texts: Is it possible for a person to lose "Pirate Islands" Seafarers scenario before the game even starts?

texts:
So here's where my question stems from: In the Pirate Islands scenario, each player starts with 3 settlements on the Eastern Island. A player only wins if:

a) he has captured the Pirate fortress of his color, AND
b) reaches 10 victory points

There are no special victory points in this scenario besides basic expansion (no Longest Road, no Largest Army, and no VP cards from the Development stack since they are used as Knight cards)

Based on the confined locations of the map, it would appear that if you never are able to expand beyond your initial three placement on the eastern island, it will be impossible for you to win.  Thus, the game could be over for someone before it even begins.

For example, in the attached image which simplifies the situation, let's say I'm White. I have been boxed in on the Eastern Island. I have built my maximum 4 Cities, as well as 1 settlement. These 5 locations are the only eligible spots for me to build. There is no way to get extra victory points, thus I will forever be stuck at 9 VP.

Our solution when we've played is that a player is allowed to build roads on the Pirate Fortress island to expand to an additional settlement (marked by the pink outlined question marks on the map)

According to the rules...

A player is only allowed to build ONE shipping route, directly between his initial coastal settlement, and the corresponding pirate fortress. Note that it only says the shipping route may not be extended beyond the Pirate Fortress, not trade route. It doesn't say anything about building roads on the Pirate Fortress island.

In the second screenshot, it could be interpreted that the rules about additional settlements are only referring to the midway pirate island (i.e. I can't build another settlement on the "8 ore" tile)

Am I missing something? Has anyone else encountered this issue?

If you are not allowed to build additional settlements beyond the Pirate Fortress, I would call this scenario flawed. Any scenario where a player can lose before the first roll of the dice needs to be fixed, in my opinion.


texts: Is there a Magic intro deck that focuses on lifestealing?

texts: I just started playing Magic using the Android app, and I really like it.  Now I would like to start playing Magic with real cards as well. In the Android app I chose the deck that focuses on stealing enemy life,  and adding it to your own.  Is there any pre-made intro deck for this play style?


texts: War of The Ring (SPI, 1977) In a three player game, can two players actually win at the same time?

texts:
This question is about the old game called 'War of the Ring', released by SPI in 1977, not the later game that shares the same name.  I did not include that tag, which is meant for the other game.
The game can be 2 or 3 players.  In a 2 player game Sauron and Saruman are controlled by the same player, in a three players they are played by separate people.  The rules for victory conditions in the 3 player game are noted below.

Dark Power Player.
To win the game, the Dark Power Player must have the Ring brought to the Barad-Dur hex.
Or he may win a military victory by controlling the citadels of Barad-Dur, Durthang, Minas Morgul, Dol Guldur, Minas Tirith, Dol Amroth, Helms Deep and Isengard, plus the hexes containing Hobbiton and Thranduil's Palace.
Fellowship Player.
The Fellowship player must destroy the Ring to win the game.
Saruman Player.
The Saruman Player must control all existing Nazgul, plus the citadels of Isengard and Helms Deep and the town of Edoras.
Note: that if either Aragorn or Gandalf becomes a semi-ringwraith, the Dark Power Player wins automatically, unless the Saruman player has worn the Ring and is still in existence, in which case the Saruman player wins.
More than one player may win the Three-Player Game, but it is unlikely that this will occur.

This question is about the last line, I saw the question asked on another forum, where no one could figure how it could happen and I don't see it either, but I also don't have a lot of experience with the game (one person guessed it may have been that the rules went through a number of last minute revisions, that this was going to be possible but they removed the method and forgot to remove this line at the same time).
I'm asking in case something was missed that I/they could not see, or if there was some known rule revision that would confirm the other person's guess.


texts: In Axis and Allies, could a house rule upgrading the German navy finally "balance" the 1942 game?

texts:
Because of the historical strength of the Allies, Axis and Allies is somewhat Allies favoring, despite numerous attempts to "balance" the game. I was wondering if curing the Axis' "achilles heel," the German navy, would complete the job.

Props to Scott Mitchell who inspired the "Tirpitz (house) rule":

Subdivide the UK sea zone at the 57th parallel (above Scotland) into the UK sea zone proper (south) and the Norwegian sea (north).
Place a German battleship unit there in the Norwegian Sea (the Tirpitz and the battle cruisers), while giving the UK a SECOND battleship in the new UK sea zone to compensate.
Move the German transport and sub from the Baltic to the Norwegian Sea to prevent "cheap" Allied attacks.

This looks "even" but it's not. Because of the ship synergy (and the first attack advantage) Germany comes out about 12 IPCs better than before, according to my simulations on the AA combat simulator.  Put another way, the "Tirpitz" cancels out not only the second UK battleship, but an additional Allied fighter. Together with the "no Russian first turn attack rule," it seems to erase the "consensus" estimate of a 22 IPC advantage for the Allies.

In his question, Adam Wuerl implied that Germany could use the help in the Mediterranean instead. Could this be the locale for the naval "fix?" Or could Germany be given another submarine somewhere with additional rules for their use?

In the game, the key issues are

whether the Allies can get reinforcements to Russia in time to save it from the Axis
whether Germany can hold onto Africa long enough for the Russians to be defeated. These issues appear to be decided in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Could naval units giving Germany a better shot in these waters (together with the no Russia first attack rule) induce players to finally be willing to play the Axis "straight up"? And could the "Tirpitz rule" (together with a house rule saving German fighters in Finland and the Ukraine) produce this result even if Russia is allowed to attack the first turn?


texts: What is the best way to shuffle a large deck without damaging the cards?

texts:
I'm quite familiar with a few methods of cards, primarily Riffling and Mongean* shuffling. The issue I have with those is that the Riffling shuffle tends to bend cards and wear them out, as well as not working well with a large deck. The Mongean method isn't particularly good at shuffling large decks either.
Unlike this thread I'm not dealing with a well organised deck, but I am dealing with a large deck (80 cards plus).
I've considered cutting the deck in two first, but that then takes twice as long.
What is the best method for shuffling in this case?
*Instead of moving one card at a time, I move a random number.


texts: What happens to Auras and/or Counters on a creature that is targeted by a Cloudshift?

texts: If I cast Cloudshift on a creature with  counters, does it retain its counters or does it loose its counters? What about Auras? Would a creature that was Cloudshifted keep its auras?


texts: How does Talisman 4th Edition compare with earlier versions?

texts:
I played Talisman back in the 1980s - I don't know whether it was the first or second edition. I enjoyed it.

Lots of years later I'm back into board games - particularly Catan, Dominion, Carcasonne.

I see that the latest version of Talisman is a 4th edition.

How does this most recent edition compare with the original game? What has changed?


texts: What is a good way to make Water Effects in Terrain?

texts:
I am working on some Terrain for Warmachine, and I am interested in making some water effects.  What is a good way to go about doing that?

I am planning on using Foam Core as the base of a lake, and some high-density insulation foam as the banks.  What is a good thing to use for the water portion?  I have heard that Woodland Scenics makes a product, but that is hardens as a Gel, and can be easily scarred from models.  Are there other resins that are easy to work with?


texts: Wort, Boggart Auntie and Goblins with Echo

texts:
So, I've got an EDH deck featuring Wort, Boggart Auntie as my General. I really want to exploit her ability for all it's worth, so I've been looking for different goblins that have "Enters the Battlefield" effects and/or sacrifice effects. I can across two with Echo that seem like they'd work really well: Mogg War Marshal and Stingscourger.

Let's say that I cast Mogg War Marshal last turn and that I have Wort in play. During my upkeep, can I decline Mogg War Marshal's Echo cost, sending it to the graveyard and then retrieve it with Wort?


texts:
3 of us were playing with older Rummikub rules where if you want to use a Joker that is on the board, you must replace it with a tile from your rack of the same color and value. One player made this move, replaced the joker and used it elsewhere, and then, during the same turn, removed and reused the tile they had replaced the joker with. We contended that if the Joker has to be replaced, then the replacement tile must be in the Joker's spot at the end of the turn. Which is correct?
For demonstration:
 beginning of turn: Rack = [O1] [O2] [R1] [Blu1] Board = [[J] [R2] [R3] [R4]] [[Blk1] [Blk2] [Blk3] [Blk4]]
 halfway through turn: Rack = [Blu1] Board = [[O1] [O2] [J]] [**[R1]** [R2] [R3] [R4]] [[Blk1] [Blk2] [Blk3] [Blk4]]

 where the **[R1]** replaced the Joker.

 end of turn: Board = [[O1] [O2] [J]] [[R2] [R3] [R4]] [[Blk2] [Blk3] [Blk4]] [**[R1]** [Blu1] [Blk1]]

Certainly in the new rules, the Joker would already be cleared and there would be no issue, but in the Joker replacement rules, it seems that a tile would have to be in the Joker's place at the end of the turn.
Thanks!


texts:
What do I bid when the opening bidder bids my bid?
E.g. bids 1NT and that is what I want to bid and I don't have a 5 card suit.


texts: If someone surrenders can I check their graveyard?

texts:
If someone surrenders because they saw something in their graveyard because of a mill effect, for example a "mill half your deck" effect sends all of the enemy win conditions to the graveyard, am I allowed to see the graveyard if I request it?

Also if I request to see the graveyard can the enemy check the graveyard before me and decide to surrender instead of showing me?


texts: Can you untap an attacking creature to use its ability at the end of declare blockers?

texts:
Looking at this question and this question, it seems like I can activate abilities after blockers are declared (and before damage is assigned).

So if I'm attacking with Scourge of Skola Vale, can I untap it (say with Kiora's Follower) then tap it and sacrifice a creature to pump it with +1/+1 counters, thus doing extra damage?

Would this also work if I'd given it vigilance before declaring the attack?


texts:
We've had a disagreement on how to determine what color card to score when Mannekin Pis A stage 2/3 copies Stonehenge B's stage 2.

