texts: Do you have to play the basic Risk Europe game with exactly four players?

texts:
My son got Risk Europe for Christmas. Neither of us are familiar with any version of Risk.

The “Basic Game” section of the rule book says it’s for four players (implying exactly four, not two to four). There is a variation of the rules for two to three players where the spare armies are mercenary armies, but we played through a game of the basic rules with just the two of us and we didn’t seem to hit any hurdles. Can you play the basic game with just two players?


texts: Ben and Mabel (Mable) cardgame? What's the "real" name?

texts:
My friends play a game they call "Ben and Mabel". I believe they learned it from their Dutch brother-in-law.

This is my memory of playing it.

You play with multiple decks mixed together. Maybe two or three. Jokers included (they're wild).

You start with three cards. You play 13 rounds; in each subsequent round, your hand grows by one card. Each turn you draw a card and discard a card. You can draw from the face-up discard pile or the face-down pile. You play melds of runs in the same suit or groups of three of a kind or more. If you are initially dealt three cards, threes and are wild. If you are dealt four cards, fours and jokers are wild. Eight cards, eights and jokers are wild.

Round one is easy because there's only three cards. Round five is the hardest because you have to get five of a kind (wilds OK) or a run of five in the same suit. Once the rounds get big it gets easier too.

There is some scoring involved at the end once someone goes out.

Sound familiar?

What's the "real" name?


texts: Best place around the table in Blackjack

texts:
I've read a few theories regarding which seat is the best in Blackjack.

I haven't been able to figure out if my own theory is correct. It won't apply to many situations, but when it does, I believe it would be best to be seated just before the dealer.

Theory: Assuming you have 16 and dealer has 11, and is your turn, I would say you best bet is to not take a new card (8/13 cards will result in you busting). However, if you're next to the dealer, you should definitely take a new card. The reason being: if it's between 1 and 5 you will get a better hand. If it's from 6 and up, you will bust, but the dealer would have gotten 17 or up if you didn't take it, thus beating you anyhow. This only applies if you're next to the dealer, (if not, someone else will take the card you didn't take, and the dealer could still get something low and bust on the next card).

I believe this would give you slightly better odds if you're next to the dealer. Am I wrong here? (I see that the advantage would be very small, however, I'm curious if my logic applies here. Any views?


texts: Why would I want to use the activated ability of "Scalding Tarn"?

texts:
I think I'm missing something here.  I thought that land cards that have two colors at the bottom mean that they can be used as land for either of the colors.

Take for example Scalding Tarn:

It looks like it's already a combo island/mountain card. So why would I want to use the activated ability which states:

  Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Scalding Tarn: Search your library for an Island or Mountain card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library


texts: If I simultaneously kill my opponent and deck myself at the same time, is the game drawn?

texts:
Say my opponent has 2 life left and I have 0 cards left in my library. I cast Electrolyze doing two damage to opponent. It resolves.

Does he die before I deck myself, or do we simultaneously lose? That is, does the wording on Electrolyze mean "Electrolyze deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two targets and then you draw a card", or do both effects occur simultaneously?


texts:
A few years ago I was with a group of people. Someone brought a fantasy style card game. I can't remember much, but the main thing I can remember is that you could equip your own armor, weapons and tools. You had to put your cards on the table so that the weapon in your right hand goes to the one side of your armor and the off hand tool/weapon goes on the other side. I think there was other stuff like a helmet that goes above and pants that go under the chest peace and every weapon/armor/tool had his own perks. With all that you had to fight other cards with monsters or something on it.
I've been searching for a long time, but I think it wasn't a popular card game.


texts: Which of Magic's 1v1 tournament constructed formats is most popular?

texts:
The formats I'm interested in are:

Vintage
Legacy
Modern
Pioneer
Standard

(I'm not interested in Archenemy, Commander, 2HG, etc)

Is there some way to rank these five formats in terms of popularity? If so, how?


texts: Can I pump my blocker after the attacker has chosen their order, before damage assignment?

texts:
The answer to this question about blockers and summoning sickness, reminded me of a seldom treaded area of the combat phase, which has caused confusion in a number of games.

When blockers are declared, the attacker chooses the order damage will be assigned to them. Then, they assign damage, assigning at least lethal damage to the first one in line, before moving on to the next, and so on.

Can spells be cast between the ordering of blockers by an attacker, and the damage being assigned?

for example, is blocking a  4/4 creature with 4 1/1 soldier tokens, and then casting Giant Growth on the "first in line" so the other 3 soldiers survive a legal play?


texts: Do I draw a new hand if I start my turn without any card?

texts: I played with a new group of friends recently and they are playing with such a rule where they will draw a new hand if they don't have any card. Basically their strategy is to finish off all the cards in their hand so they can draw a new 4x treasures and 4x doors the next turn. Any idea if this true? Thanks.


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

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

Can you please clarify what this means?


texts:
Recently I made a deck to have fun with when I play with family/friends. So I played Curse of Misfortunes on target player, and he simply didn't understand the card, saying "Why did you cast this on me? when I don't have any curses in my deck? You're supposed to cast it on yourself so that you can use it." So I told him why would I want to curse myself? and add more curses to myself? So he then asks "I don't understand this card. Henceforth I won't be getting any curses from this card unless you can prove it" I tried to explain it by telling him that I get to pull curses from my deck and give it to him. And that there is a difference between this curse and other curses, because the other curses say Enchanted player gets this and that. While Curse of misfortune doesn't say any of that so it means that I get the ability of that card to place curses on him. So he simply said the same thing and didn't understand it. So I questioned myself too, therefore me asking this to you guys.

Another question, If I play curses on players, are those enchanted cards still considered mine? Ex. I play a curse on target players, and I have Sphere of Safety out, and a player attacks me. Do they have to tap as many mana to as many curses I've given?


texts: My family is developing a game based off of Tic-Tac-Toe. Only the objective is the same though. Are there any other games out there with similar goals and objectives based off of Tic-Tac-Toe?


texts: When rolling a third doubles, do you interact with the space you would land on?

texts:
In Monopoly, when you roll doubles a third time, you go to Jail.  But do you get to interact with the space first?  More specifically, do you get to do any of the following first?

Pass go
Buy property
Draw a Chance or Community Chest card
Pay Luxury Tax or Income Tax
Gain a second "jail sentence"
Pay Rent


texts: Does the elephant get bigger when I bring in the ballista?

texts:
Fairgrounds Trumpeter:

  At the beginning of each end step, if a +1/+1 counter was placed on a permanent under your control this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on Fairgrounds Trumpeter.

Walking Ballista:

  Walking Ballista enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it.

If I bring in a new Walking Ballista - then it enters the game with the +1/+1 counters already on it. Technically you could interpret that as meaning that the +1/+1 counters were not placed on it that turn - they were already there as it entered the battlefield.

So does the trumpeter trumpet louder and the crowd cheer more when they see the ballista walk onto the field?

(Obviously if a new counter is added after the Ballista is on the field then it would, this is specifically about the replacement ability on entering the battlefield).


texts:
If I have Glacial Chasm, Power Conduit, and Coretapper out, during my upkeep can I wait for the cumulative upkeep on Glacial Chasm to go on the stack, activate Power Conduit to remove the age counter on the Chasm, and then move that to Coretapper in the form of a +1/+1 counter?

If I cannot, how would all of that interact? Would I have to pay 2 life per turn, but as long as I moved them it wouldn't be any more than that?


texts: Discarding Destination Tickets in Ticket to Ride

texts:
When you choose 3 destination tickets on your turn, what is the rule in regards to if you need to keep 1, 2, or 3? It seems that you must decide before your next turn.

Toward the end of the game, players may want to discard destination tickets. is this allowed?

Anyone has any copy of the rules or rules on hand to clarify this?


texts:
I have recently begun playing Claustrophobia BGG and have found myself playing the human side almost every time. The problem I encounter is - I'm winning. This is not usually a problem for me. But something about Claustrophobia has clicked for me, and I'm winning. A lot. It's making people not want to play with me.

We have discovered the handicaps, and my family has agreed to have the demon side start with 7 Threat Points instead of the usual 4, but I think that the game is more inherently balanced than our results would indicate.

So: What strategies do successful demon players pursue?

Do you spend the first n turns building up Threat?
Which powers do you consistently activate?
Event Cards - worth it or not?
Which humans are your first targets? (Redeemer, right?)

Please help my opponents! (And me, should I ever get to play the demon side...)


texts: Do Ticket to Ride expansions work with the Europe set?

texts: I have and love Ticket to Ride: Europe, and would like to try out some of the new expansion packs (Switzerland, Asia, etc... Don't really care about 1910). I was just wondering if I would have to buy the original USA game first or if the new maps would work with the Europe set. Thanks!


texts:
Dungeon Lords (amazing game!) has a free-to-download "Minions Bearing Gifts" expansion at its website.  However, the expansion is only recommended for expert players of the game, and to give an indication of just how expert, the designers have included a quiz that you are advised to score well on before you even think about downloading the expansion.

The quiz is really, really, hard.  Having played maybe half a dozen games of Dungeon Lords, I wasn't expecting to ace it... but I got 1/7.

I thought it might be fun for us to try our hand at working out the answers to the questions together.  After all, there's no reason we can't collaborate in our efforts to become experts at the game!  Without further ado, the quiz:

There are 7 pretty tricky questions. Think well, as there might be a catch. The correct answers might include situations that are theoretically allowed by the rules but probably never happen (as they require improbable yet possible card configurations and player behavior).

If you have to gain more evil than evilometer allows you, you are not gaining any. Can this theoretically happen in the second round of the game?

a. No.
b. Yes.
c. Yes, but only if you hire at least one Vampire.
d. Yes, but only if you hire two Vampires.
What is the theoretical maximum number of imps a player can accumulate during a 4 player game?
What is the highest possible damage one trap can deal?
Can it happen that an illusionary hero created by Second Year’s Illusion spell survives a combat round?

a. He usually does.
b. He never does.
c. He can survive only a round in which was party not conquering.
d. Theoretically, it can survive even a round in which was party conquering.
What is the theoretical maximum number of actually healed damage in a single round of combat if there is no paladin involved?
What is the lowest possible score you can achieve in the game.
It is start of the last round of a 2 player game (fall of Second Year) and opponent has no production room. If scored now, you would win all 7 exclusive titles. May it happen you score no title (exclusive nor shared) at the end of the game?

a. No, you will keep at least one shared title.
b. Yes, but your opponent has to use all three minion actions well this round.
c. Yes, even if your opponent does not perform one of his minion actions.
d. Yes, even if your opponent does not perform two of his minion actions.


texts: What is the proper way to split uneven draft pods?

texts:
The optimal number for a draft pod is 8 people, but it can be often hard to get a even multiple of 8.

