FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS v4.0  

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This document has been replaced by the new HANDBOOK, and should not be used to judge Sanctioned Highlander Events. It is listed here for reference only.

Highlander: The Card Game
Frequently Asked Questions: Series/Movie Editions
Version 4.0 - May 1998
Maintained by Thunder Castle Games
Adapted to HTML by Stealth Dave

IMPORTANT: This FAQ is compiled from questions on the mailing list, the newsgroups, and from other sources. But though this FAQ has the blessing of the TCGames folks, it IS NOT written by them.

Before reading this FAQ, please take the time to download the Gathering Edition Rules and Card Errata for Highlander. These documents complement one another, and each contains information important to the game. If you have questions, suggestions, or corrections for this document, please send them to: tcgames@aol.com.

*Editor's Note:  As of 4/28/98, Rick Hammerle no longer maintains the FAQ.

The questions are organized into specific areas, depending on what the question deals with. For example, if you have a question about a specific Immortal's card, it will be in the section devoted to that Immortal. If you have a more general question about Exertions, then look in the Exertions section.

Section A: Game play

Section B: Card Types

Section C: Immortals

-------- Section A: Game play --------

1. General Game play

Q 1.1 I am at zero Ability, is the game over?
A 1.1 Not necessarily. You don't lose the game until you reach your attack phase with zero Ability. This means you will need to survive one last defense phase at zero Ability before the game is over. This gives your opponent a chance to take your head and you may need to exert for a defense.

Q 1.2 "Damage" is different from "Ability loss". Right?
A 1.2 Correct. Damage can be countered or reduced. Ability loss can't. But both CAN be healed.

* Q 1.3 If I play a card that requires me to discard from my hand, does it wait until the start of my next turn?
* A 1.3 No. Discard effects resolve immediately unless the card specifies otherwise. Cards your opponent plays which cause you to discard wait until your next turn, usually during your Sweep Phase when you take care of Must Do and May Do effects.

Q 1.4 When do I take the Ability loss for Exhaustion; when I draw the last card of my Endurance or when I reshuffle my discard pile?
A 1.4 Drawing, Exerting, or discarding the last card of your Endurance is what triggers the Ability loss for Exhaustion, but all adjustments to your Ability only occur in the Ability Adjustment phase. See Q3.1 for further explanation.

Q 1.5 For the purposes of Alertness, what exactly IS an unblockable or undodgeable attack?
A 1.5 If an attack itself is modified so it may not be blocked or dodged, then Alertness will work. For example, both Stalk and Seduce say 'the attack may not be blocked or dodged' so Alertness would work on either. However, a card like Challenge restricts the defender's options, without modifying the attack, so Alertness would not work on cards like Challenge.

Q 1.6 Some cards require or allow die rolls. Who rolls the dice; the person playing the card or the person that it affects?
A 1.6 Any die rolls that take place on your turn are rolled by you even if your opponent played the card that caused the die roll.

Q 1.7 Some cards seem to give me a choice of doing something or letting something else happen. How much choice do I have when resolving these cards?
A 1.7 If the wording on a card is "You must do XXX or YYY will happen," then you have a choice. If the wording is "You must do XXX. If you do not do XXX, then YYY happens," then you have no choice. You must do the action if it is a legal play.

Q 1.8 Some cards leave play if you draw a card. Does an exertion count as drawing a card? What about Holy Ground (ME)?
A 1.8 Exertions do not count as drawing a card even if you play a card from the exertion. Any other time you take a card from your Endurance and put it in your hand, it counts as drawing a card. So Holy Ground (ME) Event is considered drawing cards.

* Q 1.9 When do cards go to my discard pile? This is important near the end of your Endurance.
* A 1.9 Cards you play will not go to your Discard Pile until your Sweep Phase, which will usually be at the beginning of your next turn. Other cards which are either discarded from play, from your hand, from your Endurance, or cards from an Exertion are usually discarded immediately. See 1.10 regarding Exertions and Exhausting.

* Q 1.10 If I am in the middle of an Exertion when I draw the last card of my Endurance, which cards are reshuffled into my new Endurance?
* A 1.10 Cards from an Exertion are not discarded until the full Exertion is made. So, if you are in the middle of an Exertion when you Exhaust, you would keep ahold of the cards in the Exertion so far and reshuffle your discard pile to make a new Endurance. You would then finish the Exertion, discarding those cards that aren't used. If it just so happens that the last card in an Exertion is also the last card in your Endurance, then finish whatever it is that you made the Exertion for and discard the unused cards. You would Exhaust and reshuffle your discard pile to make a new Endurance.

2. Deck Construction

 

Q 2.1 What's the deal with cards with restriction numbers? What do the numbers mean?
A 2.1 You can only have up to the restriction number of that specific card. For example, Watcher: Treatment is restricted to 2, so you may have only two of that specific card in your deck. If you want to include another Watcher card, and it a different type of card or has a different effect or grid, you can include that card up to its restriction number or until the number of cards titled Watcher in your deck is 6.

* Q 2.2 There are three different Pistol cards but each one has a different attack location. Since they are all restricted to 3, how many could I have in a deck?
* A 2.2 You can have 6 Pistol cards in your deck. You can only have 3 of each of the different Pistol cards since the restriction number applies to each card specifically (as defined by its type, effect, and grid locations), however you cannot go beyond the normal Title Restriction of 6.

Q 2.3 Is there any way to have more than 6 cards of a title in your deck?
A 2.3 Yes; currently by using Xavier's Persona Power. His power lets him have twice the Restriction (either Card Restriction and/or Title Restriction) number of Plot cards. So he could have 12 cards of one title as long as they were Plot cards. A Pre-Game Darius can be used to raise the Restriction (not Title Restriction) of a card by 1, then 10Xavier could have twice the new Restriction of that Plot.

Q 2.4 What about those Immortal specific cards like Back Away, Continuity, and Power Blow (among others)? Could I have 6 Duncan Back Away cards and 6 Amanda Back Away cards?
A 2.4 No, cards like Back Away all have the same title: the Immortal name isn't part of the title. You can only have 6 Back Away cards in your deck, no matter to which Immortal they belong.

