texts: Do enchantments attached to Bruna, Light of Alabaster trigger on the same attack/block instance?

texts:
Question 1:

I have Bruna on the field, and I attack, triggering her effect.
I attach Ordeal of Thassa using her effect.

I am inclined to conclude that Ordeal's effect doesn't trigger during this combat phase, because the attack has already taken place before it was on the battlefield. Is this correct?

Question 2:

I have Bruna on the field, and I block one of multiple attacking creatures, triggering her effect.
I attach Iona's Blessing using her effect.

I am also tempted to conclude that Iona's effect doesn't allow me to block an additional creature during this combat phase, because the block has already taken place before Iona's Blessing was on the battlefield. Is this correct?

Thank you.


texts: Can I use Heroscape-style tiles in my own game designs?

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I'm in the the very early stages of coming up with a game with some coworkers. I remembered how well the Heroscape tiles locked together. However, I'm not able to find any information regarding intellectual property protections on the tile design. Would I be able to make similar and compatible tiles without issue?

A Heroscape landscape is pictured below.


texts: In "Standard" American, Is It Possible to Bid the Opposing Suit "Naturally" Over a Takeout Double?

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I dealt and bid one heart with the following:

  ♠Axx
  ♥AQJxx
  ♦Jxx
  ♣xx

Left hand opponent doubled for takeout. Partner passed with something like K♦, Q♣ and one heart.

Right hand opponent held something like ♠Jxx ♥KT98xxx ♦void ♣Jxx and bid two hearts. It made, since the takeout doubler had some 18 points. I congratulated them on a good contract.

Would it have been better for RHO to pass for penalties instead? (No one was vulnerable). I always thought that a bid on the opponents' suit opposite a takeout double was a "cue" bid indicating a void, and slam interest, with prospectively 25-30 partnership points concentrated in three suits.

We were bidding a "loose" version of Standard American. So was two hearts a proper bid in this context? Or should it have meant something else?


texts: What happens if multiple people can cast the same card?

texts:
Scenario:
Victor controls a Vedalken Orrery (You may cast nonland cards as though they had flash). It's Daniel's turn.
Daniel swings with a Daxos of Meletis, not blocked.
The triggered ability happens.

  Whenever Daxos of Meletis deals combat damage to a player, exile the top card of that player's library. You gain life equal to that card's converted mana cost. Until end of turn, you may cast that card and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast it.

The top card is a Misthollow Griffin (creature that has You may cast Misthollow Griffin from exile.)

Daniel can play it because of Daxos, Victor can play it because of it's ability + the Orrery.

Who can cast it first?

What if Daniel also controlled a Vedalken Orrery?


texts: Can creatures with Defender be unmorphed while attacking?

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I have a face down Monastery Flock card on the battlefield.

I begin my attack phase, and declare the face down Monastery Flock as an attacker.

The defending player blocks with  Llanowar Elves, then during the blocker declaration phase, the defender casts a Giant Growth on his elves.

I would like to know if, within this phase - and therefore before the assignment of combat damage - it is possible to activate the Flock's morph ability to prevent it from dying.

I asked this question because there is an apparent contradiction in the simple operation described here.
Since the face-up side has Defender, I'm afraid it cannot be declared as an attacker.  Or, however, if it is declared as an attacker when it is still face down, it may not be possible to unmorph it.
In game practice, it is never said that there is (or there isn't) some note that specifies whether a given action can or cannot be executable.
Therefore, I thought that in a case like this it was right to ask experienced players what the right interpretation is.

Is this an action that can be performed without problems, or is it still an illegal action?


texts: Will Elesh Norn kill creatures if I don't pay the extra cost for Flash?

texts: Suppose I use Flash to bring  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite into play, then choose to sacrifice her rather than pay her mana cost. Will my opponent's creatures with two or less toughness die?


texts: House rules for Spade bids of nil, blind-nil, and 10-for-2?

texts:
My favorite bids in Spades are the riskiest ones: 10-for-2, nil, and blind nil. 10-for-2 is always worth 200 points, and most rule sets I've seen put nil at 100 and blind nil at 200.

In our group, we eventually had to put restrictions on these bids because they were making it too easy for people to catch up from being behind, which was diluting the value of solid play in less dramatic rounds:

no bids of 10-for-2 or blind nil unless the bidding team is down by at least 100 points
only one bid of blind nil per team per game
players do not get to trade two cards if someone calls blind nil

What other house-rules do people suggest for limiting the bomb effect of these three bids, or alternatively, do you not agree that it is a problem?


texts: Does untapping a creature save it from a spell that destroys a tapped creature?

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My opponent cast Murderous Compulsion, which says "Destroy target tapped creature". In response, I cast Aim High, which says "Untap target creature. It gets +2/+2 and gains reach until end of turn. (It can block creatures with flying.)"

Does my creature gets destroyed? I think not because of the stack, being my spell was the last to be cast.


texts: Magic: The Gathering - Does Captivating Crew's ability resolve if I bounce it in response?

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My opponent has Captivating Crew in play.

They activate the ability to take control of one of my creatures.

In response I play Perilous Voyage and bounce the Captivating Crew back to their hand.

Do they still gain control of my creature?


texts: Identify this Solitaire with 4 piles of 4 cards

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I am looking for a Solitaire game, the rules are:

Setup: deal 4 piles of 4 cards. Only the top card is face up. Then you flip over the top card in your hand. That becomes the starter card for the first row.
Play: you can play any card from that suit on the row. You may not start another row until you get a starter card from another suit. Once two or more rows are started you can only play a card on a row if the same card in a different suit is on the row above it.
If you take a card from one of the four piles, you turn over the next card.

You win the game when all of the cards have been played.


texts: Will double strike still do anything if I Cloudshift my blocker?

texts: My friend attacks with a creature with double strike (e.g. Boros Swiftblade). I block with a creature, then I Cloudshift it. Do I or my creature take any damage from the double strike?


texts: Brigette Supporter: Does Pokemon GX considered EX?

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When using Brigette supporter card, how many basic GX should I search? Do I need to search only (1) considering it an Ex or (3) considering it as non-EX basic?

I have GX pokemons in my deck and don't know how many of them should I get with that supporter's effect.


texts: Why is Wizards breaking the color pie (at least in Legacy)?

texts:
Mark Rosewater, Magic head designer and weekly column writer, in many different occasions wrote about R&D will of creating the fewest number of cards that break the color pie. While I think this is a great decision, I don't understand what they are doing with blue creatures.

Blue has been since the beginning one of the strongest colors, providing card advantage, cantrips and counterspells; the drawback was having access to really bad creatures, most of which had a really high casting cost and some important drawbacks (I'm speaking of the days in which Serendib Efreet was banned for being too good).

In the last few years we have seen so many strong low casting cost blue creatures that have become format defining: Delver of Secrets is a staple in Legacy, is used in Vintage, Pauper and in few decks in Modern; despite some great graveyard hate card, Snapcaster Mage is widely used in Modern, Legacy and Vintage decks; with the print of Commander 2013 the CC3 slot has been filled with True-Name Nemesis, which has risen Esper and Patriot has some of the best decks in Legacy.

These awesome creatures in Legacy are used in decks that have access to the best cantrips ever printed (Brainstorm, Ponder, Preordain), the best counterspells available (Force of Will, Daze, Counterspell), one of the best plainswalkers (Jace, the Mind Sculpture): I think that the R&D team has pushed too far this color, making it way better than the others.

Why creating great blue creatures is considered acceptable and making a green counter, a white bolt, a black cantrip and a red mana accelerator considered breaking the color pie?!


texts: Was a bridge column "resulting" when it criticized an opening lead?

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Both sides vulnerable, South dealt and bid one heart. West overcalled one spade, North three hearts, East three spades, South four hearts, East four spades, South five hearts.

West held (s) KQJT8 (h) 2 (d) K93 (c) JT32, and led the K of spades. The column characterized the lead as "natural," but called it an error, because leading the 3 of diamonds would have beaten the contract. (East had the A, West the K, and East a "side" trick.) In the actual hand, South captured the K of spades with the A, and then successfully "sluffed" two diamond losers).

Is there any widely accepted theory or statistical study (e.g. a Monte Carlo simulation) that would lead one to believe that the 3 of diamonds is the better lead a priori, based on the bidding? Or am I right to believe that the columnist was "resulting," based on this one hand?

If the lead of the 3 of diamonds was statistically inferior, but made by an expert, would it just be considered a mistake, on would it be grounds for potential discipline, based on the assumption that the expert had more knowledge of the hand that he was entitled to?


texts: "Counter target ability from a [quality] source" -- changing [quality]?

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Some cards counter abilities, but only from some sources. For example, Ouphe Vandals can only counter activated abilities of artifacts.

I know that removing the source of an ability does not prevent the ability from resolving in the general case (the exception being relevant intervening if clauses). However, if I make a modification to the qualities of the source, does that affect what can target the ability, or are the qualities of the source "locked in" at the time of activation?

For a specific example: Mayael the Anima activates her ability. In response, I turn Mayael into an artifact using Liquimetal Coating. Can I then counter the ability (and destroy Mayael) with Ouphe Vandals, despite the fact that when her ability was activated, the ability did not come from an artifact source?


texts: Can a Djinn Illuminatus make me draw my whole deck with Ancestral Visions?

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If I have a Djinn Illuminatus in play and an Ancestral Vision comes off suspend can I draw three cards as many time as I like by paying 0 for the replicate cost?

Djinn Illuminatus

  Each instant and sorcery spell you cast has replicate. The replicate cost is equal to its mana cost. (When you cast it, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)

Ancestral Vision

  Suspend 4—Blue (Rather than cast this card from your hand, pay Blue and exile it with four time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost.)
  Target player draws three cards.


texts: Supreme King Gate Zero's role/s in a Dark Magician deck?

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Update (to old question: Does Supreme King Gate Zero's negation apply to Dark Magician the Dragon Knight after the latter has left the field?): Wait I think I get it now. The reason why I couldn't special summon DMTDK was because DMTDK was not special summoned properly, that is, fusion summoned.

If right, please skip next part.

With a Dark Magician deck, I was playing against a Blue-Eyes White Dragon deck. I couldn't use Eternal Soul to revive DMTDK, and it may have been due to DMTDK being special summoned with SKGZ.