If there are an odd number of drafters how should the pods be split? Also if there is any justification as to why it's done that way that would be nice to know.

I am aware of the Wizards Event Reporter, and that it can split players into pods automatically. I want to know how to split pods by hand, in case I ever need to run an event with pencil and paper.


texts:
What other kinds of games are like Hero Quest...? In that, what other games are around with a degree of character development (although not the depth of something like D&D), items etc, that actually takes place on a board...?

I'm not chasing something like Munchkin Quest, as your character does not carry over from session to session.


texts: Do I immediately get any clues at a location I jump to from the "Lost In Time And Space" location?

texts: Once I return from Lost In Time And Space, do I take the clue in that location immediately upon landing there during the Upkeep phase?


texts: What cards can give an opponent control of an Island so I can use Islandwalk on them?

texts: I'm working on a blue/black deck with some cards that have Islandwalk and I'm trying to find cards that can force an opponent to control an island. I have Stormtide Leviathan but I was looking for something less costly that can exchange one of my Islands for one of their lands or just give them an island.


texts: What caused this world-class player' to respond inappropriately to her partner's transfer bids?

texts:
Zia Mahmood's Bridge column today relates an amusing tale of disaster at the World Championships.  A player on the apparently very talented Netherlands ladies team, holding the following 6-3-2-2 hand:

♠ 7 5
♥ Q J 5
♦ J 4
♣ A K Q J 8 2

First of all managed to open a strong 1NT; and then, more astonishingly, refused to transfer to spades despite no less than 6 consecutive calls to transfer from her poor partner!  (Follow the link for the full story.)

With partner holding 4 points, 7 spades and a singleton heart, the contract went 6 down in 4 hearts redoubled for a penalty of 3400, the largest ever recorded in world championship play.

My question is, this a world-class player we're talking about.  Is there any logical reason why she should have so doggedly refused to transfer to spades? Did she take the heart bids literally? Did she think her hearts are that much better than her spades, even though partner is rightly rather insistent that hearts are a terrible suit to be in.  So what could have been going on in South's mind?  Or had she just been paid money to throw the World Championships? ;)


texts: Zombicide Black Plague Spawning Question

texts: If the setup requires you to have certain zombies in locked rooms from the start, when you open the door to that room do you still draw a card to add even more zombies to that room on top of what setup told you to put in it? (Example being the tutorial quest 0 where it has a fatty in a locked room alone, when you open the door to him do you spawn more?)


texts: Can I sacrifice a creature that I lost control of after activating its ability?

texts:
My opponent controls a Rootwater Hunter enchanted with Charisma and I control a Tar Pitcher.

I tap Tar Pitcher to sacrifice it to deal 2 damage to my opponent. In response, my opponent taps Rootwater Hunter to deal one damage to Tar Pitcher.

My opponent's ability resolves first, he gains control of my Tar Pitcher. Tar Pitcher's ability is still on the stack. I referenced this question so I know it tries to resolve but I am no longer in control of that creature to sacrifice it. Is Tar Pitcher successfully sacrificed and 2 damage dealt?


texts: How is gameplay improved in the Cities & Knights Expansion?

texts: I've played both regular Settlers of Catan and the Seafarers of Catan Expansion, but I haven't yet played Cities & Knights and I’m curious about how it plays.  I've noticed a lot of people speak very favorably of Cities & Knights, some even claim it’s the only way to play Catan.  I've read about how the game works, but I'm skeptical about the changes made in the expansion.  How does the expansion improve gameplay in Catan?


texts: What happens to the dynamite when you die?

texts:
In BANG!, if a player has the dynamite in front of them when they die, what happens to the dynamite?

Does that change when someone's special skill is to receive the cards of dead people?


texts: How do Titania's Song and Mycosynth Lattice interact? What happens if Song enters the battlefield first, Lattice enters first, or they enter at the same time? Is there any circumstances under which all the lands would turn into 0/0s and die?


texts: How is retreating through obstacles handled in Memoir '44?

texts:
My opponent makes an attack roll and gets two flags, causing my infantry unit to retreat two hexes. The only viable path for retreat is through barbed wire directly behind the unit.

Do I:

lose one soldier from that unit, because they can't retreat for the second hex (per the "infantry units must stop" barbed wire rules)?
simply stop the unit on the barbed wire after a one-hex retreat?
some other thing that I'm too much of a M'44 noob to have encountered?


texts: What are the rules for Dragonflights in the WoW TCG?

texts:
As the title says.  I recently purchased a Twilight of the Dragons and War of the Elements booster box.  I got 24 packs of cards from each set and it stuck me that I didn't know the rules behind the Dragonflights or Elementals respectively.

Can anyone explain these rules or link to rules for them online?  A google search turned up nothing.


texts: What happens if Ravager of the Fells can't target an opponent?

texts:
Ravager of the Fells (the flip-side of Huntmaster of the Fells) says,

  Whenever this creature transforms into Ravager of the Fells, it deals 2 damage to target opponent and 2 damage to up to one target creature that player controls.

What happens if I cannot target my opponent (e.g. due to Witchbane Orb giving her hexproof)? Are her creatures protected as well?


texts: Sundial of the Infinite and end of turn effects

texts: If I use Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker first ability, and before the end of my turn use Sundial of the Infinite. Does he stay a 4/4 indestructible dragon until my next turn? And if yes does that mean he cannot lose loyalty as he is a creature and is indestructible?


texts: Can you still fizzle in response to a spell that can't be countered?

texts: If I have Fleeting Image in play, and my opponent targets it with Urza's Rage, am I not allowed to bounce the Fleeting Image in response, since making Urza's Rage fizzle technically counters it?


texts: show and tell, gilded drake and primeval titan

texts: I cast Show and Tell and with it play Primeval Titan. My opponent plays Gilded Drake and takes over my Primeval Titan. I assume I'm the one who gets to use the land search ability and not my opponent?


texts: When to make a continuation bet and how much in Texas Hold'em?

texts:
I am aware of the idea of a continuation bet, where you bet again on the flop, after a pre-flop raise. However, I'm not that sure on when I should and shouldn't do it. I tend to do it if I get the idea (from other players checking, say), that other players have missed the flop, but it would be useful to have more specific things to look for.

Also, how big should continuation bets be? I've heard between half and the full pot as a guide, with the higher end for if the flop has high draw potential (lots of hearts, say).  Is that reasonable?

How much does it make a difference if I have hit the flop or not? Also, how much of a difference is there between cash games and tournaments?


texts: How many cards can I hold? (How do conflicting effects work?)

texts:
How many cards can I hold? Normally, I'd have 7, but card text trumps rules.

On my field, I have Null Profusion and Kruphix, God of Horizons:


texts:
What does Tarot card size mean
What does tarot card size mean?


texts: Buster Blader the DDS did not affect Destiny Hero - Decider effect; why so?

texts: How come Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman with DNA Surgery set to dragons didn't stop Destiny Hero - Decider's effect from being activated?


texts: Does the "CDC Planes Grounded" emergency event prevent the First Responder's ability?

texts: The emergency event CDC Planes Grounded prevents players from moving by flight actions, as well as the Airlift event. The rules denote some specific exceptions such as the Dispatcher's ability, but do not mention the First Responder or his ability to move out of turn after an Epidemic. Is that ability prevented by this emergency event?


texts: Who choses the targets of the Exotrireme II's ability in Twilight Imperium?

texts:
In Twilight Imperium 4th Edition, the Sardakk N'orr have a special version of the Dreadnaught called the Exotrireme.  The upgraded version of this, the Exotrireme II has the ability:

  After a round of space combat, you may destroy this unit to destroy up to 2 ships in this system.

Who chooses the targets of this ability?  The Sardakk N'orr, or the player they are fighting in combat?

Note that if the Sardakk N'orr can chose the targets, this means they can sacrifice a Dreadnought (4 cost) to kill an enemy War Sun and a Flagship (12 and 8 cost respectively).


texts: Magic the gathering, ixalan standard, bristling hydra

texts:
I have a Bristling Hydra on the battlefield, which states I can pay 3 energy and give him a +1/+1 counter and give him hexproof. My opponent has an Ahn-Crop Crasher, which states he may exert him and target creature can't block this turn.

My opponent exerts Ahn-crop crasher and targets my Bristling Hydra. In response, I pay 3 energy and give him hexproof. In response, my opponent played Lightning Strike, dealing 3 damage to my Hydra.

Wouldn't me activating the trigger ability of the Hydra on the Crasher still give him hexproof? I was told otherwise from the judge and my Hydra was destroyed. Was this a legal move?


texts: If I have so few armies I can't attack any more, do I lose the game?

texts: When starting Risk you are spread out and a few bad turns of the dice can leave you so thin you have nothing to attack with. There is nothing in the rules about this. Am I to assume you have lost at that point?


texts: What are some good strategies for Elder Sign: Omens?

texts:
I recently bought Elder Sign: Omens for my iPhone, and I really like it, but it seems to be VERY difficult.

Does anyone have some good strategies on how to play?

Specifically:

What is a good team to start with for a beginning player?
When should I use my cards? Should I use them as soon as I get them? Hold off a bit?
Which adventures should I try to defeat first? Which should I avoid until I absolutely have to beat them?
Is it even possible to win this game? Or is the point of the game the impending doom of the players?

Edit

Elder Sign: Omens is based off the board game Elder Sign


texts: Does Feast for Crows Expansion balance 4 player Game of Thrones?

texts: Feast for Crows expansion came out relatively recently for A Game of Thrones: The Board Game 2nd Edition. The core set is playable 3-6 players, however, 4 player was terribly unbalanced. The expansion makes the game only 4 player, so I was wondering if they did a good job balancing the game.


texts: Discard White Stone of Ancients to activate effect

texts:
Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was sent there this turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Blue-Eyes" monster from your Deck.