Q 2.5 Do cards I've added using Darius count against the limits? For example, I've Dariused in a few Master cards. Do they count against the Persona's Master card limit?
A 2.5 They sure do.

Q 2.6 Is there an upper size limit on the number of cards in a deck?
A 2.6 In practical terms, no; however, the more cards in your Endurance, the less likely you are to draw the ones you need. Deck sizes tend to be anywhere from 50 up to 150 or more cards.

3. Sequence of Play

 

Q 3.1 My Ability is 15, and I have 10 cards in my hand. My Endurance only has three cards left. If I draw up to my Ability, I'll lose 5 from my Ability, and be at 10. Do I have to end my turn with 10 cards?
A 3.1 You only adjust your Ability during the Ability Adjustment phase that comes right before the Draw/Discard phase. If you draw the last card of your Endurance during your Draw/Discard phase, your Ability will not change until your NEXT Ability Adjustment phase in your next turn.

Q 3.2 Do I HAVE to draw up to my Ability in the Draw/Discard phase?
A 3.2 No. You don't have to draw at all. Also, if you do decide to draw up you may draw 1 card at a time stopping at any point as long as you don't end up with more cards in your hand than your current Ability.

Q 3.3 Can I play (SE) Narrow Escape/Disappear in my attack phase to avoid damage?
A 3.3 An attack's success or failure is determined right after the Defense Phase. Playing cards that 'avoid attacks' in your attack phase will not change the fact that they hit you. Since the attacks will still be considered successful, you may still suffer some consequences. See Stunning Blow, Dirty Trick, Improvised Weapon-Attack, or Head Shot.

Q 3.4 Do I get a "one card response" to stop the effects of a card my opponent played?
A 3.4 No. Cards take effect as soon as they are played. 'Discard to use' cards cannot be used on the turn they are played. The soonest you may use a 'Discard to use' card is on your opponent's turn, AFTER he plays his first card. The 'Discard to use' card cannot be used to counter that first played card.

Q 3.5 So how would I stop a card like Simple Mind within the confines of this sequence of play?
A 3.5 You can't. Simple Mind's effect resolves during your opponent's turn when it is played. Cards that remove other cards in play, like Simple Mind, are resolved when they are played. To stop Simple Mind from taking effect, you would need to counter it as it gets played (using a Thunder Castle Games Pre-Game card).

* Q 3.6 There seems to be a number of things that can occur at the start of a player's turn. Is there any rule of thumb to use when deciding the order to resolve them?
* A 3.6 Yes. During your Sweep Phase there are three things that occur; discard cards played during your last turn, resolve all Must Do effects, resolve all May Do effects. First you start your Sweep Phase by discarding all those cards in play that do not normally stay in play (i.e. attacks, defenses, Events, Edges). Then you resolve any effects that 'must' be done at the beginning of your turn; these are known as 'Must Do' effects. Lastly, you resolve any effects that 'may' be done; these are known as 'May Do' effects.

Q 3.7 So where in the above sequence would I roll to regain my weapon? Is it a 'must do' or a 'may do'?
A 3.7 Rolling to regain a lost weapon is considered a 'may do'. Therefore you CAN play the edge card Reconnaissance on Parking Garage to allow you to roll as well as using any Iron Will cards to increase your chances of recovering your weapon.

Q 3.8 When do the cards I play on my turn affect my opponent? Are their effects immediate or do they wait until my opponent's turn begins?
A 3.8 The effects of events resolve immediately with the following exceptions: events that lower ability (damage or ability loss) resolve during your opponent's Ability Adjustment Phase, effects that require discards from your opponent's hand or Endurance resolve at the start of your opponent's turn.

Q 3.9 Cards like Holy Ground (Series Edition) say my turn is over. Do I still get an Ability Adjustment Phase and a Draw/Discard Phase?
A 3.9 Yes. Holy Ground (SE) doesn't end your turn but it does prevent you from playing any more cards. You still have Ability Adjustment and Draw/Discard phases but you can't play cards during them.

Q 3.10 Can I play a Special card before defending against an attack?
A 3.10 Yes, There is no rule against it.

4. Exertions

 

Q 4.1 Can you Exert for no reason?
A 4.1 Yes. It's possible to be forced to make a "useless" Exertion. You can also choose to make an exertion that isn't being used for any purpose. You just discard the top five cards from your Endurance. It also is legal to say, "I'm Exerting for an attack," then simply not use any attacks from the Exertion. Please note that you can only Exert for an attack if you are still allowed to play an attack.

* Q 4.2 If an exertion ends the current phase, how can I exert for an attack, then use another exertion to make it a Power Blow? Wouldn't the first exertion mean my attack phase is over?
* A 4.2 An exertion will prevent you from PLAYING any more cards from your hand during the current phase. You are still able to use any effects or cards in play as long as you don't play any cards from your hand (i.e. using The Prize you have in play to make an additional Exertion).

* Q 4.3 Can you play a Head Shot card then make an Exertion to find an attack to play with it?
* A 4.3 Yes, but if you do not get an appropriate card in the Exertion (i.e. an Upper attack), the Head Shot card is wasted and discarded. Anytime a card requires being played in conjunction with an attack or defense, you can play that card and make an Exertion to search for the attack or defense. If you do not find the correct attack or defense in the Exertion, you are still able to play any other attack or defense and the card played in conjunction will have no effect.

Q 4.4 When defending against a Hidden Power Blow, what order do you do things, such as when do you flip the card and when do you Exert to make it a Power Block? What happens if the Hidden Power Blow is only one of a multiple attack?
A 4.4 Here's the basic sequence:

  • a) Play all the defense cards from your hand that you are going to play;
  • b) Reveal the Hidden Attack;
  • c) Make any Exertions.

With this sequence, you get to see if the defense was correct before you have exert to make it a Power Block, or exert for another defense. If the Hidden Power Blow was the second or third attack in the sequence, you would do the same thing: play all the defenses you plan to play, then flip over the Hidden attack and make any exertions needed.

