texts: Are multicolor decks in any color combination viable in modern Magic?

texts:
I've just recently regained interest in MtG and was overwhelmed by the quantity of new collections and the amount of cards.

I stopped playing MtG when the Fallen Empires expansion was just out.

One of the things that pops up immediately when browsing the cards (aside from the numerous new mechanisms) is that there's a lot of multicolor cards.

In the old days, building a deck of more then one color was very hard, and in most cases it involved playing at least green because of Birds of Paradise (BoP). In terms of tactics this was very limiting, since green used to be the way for cheap creatures.

Now it seems pretty much every combination of color is a viable tactic. Is that true? Or, are there still some colors that work better together?

One other thing; I used to stick very stubbornly to a 60 cards maximum deck size, with two copies of most cards (except lands), and four copies for some very useful cards (one example was Giant Growth when playing green). Do cards now exist that help the probability of running the deck fluidly, rendering obsolete my stubornness for requiring no more than a 60 card deck?


texts: Does an equipped creature become an artifact creature?

texts: Does a creature become an artifact creature when an artifact is equipped onto it or just a creature with an artifact on it?


texts: If I play Thunder Drake as my first spell of the turn, then cast another spell, will it get a +1/+1 counter?


texts: What to do when all 3 diplomacy tokens are in use and you need a 4th?

texts:
The Cities expansion comes with 3 diplomacy tokens.

In each game there could be 4 (5 with Manneken Pis) ways to get a token:

Age I City card: Residence
Age II City card: Consulate
Age III City card: Embassy
Wonder: Byzantium

side A: 1 token
side B: 2 tokens

(Wonder: Manneken Pis)

What happens when all three tokens are in use and now another token is needed?

Example scenario:

4 players:

Bob has wonder Byzantium (B)
Alice has wonder Halicarnassus
Susan (any wonder)
Dave (any wonder)

In Age III:

Bob builds both wonder stages → 2 tokens (1 left)
Alice builds a wonder stage and builds Residence from the discard pile → 1 token (0 left)
Susan builds Embassy from her hand → 1 token needed

Does Susan get a virtual diplomacy token or not?


texts: MTG: Yorion, Sky Nomad played into Yorion, Sky Nomad

texts:
I've been playing MTG Arena and played a game where my opponent played Yorion, Sky Nomad when another copy was already in game. If I'm correct, he chose to keep the copy which was already in the play to stay and blinked everything and the new copy.
How is this possible if the trigger is related to the copy entering the board and states that only other permanents can be blinked? Am I mistaken and did he exile the old copy? Also shouldn't blinking the old copy possibly result into infinite blinking as the copies would take turns entering the battlefield?
I'm generally very confused with this play and found nothing which would help me to understand in the rulings.


texts: Is it possible to fill an Othello/Reversi board with one color?

texts:
I have a simple question, but couldn't find an answer anywhere: is it possible to fill an Othello/Reversi board with one color?
I already played some games where one of the two opponents was wiped out, but in these case the board was never filled. It is possible to wipe out your opponent on the last move?


texts: What is this game with 9 sticks with black and white beads?

texts: I found this game at my house, and I don’t know what it’s called, or how to play it. Can someone please help me.


texts:
I'm planning to print out the localized version of Cards Against Humanity to play with some friends, and I'm researching the best cost-wise way to do it.

The original PDF suggests using 80lb cardstock and that's it. That's couché 360g, a gramature I've yet to find here in Brazil - the heaviest I've seen in printshops is 300g. I'm researching some places to make thin PVC cards, but that seems hard to find, probably expensive, and I'm considering it as a last resort.

Questions:

how durable would a plain cardstock deck be, considering it's not even going to be shuffled? I'm thinking about they getting destroyed by handing them around, dirty / sweating hands, occasional dirty on the game table (as this is a party game)
what kind of finishings I could use in plain cardstock to give them a longer life? I've seem laminating and plastifying services in printshops, but they're also quite expensive (adds at least 3.5x the cardstock print price). I'm also not looking for pure home-made solutions, as some I've seen in Instructables or BGG, as there's heaps of cards and that's going to take a lot of time to finish - but if that would be the only way to go, suggest away.
how important is to have round corners in this case? Do square corners play a big role in card durability?
how bigger would the deck get if I use light sleeves on it? Consider the original deck has 560 cards, and I would add more expansions to it later.


texts: Do Ensnaring Bridge and Tortoise Formation work together?

texts: I would like to use Tortoise Formation to temporarily disable the effect of Ensnaring Bridge.  My question therefore is: does that combo allow my creatures to attack, even if there are no cards in my hand?


texts: What game is this? 8x8 wooden grid with 2 sets of 9 marbles

texts:
Anyone got any idea what this game is? A wooden board consisting of 8x8 grids of holes and 2 sets of 9 marbles (blue and green, all marbles in a set appear to be the same).

The label says ‘Oriental Chess’ by Lagoon Games but it’s not oriental chess from what I have found.


texts: How many mono-red damage doubling effects are there?

texts: So I'm making a commander meme deck based around Kumano, Master Yamabushi. I was wondering how many damage doubling effects are there in mono-red. The current ones I can think of are: Furnace of Rath, Dictate of the Twin Gods, Angarath's Marauders, and Gratuitous Violence. The goal of the deck is, along with Heartstone, be able to one shot people for just a red with Kumano. I would welcome any other suggestions for ways to increase Kumano's damage output or decrease the cost.


texts: What's a good counter for Immortal Iron Dwarves?

texts:
In Small World: Underground, in our first game, one player managed to pick up the Immortal Iron Dwarves.  I understand that the race/power combinations are not supposed to be balanced, but even once the other 3 of us realized how awesome Immortal Iron Dwarves were, we just could not figure out a damn thing we could do about it.

He was able to spread out and leave only 1 token in every region, but our taking those regions didn't hurt him at all since he got the tokens back (Immortal).

Then, with his hammers, he could take any region he wanted no matter what the defense.  He was able to just do whatever he wanted.

We realized that Vampire could actually take tokens away from Immortal, but Vampire wasn't immediately available.  Is there anything we're missing about how to counter Immortal Iron Dwarves?


texts:
I was teaching myself how to play the Hex board game by reading some books. I learned how to do 2x2 and 3x3 hex games by starting at the principal diagonal. I wanted to know what the winning strategy would be for player one (white) in a 4x4 Hex game starting from the principal diagonal.

Consider a 4x4 Hex.
Show that White has a winning strategy, starting anywhere on the principal diagonal that is in any of the hexagons 1,6, 11, or 16.

Here is what the setup would be:
Let the Hexagons be represented by numbers such as:
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16
Let White have the first move. Let black have the second move.
White opens up at 6 (principal diagonal).


texts: How the forced capture rule works with crowned pieces( in international checkers or...)

texts: If there is a possible capture two or more fields away from a king like b--w- or b-----w- are those count as a compulsory/necessary jumps or not?


texts:
A friend of mine got Dominion for Christmas, and while the game plays wonderfully (I'm hooked), we were both confused by the randomizer deck.

Why are there Curse, Copper, Silver, Gold, and victory point cards in the randomizer deck, when they're needed for every game?  We figured out we would remove those cards from the randomizer deck before dealing out 10 of the Kingdom cards to set up the game, but why bother having the above-named cards in the deck in the first place?  Are we missing something?


texts: Can Mr. X move into or through a detective occupied field?

texts:
As I read through the game and did enjoyed a few rounds one question appeared a few times.

When a detective moves into Mr. X's field the game ends with Mr. X getting captured.

BUT can Mr. X can move into a detectives field himself, or via a double move go through a detective occupied field into a different field without loosing the game?

Info: Mostly talking about New York Chase (a variant of Scotland Yard), but I can't make new tags. Although also interested in the Scotland Yard answer since it's probably the same.


texts: Suppose I cast a Vampiric Link on an opponents creature. Does the opponent gain life when this creature does damage or do I gain that life?


texts: What is a Conspiracy Card and how does it work?

texts:
What is a Conspiracy ability and how does this card work?: Assemble the Rank and Vile

How does Hidden Agenda work?

How do you activate Hidden Agenda?

What and Where is the Command Zone?

What do you even do with it? I cannot understand anything it is saying.


texts:
To be more fun.
If you are 2 people to play, would you play each 2 characters?
With only 2 characters into play, I fear that we would lack some expertise.


texts: Can Dragon Broodmother+Elemental Mastery be triggered to provide elemental tokens before upkeep resolves?

texts:
Fairly new mtg player, lifetime dragon fan looking to build some nifty combos.

Dragon Broodmother has text that reads:

  At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 1/1 red and green Dragon creature token with flying and devour 2.

If I have enchanted her (or another creature I control for that matter) with Elemental Mastery, which has:

  Enchanted creature has "Tap: Create X 1/1 red Elemental creature tokens with haste, where X is this creature's power. Exile them at the beginning of the next end step."

Can I activate the tap to make elementals in such a way that they exist on the battlefield prior to the upkeep generated dragon token so that it can devour them and become bigger immediately?

I tried reading some similar questions but I'm afraid the whole stack business is still a little murky to me.


texts: Using Supernatural Stamina on a Zombie Creature with Diregraf Colossus on the board

texts: So let's say for instance I am attacking with a Festering Mummy and it's blocked so I use Supernatural Stamina on it because I know it will be destroyed. If I have Diregraf Colossus in play does the Zombie Card returned act as a spell cast? I was looking at rulings on Supernatural Stamina here


texts: What is the timing of activation conditions for mastermind abilities?

texts:
Specifically when playing with a Factor and a Brain, I was wondering about the timing of activating these abilities. Suppose the Brain is in the school which already has 1 Intrigue. During mastermind abilities, I now add 1 Intrigue to the school. Can I now also activate the Factor as a Conspiracy Theorist and add a Paranoia to a character in his location?