Could Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon have had something to do with it? I don't think it was on the field.

Deck: I used ver2.0 here but Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring instead of Maxx "C".

Programme: I used an experimental "Ygoproes" which I had foolishly tampered with for an unspeakable amount of hours to try to get the program to play an exodia quasar deck instead of a frog deck. I didn't want to say this out of looking like one of those n00bs who think that there's a bug in the programme instead of thinking there may be a ruling issue.

So, SKGZ is mainly for Rank 7 summoning as described here rather than using its ability? What other roles could it serve? I guess it can be used for Allure of Darkness.


texts: If I play Moonlight Hunt, and my Werewolves have trample, does the excess damage from my creatures get applied to the player?


texts: The Resistance card game - "Deep Cover" Spy role question

texts:
This question is probably best suited for those who have played The Resistance extensively, especially with the "Commander" and "Deep Cover" expansion roles.

Among The Resistance expansion packs, there is a role called "Deep Cover" that is unknown to the "Commander" role. This "Deep Cover" role spy wakes up with all of the other spies during the sleep phase, and all spies are known to each other. However, when the "Commander" role wakes up to look for the spies, the "Deep Cover" role does not raise his or her thumb/put his or her hand up/whatever indicator you use. So, this "Deep Cover" role is unknown to the Resistance "Commander".

My question is this: During the phase where the spies wake up and acknowledge each other, does the "Deep Cover" spy give some kind of indication that he or she is the "Deep Cover" spy? The rules are ambiguous on this point, and it has been causing some contention when our group plays.

About half of us are of the opinion that the deep cover spy indicating that he or she is the deep cover spy gives the spies an advantage, as it can reduce the possibility of playing double "fails". The other half of the group are of the opinion that the rest of the spies knowing the deep cover spy doesn't give the spies any advantage, and in some cases, can give the resistance members an advantage.

Does anyone have any insight on how this should be played?


texts: If there are two or more abilities that go off on the upkeep, can a creature's activated ability go off preventing the second?

texts: I have Sheoldred, Whispering One and the Eldrazi Monument in play. At the beginning of my upkeep, I sacrifice a creature to pay the upkeep for the Monument. My plan was to bring it back out using Sheoldred's ability, but my opponent has a Scavenging Ooze. He taps one green and exiles the sacrificed creature when it hits the graveyard. Is he able to exile my creature after the sacrifice but before the Sheoldred ability activates?


texts: How to force the opponent to take the x squares?

texts:
I've been told that I must do two things in order to win hard games in Othello (Reversi):

Take the corners
Do not take the X squares, as they are the worst squares on the board.

We all know that we have to take the corners. I am tired of keep hearing that stupid hint. What I want to know is how force my opponent into taking the x squares and the squares around the corners so I can use his pieces to jump into the corners. What squares do I have to take? what strategy to follow?


texts: How do I have to arrange the remaining meeples after using the Ultra Bright Smile ability?

texts:
The Super Secret ability Ultra Bright smile lets you eat escaped meeples then you can rearrange the remaining escaped meeples. My question regards rearranging the remaining meeples.

The first level of the escape board has 3 slots and the second has 5 slots. Lets say that after I eat, there are 6 meeples left. Do I have to fill the first row and put the remaining 3 meeples in the second row? Or could I put 2 meeples on the first row and 4 on the second?


texts: If I "play" a card, does it count as casting it?

texts:
Fires of Invention has this line of text:

  You can cast spells only during your turn and you can cast no more than two spells each turn.

Golos, Tireless Pilgrim has this line of text:

  2WUBRG: Exile the top three cards of your library. You may play them this turn without paying their mana costs.

If I activate Golos's ability with Fires of Invention on the battlefield, do the non-land cards that I play count as spells for Fires of Invention?

My intuition says "yes", making these two cards a nonbo. However, Magic's wording is very strict, e.g. "put [card] into your hand" is different from "draw", so I'd like to make sure that "play" and "cast" are indeed the same thing, with the only difference being that I can "play" a land, but cannot "cast" it.


texts: Monopoly cheaters edition railways and "road blocks"

texts:
My family arguments regarding block card and railway station.

The rules state when you roll the dice and you land on railway station you have to move straight to the next nearest railway station.
But when I landed on a station my opponent had a card that said "road blocked: players passing this property must stop and pay rent to the owner" before the next station.
Does this mean that I have to stop there or not?
Because the rules say when you land on Railway station you have to move to the next nearest station should I also skip the "Road blocked" card and go straight to the next station?


texts: What are the restrictions on picking up locomotives?

texts:
If, after drawing one of the five cards from the face up train cards, and after replacing that card, the second card is drawn from the top of the deck and is a locomotive card, is the player allowed to keep that card?

Likewise, if both cards are drawn from the the top of the stack and the second card is a locomotive card, is the player allowed to keep that card?


texts: Can a hero move by spending fatigue without a move action? Can he do this more than once a turn?


texts:
Now and again I play the The New Dungeon (with people who don't normally play board games), but I'm always struck by how fast the game is over. It seems like you're barely getting started on the higher levels before someone's off back to the staircase with a winning bagful of loot.

Does anyone have any simple custom rules for lengthening the game, or even to make it more interesting?


texts: How does one determine the relative merits of the "4 to 1" versus "2 to 1" trade terms in Catan?

texts:
At first blush, the right to acquire a scarce resource for only two units of your "abundant" resource is an advantage over having to trade four units of the same resource. But because of "side" conditions, that is not always true in Catan.
There are five resources. Call them A, B, C, D, and E. Let's say that E is the scarce resource. You can either build a road followed by a port settlement to access either a "2 to 1" harbor or else you can trade at a "4 to 1" ratio (these are references to the required payments for the scarce resource ) with no strings attached. The "catch" is, at the "4 to 1" rate, you can trade any of the four other resources at that ratio, whereas at a "2 to 1" harbor, you can trade only one specific resource, say, D, for E, at the favorable 2 to 1 ratio. On the other hand, you do not have to build a port settlement to trade at the 4 to 1 ratio, whereas you need to do so to trade at the 3 to 1 and 2 to 1 ratios.
Maybe the question resolves into the following: You want to trade for E, and D is "only" your third most abundant resource (out of four), with A being very abundant, and B being more abundant than D. How do players determine whether they should aim for the 4 to 1 "straight up" ratio where they can trade A or B (or even D) at that ratio for E, versus needing to build a port settlement where they can only trade D at the ratio of 2 to 1?
Note: Someone pointed out that the original question about the comparison of a 2 to 1 versus 3 to 1 trade ratios was a duplicate of another question. I had planned a follow up question about the comparison of the 2 to 1 trade terms versus the 4 to 1 trade terms, and reworded the original question into this "followup" form, which I believe is not a duplicate. One important difference with the other question is that you do not need to build a port settlement to trade at the 4 to 1 ratio, whereas you need to do so to trade at the 3 to 1 ratio.


texts: Can anyone provide a citation for the existence of pre-alpha MTG rules about an initiative stat in combat?

texts:
I remember years ago hearing about a rule/mechanic that existed in early prototypes of Magic the Gathering, before the Alpha set was released.

Basically all creatures had 3 combat stats: power, toughness, and initiative. After attackers and blockers were declared, creatures with the highest initiative would deal damage first, then the next highest initiative creatures would deal damage, etc. This proved to be tedious and was boiled down into first strike by the time the game got into print.

I think this may have been mentioned in the Battle Royale or Deckmasters booklets, but I sold them a long time ago and can't find a digital copy.

Can anyone verify this?


texts: How does regeneration work in Magic the Gathering?

texts:
How does regeneration work?

I know that if my creature is destroyed then I can spend X mana then tap my creature and move it out of combat. Is it attackable in any way after that? With spells or instants?

If someone for example casts Shock on my Manor Skeleton, can I say in response “Ok, I will spend 2 mana to regenerate it”? Or does Shock immediately resolve to destroy the creature (assuming it has no regeneration shield on it)?


texts: Help identify: multi-player but single character role playing game

texts:
(This is a question which overlaps with role-playing games, you will see why when you read it; however this seemed to fit it slightly better.)

My friend mentioned he had a role-playing game which plays like the following: Every player controls one single, shared character. The players take turns to give the character commands on their turn, sometimes rolling dice to decide certain factors e.g. the existence of a certain facility in a town. Each player has a goal which they are attempting to make the character achieve while foiling the other players' goals - however no players are aware of the other players' goals. Each player is also provided with a number of "points" which are used similarly to gambling chips. The person who is prepared to pay the most points takes the next go, but loses the points they played.

My friend is cannot remember the name of the game, but has created a homemade rendition. He is not even sure if it ever existed outside of his mind. My question is, does this game exist, and if so, what is it called?


texts: Is it valid to start a game without an open gate?

texts:
Played a game yesterday where, during setup, the first gate was supposed to open on the Science Building.

However, Kate also starts there and her special ability is that gates do not open on her location.

We decided that the game started without any open gates instead of drawing another mythos card for setup. Was this the correct ruling?


texts: Mirrodin Besieged: do I win despite failing to draw a card?

texts:
Suppose I control Mirrodin Besieged, having selected Phyrexian:

Phyrexian — At the beginning of your end step, draw a card, then discard a card. Then if there are fifteen or more artifact cards in your graveyard, target opponent loses the game.

As I enter my end step, my library is empty, and I have fifteen artifact cards in my graveyard.
Who wins?


texts: Where can I find a database with a list of all magic cards?

texts:
I am going to write a program to manage my library of Magic cards and I am looking for a database file or list of all of the cards that have been released.  I know that the Gathering site is useful, but it limits the number of cards I can return in a search.  I would happily accept a spreadsheet file, database file, or even a text file.

The more information contained in the database, the better.  Having associated images would just be fantastic, but at this point I would settle for names and basic stats of the cards.


texts: Evaluating Agricola as a 2 player game: how long would it take, how competitive is it, complexity, etc.

texts:
I've been thinking about getting Agricola for a while, primarily due to how much the gaming world seems to love it. But I want to make absolutely sure that the investment will be worth it. Currently my Mom and I end up playing games together fairly frequently, just the 2 of us. Usually we play Dominion, Carcassone, or Blokus. When I saw it ranked highly in this thread for 2-, I realized that even if all of my other friends end up hating it, I'll still get to play with 2 people fairly often, making it well worth the money.