* Q 4.5 What about if I am exerting to find a defense against a Hidden Attack and I guessed wrong. Can I play another card from the same Exertion?
* A 4.5 First off, you may (as in you have the option to) *always* reveal a Hidden attack before you make an Exertion to search for a defense. You can only play one card from each Exertion. If you opted to make an Exertion to search for a defense against an 'unrevealed' Hidden attack and you guessed wrong, you'll probably take damage.

Q 4.6 How many Power Blows can I make in a turn?
A 4.6 One. If a card lets you have more than one Power Blow in a turn, it will say that on the card..

Q 4.8 Will one Power Block stop more than one Power Blow?
A 4.8 Yes. They will need a card that lets them make more than one Power Blow like Scotland the Brave but one Power Block will stop all of the Power Blows in the blocked areas.

* Q 4.9 My opponent played Toadies, then made a Power Blow. Can I use the exertion as a Power Block and discard any defenses I find to offset the Toadies?
* A 4.9 No. This would mean your exertion is doing two things. An exertion can only be used for one thing. The exertion must be specifically for Toadies or to make a Power Block, but not both. And remember, after making an Exertion you cannot play any further cards from your hand for the remainder of that Phase. So play your defenses first, then deal with Toadies.

Q 4.10 Can I use Tessa and Master with Battle Rage to make a larger or smaller Exertion?
A 4.10 Yes. Master would let you make a three card Exertion for the Battle Rage. Tessa would let you make a six card exertion for the Battle Rage.

Q 4.11 I am Exerting for a defense, and don't draw one. Can I discard Flashback, the one that lets me make a 3-card Exertion, and keep Exerting to find the defense I need?
A 4.11 Yes. If you may make two or more Exertions, you may simply continue making Exertions until your find the necessary defense or run out of Exertions.

5. Tournaments

 

NOTE: You will now find answers to Tournament related questions in the Tournament Format and Floor Rules files.

Editor's Note: The following questions are from FAQ v3.9a.  They will be replaced with the Tournament Format and Floor Rules files when I obtain them.

* Q 5.1 Has the 6 Promo card restriction been removed yet?
* A 5.1 Yes. The Promo card restriction issued in July 1997 has been lifted. However, you are now only allowed to use 2 Thunder Castle Pre-Game cards.

* Q 5.2 I've heard that at tournaments, there is a time limit. What's the deal?
* A 5.2 Usually, tournaments at game conventions are run in 4 hour time slots to reduce the field of players to a single winner. Unfortunately, this means some kind of time limit per match is mandatory. A time limit of 30 minutes per duel is the official time limit.

* Q 5.3 How is my NEXUS ranking figured?
* A 5.3 When you sign up for the NEXUS, you are given 10 scores of 1500. The average of these scores gives you your initial ranking. As you play actual games, results from those games will replace the first 10 scores. A win gives you a score of your opponent's ranking plus 400. A loss gives you a score of your opponent's ranking minus 400. After your first 10 actual games, you keep adding more scores with the average of all your scores being your NEXUS ranking. As yet, the maximum number of scores you can have isn't known. TCG's rankings are the Official rankings.

Q 5.4 Since I can't modify my deck between rounds, does that mean cards removed from the game (Amnesia, Second Wind, Lost Love) can't be put back in my deck?
A 5.4 You cannot add any new cards that weren't already in your deck at the start of the tournament. Therefore you CAN return these cards to your deck. There is no sideboarding allowed in Highlander.

Q 5.5 Can I replace Thunder Castle Cards between rounds?
A 5.5 No.

* Q 5.6 What is a Lean & Mean Tournament?
* A 5.6 For a L&M tournament, each deck must consist of 44 cards, six of which will be Lean & Mean Edge cards. This does not include any pre-game cards. Also, TCG Rip cards are banned in this format.

* Q 5.7 What is an Alternate Ironman Tournament?
* A 5.7 Alternate Ironman is a single elimination tournament usually played without time limits. Your Ability doesn't get restored between rounds though. Your starting Ability must last you the entire tournament. Pedestrian: 5 Turns and Holy Ground: Forfeit (the Event and the Location) are banned in this format.

* Q 5.8 What is 'First Blood' and how does it work?
* A 5.8 If time expires during a tournament round, the current player completes his turn normally. Then, if both players are tied in Ability, the match goes into 'First Blood'. If the game ends due to a Ped-5 and both players are tied in Ability, the match goes into First Blood. Other circumstances could cause First Blood rules to come into affect. When First Blood rules come into effect (for any reason), ALL Special cards are simultaneously removed from play immediately and the game continues with the exception that Special cards may no longer be played. Under First Blood, you only lose if an opponent plays a successful attack that does damage against you or if you start your Attack phase at zero Ability. 

-------- Section B: Card Types --------

 

6. General Card Types

Q 6.1 Some cards like Elizabeth Vaughn allow me to draw a variable number of cards. Can I choose how many I draw after I start drawing the cards?
A 6.1 Unless otherwise stated, you must always state the number of cards you are getting from a variable draw card before you begin drawing. Elizabeth Vaughn actually only allows you to draw as many as you discarded. So in this case, you don't need to declare how many you will discard. You can just discard all the cards you want and then draw back replacements.

* Q6.2 [Removed]

Q 6.3 What are Ally cards?
A 6.3 Ally cards are a category of cards like Plots. These cards are any card that has a proper name as the title (i.e.: Carl, Segur, Garfield, Bassett & Hotchkiss, etc.). They include the following cards.

Series Edition:

  • Alan Baines
  • Avery Hoskins
  • Carl
  • Charlie
  • Darius
  • Elizabeth Vaughn
  • Linda Plager
  • Maurice
  • Renee Delaney
  • Segur
  • Tessa

Movie Edition:

  • Alex Johnson
  • Angus
  • Bassett and Hotchkiss
  • Brenda Wyatt
  • Candy
  • David Blake
  • Dr. Alan Neyman
  • Dr. Sonny Jackson
  • Dugal MacLeod
  • Garfield
  • Heather
  • Jack Donovan
  • John MacLeod
  • Kate
  • Kirk Matunas
  • Louise Marcus
  • Lt. Frank Moran
  • Pierre Bouchet
  • Rachel Ellenstein.