Rulebook on Stonehenge:

  Stage 2: At the end of the game, the player flips face-up the card used to build this Stage. Then, the player scores 1 victory point for each card of that color pre-sent in both neighboring cities

Rulebook on Mannekin Pis:

  Stage 3: The player applies the effect of the last Stage of the Wonder board to their left.

Does the Mannekin Pis player use the color of their own tucked card, or the color of card the Stonehenge player tucked?

Our assumption was that it was Mannekin Pis' tucked card. After all, MP does not require the neighbor's stage to have been built, so the other interpretation could lead to a poorly-defined state where there is no card to reference. However, "applies the effect" was vague enough that we weren't completely sure.


texts: Are the Bay of Ice and the Shivering Sea areas connected?

texts: Since Westeros is an island, the seas should continue around the north. Can ships move around the edge of the top of the map, between the Bay of Ice and the Shivering Sea?


texts: Which effects affect both opponents and which only one in Two Headed Giant?

texts: Say, for Cruel Edict I have to choose which one of my opponent's heads sacrifices a creature. But I think that Sudden Disappearance makes all of their permanents go away, not just one person's. Can someone tell me why?


texts: I control Butcher of Malakir and Sakura-Tribe Elder and my opponent controls no creatures. They cast Duplicant targeting my Butcher of Malakir. If I react by sacrificing Sakura-Tribe Elder, does he has to sacrifice Duplicant?


texts: Hungarian card says MINIMUM in the description, but MAXIMUM on the top

texts:
I have a translation problem, I'm playing Terraforming Mars in Hungarian and the following card (original name is probably 'colonizer training station') description at the bottom says you need a MINIMUM of 5% oxygen level, but the symbol on the top says you need a MAXIMUM of 5% oxygen level.

Which one is the correct in the original version?


texts: Are there any rules in Star Realms for when you have no deck?

texts:
I play the Star Realms app (against a not-super-intelligent computer) periodically.

Today, I found an interesting situation. The AI has only Machine Base in play and I am forcing him to discard ~5 cards a turn. This means that the AI is consistently drawing/trashing a card, since apparently it will always use a base.

This means that they will systematically deplete their deck, until they have no more cards.

While in a PVP situation it's unlikely that your opponent would do this, and I could very easily win now, it's amusing to me to consistently gain health and deplete their deck - are there any rules for Star Realms about this situation? Can you buy a scout?


texts: How many cards should be collected using the Mining Progress card?

texts:
The Cities and Knights expansion to Settlers of Catan has two cards that have caused us a bit of disagreement.

Take the Mining Progress card for example.  It says "...collect two ore for each mountain hex adjacent to one of your cities or settlements."  If I only have one settlement and one city and they are both adjacent to the same ore hex, should I collect two cards or four?  If you are to count mountain hex then it should be two, but if you are counting cities/settlements it should be four.

The same questions exists for the Irrigation Progress card.


texts: What is the significance of the coin and gem spaces on the board?

texts: There are spaces with coin and gem icons (most of them have this).  What is the significance of these spaces?  Do I collect one of each of these items as I move through these spaces?  I don't see reference to it in the rules, so a mention of where these rules are would be appreciated.


texts: Does Skirmish apply to both attacking and defending?

texts:
We're a bit confused about the Skirmish ability. The helper text on Quixo the "Adventurer" says the following:

  Skirmish. (When you use this creature to fight, it is dealt no damage in return).

We're confused about when a character is "fighting" for the purposes of this ability. Is that when it is attacking, defending, or both?


texts: Monster equipped with 2 Safe Zone then 1 of them is destroyed

texts:
Q1- If I activated 2 Safe Zone cards on my monster, then if one of them (the 2 Safe Zone cards) is destroyed:

The monster won't be destroyed because it's still protected by the other Safe Zone..?
Or, the monster will be destroyed because the undestroyed Safe Zone's effect protects against opponent's card effects only, while the destroyed Safe Zone is my own card's effect..?

Q2- I activated 2 Safe Zone on my opponent's monster, then one of them (the 2 Safe Zone cards) is destroyed, then all 3 cards are destroyed?


texts: Use of race tokens when conquering new regions

texts: When conquering a new region, do you deploy race tokens from other regions you have already conquered, or do you use your unused race tokens?


texts: Can Dimensional Barrier be used on Link monsters?

texts:
Dimensional Barrier:

  Call one monster type (Ritual, Xyz, Synchro, Pendulum, Fusion) For the rest of this turn neither player can summon that kind of monster. And any monster of that type already on the field have their effects negated.

With the new link format of Yu-Gi-Oh, can this handy trap be used to stop the summoning of link monsters?


texts: Can I buy a district after landing there by taking the train?

texts:
In Monopoly City can I buy a district after landing there taking the train via a station?

Background:
I rolled the dice, went forward and ended up on a district owned by me that includes a train station. I decided to take the train to Diamond Hills which had a train station as well, but was not owned by anyone yet. Can I now purchase Diamond Hills?


texts: How many lands should I have in my sealed or draft decks?

texts:
A standard draft deck has 40 cards in it; a 4-booster sealed deck has 30 cards. How many lands should I put in each of these formats? And why do I need this ratio?

The conventional wisdom that I received for a 60-card constructed deck is to have 20 lands, suggesting that 1/3 of the deck should be land. However, I was also told to include 17 lands in a draft deck, which is higher than 1/3. But a smaller draft deck will have a lower variance (fewer ways to shuffle a deck and get mana-screwed), so shouldn't you be able to get away with fewer lands than the 1/3 ratio?


texts:
I am black and white has expanded more than I thought. It’s almost at tie at this stage but I can’t see how to win.

Can this game still be won?


texts: What is a creature's power when it has some equipment equipped?

texts: I would like to use Rite of Consumption by sacrificing a creature that is using equipment (e.g. that has a +1/+2 bonus). Is the creature's power then increased by the equipment effect, and thus available for the Rite of Consumption?


texts: What is the name of the card game where you have two players and a "board" of cards 4 cards by 13 cards. The cards are face down. Each player takes a turn by either flipping a card (first card flip determines your colour, either black or red) or moving a card horizontally or vertically (up, down, left or right). The object of the game is to conquer the board. Ace can eat the face card (K, Q or J). K can Q, Q can eat J, J can eat 10 and so on. Card of the same rank can be eaten (eg 8 Hearts can eat 8 Spades if 8S is flipped next to 8H and it's red's turn. So it's like chess but with playing cards. I assume this game originated from China, but cannot confirm. Anyone who's played this and knows the name, please let me know so I can search for the app for my phone! Thank you


texts: What rules are used in international events

texts: What rules are used during international events like the recent Samsung Cup?


texts:
We were playing a game of 7 Wonders with the following expansions: Cities, Leaders, Great Projects (comes as part of the Babel expansion).
At the end of a particular round, we ran in to a conflict in regards to how to resolve effects that occur simultaneously.

One player had played a card that forced each player to discard a certain amount of gold (I believe it was related to the number of military victory tokens).

The other player built a stage of his wonder (Halicarnassus B) which allowed him to build a building out of the discard pile.
The building he chose was of the type required by the Great Project. He just needed to pay additional gold to get a participation token.

The conflict was that if he resolved the other players effect first, he wouldn't be able to participate in the great project. If he resolved his effect first, he would just need to take debt tokens.
I went through the rules and couldn't find anything obvious stating how to resolve these kinds of conflicts. Does anyone know how this situation should be handled?


texts:
My understanding is that being attacked by a creature with Annihilator N, which would force me to choose and sacrifice N permanents while have a Sacred Ground on the battlefield means that if I sacrificed lands on resolution those lands would come back onto the battlefield since an opponent controlled the Annihilator ability. (Possibly even providing me with a benefit, due to ETB effects or sacrificing tapped Basic lands to get them back untapped.)

However, I understand that any intervening ability or effects including state based effects would interfere with the Sacred Ground's ability. For instance a Stalking Stones that's turned itself into an Artifact Creature should come back from an opponent's Shatter, but not a Lightning Bolt since the state based action of having enough damage to kill it puts it in the graveyard, not the Lightning Bolt itself.

Are there any intervening effects involved in making a choice of sacrifices, or other effects I've missed, that prevent Sacred Ground from bringing back a land sacrificed to an opponent's creature's Annihilator ability?
Or are there any issues in my interpretation of the abilities in question?

If I gave the opponent's creature the Annihilator ability through Eldrazi Conscription (or copy effects or other contrivance...) does anything change? (Not that I plan to do anything of the sort, just to be comprehensive in my understanding.)


texts:
I'm having issues understanding how a possible turn would go which I'll try to explain best I can.

Say I currently had two Battlewise Hoplites currently on the board. One of them currently has Hardened Scales but the other does not. This would mean that the first which has the enchantment would have two +1/+1 counters currently. The first for its Heroic ability and another due to Hardened Scales.

Now say that I decide that I want to play an additional Hardened Scales to the other Battlewise that isn't enchanted and is still a 2/2? I'm unclear how two Hardened scales on the board at the same time would resolve?

I'm still pretty new to magic so excuse me if I'm using wrong terminology!

Thanks!


texts: What the value of a misprinted Graverobber Spider?

texts: Could anyone give me an idea on on how much a misprint Magic card could sell for? It's a Graverobber Spider, rarity is uncommon.


texts:
Last week we had a bit of a situation in our commander game and we would like to clarify this for future reference.

Our Situation

One of the players attacked with Bruna, Light of Alabaster who gained infect thanks to Corrupted Conscience and had a power over 20. The attacked player responded with Shining Shoal with the X being 10.

Now for the Question

These two players are the last remaining players on the game, as player 1 and 2 have already lost. Does the game end in a draw? Did the Bruna, Light of Alabaster's player win the game? Or does he lose because he obtained 10 poison counters due to Shining Shoal?


texts: When exactly do you get the coin from the map in Civilization?

texts:
The rules are clear about how long can you keep a coin that's on the map

  Coins on the map

  Coins gained from squares on the map – whether from a natural  gold deposit in the mountains or from a building placed in a  square – are only kept as long as the player retains control of the square (i.e., the square is contained in the outskirts of one of the player’s cities or one of the player’s scouts remains in the square to gather from it).