Similarly, can the Protagonists do this with a Rich-man's Daughter + Girl Student? (Add a Goodwill to the Girl Student, then use the Girl Student to remove Paranoia from the Rich-man's Daughter?)


texts: What is a "Small Area" when talking about Cluster Mines?

texts: When I was building a scout-heavy army, I noticed that cluster-mines could be taken by my scout-bikes to mark a "small area" as dangerous terrain. However, there is no actual measurement in how big this area is in either the Space Marine Codex and the Core Rulebook. So in light of this, Is a "small area" the size of a small-blast marker, (3 inches) or is it some other dimension?


texts: Does a Takeout Double Apply to a "Passed" Partner?

texts:
Using Standard American my left hand opponent bid one heart. Partner passed. Right hand opponent raised to two hearts. I was in the "balancing" (fourth) seat and held:

(s) Axxx (h) x (d) KJxx (c) Axxx, doubling for takeout.

Partner passed me for "penalty" with Axxx in the suit, and the opponents made 2H, which (doubled) amounted to game.

I said that I expected a (competing) bid. Partner claimed that her original pass was a "bid" and therefore would not have "taken out" the double in any event. She was pleased to pass for penalty, but expected me to have something like Qxx, in which case we WOULD have set the opponents.

I always thought a double was for takeout until partner bid. And that partner couldn't pass except in very limited circumstances. Does Axxx in the opponent's suit represent enough "defense" to pass? Or does the previous pass justify the later one?


texts: If an action card turns a planet neutral, are the space docks and PDS units on it destroyed?

texts: If an opponent plays a card such as Local Unrest and targets my last ground force on the planet, that planet is turned neutral.  When that happens, do I lose any PDS's and Space Docks on that planet, or do they remain?  If my forces remain there, do I regain control when I land ground forces there again?


texts: What is the sequence of actions when my Shocker removes cards and places cards in my opponents hand?

texts:
I have a fun little shocker deck. From Gatherer

  Whenever Shocker deals damage to a player, that player discards all the cards in his or her hand, then draws that many cards.

Note that the errata does not specify combat damage. When the stars align I usually have the following auras on the Shocker.

Arcane Teachings: Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has "Tap: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player."
Sigil of Sleep: Whenever enchanted creature deals damage to a player, return target creature that player controls to its owner's hand.

My understanding is that when I damage a player (I even targeted myself to get a new hand in desperation) that his hand is discarded and new cards are drawn. Then at the same time a creature (assuming there is a legal target) returns to his hand. Netting the player 1 extra card in his hand once the action is completed.

Is this correct? Are there rules addressing this scenario?


texts: How does one evaluate a hand responding to a "strong" two clubs?

texts:
When opener bids a "strong" two club, responder bids two diamonds (waiting), and the opener rebids his suit, e.g. two spades, the responder is now the "captain" of the partnership. That's because s/he knows that opener has 8-9 tricks in hand, and what partner's suit is. In most cases, it's now the responder's job to evaluate his own hand at 0, 1, 2 or more tricks for the final contract. Nevertheless, some cards in responders' hands are more valuable than others.

Where would these (responder) tricks come from if s/he's relatively weak. An ace is a sure trick, but opener might have most of these. Can a king be counted as a trick on the theory that opener has the ace, or maybe the queen for "synergy?" How about other assets such as the queen of "trumps" (the opener's named suit), small "trumps," or "distribution?" I don't give as much weight to random queens and jacks (outside the named suit), even if they add up to 5-6 high card points or should I?

How do various systems or experts formulate their responses to two clubs, two diamonds, followed by a rebid of two of a suit or 2NT?


texts: What's the (Dutch) name of this "push your luck" dice game?

texts:
My wife and her family introduced a game to me that they know (in Dutch) as "knobbelen". It seems similar to the game of 5000s(in Dutch).

In this game, each player throws three dice (d6) repeatedly, either until the current throw doesn't score or the player has their cumulative throws scored.

The dice score as follows:

3 equal dice scores 1000
1, 2, 3 scores 500
if not one of the above, every 5 is worth 50 and every 1 is worth 100

A running total is kept during each player's turn. Once that has reached 300, the player can choose the end their turn, scoring that total. But they are encouraged to keep on throwing, pushing their luck. If a throw doesn't score, the running total is lost and their turn ends.

Is this game known under another name than "knobbelen"? Especially since knobbelen is the Dutch name for the game of Spoof.


texts: ID 1980s kids' astronomy book featuring a board game about asteroid mining

texts:
I am searching for a book that contained a playable board game within its pages.
About the book
In the UK in the late 1980s, many schools participated in the Puffin Book Club, where pupils could buy at a discounted rate from a monthly selection of books by Puffin (Penguin's imprint for kids).  I'm not sure, but I think that other, non-Puffin books were included in the selection as well.
I remember getting a large-format paperback book about astronomy and space science (quite similar in style to the Osborne books), possibly focusing on our solar system.
I can't find a back catalogue of Puffin books online, I'm not even sure it was a Puffin book, and the title could have been almost anything containing "space", "astro" or "solar", so finding it is a pretty tough task.  I'd imagine it's likely it may have been republished internationally as well, so I'm hoping it may seem familiar to someone somewhere.
About the board game
The  book included four (I think) board games, each of which took up a double-page spread in the book, where the board and rules were printed across the two pages.  I'm not sure if you just drew the pieces on paper yourself, or if they were supplied in pull-out form.
The only game I remember was themed around mining in the asteroid belt.  There was a large circular track of locations occupying most of the double-page spread, representing the asteroid belt, and there were pieces for the asteroids Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta.  Each turn, you would advance each of the asteroid counters one space around in its orbit.  Each player also had a spaceship counter, which you would move slowly between the asteroids as you collected minerals by mining.
SE suggests "Solarquest" as a related topic, and the theme and ideas seem similar, and I suspect this game was influenced by Solarquest, but it's not the same thing.


texts: Where can I find reviews of board games?

texts:
Before buying a board game, I would like to read some detailed reviews.  It's also hard to tell if the review is just a paid announcement from the publisher.

Is there any website that is "the reference" for those?


texts: If my opponent plays Hostage Taker, takes a creature of mine, casts it, and then I die, does he still control that creature? Or is it removed from the game back to me?


texts: Bloodbowl - throw a rock, roll for injury or casualty?

texts:
We use the 5.0 living rulebook. The exact wording for the event is the following:

  Throw a Rock: An enraged fan hurls a large rock at
  one of the players on the opposing team. Each
  coach rolls a D6 and adds their FAME (see page
  18) to the roll. The fans of the team that rolls higher
  are the ones that threw the rock. In the case of a tie
  a rock is thrown at each team! Decide randomly
  which player in the other team was hit (only players
  on the pitch are eligible) and roll for the effects of
  the injury straight away. No Armour roll is required.

I was under the impression this meant I had to roll on the injury table first, with the possibility to get a casualty table follow-up, for two reasons:

The rule clearly states the armour role should be skipped, but does not mention the same for the injury roll.
It is clear that there should be a roll, even in a one-off (no campaign or tournament) match. Those matches don't use the casualty table.

My opponent was under the impression I needed to roll casualty straight away, because the rule states to roll for injury effect, not for injury. The only spectator agreed, so I agreed to do it that way, but I would like to know if that was correct.


texts: After failing the test on Dhol Chants, does the card stay in the room or get discarded?

texts: Cards like Dhol Chants state that if you pass the test, you discard the card and receive another one. It doesn't say what to do if you fail the test. Do I discard it also, or do I leave it in that room for the next action turn/next investigator?


texts: How to reach either a 6 Hearts or a 6 NT contract?

texts:
Yesterday I picked up this in the South hand: 15 HCP, 5 spades headed by Ace Queen, two small Hearts, a Diamond triplet led by the Ace and in clubs the King, Queen, small. This is a pretty standard 1NT opening for us. My partner had 5 hearts and 17 HCP!

We couldn't figure out a clean way of bidding this out: I open 1NT, partner bids 2D for a Jacoby transfer to Hearts, I bid 2H and now partner jumps straight to 6H, leaving no room to check if we have a fit. 6H turns out to be playable, but 6NT is the better contract here.

I later thought of a way to bid this. The auction would be:
I open 1NT, partner uses Jacoby 2D to make me bid 2H. Now partner jumps to 6D; this should be an implicit question to bid 6H if I hold at least 3 hearts or 6NT on a doubleton.

Questions

Are there any biddings for such a type of hand? Preferably something that fits in our current Jacoby transfers.
Any obvious downsides to my proposal for rebidding the transfer at the 6-level?


texts: Can you have a permanent become all permanent types at the same time?

texts: Is there any combination of cards that could make a permanent all permanent types simultaneously? (planeswalker, land, creature, artifact, enchantment). I'm hitting a roadblock making something a planeswalker AND a land.


texts: What are the rules to the card game “Queenie”

texts: This is a very old game that was played by my previous generation however no one can remember the rules and there seems to be few people who actually rember how to play it.


texts: During the main phase my opponent plays an enchantment on my creature. I respond with an instant to give my creature hexproof. Is my creatue enchanted or not because of my instant?


texts: In Bridge, Why Do People Use "Transfer Bids" Over 1 NT?

texts:
Over 1NT, some people bid two diamonds to say they have five hearts, and two hearts to say they have five spades. The 1NT person bids the desired suit, completing the transfer.

Apparently the idea is to "hide" the (stronger) 1NT hand. Except for one thing. As a defender I already have a pretty good idea of the 1NT hand; balanced distribution probably one or more honors in every suit. A defender might actually be more interested in seeing the "five trump" hand, particularly if is highly distributional (singletons and voids, instead of high card points). The "no trumper" has three trumps, on average.

Can the advantages of transfer bids possibly outweigh the disadvantages? Put another way, why is it more important to hide the high cards than the five trumps?


texts: Are you able to take control of another player's Commander?

texts:
Recently, I was told by someone in my playgroup that you cannot take control of a player's commander at any point. If an effect would cause you to control another player's commander, either the effect fizzles or the commander goes to the command zone, I forget which he said.

The thing is, I searched mtgcommander.net, and another website that pointed to mtgcommander.net as the source of the official rules of EDH, and I can't find that particular rule anywhere.