Watcher Chronicles:

  • Donna Ondrejka
  • Dr. Anne Lindsey
  • Hideo Koto
  • James Horton
  • Joe Dawson
  • Signorina Arianna.

The Gathering:

  • Detective Walter Bedsoe
  • Lt. John Stenn

* Q 6.4 How many Premium cards can you have in play at the start of a game?
* A 6.4 All Premium cards have a Restriction of 1. Pregame Darius will not let you raise this limit. So you can have one of each Premium card that you may normally have. Each counts as one Pre-Game card toward your normal limit of 6 Pre-Game cards.

7. Attacks

 

* Q 7.1 What exactly is a 'successful attack'?
* A 7.1 Any attack that doesn't have a defense played or used against it or is not avoided (i.e. Holy Ground, Disappear) is considered successful, as well as any attack that does damage.

Q 7.2 I just completed the Destruction plot and then played an upper attack Hidden. Do I have to declare that the Hidden attack is a Head Shot?
A 7.2 You only need to state that the Hidden attack is a Power Blow. You do not have to declare that it is also a Head Shot. The heads will roll now!

* Q 7.3 Thrust does an extra point of damage. Does this extra point happen even if Thrust is blocked?
* A 7.3 Read Thrust as follows: If Thrust is successful (as defined in A7.1), it does an additional point of damage. So if blocked, Thrust would not add an extra point of damage. However, if Thrust is made a Power Blow and a normal block is played against it, it will still do 2 damage. Since it will do damage it is then considered successful and will do it's additional point of damage as well (for a total of 3).

Q 7.4 A lot of the cards say that my next attack is hidden, can't be blocked, etc. Does this mean I can play a card on my turn and wait until my next turn (i.e. my next attack) and still get a hidden attack?
A 7.4 No. On all the cards that mention 'your next attack' it means your next attack THAT TURN. If you do not play an attack, then you lose the added effect.

Q 7.5 If I Dodge a Power Blow (losing an attack), but can still attack, is my next attack Hidden (because of the Power Blow) or is the Hidden attack the one that was lost?
A 7.5 Any effects that modify your next attack count toward the next attack you PLAY on your turn. So in the above example, you would still get the Hidden attack.

Q 7.6 Slashes cover both upper and lower areas. Are Slashes upper attacks or lower attacks?
A 7.6 Both. Any attack that falls into more that one area is classified as an attack to all those areas.

Q 7.7 When you play a Riposte, do you have to tell them why the attack is hidden (because of Riposte)?
A 7.7 You must be able to provide your opponent with some valid reason for playing a Hidden attack. If the only reason the attack could be Hidden was due to the Riposte, you must tell them "This is a Riposte." If you have some other valid reason to make the attack Hidden (after a Jump, a Duck, or in the Mountain Cave, for example) you can give any other valid reason instead.

* Q 7.8 [Removed]

Q 7.9 I've heard you can block some ranged attacks and not with Alertness Block. What's the story?
A 7.9 First, read Q1.6. As you see there, Alertness will work if the attack itself is modified such that it cannot be blocked or dodged. Ranged attacks cannot be blocked even using Alertness because it's in the rule book. However, the Improvised Weapon attack states on the card it can't be blocked so you are allowed to use Alertness Block.

Q 7.10 Battle Rage, Bloodlust, etc. all let you play a number of non-Special attacks. Spinning Attack and Riposte are non-Special attacks. Can you use one or more of them in a multiple attack situation and get their added benefit?
A 7.10 Yes. If the last defense you played meets the criteria on the attack card, then you can play more than one of them and each one played gets the added benefit. With Spinning Attack, keep in mind you can only make one Power Blow per turn unless you have a card or effect to get around that.

Q 7.11 Cards like Combination/Extra Shot/Hook confer a special bonus when I play an additional attack; for example, Combination lets me play an extra attack that is Hidden. Can I skip playing the first attack, then play a Combination and an attack?
A 7.11 Yes, you can. When used this way, those cards will give you an additional attack. But since you are only playing one attack, you will lose the benefit from the Special card (i.e.: The Combination attack won't be Hidden).

  8. Defenses

 

* Q 8.1 If multiple attacks are played, does the order that they are played matter?
* A 8.1 It sure does. Attacks and Defenses resolve in the order they are played or used. For example; Player A plays a Battle Rage and manages to play 4 attacks:

  • Upper Left
  • Lower Right
  • Upper Center
  • Lower Left

Player B plays a Upper Left Block which would normally block the Upper Left and the Upper Center attacks. However, there is a Lower Right Attack inbetween them. To carry the Upper Left Block over to block the Upper Center Attack as well, you would have to let the Lower Right Attack hit you (become successful). Player B decides to play a Lower Center Block to block the Lower Right Attack then plays a Left Guard to block both the Upper Center and Lower Left Attacks.

If Player B didn't have the Lower Center Block, he could decide not to play a defense against the Lower Right Attack and instead make an Exertion to search for a defense. Since he cannot play cards from his hand after making an Exertion, he plays the Left Guard against the Upper Center and Lower Left attacks first. He then makes an Exertion to search for a defense to play against the Lower Right Attack and finds a Back Away.

* Q 8.2 When defending, I can 'play' a defense from my hand or I can 'use' a defense already in play (i.e.: Guards). Is there a difference?
* A 8.2 Yes. Some cards and effects may prevent you from playing defenses from your hand. This does not prevent you from using a Guard you already have in play to block attacks.

Q 8.3 Can I play a block with no attack pending or that doesn't actually block a pending attack?
A 8.3 No. You can only play blocks when attacked. Blocks or Guards that do not stop a pending attack cannot be played.

Q 8.4 Can I play a Guard without an attack pending?
A 8.4 Yes. A Guard is a defensive posture, so it can be played this way. However, you can only play one Guard per turn if there are no pending attacks (so you can't play a Left Guard AND immediately drop it to play a Right Guard).