But when do you get them, in which phase? Does it happen in the Trade Phase, like with other resources?


texts:
Question 1

I attack with a Benalish Hero and a Lord of the Pit banded together, and my opponent blocks with 3 10/10's. Can I assign all 30 damage to the hero and have the Lord survive?

Question 2.1

I attack with the Lord and my opponent blocks with a 5/5 and 4 1/1's. I choose to first deal 5 damage to the 5/5, then 1 damage to two of the 1/1's. Can my opponent wait until I've selected this damage assignment to play Heal and save his 5/5?

Question 2.2

If he can not save his 5/5 with heal in Question 2, why would I ever choose to assign more than lethal damage to the first blocker during damage assignment?


texts: In Axis and Allies, When (and How) Would You Adjust Your Opening Strategy?

texts:
Most AA players have a preferred strategy. But not every player gets to go first. Meaning that the later going players may have to adjust their strategies, based on what has gone on before. Or do they?

Germany: If Russia doesn't get to attack on the first turn, you (effectively) go first, and have your choice of Russia, Africa, or both. But suppose Russia gets aggressive (if allowed a first turn attack).  How would that affect your choice of target?

UK: Germany can either go after you (in Africa) or Russia, or both. How, if at all, would those choices affect your opening moves?

Japan: The UK and Russia can go east (India, Sinkiang, Yakut etc.) or west (Africa, Norway). Does this affect your posture vis-a-vis the U.S. in the Pacific?

US: You have your choice of Atlantic or Pacific strategies. Is this choice affected by foregoing moves, caliber of players, or other considerations? Or do you just use an Atlantic "shuck-shuck?"

Russia: You're "last" if you can't attack on the first move. Is Germany or Japan the more dangerous enemy? Under what cirumstances?


texts:
Say you spend 1 boot to walk into a Crystal Cave. Then you buy a card from the Dungeon Deck that has the text at the bottom:

  Acquire: 1 boot

Can you use that to leave the Crystal Cave since Acquire happens immediately?


texts: Can I activate mana abilities even if I don't need the mana?

texts:
Rule 605.3a says:

  A player may activate an activated mana ability whenever he or she has priority, whenever he or she is casting a spell or activating an ability that requires a mana payment, or whenever a rule or effect asks for a mana payment, even if it's in the middle of casting or resolving a spell or activating or resolving an ability.

Do I understand correctly that I can tap Pheres-Band Tromper enchanted with Karametra's Favor for mana in my opponent's end step even if I do not need any of it? If it works I could trigger inspired every turn without the need for attacking. Some years ago, mana burn definitely would have prevented this kind of play.


texts: If I have two things that activate at the beginning of the end step, what happens?

texts:
What happens if I have two cards that have an effect that happens at the beginning of my end step? Which of them activates first, or do they activate at the same time.
I am asking because I am using:

Both of them have an effect that activates at the begining of the end step, but could I exile Obzedat before the Revolt effect activates?


texts: What happens if I charge an enemy unit and it dies before the first close combat after the charge? Suppose they die from my magic phase. Do they get any additional movement or anything?


texts: "Can't attack you unless" in Two-Headed Giant

texts:
How do cards like Ghostly Prison and Propaganda work in 2HG?

More specific, how do you apply the "Can't attack you unless X" to the game. Does it work for both players, i.e. no matter which player you attack you need to pay mana. Or does it only protect the player who controls the effect. In the latter case it would significantly reduce the effectiveness.


texts:
I'm very interested in Shogi, and I have a board I bought from USA (I'm in México).

So of course I'm interested in Shogi tsume (mating problems), eventually I came to hear about Shogi Zukou by Kanju Itou, and Shogi Musou by Soukan Itou III (the third).

However I've come across a bit of a problem, I can't really find any one source for all the problems, at least an English one...

So, is anyone aware of a PDF file (preferable) or some kind of file that has all these problems compiled? Along with their solutions of course. If they could use images or kanji instead of pure text, I would be grateful.


texts: What are the rules updates for Catan in the 5th edition? Are there any?

texts:
Page 6 of the new Seafarers rulebook states:

"A general note on Catan rules. This is the 5th English-language edition of Catan Seafarers. Over the years, the rules have been clarified, refined, and occasionally updated. As of January 1, 2015, all of the rules in this version of Catan take precedence over any previously-published rules."

Is this notice simply a formality for the 5th edition release, or is there actually something that was changed, refined, clarified? (And I ask regarding any of the expansions, not just this one.) Because I can't find what it is.

Also, does anyone know if any of the default map layouts changed?


texts: Could an actual mono black storm (Tendril of agony) deck be viable for Legacy?

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

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


texts: Does Lothíriel effect resolves before Escort from Edoras forced effect?

texts:
Lothíriel allows the player to put in play an ally during the questing phase, after she commits to the quest. That ally is then sent back to the player's hand at the end of the quest phase :

Response: After Lothíriel commits to a quest, choose an ally in your hand. If that ally shares a Trait with her, put that ally into play exhausted and committed to the quest. At the end of the phase, if that ally is still in play, shuffle it into your deck.

A possible ally to use this effect on is "Escort from Edoras", whose forced effect discards him when the quest is resolved :

Forced: After resolving a quest to which Escort from Edoras was committed, discard Escort from Edoras from play.

My question is can Lothíriel effect happen before Escord from Edoras forced effect?


texts: I'm sorting and storing all of my rares and mythics into looseleaf binder pages (the UltraPro platinum 9card) and slapping them into regular office binders. Thing is, I've noticed that the sheets kind of sag if I store the binder upright, if that makes since. Like the bottom ring hole is nice and close the the spine, but the top ring hole (because of the weight of the rest of page) kinda sags away from the spine of the binder, making the whole page crooked? If that makes sense? I'm just wondering if this is ok for storing safely or if the sagging can damage the cards next to the spine.


texts: Can Debt tokens be taken to pay any coin costs?

texts:
According to the Cities rules, players can lose coins and incur debts. The rules mention that a player can either pay coins or take Debt tokens.

Does this allow a player to choose to take Debt tokens in lieu of paying coins in general (for example, if a card has coins in its cost)?

Alternatively, is it only possible to incur debts when a card explicitly requires a player to discard coins?


texts: What are the differences in strategy going first vs going second, vice versa, in Scrabble?

texts:
My initial thoughts: when going first, you have no choice but to open the board, but you get to choose how you want the board to be opened, most likely based on your rack and if you know your opponent's playstyle. When going second, you can choose to either open the board more or close it, but you have less control over how the initial board is opened.
I feel like I might be missing more than just those differences though.


texts: Is there a strategy to choosing the card used to construct a wonder phase?

texts:
When a player is constructing a wonder phase, what strategy is used to pick the card, and is the value of the card used for anything?

I'm assuming that:

The value of the card serves no purpose once being used to construct a wonder phase
The action of constructing a wonder is similar to discarding, except:
a. the player receives the benefits of the wonder phase instead of 3 coins, and
b. the card does not have the possibility of being reused later vs. those in the discard pile
Due to 2b, the player should pick a card that they don't want to and/or can't use themselves, and also don't want other players to be able to benefit from (I believe the instructions state something to this effect).

Are these assumptions correct, and/or are there other considerations I'm leaving out?


texts: Does Forbidden Island usually need any rule variants for playing with 5+ people?

texts:
I don't see any reason why Forbidden Island wouldn't be able to handle 5 or maybe even 6 players with some simple variants. Does anyone have any experience with different player numbers with some wisdom to pass on?

It would be slightly harder to gather the required 4 treasure cards at one person, but there would be more people total to trade with. The island would sink faster and it would take longer for a certain critical player to have their turn, even though the navigator and helicopter can move anyone. How can these disadvantages be offset to keep the game strong and sufficiently difficult?


texts: If I control a Panharmonicon, I can have more cards imprinted on an artifact than was intended. For most cases, it seems that you would just select one card from the exiled cards (for example, Isochron Scepter. What if I have a Prototype Portal with a 2 drop and a 4 drop? What is the cost to activate the ability? Could I pay 2, then get a copy of the 4 drop?


texts: Cribbage score for hand of 6,7,7,8, plus a 6 cut card

texts: What is the total count for 6, 7 7 8 with a 6 cut card


texts: Can a properly summoned monster, that was returned to the hand, be discarded to the graveyard and special summoned from there?

texts:
Let's say for example I summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning properly, by banishing one light and one dark monster from my graveyard.

Then, my opponent uses Compulsory Evacuation Device to return Envoy of the Beginning to my hand.

Can I then send Envoy of the Beginning to the Graveyard (by discarding it) and special summon it from the graveyard? Given that I already summoned it properly before. I'm not sure if returning it to the hand would make it considered not summoned properly.

This is just an example. I would have the same question regarding a ritual monster or an extra deck monster:

If they are summoned properly and then returned to the hand or extra deck. If I send them directly from the hand or extra deck to the graveyard after summoning them properly in a previous turn, can they be special summoned from the graveyard?


texts: Why was the banding ability 'removed' from MTG? What was so complicated about it?

texts:
While the banding ability was never actually removed from the game, no cards have been printed that use the ability in any set following sixth edition and it has never appeared on any rules summary I've seen from the past several years. Why is this? I've heard it's because the ability was 'too complicated'. What exactly was so complicated about it that might have encouraged its extinction? What is a good situation/example that demonstrates why it was probably exiled from the game?

List of cards that reference the banding ability


texts: If a spell tells me to draw then discard a card, can I cast it before discarding it?

texts: Suppose I have only Force Away in hand, then cast it. It says "you may draw a card then discard a card". Am I able to cast the drawn card which leaves me with no cards in hand to discard, or am I not allowed to cast it? What happens?


texts: Do you have to pay the commander tax if you have an Omniscience in play?

texts: If you have an Omniscience in play, will you still have to pay the commander tax or do you get to play your commander completely for free? Or is it the case that Omniscience will only ever make my Arcanis the Omnipotent 6 mana cheaper?


texts: Combat Damage Steps (Double Strike) and Sacrificing a Creature

texts:
I am attacking with my only creature, Dragon-Style Twins, a creature with 3 power and Double Strike.

