clothes: gamblers.  Tentative soft speakers: risk averse.  Loud, fast, highly social speakers, gamblers.

Enjoy!


Copying an Aura with Mirage Mirror I know the rules for what happens when an aura that wasn't cast enters the battlefield - that aura's controller chooses something to enchant with it, and this doesn't target that something.

However, I'm confused as to what would happen if I had, for instance, a Market Festival enchanting my Forest, and then copied that Market Festival with my Mirage Mirror.

My first thought is that it would instantly fizzle with nothing to enchant since it's not entering the battlefield, and whatever a permanent is enchanting is not a copiable value of an object. Or, am I wrong in that I would get to pick a different land and enchant that with the Mirage Mirror copy? Some clarity would be greatly appreciated!

Your Mirage Mirror will go to your graveyard.

This is covered in the rulings on Mirage Mirror's Gatherer page:

  If Mirage Mirror becomes a copy of an Aura, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard unless it’s somehow attached to an appropriate object or player already. If it becomes a copy of an Equipment and is attached to a creature, it’ll become unattached when it becomes a non-Equipment artifact again.

Which is a natural consequence of the following rule (emphasis mine):

  704.5m: If an Aura is attached to an illegal object or player, or is not attached to an object or player, that Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard.

In order for the Mirage Mirror to not be moved to the graveyard you would first need to attach it to the land some other way. If you can find a way to attach Mirage Mirror to the land first, and then copy the Market Festival, the Mirage Mirror will stay attached and not go to your graveyard.


How to make sure a player will not draw their own character card as target? In my current design each player needs to kill an other player assigned to them. They have a character card and a target card which shows which character they have to eliminate to get points. Both the identities and the targets are hidden. The players get clues about their target during gameplay.

My problem is I don't know how to make sure during the setup of the game that no one gets themself as target (that is the identitiy and target cards show the same character). Reshuffling every time when someone realizes they got themself would be lame. Especially that in case of n player this is expected to happen in every nth game.

An idea I got is to shuffle the same id and target cards together, then take the first id card (face down) and put it into an other pair, then the original character card of that pair is taken to another pair, etc. until all pairs are done. Finally shuffle them again and give them to the players. This seems a bit long (and maybe overcomplicated?) to me.

A mobile application would be an easy way to solve this problem, but I would rather not force the players to use their phones to play this game.

Is there any better way? Is there maybe any existing game which had a similiar mechanic?

A game with a similar mechanic is Lifeboat. In that game normally you get points if your target dies, but if your target is yourself then instead you are a "psychopath" and get points for anyone who dies (but fewer points in other ways).

One solution for your setup could be to put both player ID and target on a single card: "You are player 1; kill player 2", "You are player 2; kill player 3", through "You are player n; kill player 1".


Will Hallowed Moonlight exile creatures from Starfield of Nyx A continuous effect that changes enchantments to creatures (Starfield of Nyx) is on the battlefield and the effect is active.

During my upkeep, I target an enchantment to return.
In response, my opponent casts Hallowed Moonlight which creates a replacement effect that only affects creatures entering the battlefield.

I know that enchantments that enter the battlefield do trigger creature ETB triggers.

But, since the replacement effect occurs before it would enter the battlefield, is the enchantment exiled (aside from the "may" clause in Starfield)?

This has changed as of the Ixalan rules update. Under the current rules, Hallowed Moonlight will exile any Enchantment that Starfield of Nyx would put onto the battlefield if its type changing effect is active

The original ruling from the Ask a Magic Judge tumblr, quoted below, appears to be based directly on rule 614.12. The new text of that rule says

  Some replacement effects modify how a permanent enters the battlefield. (See rules 614.1c–d.) Such effects may come from the permanent itself if they affect only that permanent (as opposed to a general subset of permanents that includes it). They may also come from other sources. To determine which replacement effects apply and how they apply, check the characteristics of the permanent as it would exist on the battlefield, taking into account replacement effects that have already modified how it enters the battlefield (see rule 616.1), continuous effects from the permanent’s own static abilities that would apply to it once it’s on the battlefield, and continuous effects that already exist and would apply to the permanent.

Under the new rules, the Starfield's continuous effect that makes the enchantment a creature is taken into account while applying replacement effects that affect an object that would enter the battlefield, so Hallowed Moonlight's effect applies and the enchantment is exiled.

Old Answer (now incorrect)

Assuming that the enchantment is not printed as a creature, Hallowed Moonlight will not exile it.