Here are the main questions I'd like to pose:

Playing time. I've heard 1/2 hour per player from a wide variety of sources. Is this true? I don't care if our first several games take longer, but once we've played it 5+ times, will we be able to get through a game in an hour or less without rushing?

Aggressiveness. Take this scale:

No aggression. You win by building yourself up faster than your opponent and rarely if ever do something that hurts them. Each turn you try to figure out what helps you the most. (Group Solitaire, Dominion with no attack cards)
Occasional aggression. You're trying to build yourself up, but putting down your opponent is often a good idea as well. You have to compromise between building yourself up and hurting your opponents.  (Dominion with attack cards, Puerto Rico, Citadels)
Frequent aggression. You're often trying to find out how to hurt your opponents as badly as possible, but it's not the entire goal of the game. Some fighting over resources. (Settlers of Catan, Carcasonne)
Purely Aggression. The only way to win is by hurting your opponent. Each turn you try to figure out how to put your opponent in the worst position possible. (Chess, Risk)

Where do you think Agricola ranks on this scale? How 'aggressive' do you need to be to win?

Complexity.

Complexity of rules scale:

blokus
Ticket To Ride, Bohnanza
Carcassone, Settlers
Pandemic, Diplomacy
Puerto Rico
Arkham Horror

Complexity of strategy scale:

Go Fish
Ticket To Ride, Bohnanza
Carcassone, Settlers
Dominion, Puerto Rico
Chess, Go

Where does Agricola rank on each of these? I know the scales aren't great, so feel more than free to add your own opinions and comments.

Finally, what's your overall experience with Agricola as a 2-player game? Do you think it will work well for my Mom and I? Thanks!!! :D


texts: Can one ask for a "time out" to study the hand in bridge?

texts:
"West" (the opening leader) has to lead before seeing the dummy. Both declarer (South) and partner (East) ought to study the dummy before playing. But often they do not.

Suppose South wins the trick, and leads back quickly. Can West ask for a timeout to study the dummy? Does it have to be before South makes the lead?

Can any player ask for a timeout to study the hand at a critical juncture (say, if a squeeze play is on)?

One reason I ask this question is because it appears to be unethical to hesitate at certain points (e.g. representing an honor, when you don't have one).

This is a "companion" to one of my other questions.

In Bridge, Is There A Way To Shorten "Reaction Time" For "Real Time" Play


texts: Can a thief steal if he can't equip the item?

texts: If a thief is already wearing a hat in Munchkin, is it possible that he can attempt to steal someone else's hat, even if he can't wear it? What about if he sells it immediately?


texts:
So this question occurred to me while I was playing a bit of YGOPRO, my opponent had summoned four Ojama tokens to my side of the field which are Light(Level 2, ATK 0, DEF 1000) and states that they cannot be used in a tribute summon.

I drew my trusty chaos form which summons blue eyes chaos max which is level 8, which could be all for of the Ojama tokens which were on my side of the field as the resolution cost of chaos form, however I was not allowed to do this, (I won the game anyway).

Because I have never heard of the rulings between tokens and ritual summons I thought I would check the wiki pages on this as it could be a good strategy to use in some ritual decks.

I check the token monster wiki which highlighted that tokens can be used for tributes unless stated otherwise and that the can be used for fusions, synchro and link summons but not xyz summons (because material doesn't count as being on the field and tokens only exist on the field). This page had no explanation of ritual summons.

So I check the card rulings page for tokens which again didn't highlight to use of ritual summons, I then the wiki page for ritual summons which doesn't highlight the use of tokens for the summon.

Is this a grey area that not many people are sure of or have I missed something?


texts: What are the rules to this "CheeseGame"?

texts:
I was treasure hunting through a second-hand shop that imports most of its items from Japan and I found this wooden game.

Pieces:
5 Natural-colored Cheese Wedges
1 Yellow Cheese Wedge
1 Mouse
1 Dome Base Board (?)

It did not come with original box and there are no other branding on any of the pieces other than what I'm assuming is the base or board of the game as you can see in the first image below, with the words "CheeseGame". But there is a distinct small white X on the mouse's cheek.

I'm not sure if I have all of the pieces because when I line up the cheese wedges on the "board", there is a perfect gap for two more wedges. (seen in second image)

The base is a wooden dome that I am assuming is placed upside down so that the rounded bottom creates the stage for a balancing game. The third image turns this base upside down to show it clearly.

Can anyone help identify this? I'm usually quite good at internet sleuthing, but no luck so far.


texts:
In Cribbage, what is the scoring rule in this example?

Player 1 plays a 4.
Player 2 plays a 3.
Player 3 plays a 5. (claims 3 points for 4,3,5 run)
Player 4 plays a 6. (now 4 more points for 4,3,5,6 run)
Player 1 plays a second 4 (here the debate)

He claims that he should get another 4 points (for 3,5,6,4) indicating by pointing at each card in reverse of the sequence of play (counterclockwise) 6,3,5,4 ending with his second 4).

I claim that he can't count the second run of four cards because they were not in the sequence of play (clockwise).

Who is right?


texts: Is the target for an ability part of the cost?

texts:
Can I cast a Manic Vandal if there are no artifacts in play?

Manic Vandal says

  When Manic Vandal enters the battlefield, destroy target artifact.


texts: What are the chances of going out on the first hand in Rummy?

texts:
What are the chances of any particular player being able to go out in the first round of rummy?

For two players the hand size is 7.
For all other numbers the hand size is 5.

Going out requires a that a card is drawn, and that all but one card is played, and the last card is discarded.


texts: Rivals for Catan card game clarification

texts: Some cards (Abbey for example) have a (1x) next to the name.  What does this mean?


texts: Does the Yellow Squad's Move + Activate card swap places with a space marine or move and then shift the formation?

texts:
The text for the Move + Activate action for the Yellow Squad reads,

  Your Space Marines may move to any position in the formation (instead of just to adjacent positions).

I'm just not sure whether to shift the formation after moving the space marine or to swap positions with the space marine that already holds the target position.

When the rules explain the normal movement of space maring into adjacent positions, the text reads,

  To move a Space Marine to an adjacent position, he simply picks up the Space Marine card, and switches its position with any adjacent Space Marine.

Based on that text in the rule book, I've been making the assumption that swapping positions is also what was intended for the Yellow Squad. Is that correct?


texts:
The Legend Rule states:

  If a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same
  name, that player chooses one of them, and the rest are put into their
  owners' graveyards.

This is just a rule clarification so my brother believes me, but is everything listed below legal?

tap Tamiyo's Journal and sacrifice three clues to find another Tamiyo's
play it for 5 mana and put the tapped Tamiyo's into the graveyard
tap the untapped Tamiyos and sacrifice three more clues


texts: Is Olympia wonder ability void for first age?

texts:
On the Olympia wonder board, the first Wonder to build provides the alpha effect: it is explained that it enables us to build for free the first age card of each age.
I am French and I have the second French edition of the game. Here is a link to the French effect of the cards.
Here is my question: during the first age, this effect cannot be applied? Because to get it, I need to play one card (and this card is then the first card)...but the effect just applies for the first card...the effect is void for the first age...am I correct?


texts: Why is card counting considered illegal in Blackjack?

texts: As far as I can see, a card counter is still subject to the same mechanic as any other players, but they are able to perform better then most people within these confines. So why is card counting a justification for casinos to kick people out? Obviously, a card counter will cost them money, but if that is the only justification, then it's like the casino is cheating- they only allow sucky players to play. If you are too good you get thrown out. Is that all there is to it, or is there a valid gameplay justification for this?


texts: Changing targets for a spell with a variable number of targets

texts:
My opponent casts Paradoxical Outcome and targets 2 permanents they control.

I then cast Insidious Will. Now I can just counter Paradoxical Outcome, but instead I want to bounce some of their permanents (for example clearing blockers out of the way). It is clear that I can change the target from 2 permanents to another 2 permanents, but do I need to target the same number of permanents?

In other words can I choose to return none, one or seven permanents?

If I had to redirect the same number would I be able to choose the same target twice and as a result only return one?

Note that this is not a duplicate of "Choosing new targets for a spell with a variable number of targets" as that is specifically for copying spells, not changing the targets of an existing spell.


texts: Has anyone heard of a rule called "19 back" for 0 point hands?

texts:
My father in law plays a rule that I consider to be rubbish since I can find no reference to it in the rules.  I assume it's a house rule that he's tripped over somewhere, and adopted into his game.

The "19 back" rule states that if you score a 0 point hand, you move your peg 19 pips back.  In this case a 0 point hand sometimes means only the count of the cards, but usually will mean a 0 point end, that is no change in the position of the pegs whatsoever for any reason.

Has anyone else ever heard of this rule?


texts:
One of the cities has the ability:

  Play immediately: Draw one card for each city you are infecting.

Do you draw a card for that city?


texts: Determining which areas to use in 2- or 6-player Power Grid

texts:
Pretty straight-forward question here: In the 2- and 6-player versions of Power Grid, you are instructed to use only 3 areas and 5 areas respectively, but it doesn't say how to pick the areas, leaving it up to the players.

What are good recommendations for determining which areas are in/out?


texts: In the board game smash up some cards state that if someone destroys a card, that card will have negative effects on them. Therefore, why would I want to destroy the card? I don't know if I'm not getting something, and if I am not could someone please help? I just don't see a point to playing a card that does negative effects to the person who destroys it, because obviously no one will destroy it.


texts: In bridge, what opening bid(s) should be made with a high card point in "no man's land"?

texts: Recently, I was dealt a hand with a high card point and distribution too strong to open 1 NT but not enough to bid 2 of a suit, i.e. in "no man's land".  Any advice you can provide about how I should open the bidding with such a hand would be much appreciated.


texts: In Axis and Allies, Can Heavy Bombers Be "Tamed"?

texts:
Most players of Axis and Allies understand intuitively that the original heavy bombers tech "unbalances" the game by being disproportionately good. My own research confirms this by valuing the two additional rolls as 30 IPCs (per bomber), meaning that the tech pays for its 30 IPC research costs in one turn.