My opponent is blocking with two Griffin Sentinel, which have 3 toughness.

After he declares both Sentinels as blockers, he flashes in Dictate of Erebos, which says

  Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent sacrifices a creature.

How does Dragon-Style Twins's double strike work against the Sentinels?  Is Dictate of Erebos triggered after the first combat damage phase, which would require me to sacrifice my Twins before I can deal damage to the second one?


texts: Let's say a creature with infect attacks and the opponent blocks with a creature that has first strike. How does the combat resolve? Does the blocking creature with first strike still get the -1/-1 counter?


texts:
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy has the text

  If there are five or more cards in your graveyard, exile Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control.

What is the point of exiling him and then returning him?


texts: Star Trek: Deck Building - Experience and Stats Pool

texts:
If an Exploration card requires experience to defeat does that mean that experience cannot be used for buying cards from the Starbase?  Since you can perform multiple buys I was treating the experience as a pool, played characters add to the pool, purchases remove from the pool.

What about 2 missions which say 'requires Attack +4', Can I complete them both with a total attack of 5?


texts: The Inner Sanctum Sealed Door and Objective 1C

texts:
Yesterday, we played the Mansions of Madness core scenario, The Inner Sanctum I can't remember the exact options that I selected, but the final objective was 1C, where the investigators we're being lured into the mansion to be fed to the monsters and Mary, the person we are attempting to find, was being held in the ceremony room.

Now, the final clue was placed in the ceremony room, the room that has two sealed door markers on it and no other entrances that I could see. This room also has a lock card.

My question is: how are the investigators supposed to interact with the lock card if they can't even attempt to move into the room due to the sealed doors? I double and triple checked the setup of the cards and I couldn't find anything that had been set up incorrectly.


texts: What does it mean when you prevent a unit from attacking?

texts:
For instance, the Illusionist has an ability:

  Target unfortified enemy does not attack this combat.

Does that mean it doesn't deal damage, or that it does not participate at all in combat?

IE: Can I still kill this unit even though it isn't attacking?


texts: Can I use old sets of magic cards in an EDH deck

texts: I have all sorts of old magic cards, for example m12, X ,vintage, m13, I'm just curious if I can add any of these cards to my Commander deck that I have now ,or would it be illegal??


texts: Who wins when the Inquisitor kills somebody in Blood Bound?

texts:
In the game Blood Bound, the rules for winning are as such:

  The game ends when one player becomes captured, after which
  all players flip their character cards faceup to disclose their full
  identities. If the active player captured the leader of the rival
  clan, the active player and his clan are victorious and win the
  game. If the active player captured anyone other than the leader
  of the rival clan, the active player and his clan lose; the rival
  clan is victorious and wins the game.

However, in the case of an uneven number of players, an inquisitor is included, who wins solo with the following win rules:

  Determine the victorious clan as normal (see “Winning the
  Game” on page 5). Now, flip all curse cards faceup. If the
  victorious leader has the “True Curse” ability card, the Inquisitor
  steals the victory away from that clan, and he alone wins the
  game. If any player other than the leader of the victorious clan
  has the “True Curse” ability card, the card has no effect.
  Additionally, if the Inquisitor becomes captured, he alone wins
  the game.

However, the rules are ambiguous on who wins if the Inquisitor is the one to give the final wound to a player, clan leader or otherwise. We had a game where the Inquisitor, identified early and unable to win, decided to ally himself with one of the teams and took out a clan leader on their behalf, theoretically giving the other clan the win. However, as the active player, the Inquisitor has no clan,and thus did not kill the leader of his "rival clan." Who wins in that case? The Inquisitor did not fulfill his win condition, but also the clan leader wasn't taken out by a clan member. Did we all lose?


texts: Are there any chess sets with more than 32 pieces?

texts:
In every single chess set which I have purchased in my city (I'm from Moldova), there are exactly 32 pieces (16 white and 16 black). No more, no less. By pieces I mean kings, queens, rooks, bishops, knights and pawns.

However, it can be troublesome in practice. As you should probably know, there are pawn promotions in chess. And, according to the rules, the choice is not limited to pieces captured by your opponent. So you can have 9 queens, or 10 rooks etc. I know that in casual chess play an extra queen can be represented by upside-down rook. But I consider it pretty ugly, and it does not solve the problem if both rooks of the same color are still on the board.

I know that to satisfy every single possible game, a chess set must have 96 pieces, 48 white and 48 black.

My question is as follows. In practice, are there chess sets with more than 32 pieces, be it 96 pieces or 34? Do they have any practic use, e. g. in tournaments, and does an ordinary chess player have the possibility of buying such chess set? Thanks a lot for help.


texts:
I love to play Village Idiot (I'm sure it goes by other names, but I don't know them), and I am wanting to play games similar to it, mainly shorter games.  Is there a definitive category or name that Village Idiot falls under, which would help me in my search for similar games?

Here is a link to the rules to the version of the game I play: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/310871


texts: Sea Searpent during invasion of Fire Giant in Blood Rage

texts:
John controls Sea Serpent in the fiord. Alice decides to invade an adjacent province with Fire Giant. Does the Sea Serpent get destroyed?

Fire Giant is supposed to destroy everything except for monsters. Sea Serpent is supposed to be treated as a ship for all intents and purposes.


texts: What is the board game featured in this Houkago Saikoro Kurabu picture?

texts:
Can someone identify the game in this picture? It comes from the manga Houkago Saikoro Kurabu, which has a history of showcasing real board games (particularly eurogames) so it is very likely not just made up for the manga:

Here's a higher-resolution image of the board itself, which shows better details on the pieces and the map:


texts: Can you counterspell everything? (aside from lands)

texts: Artifacts, instants, sorcery, planeswalker, creature, and enchantment spells can all be stopped by counterspells right? So if I play Veil of Summer, and someone hits me with Didn't Say Please, would it cancel its effects (hexproof, spells can't be countered, and draw a card)?


texts: When you go out in Tichu, does the current round continue?

texts: Pretend 10-10 is played and then I go out with J-J. Does the current round continue (players playing Q-Q or higher, etc), hence I would not claim the cards, or does it end (me still obviously being out) and the next player will lead?


texts:
If I mutate and place the mutate creature on top of a card that was tracking state will this be a new game object and forget whatever state it was tracking. For example, if I mutate and place the mutate on top of Circu Dimir Lobotomist will the card still remember what Circu removed from game or will this function like I flickered the card?

Also if the previous example is a new game object does top or bottom affect whether it's a new game object?

Sorry Circu is a bad example because he's human but the effect that I was looking for was on the card.


texts: Do "enter the battlefield" abilities trigger heroic? Do creatures that leave and reenter the battlefield trigger again?

texts:
So, here's the play:

Player 1 has Staunch-Hearted Warrior on the field. They play Living Totem and target the warrior, giving the warrior a +1/1 counter.

Question 1: Would Living Totem's ability trigger Staunch-Hearted Warrior's heroic ability?

Back to the game now. Next turn, player 1 plays Invasive Species and returns Living Totem to their hand. On the following turn, they play Living Totem back onto the battlefield.
Would Living Totem's ability trigger again?


texts: Does a multicolored green/blue spell count for abilities triggering on casting a blue spell?

texts: I have a short question that relates to some effects that tell about spells' colours. When I have for instance, Gadwick, The Wizened who has a triggered ability thas says "Whenever you cast a blue spell, tap target creature" and I cast spell that is green and blue, will it trigger?


texts: Can a player swap position with a dead body in lifeboat?

texts:
In the lifeboat game the rules when you are unconscious specify that :

  Other players could swap their position with yours or steal your cards
  and you can't defend yourself.

But nothing is specified for the cases where you are dead and still in the boat. There is a note allowing other players to steal your cards but nothing about position swapping.

Following the rules it seem to be disallowed (as it isn't specifically allowed), but does anyone have experience with either variant? Is there a FAQ with this info somewhere? The official FAQ is really short and the extensions don't add any details about this.


texts: Can Gullveig of the Nordic Ascendant be used as material for the summon of another Gullveig?

texts:
Gullveig of the Nordic Ascedant is a Link Monster who's materials say:

  1 lvl 5 or lower Nordic Monster.

Does this mean the Gulllveig can be used as material for itself?


texts: Do you need to be in the same region to attack Collossus?

texts:
In Tiny Epic Defenders 2nd Edition the text on the Epic Foe Collossus says:

  When a Defender's card is drawn, that Defender is immediately placed inside the Collossus's mouth (only if no Defender is currently inside the Collossus's mouth). A Defender in the mouth on their Turn can only Fight, spending ❤ instead of .

Does the defender need to be in the same region as the Collossus to be eaten? I interpreted it as no. But when we played, we defeated Collossus relatively easily in one round because we all got eaten and had enough health to do 3 damage in one go.

Also, if you are not eaten, can you still attack Collossus using actions when you are in the same region?


texts: Can I use Hannibal Necromancer's effect to destroy a trap card my opponent just activated?

texts: I have Hannibal Necromancer on the field with 1 spell counter. It is my opponent's turn, and he activated the (previously-set) trap Horn of the Phantom Beast. Can I remove the spell counter from Hannibal Necromancer to target and destroy Horn of the Phantom Beast?


texts: Game with 37 diagonally-oriented holes, 10 black pegs and 10 white pegs

texts: Can anyone tell me what this game is called and how it is played? It's a small square board with 37 holes, 10 black pegs and 10 white pegs in opposite diagonal corners.


texts: Is Zap A Card considered stealing if a keeper was taken from another player?

texts:
In Batman Fluxx, if Zap A Card was used to take another player's keeper, is this considered stealing a keeper?