Can someone please clarify? At any time are you allowed to control another player's commander?

It would seem that this question is answered indirectly here and here, but I wanted a more definitive answer to the question.


texts: Does resolving a single fight round in A Touch of Evil also trigger "The Horseman Rides Tonight!" event?

texts:
When playing against the Spectral Horseman, if something in the game triggers a single fight round with the Villain, does the Spectral Horseman's "The Horseman Rides Tonight!" event take effect?
For example, here's the wording on the Deadly Encounter mystery card:

Every Hero must immediately roll a D6. Whoever rolls the lowest (roll off if tied), must resolve a single Fight Round with the Villain. Instead of causing Wounds, each Hit done to the Villain gains 1 investigation for the Hero.

... and the text for "The Horseman Rides Tonight!" event:

The Villain attacks! The Hero must immediately resolve a single Fight Round with the Villain. Instead of causing Wounds, each Hit done to the Villain gains 1 Investigation for the Hero. This does NOT cause a Showdown.
...
After an Fight here (or even if there is no Fight), the Spectral Horseman moves along the shortest path to the Town Hall, Fighting every Hero along the way as normal for his Relentless Charge ability.

Is it just coincidence that the first part of the event reads almost exactly the same as the deadly encounter or should the Spectral Horseman make his ride to the Town Hall and attack all other Heroes along the way in the event of a card that triggers a single fight round?


texts:
If you surveil a Blood Operative into your graveyard can you immediately use its triggered ability to return it to your hand?

  Whenever you surveil, if Blood Operative is in your graveyard, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return Blood Operative to your hand.

I heard that it would "see" the surveil and trigger even though it wasn't in the graveyard until the actual resolution of surveil but I'd like to confirm that and understand what the relevant rule is.


texts:
Having spent time reading the wonderful answers here on the marvels of layers, I thought I'd throw another one in the mix...

I have an empty board, 7 mana, and a Daxos, Blessed by the Sun and Harmonious Archon in hand. I can cast both, but I want to maximise the outcome.

My understanding says that if I play the Archon first followed by Daxos, he will have 4 toughness, or more if I increase devotion. If I do it the other way, he will have an unchangeable 3 toughness.

This is predicated on my assumption that Daxos' toughness effect is a continuous effect that is determined in the same layer as the Archon. Is this correct?


texts: Is using 1 die when all but 1 piece is in home and the last piece near home ok, or do I use both dice like usual?

texts:
Parcheesi is a race between four players. Each player moves four pawns from their starting point, around the board and then into the center.

In Parcheesi, is it possible to use just 1 die at the end rather than 2 for moves less than 7 spaces? I play by the rules, and there is no rule on dice usage at the end of the game.


texts: If I cast Howl of the Horde and then cast a Collateral Damage, I know that I do not need to sacrifice additional creatures for the copies based on this question. However, does each new copy trigger Prowess?


texts: I bought the Bohnanza Fan Edition by mistake and I can't return it (long story) how can I alter the cards to make them more readable/playable like the original edition?


texts: Identify a numbers game where you strike out numbers

texts:
In this game you start out by jotting down numbers 1 through 19 on a squared paper into 9 columns (and skip 10, there are no zeroes).

Then you start striking out numbers that are adjacent (diagonally doesn't count) and are the same numbers or have a sum of ten. Also, the struck out numbers don't count either, for example, if you have 4 5 6, then you can strike out 4 and 6 (their sum is 10).

If you have struck out all the pairs you can find, you write the left over numbers again and look for new pairs. You win if you've struck out all the numbers.

My question is - does this game have an actual name or is it "that numbers game that everyone played in high school"?


texts: Brand new Pokemon Cards bent in packaging!

texts: I just opened my new Enchanted Echo starter deck and found two fairy energy cards bent in the box! These cards are completely unusable and buying this deck was primarily for getting the fairy energy cards! Im outraged! Is there any way that I can contact the Pokemon Trading Card company and file a formal complaint and maybe try for a refund, or do I need to talk to the store I bought it from? The cards were bent in the unopened packaging, so this is a defect. I can't find any information on the Pokemon Trading Card company though! Does anyone know where I should file my complaint?


texts: Replenish internal sensors when the computers are offline

texts:
When the computer is offline, we have no skill deck. I assume this impacts the crew (e.g. the tactical officer) when their ability says to draw from the skill deck in certain situations.
What I can’t find explicitly documented however, is where the internal sensors are replenished from.

If the computer is offline, can the internal sensors be replenished from the skills discard?
There is no other instance I know of where one system going offline cripples another.


texts: What is the converted mana cost of a spell with {X} when cast with the Miracle mechanic?

texts:
Say I topdeck Entreat the Angels and cast it for its miracle cost of XWW. But my opponent wants to counter it with a CMC-based effect, such as Spellstutter Sprite or Spell Burst.

  202.3. The converted mana cost of an object is a number equal to the total amount of mana in its mana cost, regardless of color....

  202.3b When calculating the converted mana cost of an object with {X} in its mana cost, X is treated as 0 while the object is not on the
  stack, and X is treated as the number chosen for it while the object
  is on the stack.

If I spent 5 mana to cast Entreat the Angels with X=3, what is the CMC of Entreat the Angels on the stack?

Do I get to double-count the X I spent because the card's base mana cost is XXWWW?

Or is X "zero" because I'm not actually paying the X in the mana cost?


texts: Can I build a strong knight with Deserter if the victim removes a mighty knight?

texts:
I already have all of my basic and mighty knights on the board. I played the Deserter Politics Progress Card to one of my opponents, and they chose to remove a mighty knight.

It only says in the Almanac,

  If he chooses a knight that you do not have available (for example, if he removes a “strong” knight and both of your “strong” knights are already on the board), you may place a basic knight instead.

But I figured since the strong knights have a lower rank than the mighty ones (which is the type of knight my opponent removed), I can place it on the board.

Am I allowed to build the strong knight instead of a basic knight, because it is a lower rank than the knight removed?

Should I have promoted my basic knights first to have at least one on my supply, prior to using the Deserter card?


texts: Mille Bornes Fast Play Rules Clarification

texts:
The Dujardin version has Fast Play Rules (see page 7 in the manual). One of the rules allows players to immediately play a Remedy card right after receiving a Hazard card, and then immediately draw a new card, and then the game play will resume according to the normal flow of play. However, unlike the "Coup Fourré" move, the player does not gain or lose points.

I'm confused by what "resuming the normal flow of play" means in this context, especially compared to the Coup Fourré situation.

Let's say we have 4 players: North, East, South, and West, and the order of play is clockwise (N-E-S-W-N-E-S-W-...). North puts down a Hazard card onto South.

In the "Coup Fourré" move (page 12 in the manual), if South has a Safety card, then South can immediately put that card down to remove the Hazard card, draw a replacement for the Safety card, and then South gets a move by drawing another card and then play/discard another card. After that, it's West's turn. East doesn't get any turn. Therefore, effectively, South hijacks the turn, interrupting the normal flow.

Under the Fast Play Rules, South is allowed to play a corresponding Remedy card immediately after North plays a Hazard card against South. Then South draws a replacement card for that Remedy card. So far this is simliar to the Coup Fourré move. Now, who's playing right after South draws that replacement? Is it West, just like in the Coup Fourré move? Or is it East, because it was North who put down the Hazard card, and East was supposed to play next (hence "resuming to the normal flow of play")?

The Fast Play Rules are not in the classic version but I still wonder which makes more sense.


texts: How does the last turn of an epoch run in Priests of Ra?

texts: Just bought Priests of Ra and am really enjoying it, but am not quite sure how the final turn of each epoch should be played. The rules state an epoch ends when the final sun is flipped over, so what happens when the second to last sun is flipped over? Does the player with one remaining sun get to keep drawing tiles on his own, and can call "Ra" and bid on them with no-one opposing him? This seems a little odd.


texts: What happens when a piece is kinged in checkers?

texts: In checkers, what is supposed to happen when a piece gets to the other side of the board and becomes a king? Does the move end? Can the piece continue to skip in the same turn it becomes a king? Can it choose not to be kinged and skip again? I've looked up a couple of different rules and I can't really find any sort of set rules for this. What is the actual rule?


texts:
What happens to character if sanity is at critical and hands off burial mask?

We assumed the character would die, but we thought there might have been an exception.


texts: Interactions with Razaketh and Black Sun's Zenith

texts: I was wondering about the interactions between Razaketh, the Foulblooded and Black Sun's Zenith. If I cast Black Sun's Zenith, choosing at least 8 for X, can I use Razaketh's ability to tutor for Black Sun before he dies?


texts: In Belfort I find it confusing when turn order is changed.  Do you immediately swap turn markers during the placement phase?  Do the turns take effect immediately (still in the placement phase) or do you wait until the actions phase?


texts: Help me identify this card playing board game.

texts:
Hello all you card game aficionados!

Back in the day, my Mom & Dad played a card game that used this game board (see image).  I do not remember the name, OR, how to play. I don't really need the name of the game, but that would help. The rules are what I need. Does anyone recognized the game?

Incidentally the game board is about 2 x 2 masonite. My Dad cut up a deck of cards and glued them in the order illustrated, then shellacked the surface etc. voila.
I would be happy to share any info collected. I remember that the game was fun and unique.

Hope anyone can help.

Cheers

Grayley McWatters
Barrie, Ontario


texts:
We ran into a state in a game of Checkers, where there were no more possible moves. Is this situation even possible according to the correct rules (I'm not an experienced player)? And if so, is it a draw? And if not, who wins (I'd assume white, because he jumped a piece)?

If the situation is possible, is it common? What about professional setting?


texts: Can one player put more than one of his agents at Waterdeep Harbor?

texts:
In Lords of Waterdeep, can I place more than one of my agents at Waterdeep Harbor?