That's the effect of The White Stone Of Ancients, so I'm not sure if I can use a card to discard it and then activate its effect, or if I need a card that's says "Send to the GY"

Update: Yeah, I know, what I am asking is, if after discarding it with the effect of another card (let's say, Dragon Ravine), can I activate White Stone of Ancients's effect? Because I sent it to the graveyard by discarding it, but I'm not sure if it works like that or I need to sent it there by using a card that says "Send to the GY"


texts: Can I keep multiple goods of 1 type if I have multiple warehouses?

texts:
In Harbour, the rules for the warehouse symbol state:

  When shipping goods, a player can keep 1 good of 1 type for each warehouse symbol they own.

If I have 2 warehouse symbols, can I keep 2 goods of 1 type? Or must I keep 1 good each of 2 different types?


texts:
Will Crypt Incursion work on artifact creatures such as snakes that have been destroyed?

I tried it on my friend who made 22 snake artifact creatures and almost all of them died so they went to his graveyard, and I used it, but he said it did not count.


texts:
What happens when an undying creature dies being dealt damage by a creature with first strike in a combat?

For example:

If Nearheath Stalker blocks an Abattoir Ghoul and dies will he deal combat damage after returning to the battlefield? Will Abattoir Ghoul die after this battle?


texts:
So, i'm learning mahjong at the moment and there is something I don't understand. When you expose a set, do you need to discard a tile afterwards?
Also, do you draw before you expose a set?
If been trying to understand the game but the many different versions and rules makes it very hard to find definitive rule explainations.


texts: Why is having shields in AoS 'optional'?

texts: There are some units in Age of Sigmar, Skaven Stormvermin for example, that says that "some units cary shields into battle." The units ability to carry a shield is not restricted by any weapon combos or special abilities, and the shield gives a flat +1 bonus to save rolls when the unit is equipped with them. So what reason would you 'not' equip shields to the unit since it is just better? Is it only because of the physical models that may or may not have shields on them, or something else I missed?


texts: What is the cost of Unmortgaging Park Lane / Park Place in Monopoly?

texts:
Properties of value x have mortgage value x/2 and unmortgage value 11x/20, for 27 of the properties this is an exact dollar value but Park Place is special.

Cost M$350, Mortgage M$175, unmortgage M$192.5. Half dollars don't exist and would never be useful EXCEPT in this case.

Is there an official ruling for the unmortgage cost of Park Lane? I've always played it as $193 but an argument came up when an opponent only had M$592 and wanted to put houses on Mayfair and Park Lane and unmortgage Park lane on the same turn, it made a difference of M$105 rent the next turn.


texts: How do I develop a strategy for the board game, Santorini?

texts:
I'm new to a chess-like board game called Santorini (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/194655/santorini)
The basic rules are:

The rules are simple. Each turn consists of 2 steps:

Move - move one of your builders into a neighboring space. You may move your Builder Pawn on the same level, step-up one level, or step down any number of levels.
Build - Then construct a building level adjacent to the builder you moved. When building on top of the third level, place a dome instead, removing that space from play.

Winning the game - If either of your builders reaches the third level, you win.

How should I approach creating a strategy to consistently do well at this game?
Please note I'm not interested in adding in any 'God Powers' (modifiers) yet as I'd like to get a handle on the base game first.


texts: Zombicide Black Plague Intro game board blocked?

texts:
My friends and I were playing the tutorial mission. We hit a wall (literally) when we were trying to move and couldn't find on the map where the entrance to the "2nd half" of the map was. It looks like that all of the walls are sealed off.

I'm sure that we are missing something super simple, what is it?


texts: What is this card game called in English?

texts:
What is the name of this card game?

you deal out cards between two players, the person that deals gets 8 and the other gets 7.
You then put all of the cards onto the side with the very last card of the deck facing up.
Player with 8 cards puts down first, it can be any card.
Second player takes a card and then puts down as well.

You have to take a card and put down every time it’s your turn.

In order to score points in the game you have to combine cards together of the same suit only if it’s for example, 345 same suit. Or you can do JJJ, QQQ.

The minimum you can put down is 3 cards.

Cards 3-8 = 5 Pts.
Cards 9-K = 10 Pts.
Card Ace = 15 Pts.
Card 2 = 50 Pts.

In order to take cards from where both players have put down you have to score at least 25 Pts. first.

The goal of the game is to score the most or if lucky to close the game up and catch the person with points in their hand. This game usually goes on for several rounds until one person scores 500 points.

There are more technical rules to this game but I’m trying to summarize. I know the name of this card game from a different country but I do not know the name of it in English (if it even exists).

Can anyone guess?


texts: How To Mitigate The Random Factor In Agricola?

texts:
Agricola is my favourite boardgame and I'd love to reach a level where I could call myself a master of it.  However, having found a place to play it online and gotten a lot more games in, I've been finding myself a little frustrated by the random elements of the game, which are few in number but can have an enormous impact.

In particular, I'm talking about the Family Growth spaces that become available in Stages II and V.  It seems to me that if you're the only player planning ahead for room building and Family Growth becomes available in Round 5, you can get a substantial advantage in terms of extra actions by having a third person to use early.  However, if Family Growth doesn't show up until Round 7, the other players have more time to play catch-up (and reap the benefits of having sown fields or obtained a breeding pair of sheep before the first Harvest).

And then this happens again with the Family Growth Without Space action.  It feels like someone getting this at the start of Round 12 can really influence the way the endgame plays out, such that there's often a big race to grab Starting Player in Round 11.  But if by chance Plow & Sow is revealed instead, dreams can easily be crushed - especially as the starting player typically then changes before Round 13!

What's the best strategy for playing Agricola in order to maximise your chances of doing well whatever order the action spaces become available?  Is there a "middle-ground" approach that allows you to do well whether or not the ostensibly more powerful actions show up early?  Or in the end is it better just to roll the metaphorical dice and take your chances?


texts: What is needed to play X-wing with 4 players?

texts: I've heard that we can play X-wing with 4 players. Does anyone know if this requires an expansion, or is it perhaps a house rule?


texts: Is split second just another way of saying “this card can’t be countered”? To me, it has no other qualities? Once this card is removed from the stack opponents are then free to cast spells. So I’m guessing we just treat this as a can’t be countered spell despite its fancy naming convention or can it do more than what I’m perceiving?


texts: Blinking a creature equipped w Stitcher's Graft

texts: Any creature equipped with Stitcher's Graft must be sacrificed when it's no longer attached. My question is do you sacrifice the creature exiled by a spell such as Cloudshift or will it just come back good as new?


texts: When is it a good idea to pick the Craftsman in Puerto Rico?

texts:
At first, Craftsman seems like a great pick because it's what actually lets you actually produce goods, and if you're the one to pick it you can often produce more than everyone else. However, producing goods isn't the goal of the game, and what matters is what you can do with them. If you pick craftsman, you are nearly guaranteed to be the last player to USE your goods, even if you have more.

That said, when would picking craftsman actually be the best choice if you're just letting your left hand opponent ship/trade his goods first? Obviously if there's a nice stack of money on it you'd probably want to grab it, and if you have the right combination of goods that you are still guaranteed to trade or ship what you want to then it'd probably be fine.

When is it okay to pick Craftsman? How can I explain to beginners when they should and shouldn't do so?


texts:
Score after last pegging:
Player 1 (dealer) = 120
Player 2 = 114

Player 2 counts his hand first and says he has 10 points which puts him at 124 BUT, he missed 6 points in his hand. Does player 1 get those muggins and thus win the match with 126 points?


texts: Why is there no position 108 on the Ravensburger multilangual edition

texts:
I recently bought Scotland Yard at a thrift store. And when examining the map, I found, position 108 is missing. There was a discussion on boardgamegeek about this but it has no real answer, just speculation.

Does anybody know the official reason for the missing 108.


texts: Does the Town Hall count toward the Architect mission?

texts: In Vikings Gone Wild, The Architect Mission requires the player to have built 5 different types of buildings. Does the Town Hall count as one of those types?


texts: What's the best way to determine which cards will be banned or not reprinted?

texts: I enjoy playing Standard and would like to compete on a more competitive level but I am apprehensive of paying, as an extreme example, $25/card for 4 Mutavaults or Sphinx's Revelations, only to have them either not be reprinted in the next block or banned altogether. I was told that WotC has become a lot more judicious in the last several years so that they rarely need to ban a card anymore due to brokenness/overpower. This does not completely alleviate my concern so I would like to know if there is any kind of resource that is known to fairly accurately predict which cards will stay around in the next block and which cards won't?


texts: If I use a colorless commander, can I use colored spells?

texts: In Commander, your General's color identity defines what other cards you get to use, but what happens when you have a colorless General? Can you play any other colors of cards (WUBRG), or are you stuck playing only colorless?


texts: Before the haunt, can players agree to automatically crack the Vault?

texts:
This came up while playing with a bunch of rules lawyers this weekend:
There doesn't seem to be anything in the rules that you must explore a new room every turn, or leave the room you're currently in, or prevent you from ping-ponging between rooms, or basically just waste your turn, which my question hinges on.
Consider the following scenario:

a person discovers the Vault;
that person has a high enough Knowledge trait that a 6+ roll is statistically possible;
the Haunt has not begun yet, so there is no Traitor

The question is:

Based on the assumption that the player in the Vault is statistically guaranteed to open the Vault at some point in the future, can all players not in the Vault simply agree that they will all pass their turns until the Vault is unlocked?  Basically guaranteeing an eventual successful unlocking of the Vault?
Or, to put it more succinctly: before the haunt, if all players agree, can a person in the Vault with enough skill to open it automatically open it?