Some players allow heavy bombers only two rolls instead of three. You basically get two bombers for the price of one, +15 IPCs. That's still higher than other techs (6-10 IPCs), but less of an outlier than before.

My own preference is for a 50% increment in the bomber's original powers. That is two rolls for heavy bombers but only THREE numbers hit (instead of four), six numbers instead of four or eight. For strategic bombing, take the die roll +2 for a range of 3-8 instead of 1-6 (average of 5.5 hits instead of 3.5). This gives heavy bombers an incremental value of about 8, squarely in line with other techs'.

Is there a heavy bomber tech, either the "two roll" rule, or my 50% increment version, or some other suggestion that allows people to use heavy bombers without throwing the game out of whack?


texts: Where can I find good tile layouts for Settlers of Catan?

texts:
I just bought a copy of Settlers, and noticed that there was a suggested starting layout that is included in the Almanac. I noticed it was mentioned online as well:

  "new editions of the game also depict a fixed layout in their manual, which has been proven to be fairly even-handed by computer simulations, and recommend this to be used by beginners" wikipedia

I have found a pretty decent tool for generating random boards, but I find myself flipping through multiple ones that place 6s or 8s next to their respective ports, or place all the clay on 3s, 11s, and the like.

Is there a list of user created recommended starting positions for tiles? Perhaps for tournament play? What do competitive players do to ensure variety and balance? I understand that the rules say to place the tiles randomly, but it can sometimes lead to long and boring games.

We have also experimented with a "drafting" of tiles as we lay them down, with rules about putting too many of the same resource touching, or near a port. I'm open to any suggestions in this regard as well.


texts: When using the Influence action, can you influence a hex adjacent only to the newly claimed hex?

texts:
The Influence action allows a player to move up to two Influence Discs to a hex that is "adjacent to a hex where you have a disc or a Ship."

In a case where the first Influence Disc is moved to an adjacent sector, it is possible to move the second Influence Disc to a hex that is only adjacent to the hex just claimed?  Or must both sectors be adjacent to hexes controlled at the beginning of the Influence action?


texts: In Bohnanza: Gangsters, does the Mafia act in phase 4?

texts:
In Bohnanza: Gangsters, two of the beanfields are managed by the mafia.  The rules state that they immediately harvest their beans once they have a big enough harvest to get 3 or 2 coins (depending on the gangster).

There is also a rule that no player can harvest during phase 4 (the drawing of 3 cards).

Does the mafia harvest immediately during phase 4, or do they wait until the end of the phase 4 and then sell?


texts: Can Bazooka Joe use Black Ops when attached to a unit?

texts:
Bazooka Joe has the Black Ops special rule that allows him to be given a free order during the command phase.  The Black Ops rule is not listed as a "Shared" rule, so it is not normally given to any solider unit he joins.  Heroes become part of a squad when joined, so they can't independently receive orders anymore.

Shared - "If at least one miniature in a unit(including Heroes) has a shared ability, the entire unit is considered to have the ability.
Black Ops - "During the command phase, units with the Black Ops ability may be issued an order for free. In addition the unit may be issued an order regardless of its position on the battlefield"

When a hero is attached to a unit they are treated as part of that unit.  Any unit he is attached to wouldn't have the Black Ops ability on it's own.
Does this mean that Joe loses his Black Ops special ability while he leads a squad?


texts: Does the Pirate stop fish production when playing Seafarers with Fishermen of Catan?

texts:
I know that the Robber can be placed upon the Lake hex in a normal "Fishermen of Catan" game. (see here)

But when you combine it with Seafarers, does anyone know the official answer for either of these two questions?

a) When you place the pirate on a sea tile that borders land, does it stop any fish production that the tile would produce?

b) Can you place the robber on a sea tile with fish production?

If you know the answer, please link to an official source.


texts: MTG: Fiend Binder and wider implications of Rule 508.1d

texts:
I am trying to figure out rule 508.1d - I initially got down this path whilst trying to figure out Fiend Binder's requirements.
Fiend Binder's text says:

Whenever Fiend Binder attacks, tap target creature defending player controls.

My friend and I cannot decide whether this reads as an implicit "must" (since most cards will say "may" when something is optional), or an implicit "may." I argue that if all my creatures are tapped, or if I have no creatures on the battlefield, he cannot use Fiend Binder to attack with; he argues otherwise.
To resolve this we turned to the rules, and I find 508.1d:

The active player checks each creature they control to see whether it’s affected by any requirements (effects that say a creature attacks if able, or that it attacks if some condition is met). If the number of requirements that are being obeyed is fewer than the maximum possible number of requirements that could be obeyed without disobeying any restrictions, the declaration of attackers is illegal.

... so far so good, but then it says:

If a creature can’t attack unless a player pays a cost, that player is not required to pay that cost, even if attacking with that creature would increase the number of requirements being obeyed.

Which is downright weird...

If there is a cost for attacking, the player doesn't have to pay that cost and can proceed anyway? What's the point then?
the rule doesn't specify "mana cost" but I presume that is what it means, as opposed to a requirement, like "sacrifice a creature"?

Is there any extra rule or resource that can add clarity?
I really wish the card instructions conformed to RFC-2119 ...! :-P


texts:
I have designed a few Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, and I want Konami to review them.

Is there a way to submit my designs so that Konami will see and consider them?


texts: How can I find all cards with flavor text from a certain set and colour?

texts: How can I find all the cards from the Khans of Tarkir block (Khans / Fate Reforged / Dragons of Tarkir) that have flavor text? Preferably, I'd like to search just red and black cards.


texts: Can I get my Exquisite Archangel back by bouncing it in response to the lose the game trigger and still not lose?

texts:
If I cast Boomerang targeting my own Exquisite Archangel in response to the Exquisite Archangel trigger will the trigger still reset my life total or will the trigger fizzle because it can't see the Exquisite Archangel? I think it would reset my life total and I'd end up with Exquisite Archangel in my hand because Exquisite Archangel doesn't say "target", but I just want to make sure before trying it out in a game.
Bonus question:
Would the same be true for a blink effect such as Cloudshift?


texts:
I've recently come back to playing Monopoly, but one thing that's intrigued me is the following card, in the Chance pile.

The wording says "Advance to go (Collect $200)".  Modern versions, like the one I have in my home, are "Advance to GO, Collect $200".

My question is, what exactly does it mean, when it says "Collect $200"?  Since there's also a message on the GO tile, stating "As you pass GO, collect $200", does this mean if I draw the card above, I can collect $400 in one go? $200 from what the card says, and another $200 from the board?


texts:
Put 1 of your pokemon that has any damage counters on it and all cards attached to it into your hand.

Does this mean I can move my active pokemon which has damage on it straight into my hand?


texts: If I play a kicked Quag Vampires, and my opponent has a Humility on the battlefield, will the Quag Vampires still get his counters and be larger than a 1/1?


texts:
In Champions of Midgard, I've run into a bit of an "unstoppable force vs immovable object" issue.

From The Dark Mountains expansion, there's a monster card called Dark Shaman that has the special ability: "Shields block no damage against this monster".

From the Valhalla expansion, there's a card you can get called Monsterslayer Shield that: "Blocks all damage when fighting monsters".

When fighting the Dark Shaman, I rolled a shield. What should the end result be? I can think of three possibilities:

Dark Shaman trumps Monsterslayer Shield
Monsterslayer Shield trumps Dark Shaman
They cancel each other out, and shields work as normal

There's rationale for each of these outcomes. For the first, because it says shields block no damage, it might beat the shield. However, for the second, because the shield uses the same phrasing in reverse, that it blocks all damage, it wouldn't qualify as a normal shield and thus would block (especially since shield odds are already so low, and the card is rather unique). Lastly, because they use the opposite phraseology, you could easily say that they just cancel each other out (seems the most balanced to me).

The rules don't clear this situation up. Has anyone encountered this before, and what is the consensus on how to resolve it?


texts: Go software for studying/reviewing sgf games

texts:
I got a great review of my game from another player on GoKGS. So I got this *.sgf file with lots of variants (tree branches) with lots of comments... So now I am looking for a good piece of software that would:

Allow me to browse through all the variants and not get lost (it would be great if it could distinguish the variants I've already seen or something, otherwise I can get lost easily...)
There were certain situations (like in move 51) where the reviewer told me "this is the key point to kill the opponents group". I would like to experiment with this. It would be nice if the software could tell me if the group is alive or dead - i.e. some help in the analysis, since I am (as a beginner) not always able to find the optimal move for either side... (I've heard of GoTools, but 1) I've also heard that they have lots of bugs, besides of being closed & paid only and 2) I don't know how they comply with requirement 1).

Thanks in advance!


texts: Which continuous effect happens if they enter at the same time

texts: I play a Warp World and reveal a Null profusion and a Price of knowledge, what is my handsize? The gatherer rules for Warp World state that revealed cards enter at the same time, so their time stamps are the same. So my question is which one goes first and what is my hand size then?


texts: Are there ways to handicap bridge as there are in chess and go?

texts:
The games of chess and go can be "handicapped" by giving the weaker player a material advantage. That is, the weaker chess player gets extra pawns or pieces and the weaker go player extra stones. (Backgammon can't be reliably handicapped this way because one more or one less checker affects the dynamic of the game.) Another way to handicap go is to give the weaker player extra points (reverse komi) at the end of the game.

I have never seen any handicapping in bridge. One way is to start the weaker pair with say, an extra +300. That changes the scoring without changing the dynamic of the game. Another way would be strategic: E.g. the stronger pair has to bid and make game at the five level for all suits, not just the minors.

Has any player of note played a bridge session handicapped in some way even on a "propositional" basis? Or even proposed or discussed the possibility of such handicapping?


texts: Android Versions of Designer Board Games

texts: Is there a good place to find out about designer board games that have been converted to the Android platform?  I know about the standard popular ones like Catan and Carcassonne, but it seems like you have to perform the leg work of looking through BGG lists/internet searches way more for Android than iOS to find anything.


texts: How does Babylons's second stage wonder work for building/discarding your last two cards?

texts: Babylon: When you have the second stage of the wonder that allows you to buy your last 2 cards in the age instead of discarding, does this count as 1 turn or as 2 separate turns?  Here's why I ask...  I needed to buy glass from my neighbor.  Each card needed me to buy a glass, and he only had 1 glass.  If the cards count as 1 turn, I could only buy 1, and would have to discard the other card to collect 3 coins.  If the cards were 2 turns, then I would buy the glass twice in 2 separate transactions.  After 15 minutes debate, our group voted that it was 2 turns.  But we would like to know what other people think.


texts: Are discarded tiles reusable or removed from the game?

texts: In Neuroshima Hex 3.0 a player starts their turn by drawing up to three tiles and discarding one of them into the discard pile.  Are these tiles out of the game permanently or is the discard pile essentially just your supply of tiles?  In other words, when I discard a tile will I have the chance to draw it again or not?


texts:
I played Nessian Game Warden, and a friend of mine tried to counter the entire summoning using Essence Scatter.