For example, at the end of the round, can two of my agents occupy two spaces at Waterdeep Harbor?


texts: Can Runed Halo be used against the zombie tokens created by Field of the Dead?

texts: Is it possible to protect oneselves with Runed Halo against Field of the Dead's tokens? If so, what card name has to be named?


texts: Recommendation for D&D players who want a faster dungeon/questing game after dinner?

texts:
My friends and I play Advanced Dungeons and Dragons from time to time. Since it's cumbersome to make so many preparations to play so little, I'd like a faster alternative reason to get together and play some board games.

It could be a war game or preferably a dungeon/questing game. Ideally, something to play in two or three hours, maybe more.

If it's legally available to print & play, all the better.


texts: What happens when you procession an encampment without having a gold/plunder in your hand?

texts:
What happens when you play Procession
on a Encampment with out having a gold or plunder in your hand?

Does procession lose track of Encampment therefore it not able to trash it and it ends up back in the supple?  Do you still gain a card and if so what value of card you gain?


texts: Does mixing decks in Agricola reduce the chance of synergies?

texts:
This is in some ways a followup to Is the Complex deck in Agricola strictly better?.

In Agricola, are there many synergies between cards across decks, or do cards which work towards a certain theme tend to be grouped into the same deck?

I kind of like the idea of mixing the E, I, K (and, when FedEx arrives, G) decks, but does doing so reduce the chance of getting strong combos? If so, would it be better to increase the cards drawn (but still discard or draft down to 7) when combining decks?

In response to the first answer received: I can see that a larger deck reduces the risk of "negative synergy", where some cards are specifically meant to balance other powerful ones by the possibility that an opponent has that card. (Chief and Chief's Daughter, for example.) In fact, that's obviously the case with any card which mentions a specific other card, so, what if we set those cards aside and just consider the rest? Is there a greater or worse chance of getting a set of cards which happens to work together nicely without explicitly saying so?


texts: Axis and Allies 1941 :Can a submarine sneak attack a battle ship when there is an enemy sub in the same battle?

texts:
No home rules please

So heres the scenario:
I attacked with one sub.

The enemy has one battleship and one sub.

Can I sneak attack the battleship if there is an enemy sub in the same battle?

Can I do so if I had a destroy in the battle? Is this possible at all?

Thank you!


texts: Do my games in the GoKGS get deleted after some time?

texts:
At this page (https://www.gokgs.com/help/tilde.html) I read:

  Your whole list of games (i.e. all those played in the last 180 days) ...

This kind of suggests that "my whole list of games" = "all those played in the last 180 days", which suggests that in my list there are never games older than 180 days, which suggests that they get deleted?


texts: Scheming Symmetry with revealed top of deck

texts:
I have a Lantern of Insight in play, and I cast Scheming Symmetry. My question is, when the card resolves, how do players put the card on top? Is it simultaneous, or APNAP?

If APNAP, my fear is that this gives the NAP a chance to choose a different card once they see what I reveal.


texts: A card game with a mat on the table and chips in the kitty

texts:
We used to play a card game with a mat on the table. We had to put chips in the kitty and also in 8 other piles on the mat.
Whoever won the hand got the kitty.
What's the name of this game?


texts: What happens when destroying something that gives flash to a spell on the stack?

texts:
Say Player 1 has something like Shimmer Myr that reads:

  You may cast artifact cards as though they had flash.

Then when that player tries to cast an artifact as an instant, Player 2 places something like Naturalize on the stack to destroy target artifact (the Shimmer Myr). What happens to the artifact being cast?  What about the mana used to cast it?


texts: What algorithm does Better Settlers use?

texts: I have been using Better Settlers and found that it sets boards that have even probabilities. I would like to understand the algorithm used to generate the board layout, and how it achieves a "fair" setup.


texts: Monopoly chance card "move to" utility owned by person who recieved card

texts: During a game a player picked up a chance card which told him to go to a utility. He however owned both utilities and it was therefore his property. He argued that the bank therefore owes him the 10× his roll. I said that he would simply owe himself the 10× dice roll. What is the rule here?


texts:
My partner opened 1 Club. I held:

 S: J732
 H: -
 D: Axxxx
 C: QJxx

She was upset that I bid two clubs rather than 1 Spade. I did not think the Spade suit was good enough to bid. What do you think.

On another "convenient" minor open I had 4 Spades and 4 Hearts, both with two honors, and 8 points. I bid 1 NT, which I thought would indicate that I could support either suit.

I had the same partner both times and caught a lot of flack over these bids. Was my thinking wrong?


texts: Can I use Smite the Monstrous on creatures given increased power/toughness?

texts:
Please clarify this situation.

My opponent has a 3/3 creature and in his turn plays an enchantment that adds +1/+1 to his creature.

I react to this with an instant, Smite The Monstrous, which states: "Destroy target creature with a power of 4 or greater."

He argues that his creature's core power is really 3, the +1 enchantment is not a permanent change - if the enchantment is exiled/countered, the creature would revert to the 3/3.

I disagree (of course), since at the time the instant was played, the creature in fact had 4 power.

Please break our disagreement and cite rules if you can. Thanks!


texts: Small arguement for the game Guillotine. In the instructions it states that at the end of the day you keep all action cards in hand, and you keep all nobles in your play area. The question now, is do you keep action cards that you have played that effect the end of the game (such as +1 to all red nobles), or do they discard at the end of the day?


texts: Do the rules in the "Open the first time a faction is eliminated" packet apply retroactively?

texts:
Contains spoilers for the packet in question:

   In Risk Legacy, a faction was eliminated and I opened the appropriate envelope, inside which were blue comeback power stickers. My question is: does that very first eliminated faction get one of the stickers, or will it have to wait until next time since these new rules only came into existence after it was eliminated?


texts: Underworld Connections: Tapping the Land for mana and ability?

texts: Let's say i enchant a land with Underworld Connections. Would i be able to tap said land for mana, and use the ability of Underworld Connections concurrently?


texts: In bridge, is there a way to determine when and where to "transfer control" to defeat a squeeze?

texts:
I am West, defending a no trump contract. (No bids by our side, no other bids than NT by the opponents.)

We're down to the last few cards, and I have two suits, call them diamonds and clubs, like this:

(d) Kx (c) Qxx

I am guarding two suits, and when South leads a third suit, e.g. a heart, I will likely be squeezed because I have two "secondary" (non top honors) that need to be protected by x cards.

If I knew that partner had e.g. Qx of diamonds, I could "transfer control." of that suit by discarding K, and then x, while protecting the club suit. If I knew partner had Jxx of clubs, I could discard my Qxx of clubs and protect diamonds.

How do I know whether (and in which suit) I can transfer control to partner in this fashion? What should I have been doing/looking for in earlier play to help make this decision?


texts: When does Sarkhan's Unsealing check power?

texts:
Suppose I have Sarkhan's Unsealing out, and exactly 7 cards in hand (including Tishana), and I cast Tishana, Voice of Thunder. Which mode of Unsealing will trigger?

My reasoning is that when you cast Tishana, you have to put her on the stack first, so she will be a 6/6 when Sarkhan's Unsealing checks her power. But I could see it go either way, so I wanted to get a more definite answer for clarity.

More generally, when precisely does the power get "locked in" for the purpose of determining whether Sarkhan's Unsealing triggers? For example, suppose I crack a bunch of Chromatic Spheres to refill my hand while casting Tishana. What happens then?


texts: Do I get to use non-bonus abilities from items I don't have equipped?

texts: For the abilities underneath the "+N to combat check", for instance, am I allowed to use them when I don't have them equipped? I believe the answer is yes but I was hoping to find documentation. I think most of these likely involve exhausting the card, which further makes me think it likely is allowed.


texts: Can a solo game be converted into a cooperative game (and vice versa)?

texts:
Note: this is not (just) a theoretical question. I have been asked to develop a solo game mode for the game that I am working on, and I'm wondering if I should start with a cooperative mode instead.

Q 1: Given a solo game (i.e. a game designed/intended for one player), what qualities must it have - positive and negative - for it to have a natural extension for multiple, cooperating players?

One such quality would be the control of several characters: if the player is responsible for the movement/actions of several otherwise-independent characters, it would be reasonable to assign each character to a player (thereby creating a "cooperative" game).

Q 2: Given a multiplayer cooperative game (i.e. a game designed/intended for several players to work together toward a common goal), what qualities must it have - positive and negative - for it to have a natural... distillation to a solo game?

Most of what I've come up with on this end is a list of things/games that won't work.
Escape: Curse of the Temple and Space Alert are two popular cooperative games that are played on a timer (which is actually an audio soundtrack). Without changing the soundtrack/game length, it would be tough for a single player to do what 4-5 players are usually responsible for.

The game play of Hanabi relies entirely on the limited information that each player has, and on controlling communication. A single player... well, it would be hard to imagine Hanabi keeping its elegance in a solo mode.


texts: Would March of the Machines make artifacts trigger creature enter the battlefield effects?

texts: I am wondering if I had a March of the Machines in play and played a Boros Signet, would it trigger a 'creature enters the battlefield' effect?


texts: Nightveil Specter - Do I have to play the cards in order they were exiled?

texts:
Nightveil Specter has the following ability:

  Whenever Nightveil Specter deals combat damage to a player, that
  player exiles the top card of his or her library.

  You may play cards exiled with Nightveil Specter.

As I understand the rules text, I can play the card whenever it is legal to play, say a land: I can play one land in one of my main phase. But, can I play the exiled land form last turn? And what if in the meantime I exiled another card?

Example:

First I exile a Forest
Then I exile a Scavenging Ooze

Can I play the land first and then the ooze?


texts: Is it possible to have the same planeswalker from different editions in a Commander deck?

texts:
Is it possible to have the same card but from two different editions in Commander?
For example, the planeswalker Jace Beleren.


texts: How does shuffling work when your library is empty?

texts: Say there are no cards in someone's library. Can they shuffle their graveyard and hand into their library with an effect that instructs them to do so, if there is technically no library to shuffle into?


texts: In Mancala, are you allowed to pick up and count your opponent's stones?

texts: In Mancala, are you allowed to pick up and count the number of stones your opponent has if the cup is too small to be able to see?


texts: Does Phytotitan return to the battlefield when it first died and then was exiled?

texts:
I have a question regarding Phytotitan, it's a 7/2 creature wich states:

  When Phytotitan dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control tapped at the beginning of his or her next upkeep.