I can imagine the characters sitting around in a haunted house, bored out of their minds, getting impatient, "Have you opened it yet?", the sun rises, and sets again, everyone is getting hungry, and the person in the vault says, "No, but I think I'm close!"
It seems kind of unsporting but it does run the risk of giving the traitor two sweet, sweet items, and I can't find anything that seems to prevent this.


texts: Civilization Board Game - founding cities gives army extra move?

texts:
Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game (2010)

Let's say I have just moved an army and a scout together on a tile. Then, in the Starting Phase of the next turn, I found a city with the scout, and the manual states that the army has to immediately move out of the city onto a valid tile where it can end its turn.

Manual, page 13:

  If there are any friendly figures in the square where a city
  is being built besides the scout being sacrificed, the player
  immediately moves them to an adjacent square that they can
  legally end their movement in.

But the Movement Phase has not yet begun!

So does this moving out of the tile cost the points that are used in
the Movement Phase? The Movement Phase description doesn't seem to
mention this possibility.
Otherwise, doesn't this add an extra movement point? That seems like
an exploit.
Or does this mean that that army ends its movement prematurely in
this turn, ahead of the movement phase?

Or how should this be handled? Haven't found anything on this in the Errata / FAQs, either.


texts: Do you have to give others a chance to say "Uno"?

texts: I have a friend "J" who will say uno when you say uno to make you draw the the penalty. Does he have to give you a chance to say uno?


texts: Where can I buy a deck of personalized cards?

texts:
I want to design my own cards, backside and frontside (on the frontside only the pictures for jack, queen, king, and ace). One of the biggest problems is that I only want two decks,  not thousands of them. It's a birthday gift for my girlfriend.

Where can I buy bridge cards that I can personalize and how much would it cost (including shipping to the Netherlands)?

Are there other ways to print a low quantity of customized cards?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
Does anyone know of an established variation on Russian Roulette using dice or cards that doesn't involve shooting yourself in the head and would be somewhat child friendly?

Thanks :)


texts: Would Evacuation and Ambush Commander return all forests to their owners' hands?

texts: Evacuation returns all creatures to owners hands. Ambush Commander turns all forests into creatures. Would that mean that Evacuation would return all forests to their owners hand?


texts: Do you replace tokens moved to the Trade Route mat?

texts:
With Trade Route in play, do you replace the coins on the victory cards after the first card is purchased?

Example: I buy a Duchy and move the coin to the Trade Route mat.  Do I put another coin token on the remaining stack of Duchies? Or is four the maximum number of coins on the Trade Route mat?


texts: In response to an opening bid of 1 spade by my partner, why do I have to have at least 5 pieces in hearts (+ the usual points) in order to respond 2H?

texts: I've had this "rule" drilled into me for decades; but somebody asked me recently for an explanation, which I was unable to provide.


texts: What model is this, that represents Enslavers?

texts:
I spotted this model on a Bell of Souls article about Enslavers.

But when googling, I can't find the model, and I don't think the article says.
I'm also not sure Enslavers ever had models, so I don't know what else to Google?
What is this model?


texts: What happens when you want to close a gate but there's another investigator in Other World?

texts:
What happens if you enter a gate and, later before closing, another investigator enters the same gate?

You are returned to Arkham but the other investigator would be in the Another World trying to return to the same gate that you will try to close.


texts: I have just recently found out about www.bookdepository.com and that they sell Fantasy Flight's games with very reasonable prices and ship the goods freely all over the globe. Since I live in the country that has very limited number of shops where you can buy board games and they tend to be very pricey (almost double the retail price in USA for example) - do you guys know any other online places like Book Depository which has nice deals and possibly free shipping?


texts: What happens when one target of Paradoxical Outcome becomes illegal?

texts:
What happens when one target of Paradoxical Outcome becomes illegal and leaves the battlefield while Paradoxical Outcome is still on the stack? Does it fizzle?

The rules text of Paradoxical Outcome:

  Return any number of target nonland, nontoken permanents you control to their owners’ hands. Draw a card for each card returned to your hand this way.


texts: What is the repeated icon on the Quacks of Quedlinburg bonus dice?

texts:
I'm trying to use probability to calculate an optimal strategy for Quacks, but my copy is at another house. I know that the bonus dice has five symbols (1VP,2VP,Orange,Ruby,Drop) with one repeated. Can somebody tell me which one?
Thanks


texts: What exactly is Legendary Cube/Vintage Cube in MTG Online?

texts:
They are definitely not sets, editions and more resemble Game Format since cards get in and get out.

What are the Cubes exactly?


texts: Can I place settlements on harbors in set-up?

texts: In Settlers of Catan, when you place your initial settlements, are you allowed to place them on harbors, or can you only place them on interior spots that have 3 land hexes adjacent?


texts: What are the most popular formats for Magic The Gathering?

texts: I have been playing Standard Constructed (Type 2) games so far but it seems that there are a lot of formats which are gaining popularity. I'm looking for the most popular ones which are recognized officially as well so I can attend competitive matches.


texts: In Arkham Horror, can Shrivelling be used to compound bonuses?

texts: Probably the generic question is whether combat bonuses can be compounded at all or if it works like Eldritch Horror where '+' bonuses are only ever used for one item while re-rolls can be compounded. Thoughts?


texts: Is there an error in equilibrio puzzle #45?

texts: Is there an error in puzzle #45 of the game equilibrio? seems like the middle brick on the third line is turned incorrectly. thanks


texts: Using better minor convention partner open one club, and I have five diamonds with three honors. I answer two diamonds to show the diamonds. Is this correct?


texts: What happens if, after battle, board is still full?

texts:
What happens, if the board is full and after battle (resulting from the full board) it stays that way?

Moreover, what happens if - in such situation - opponent has the possibility to perform action despite full board? For example sniper, small bomb, large bomb, ability to replace opponent or self units with new ones etc.


texts: I have never heard of one; but I don't know where to look to make sure.  This is something I've been wondering for a long time!


texts:
We've been enjoying playing Arkham Horror a lot but it seems to be lacking in narrative. I've read that there are scenarios that add a story element to the game
Is there a good resource for these?


texts: King of Tokyo Complete Destruction card question

texts: I roll 1,2,3,3,3,3 on my first roll and after rerolling I achieve 1,2,3,energy,punch,health do I get the 9 victory points or does re rolling cancel out the bonus 9 points; do I need to roll them on my first roll or just a normal final roll?


texts: Does Weathered Runestone make Emergent Ultimatum ineffective? In other words, does having Weathered Runestone on the battlefield prevent cards fetched with the ultimatum being cast?


texts:
I am curious about how this scenario will play out:

I have both Athreos, God of Passage and Geralf's Messenger in play and Geralf's Messenger dies (with no +1/+1 counters on it) .

My guess is that it will work like this:

Geralf's Messenger will leave the Battlefield (maybe even go to the graveyard?)
Athreos, God of Passage's ability will trigger (and go on the stack?)
The opponent that I target will have to choose to lose 3 life or put Geralf's Messenger back in my hand.
If they lose 3 life, Geralf's Messenger will go back on the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
If they choose not to lose 3 life, then Geralf's Messenger will go back to my hand.

Does that sound right?  Basically I am trying to see if Geralf's Messenger will effect loss of 6 life before it is well and truly dead (as long as Athreos, God of Passage stays on the board).


texts: Monopoly Golden Token Bonus release date?

texts:
Recently, Hasbro has dropped its Iron piece and added a new Cat. Alongside this announcement, they were going to release a Monopoly Golden Token Bonus board that would have all the old pieces and the 5 new pieces that were up for voting. They also said that it would be released as a Target exclusive in mid-February. Well, it's mid-February, and I don't see them in stores or online.

Does anyone know the official release date or at least when they expect it to be in stores? Can I pre-order it somehow?

Here is the article from USAToday:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/01/08/monopoly-board-game-tokens-change/1805387/

Here is the listing of the Monopoly Golden Token Bonus on Target.com:
http://www.target.com/p/monopoly-golden-token-bonus/-/A-14428620


texts: So normally in tournaments you're restricted to a max of four identical cards per deck but can you, with wishes, get, into your hand, a fifth Force of Will, or a second Yawgmoth's Will or something?


texts: "Diplomacy" rule clarification, unit under attack

texts:
Referring to the original game.

If a unit is under attack from Province X, can it still interfere with the actions of a unit on Province Y?

For example:

English fleet unit on "English Channel" ordered to convoy an army unit
French fleet unit on "Mid Atlantic Ocean" ordered to move to "English Channel"
English fleet unit on "Irish Sea" ordered to move to "Mid Atlantic Ocean"

I think that the order #3 should keep the fleet unit at "Mid Atlantic Ocean" busy in the stand off and thus not able to interfere with the convoy. I've been told this is not the case but we could not find verification in the rule book. Can someone please explain?

Here is an image of the Diplomacy board if it helps:


texts: Can the hero who goes last push a monster off the end of the momentum track?

texts:
On a test playthrough of Thornwatch, we had two heroes and a "Husk" on the Momentum track.

The Husk was in first position, and after it had done the actions for its 4 pawns, the Guard dealt it 1 damage, pushing it so the tracker was:

Guard (tapped)
Husk (tapped)
Sage

As I understand it, it is now the Sage's go, but even if their action dealt the Husk 8 damage, it would still only push the Husk to the end of the tracker, and everything would then reset, "wasting" the attack.

Thus I advised the Sage to "Plan" and go first next round. Was this good advice?

Is it correct that, unless the monster is "on the edge" on the momentum tracker, the final hero of a round cannot kill it?


texts: When your active race has no tokens on the board, do they still have to go into decline before you choose a new race?

texts:
This is a pretty simple question, but I can't find a definitive answer for it.

Let's say that my active race has only a single race token on the board. During another players turn, that last token is removed. When my turn comes around am I allowed to choose a new active race (as my current race was completely wiped out) or do I have to put that race into decline and wait until my next turn to choose a new active race?

My gut feeling is that you need to send your active race into decline, basically skipping your turn and not scoring any points. However, some of the other players are saying that sounds too "unfair." I'd prefer an answer to include an official Days of Wonder ruling, if one is out there.


texts: If my creature is temporarily under my opponents control, and it dies, do they get the ‘when this creature dies’ effect or do I?

texts:
If my opponent takes control of my creature with Act of Treason, or a similar spell, and the creature they take control dies, do I control the when this creature dies effects, or does my opponent?
For example, my opponent takes control of my Roalesk, Apex Hybrid, with an act of treason, then kills it, does he get to proliferate twice or do I?


texts: How to handle late game tile drawing in Tsuro

texts:
The rules in Tsuro are very vague about what happens once the players start to run out of tiles.  What's the best way to handle how titles are drawn in Tsuro when a player goes out, and other players are lacking tiles.  I know the dragon title is placed at the end of the deck, and signifies that a player who draws the dragon tile should received a card once one becomes available, but what happens if more then one player has less then three tiles?