The Ask a Magic Judge tumblr already has a post covering this exact situation. To explain the reasoning, it says (emphasis added)

  When we determine whether or not to apply a certain replacement effect, like Hallowed Moonlight’s, to an object that would enter the battlefield, we only look at that object’s own abilities and characteristics and not other effects that would change the abilities or characteristics of the object once it’s on the battlefield. Since a normal enchantment isn’t going to generally enter the battlefield as a creature, Hallowed Moonlight’s effect isn’t applied here.


Where can I find the offical rules to the Dominion promo cards I have the Black Market, Envoy, Walled Village, Governor, and Stash promotional cards for Dominion. They didn't come with any rules. Where can I get the official rules from Rio Grande Games?

http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Promo. This page links to all promo cards, each page quotes the official FAQs. Note that there are no special "rules" associated with the promo cards, in general what you need to know to play them is on the card text. But there are official FAQs/clarifications, like there are for every card. They should have come on a sheet with the cards themselves.


Can you use sandbags as your discard when you have more than 5 cards? I have 4 cards, take my turn, then draw two cards with one of them being sandbags. I must now discard a card to be at 5. Can I use the sandbag card instead of discarding even though I have 6 cards in hand?

Yes.  Page 6 of the rules states

  Note: You may use the power of a Special Action card if you are
  forced to discard it.


What happens if I target Zada, Hedron Grinder with a spell and then donate it to an opponent? What happens when I target Zada, Hedron Grinder (say with a Traitor's Roar or Threaten, but not both), then before the ability resolves (creating the copies), donate (using say Bazaar Trader) to an opponent?  Does the ability resolve?

If it does, since it's under an opponent's control when it does, are the copies made for their creatures or mine?

And who owns the copies since the Zada is under an opponents control?

Assuming Zada does resolve and depending on the answers above I understand one of the following would apply:

If I control the spell copies, but the spells target the opponents creatures, then this is the most useful as Threaten and Traitor's Roar (or any burn or kill spell) would operate as intended.
If the spell copies are the opponents (because the copies were generated by the newly acquired opponent's Zada), and the spell targets the opponents creatures, then Threaten really only temporarily gets me Zada back.  Still, Traitor's Roar (or destroy/burn spells) would still function as intended.
If I control the spell copies and the spells target my creatures then I would temporarily get Zada back and Traitor's Roar would hurt me.
If the spell copies are the opponents, but target my creatures, then the oponent would temporarily gain control of my creatures (except for Zada, which would come to me).  And Traitor's Roar would hurt me.

If any of these assumptions are wrong, please clarify how it would work.  (I'm basically trying to get effects to target an opponents creatures, similar to how the Ink-Treader Nephillim would, but keep it mono color.  Or if I temporarily give my creatures to an opponent, then I think I could have some fun with that too.)

Zada's ability will still resolve, and you will still be the controller of that ability, so donating Zada will not make any difference.

  112.8. The controller of an activated ability on the stack is the player who activated it. The controller of a triggered ability on the stack (other than a delayed triggered ability) is the player who controlled the ability’s source when it triggered

Emphasis mine. Zada's ability triggers as soon as you finish casting Traitor's Roar. It then goes on the stack, as an ability controlled by you, before you get a chance to respond with something like Bazaar Trader's ability.

If you did respond with Bazaar Trader's ability, then after that resolves, Zada's ability would still resolve like normal, and you would still be the one affected by it. You would be the controller of the copies of the spell, and they would target your creatures.

  111.2. A spell’s owner is the same as the owner of the card that represents it, unless it’s a copy. In that case, the owner of the spell is the player under whose control it was put on the stack. A spell’s controller is, by default, the player who put it on the stack. Every spell has a controller.


What is e3 Feedback Implants good for? Whenever you break a subroutine on a piece of ice, you may pay 1 cred to break 1 additional subroutine on that ice.

When would I need this card? With most icebreakers, it's 1 cred to break a subroutine.

As of right now, there are two situations in which E3 feedback implants are useful.

The first is that it isn't always 1 cred to break a subroutine. Aurora, Peacock, Battering Ram, and Wyrm all cost more than 1 cred to break a subroutine. Two of these (Aurora & Peacock) are the same faction as E3 feedback implants. So it's feasible that you'd save a little bit of money over time.

The second use is against bioroid ice. Bioroid ice subroutines can be broken by spending a click. So with E3 feedback implants any bioroid ice can be bypassed by paying 1 click + 1 cred/remaining subroutine. Which makes things like Janus only cost 1 click + 3 creds.

If there are things added in the future that allow breaking subroutines via non-icebreaker methods, E3 implants would also be useful in those situations.