Essence scatter says:

  Counter target creature spell.

Does Nessian Game Warden go to the graveyard since its summoning hasn't yet resolved or does essence scatter's effect only apply to the ability on the card and NGW is summoned?


texts: In Poker, what happens with the next players if paying the big blind puts a player all-in?

texts:
In Texas hold'em poker, if a player doesn't have enough chips to pay the big blind, what happens if the next players want to call? Must they pay the entire big blind or not?

For example, a tournament starts and after some time, the SB/BB is 50/100 but the player who must pay the BB has only 60. Other players want to call only.

Player A (SB): mandatory bet 50 and is waiting.
Player B (BB): mandatory bet 60 chips and all-in.
Player C has more than 110 and wants to call, must they pay 100 or only 60?


texts: Games that can be played with just normal playing cards that are engrossing enough for a hardcore gamer

texts:
Are there any games with depth similar to Dominion or Puerto Rico that can be played with standard1 playing cards? More than 1 deck is fine. A good answer should have plentiful, diverse opportunities for strategy and analysis; flexibility in number of players, friendliness to new players, lack of empty spaces during the game-play, and general intensity are all a plus.

1: 4 suits, 12 cards each


texts: Asymmetric "Jurassic Park"-esque 2 player game

texts:
I remember playing a game at a board game event, but can't find its name for the life of me.
Two players only. One plays as a Velociraptor mother (and her younglings), and the other plays as a dinosaur hunter. The hunter tries to capture as many dinosaurs as possible and kill the mother, while the Velociraptor tries to escape with her young.
The box is on the smaller side, about 20x5x5cm.
Any help?


texts: Golden Guardian removed before death related trigger

texts:
Golden Guardian says:

  (2): Golden Guardian fights another target creature you control. When
  Golden Guardian dies this turn, return it to the Battlefield
  transformed under your control

If an opponent targets Guardian with a kill spell, and you activate it's ability in response; it will return transformed. That's great.

But if you activate it's ability to fight another creature, THEN in response your opponent kill-spells it. Does the ability fizzle or will it still revolse returning the Gaudrian to the battlefield transformed?


texts: Proper Sleeve size for Android Netrunner

texts:
I am trying to find the right sleeve size to get for Android Netrunner.
Fantasy Flight was nice enough to put a color coded sleeve and number of packs needed for that box on the back of both the core set and the expansions.
However it shows Blue sleeves for the Core set and Sliver for the expansions. I am trying to figure out which sleeves are the proper fit.
If you can provide a link to where I can buy them that would be great as well.


texts: Can a creature's sacrifice benefit be taken when it is sacrificed to Eldrazi Monument?

texts:
I asked a general question about double sacrifice bonus, but thought it better to ask a specific question. If a creature has a "Sacrifice this creature for X" ability, can you sacrifice it for that ability and satisfy the requirement of the Eldrazi Monument with the same sacrifice (assuming it is done during the upkeep)?

Oracle Text:

Creatures you control get +1/+1, have flying, and are indestructible.
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature. If you can't, sacrifice Eldrazi Monument.


texts: Should I cut the Ora et Labora reference sheets in half?

texts:
I'm in the middle of my first game of Ora et Labora now. It comes with quick reference sheets with both Ireland and France references on it.

It seems, given my limited understanding of the game so far, that the reference sheets could be cut in half (so each piece contains only France or Ireland). Is this a good idea, or is there some reason to keep it all together?


texts:
Why is it considered a disadvantage to accept Queen's Gambit? How should I play to take advantage of an accepted Queen's Gambit?

(All online guides I've seen simply state not to do it, but don't explain why it's bad or how to take advantage of it.)


texts: How can I estimate my chances to win a Risk battle?

texts:
I'm looking for an way to estimate the percent chance of winning a specific Risk battle.  Assume the maximum number of dice will be used.

It doesn't need to be a perfect calculation, just an estimate to give a general idea of whether to attack or not. It needs to be easy to memorize.

I'm sure there is a trade off between accuracy and easy of use, so I'm hoping there is more than one method proposed. I would be using this to estimate after each die roll so I can stop attacking when my winning percentage drops below a certain threshold.

Bonus free wild card if you can also describe a method of estimating armies left.


texts: Chaos in the Old World: What happens to units in ruined regions?

texts:
When a region is ruined, I found it very hard to get units out of the ruined region into new regions (i.e. by using chaos cards). So, what happens to units in ruined areas? Do they:

Come off the board? (I don't think this happens, as it would render Nurgle's 'remove units card' moot)
Allow units to move to a new region? (Unlikely, as the units only 'move' from your reserve to a region, or by intervention of a chaos card, e.g. teleport)
Do something else?


texts:
Let's say I have an Indestructibility attached to a land I control.

  Enchanted permanent has indestructible.

I try to use the second ability of Simic Guildmage to attatch the Indestructibility to itself.

  Attach target Aura enchanting a permanent to another permanent with the same controller.

What happens?


texts: How do multiple death triggers work with a board wipe?

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


texts: Phase 10 - acquiring cards after completing a phase

texts: After laying down the required cards that complete a phase, does the player continue to draw cards or does he play only the cards that remain in his hand?


texts: If I can cast sorceries at instant speed, can I use sorcery-speed activated abilities at instant speed?

texts:
So Teferi, Time Raveler is down, and I have +1'ed him. I may now "cast sorcery spells as though they had flash". My Adorned Pouncer is in the graveyard, and can be Eternalized "only as a sorcery".

Does this mean I can Eternalize at instant speed? I feel like it shouldn't but would love a rules clarification.


texts: Having started a small avalanche, what does one do with an undefended cutting stone?

texts:
Having just looked at the small avalanche (nadare / konadare) in 38 Basic Joseki I tried it out as White in a 2-stone game against GNU Go and was surprised that it left out the move at a, immediately playing 9 although Ishida’s Dictionary says that after Black 6 the moves 7 – 8 – a – b are the only possible order.

$$Bc Up to the deviation from joseki
$$ ........-
$$ ....6...-
$$ ....12..-
$$ ..9.34..-
$$ ...5O7a.-
$$ ...b8...-
$$ ........-
$$ ---------

Is Black 9 indeed an error, and if so how should White punish Black? Please explain why your answer is ideal and suggest any general principles that apply. I suspect that one should capture with a, though that does make Black b sente.

How the game actually continued

In case it is relevant or of interest, though I am only asking about the joseki, here is the continuation.
I was playing a little hurriedly and also was not aware that 9 was an error, and continued with:

$$Wcm10 17 connects at 14, 20… in next diagram
$$ . . . . . . . .|
$$ . . . 7 O . . .|
$$ . . 1 6 X O . .|
$$ . 9 X 5 X O . .|
$$ . . 0 X O X . .|
$$ . . 4 3 O 2 . .|
$$ . . . . . . . .|
$$ ---------------+

after which both sides created moyos:

$$Wcm20 Move 29 followed by circled, then squared and finally triangled stones
$$ +-------------------------------------+
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . Y Q . . . . 4 . . 6 . . . . . .|
$$ |. . X , O . . O . , . . . . . X . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . X . . . 5 . . . . . . . . 0 B .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . 7 W W .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . , . . . . . , . . . . . , . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . B . . . . . Q . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . Y . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . O O . . .|
$$ |. # . . . . . . . . . . . O X X O . .|
$$ |. @ # X . . . . . , . . O X X X O . .|
$$ |. @ @ @ # # # . . Q . . 1 X X O X . .|
$$ |. . . . @ @ . . . . . . 2 X O O X . .|
$$ |. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .|
$$ +-------------------------------------+


texts: 2000s Tabletop war game, hex terrain pieces, mix of science fiction and fantasy

texts: I remember a friend of mine was trying to get me to implement this as a computer game. It came about around 2002-2006. Terrain pieces were stackable plastic hex pieces. Figures were similarly on hex pads, and had a series of stats. There were Ranged and melee attacks defined. Ranged attacks involved line of sight and measured distance from the tip of the weapon to a "vulnerable area" on the figure (shown in kind of a two color front and profile views on the associated chart). Characters had a mix of technology and magic (I remember one figure having a military rifle and a magic sword) and might have been drawn from different dimensions. There were some goblinoid characters also, I remember. And... that's most of what I remember at the moment, but it's bugging me.


texts: How much mana should I put in a deck with Mountains and Forests? How much of each? I counted the mana in my black deck to see how much I need, but I still don't know.


texts: Can allies interact with mission tokens?

texts:
I'm playing a mission with Luke Skywalker as an ally and the mission requires that I pick up 'X' mission tokens and carry them to a location on the map.

According to the rules:

  Rebel allies are not heroes. During their activation, they
  cannot interact with crates or rest. Rebel allies can perform
  only one attack each activation, and follow all other rules for
  non-hero figures.

I can't seem to find the "all other rules for non-hero figures" part.

Does this mean that Luke (or another Ally) can pick up mission tokens?


texts: Can Harvey Walters solve the final rune puzzle with his special ability?

texts:
Harvey Walters has a special ability that allows him to solve any rune puzzle once per game for a certain cost (can't remember exactly).

One of the scenarios requires the investigators to solve a rune puzzle to win. Can Harvey Walters just use this ability to win the game (which seems very anti-climatic)?


texts: What's the difference between a Euchre, a March and a Set?

texts:
I've heard of different terms for the same result in Euchre, but is it just preference or is there more to it?