If Phytotitan dies and afterwards is exiled from the graveyard, does it still return to the battlefield?


texts:
In Twilight Imperium 4th Edition, the card Hypermetabolism reads:

  During the status phase, gain 2 command tokens instead of 1

You already get 2 command tokens during the status phase, and is likely a misprint.  This has been discussed on many threads, but is there an official errata from FFG?


texts: At what point does a land become controlled?

texts:
Shrine of the Forsaken Gods has the ability:

  {T}: Add {C}{C}. Spend this mana only to cast colorless spells.
  Activate this ability only if you control seven or more lands.

Golgari Rot Farm has the text:

  When Golgari Rot Farm enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner's hand.

I have 6 lands on the board including Shrine of the Forsaken Gods.  If I play a Golgari Rot Farm, can I tap Shrine of the Forsaken Gods for {C}{C} before bouncing the land from Golgari Rot Farm?  Do I control seven lands at that point?


texts:
After playing much Warhammer 40K and building some Space Marine and Orks, I've been looking into starting a Warhammer Fantasy army, more specifically Skaven, because of the cool-looking models and the challenge towards my painting skills to make them look beautiful.
Although I've looked into types of armies and lore, from a strictly-gameplay point of view, I know nothing.
What types of Skaven armies work or not, and which races are they good or weak against?


texts: In Monopoly, Can I mortgage properties during an auction time? Monopoly on the Nintendo Gameboy, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Nintendo like to go by the real rules. All though on the Nintendo, it does not allow you to mortgage properties during an auction site. Does that rule apply, if you are playing the real actual board game? Can you build houses and hotels during an auction time?


texts: How is morale resolved when the Bonding Knife and Tormentor rules are in effect?

texts:
I recently ran into an issue where two different rules conflicted without an obvious intended solution.

Tau have their Bonding Knife Ritual rule: "If you roll a 6 when taking a Morale test for this unit, the test is automatically passed."
Likewise, the Drukhari Incubi have the Tormentor rule: "When a Morale test is taken for an enemy unit within 6" of any INCUBI units from your army, and the result of that Morale test is equal to the highest Leadership characteristic in that enemy unit, the test is failed and one model flees that enemy unit."

In our situation, a unit with Leadership 7 lost 1 model and rolled a 6 for their morale test. In this event when both conditions are triggered, what happens?


texts: Is either player at a disadvantage when cards "aren't' shuffled well enough"?

texts:
Perhaps I should be asking this on one of the math sites rather than here, but I reckon cardplayers would know: when my wife and I play Skip-Bo and things aren't going her way, she claims that I "didn't shuffle the cards well (long) enough."

While it may be true that I only shuffled the cards a few times (rather than dozens), my assertion is that it doesn't really matter, as far as who has the advantage - we're both playing with the same "badly shuffled" cards, so it's an "even playing field."

Am I wrong? Is either player at a disadvantage with insufficienlty shuffled cards?

I am even tempted to not shuffle at all between game 1 and game 2 to see how that turns out.


texts: Othello - Most number of legal moves in a given turn

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


texts: What happens with Lifelink when a creature's power exceeds its blocker's toughness?

texts:
Lifelink typically says:

  Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)

Suppose I attack with a 5/5 creature which has Lifelink, and it's blocked by a 1/1 creature.

Do I gain 1 life or 5?


texts: How can I play against enchantments while playing an all black deck?

texts:
I just need to know any and all black Magic cards that destroy enchantments. I already searched Gatherer and didn't find anything.

It's casual play with family, so any card is fair game.


texts: Can I win in 1v1 if I stole someone else's platinum angel, would lose without it, then defeat them?

texts:
While playing in multiplayer Commander, we came across this specific situation where I used Bribery on a player to steal his Platinum Angel.

Later in the game, we are the two last players in play and my life total is 0 or less. Can I still win if my opponent lose the game or do I lose too? Considering that his Platinum Angel will be removed from the game according to the rules below as soon as he loses the game.

  800.4a. When a player leaves the game, all objects (see rule 109) owned by that player leave the game, any effects which give that player control of any objects or players end, and all spells and abilities controlled by that player on the stack cease to exist. Then, if there are any objects still controlled by that player, those objects are exiled. This is not a state-based action. It happens as soon as the player leaves the game. If the player who left the game had priority at the time he or she left, priority passes to the next player in turn order who’s still in the game


texts: Can I attempt to activate an equipment's equip ability without a valid target?

texts: Say I have a Mycosynth Wellspring on the field and a Piston Sledge. The equip cost for piston sledge is "sacrifice an artifact". If I control no creatures, can I sacrifice the Mycosynth Wellspring to the Piston Sledge to benefit from its ability, or does the equip ability require a valid target in order to pay its cost?


texts: Why is there a limit to how many buildings can built by each player? I was the builder lady lord, using the Undermountain Expansion, and would have been about to build 12+ buildings, but game rules limit each player to 9. What is the reason for this limit?


texts: In 7 Wonders,when buying resources from your neighbor.  Do they have an unlimited supply of resources for you to buy, or just what is showing?  For example can I buy 3 stone from them when they only have 1 stone showing in their resource pile, or am I only allowed to buy up to the number they are showing?


texts: Is 5 a maximum number of buildings in Stone Age?

texts: On the player board there are 3 spaces for tools. Player can't have more than 3 tools at the same time (permanent tools). There are 5 spaces for buildings. Therefore, I assumed 5 is a limit of huts a player might own. Is that correct?


texts:
The Rules (page 13) say:

  When installing a card in a server, the Corporation can first
  trash any cards already installed in that server.

And also:

  When installing ice, the Corporation can first trash any ice
  protecting that server in order to reduce the install cost.

The first quote seems to imply that when the corp is installing any card in a server (including Agenda, Asset or Upgrade), it can trash any card installed on the same server first, including ice.

The second quote is more restrictive, but doesn't seem to actually contradict the first one.

At the same time, I have seen comments indicating that the corp can't trash ice when installing other card types.

So, can the corp actually trash ice when installing other types of cards?


texts: Victory conditions with the "Limited Range of Influence" option

texts:
In a ten player Grand Melee, Anthony controls a Darksteel Reactor with 20 counters on it.

Anthony has satisfied the trigger condition for Darksteel Reactor. The trigger resolves, and he wins the game. However, with the limited range of influence option, only the person to Anthony's left and right will lose the game. There is now a void on Anthony's left and right, and his range of influence is not reevaluated until the beginning of his next turn. But Anthony never gets another turn because the Reactor will trigger again and again forever.

What happens to Anthony now? Can other turn markers bring opponents into Anthony's range of influence so that they will lose to him? In other words, can the void on his left and right ever be collapsed? If not, has he fallen victim to an infinite loop, forcing a draw by his own victory condition?


texts:
I understand that you flip a coin to check if a pokemon wakes up. Assume that my son puts my active Pokémon to sleep (he has a Litwick which does this very easily). At the end of his turn do I get to check if the Pokémon wakes up?

If yes but I get unlucky, or if not: since I can't retire a sleeping Pokémon I am basically stuck during my turn unless I have some special effect card that allows for switch, right? Now at the end of my turn do I get to flip at least?

Basically, who gets to flip at the end of whose turn? The rules online are not detailed enough...


texts: Is this play involving Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon & Lightpulsar Dragon valid?

texts:
I was playing against a kid on dueling network and he swore that this play wasn't legal and I pretty much just ended the match to avoid arguing. I know I might be wrong, but here's how it went (basically OTK cause he had no Effect Veilers, Battle Faders & only 2 cards on backrow which he didn't activate):

In my hand I had 2 Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragons. On the field I had Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (I'm going to write REDMD for short) & Lightpulsar Dragon.

I special summoned Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon tributing REDMD & Lightpulsar. Since they technically should both go to grave together I special summoned REDMD using Lightpulsar's effect.
I special summon Lightpulsar using REDMD effect.
Special summon another Galaxy Eyes from hand, again special summon REDMD using Lightpulsar's eff, then special summon Lightpulsar.
Overlay for Heiratic Overlord, detach one, tribute REDMD first (important) & then Lightpulsar to pop his backrow. Lightpulsar effect I special summon REDMD again, REDMD special summon Galaxy Eyes photon & attack for OTK.


texts:
What does it mean to have a positional game, or to play a positional game?
What is the opposite?


texts: The Boss Monster game is specific in that it says only 2-4 players can play the game, but from reading all the rules, and the fact that there are more than 4 monsters, I don't understand why it cannot go to five or six. I imagine it might be because there might not be enough resource cards to go around. (Note: I've only played a couple of rounds of the digital product but just recently got the physical game.) However, if I put in the expansions would 5-6 players be more reasonable? Or is there some additional catches that keep it from allowing more than four players?


texts: Are encounters naturally weighted against players and how do we 'fix' it?

texts:
I've been having a great deal of trouble when it comes to playing campaign mode with our current group.  Initially, we were doing well, and I think most of it had to do with a learning curve for the game on both sides of the table (players and overlord).  We won two games, lost one, then won our Interlude.

Then the game became impossible.  I think it was a combination of the game getting exponentially tougher and our Overlord actively trying to screw us.  Granted, the game is modeled with an Overlord vs Players dynamic, but this was an unbalancing amount of difficulty.

To explain: We were trying the Act II quest to search for the Dawnblade.  We had to get up to an altar and stand on it and wait for the sunlight to hit it.  The Overlord chose spiders as our open group (because moving past them costs fatigue) and then chose Merriods (since they can immobilize you) and zombies (to help clog up holes on the battlefield).