EDIT:
There was discussion about whether or not E3 feedback implants could be used as the triggering condition for itself, so here's a link to a thread on BoardGameGeek where this got answered. (It does trigger itself)
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/910289/e3-feedback-implant-official-answer


Do I still get to draw cards if I can't sacrifice Soul Ransom when its ability resolves? Soul Ransom has an interesting ability:

  Discard two cards: Soul Ransom's controller sacrifices it, then draws two cards. Only any opponent may activate this ability.

I'm aware that the normal procedure for resolving abilities is "do as much as you can." The use of "then" in the card text is confusing me a bit, though.

If Soul Ransom is already in the graveyard when its ability resolves, because the affected creature has been killed by some other means, do I still get to draw two cards?

Scenarios where this matters:

I Soul Ransom a Thragtusk. At the end of my turn, my opponent discards two cards to activate Soul Ransom's ability. I have a Devour Flesh in hand, so it'd be real nice to give myself some life and a Beast token instead of just returning the Thragtusk. If I Devour-Flesh the Thragtusk in response, Soul Ransom will end up in my graveyard by the time its ability resolves. Will I still get to draw cards?
I'm playing a control mirror and my opponent Soul-Ransoms my Angel of Serenity. He only has 10 cards left in his library. Can I Sphinx's Revelation for 12, then put Soul Ransom's ability onto the stack multiple times to force him to draw himself to death? (Even though only the top-most instance will cause Soul Ransom to be sacrificed.)

Yes to all three questions.

  112.7a Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability.

  609.3. If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible.

If the draw was contingent on the sacrifice, the sacrifice would be made part of the cost, or the effect would be "Soul Ransom's controller sacrifices it. If he does, he draws two cards". See Garruk, the Veil-Cursed's second ability for an example of this.


Battlestar Galactica: what is the most critical resource? In the Battlestar Galactica basic game, what is the most critical resource between Fuel, Food, Morale and Population?

Does it change with the 6-player FFG optional rule where humans start with 8 Fuel, 7 Food, 9 Morale and 10 Population?

As with most games, it depends. It would most likely shift some using the variant rule as well, but it isn't clear to me exactly which way. You lose the game if any resource hits 0, but depending upon different game states, different resources may be more important than others. For example, if you are already at 8 distance, you can probably safely allow Fuel to be reduced to 1 rather than Morale which comes up more often on the Crisis cards. If your President is a cylon on the other hand, they most likely won't be giving Inspirational Speeches to improve your morale (even worse, if your Admiral is a cylon too). Which characters are being played in the game, and which (if any) are cylons probably has the biggest effect on the importance of individual resources.
Here is an analysis that someone wrote up on BGG.  The major points are:

Fuel: You start with 8, and you need to travel 8. There are 21 destination cards, and most Destination cards allow you to move one, at the cost of one fuel. You need to save/gain fuel at some point. One third of the cards allow you to move 2, but only cost 1 fuel. Of the 70 Crisis cards, 10 can cost you fuel, but in half of those the Admiral is given a choice of losing other resources instead. If the Admiral isn't a cylon, it is unlikely you will run out of fuel.
Food: You start with 8. Food is a volatile resource. Food Shortage shows up 9 times in the crisis deck, and the President has the option of throwing away cards or losing food. On 6 other skill check cards, if you fail to pass you lose food, these vary in color. Food is one of the few resources where it is possible to lose two steps in a single turn. If the President isn't a cylon, it is unlikely you will run out of food.
Morale: You start with 10. Morale is very skill check dependent, and in 19 of the 70 cards it is possible to lose morale. Most checks are Green and Yellow. Most of the skill check are pretty easy to pass. In 9 of the cards, the Admiral has a choice of losing Morale or other resources. The president can give Inspirational Speeches to raise morale (4 of 17 Quorum cards). Horde Yellow and Green cards to avoid losing Morale, and pray your Admiral isn't a cylon.
Population You start with 12. Most civilian ships have 1 population. 12 Skill checks have the potential of losing population, but 4 of those give you a choice, leaving only 8 must pass skill checks. The checks are usually very hard to pass, and usually require tactics. If you defend your civilian ships, you can use the FTL early, and lose 5 skill checks, and still not lose due to 0 population. If you don't lose civilian ships to cylon attacks, you can jump early and avoid more Crisis cards.

You also might want to check out a rather detailed distribution of the cards in Battlestar Galactica.


Betrayal at house on the Hill: Widow's Walk - Blueprint item The Blueprint item from the expansion Widow's Walk states that you can move between rooms with dumbwaiters. Does this mean you can move between any room with a dumbwaiter even on a different floor? If so that makes several haunts unplayable if the Traitor has it.

You might be missing the dumbwaiter icons in general allow anyone to move to different floors; that is their primary purpose.