Q 8.5 When can I drop a Guard?
A 8.5 You can voluntarily drop a Guard at any point. However, if you just USED (blocked an attack) or PLAYED a Guard this turn, you cannot drop it immediately in order to make your first attack that turn to the same area. (See the Connor section for the specifics and exceptions when playing a Guard with Connor or Duncan.) Amanda could play a Left Guard to block an attack, then drop it, play an attack to the right, and play an attack to the left because only her first attack would be restricted by the Left Guard.

Q 8.6 If I do play multiple blocks, do each of them limit where I can make my next attack? For example, if I play a Upper Left Block and Upper Right Block, does that mean I can't attack to those areas?
A 8.6 No, the limitation, if any, on your first attack that turn comes from the last defense that you played, not all the defenses. So in this example, you could make an attack to the Middle Left, or the Upper Left. You could not play an attack to the areas covered by the Upper Right Block, since that was the last block you played.

Q 8.7 What if I play a Dodge, then a Jump: is my next attack hidden still, because of the Jump?
A 8.7 Yes. The last defense played is the only one that will modify any attacks you play that turn (usually the first). So if you played Jump first then a Dodge, then not only would your next attack not be Hidden, but you would lose an attack that turn.

Q 8.8 I don't have enough blocks in my hand to stop a string of several attacks my opponent played. What can I do?
A 8.8 First of all, you need to analyze the defenses you do have in your hand. Will some of the blocks cover more than one consecutive attack? Are you prevent from playing some kind of defenses? Will a certain type of defense not block or avoid consecutive attacks (i.e. Battle Rage)? After you figure out the answers to these questions, you can usually work out your best options to playing what defenses you have. If, after playing any defenses from your hand, there are other attacks which are left undefended, you can then make an Exertion to search for a defense in the hopes to block or dodge one of them. See Q8.1 for an example.

Q 8.9 If I play a defense against a Hidden Attack and I guess wrong, can I then play Holy Ground to avoid the attack? Would the incorrect block limit my attack options?
A 8.9 Yes and yes.

Q 8.10 If I already have a Guard out when I play Continuity, does that Guard count as the first defense for the Continuity?
A 8.10 No. Continuity is only for the 'next three' defense cards played, not any already in play.

  9. Events

 

Q 9.1 Would Police: Prevent work against Unexpected Assistance (SE or ME)?
A 9.1 Yes. Since those cards redirect damage, they are causing damage so they can be countered by the Police: Counter card. Other cards that redirect damage are Do It Yourself and David Blake. However, these are not the 'new' sources of the Damage so you can not use a Do It Yourself on redirected damage.

Q 9.2 So I can't use Do It Yourself after my opponent plays Do It Yourself. Can I play SE Unexpected Assistance in response to his Do It Yourself?
A 9.2 Yes. Unexpected Assistance (SE) doesn't specify a card played by your opponent that does damage to you (like Do It Yourself and the ME Unexpected Assistance). So with both players using Unexpected Assistance (SE), you can simulate a tennis match with the direct damage.

Q 9.3 My opponent just played a Darius/Seduce combination. I have a Forethought in play: can I use the Forethought to counter the Darius card?
A 9.3 You can but it won't help. Darius is played in conjunction with the other card so countering him won't stop the other card from coming into play. You could counter the card played with Darius though, if you have the correct counter card.

Q 9.4 Amanda plays Surprise Attack; it does a point of damage and strips her opponent of all Standing Defenses. If her opponent plays a Police: Prevent Damage Event on the Surprise Attack, what happens?
A 9.4 The Police: Prevent Damage Event card is a 'weak' counter card, as defined by the Gathering Edition rules. As such, it simply counters the damage effect of Surprise Attack, so her opponent would still lose his Standing Defenses.

Q 9.5 Can I still play Holy Ground even if my opponent didn't attack?
A 9.5 Yes.

Q 9.6 If I block a Power Blow with a Honed Weapon, and break my opponent's sword, do I still take damage from the attack?
A 9.6 No. You play Honed Weapon in your defense phase as you make a Power Block. If the Power Block will stop all the damage from the Power Blow, then you take no damage.

* Q 9.7 When my opponent plays multiple Kirk Matunas cards, do each of them do damage? Or will one Police: Avoid Damage take care them all? What about using a TCG rip card?
* A 9.7 First of all, even though the Kirk Matunas card says that the 'first' card does damage, there truly isn't a first card since all of the Kirk Matunas cards are played simultaneously (in conjunction with each other). However, only one of them is considered to be doing damage so by playing Police: Prevent Damage, you can prevent all the damage from the Kirk Matunas cards played. If you use a card or effect to counter a Kirk Matunas as it is played, then another Kirk Matunas will become the source of the damage and be considered the 'first' card.

Q 9.8 If my opponent regains lost Ability because Scorn or Poison Gas leaves play, can I play Kate on him in my turn?
A 9.8 Yes. Any time your opponent's Ability was increased on his turn, you may play Kate.

[REVERSAL]
* Q 9.9 Can I play Disarm if Pedestrian Hidden is out? What about after Back Away?
* A 9.9 According to the text on the card, `If a player cannot make his attack Hidden, he may not attack.' If you cannot attack, you cannot play Disarm. The text on Back Away does not take away your attack; it just restricts the kind of attack you can play. Disarm is played in place of `a Basic Attack', so you can NOT play it after playing Back Away.

[REVERSAL]
* Q 9.10 The card Psyche says "Choose a card from your opponent's hand at random. Your opponent must play this card during his next turn. If he does not, remove that card from the game." If I draw a Thrust card, does that mean my opponent cannot play a block that covers the middle square if that would keep him from attacking there?
* A 9.10 Psyche lets you specify which card I must play as long as it is a valid play in and of itself. You are not forced to play other cards to make it legal to play, however you also cannot play cards which would make it an illegal play either. In this example, the last defense I play cannot prevent me from playing the Thrust or block to the middle square thereby prevent me from playing the Thrust. If something else occurs and I can't play the Thrust card, then it is removed from the game. If I'm being forced to play a Head Shot card due to Psyche, a condition on Head Shot is that it is played with an Upper Attack so I do not have to play an Upper Attack to make the Head Shot a legal play.