Zap A Card is an Action card with the following text:

  Choose any card in play anywhere on the table (except for the Basic Rules and any Meta Rules) and add it to your hand, unless the card you Zapped is a Creeper, in which case it goes in front of you.


texts:
So the Cook has the ability called Scrounger that in the rules states:

  Scrounger: Discard 2 Determination tokens to reroll any gray Action
  die. Note! You cannot use the Determination tokens gained from an
  unsuccessful die roll to reroll that die which gave you those
  Determination tokens.

So this brings two questions to mind for me:

1) Can the cook use his ability to reroll a gray die that was rolled by another player or can that only be on his rolls?

2) Since it says "Note! You cannot use the determination tokens gained from an unsuccessful die roll to reroll that die which gave you those determination tokens", does that mean if you already have 2 tokens you can gain the two from the unsuccessful roll and the 2 you already had to then reroll the die? Which would leave you at 2 tokens and the rerolling the die. This seems to me to be not the case but had a friend saying the logic was there. However it seems to me there is not a downside to rolling unsuccessful the first time provided you have 2 tokens.


texts: Twilight Imperium 2 Planetary Defence Units per planet question

texts:
So I was reading the rules for PDS units using the Deep Space Cannon technology and I want to be positive I understand it correctly. So if an enemy faction puts a control marker down and moves ships into a system within the range. I may fire one die per PDS unit in range?

There is a planet tile with three planets in it and you can have up to two PDS units per planet. So if that is the scenario, that would be six dice rolled in total? That seems really overpowered.


texts: Stalingrad Pocket 2nd ed Air Power Barrage Shift

texts:
According to rule 1.10g Divisional Integrity Artillery Bonus: "Artillery which does not have a friendly unit adjacent to the intended target ... will receive a (leftward) shift on the Barrage Table..."

Does this shift apply to air units attacking without a spotter? Does it apply if air units are barraging with artillery units without a spotter?


texts: Can you block with a creature then return it to your hand before it takes damage?

texts: Someone said they can block with a Dryad Arbor then return it to their hand with a Quirion Ranger before the Arbor takes damage.  That sounds wrong to me.


texts: How is a gold rune different from a silver rune?

texts:
In this game, it's possible to earn runes and there are some special golden runes you earn by doing extra special stuff! Are the uses of the two types of runes different? So runes can be used to buy spells to help you out. Does this work in the same way even if the runes are gold instead of silver?

Note that what I call runes can also be considered shields/shield tokens.

The ISBN of this game is 978-1-58994-706-1 (this should help in distinguishing versions).


texts: Does the School of Magic count as all colours, or do you choose one colour when it's played and it is that colour permanently?

texts: It states that it has the colour of your choice (for calculating income). Do you make that choice when the card is played and it becomes permanently yellow for example, or can you change it each round?


texts: The diagram below illustrates the question.


texts: Does Steel Hellkite destroy cards in my opponent's library and hand?

texts:
The rules for Steel Hellkite say any nonland permanent with  converted mana cost X gets destroyed if I deal combat damage this turn. The second ruling states     "It doesn't matter who controlled those permanents at the time Steel Hellkite dealt combat damage, or if those permanents were even on the battlefield at that time."

Does this mean if I make the X cost 2/2, all my opponent's 2/2 cards, even in his library are destroyed?


texts: How do poison counters work and how would a player get them?

texts: How do poison counters work? What are the scenarios a player would receive a poison counter?


texts: What´s the reasoning for carry and equip items in Munchkin?

texts: In Munchkin, what is the logic behind the rule of carry and equip items? What is the difference between carry and just keep the card in your hand? It is not simplier keep in hand and not use the carry rule?


texts: Takenoko growing bamboo when gardner lands on non-irrigated plot

texts:
In the board game Takenoko, when the gardener moves onto a non-irrigated plot of a color (say green), do all adjacent, irrigated plots of that color (green) grow bamboo?
In the game manual, the text is as follows:
The player moves the gardener in a straight line, any number of plots in the direction of his choice. The gardener is only allowed to move over plots, not empty spaces between plots. He grows a section of bamboo on the plot where he finishes his move as well as on all directly adjacent plots of the same color. If a plot has bamboo at a height of four sections, then no section is added, because 4 sections is the maximum size of a bamboo shoot.
Note: Sections never grow in non-irrigated plots, even if the gardener finishes move on the plot or an adjacent plot.
The pictorial examples in the game manual only show the gardener landing on irrigated plots.
Because the instructions in the manual do not make mention of this scenario, if one takes the words literally, it seems that bamboo would grow on the irrigated plots. However, from a thematic perspective of the game, it seems that the gardener should only be able to work their magic on an irrigated plot, where the gardening effect radiates outward from that irrigated tile.
Of note: In the online version at boardgamearena.com, the mechanic functions where all adjacent irrigated plots grow bamboo, despite if the landing plot is irrigated or not.


texts: Does Rooftop Storm work with Arcane adaptation?

texts: If I had Arcane Adaptation and Rooftop Storm in play, with the chosen creature type as zombie, would I be able to cast a creature such as Nemesis Of Reason for 0 mana? Or would that not work because Nemesis Of Reason would not yet be in play, therefore not yet a zombie?


texts: Understanding: Why is Spark Double triggering enter the battlefield abilities of the copied creature?

texts:
Spark Double reads:

  You may have Spark Double enter the battlefield as a copy of a creature or planeswalker you control, except it enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it’s a creature, it enters with an additional loyalty counter on it if it’s a planeswalker, and it isn’t legendary if that permanent is legendary.

If I decide to copy a creature with an ETB-effect, like Dreadhorde Twins, why does Spark Double also trigger the copied ETB-effect? Its own ETB-effect is, that it may enter the battlefield as a copy of a creature, does that mean, its own ETB-effect is always resolved first?


texts: What's the name of the theory that the player with the most options has the advantage?

texts:
A long time ago, I remember reading about a theory that sounds like this:

  Players A and B have access to options X and Y. Player A also has access to option Z. Player A is, at worst, equal to and, at best, at an advantage to player B.

Ok, so that was poorly worded. Let me put it another way:

  Having more options available to you in a two player game can't possibly hurt you.**

Example

Player A can attack from both sides. Player B must attack from the left. If attacking to the left is the best choice, then both players are equal. If attacking from the right is the best choice, then Player A has a distinct advantage. Player A is either tied or winning. Player B is either tied or losing.

Can anyone tell me the name of the theory I described?

** "... can't possibly hurt you" assumes optimal play from both players. It's not always the case the player with the most options will use them wisely. Intuition tells us that sometimes having too many options can make it difficult for the player to find the best one. Just assume that both players are making the best choices when this theory applies.


texts: In Splendor can we have more than 3 joker (gold) tokens in our hand without spending them?

texts: the situation arrived when a player had one reserved card but already 3 joker tokens and wanted to reserve another card. can he receive a gold token even if he already has 3 in his hand?


texts: Exchange two footmen for knight anytime? Game of Thrones

texts: Is it possible to exchange two footmen for a knight anytime? For example, in an area without any castles or strongholds (no mustering points) can I at any time during the game exchange two footmen for a knight?


texts: What do leaves mean in Blood on the Clocktower?

texts:
In the game Blood on the Clocktower, some of the role tokens have green leaves on the west/north/east side of the token. There are also some tokens who have a larger orange leaf.
1 west and 2 north:
1 east:
An icon with the orange leaf:


texts: Can you exchange items with another player, or can you only give items to another player on your turn?

texts:
The rules on page 11 under Use Item and Omen Cards say that one of the things an explorer can do once is

  Trade an item to another explorer in the same room (assuming you both agree).

Does this mean to give an item to anther player, or does it mean to exchange one item for one item?  I would have expected the wording to simply be give if they had meant that, but the phrasing 'trade to' versus saying 'trade with' throws me.


texts: Which alternative methods of choosing a starting player actually WORK?

texts:
So I've been noticing that there's a vogue in gaming recently for the starting player to be chosen by some method other than simple lot.  I'm wondering if this is a good fashion, or if it's just getting silly.  Here's a representative list of some of the starting-player-choosing mechanism I can think of off the top of my head:

Youngest player first (e.g. St Petersburg)
Player with the longest beard first (Once Upon A Time)
Player with the pointiest ears (Small World)
Most well-travelled player (Ticket To Ride)
Nicest player (Dungeon Lords)
Player who lives closest to water (Le Havre)

Others can probably add a few examples of their own.  My question is: are any of these actually superior, on a long-term basis, to just choosing at random?

I do like "youngest player first" in games where the first player has an advantage, on the assumption that if you're playing with children it's nice to give them a little help - but on the other hand, if the youngest player at your table is in their 30s and a boardgames fanatic, the rule may end up hurting more than it helps.

Likewise, in Ticket To Ride the "best travelled-player" is charming to start with, but can get annoying as the same person who spent 3 months seeing Europe by train goes first forever.  And this is before we get onto largely subjective quantities like ear-pointiness and niceness (in all fairness to Dungeon Lords, I think that's a joke and really you're meant to end up choosing the start player randomly).  Are these rules mostly just there to be cute - and quickly ignored - or should be follow them religiously?

As a corollary question, are there any games that vary the starting player by means other than pure randomness?  (I suddenly remember Gloom, where the player who's having the worst day goes first; but again this is really subjective.)  Also, are there any games that have rules for fairly assigning seating order - since in some games sitting "upstream" of the correct player can be even more important than who goes first?


texts: How do I tell potential game designers their ideas are bad?

texts:
Many groups of gamers will eventually attract potential game designers. I love testing games or playing with mechanics and enjoy play testing or theory crafting. But a good boardgamer does not a designer make and I find that most ideas are terrible or have already been done a few times.

This also encompasses most of the fan variants and expansions for games. People, generally speaking, have no idea how to make a game. Unfortunately, I have problems being too direct or speaking in wild absolutes. This tends to make these potential designers (who are often friends I would like to keep) offended or defensive.