Without getting into too much party composition, our first turn went fine with us removing most of the spiders.  But the next turn had him spawning the master spider again, a zombie, and then a Merriod behind us.  Two of us go immobilized, and the other two were scrambling to get to the altar before he stopped us.  But, as you can imagine, the dice were not nice to us at all, the immobilized people went down, and we lost the encounter.

In hindsight, it wasn't a fair fight at all, since there was no good way of us getting to the altar with the abilities we had or the gear we'd managed to get.  He had us beat on every front, and even if we got lucky, he could plug up holes faster than we could kill monsters.  Suffice it to say, he was able to win the next encounter in three turns, because he used the same tactic and rolled to finish the encounter on the first turn he got to the objective.

So, in summary, I've found that the game is very heavily weighted against the players in almost every encounter, unless the Overlord is playing to have fun and not playing to win.  If the Overlord plays to win, the players really don't stand much of a chance.  And some encounters seem to require certain skills and tactics to even make them viable.  So, am I missing something that the players should get above monsters?  Or is this just how the game is designed and I need to work with it?


texts: Trouble: can you move any peg on your second pop after landing on double trouble?

texts:
My kids are having a debate about how Trouble should work. If you land on a Double Trouble, you are granted a second turn. Do you have to move the peg that is on the Double Trouble spot, or can you move any peg?

The instructions don't say, but I could see it either way:

it's just another turn, so any peg could be moved
you got the turn by virtue of the peg that landed there, so it's another turn for that peg, specifically

Note: this game doesn't seem to be tagged here, and I can't find a generic "board game" or similar tag. Someone with more rep should feel free to better categorize this.


texts: When a permanent is being made to copy another, does it count as entering the battlefield?

texts:
I want to cast Polymorphous Rush on a strong creature on my battlefield so that my Hamletback Goliath's ability will trigger.  The creature that will become the copy is already on the battlefield, but when it becomes a copy of the strong creature, will this trigger my Hamletback Goliath's ability?

For reference, Hamletback Goliath reads:

  Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may put X +1/+1 counters on Hamletback Goliath, where X is that creature's power.


texts: When units are destroyed by sword icons on house cards - how are the units chosen?

texts:
Say I have combat against an enemy that has two infantry and a knight on his territory. I use a house card that has two swords, and win the fight, and so two units are destroyed.

How the units chosen - do I choose which units are destroyed, or does the loser?


texts: When should I choose to redesign my Alhambra?

texts:
My family and I have played several games of Alhambra now, and while we're still relative beginners, we've noticed that we rarely if ever choose to redesign our Alhambras (move tiles to or from our boards). In fact, I think its happened less than 5 times in our past 5 games. Is this normal? The only time we really redesign is after we've bought a tile we couldn't use to deprive someone else of it and have nothing better to do with our turn. Otherwise, its just way too expensive in terms of lost opportunities to take money or buy tiles.

When should a player choose to redesign their Alhambra?


texts: Activating Golos during another player’s turn

texts:
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim's ability can be activated during another players turn, but does doing so allow you to still play the cards if it is not your turn? The ability text says you may play those cards “this turn”.

I am assuming that you would not be able to play anything other than any revealed instants unless the revealed card has “flash” or some other card gives those revealed cards flash (e.g. Teferi or Leyline of Anticipation).  Is that correct?

Similarly, because it is not my turn, is playing a revealed land card from Golos forbidden?


texts: Premptive bid with too much strength in Bridge

texts: What happens if opener bids 3 diamonds (a preemptive bid) and everyone else passes and then it is discovered that opener had 14 points, too many to preempt?


texts: Galepowder Mage and Wormfang Manta interaction

texts:
So, I have a question about triggers.

Can someone please explain the interaction between Galepowder Mage and Wormfang Manta? If I go to declare attack, using the mage to target Manta do I take my extra turn after I pass my current turn and then skip my the turn after that? Or does the Manta just nullify both of it's abilities when it comes back?


texts: How does Hour of Devastation's Neheb the Eternal work with extra combat & main phases?

texts:
Earlier today @Wizards_MagicEU revealed Neheb, the Eternal. This is a creature card which reads:

  At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, add {R} to your mana pool for each 1 life your opponents have lost this turn.

Cards like World at War, Waves of Aggression and Relentless Assault create additional combat phases and main phases which make the turn structure look more like this (assuming you cast just one of them):

Main phase
Combat phase
Main phase
Combat phase
Main phase

Let's assume in every Combat phase, I make my opponents lose some life.

How does Neheb, the Eternal's ability function in this structure? When does he trigger and how much mana does he add each time? I think he'd trigger in every main phase but the first and add a cumulative amount of mana each time; is that accurate?


texts:
I am forced to use czech language, but I would like to use English. How can I switch languages in GoKGS?

This is what I see when I click File (1st in the menu) and Set preferences (3rd in the submenu):

I don't see anything to switch languages. My preferences should probably look like in the help page (https://www.gokgs.com/help/setPrefsWin.html) but unfortunatelly they don't!


texts: Voracious Wurm and Wall of Reverence: which trigger happens first?

texts:
Suppose Wall of Reverence is already in play. I play my Voracious Wurm, which has the following ability:

  Voracious Wurm enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the amount of life you've gained this turn.

Seeing as this is not a triggered ability, but a replacement effect, would I be able to gain life at my end step with Wall of Reverence's triggered ability, then add to the stack my Wurm's ability to gain X +1/+1 counters? (After all, that's life I gained in my turn.)

The following rules seem relevant here:

  603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. (See rule 101.4.) Then the game once again checks for and resolves state-based actions until none are performed, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the stack. This process repeats until no new state-based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets priority.

  614.1. Some continuous effects are replacement effects. Like prevention effects (see rule 615), replacement effects apply continuously as events happen -- they aren't locked in ahead of time. Such effects watch for a particular event that would happen and completely or partially replace that event with a different event. They act like "shields" around whatever they're affecting.

  614.1d Continuous effects that read "[This permanent] enters the battlefield . . ." or "[Objects] enter the battlefield . . ." are replacement effects.


texts: Anyone know more 'social' games like 'Werewolves"

texts:
I am looking for examples of good social games, the kind that can be played at parties where rather than using stuff like dice most of the play is done through social interaction

One example of the sort of thing I mean is "Werewolves" or "Villagers and Werewolves". In that game everyone assumes the roles within a village with some people being the werewolves. There are a number of rounds in which the group try to reason among themselves about who the werewolves are, the interest of course supplied by the fact that the werewolves are present trying to hijack the discussion. The game made excellent by of the nuances introduced by the roles and the restrained cooperative aspects.

Anyone know anything similar or a place where I can find games like this?


texts: Does the Favor of the Pope begin in play in Condottiere?

texts: In Condottiere, does the Favor of the Pope (white token) begin in play or does it not come into play until the first Bishop card is played?


texts: What is the name of this trick-taking card game?

texts: Years ago, in the 70s, my aunt from Kentucky taught us a card game. She called it "Table".  I've found nothing on the internet but it seems similar to Oh Hell. You were dealt 1 card in the first round, 2 in the second, etc. up to 10 cards in the 10th round then back down to 1. Like Oh Hell, players bid on tricks and score points but only if they make their bid.  Unlike what I've seen of Oh Hell, if a player doesn't make their bid they go set and lose points. I would like to know the actual name of this game and also how it's scored.


texts: What is a good basic/non-basic lands ratio for Back to Basics in Commander?

texts:
I recently obtained a Back to Basics and I wonder what is a good ratio of Basic/non-basic lands so it doesn't hurt me more than my opponents.

I suppose that near to 0 non-basics is a trivial answer for a mono-color deck, but I want to add it to my blue/white Commander deck. I tried to cut the less essential utility lands, but I am hesitant to take out the "dual lands" because it would increase the inconsistency of my deck.


texts: To which edition of Monopoly would this Monopoly board belong?

texts:
To which edition of Monopoly would this board belong?

Source : Facebook page for Monopoly collectors.


texts: If the last surviving human mutates to an alien, do they win with the aliens?

texts: In Escape From Aliens in Outer Space, one of the item cards is the Mutate card, which turns a human into an alien. The rules say that the human then plays as an alien from then on. However, if the last surviving human plays that card and mutates into an alien, does the game immediately end with an alien victory, with that converted alien winning as well? We had that happen in our game today, and it felt like an unsatisfactory ending.


texts:
I have wanted to get a Mah Jongg set, but have hesistated because I don't know what to look for in a set so I don't buy something flimsy.

Can anyone suggest what makes a good (or bad) Mah Jongg set? (e.g. materials, printing, etc.)


texts: Can't understand the end of Game of Life

texts:
Game of Life

I can't really understand the ending of this game. How do I become Bankrupt or become a Millionaire?
Also, should I buy stock and insurance? Tragedies happens very infrequently and these cost a lot.


texts:
I'm interested to know if there exists something like a chess timer, but for an arbitrary number of players.  I would like to use this for games such as Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan, where each player's turn is largely independent of the other player's involvement.

Assuming there is a product like this I would like to hear whether you have found it helpful to play with, or whether you think it causes more problems than it solves.


texts: Does it matter what faction Mech World is?

texts:
I'm playing the core set of Star Realms and I find myself picking up the Stealth Needle and Mech World whenever I can afford them. Because of their abilities to mimic other factions, I really don't care what faction(s) I'm focused on. The Stealth Needle can only mimic one other faction in a turn, but it also retains the ability to ally with Machine Cult. So it's possible to imagine an alternate design where Stealth Needle belongs to another faction and it makes a difference in the game.

But Mech World is a whole nother story. Since it counts as an ally for all other factions, the Machine Cult color and emblem are superfluous. As far as I can tell, it would work just as well as an Unaligned card like Explorer, Scout and Viper. Obviously there's a lore component here. Machine Cult is the only faction devious enough to invent this type of base. But I'm thinking in terms of the game's mechanics, so to speak.

So for the core set, does the Mech World faction matter in terms of gameplay?

Bonus: Are there rules in any of the expansions that make the faction of this card matter?


texts:
Does it really matter when I play my land for my turn? Some people get extremely annoyed/agitated when I play a land before spells and I don't actually need the land right away for casting my spells. Does it give away any information of benefit to my opponent, or is it bad for other reasons?