It's conceivable for a player to go out to take out more then one player, possibly freeing multiple tiles.  Should all player lacking tiles go back up to three if they can?


texts: In Uno, can you play a Wild Draw 4 Card when you have another Wild Card in your hand?

texts:
My wife insists that if you have a Wild Card in your hand you cannot play the Wild Draw 4 Card because the first Wild Card constitutes having the same color card as the one on the Discard pile.

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


texts:
I was recently in the following situation. I had an untapped sunscorch regent and 5 life. It was my opponents turn and he cast Beacon of destruction.

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


texts: Can Scion of the Ur Dragon's ability fizzle a spell?

texts:
I want to know if Scion of The Ur-Dragon's activated ability can fizzle a kill spell or the like by becoming a copy of a card?

Does the ability make him another permanent as a response to any spell that would kill him essentially removing him as a valid target?


texts: What is the difference between Hexproof and a card like Canopy Cover?

texts:
Canopy Cover is an Aura enchantment that includes this effect:

  Enchanted creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.

This sounds the same as Hexproof's definition in the glossary:

  This permanent can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.

So what's the difference between Canopy Cover and a card like Alpha Authority, which just says "Enchanted creature has hexproof"?

Why does Canopy Cover spell it out like this?


texts:
Monster Reborn has been placed back on the limited list:

  Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.

Why has such a powerful card been placed back on the limited list? I'm not complaining because it is nice to be able to play it once again. But at the same time it is very easy to abuse. Especially since it's effect let's you snatch a monster from either player's graveyard for free. I mean imagine if someone used a card like Borreload Dragon and lost it. You could use Monster Reborn to take it from their graveyard.

So basically, like I said, I'm not complaining, but why would they limit such a powerful card?


texts: What is the criteria for being a "X" monster?

texts:
I have a monster X (none in particular), and a card says with Y (again, none in particular) in its name. What is the criteria for monster X being a part of name Y?

For example, this question asks whether a Twilightsworn is considered a Lightsworn monster. The answer is yes, but how is this known? Is it solely because there is "Lightsworn" in "Twilightsworn" ?

Other examples include Dracoslayer in Draco Slayer_____.


texts: If an after-effect cannot be fulfilled, can the action leading to that after-effect be performed?

texts:
In the Carnevale of Horrors expansion, there are locations that contain consequences for leaving the locations, such as

  Forced - After you leave Rialto Bridge: Lose 1 action.

or

  Forced - After you leave Academia Bridge: Lose 2 resources.

If I do not have the named lost items available, can I still leave the location?  I presumed that if the designers intended for investigators to pay the cost in order to leave, it would be clearly worded as "when leaving" or simply "Spend 2 resources to leave" etc, so have played it accordingly for example using up all but one of my actions before leaving a location that will make me lose an action 'after' leaving.


texts:
Alright, so I had this game for a while, it's a connect 4 , but each column has 2 slots. Some pieces, (called "blockers" take up both slots in the column) I'm not sure if I have enough pieces and blockers, to look it up I need the name. But I no longer have the box and cannot remember it.

Do anybody know?


texts: What are the differences between the 1st and 2nd editions of Galaxy Trucker?

texts: What are the differences between the two editions of galaxy trucker and are the expansions compatible with either version?


texts: Is a "drop-finesse" better than a simple "drop" play with a nine card suit in bridge?

texts:
Regarding finesses for a missing queen in a key (e.g. trump suit), there is a proverb of "eight ever [always] nine never."  Instead, one is supposed to play for a drop. (This, and most other proverbs need to be taken with grain of salt).

A "blind" finesse (without further information), is 50-50. If you have nine cards in a suit headed by the ace and king (and play them to drop the queen), your chances of success are 52.5%. That is, the opposing cards will fall 2-2. 40% of the time. Some 50% of the time, they will be split 3-1.And of these, the singleton will be the queen one-fourth of the time, or 12.5% of the total (40%+12.5%)= 52.5%.

But suppose you have one or more finesse possibilities. That is, you have AJxxx. Dummy has KTxx. Then you can lead one of your tops "blindly" and catch the queen 12.5% of the time. A finesse the other way would succeed 50% of the remaining times =.5*87.5% or 43.75%. The total chances of success would be (43.75+12.5%)=56.25%> 52.5%.

So a "drop" (top card) play followed by a finesse has an advantage over a pure drop (two top card plays), right? And wouldn't this be even more true if East or West showed strength by opening, meaning that you would finesse "around" him to one hand after playing the top honor in the other hand.

And wouldn't the exception be if you had only a "one way" finesse e.g. Axxxx opposite dummy's KTxx and East opened, meaning that the Q was probably "offside?


texts:
The Acreage minor improvement in the K (complex) deck states that:

  When you
  Sow, you can plant 2 grain fields on
  this card.

  (This card does not count
  as a field when scoring.)

Does this mean that when I sow, this card can be treated as if I have 2 extra plowed regular fields and hence, I can put 6 grains on it (2 from my personal supply that I planted, 4 from the general supply)?

Also, what happens during the harvest period? Do I get to remove 2 grains from this card and put it in my personal supply?


texts: Is it still possible to assign combat damage, and return the creature back to its owner's hand?

texts:
Since, in 2010, there have been changes in the rules, I would like to ask if what I'm reporting here – although fairly trivial – is still a possible action.

If, during a combat phase, Savannah Lions is blocked by Whirlwind Adept, and therefore the latter suffered lethal damage, is it still possible to take it back to the owner's hand - for example, with an Unsummon - but after it has still dealt its amount of damage to the other creature?

I ask this question because I know that the damage no longer goes on the stack, and the thing matters in lots of situations.
I must say that I have not understood well if this can concern even a seemingly simple case like this.

So I wonder if, since I intend to assign Whirlwind Adept damage to Lions, but save the blocking creature too, you can cast an instant as Unsummon to still deal damage to the other creature, and - immediately after this - take the creature back into your hand before the Status Based Actions kill it.


texts: Why does cribbage have 2 pegs for scoring per player?

texts:
In a game of cribbage, on a basic board, you have some holes for scoring and you move your peg up the board as you score.

This can be achieved with a single peg but I have only seen it where each player has 2 pegs.  I am aware that there can be more than 2 pegs but I'm referring to the in game scoring (if that makes sense).

Wikipedia states

  Two pegs are used in a leapfrog fashion, so that if a player loses track during the count one peg still marks the previous score

There sadly is no citation for this claim and any game with a similar scoring mechanism can lose its place, assuming that "track" as per the quote means concentration and not track around the board.

What is the purpose of the 2 pegs?


texts: I found this deck of cards and have no clue what it is called or how it is played

texts:
Example of card names: The Magil, Sirens of Aphron, Tristes Unum, Cerga Mobster etc.

I have 64 cards. All 64 cards are different. Top left of the Cerga Mobster card is written 14 FrP - 12 Gui - 9 Lck as do other cards but with different amounts. See attached pictures.


texts: Meld points in a double deck pinochle game

texts: In a double deck game of pinochle jacks around is worth 4 points. Queens around is worth 6 points. A pinochle ( jack of diamond, queen of spade) is worth 4 point. Therefore when you have queens and jacks around your total point score is 14. However, when another jack of diamond and a queen of spade is added to the mix, creating a double pinochle worth 30 points, what would be the total points awarded for a double pinochle with queens and jacks around?


texts: "The Terrible Experiment" Mythos Card - How to deal with it?

texts:
Yesterday my game was progressing quite smoothly until we got "The Terrible Experiment" Mythos card.

http://www.arkhamhorrorwiki.com/The_Terrible_Experiment

We were playing with two investigators and immediately tried to go to the Miskatonic University and try to fight the monsters off but some were just too powerful to deal with.

One of the investigators ended up in the hospital and after a while we realized it might have just been better to let the monsters pile up on the card and to have the terror level raised to 10 and all those monsters on the board instead of trying to fight them off.

What are some strategies to deal with this card?


texts: I am interested in playing HeroClix but I'm not sure how to start. What starter set should I get? Are individual  figures expensive? How do I find a community of players?


texts:
I am using mtgarena for my tournament organization.

What do OMP, GWP and OGP mean? Does anyone know what they stand for?

Example:

Player  Points  OMP     GWP      OGP
1           9   33.33   100      31.11
2           6   66.67   60       69.44
3           6   44.44   75       42.22
4           6   22.22   66.67    22.22
5           3   72.22   20       80.56
6           3   50      20       53.33
7           3   33.33   0        36.11


texts: Can I activate an ability on a card in my graveyard that returns its to my hand?

texts: Say I have Cage of Hands, Shackles or another card in my graveyard that has an activated ability that returns the card to its owner hand, but doesn't explicitly mention that it can be played from the graveyard. Can I play its activated ability while it's in my graveyard, or only while it's on the battlefield?


texts: Can Zombify target a creature card that isn't in the graveyard?

texts:
Zombify (and many similar cards like it) says:

  Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

As far as I can tell from the wording, the actual targeting requirement is "creature card". Does this mean that you can cast Zombify, targeting a creature card that isn't in your graveyard? Of course if you can, then when it resolves it would do nothing, because it is impossible to return a card from the graveyard if it isn't in the graveyard [101.3]. But there are plenty of reasons you might want to cast a spell that has no effect.

Or is the targeting requirement is actually meant to be "target creature card from your graveyard"? This doesn't sound right to me; because if so, it should be "in your graveyard" instead of "from your graveyard" (as is used on other cards like Animate Dead.

Related; if the targeting requirement is in fact "target creature card", then what actually makes a creature card in your graveyard a legal target? Rule 115.2 says:

  Only permanents are legal targets for spells and abilities, unless a spell or ability (a) specifies that it can target an object in another zone or a player, or (b) targets an object that can’t exist on the battlefield, such as a spell or ability. See also rule 115.4.