This question boils down into two parts:

How can I explain my objections or concerns clearly without being too direct or aggressive?
What are these potential designers actually expecting from me? Am I putting myself on too high a pedestal in thinking they want me to respond as I have been?


texts: Is it worthwhile to build a competive Standard M15 deck when a block is about to rotate out?

texts:
So I want to start playing competitive magic again, in the standard format (just started up again after about 6 years of not playing).

Is it worth it for me to build a competitive standard deck right now, considering that the RTR block will be rotating out and most competitive decks contain RTR cards? Or should I just play draft right now to build up cards that will be in the Theros block and will still be legal In standard play come this fall, and wait to see what decks are still competitive this fall after the new set rolls in?


texts: How do you count runs in cribbage during play

texts: 10-10-4 opponent started hand and can't play, I play 3-2-1 .  How many points do I get for the run?  4 or 7 ?


texts:
[To be clear, this is about the distinct two-player edition called Mr. Jack Pocket. This is not about the full-size board game Mr. Jack.]

I really like Mr. Jack Pocket , but I wonder if it's not entirely balanced. It seems to me that it is much easier to win as the Inspector than as Jack. Or perhaps I'm missing some key strategic element to equalize the odds. Does anyone have a deeper analysis of this game?


texts: Is table talk acceptable in tournament play?

texts:
I'm interested in playing boardgames competitively. I want to know if there are any unwritten rules or written rules when the stakes are high.

I'm really concerned that cross talk (conversation between two players) can promote collusion in a multiplayer game. What are the common rules on table talk for tournaments? Can you point me in the direction of good resources on tournament etiquette or examples therein? For instance, poker tournaments have their own traditional social mores (most of which I don't know or understand). Are there any similarities to board games?


texts:
A friend of mine has recently acquired some models from 40K that look like space marines/chaos marines.

Can anyone identify which army their from?


texts: Is prompting players with alternate moves poor etiquette?

texts:
Recently we have had a number of 'explosive' games of Catan and Risk, where the game has become very heated because use of 'prompting' or 'suggesting' of moves to other players. I see this as a valid strategy, however one of my rival players sees it very much the other way and thinks it is unsportsmanlike.

To give a better illustration of the issue here is a scenario for Catan:

It is a 4 player game, around half way through
I am Player 1 and am currently not leading the game
Player 2 is currently in the lead as I see it, and they are a good player
Players 3 and 4 are in similar positions to me, and look unlikely to win.

At this stage I feel like if the game plays out then Player 2 has a high chance of winning, they are unlikely to make any major mistakes and it would take a sequence of bad luck to unseat them from the victory.

It comes up to Player 3's turn, and they have several moves they can make. They initially choose to attack me. At this point I speak up and prompt another move that attacks Player 2, and illustrate that they are currently winning the game, and that they need to be stopped, implying a loose alliance. This play is beneficial to both me and to Player 3 by keeping us in the game, but damaging to Player 2.

At this stage Player 2 'explodes'. I am berated for making such a suggestion, called a bad sport, and are accused of being of weak moral fibre.

Unfortunately Player 2 has been a better political opponent as well as player, and has the backing of some of the other members of the group, as this is not the first occurrence. They have been building support for their 'anti-prompting' cause for a number of weeks/months.

I back down, and stay quiet, and watch a number of games go by that were largely uninteresting because of a lack of any team play to slow down the winner. Part of this issue is with the way the game operates, in this case Catan:

You can see the progress of each player to within a 1-2 victory points in most cases, as well as how they trending
The game seems to be decided quite early in many cases due to strong starting positions and early moves
It has a large chance factor for starting positions and early resource gains
By having only one winner it can be very cut-throat and does not explicitly lend itself to cooperation

The end result of these properties is that I feel many games are decided early, and the remaining 45-30 minutes is spent going through the motions. Ideally I would not be in this position, as the other players should see the primary threat and that we should work together toward a common goal of taking out the leader and then one of us may have a chance of the win. Unfortunately this is not often the case, and I'm not allowed to make any mention of this, or I get berated again.

Ultimately this comes down to trust also, if I suggest poor moves then no one will listen. The issue is that, as a strong player, my suggestions are often strong and insightful too, negating a major play or situation that has gone unnoticed. This is clearly aggravating for the player I'm doing this against (Player 2), but my only other option is to sit there and let them win.

Do you allow prompting in your games? Is it an issue? Do you think it is unsportsmanlike? Should I back down and keep quiet? How should I bring this up as a valid and accepted part of the game if I choose to try an get this included as an allowed behaviour in future games?


texts: I played this card game with my mom back in the 70's. Sometimes we played with more than 2 players.  Each player had their own deck of cards.  I can't remember exactly how we played, but I think we each had a pile of cards to play from in front of us face down (maybe 21 cards in stack/pile but not sure).  There were 4 slots/piles to play from/on on. 4 piles were either beside our playing stack or in front of each of us.  I also think there was a pile/base/stack of cards in the middle face down. I don't remember if we had cards in our hands or not.


texts: Can Dawnguard Scyir get 4 damage dice on a charge?

texts:
Dawnguard Scyir has the ability Flank[Faction Warjack]. If a warjack was in melee with a given enemy model and the Scyir charged into combat with that model, would he get four dice on the damage roll?

The same question would then apply to Sword Knights, which have the same Flank ability.


texts: MTG: Creature can't attack unless X after "declare attackers"

texts:
Say that I have Desperate Castaways and Walking Ballista with 1
 +1/+1 counter on the battlefield. This means that Desperate Castaways can attack at the moment.

What would happen if I declare Desperate Castaways as an attacker, and then, at the beginning of "declare blockers", remove the +1/+1 counter from the Walking Ballista? The Ballista dies, of course, but does that mean that Desperate Castaways will be removed from combat, or does the "can't attack unless X" restriction apply only to declaring it as an attacker (which would mean that it would remain as an active attacker)?


texts: Are ships unable to heal between battles when multiple parties are present in the same hex?

texts:
The rules say ships heal

  at the end of the combat phase

So, since the combat phase entails all battles, does this mean a battle between players 1 and 2 on a given hex that also contains player 3's ships does not end with healing the winner of that battle before having them engage against player 3? (In essence, they are not allowed to heal until all fighting is done for that entire combat phase.) Such a ruling would be consistent with the rule requiring the most recently arrived players to battle first, as this prevents people from exploiting an upcoming battle by simply drifting in to collect the damaged remaining survivor.


texts:
I am a beginner at go and we couldn't resolve this situation with my opponent. Neither of us want to play to these liberties because whoever plays loses their stones. Whose are these two intersections at the end of the game?

$$Bcm1 Whose are the points?
$$ |.....
$$ |XXX..
$$ |OOOX.
$$ |.OOX.
$$ |X.OX.
$$ +-----


texts: Open source programming toolkits for modeling table top games

texts: Are there any open source programming libraries, perhaps in Python or Lua for example, for modeling table top games to help with design and testing work?


texts: Will Yixlid Jailer negate Snapcaster Mage's flashback-giving ability?

texts:
Yixlid Jailer makes all cards in graveyard lose their abilities while Snapcaster Mage giveths a card in graveyard the flashback ability.

In this scenario, Yixlid Jailer's ability prevails, correct? As it is a 'negative buff' which precedes other abilities? Or can someoone explain this interaction better please?


texts: Condensing Carcassonne & expansions into a single box

texts:
I've got a large collection of boxes piling up for Carcassonne, both the little ones that fit in the palm or your hand (like River and The Count) and the medium size ones like (like Inns & Cathedrals and The Princess and the Dragon)--currently three of each size.

Is there an elegant way to store the pieces all in the main box for easier storage and transportation?  The little boxes fit just as they are, but the bigger ones are little trickier. It seems there should be a good way to make use of all these cardboard inserts, but their shapes are all pretty generic and they waste a lot of space. Is there a good way to cut then up and reuse them?

Space-wise, all the pieces from the expansions fit easily into the main box, but they are really loose. I also want to keep the tiles from each expansion grouped together and easy to pull out one at a time.


texts: When can I cast Eternal Scourge from exile?

texts: Eternal Scourge is exiled. Can I cast Eternal Scourge from exile anytime I wish, or is the only opportunity to cast Eternal Scourge from exile during my main phase/s?


texts: What does 'cheapest' mean in the Ancient Technology rule?

texts: We really didn't understand this rule (page 7 of the manual): "3 x Ancient Technology: you may take the cheapest Technology Tile you don't already have...". How do you decide what is the cheapest?


texts:
I played my pawn to pet store.
The card text is:
While there is a person here, nobody can visit their home building.
But if I want, in my next turn, go to my home building, can I do that?
Once I lift my pawn, nobody is at the pet store, so the text is no longer valid.


texts: Is splitting your 3 settlements allowed?

texts:
Let's say I've placed settlements in two separate forests. In both forests there are still (more than) 3 fields free. Now I draw another forest card and have to place my 3 settlements.

Am I allowed to split my 3 settlements and place 1 settlement in terrain A and 2 settlements in terrain B? (next to my other settlements, of course)

Or do I have to build these 3 settlements in the same forest terrain, if possible?


texts: Catan Seafarers Bonus points when you build a new settlement on a new island in certain scenarios

texts: In Catan Seafarers scenarios where you earn two bonus points for your first settlement on a new island, what happens when you upgrade that settlement to a City? How many points is that now worth?


texts: Would I level up if I "automatically defeated" a monster but someone wandered in a monster that killed me afterwards?

texts:
This question arises when we saw this in the FAQ:

Q. I used an ability to automatically kill a monster. Another player used Wandering Monster to add a monster to the fight, and then played Transferal Potion to move the monster to himself. He beat it. Who gets the level and Treasures for the monster I killed?
A. You do; you killed it. (This has been ruled different ways at different times, but we got a ruling directly from Steve, so it trumps everything else.) You get your level and Treasures after the whole combat is resolved.