Call trump and get all 5 tricks: Is this called a "March" and/or a "Euchre"?
Earn 3 or more tricks when the opposing team calls trump: Is this "Setting Them" and/or "Euchring Them"?


texts: What do the Tau battlesuit numbers mean?

texts: Tau battle suits are often dubbed XV88 or XV81, is there a pattern to the number? What does it mean?


texts: How do Lasso, The Judge and Belle Star interact with equipment cards?

texts:
I am wondering how Lasso/The Judge/Belle Star should interact with equipment cards, since the rule book doesn't seem to be very clear about interactions with other expansions.

Lasso: cards in play in front of all players have no effect.
The Judge: players cannot play cards in front of themselves.
Belle Star: during her turn, cards in play in front of other players have no effect.

The rules say that the only way to remove one from a player is by paying the purchase cost + 1 gold, and they can't be the target of panic/cat balou cards/effects. But how does that apply to  effects that say "cards in play"?

Also, since it's not mentioned at all in the rules: if a sheriff kills the deputy, does that mean he would lose all his equipment in addition to the normal losses?


texts: Celestial Flare Question declaring blockers

texts:
Celestial Flare is an instant that says:

  Target player sacrifices an attacking or blocking creature.

Suppose the instant is played on on the attacking player after the defending player has declared blockers, and the attacker sacrices a creature that was being blocked. What happens to the creature that was blocking the now-sacrificed attacking creature?

Does the blocker now block nothing, or is it assigned to a different attacker, or are blockers redeclared?

This was done in a multiplayer game by a third party who was not involved in the blocking or attacking.


texts:
I told some of my friends and co-workers about a board game I designed, and we're hoping to play it sometime soon. However, I am not sure if I should let everyone sign a non-disclosure agreement or not.

It is a board game that I have put a lot of time into. I haven't made anybody sign an agreement so far (Played various times with friends and family), but as the game is getting closer to a finished product, I feel like it would be professional to do so.

What type of agreement/document would be appropriate, if I do get an NDA?


texts: Can you choose the role with the "New Assignment" event?

texts:
In Pandemic: On The Brink there are several new event cards.  We are curious as to whether the "New Assignment" card lets you choose, or whether you pick one at random (as at the start of the game).

As a follow up question, the card suggests that any player may swap their role with the unused roles, does this mean each in turn gets the opportunity, or any one player?


texts: response with 4 cards in major and long (6+) minor

texts: Partner opens 1 hearts. You hold 4 cards in spades, 6+ cards in diamonds and 2 singletons (a total of 8 hcp). What is the correct bidding? I assume 1 spades. But what do you bid, if Partner rebids 1 no-trump or 2 hearts?


texts: In bridge, are there some 13 point hands that should not be opened?

texts:
Suppose you have: (s) Jx (h)KQxx (d) KJxx (c) Kxx.

That's 13 points, by the usual count. But I can think of at least two things wrong with it.

First, there are no aces, meaning that the hand has fewer "quick tricks" than the usual 13-pointer. Second, the Jack of spades is "stranded," meaning that might not be worth a full point because it can be picked off by the opponents. And, of course, there is no five card suit, meaning that you need 13, not 12 to open.

Do the above negatives detract from your hand? Or must it be opened since you have 13?


texts: What does it mean to "interrupt movement"

texts:
In Sid Meier's Civilization, the Communism technology allows another players' movement to be interrupted to prevent figures from leaving a specific square.

What exactly does this mean, does this mean that if my opponent says I'm moving from here to there to attack you, and I spend the Spy resource to interrupt movement, I make him stay in his original square?

Or does it mean that my opponent must always move his figures 1 square at a time, and I play the Spy resource to stop him in his tracks as he moves?

Is there an official answer to this somewhere?


texts:
When can I play a Knight Card.

For example, when it's my turn, and I already have a knight card I have not played, can I use it if I do not have the robber on one of my hexes?

Or, if it's another players turn, and they place a robber one of my hexes, can I immediately counter them with one of my Knight cards, or do I have to wait until it's my turn to use it to remove the robber?


texts:
Example 1:
If I activate a card from my hand can cyber dragon infinity negate and "destroy it"

Example 2:
If I activate a monster effect from my hand and crystal wing synchro dragon tries to negate it does the negation happen and if so what happens to that monster


texts: Sunrise vs. "Summon Eclipse" in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

texts:
Yes, I play the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (US) board game.  Yes, I like it.  On to the question!

The Sunrise rule states:

  When the talisman moves to the Sunrise, all vampires that are outside must immediately move to the closest indoor space.

The "Summon Eclipse" card states:

  Move the Phase Talisman to the first New Moon space.

My question is, if the Talisman has to move past the Sunrise space to get to the first New Moon space, does this trigger Sunrise?

I say, "No", since you're moving the Talisman to the first New Moon space (effectively skipping over the Sunrise space), but others in our group insist it does in fact trigger "Sunrise", since they argue you move the Talisman forward (and through Sunrise) to the first New Moon space.


texts: Sower of Discord, Gideon's Sacrifice and Stuffy Doll

texts:
In a 3-player game, P1 (20 life) has Sower of Discord down, with P2 (12 Life) and P3 (12 Life) the named players. P2 has Stuffy Doll on the board, naming P3.

P1 attempts to deal 3 damage to P2 (say with a Lightning Bolt), but P2 in response casts Gideon's Sacrifice, choosing Stuffy Doll as the creature to take the damage.

Is this an infinite loop or does it ever terminate?


texts: Do I effectively lose two opportunities to have an encounter when I get arrested by patrols?

texts: When I get arrested by patrols during the movement phase, I get moved to the jail and am told to become delayed and skip the entire next turn. Does this mean I miss this turn's encounter phase and next turn's as well, merely standing up during the movement phase of that next turn and sitting idle in the polic station? This would mean effectively sitting out of two potential encounters (granted you could say not quite two, as the first turn would sometimes simply be spent in the streets, not necessarily a location).


texts: Can you ever get a player down to just 2 ships?

texts:
Alien Frontiers has been carefully designed to prevent any player from being reduced to two ships: you can't use the Terraforming Station (which converts one of your ships into a colony) if you only have three ships, and you can't use the Plasma Cannon to destroy somebody's ship unless they have at least four.

Can you use the Plasma Cannon on someone with four ships, if one of those ships is sitting on the Terraforming Station (thus reducing them to three ships when their turn comes around, or two if you use the Plasma Cannon)? Are there any other ways to reduce someone to two ships?


texts: When you have formed an alliance with another player, does the max 2 meeples per territory limit go away (as in 2 meeples of each player and in total 4 meeples can thus occupy any one territory and earn its resources), or does the 2 meeples limit per resource territory still apply regardless of alliances?


texts: Can Amber Prison prevent multiple permanents from untapping?

texts:
Amber Prison reads

  You may choose not to untap Amber Prison during your untap step.

  4, Tap: Tap target artifact, creature, or land. That permanent doesn't untap during its controller's untap step for as long as Amber Prison remains tapped.

If during my turn I tap a creature, and then on my next turn I untap Amber Prison and use it to tap another creature, do both creatures remain tapped during the next untap phase?

If not, why not?


texts: Identify a card game where you discard playing cards based on die rolls

texts:
I am looking for rules to a card game I played as a child, which we called "Polish Poker". However, when I search for the name online, the rules I get don't match what I played, so I guess it must go under other names.

I recall that we used a standard deck of 52 cards and took out aces, sevens, kings, and jokers. On your turn, you roll two dice. If you have a card in your hand matching the roll (Jacks are 11 and Queens are 12), you discard it. If you roll a seven, you put a penny (or whatever you are using for chips) from your supply into a pot in the center, which the winner gets at the end. I don't remember what happened if you rolled a card you didn't have.

I think the whole deck of cards might have been dealt to each player in their hand, but I'm not entirely sure. Does this sound like a game that might have more complete rules, perhaps under a different name?


texts: What's the difference between Puerto Rico and San Juan?

texts:
I've heard people describe San Juan as Puerto Rico's little brother. What's actually the difference?

How is the game-play changed?
Is it any easier to teach new people?
Is it worth buying if I already have Puerto Rico?


texts: Sometimes you get a crisis card that has a choice, such as "-1 Food OR Current Player Discards 3 Cards".  In situations where you cannot afford the cost of the latter, are you forced into the former?  For example, if the current player has no hand, are you required to lose 1 food?


texts: In Magic, when Magus of the Unseen returns an untapped artifact to its original controller, is there a delay before it becomes tapped?

texts:
Suppose I have a Magus of the Unseen and some other creature or artifact, and my opponent has a Glare of Subdual and a tapped Yotian Soldier.

  Magus of the Unseen (1U)
  Creature — Human Wizard
  1/1

  1U, T: Untap target artifact an opponent controls and gain control of it until end of turn. It gains haste until end of turn. When you lose control of the artifact, tap it.

I use the Magus to untap and steal the Soldier during my turn. During my cleanup step, the effect wears off and my opponent gets the Soldier back. Is there time for him to activate the Glare by tapping the Soldier, before the Soldier becomes tapped and before his next untap step?

My interpretation is that there is, because the tap is triggered by the return of control. This means that players get priority before it resolves, during the cleanup step. Is this correct?


texts: Can I choose the order in which these effects trigger in Yu-Gi-Oh?

texts:
Suppose that I have Yubel - Terror Incarnate on the field and I normal summon Inaba White Rabbit.

Both of them have effects that trigger at the end phase:

Yubel - Terror Incarnate: destroys all other monsters.
Inaba White Rabbit: returns itself to the hand.

In which order do I execute them? Can I choose?

I would like to return Inaba White Rabbit to my hand before it gets destroyed.


texts: Can I use Bad Toys on other people's babies?

texts:
In the rules for Evil Baby Orphanage, it says for Bad Toys that "you may discard the toy from your Orphanage to cause any Evil Baby to take it's Unsupervised Actions during your Activity Step." Does this mean that I can discard a Bad Toy to make another Time-Nanny's Evil Baby do their Unsupervised Action during my Activity Step? The people I play with have assumed up until this point that you could only do this to your own Evil Babies, but in rereading the rules, this isn't actually clear. In fact, the word "any" seems to indicate that this can be done to other Evil Babies. The ability to cause other Evil Babies to do their Unsupervised Actions seems like a very powerful ability and would drastically change the flow of a game.