I'm mainly asking about whether to play the land before (as opposed to after), not about whether to play it at all.


texts:
I was playing MTG with my lady and came across this scenario:
She had a creature with 2 +1/+1 counters, and 2 Ordeal of Nylea.
She attacks with the creature, both triggers hitting the stack.
I play Murder while the triggered abilities on the stack, killing the creature.
Since the creature isn't around anymore, I believe the triggered abilities will fizzle, meaning she doesn't get the lands as no +1/+1 counters are placed as the creature is dead.
Can anyone confirm my resolution?


texts: Playing a card on Hanabi: choose the pile first, or play it and then check?

texts:
My playgroup and I are a little confused on this part of the rules. Say the piles are as below:

  Blue: 1
  Green: 2
  Red: 2
  White: 3
  Yellow: 4

I have a Green-3, but only know the number. Before playing it, do I announce "I'm playing this in the green pile" and check if it works, or do I show the 3, see that it is Green, and put it there?

It makes sense you'd select a pile before playing the card, else it's too ambiguous and easy to stack piles. If the card is green, it goes on the green pile, but if it was red, it also goes in a pile.


texts: Countering an uncounterable spell, triggers, and state-based actions

texts:
So I just played a game in Arena where my opponent was at 4 life, I had 1 card left in my deck (after drawing my card for the turn), and they had two copies of Drowned Secrets on the battlefield. I played Inescapable Blaze targeting them, and they played Thought Collapse, targeting my Inescapable Blaze on the stack, in response. Arena noted two triggerings of Drowned Secrets.

I then won the game, according to Arena. I am not clear on exactly what happened. I think Arena showed me milling my last card, but I since I won the game apparently having to mill more cards than just the 1 I had remaining did not cause me to lose. I see three basic possibilities:

Thought Collapse fizzled, since it had nothing it could actually counter, and thus Drowned Secrets fizzled and/or didn’t trigger to begin with—I’m kind of surprised that Arena allowed this action and then showed Drowned Secrets triggering if this is the case. And like I said, I think Arena showed my last card getting milled.
Thought Collapse fizzled, but Drowned Secrets still triggered, so I did mill my last card. But then how did I win? State-based actions are determined mid-stack and Inescapable Blaze wouldn’t have resolved yet, right?
Thought Collapse didn’t fizzle, so I actually had to mill three cards for that in addition to four cards for the two instances of Drowned Secrets. The same questions above apply equally-well here.

So what happened?


texts: Are there good two player rules for resource trading in Settlers of Catan?

texts:
I've tried playing two-player Settlers, where each player controls one set of pieces, and each time a player builds they need to play a piece of the same type for one of the two uncontrolled colors (so there are two non-player nations in play).

What I would like to add to this is for the uncontrolled nations to have resource cards and some mechanic for them to allow trading with the players in the game.

Are there any two-player rules that support this?


texts: Good counter to Possession in Dominon: Alchemy

texts:
It seems like Possession in Dominion: Alchemy is one of those cards that only very experienced players really know how to counter. Heck, I tend to see myself as an experienced Dominion player and I don't really see any ways to counter Possession at all, besides for the obvious way of trying to accumulate more Possessions than the other player(s).
Does anyone have any idea as to a reasonable counter of Possession?

Disclaimer: I do not own Alchemy, (but have played with it before), and have heard rumors from friends who have played with Possession before that it is an exceedingly powerful card and incredibly difficult, if not impossible to counter


texts: Does Void Winnower prevent casting spells for even alternative mana costs?

texts:
I was talking to a friend who said he played a game of Magic over the weekend. He said his opponent played a Void Winnower but it was okay because he was holding a Sheer Drop in hand.

When the Void Winnower attacked, he chump blocked in and then on his turn he cast Sheer drop which only has a CMC of 3, but he said he cast it for the Awaken cost which is 6 cmc

I thought by using the Awaken cost, the CMC would now be 6 and so Void Winnower's ability would prevent it? Is anyone able to give me a definitive answer?


texts: Are experience awards additive in Battlestations?

texts:
I'm having trouble deciphering the v1.1 rules in general, but especially whether some experience awards are additive.

For example, are the rewards for attempting the mission and the experience for completing the mission additive? That is, if Jimbo goes on a mission and succeeds, does he get the 50 exp for trying and 100 exp for winning or just the 100 exp for winning?

Also, if a character goes on a mission (50 exp) and dies (100 prestige) but the crew wins the mission (100 exp), what is he awarded? 150 exp and 100 prestige? Or just 50 experience and 100 prestige?

Finally, are the bonus awards for driving off / capturing / destroying enemy warships / freighters given out for the ships listed in the mission, or only when they show up for some other reason?


texts: Question about Join the Military square of The Landlord Game?

texts:
I recently got obsessed with board games, specifically Monopoly, I have been buying other Monopoly sets, and that obsession took me to the other board game called The Landlord Game. To make the story short: I downloaded it from this web page, and I start playing with my family.
I was playing as the Owner, and I landed on Join the Military square, but then I had a doubt: Is it optional or not for an Owner to join the military?
Here on this link, are the rules.


texts:
Rummy is one of my favourite card games - we used to play it endlessly when I was at uni using various different rulesets.  So I'm now trying to teach my children the basics of Rummy, as they love playing [children's] card games, but being 5 and 7 they are a bit young to fully comprehend matching runs in the same suite (though matching the same numbers is fine).

I came across some basic rules for a children's version of rummy on Wikipedia (described as "Children's Rummy" or "Ruckus"), but the rules there are not entirely clear (and Ruckus itself uses its own set of cards, so that's not too helpful).

Can anyone clarify some basic rules for a children's version of rummy, or have any other ideas about simplified rules for children to learn rummy [EDIT: using a standard deck of cards ideally]?  (I'm talking basic rummy here, not Gin rummy or other variants).

Wikipedia describes the "children's rummy" rules thus:

  Children's Rummy or Ruckus is played by young children; each player is dealt 7 cards. Players immediately put down all cards of the same value (example, two 6's or three Kings) face up. If another person has a card of that value, they can put it down on the pile and take the pile to their part of the table. All players do this at the same time. Once all play has stopped, the dealer hands out new cards, and the pile building and taking is repeated until all cards have been dealt. The player with the most cards in piles at the end wins.

Thanks!


texts: Can the Planeswalker type be removed from permanents?

texts:
I was in my local card store tonight and one of the people there mentioned some sort of combo to have multiple of the same planeswalker in play at once, involving some way to turn planeswalkers into non-planeswalkers to could avoid the Planeswalker Uniqueness Rule. He said he had some way to do this, but I didn't have a chance to hear what the actual combo was.

Now, I'm a bit skeptical of his claim, and can't figure out how to do this myself. I know Song of the Dryads can remove the type itself, but the side effects are counterproductive to the overall goal. On the other hand, I've seen ways of getting permanents both with every permanent type and no permanent type, so I can easily believe that some weird interaction could exist for this.

So in short, is there some interaction I'm missing that removes the planeswalker type from a card—or even better, all planeswalkers in play—to allow multiples in play?


texts: Do I know which card an opponent revealed?

texts:
When an opponent reveals a card in their hand, are players supposed to know when that card changes zones?

My instinct says no because

  400.5. The order of objects in a library, in a graveyard, or on the stack can’t be changed except when effects or rules allow it. The same is true for objects arranged in face-down piles in other zones. Other objects in other zones can be arranged however their owners wish, although who controls those objects, whether they’re tapped or flipped, and what other objects are attached to them must remain clear to all players.

However, rearranging objects doesn't necessarily mean making your opponent lose track of them. In MTG Arena, a card revealed is shown face up in your opponent's hand at all times. Thus, you know if the card leaves their hand. A good practical example of this mattering might be:

Your opponent returns shock from their graveyard to their hand. Later, they draw one or more cards, then cast shock. They either A) cast the shock that was revealed, or B) drew another shock and cast it.

A savvy player will probably cast the one that was revealed, but some players may accidentally cast the recently drawn one instead. In MTG Arena, I would know if this is the case, because there would be a shock on the stack, and a shock card revealed in their hand.

In normal Magic, is there supposed to be a way of remembering which one the revealed card is? Or is this a place where the gameplay of MTG Arena differs from regular MTG?


texts: What are good resources or techniques to improve one's offence or finishing game?

texts:
I'm a moderately skilled chess player; I can beat most casual players and survive quite a while against class A, expert, or master players. Unfortunately, virtually all of my skill is in control of the center and defense. I have almost no ability to then pin someone down and actually win the game; if a person is close to my skill level or above, they will likely ultimately win.

Are there any resources for learning more offensive strategies? Even if the techniques are a little heavy handed, I could learn from seeing them. Most guides I've seen focus on a balanced style, but I feel with such an unbalanced one already, those wouldn't help as much.


texts: Is there a viable "Japan First" strategy for the Allies in Axis and Allies?

texts:
In the "real" war, the Allies concentrated on, and defeated Germany before Japan. That might not have been the case if Hitler had not declared war on the United States in 1941, and the U.S. had concentrated on fighting Japan.

The "Japan first" strategy might be better for the revised edition, with four Pacific "victory cities," but mine is the earliest edition.

Reasons for concentrating on Japan might be the following:

Japan is weaker than Germany, hence easier to beat.
In "real life," Japan occupied (or threatened to occupy), the more populous part of the world in Asia. The revised edition clearly reflects that.
If the "Japan" player is better than the "Germany" player, it might be wise to give priority to containing "Japan."

My plan for a "Japan first" strategy would be to have the U.S. fleet engage the Japanese fleet in the Pacific, to keep Japanese air power way from "Asia."

Then BOTH Britain and the U.S. build "factories" in India and Sinkiang, respectively. (The idea would be that Japan then could't capture both.) Russia would move forces east to protect India, and Sinkiang and ultimately to capture Manchuria. Each turn, the Americans would spend 10 of their IPCs manufacturing armored units in Sinkiang, while using their remaining 26 IPCs to neutralize Japan's 25 IPCs in the Pacific.