Say for example in Zombies, Player A was a Level 9 Atomic Zombie (and therefore had flaming hands). He kicks open the door to find a Mascot which he automatically defeats with fire. Someone wanders in an Action Hero, which for the sake of argument ultimately kills Player A.
Would the combat resolve as "Player A goes up to Level 10 and then gets killed." or "Player A gets killed and doesn't level up." because of the "after the WHOLE combat is resolved" clause?


texts: Has there ever before been card text that had no effect with cards from the same block?

texts:
In the second set of the Kaldesh Block, Aether Revolt, one card is Dark Intimations, which includes this text:

  When you cast a Bolas planeswalker spell, exile Dark Intimations from your graveyard. That planeswalker enters the battlefield with an additional loyalty counter on it.

This is notable because there are no Bolas planeswalker cards in the entire Kaladesh block, so in a format that uses only cards from that block, such as Draft or Sealed, that ability has no effect. Even more broadly, while there is Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, it was not printed in any Standard-legal sets as of when Aether Revolt was published.

Are there any other instances of this sort of thing in the history of Magic (excluding Time Spiral block, which was a block designed around referencing past and future Magic sets)?


texts: How can I remove a Darksteel Citadel animated by Nissa, Worldwaker?

texts:
After the coming rotation with Khans of Tarkir being released, will there be any way to remove from the battlefield a Darksteel Citadel that has been turned into a creature by Nissa, Worldwaker's first +1 ability?

It seems the me that being indestructible and also a land protect it from almost all removal, Devour Flesh in the current standard being the only obvious exception.

I'm looking for solutions in the soon-to-be Theros + Khans of Tarkir standard format.


texts: Playing Pathfinder ACG with all adventure deck cards in early scenarios

texts:
My fiance and I just finished playing the Pathfinder ACG through all of the adventure decks and are thinking about getting started again with all new characters from the beginning.

The question we were debating about was whether or not to keep all of the cards from the later adventure decks together or to remove the cards that come after the scenario we're currently playing.  I feel like the game was relatively easy the first time through and it might add some challenge to have a random powerful bane appear in an early scenario.

Is there a particular rule to this or is it just up to the players to decide what they're up for?


texts: Does Master of Cruelties survive being blocked by a creature with 4 or more power?

texts: Master of Cruelties is a 1/4 with first strike and deathtouch. If I were to attack with Master of Cruelties and he gets blocked by a creature with 4 or more power, would Master of Cruelties die or would the first strike and deathtouch combo cause the other creature to die before Master of Cruelties is dealt damage?


texts: Do counters go away when the creature that gave them dies

texts: When a creature card gives another creature counters does the counters go away when the creature that gave them dies.(the card does NOT say It gives is  a +1 +1 counter as long as it is on the field)


texts: What board game for 2 to 4 players with 1 token each and the winner is the first to the top of a raised platform?

texts:
The game in question I remember playing in the 90s but was an 70s or 80s game.

It is for 2 to 4 players where each player had one coloured token. The board was made up of a player in each corner with the aim to be the first to the top of a raised platform in the centre of the board.

I believe you had to do a lap of the board first and then start going up a platform of steps moving away from each player's corner and connecting at the top to a 1 inch square platform. The platform was raised about 15-20cm above the board with empty space underneath and the platform and steps were in white plastic.

I can't remember the name of it and is bugging me!

I will add a crude drawing when I get a chance. But it's neither Ludo nor Egyptian themed. I don't know the manufacturer although it could have been MB but I'm not sure.

Here is a very crude non turner winning drawing of it as requested:


texts: What HQ to take for my 1500pts codex Space Marine army list

texts:
I have the following list

10-man Tactical Squad (flamer + rocket launcher) + Rhino
10-man Tactical Squad (flamer + rocket launcher) + Rhino
10-man Tactical Squad (flamer + rocket launcher)
10-man Assault Squad (Sergent has combat shield + fist)
10-man Scout Squad (Sergent has power weapon) => Outflank with lots of combat blade + shotguns
5-man shooting Terminator Squad
Dreadnought Multi-melta
Dreadnought Plasma Cannon

What HQ should I take to compliment my army list?

Currently, I am fielding

Librarian in Terminator armor (no other wargear).

The total is exactly 1500.

I am planning to fight against Chaos, Necron, lots of infantry Imperial Guard, lots of Las-cannon Blood Angel.


texts: In Pandemic, why take the extra step of eradicating a disease after you've cured it?

texts:
I understand that you need to cure all four diseases to win the game.

But the next step beyond curing a disease is eradicating it. Why do this? After you cure a disease, how are you helped by going to all the trouble of eradicating it?

The only advantage I can think of is that since no more cubes get placed, you don't run the risk of an outbreak which moves the counter. Is that correct?


texts: What happens when a player loses all of their colonies in Cosmic Encounter?

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


texts: How can I search MagicCards.info for an exact color identity match?

texts:
My friends and I are experimenting with various potential Commander decks at the moment — we're drafting far more than we're playing, for a mix of practice, learning, and fun. This means it's semi-regular we'll look up a new commander for certain colours.

Searching for mono- or dual-colored commanders is fine with the colour identity search, using ci:r t:legendary t:creature for monocolored red commanders, or the same legendary creature filter with ci:wum for white/blue commanders.

However, every search for three-coloured commanders and above also includes every two-colour commander that could be found therein. A search for Temur commanders with ci:gurm turns up all the green-blue-red commanders, but it also turns up all green-red, green-blue, and red-blue commanders, meaning I have to mentally sift those out each time I want to explore commander options. The exclusive (!) filter of ci!gurm has no noticeable difference.

How can I perform an exclusive color identity match for commanders of three colours or more, in order to get a commander who has those exact colours, without also getting commanders that match only a subset of those colours?


texts: Do investigators who start with blessing need to check for discard in their first turn?

texts:
For investigators that start with a Blessing or a retainer, do they need to roll to check if they discard the blessing or retainer during their first upkeep?

Also, do investigators that gain one of these cards during the game roll to check if they discard after holding that card for one turn or do they check on their first upkeep as well?


texts: Is there an online version of mafia/werewolf game that I can play with my friends. I tried to find one but there doesn't seem to be a good one.


texts:
I'm trying to remember the name of game I played when I was new to this hobby.   I played this game in 2004 so it would have been released before then.

The game board involved a bridge.  Players built shops on this bridge.  Their was a customer piece that would visit shops and spend money.

The mechanic was players had cards (I think numbered in multiples on 10 up to 100).  Players all simultaneously selected a card face down.   The customer would go to the shop with the lowest unique bid.  However the player who won the bid could then sell the right to have the customer come to their shop to another player.  eg if I won it with 20 I could say to a player who bid 90 that I will let the shopper come to them if they gave my 50.  I think players had to play through there whole hand before getting the cards back.

I recalled the shops being chunky coloured pieces in the player colours that were placed either side of the bridge and a the shopper would only go to a shop that was in front of them.  I don't recall specific rules for that or how new shops were built on the board.


texts: Pokemon cards with the same name and different features

texts: I have noticed that some Pokémon have the same name but different features (be it hit points, attacks or abilities). How does this work? I am accustomed to card games where the same card, even with different art, has the same behaviour but here it seems that you can have variations on a theme. Do they count towards the "max 4 per deck" rule even if they are different? Does it change something at tournament/competitive play Vs casual play?


texts: Do weak decks win a disproportionate amount of multiplayer FFA games?

texts:
Some people ignore weak decks in a multiplayer FFA setting. They believe that because a deck's card quality is poor that leaving that player basically unmolested, and not expending resources to remove that weak player from the game, leaves you with more resources to deal with the stronger decks at the table. Weak decks should be easier to beat when the game comes down to a duel anyway, rather than fighting another strong deck 1 vs 1.

Is there any evidence that weak decks actually win more often than stronger decks played in the same multiplayer FFA setting?


texts: do basic lands count against sideboard total?

texts:
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/legacy/21524_The_Long_And_Winding_Road_Legacy_Elves.html

All the spells in that deck are green as are all the creatures. And yet the deck has two fetch lands - Misty Rainforests - which fetches islands and forests - and Verdant Catacombs - which fetches forests and swamps.

Some of the cards in the sideboard are blue and black I note. My guess: basic lands can be swapped out without needing to live in your sideboard?


texts: How do "side effects" interact with a card that grants hexproof?

texts:
I was looking at the card Leyline of Sanctity and noticed that it gives its controller hexproof. I understand that this means that I can't use any spells or abilities that target the player, but what about "side effects" that target another permanent, and then result in damage or an effect on the player?

If I use Draconic Roar and reveal a dragon, will the 3 damage fizzle or will it get through since the player isn't the primary target?


texts: Which board game is this token from with a number on the front and "SW" on the back?

texts: Please can anyone identify this game? These tokens have fallen out of some box but I can’t remember which one - it’s not any of the ones I’ve checked so far.


texts: How do you evaluate a building or plot quest?

texts: Some plot quests and buildings are clearly better than others. Is there a way to at least approximately quantify how much better?


texts: Do the shipping rules restrict my choices if all ships are empty?

texts:
Under page 6 of the rules it states.

Loading/shipping rules: When shipping, players must follow these rules:

Each cargo ship will carry goods on only one kind.

Players may not load goods on a cargo ship if goods of that same kind are on one of the other two cargo ships.

Players may not load goods on a full ship.

On a player's turn, he must load goods if he can. However, he may only load one kind of goods.

When a players loads good of a kind, he must load as many of that kind as he can. A player cannot hold back goods where there is space on a cargo ship carrying the kind of goods he has. If a player has a kind of goods that can be loaded on several empty ships, he must choose the ship where he can load the most goods, leaving none behind, if possible.

If a player has several kinds of goods that he can load, he may choose freely, which goods to load. He need not choose the goods that would allow him to load the most barrels.

The bolded part above is what is confusing me. So say you only had 1 corn and all the ships are empty. Does this mean you are free to choose any ship? Or is this rule saying you must choose the largest ship?
I read the rule as saying you cannot choose a ship that is smaller than the amount of goods you have to ship, unless it's the largest of the only available ships.


texts: Does 'shuffle your library' mandate that the cards actually change order?

texts:
According to the comprehensive rules, the definition of shuffling is thus:

  701.16a To shuffle a library or a face-down pile of cards, randomize the cards within it so that no player knows their order.