Edit:

We discovered that we initially thought it only applied to your own baby because the player cards are worded differently than the instructions. They read: "you may discard the toy from your Orphanage to cause an Evil Baby to take it's Unsupervised Actions during your Activity Step." This was the original cause of our assumption; this doesn't seem to indicate that you could target other Time-Nanny's Evil Babies.


texts: Why can't I play a card for its alternative cost after searching for it with Bring to Light?

texts:
According to the card rulings on Gatherer, I can't, say, fetch Reveillark from my deck with Bring to Light, and then cast it for its Evoke cost instead (which is what I was hoping to do). While this is applicable to all alternative costs, what rules prevent BtL from allowing this, when, according to the card text, all it seems to care about is whether or not the CMC is less than or equal to the number of colors used to play it?

I'm not trying to bring this ruling into question, as disappointing as it may be, I just want to understand the logic involved.


texts: In chess, if a player ran out of time, how to determine if his/her opponent has the 'possibility of checkmating'?

texts:
From English Wikipedia, article 'Rules of chess':

If a player delivers a checkmate, the game is over and that player
wins, no matter what is subsequently noticed about the time on the
clock.
If player A calls attention to player B being out of time while
player A is not out of time and some sequence of legal moves leads to
B being checkmated then player A wins automatically.
If player A does not have the possibility of checkmating B then the game is a draw.

Can anyone provide a more detailed explanation what is 'possibility of checkmating' and who or what governs it? For example, I know that a king and a knight can checkmate a king with a rook.

However, I don't think a king and a knight can checkmate a king with a queen. I didn't find a single checkmate position for that case (for weakest side, of course).
So, after exactly one of players had run out of time, who or what determines if his or her opponent has the possibility of giving a checkmate? I think it's quite essential because it means difference between a win and a draw.


texts: What happens with multiple copies of Humility and Glorious Anthem on the battlefield?

texts: What happens with multiple copies of Humility and Glorious Anthem? For example, I have 2 copies of each of them; creatures are 1/1, plus +1/+1, or +2/+2 or  are they going to be just 1/1? Does the order that they come to the battlefield affect anything?


texts: When do I need to choose a target for "Enters the battlefield" triggers?

texts:
Consider the following game state.

I have a Sky Skiff in play.  It is not currently a creature.
I cast Herald of the Fair
It has an ETB trigger that targets a creature.

Can I tap the Herald of the Fair to Crew the Sky Skiff to make it a creature so that I can target it with the ETB trigger?  Or do I have to choose the target as soon as the trigger goes on the stack and have no time to respond to the trigger to make the Sky Skiff a valid target?


texts: Unpreventable damage to Gideon, the Oathsworn

texts:
Gideon, the Oathsworn has a +2 loyalty ability that reads:

  +2: Until end of turn, Gideon, the Oathsworn becomes a 5/5 white Soldier creature that's still a planeswalker. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to him this turn. (He can't attack if he was cast this turn.)

In the card rulings, it states:

  If damage that can’t be prevented is dealt to Gideon after his first loyalty ability has resolved, that damage will have all applicable results: specifically, the damage is marked on Gideon (since he’s a creature) and that damage causes that many loyalty counters to be removed from him (since he’s a planeswalker). Even though he’s also a creature, if Gideon has no loyalty counters on him, he’s put into his owner’s graveyard.

What is a scenario that could cause non-preventable damage after this ability has resolved, which states that it will "prevent all damage"?


texts:
This is from a game between two high-ranking professionals I saw on TV.  Hopefully I copied it right.

There doesn't quite seem to be enough from after W1.  Let me show you [1]:

$$Wc
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ . O X . X . . . 1 . |
$$ . . . . . . X . X . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X . |
$$ . X . . X X X O X O |
$$ . . . X O O O O O O |
$$ . . . . X . . . X . |
$$ --------------------|

If Black moves first, perhaps there's not enough from after B2 and W3 ?

$$Wc
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ . O X . X . . . O . |
$$ . . . . . . X . X . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X . |
$$ . X . 3 X X X O X O |
$$ . . . X O O O O O O |
$$ . . . . X 2 . . X . |
$$ --------------------|

If White has just a little bit more time, we can put a white stone at A. Not even.

$$c
$$ . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . X . . . . . . |
$$ . O X . X . . . O . |
$$ . . . . . . X . X . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X . |
$$ . X . . X X X O X O |
$$ . . . X O O O O O O |
$$ . . . . X 2 . . X . |
$$ --------------------|

So what are they thinking?


texts: Any body have any guesses to which game these belong .... most likely a card/dice combo


texts: Where to find MTG statistics: Starting player winrate, average turns, polarity?

texts:
A question about MTG statistics:

There are several MTG statistics websites (e.g. AetherHub, MTGArenaPro), which do a great job to provide specific statistics about how good individual cards and decks are doing. However, there are some more general metrics I am interested in and can't find anywhere. Namely:

Winrate when starting first/second, for BO1 & BO3
How many turns doesan average game take (histogram, if possible)
Polarity of the meta (Originally used in Hearthstone, it is a measure of rock-paper-scissors of the metagame. Here, polarity=0 would mean that for any two tier 1 decks the winrate of one against another would be approximately 50%, whereas polarity=1 would mean that for any two tier 1 decks the winrate of one against another would be approximately 100%)

If you know of a website that computes any of these three, please tell me. I am not sure why I can't find them anywhere. Maybe it is somehow unethical to ask these questions? If this is the case, tell me as well


texts:
I saw a game being played at a party where they were using cowrie shells as the dice. While some players rolled random numbers during their turns, others seem to be almost preternaturally good at getting the rolls they want.

Is there a technique to throwing the shells?


texts: Is there a card that has opponents discard cards whenever they lose life?

texts:
I was wondering whether I could create an infinite loop using Fell Specter and a card with an ability similar to or exactly like this one:

  Whenever an opponent loses life, that player discards a card.

Does anyone know of such a card? Thank you in advance for the help!


texts: In Android: Netrunner, can the Shaper event Scavenge install the program that was trashed to pay for it?

texts:
This question touches on the timing when an event card is played. If a runner plays Scavenge, they must trash an installed program as part of the cost. Is that program already in the heap by the time that Scavenge's effect is triggered, thus allowing the program that was just trashed to then be installed?

If so, this appears to have some strong interactions with cards like Dinosaurus and Femme Fatale.


texts: What's the strategic advantage of building around alternate win conditions?

texts:
In MTG, there are several ways to win that don't involve damaging your opponent. The most prominent is milling (running an opponent out of cards to draw), but there are also special cards like Felidar Sovereign, Laboratory Maniac, Battle of Wits, and Barren Glory that introduce unique victory conditions.

I understand why these decks can be fun: it's a novel experience to build and play a deck with an entirely different goal, and figuring out how to achieve some of those goals is a pleasing deckbuilding puzzle. What I'd like to know is something else entirely: when is prioritizing an alternate win condition actually strategically advantageous?

Specifically, it seems like, short of all-in-one-go combo, pursuing these goals involves actively sacrificing tempo and card advantage. Take mill cards like Glimpse the Unthinkable, for example: the card mills a significant chunk of an opponent's deck, but it doesn't actually influence the board state in any way; in the vast majority of cases, making your opponent put ten cards from her library into her graveyard has no affect on her board presence or ability to make subsequent plays (in some instances, it actually helps her, too).

What factors affect the viability of a deck built around an alternate win condition?
Is it ever feasible (like, you-could-take-this-deck-to-a-tournament feasible) to build around an alternate wincon in something that's not just a pure combo deck?
How can one offset or avoid the natural card and tempo disadvantage baked into most of these cards?
When is it practical to include an alternate wincon as "Plan B" (or C, or D, &c.) in a deck with a damage-based Plan A?


texts: What is the highest achievable score in Catan

texts:
The game ends as soon as you get 10 or more points, so even if you can build multiple things, the one that gets you to 10 is it.

I'm fairly certain that the highest score possible in Catan is 12 points. Assuming you are at 9 points, and are in second place for longest road, if you were able to build a settlement that broke up longest road that would give you three points at once.

Is there a way to end with a higher score?


texts: "Stay Away" how to handle case with 4 Infected cards

texts:
Last night I had a game where I was infected by The Thing and drew a Panic! card (Forgetful) which states that I should discard 3 cards and draw 3 more. What happened was that after that Panic! card I had to discard my 3 not infected cards (since I am infected I can't discard the one I have) and I drew 3 Stay Away which happened to be infected cards so I was left with 4 infected cards, but the rules state that you can't have more than 3 in your hand in any given time.

What I thought of was that if a Panic! card doesn't say that it ends your turn you can draw again and continue as normal, but that is not also a viable solution to the problem, because the next card might still be Infected.

Has any of you encountered this situation? Can you give me an idea of what solution I may apply to this bug?


texts:
I am playing game in 4 hearts and get four.  The opponents revoke on the 12th trick. If they had not revoked they would of taken us down one trick.
Do we get our four hearts?
I know a revoke does not get a penalty with the last two tricks of a hand being played.


texts: How can we play yu-gi-oh online after dueling network's shutdown?

texts:
Dueling network shut down after a cease and desist letter. Is there any way to play yu-gi-oh casually online now?

I used to like the ability to just make any deck and play casually, I am trying to see if anything took its place.


texts: What adjustments do you have to make if partner leads "third highest" instead of "fourth highest" to open?"

texts:
I would imagine that when using the "rule of 11," you would subtract the card's rank from 12 instead of 11 to get the number of outstanding cards higher than the led card outside of the opening leader's hand. Is this correct?
And suppose partner had A-Q-T-8-x, or A-Q-9-7-x  that is five "disconnected" cards. Using "fourth best," partner would lead the 8 or 7, and "third best, partner would lead the T or 9. How would one distinguish such a lead from the "top of nothing?" Or is the whole point being that if you are leading "third best, you should lead x (low) from T9x or 98x?
What other adjustments need to be made, if any?


texts: what are the differences in timing for chess grading?

texts:
Can you clear something up as regards rating time bands.

Official or standard grading I always assumed was an hour-and-a-half or more. Am I incorrect?

Is Blitz an hour or less?
Is Speedplay 0-15 mins?

FIDE or guidance appreciated.


texts: How to score the Southampton to New York route in Ticket to Ride UK?

texts:
In Ticket to Ride UK, when the Southampton to New York route is claimed, does the claimant receive the points for laying down train cars in addition to the 40 points stated on the board?