* Q 9.11 If my opponent plays Psyche and pulls a Holy Ground: Forfeit frommy hand, can I play a different Special card and discard the Holy Ground since I can only play one Special card per turn?
* A 9.11 Nice try, but no. The card chosen by Psyche must be played next turn and you cannot play a card which would make playing the card chosen by Psyche illegal to play. In this case, Holy Ground would have to be your Special card for the turn.

Q 9.12 When I play Collapse on the Catwalk, can I use Iron Wills to increase the chance my opponent will lose his weapon, but play more Iron Wills to increase the chance of me keeping my weapon?
A 9.12 No. Iron Will only increases the chances of success. You could use the Iron Wills to increase either player's chance of losing their weapon only.

Q 9.13 Can I play Disarm after a Dodge? After a Back Away?
A 9.13 If you lose your only attack due to the Dodge, then you cannot play Disarm. You also cannot play Disarm after a Back Away. Disarm should say "Play in place of a Basic Attack."

Q 9.14 Can you play Dr. Sonny Jackson (times 3), then play Angry Mob and prevent all of the damage to yourself from the Angry Mob?
A 9.14 No. Dr. Sonny Jackson requires that, when played, you have damage 'scheduled' for your Ability Adjustment Phase. This means you may play DSJ in your Defense Phase IF your opponent played a damaging Event last turn. You may play it in your Defense Phase IF some "beginning of turn" effect (like Battlefield) has damaged you. You may play DSJ in your Attack Phase if your opponent played a successful attack that did damage to you. Damage from attacks is not "scheduled" until after the attack is determined to be successful which occurs at the end of your Defense Phase.

Q 9.15 If I have Chessex in play, can I play Dr. Sonny Jackson against attack damage?
A 9.15 No. Attack damage is not pending until the Attack is determined successful which occurs between your Defense and Attack Phases. Dr. Sonny Jackson can only be used against attack damage if played during the Attack Phase.

Q 9.16 Can I play Watcher: Treatment if I'm still at my maximum Ability?
A 9.16 Yes.

10. Locations

 

Q10.1 If a Location requires me to discard, can I play a new location on my turn and avoid having to make the necessary discards?
A10.1 No. The turn sequence requires you to discard due to the Location before you have a chance to play a special card like a Location. You CAN play Reconnaissance (an Edge card) on the Location, thus ignoring the discard effect and then play a new location to remove it.

Q10.2 If I use Mountain Cave to make a Hidden attack, and my opponent removes the Mountain Cave on his turn, is my attack revealed?
A10.2 No. An attack is Hidden when you play it, face down, on the table. It never becomes 'unhidden.' Your opponent may be able to reveal the attack for any number of reasons, but the attack is still considered Hidden.

Q10.3 Does Mountain Cave override Connor's Ability to see hidden attacks?
A10.3 No. Mountain Cave allows a player to make an attack Hidden. Connor's power allows him to see Hidden Attacks, he doesn't make an attack no longer Hidden.

Q10.4 If Battlefield is out, do I have the option to not discard a defense and take the 1 point of damage?
A10.4 Battlefield states "[you] must discard a defense or [you] take 1 damage," so you can choose not to discard and take damage instead.

[REVERSAL]
Q10.5 Factory is in play and I play the ME Holy Ground. Does the Factory go away when we discard?
A10.5 When you reshuffle your hand into your Endurance, you are considered to have less than 5 cards in your hand, so the Factory would then be discarded. You would then draw a number of cards equal to the number of cards you had in your hand before shuffling them back into your Endurance. The same goes for the SE Holy Ground; if after discarding 4 cards you have less than 5 cards in your hand, then Factory would be discarded. You would then draw back up to your Ability.

 

11. Objects

 

Q11.1 The Quality Blade card is a little confusing. Is it an extra weapon? Can it be disarmed?
A11.1 Think of Quality Blade as an enhancement of your weapon: it does not replace your weapon. It remains in play if you are Disarmed, and remains when you recover your weapon.

Q11.2 What happens to Quality Blade, Ancestral Blade, and/or Ancient Blade if I am Disarmed or if my weapon is broken?
A11.2 They remain in play until they are removed by a card that removes Objects

Q11.3 If my opponent plays Break Weapon and I block using Parrying Blade, will the Parrying Blade break and be removed?
A11.3 If the roll for Break Weapon is successful, your sword will break. Only cards that remove objects will remove your Parrying Blade.

Q11.4 With Parrying Blade in play, can I play attacks as blocks when I am exerting for a defense?
A11.4 Yes.

Q11.5 If I'm disarmed and have a Parrying Blade in play, can I still block?
A11.5 Yes. You can block using either attacks or blocks with the Parrying Blade.

Q11.6 With Parrying Blade in play, can I discard Attacks in response to Battlefield?
A11.6 No. Parrying Blade lets you play Attacks as Blocks. It doesn't allow you to discard attacks as blocks.

[REVERSAL]
* Q11.7 If I have Improvised Weapon out, can I play a Connor's or Nakano's Master's Disarm?
* A11.7 Yes. Though a card may have the word 'weapon' in it's title a player isn't considered to have a weapon solely based on such cards being in play. When the rulebook or a card refers to a player having a weapon it means whether he is disarmed or not.

12. Plots

 

Q12.1 How many Plot cards am I allowed in my deck?
A12.1 You may have 6 cards with the same Title. This means that you could have 6 Sea Witch cards, 6 Counterfeit cards, etc. You could have 2 Sea Witch: Hooks, 2 Sea Witch: Lines, and 2 Sea Witch: Sinkers, NOT 6 Hooks, 6 Lines, and 6 Sinkers.

Q12.2 My opponent has the first and second card of the Unholy Alliance plot in play. I have a card that will remove a Situation from play. If I remove the first card, does the second card get discarded, too?
A12.2 No. The second card simply requires the first to be in play when it is played. Your opponent would still have to replace the first card, though, before completing the plot.