If you use a proxy (an honest, third party entity) to search your deck for a desired card (let's say you used Demonic Tutor), then when the proxy has located and presented you with the card, you still have no knowledge of the order of the cards. [note 1]

Since as far as you or your opponent(s) know, the deck is entirely randomized, is it necessary to go through the act of physically moving cards around? It seems that it already meets the requirements of a randomized deck. Sure, the cards are in the same order as they were before, but since there was no prior knowledge, there is no present knowledge. [note 2]

Is it strictly necessary to go through the physical process of shuffling if you use a proxy to dig through your deck?

note 1: This assumes there were no previous 'place on top of your library' or similar effects.

note 2: This assumes your proxy will yield no information or provide assistance based on the knowledge gained by looking in your deck.


texts:
During a recent game, my opponent Suspended two Rift Bolt in the same turn. Then, during my turn, I played a Damping Sphere.

The way we resolved it, is that at the next turn, my opponent payed 1 for the second Rift Bolt.
I'm not sure if this is correct, because the rule text for supspend says that when you remove the last suspend counter you cast the spell without paying its mana cost.
So, to me, it sounds like even if the cost was increased, one still does not need to pay for it.

What's the correct thing to do?
If actually one needs to pay for the second suspended spell, what would happen if he can't?


texts: Diplomacy - dislodged unit still disrupts another?

texts:
The scenario:

Turkish army in Moscow move to St Petersburg

Turkish army in Livonia support Moscow to St Petersburg

English army in St Petersburg hold

English army in Prussia move to Livonia

German army in Warsaw move to Prussia

German army in Silesia support Warsaw to Prussia

I (Turkey) would have expected to get into St Petersburg, as the disruption from Prussia -> Livonia was prevented by Warsaw -> Prussia, but actually I didn't get into St Petersburg.
Can anyone clarify if this is correct, and why?
Thanks


texts: German Carcassonne fan expansions - available in English?

texts:
I was browsing the Hans im Glück website and found two 'official' fan-made expansions for Carcassonne.
The expansions are called:

Die Stadttore (The City Gates)

Der Osterhase (The Easter Bunny)

Unfortunately the site is in German and so are the rules, both for Die Stadttore and Der Osterhase.
Where can I find the English rules?


texts: How do "twice that many" & "that many plus one" replacement effects interact?

texts:
Let's say I use Abzan Advantage to put a single +1/+1 counter on my Charging Badger.

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

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

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


texts:
Can multiple players play Just Say No on the same card?  For example:

Player A: Rent.

Player B: Just Say No on the Rent.

Player A: Just Say No on Player B's Just Say No.

Resolves.

Player C: Just Say No on the Rent.


texts: I want to play the Catan Card Game more often than I can find someone with the patience to play it with me. I know there are some good solitaire rules for Settlers of Catan, but are there any for the Catan Card Game?


texts: What happens when running out of Cherry Trees in Tokaido: Crossroads?

texts:
In Tokaido, when you play with the Crossroads expansion, you can choose a Panorama or a Cherry Tree card.

What happens when the 6 Cherry Tree cards are gone and someone lands on a pano spot?


texts: Is the luck factor indeed overwhelming in the Catan Card Game?

texts:
I recently bought the Settlers of Catan Card Game, played two partial games, and was very disappointed because of the seemingly huge importance of luck. Just about every action is based on chance:

resources are distributed based on dice rolls
land tiles are drawn randomly, except if you were lucky enough to pull the magic card allowing you to actually choose the land tiles
hand cards are randomly drawn, except if you are lucky enough to own some resources you can spare. However, even then you still need some luck in choosing the best card stack.
some action cards need some more dicing
when I played, the "mill" event was thrown over and over again by my opponent, so I never had any resources to advance my kingdom

I particularly hate investing effort to plan ahead, just to see my strategy crushed under bad dice rolls. I am seriously considering throwing away the game after having played it only twice. However, I bought this game because it received a lot of good internet reviews, even from reviewers I trust. Therefore I ask myself: is there really some strategy involved in this game, or do you just need a large amount of luck to win?


texts: I cast Rally The Ancestors and bring back 3 Liliana, Heretical Healer and 2 Jace Vryn's Prodigy and 1 Clever Impersonator from the graveyard. How many zombie tokens can I get? Am I allowed to make the Jace die first? There's no other nonland permanents on the battlefield, do I have a target for Clever Impersonator?


texts: Getting started with trick-taking games (whist, euchre, bridge, pinochle, etc.)

texts:
I've heard there are a lot of different trick-taking games out there, such as whist, bridge, euchre, pinochle, oh hell, hearts etc. I've heard a lot of good things about these games, but have very little experience. A few questions:

What's the easiest way to learn one's first trick-taking game?
What's a good trick-taking game to learn for someone who's never played one before? Which should beginners avoid?
How easy are new trick-taking games to pick up after one has gotten a good foundation?


texts: Can I activate Sinister Shadow Games if I have no Shaddolls in my main deck?

texts:
Can I flip 'Sinister Shadow Games' if I have no Shaddoll cards in my main deck?

  Sinister Shadow Games

  Send 1 "Shaddoll" card from your Deck to the Graveyard, then you can
  change any number of face-down Defense Position "Shaddoll" monsters
  you control to face-up Defense Position.

and if this is so, do I get it's secondary effect to flip up a face down Shaddoll?


texts: Which resources are better at the start of a Catan game?

texts: Is it better to start with Wheat and Ore in order to rapidly upgrade settlements into cities, or is it better to start with Wood and Brick to build roads?


texts: How much time do I get to read a card before I counter it?

texts: My friend told me I only get 5 seconds to say if I'm going to counter a card in Magic the Gathering, even if I tell him to wait. Is that true?


texts: Can I bring multiple prerelease packs into a prerelease tournament?

texts: So... Kaladesh Prerelease. I'm wanting to purchase two prerelease packs. My question ISN'T: "Can I fuse boxes and have more rares than anyone else and dominate?" My question is, can I open both boxes at the event and choose which card pool I would like to use? Or can you only use one predetermined box and open the other later? Are there even rules regarding this?


texts: Kate Winthrop's ability stops monsters from appearing at midnight?

texts: Mythos card revealing happens inside the player's turn? So Kate's ability stops monsters from appearing or the players turn starts after the mythos card reveal? Also do you progress the clock before or after you reveal a new adventure card, so is there a case where you get a new adventure with a midnight effect and you must immediately activate it ?


texts: Does Marchesa and a creature with modular work together?

texts:
I control Marchesa, the Black Rose and Arcbound Ravager.

When Ravager dies, will the abilities of Marchesa and Ravager both trigger? If you can confirm it with rules, that would be great.


texts: Tactics to fight or deter Diplomatic races in 2 player games

texts:
Last night I was playing a two player game and my opponent swapped to a Diplomatic race partway through the game. they managed to surround me, effectively hemming me in and limiting my score. In the end I lost by two points.

What tactics can be used when facing an opponent with a diplomatic race? Are there any preparations I should make when playing knowing that a diplomatic race is in the available race selections, even if it's not yet selected?


texts:
Dragons of Tarkir has a new Planeswalker - Narset Transcendent - that, among other things, let's you "look at the top card of your library; if it's a noncreature, nonland card, you may reveal it and put it into your hand".

How does that interact with cards like Maralen of the Mornsong, which says, among other things, "Players can't draw cards"?


texts: What cooperative board games are there that I could safely play with my wife?

texts:
My wife loves board games, but dislikes very competitive games, and is completely uninterested in aggressive "beat up the other guy" games. We recently discovered Pandemic, where each player works together to try and halt the spread of a number of deadly diseases. We really liked it.

What other games are there that are cooperative in nature?


texts: Can you use sandbags as your discard when you have more than 5 cards?

texts: 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?


texts: What is a good strategy for engaging children in playing go?

texts: For children what is the youngest age that it makes sense to begin to teach them go?  Is it best to start them on a 9x9 board?  Will a child that has learned basic algebra be better suited to learn go well?  Does anyone have experience working with their own children and can share what did and did not work?  I find that teenagers want to instantly master a subject and are reluctant to invest the time it takes to begin to master go.


texts: Sacrifice blocking creature before damage is dealt no longer working (MtG Arena)?

texts:
So the following happened to me just now in MtG Arena. I declared a Dauntless Bodyguard as blocker for a creature and then sacrificed it before damage was dealt. As I'm used to in tabletop magic, this would result in the attacking creature not dealing any damage right? However in Arena, the attacking creature for some reason just switched target to my life points directly (which actually did cost me the game).

Was there any change in rules or did I just always play it wrong on paper?


texts: 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”.


texts: Where can I get a short run of standard cards with custom backs?

texts: I want to print regular playing cards, with backs that I designed. Does anyone know where I could print a deck of cards for a good price with good quality cards? I only want about 50 to 100 decks to start with. Zazzle costs a bit too much for me ($20 a deck), and Bicycle doesn't give a set price.


texts:
I was lucky enough to play my first Martin Wallace game last night - a 5 player game of Steam.  Unfortunately I was tired and couldn't really grasp the intricacies of the game from a quick runthrough of the rules; I decided to not worry about it, play at random and get a feel for the game.

Of course I got trounced: I was way too slow to develop my locomotive, failed to utilise towns to maximise my number of route links, and missed the fact that goods cannot move through a city of their colour on their way to another one.  At least I was only a few points behind the players in 3rd and 4th places (though a long way behind the leaders of the pack).

I really liked the look of Steam (which felt like a kind of cross between Power Grid and Caylus) though, and would happily play it again.  To save me from future embarrassment though, what are some simple strategies I could adopt to give me a fighting chance of a good finish next time?  I've probably suggested some to myself in the list of mistakes I think I made in my first game, but I'm sure people who really know the game can give me some better pointers.  Any takers?


texts: Can a barrel (or the character whose power emulates a barrel) be used to attempt to mitigate the Bang! effect from a Gatling card?