Does Zombify actually "specify that it can target an object in another zone"? It doesn't in the targeting requirements itself.

I can't find anything within the rules for targeting (115) or the rules for casting a spell (601.2c) that say that the ability a spell would have when resolving can or will affect the choice of legal targets. From a logical gameplay point of view, we can know that the card only makes sense if it allows you to target cards in your graveyard; but do the rules ever make it so that you have to look at the effect of a spell to know the set of legal targets?

The rules for abilities have a related rule about when abilities apply; but they don't deal with targets:

  113.6. Abilities of an instant or sorcery spell usually function only while that object is on the stack. Abilities of all other objects usually function only while that object is on the battlefield. The exceptions are as follows:

The list of exceptions explain why Reassembling Skeleton's activated ability can be activated while it is in the graveyard. Is there a rule similar to this, but dealing with what objects are legal targets?


texts: Do reserved cards influence the end of the game?

texts: I have some reserved cards in Splendor and 15 prestige points at the end of my turn. Is this the final round of the game, or do I have to buy all my reserved cards to end the game? Do reserved cards have some "negative" points assigned to them for points counting?


texts: Will "enter the battlefield" triggers happen if I gain control of an opponent's creature?

texts: If I gain control of my opponent's creature (a Ravenous Chupacabra, for instance), does that creature's "enter the battlefield" trigger happen again?


texts: MTG: Zegana, Mul Daya Channellers and Green Suns's Zenith

texts: Suppose I have Mul Daya Channelers (only her) in play and have some creature on top of the library so Mul Daya is 5/5. Now I play Green Sun's Zenith and find Prime Speaker Zegana and put her into play. Now her ability triggers, but is this before or after I shuffle Green Sun's Zenith into the library? Potentially Mul Daya could be 2/2 if I shuffle first and end up with a non-creature up top.


texts: How difficult is Puerto Rico to learn for first time players?

texts:
I've heard a lot of good things about Puerto Rico, but from the 12-page manual it seems a little complex. I revel in the challenge of learning new and difficult games, but sadly the friends I play with aren't as hardcore as I am and are slightly less inclined to reading gigantic rule books. I have no experience whatsoever with Puerto Rico, and want to get some advice before buying. :)

How difficult is the game to teach to new players? Can non-board-game-geeks handle it with some good coaching in the beginning? Are there any other games I should be adding to my collection before Puerto Rico if I'm concerned about new player friendliness but still want  a good flexible strategy game?


texts:
What are the differences between the letter distribution and the letter scoring on Scrabble and Unspeakable Words?

Are there any other differences?
Are these games similar in some ways?

Next question >


texts: Is It Possible To Trade Before Rolling In Catan

texts: In Settlers of Catan, are players allowed to trade before they roll, or like most actions, should it happen after?


texts: What is Devoid and what is special about it?

texts:
What is so special about the ability Devoid-This card has no color?

What advantage does that give the Creature?

Why does all the Devoid set around a creature type called "Eldrazi"?

What difference is it when it doesn't have a color?

These are new cards that I have ordered a few days ago, and I don't know a single thing about most of the abilities. They are all new to me.

Unnatural Aggression

Ulamog's Reclaimer

Silent Skimmer

Hand of Emrakul


texts: Arkham: Harvey Walters Sanity loss for tome or elder sign

texts:
Does Harvey Walters prevent the loss of one Sanity when he:

uses an elder sign?
succeed in reading a tome?

Which part of The Dunwich Horror Rulebook (page 10) apply?

  The Strong Mind ability only applies to involuntary losses. Voluntary expenditures to gain some benefit (such as casting a Spell) are not affected.

To read a book gives some benefit (such as clue token or spell) so Sanity loss is not prevented?
To use elder sign doesn't give a benefit to the character himself (he  seals a gate and removes a doom token) so Sanity loss is prevented?


texts: Am I allowed to have a creature have 0 toughness, but still assign combat damage?

texts: So basically, I have this card called Metropolis Sprite, and I was wondering, after blockers are declared, right before combat, can I use the ability multiple times to make it say a 3/0 or 4/-1 and have it still do damage, but die after?


texts: Since Bioshift targets a creature, THEN another one for the recipient of the counters, can I use Swerve to change the target? If so, which target can it be, the first or the second, or any?


texts: Can you trade equipment between combat with multiple creatures?

texts:
Combat is often referred to as a unit of activity against one monster (i.e. do _ during this combat, or gain _ for this combat). Does this mean that investigators are able to trade items in between combatting two different monsters?  The rules under Trading Equipment say:

  An investigator in the same street area, Other World area, or location as another investigator may trade money, Common Items, Unique Items, and Spells. This may be done before, during, or after movement, but not during combat.

So, the question is whether once you're finished combat with a monster if there is a slice of time where you're not 'in combat' before you face off with the next one.


texts: How to play order of cards and triggering effects in Harry Potter Defense Against the Dark Arts

texts:
This question is for the 2 player Harry Potter Defense Against the Dark Arts dueling game and not the 4 play cooperative game.  It wouldn't let me add the new label for the dueling game.
How do we process the effects of additional cards we draw?
Meaning, do I need to be strategic with the order of how I play my cards or can I retroactively change my actions based on subsequent cards I draw.
For example, if I have these 5 cards.

Alohomora  -  Spell  Gain 1 coin
Diffindo  -  Spell Banish a card from my hand or discard pile
Wand  -  Item Gain a lightning bolt
Book  -  Item Gain 2 coins
Ascendio  -  Spell  Gain 2 coin/ Draw a Card

A) I use Diffindo to banish the Alohomora
B) I get a lightning bolt from Wand
C) I get 2 coins from Book
D) I get 2 more coins from Ascendio and draw an extra card
E6) Cat  -  (Drawn from Ascendio)  Ally.  If we play 3 spells, we gain a lightning bolt
I play my Cat as my Ally but I now take back banishing the Alohomora because I want to utilize the Cat ability to get another lightning bolt.
Is what I did legal, take back banishing the Alohomora because I drew the Cat?  If it's illegal, I guess that means I need to be more strategic when playing my cards.


texts: Proper Punishment for Parrot Perdition, in Pirate's Cove

texts:
We were playing the Days of Wonder game Pirate's Cove earlier this evening; it's a lot of fun but the rules aren't exactly watertight, and more than once I felt there was considerable ambiguity in how they should be interpreted. Here's one that I remember:

One of our pirates was fortunate enough to draw a Parrot as his starting card. Within the first couple of turns, though, our ships came into conflict. Being a hater of birds, I opened fire on his parrot and shot it clean off the mizzenmast instead of concentrating on sinking the shap. Losing one's parrot is obviously worth a humiliating -2 Fame. But if you had 0 Fame when you lost it, do you go to -2 or stay at 0? The scoring track is circular so it was easy enough to represent a negative score, but was this correct?


texts:
In our gaming circle there is one person who's unfamiliar with M:tG. Now, we had the idea of buying a duel deck to get her into it (at least so her presence is not excluding / excluded by Magic as The Game of the Night), but then we fell short. We couldn't find any comparison (comprehensive or otherwise) between different decks. All we can find on the internet is reviews of single sets.

What's most important to us is basically balance between the two deck and how well they complement eachother. I.e. the Izzet vs Golgari has graveyard shenanigans pitted against burn and control, while Ajani vs Bolas seems to be more of a white weenie vs heavy hitter. Of course, how fun the decks are to play also matter a great deal. So does availability, unfortunately, but I'll look into that later.

Bottom line, is there any comparison of the different duel decks out there, or do I need to go through reviews of each one and see which one feels most fitting?


texts:
Crucible of Worlds says:

  You may play land cards from your graveyard.

Burgeoning says:

  Whenever an opponent plays a land, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

So, if I have both on the battlefield, whenever one of my opponents plays a land, may a put a land from my graveyard onto the battlefield?

My guess is not, based on the wording of the cards.  Because Burgeoning is not allowing me to "play a land" it is having me "put a land onto the battlefield" which is a different action.

Is this interpretation correct?  (I'd rather it be the other way...)


texts: Should I trash a program after "Test Run" and then "Scavenge"?

texts: I use Test Run to install a program. Magnum Opus for example. Then I use Scavenge to trash the Magnum Opus and install it back. Should I trash the Magnum Opus at the end of the turn?


texts: 6 power favor tile Town/Culture benefit order

texts:
In the middle of a game I built a temple which let me pick a favor tile. I selected the favor tile that lets you form a town with 6 power. This favor tile also awards you 2 of the red cultures.

It just so happened that when I pulled the tile I was 2 moves away on the red culture track from being at the top, AND after pulling the favor tile I had 4 structures that that netted 6 power meaning I now had enough to form a town.

I was playing a two player game and the person I was playing with and I didn't know if I should be allowed to move my red culture piece up 2 since my 4 structures with 6 power were now enough to form a town. We wondered if the 2 red cultures had to be taken first, then the town formed next.

We decided that I should form the town first, then move the culture piece up 2. Please let me know if this was correct OR if I should have been forced to move the culture first (meaning I could only use 1 of the 2 bonuses) then form the town next.


texts: What to do in "Elfenland", if stuck in the desert

texts:
There are rare cases in Elfenland, where it is not possible to move away from a certain place for the whole remaining game. E.g. if you are in the desert city and you have no transportation cards for desert terrain. As you cannot play some cards, they never get exchanged.
It seems not to be described in the manual. What would you do? Exchange the players cards?


texts: Can Zombies be killed by the Revolver? N21

texts:
In scenario 21, the rules say zombies can be killed by any weapon that rolls might. The revolver says you can use speed instead of might. One player argued the theme of shooting a zombie in the head and the words "instead of might" on the revolver card implies it should be able to kill zombies. Another player pointed out that the revolver says "can use speed instead of might" implies you could pistol-whip a zombie with the revolver to kill it, but since the rules say the weapon must use might the revolver can't kill zombies.