  Some room tiles include an elevator-like symbol on them, in addition to any Item, Event, or Omen symbol they might have. This symbol signifies that the room has access to a dumbwaiter, which players may use to move to a Landing one floor up or down. It costs 1 space of movement to use a dumbwaiter, plus 1 space to move onto the Landing.

So while it costs an extra movement, you do not need the blueprint item to make use of the dumbwaiters.

What the blueprint allows is to move from one dumbwaiter icon to another as a movement, as opposed to the normal use which requires you to move to the landing of a floor 1 below or 1 above where you are. So yes, the blueprint makes the dumbwaiters better, but it does not give them the ability to move to a different floor; that already was part of the dumbwaiter rules.


What Dominion Cards use victory tokens? I'm aware of three cards in Dominion: Prosperity that use victory tokens and have seen some in Dominion Empires as well. In a definitive list, what cards utilize victory tokens?

Yes there is, at The Dominion Strategy Wiki.

Cards:
Chariot Race, Farmers' Market, Bishop, Crumbling Castle, Monument, Sacrifice, Temple, Emporium, Groundskeeper, Plunder, Wild Hunt, Goons, Grand Castle

Events:
Conquest, Wedding, Triumph, Salt the Earth, Ritual, Dominate

Landmarks: Aqueduct, Arena, Basilica, Baths, Battlefield, Colonnade, Defiled Shrine, Labyrinth, Mountain Pass, Tomb


How long is a crewed vehicle a creature Its my turn: I crew a vehicle with a creature meaning it becomes a creature artefact and I attack with it.

Now on the opponents turn my opponent has a enchantment which targets creatures (e.g. -3 to all my creatures). Does my vehicle now count as a creature or just an artefact?

No, the vehicle stops being a creature at the end of your turn.

  702.121a Crew is an activated ability of Vehicle cards. “Crew N” means “Tap any number of untapped creatures you control with total power N
  or greater: This permanent becomes an artifact creature until end of
  turn.”

This is reflected in the reminder text most Vehicle cards have beside their Crew ability.

If you activate the Crew ability again on your opponent's turn, it will again become a creature and potentially be affected by the enchantment.

Source


MTG Commander Clarification on Triggered Abilities I’m playing a 4 person game, and I’m in position #1.   I cast: “Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse” with the activated ability that states:  “whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a 2/2 green Cat creature token.
I do nothing else and pass my turn.
Player #2, 3, or 4 plays “Burning Inquiry” during their main phase which states: “each player draws 3 cards, then discards 3 cards at random”.
Does my Jolrael “cat token” effect trigger if “Burning Inquiry” resolves?
Or must the second drawn card occur before my End Step?

Yes, you get to create a Cat token.
Note that the ability is a triggered ability, not an activated ability. This is an important distinction.

Handling Triggered Abilities

603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as “[When/Whenever/At] [trigger condition or event], [effect]. [Instructions (if any).]”

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

603.3. Once an ability has triggered, its controller puts it on the stack as an object that’s not a card the next time a player would receive priority.

So with a triggered ability; any time the condition is met; the ability will trigger. It doesn't matter how long ago you cast Jolrael, or how many times it has triggered before. It only matters that Jolrael is on the battlefield under your control at the time that you are drawing your second card on a turn.
The trigger condition refers to "each turn", which means that it can be on any turn, not only on your own turn. If players 2, 3, and 4 each cast a Burning Inquiry on their turn; then you would end up creating 3 Cat tokens, one on each of their turns.


How many times can you activate an ignition effect per turn in yu-gi-oh? I tried reading the rule book and it didn't say if there was a limit how many times you could do it. I assume there must be. Given a monster with an ignition effect, how many times can I activate it per turn?

Given a monster with an ignition effect, how many times can I activate it per turn?

Short answer is each card or monster will specify the number of times that you can activate their effects.
Usually this is written in the form of "Once per turn...", or "During your Main phase...". Some may say "twice", some even say "Once per Duel", etc..
In more general terms this is written in the form of:

"[Times it can be activated]+[Conditions needed to activate], [cost for activating]; [the effect]"


Do train stations cause an opponent's route to count towards longest route? In Ticket to Ride Europe a player may use a train station to use an opponent's route to complete a ticket. When a player does this, does the opponent's route count toward the player's longest route? The rules do not seem to explicitly address this issue.

No they don't.  The rules explicitly state it twice.

In longest route scoring it states "Stations, and the opponents’ routes they may provide access to, do not count for the purpose of computing paths and claiming the longest one."

In rules for stations it states "A Train Station allows its owner to use one, and only one, of the routes belonging to another player, into (or out of) that city to help him connect the cities on his Destination Tickets."  So stations are only used to help complete tickets and no other use.