The armor manufactured in Sinkiang (and Britain's India) would recapture Kwantung and Indochina. Together, the Allies would capture nine IPCs and kick Japan off the mainland.
The downside is that the Germans would probably capture most of Africa (10 IPCs) in the meantime. But both sides would have "consolidated," the Germans in Europe-Africa, and the Allies in Asia.

Does the above, or any other plan, represent a viable "Japan first" strategy?


texts:
The question title says it all : Where can I find reusable white playing cards for prototyping?

I find services online to generate cards but not reusable white cards (that you can write on and erase later).


texts: Do you have to have the destination card in hand to claim the destination?

texts: Do you have to have the destination card in your hand to claim that specific route? Or can you claim it without having the destination card?


texts: Are there any cards that turn creatures into land?

texts: There are dozens of cards that turn land into creatures, but are there any cards that turn creatures into land ?


texts: How do you play a solo game of Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars?

texts:
A long time ago I bought Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars(1st ed., 1983 release) in pocket box format(like the article image).1 Here's what you can read at the back:

Drive Offensively!
He triggered the rear guns once more. A direct hit! The blue car skidded as the driver lost control - then flipped and caught fire.
That would teach HIM not to tailgate...
CAR WARS is a game of the freeways of the future - where the right of
way goes to the biggest guns. Players choose their vehicules -
complete with weapons, armor, power plants, suspension, and even body
style. Then they take them out on the road - to come home "aces", or
to crash and burn. A highly realistic grid system controls movement.
If a player character survives, his abilities improve, and he can
accumulate money to buy bigger and better cars. Advanced rules let
players design their own cars (and trucks and cycles).
Playing time 30 minutes and up. Any number can play.

Sadly I've played the game only once when it was introduced to me in grade school2. Now I'm reading in the Car Wars Compendium, 2nd Edition (1990-1991), in the getting started section:

[...]The game can be played solo, but is more fun with an opponent. It
is probably best with 4 to 6 players. A game with over 8 players can
take a very long time.

So how would you go about playing this solo? Is there some material/scenario which focuses on solo play? If there is no prescribed way of playing this solo, how would you repurpose the game so that I could play it solo?

1. Note this is not about GURPS Autoduel. It predates it and is a standalone product which is not standardized for the system.
2. I remember very fondly choosing parts for the car and making sure there wasn't too much weight for the body/suspension. From what I remember we had this mission of getting hold a an important piece of machinery/engine in a city setting and being attacked by a helicopter(!)(thanks to Serge with the kite suspended at the ceiling older buddy of my childhood and his inspiring mastery of Knuckle Joe - Seibu Kaihatsu, 1985, for introducing me to the game).


texts:
In FASA's Circus Imperium, are you allowed to turn your chariot around on an oval track?

One of the tactics suggested during a previous game was for a player who has no chance of winning to turn around and kamikaze the lead player with a head on crash. The logic being, is your loss is worth my death.

There are rules for head on collisions when we have them with the figure-8 track. Would you allow the player to turn around and go the wrong way down the track? Is a full turn penalty enough? Having to start/finish in the inside/outside lane?


texts: Shadow Hunters: Holy Robe versus black card weapon

texts:
The text of a black card weapon is like that:

  If your attack is successful, you give 1 extra point of damage.

And the Holy Robe is:

  Your attacks do 1 less damage and the amount of damage you receive from attacks is reduced by 1 point.

So if someone attacks with a black card weapon a played protected by the Holy Robe and rolls a 1, what happens?
Does the player take 1 or 0 damage?


texts: How does Athreos, God of Passage respond to creature tokens?

texts: If I have Athreos, God of Passage on the field and a creature token dies, does Athreos' effect trigger and they automatically lose three health because I can't return a token to my hand, or does it not because its a "creature token" that dies and not a "creature"?


texts: What are the preconditions for a trump promotion in bridge?

texts:
My understanding is that there are two main conditions. The first is that the defense has a long suit with which they can set up a "ruffing finesse," usually against the declarer's trumps by leading through a newly created void (usually after a lead or two).

The second condition seems to be when the defense has a number of "intermediate" trumps, typically ranging from Q to 8. (If the defense had four trumps 5432, a promotion wouldn't work, and if the four defensive trumps were AKQJ, it wouldn't seem to matter.) With a promotion, a defender uses an intermediate trump to force out a higher trump to promote partner's intermediates.

Is this second precondition in fact the right one? And if so, how do you, a defender, detect the precondition either when making an opening lead (West) or responding to one (East)? Is it because you see a lot of low trumps in dummy and some intermediates in your own hand? And then do you infer that if partner has one or more trumps that they are likely to be intermediates?


texts:
Is there anywhere where I can get a full card list just names for sets without all the mana costing and text or pictures. for example in the form:

  Card one
  card two
  card three

and so forth.


texts: Why is queen placement on the first turn disallowed?

texts: While official rules allow placing the queen on the very first turn, online play, community and tournaments prohibit it. Why? Does it provide an unfair advantage? Does it quickly lead to a draw? Can you give an example?


texts: Can you tap land for mana without using it, specifically I am playing with Omnath, Locust of mana

texts:
So I play with Omnath, Locus of Mana, and I've been looking in the rules, but I can't find anything that explicitly forbids generating mana without using it. But there is nothing explicitly allowing it either.

Also can someone definitively tell me if I can tap land in a similar fashion during my opponents turn? I'd like to use it in combination with Seedborn Muse. It has a lot of potential but I wanna make sure what I am planning is legal.


texts: Inalla, Archmage Ritualist and Sage of Fables interaction?

texts:
I'm curious, when you cast Sage of Fables and copy it with Inalla do both the original and the copy come in with +1/+1 counters? or does just the copy?

Reading this question about Inalla and Disciple of Bolas (note: not a SE link) makes me believe both get +1/+1 counters but I'd like a second opinion.


texts: Can I use Word of Seizing on a planeswalker?

texts:
Word of Seizing says:

  Untap target permanent and gain control
     of it until end of turn. It gains haste until
     end of turn.

Can I take control of any permanent? Specifically a planeswalker?

I remember somewhere the rules said that if a portion of an effect is not legal or possible, it gets skipped and the rest of the ability resolves (barring any specific portions of effects that say explicitly otherwise)


texts: Monopoly Deal - property wild card queries

texts:
A completed set using one or two property wild card with a house and hotel.

Can we move property wild card to another set in such scenario?

Can we move house or hotel to another completed set?


texts:
I played an odd game of Shadow Hunters the other day. There were five players: two Shadows, two Hunters and one Neutral. I was dealt the Neutral, Charles.

For the unaware, his win condition states:

  At the time you kill another character, the total number of dead characters is 3 or more.

His special ability is:

  After you attack, you may give yourself 2 points of damage to attack the same character again.

Partway through the game, the following situation presented itself:

It was my turn and I'd just attacked a player that was so damaged one more attack would surely kill them
I was within two points of death
One character had already died

I declared that I was going to use my ability, revealing my card, and electing to attack the wounded player again, given that I would take two damage in doing so. I rolled a good attack and killed the player in question. I then subtracted my two damage killing myself. Three characters were dead, as my win condition required. My group were happy to award me the win under such strange circumstances, but I'd like to clarify:

Was this a legitimate move in this scenario? Did I win?

Also, given that the already-dead character was a Shadow and the nearly-dead character was a Hunter, was this the only way I could have achieved a solo victory in this game?


texts: Multiple Replacement Effects for "Next Time"

texts:
So I recognize that replacement effects are chosen in order by the affected object/player's controller per

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

My question is, in the case of multiple "Next Time" effects, say, Circle of Protection activations, are all of the uses forced to happen at the same time? If a replacement effect isn't used, does it work similar to regeneration shields, in that they can still be used later?

Circle of Protection: Red has an activated ability with oracle text as follows

  1: The next time a red source of your choice would deal damage to you this turn, prevent that damage.

Example Scenario:

Adam activates Circle of Protection: Red two times during Nat's
Beginning of Combat step, choosing Nat's Dragon-Style Twins (A red
creature with double strike).
Nat attacks with his Dragon-Style
Twins, and Adam does not block.

Will Nat's Dragon-Style Twins deal combat damage during either the first strike or normal combat damage steps? Obviously, please cite your answer, thanks!


texts: In phase 10, can I pick up a card from the discard pile and then relay that card back down in the discard pile?


texts: The fear of door knobs and being moved by the keeper

texts:
There is an insanity card (one of my favorite as a keeper) that says that the investigator has to roll will+2 everytime he/she walks through a door. What me and my players haven't been able to agree upon is whether the investigator should roll the dice even if it is the keeper who forces the player to move.

My gut says yes as in the same manner that you need to roll horror if the keeper moves you into a room with a monster as well. What is your opinion and are you able to find any basis for it in the rules?


texts: Does removing an anomaly that reduces an action point give back the lost point for that turn?

texts: An anomaly yellow alert card reduced the players' available action points by 1. Once someone removes the anomaly, do they automatically get another action point, i.e. the formerly reduced point, to use that turn?


texts: Does The Wanderer's static ability prevent 'destroy' or 'exile' effects from working? In a recent game, I had it out and my opponent tried to cast Doom Blade on a creature. I argued that it shouldn't work, and he said it should have.


texts: When can spells, quick-spells, and traps be activated during the battle phase?

texts:
I read the rulebook but I still feel like I need a guide to this specifically. From the beginning of the battle phase to the end, when can each player cast spells or quick-spells, and activate traps?

Can either player do it before the turn player declares an attack? Can either player do it in response to the declaration of an attack, before the damage is calculated/dealt? Can either player do it before a second attack is declared? Can either player do it after all attacks are finished but before the 2nd Main Phase?


texts: If I used Mimic Vat on a Licid, created a copy of that Licid, and attached it to a creature, would I still have to exile it during my end step even though it's now an enchantment?