So, can zombies be killed with the revolver using speed?


texts: When taking damage to an outfit, does damaging an arming space also apply a -1 to the outfit's die?

texts:
The Xia rules are just slightly vague about damage to outfits. It has two separate sections for "putting damage on an outfit" and "putting damage on a use space":

Use Space: If the (damage marker) is placed on a Use Space of an Outfit, any Markers are immediately moved to a Disarmed Space, and the Use Space is no longer usable until repaired.
Outfits: Damage Markers can be placed on any Section of an Outfit. Each
Section of the Outfit can hold one (damage marker). Damage Markers on an Outfit cause that
Outfit to become less effective. Each (damage marker) placed on an Outfit reduces rolls by 1.

Do these two descriptions stack, so that putting a damage marker on a use space of an outfit causes both -1 to rolls with that outfit and the arming spot cannot be used? Or are they separate, so that if you decide to damage an outfit, you have to choose between losing a use space or having the outfit be less effective?


texts: When the Shark moves and displaces divers, do they go to the beach or back to the player's supply?


texts:
When I was a child, I was playing a game such as the following:

The game is played on a standard chessboard, but only on the black squares.
There are two players: the white player has a single white pawn which is the "sheep"; the black player has four pawns which are the "wolves".
The players start at opposite sides of the board, and make a single diagonal step each turn.
The goal of the wolves is to capture the sheep - surround it such that it cannot move.
The goal of the sheep is to escape the wolves and get to the opposite side of the board.

Recently I tried playing it again, but found out that I do not remember the exact rules. Specifically:
* Is the sheep allowed to go backward, or only forward?
* Are the wolves allowed to go backward, or only forward?

We tried to play this game with all four combinations. In each combination, the game turned out to be too easy for one side and too difficult for the other side.

What are the rules that make this game sufficiently challenging for both sides?


texts:
Played a game on KGS.  We are both 4K.  He was good at life and death, and I am rusty.

Was B1 sente?

$$ ------------|
$$ . X O 2 1 . |
$$ X . X O . . |
$$ . . X O . . |
$$ . . X O O . |
$$ . . X X O . |
$$ . . . O X . |
$$ . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . |


texts: Are you allowed to play a monster in face up defense position?

texts: My understanding is that as far as normal summoning goes, you can either play a monster face up in attack position, or face down in defense position. You cannot mix them, e.g. face up defense position or face down attack position. Is that correct?


texts: Do enchantments of Crew carry over to Vehicles?

texts: If I crew a vehicle with a creature that has an enchantment that does something such as "Whenever enchanted creature attacks, its controller loses 2 life" would that transfer to the vehicle it crews? Also, would enchantments such as a +1/+1 counter move to the vehicle?


texts: What happens to my Athreos triggers when my opponent has an Aegis of the Gods?

texts:
This is an important interaction between two Journey into Nyx cards. Really it's a question about how "unless" interacts with targeting.

Say I have an Athreos, God of Passage (spoiler link) in play:

  Whenever another creature you own dies, return it to your hand unless target opponent pays 3 life.

My opponent has an Aegis of the Gods (spoiler link):

  You have hexproof.

What happens when one of my creatures dies, but there are no valid targets for the trigger?

Do I get to return it to my hand from the graveyard because there is no other valid option?
Or does it stay dead because the whole trigger is a no-go?


texts: When the bio-terrorist is eliminated, do they discard their cards?

texts: When the bio-terrorist is eliminated from play (via the purple disease being eradicated), should they discard their current hand of infection cards to the infection discard pile?


texts:
I'm designing a board game with a board consisting of hexagonal tiles. I plan to design them on a computer, print them off, glue the printout to matboard, and cut the hexagons out with an XACT-O knife.

Before I begin, any obvious pitfalls in my plan?

Is there a kind of glue that would work best for this? I want to be sure the edges of the paper are firmly held down after cutting out the tiles.

Would using thick paper help? (Must be thin enough to run through an inkjet printer.)


texts: How many Mythos cards can be played during the investigator's turns?

texts:
I am wondering how playing Mythos cards works. I read that the Keeper can play 1 Mythos card in the investigators' turn. Does that mean:

1) when playing against 4 investigators, the Keeper can play 4 Mythos cards (one card each per single investigator's turn) before his turn comes,

or

2) the Keeper can play only 1 Mythos card per a complete turn cycle of all investigators (i.e. the Keeper can play 1 Mythos card before his turn comes)?


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

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

Feel free to use any Dominion expansions in your advice.


texts: What constitutes "wrongful" hesitation in bridge?

texts:
The protagonist is West (W). Declarer leads a small card of a suit in which dummy, to W's left, has A8. West hesitates before playing in the following four situations:

  He has Kx (x<8). This is the mark of weak player who has "given away the game," and the declarer has all the advantages.
  He has T6, which "straddle" the 8. If the tournament director (TD) asks why he hesitated,  he responds that he was trying to decide whether or not to "top" the 8.
  He has T9 or 76, "equal" holdings that lose to the A, but either beat, or fail to, the 8. If the TD asks him for an explanation of his conduct, he replies that he was trying to decide whether or not falsecard the higher card to induce the declarer to lose count.
  He has a singleton, and hence no decision to make, and should play "naturally." As it is, he's pretending that he has more than one card when he doesn't.

The last case would clearly be one of wrongful hesitation. Would any of the other three cases, or others that I missed, constitute such misconduct, and why?


texts: Who chooses the targets for Captain's Maneuver?

texts:
Our discussion was two fold.  Who gets to direct the damage (pick a new target) and let's say it was cast before combat damage was assigned.  Who determines which damage gets redirected.  The active player or the owner of the spell.  My assumption is the person who cast the spell determines which damage and where to redirect it.

Captain's Maneuver: The next X damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn is dealt to another target creature or player instead.


texts: What scoring conditions apply if all 7 letters are used for the first word in Scrabble? Does the player get double points for the word AND 50 points for using all their tiles?


texts: Is Master of Arms pointless under new blocking rules?

texts:
Master of Arms

  2W, Summon Soldier 2/2, Weatherlight Uncommon

  First strike

  1W: Tap target creature blocking Master of Arms.

I used to use this in my deck as powerful creature which could attack, tap a couple of defenders to prevent them from dealing combat damage and kill off the remaining untapped one with first strike.

Now under the new rules tapping a blocking creature doesn't actually do anything, and since it will untap in its next turn is rather pointless. Since Master of Arms used to prevent combat damage, should it be re-worded to:

1W: Tap target creature blocking Master of Arms, that creature deals no combat damage
this turn.

which would then make the card function in the same way it used to?
Otherwise the ability is worthless outside of a Royal Assassin / Master of Arms combo.

Is there an errata on what do with old cards which are rendered useless by the news rules, or should they just no longer be used?


texts: Thinking of getting Pandemic...should I buy one or both of the expansion packs along with the base game?

texts: I enjoy games and puzzles, although I don't have many people to play with (usually 2 players, sometimes 3). I've heard that Pandemic is a good solo game so I'm especially interested in it. I'm thinking of just purchasing the base game and later getting the expansions if we like it but I've seen extremely positive reviews of the expansions so it may be worth getting them too.


texts: Does moving the wagon after scoring stop you from taking the fairy?

texts:
So I've read the online PDF rules and can't seem to find an answer for this.

After scoring points in a round with the wagon, if you move the wagon to another unfinished city or road as per the wagon rules, does this count towards deploying a new follower and stop you from taking control of the fairy from the "Princess And The Dragon" expansion?


texts: Can I make wine from the fields I harvest with the Laborer?

texts:
The text for Laborer states:

  Harvest up to 2 fields OR make up to 3 wine. You may lose 1 VP to do both.

If I pay my VP, can I make wine using grapes I have just harvested?


texts: When do I attack if complete my battle line with a card stolen by Venemous Creeps?

texts: Playing a green card ends the turn so do I attack the turn I play the Venemous Creeps, or the following turn?


texts: Are there any differences between the Ticket to Ride games I should take into account when choosing one?

texts:
There are many different variants and expansions for the Ticket to Ride series, and I'm curious about the differences. I know the standard version and the Europe version differ only by map, but I'm not so sure about the others.

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

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


texts: Forbidden desert - how to play with the water carrier

texts: When playing with the water carrier do the player give water from his own cantina?


texts: Does Goblin Electromancer reduce both sides of a fused split card?

texts: Does Goblin Electromancer reduce the cost of a fuse spell on both sides of the card? Would Turn // Burn be {1}{U}{R} to cast both sides?


texts: Settlers of Catan trade dynamics question

texts:
Is it ok though to offer trade never intending to do it, as a way to gauge what other player is willing to give out for a said card? And then backtrack after other player agrees to that trade?

Is it ok, if you don't have wheat at all, to start trading like "I would like to give out wheat in exchange for X, not having wheat at all in order to find out what other players are willing to give you for wheat? Is that allowed?


texts: Green Horde: Do Orc Fatties spawn with 2x Orc Walkers?

texts: The answer to this question pertaining to Black Plague suggests that Orc Fatties don't get an escort because it's not specifically stated in the rule book; as Green Horde is also a stand-alone core set, is it safe to assume this holds true for it, as well?


texts: Can I conquer anywhere if I have no pieces left on the board?

texts:
I came across the following scenario this weekend:

Suppose, in a single turn, all of a player's remaining elves are wiped off the board and returned to his hand, leaving him without any elves in play. On his next turn can he start from anywhere (that would be a legal starting territory), since he has no adjacent territories to attack?


texts: How much damage is dealt if a 1/1 creature blocks a 3/5 creature?

texts: If a 1/1 creature is enchanted with Druid's Call and is blocked or is blocking another creature that is a 3/5 creature, does it create 1 squirrel or 3 squirrels?


texts: Can people win at Diplomacy using a "Qin strategy?"

texts:
The Qin was one of seven (yes, seven) "warring states" in China several hundred years B.C. During its rise to power, it often followed a policy of "ally with the three far states against the three near states."

Has anyone won (or lost) a game of Diplomacy using such a strategy? Does it work better using some countries than others (e.g. England, allied with Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Italy against France, Germany, and Russia)? Or are there any good articles on such a strategy?


texts: Should the Awakening Center be rezed to host cards?

texts: Do I need to rez the Awakening Center to install cards on it, or it can host them even being face down?


texts: Do tokens ever go to the graveyard and can they be sacrificed or exiled?

texts:
If I had a card that said something like, "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for every creature in your graveyard". Would that also apply to tokens which died in previous turns? Also if I play a card which says, return target creature from the graveyard then can I choose a token?