If so, how many points do they get?


texts:
In a game of Go, we were in a strange position. If my opponent moved at one point to put my pieces in atari, his pieces would get taken. If I moved at that same point my pieces would’ve been taken.

So if neither of us move at that point, are our stones dead?

How do you count this kind of position in the counting phase?


texts: What activity is there in Computer Go tournaments?

texts:
At the moment, the 17th TCEC superfinal is running, Stockfish vs. Leela. It is considered the unofficial world championship of computer chess, and games are frequently publicly commentated by professional chess players. TCEC runs tournaments continuously, 2-4 of them every year.

Given the advance of Go programs, I wonder whether there are well-organized computer Go tournaments. I found the Computer Go UEC Cup, but Wikipedia says it took place annually from 2007-2017 and has stopped; also, its website has not been updated for several years. There is slightly confusing further information about a follow-up tournament in 2019, which points to Japanese websites.

Hence my questions:

  1) Where can one get information in English about the UEC Cup? Do most state-of-the-art programs participate?

  2) Are there other computer Go tournaments?


texts: Maze Game - Late 70's / Early 80's - Battleship-esk - What's it name?

texts:
I am looking for the name of a Late 70's / early 80's board game.

The basic design was based on Battle Ship. Each of the two players had a clam shell case where they built their own maze at the bottom and tracked their opponent at the top. Read and green cases, with blue green chips used to build the mazes.

The goal was to follow your opponent's maze by blindly bumping into corners, trying to figure out the path to the goal, which was capturing the other guys pawn before he got to yours.

It was a great strategy game and I would love to dig up, or recreate a copy to play with my kids.

Any hints at the name of this game? And who the manufacturer was?


texts: +1/+1 counter, where does it go when my adversary bolts it's target?

texts:
Vastwood Hydra is on the field, 7/7 atm (7 x +1/+1 counters). My adversary blocks it for combined strength of 7, all creatures in combat die when the damage resolves.
When Vastwood Hydra dies I get to distribute all it's +1/+1 counters among my creatures.
I designate my Kioras follower (2/2) as a recipient of a counter. My opponent decides to shock it for 2 damage (instant).
What I want to know is, what happens? What comes first, the counter or the shock? If the shock comes first and my 2/2 goes to graveyard, does the counter "fizzle" lacking a target, or do I still have a +1/+1 counter to distribute?


texts:
Snare! says ,"If accessed from R&D the runner must reveal it". It then allows the corp to pay 4 credits to give 3 net damage and add a tag. It also mentions to ignore this affect if Snare! is accessed from Archives.

This confuses me a little because I am not sure what to do if the card is accessed from a remote server or from HQ. Do you still get the option to give damage and a tag if it is accessed? Why then would it specifically mention R&D if there is no difference than HQ or a remote server?


texts: Is a bridge defense easier if the values are about equally distributed?

texts:
The conventional wisdom is that a bridge declaration for game will have about a 50-50 chance of success if declarer has about 25 high card points, and the defense has 15. That's "all other things being equal."

But a 24 point declaration might well succeed if they are divided about equally between declarer and dummy, because of good "transportation," while a 26 point declaration divided 22 points and 4 might fail because of bad transportation.

Does a similar line of reasoning hold on defense? If one defender has made an opening bid or takeout double, the implication is that defender holds most of the defensive values, (and this fact is known to declarer). Is that a disadvantage? Or are there offsetting advantages, such as the information being made available to the other defender?


texts:
In the game of Spades, what is the best or popular practice to bid the ♠ suit? That is to say, how to estimate the number of tricks my spades suit can take?
I calculate my takes in the spades suit by considering those three factors:

High spades - {A,Kx,Qxx,Jxxx} where x are spades cards used as protection.
Long spades suit - count each spade beyond the 4th, some count the 4th spade as a "half a take" which combined with other factors might be a take.
Short sides suits + spare spades

Void and 1/2/3 spare spades is 1/~1.5/~2.25 takes.
Singleton and 1/2 spare spades is ~1/~1.5 takes.
Doubleton and 1 spare spade is a bit less than 1 take.

Note: do not count the same card twice.  Each card should be count once where it produce the maximal value.


texts: To what extent is a Runner forced to take actions to pay for a Tollbooth?

texts:
Playing against a Shaper (Kit) deck, I had a situation where the Runner encountered my Tollbooth with zero credit in their pool. They did have 2 credits on a Ghost Runner and also had a Cloak (with its recuring credit unused this turn), a Refractor and a Net Mercur (with no credits on it) installed:

My question is, when this Runner encounters Tollbooth in this situation, to what extent are they forced to take actions which make credits available in order to pay the 3 credits required by the Tollbooth?

Must the Runner spend credits from a Ghost Runner if they are available? I believe the answer to this is yes, but some confirmation with reference to the appropriate rule(s) would be helpful.

More interestingly, is the Runner in this situation obliged to use their Cloak to take some action (i.e. using the Cloak credit to invoke one of the abilities on the Refractor, say the +3 strength) which will result in the Net Mercur gaining a credit, which in turn can be used to pay for the Tollbooth's encounter action?

Or does the Tollbooth only force the Runner to spend credits which are directly available without any other actions taking place first (and must they only come from the credit pool)?


texts: Any gotchas/common mistakes for first time players playing Asia Engulfed?

texts:
A number of years ago (... 5ish now I think) I played a game called Europe Engulfed a few times, and loved it.  Since moving a few years back, I have not had anyone to play with locally.  Recently, a friend of mine expressed interest, and we are going to try another game in the series first, Asia Engulfed.  I have read that the rules are a little simpler (in that there are many less sub factions), and since I have not played it, I felt it might help even the playing field.

All that said, I remember the first time I played Europe Engulfed, we made a number of strange rules mistakes - the type of thing beginners do when trying out a new, fairly complex board game.  Does anyone have any experience with this game?  Any specific gotchas to watch out for?  Any recommendations for general strategy that I can share with my "opponent"?  As I want to be able to keep playing it, it is in my best interest to make sure we start on as even a footing as possible.  :)


texts: How would some of the top deck archetypes handle discard decks?

texts:
In the past, I asked how to fight a discard deck, one that's designed to just empty your hand as fast as possible with cards like Hymn to Tourach and many others. I have also read this question on playing around targeted discard.

However, at this point my friend has rebuilt his deck to a very high degree of efficiency. I often lose one of my opening lands to Hymn, and any creatures I get out are killed by targeted kill spells or board wipe like Drown in Sorrow. I never have a chance to play higher cost creatures because my hand gets emptied by discard spells. Lately I've been playing white weenie / equipment with some very good cards like Mother of Runes, Swords to Plowshares, Aegis of the Gods, Jitte, Stoneforge Mystic, and more, but ultimately all my creatures get killed by board clear and my hand is emptied. He will sometimes clear the board 3-4 times before I get killed by a combination of Black Vise, Quest for the Nihil Stone, and Guiltfeeder.

Again, I know discard decks aren't exactly one of the main Legacy archetypes. But I'm looking at decks like Miracles, Jund, D&T, OmniTell, Merfolk, and others, and to be frank, probably because I'm inexperienced with tournaments, I can't see how they would respond to this strategy. (Okay, I see how D&T stops it fairly easily, but not the others.)

How would some of the major Legacy archetypes respond to a discard deck?


texts:
Which cards am I allowed to discard in order to gain money in Seven Wonders Duel?

A card I already acquired and placed in my home?
A free unclaimed card from the board (a card a player could otherwise get paying its costs)?

In other words, discarding is an alternative to get a card from the table on one player's turn?


texts: Commander Damage Stacking & Player Control

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In Commander/EDH, as far as I understand if a commander does 21 damage to an opponent they lose. I understand separate commanders must be tracked separately in multiplayer.

How does this count if for instance you attack and hit Opponent A, with an 11/11 Commander. Then Opponent B gains control of that same commander (Donate, Confiscate, etc) and on his combat attacks and hits. Is the damage totalled and Opp A loses, or is it tracked separately again? If it’s the latter does commander damage from two different commanders but controlled by the same player stack?

Please include if there are “Mind Control” effects that would yield difference results to this questions.


texts: Which tiles came with which Rallyman GT expansion?

texts: I managed to get the tiles from the base game and the different expansions mixed together before noting which tile came from which expansion. Is someone able to provide the range of tile numbers that came with each expansion?


texts: Am I obligated to identify cards owned by an opponent?

texts:
Nathan controls Jeskai Infiltrator. His deck has green sleeves. Anthony controls three Mountains. His deck has blue sleeves. Anthony casts and resolves Act of Treason, gaining control of Infiltrator. He attacks Nathan, deals combat damage, and triggers and resolves Infiltrator's ability. Anthony now controls two manifested permanents: Jeskai Infiltrator and a random card from the top of his deck.

Two questions:

Can Anthony desleeve both manifested cards, or otherwise manipulate them so that they cannot be differentiated?
Assume the cards are not sleeved to begin with, or Nathan is colorblind, so that Nathan is unable to differentiate between the two face down cards. Is Anthony obligated to tell Nathan which card is the card that he owns?

It seems to me that, depending on the answer, Jeskai Infiltrator's ability might not work the way it was intended. If Nathan knows which card is which, then shuffling them is pointless.

I am looking for a rules based answer if one exists. The Release Notes for Fate Reforged say the following:

  A card's owner is public information at all times. If the two cards you exile are owned by different players (perhaps because you gained control of a Jeskai Infiltrator owned by your opponent), which card is which is no longer hidden from your opponent. That player will know which face-down creature he or she owns.

However, it does not provide rules to back this up. I checked the Tournament rules on Free, Derived, and Private information, but I found no mention of this. If the answer depends on what Rules Enforcement Level you are playing at, please describe the rule as it applies to each level.


texts: What happens in Exploding Kittens when the only card in your hand is a skip card? Do you lay it down and still pick up a card anyway?


texts: Can a single player have all nine potential queens in one game?

texts:
I would like to know whether it is possible to, in a single game, convert all eight pawns of one colour into queens while retaining the original queen.

Presume that we are both playing chess competitively from the start of the game. Is there any circumstance where this could happen? Has it happened in the past?