Q12.3 When do I get a chance to counter a Plot?
A12.3 It depends on the counter card you use and the Plot you are countering. Underworld Contact can neutralize the effect of a Plot: therefore, when your opponent plays the last Plot element, you would play the Underworld Contact card immediately at the beginning of your turn. If you had a Forethought ALREADY IN PLAY, though, you could use it immediately when your opponent plays the last plot card; unless it is the first card he played after the turn you put Forethought into play. Some Plots have effects that last multiple turns (i.e. Darkness, Sea Witch, Head Hunter). If, at some point during those turns, you draw an Underworld Contact, then you may play it to neutralize that Plot's effect. When neutralizing some Plots, keep in mind that you must neutralize it before it takes effect. For example, if I play a Counterfeit Plot on you, you have to neutralize it as your first move in your turn. However, Unholy Alliance can be neutralized anytime before your next Ability Adjustment Phase.

Q12.4 What happens if I play Underworld Contact on Disguise or Cat & Mouse? Are they discarded?
A12.4 Underworld Contact will neutralize the plot's effect for that one turn, but it does not remove the Situation. So against Cat & Mouse, you would ignore the effects. Against Disguise, you could now play a Police card IF you have a way of playing more than one event card that turn.

Q12.5 I have the Darkness plot in play, allowing me five Hidden Attacks. If I want to play a Disarm, does that count against the five?
A12.5 Yes. In fact, if you forget to make an attack Hidden, it still counts against the five, too.

Q12.6 The Destruction Plot allows you to make any upper attack a Head Shot for the next 3 turns after completing the plot. If I play a Battle Rage with 5 upper attacks, can they all be Head Shots?
A12.6 No, remember that you are only allowed to make ONE Power Blow per turn, and since Head Shots are Power Blows, you are limited to making one per turn.

Q12.7 After Destruction is completed, ANY successful upper attack takes my opponent's head. Right?
A12.7 No. You have to choose which upper attack will be the Head Shot before your turn is over. You cannot wait to see which attack is undefended before deciding which is the Head Shot.

Q12.8 For the Destruction plot, when does the "next 3 turns" start?
A12.8 It starts on the turn you complete the plot.

Q12.9 My opponent has a Plan Ahead in play, and I play a Cat & Mouse. Can my opponent use the Plan Ahead to counter the effect of the Cat & Mouse?
A12.9 No. Plan Ahead will remove a Situation from play, but it does not counter the effect. The Cat & Mouse will have its effect before the Plan Ahead remove it.

Q12.10 Can I use Selective Memory to avoid the effects of a Cat & Mouse Plot?
A12.10 No. Selective Memory only works against Events.

  13. Situations

 

Q13.1 Which Situations "stack" their effects?
A13.1 Cards that affect your ability stack unless they say otherwise. Other Situations do not stack (unless the card text indicates they do) but must still be dealt with individually. For example, you must Focus all Avery Hoskins in play to avoid having to exert.

Q13.2 Some Situations are Standing Defenses. Can these be dropped at any time like Guards?
A13.2 No. Only Guards can be dropped at will.

Q13.3 If I have both Tessa and Master out, can I make 3, 4, 5, or 6 card exertions?
A13.3 No. Tessa lets you extend a 5 card exertion to a 6 card exertion. Tessa does not extend a 3 card exertion to a 4 card exertion.

Q13.4 One Pedestrian card says that if the card is still in play after my opponent's fifth turn, the person with the highest Ability wins. What if we are tied?
A13.4 At the end of the fifth turn AFTER the Pedestrian is played, if you and your opponent are tied, then the match goes into First Blood. See Q5.9 for more information on First Blood.

Q13.5 What happens if I Focus the Pedestrian on my fifth turn?
A13.5 No. When Focus goes away, your fifth turn has still ended so Pedestrian ends the game. Only if you are still tied will it go into First Blood. See the Tournament Format and Floor Rules for an explanation of First Blood.

Q13.6 If I have both Poison Gas and Master's Stratagem in play, can I discard two cards and replace them from my Endurance and keep the Poison Gas?
A13.6 No. Taking a card from your Endurance and adding it to your hand is considered drawing a card. Poison Gas would be gone.

Q13.7 Can I use a vertical Slash when Higher Ground is in play?
A13.7 No, remember that if an attack has a grid that covers both Upper and Lower squares, it is considered both an Upper and Lower attack.

Q13.8 If my opponent has one Higher Ground out but I have two out, does one of my Higher Ground cards remain in effect?
A13.8 No. Although the card text on Higher Ground indicates "neither has any effect," two opposing Higher Ground cards will negate all Higher Grounds in play.

Q13.9 Can I play Focus on Rachel Ellenstein?
A13.9 No. Rachel will counter the first Edge card played. Meaning the Edge would be countered before its effects would come into play. So the Focus would be countered and Rachel Ellenstein would then be discarded.

Q13.10 With Master's Advance in play, can you 'pay' for a dodge with a dodge from an Exertion?
A13.10 No. You can only play a dodge from an Exertion, not 'make a payment'. You could, however, Exert for a dodge and discard a dodge from your hand to 'pay' for it.

Q13.11 If I have a Master's Stance in play, and I play a Master's Block that covers the entire grid, and still allows me to attack as normal, can I make the Block a Guard with the Master's Stance?
A13.11 Yes, you can. However, any additional effects granted by the Master's Block (such as making a Hidden attack, etc.) only occur if the block is the last defense used to block an attack that turn. If it is just sitting there, and your opponent is not attacking, you don't get the added Hidden/Exert/whatever effect of the Master's Block. And since there is no text restricting your attacks (like on Right or Left Guard) and the Master's Block says you may attack normally, you may attack through the Guard.

Q13.12 If my opponent plays Focus or Police on Master's Stance, does the Block stay up as a Guard?
A13.12 The Block stays up as a Guard only while Master's Stance is in play. Focusing Master's Stance will cause the Block to be removed immediately.

Q13.13 With Master's Stance, can I play an 'unprovoked' Block since it will become a Guard?
A13.13 No.

Q13.14 If I have Dugal in play with a Guard, can I Focus Dugal and play a new Guard?
A13.14 The Guard Dugal is maintaining for you must be played when Dugal is played so this wouldn't work. But, by Focusing Dugal, you can avoid the two damage on this turn from losing the prior Guard. After your turn, Dugal will return and since the original Guard is now gone, he will leave play and inflict the damage on your next turn.