Right now I use Dice to represent tokens, but not sure what to do once any of my tokens die.

Also for cards which say sacrifice a creature or exile a creature, would these apply to tokens?


texts: What happens if a creature has no toughness defined?

texts:
Dominaria introduced Merfolk Trickster, which causes a creature to lose all abilities, without setting a power and toughness.

What happens if a card such as Tarmogoyf loses all abilities?

Would Tarmagoyf become a 0/0 in this case, because a number not defined is treated as 0? Or would it possibly be a 0/1, because the printed toughness on the card is "*+1", and only the "*" part is undefined? What about a card like Boneyard Wurm, would it just become 0/0 (and thus die)?

There seems to be a possible contradiction between the comprehensive rules and the Gatherer rulings. The Gatherer rulings say:

  If the target creature has power and toughness written as / with an ability that defines its power and toughness, it’s 0/0 when it loses all abilities. If its power and toughness are written as */*+1, it’s 0/1, and so on.

Rule 208.5 deals with this situation:

  208.5. If a creature somehow has no value for its power, its power is 0. The same is true for toughness.

It seems to me that a Tarmagoyf that loses all abilities has no toughness defined. It's toughness is written as "*/1+*", which according to 208.2, its toughness should be defined by its abilities.

So, while it is clear that a */* creature will be a 0/0 if it loses all abilities; what happens to a */*+1? Is it 0/0 or 0/1?

Also, I find it interesting, though not likely relevant, that Tarmogoyf is written "*/1+*" (with the 1 first), while the Gatherer ruling references cards that are "*/*+1" (with the * first).


texts: No doom tracker markers when sealing a gate with an Elder Sign

texts:
Yesterday we came across a very 'rare' situation in Arkham Horror. We had been lucky with getting one Elder Sign via setup (random possession) and managed to buy another 2 within the first few turns of the game.

Due to some fortunate Mythos cards, not many gates opened on the first few turns (monster surges or blocked by Kates ability) and so we managed to seal two gates using the Elder signs, resulting in 0 doom tracker tokens on the Great Old One (GOO).

What would happen should we seal another gate with the Elder Sign and no doom tracker tokens were available to take from the GOO?


texts: Are the two words "synonym 2"/"similar 2" and "opposites 2"/"antonyms 2" valid clues in Codenames? E.g. "opposites 2" for "quiet" and "shout"

texts:
Earlier, I've asked a question about whether poetry elements/sound devices like alliteration, assonance, consonance, and rhyme (Is it legal to use poetry elements/sound devices as hints like "alliteration 3", "assonance 3", and "rhyme 3" in Codenames?), and the consensus was that it was illegal because it didn't refer to the meaning of the words but just the way they were spelled. I'm curious about synonyms/antonyms because they refer to the meanings of words, but only the meaning of cards on the board compared to other cards on the board as opposed to the clue itself (I know that sounds complicated, but please read my examples below for an explanation.)
An example of "synonyms 2" would be for "ice" and "water" because it might be hard to come up with a clue that doesn't have water in it--closest I can think of is "cup 2", "moisture 2", "refrigerator 2" or "cold 2" but can hit unwanted cards.
An examples of "antonyms 2" would be "quiet" and "shout". I think "volume 2" could work perhaps there are other cards on the board that are related to volume that you don't want to hit, like "music".
The rules state:

Your clue must be about the meaning of the
words. You can't use your clue to talk about
the letters in a word or its position on the table.
Gland is not a valid clue for ENGLAND. You
can't tie BUG, BED, and BOW together with
a clue like b: 3 nor with a clue like three: 3.
However …

I am thinking it is valid because synonyms are antonyms are about the meaning of the words. However, I'm a bit sketchy about it because it's not the meaning of say "ice" that is related to the clue "synonyms 2", but it is that a card on the board "ice" that relates to another card on the board "water". It doesn't say you can't link cards on the board using other cards on the board, but I would imply that when it says "Your clue must be about the meaning of the words", it could suggest that the meaning of the word must be related to your clue, not the other card. "ice" is certainly not related to "synonym".


texts: In UNO, do you have to choose a color before setting a rule when using a customizable wild card?

texts: If you use one of the new custom rule wild cards, do you have to choose the color before setting the rule?


texts: What is the value of the Iron Throne track?

texts:
I have only played the game once, but after that experience I do not see why anyone would bid on the Iron Throne track.
The main advantage it offers is to go first, but I never could see a use in it.  It always seems like it was best to go last, waiting to see opponents' actions.
Holding the throne token also did not seem useful. Ties are not very common, especially ties involving you in particular, and unlike Dice Town, there is no material reward a player can offer you for picking them.

In my case, playing House Baratheon, it was even less useful, as being last makes Stannis more valuable.

The game is so well designed and deep that it feels like I am missing some large advantage that the track offers.  What is its value?


texts: Breaking an unknown rule had major effect on our Monopoly game, how do we resolve it after we learn the rule?

texts:
I owned Whitechapel and Old Kent Road, both with hotels. My friend owned Mayfair and Park Lane with no developments.

We traded and I gave a further two million dollars to him. Nothing was said about the fact this was an illegal trade because we didn't know there was a rule that you can't trade properties with houses on them.

Later in the game, another player asked if you could sell properties back to the bank. It was only during the search to that question we discovered that the above was an illegal trade which has affected everyone.

If the rule was unknown until later in the game, do you play on as no one had brought it up when it occured? Does the whole game become invalid? Do you play on or quit?

Is there an official rule about not being able to argue a rule once a turn has passed?


texts: Psi 0, 1, or 2 games - are credits from thin air or player's pool?

texts:
Psychic Field mentions spending credits. Are both players actually spending these credits from their credit pool, or are these imaginary credits?

If a runner has 0 credits, this is basically a guaranteed win?

Thanks


texts: Can I have multiple copies of a creature with Cipher?

texts:
As far as I understand, Cipher works like so: when a card that contains Cipher is cast, you encode it onto a spell on the battlefield, like a creature for example. Every time that creature attacks and deals damage to a player, a copy of the encoded creature is made.

If the opponent does not have anything to block a flying creature I've encoded, and for 3 turns straight I can deal damage with the creature that was encoded, does it result in 3 copies? Can you only make one copy?


texts: Can I play Marrow Shards in my second main phase in MTG?

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Is it possible to play Marrow Shards in the second main phase after combat is completed? Marrow Shards says:

Marrow Shards deals 1 damage to each attacking creature.

My opponent played this card only to do the same damage with his Rage Extractor. I think he is allowed to do this, because there are no prerequisites like a valid target or something like that. If this is really possible, what happens to creatures that attacked in the combat phase? Do they still count as attacking creatures and so take damage from the spell?


texts: Am I technically allowed to look up cards during a Magic tournament match?

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Am I allowed to look up a card during a game, if it's being played with serious Rules Enforcement? Either to read the full card from the Gatherer, or to try to find the exact card I'm vaguely thinking of.

Two possible scenarios:

An opponent has revealed a card previously, and I want to remember the exact details. (Something like the exact wording of a sorcery, mana cost, keywords on a creature, subtypes, etc. etc.)
I have a "name a card and remove it from the opponent's deck" type card, and I want to, say, ask google for "Blue Gearhulk" to remember that it's that that one is called "Torrential Gearhulk".

Obviously, in casual or semi-casual games neither of these are a problem. Any reasonable opponent will just re-reveal the known card (assuming it IS still guaranteed to be known) or will accept "I name the Blue Gearhulk".

Also obviously, it seems unlikely that I (or anyone else) would get to the stage of playing at the REL without knowing the cards too thoroughly for this to be relevant.

But in principle... is it permitted? Or not? (and if not, is there a good reason, or just "we decided 'No'"?)


texts: Power strength too important in Through the Ages

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In Through the Ages, there are some optional rules to prevent power is too important, e.g. by not ganging up on the weakest player.

However, still a lot of event cards affect the weakest and strongest player. So if one player is the weakest, he wants to increase his strength, but then another player will be the weakest, who increases his strength, so it is a neverending story.

Do I miss something here or should I use a different strategy?


texts: If a player has two action cards and one trump card and trump hasn’t been played yet, can they play their trump card or do they have to play an action card?


texts: Strionic Resonator and triggered abilities

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I have two creatures in my goblin deck which I believe to be a great case for using Strionic Resonator, but I’m unsure how it gets played. Say I have Hamletback Goliath which has a triggered ability “Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may put X +1/+1 counters on Hamletback Goliath, where X is that creature's power.” Can this be copied? What happens if this is copied? Can I put a 1/1 on another creature?

Also what about Goblin Rabblemaster with “Whenever Goblin Rabblemaster attacks, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking Goblin.” Can this be copied? What happens if this is copied?

Does the triggered ability’s stay permanently or till end of turn?


texts: Can Body Double copy the back face of a card in the graveyard?

texts: Just wondering, if the Ludevic's Test Subject is in the grave, can Body Double enter play copying the Abomination side?


texts: Can you play a rent card and then a double the rent card?

texts: Can you play a rent card and charge them rent? then a double the rent card on top of it to charge additional money


texts: How can I store all of the cards for my MtG Cube?

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I've created my first cube during the last week. It's been fun and I'm eager to try it out. There's just one thing... How do I store it? The goal size is about 540 cards without basic lands. I guess I need about 200 basics too. For now I'll keep all cards except the basics in sleeves permanently but I might sleeve up the lands too.

Have you found any better boxes than those that comes with booster packs or shoe boxes (too big)? Do you keep all basic lands sleeved?


texts: Can I cast a spell after a certain part of the stack is resolved in MTG?

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Let's say my opponent plays a spell like Fireball. It is put on the stack. I cast a Snapcaster Mage in response. My opponent does nothing in return. The Snapcaster Mage resolves first and it seems like I can play any card in my graveyard now like a Mana Leak to counter the fireball.

Can I really do this after the resolving of spells on the stack has begun? Or must the stack be empty before I can put new spells on it?