Q13.15 Will Dugal's Guard stop all the damage from a Power Blow?
A13.15 No, unless you Exert to make the Guard a Power Block. Also Dugal's Guard doesn't prevent you from playing your own defense. What this also means is that if you have an Ancestral Blade in play, Dugal's Guard will get the benefit from it too.

Q13.16 If both Honor Bound and Bystander situations are out, will the damage from a successful attack remove the Honor Bound?
A13.16 No damage is dealt thanks to the Bystander. Honor Bound will stay in play.

Q13.17 If I play Honor Bound on the same turn that I am taking damage, will Honor Bound remain?
A13.17 No, taking damage will remove Honor Bound even if it is played on the same turn. It works like this: You play Honor Bound in either your defense phase or your attack phase. After your attack phase, you take the damage during Ability Adjustment and Honor Bound is removed at that time.

Q13.18 If I Focus Honor Bound, will it be removed if I take any damage that turn?
A13.18 No. Honor Bound will leave play only if it is still in effect during your Ability Adjustment phase on a turn when you take damage.

Q13.19 When do you discard for Louise Marcus?
A13.19 The discard occurs at the beggining of your Ability Adjustment phase.

Q13.20 Can I use Sacrifice to retrieve a card that was removed from the game?
A13.20 No. The card must still be in the game (in play, in your Endurance, or in your discard pile) to be able to retrieve it.

* Q13.21 [REMOVED]

Q13.22 If Avery Hoskins is in play and I play Holy Ground, do I still need to Exert? If so, does this Exertion take place during my Draw/Discard Phase?
A13.22 After you play the Holy Ground, you are still required to make an Exertion to satisfy Avery. You resolve the effects of the Holy Ground card and then make the required Exertion during your Defense Phase. You then go to the Ability Adjustment and Draw/Discard Phases.

* Q13.23 With Bystander: Situation in play, when do you discard the cards from your Endurance for the damage you take from any attacks?
* A13.23 Damage doesn't resolve until your Ability Adjustment Phase. So during your Ability Adjustment Phase, you would then discard cards from the top of your Endurance instead of taking the damage. Any damage prevent effects can be used to reduce the number of cards that would be discarded, but the gaining of Ability (i.e. Watcher: Healer) will not. Also, if you discard the last card in your Endurance when discarding cards, then your Exhaust and lose 5 Ability during your next Ability Adjustment Phase.

14. Edges

 

Q14.1 Can I play Edge cards at any time during my turn?
A14.1 Almost. You can play Edge cards at the start of your turn to stop any 'must do' effects. You cannot play any Edge cards in the middle of an Exertion or while discarding from your hand (Bassett and Hotchkiss for example).

Q14.2 If I use Iron Will to increase my chances, and still fail, can I then use Practice Practice to roll again at the same, improved chances?
A14.2 Yes, you may.

Q14.3 Can I use ME Iron Will to increase the die roll from a Berkeley Games promo card?
A14.3 No. ME Iron Will only increases a chance for success and the die roll on Berkeley doesn't require a chance of success; it just wants a random number from 1 to 6.

Q14.4 Can I play Iron Will with Influence and increase the chance on all die rolls for each situation?
A14.4 You can only affect one of the die rolls with each Iron Will you play. For example, if you played 5 Iron Wills you could apply them all to one roll or each one to 5 rolls.

Q14.5 If I play Careful Planning with an Event that does damage to my opponent and then he bounces the damage back at me with Unexpected Assistance, does Careful Planning still protect me?
A14.5 Careful Planning only protects you for the turn you play it. If the damage comes back at you in a different turn you are out of luck.

Q14.6 Do you play Careful Planning before the Event you are using it with, after, or simultaneously?
A14.6 It is played after the Event so if the Event is countered, Careful Planning cannot be played. Careful Planning can only be played if there is 'scheduled' damage from an Event you played for your next Ability Adjustment Phase.

Q14.7 Can you play Schemer without playing any Situation: Plot cards?
A14.7 Yes. The card text allows you to play Schemer by itself.

Q14.8 If my opponent plays Kiss Your Butts Goodbye, and I respond with Selective Memory, do I still end up taking the two damage for not discarding dodges?
A14.8 Selective Memory lets you choose whether you want to discard cards or not when you must discard. It doesn't save you from the effects of your choice not to discard.

Q14.9 Does the damage from Excessive Force come from the Edge card or the Police Event?
A14.9 The damage is coming from the Event so it can be countered using Greenfield Hobby.

* Q14.10 When I play Focus on a Situation, what actually gets removed?
* A14.10 When a Situation has Focus played on it, only the text in the card effect box (lower box) gets removed. The Situation still has a title, a Persona name, and is still a Situation that can be affected by additional Focus cards.

  15. Promos

 

* Q15.1 Are the Promos legal in sanctioned tournaments?
* A15.1 Only promo cards that have been released are considered legal in tournaments run by TCG. Any Promos not yet released cannot be used. The following list indicates which Promos are currently NOT legal for sanctioned tournaments:

  • Forensic Evidence.

The Eyes Have It (3 card set) has been officially released and so is now legal in tournament play. HOWEVER, the fact that TEHI is allowed in your tournament must be announced beforehand so all players are aware of it's implications. If it's not pre-announced, then it won't be allowed.

Q15.2 Where can I get all the different promo cards?
A15.2 Thunder Castle Games has started a Promo Card Subscription service for NEXUS members only. After subscribing, you will receive Promo cards directly from TCG with your copy of Castle News. The current schedule is a quarterly mailing with 3 Promo cards each. That works out to 12 Promo cards per year for only $30.00. Additional Subscriptions can be purchased for $25.00. Contact Thunder Castle Games or check in Castle News for more information.

Q15.3 Is there a limit to the number of Pre-Game cards I can use?
A15.3 Yes, you are limited to only 6 Pre-Game cards and this does include your Persona.

Q15.4 Can I use Berkeley Games and then play a Combination? How about with a Battle Rage?
A15.4 Yes. Berkeley Games gives you attack "slots;" so you could use it, roll a six, play 5 attacks, then use the open attack "slot" to play the Battle Rage. You would need to play all your attacks first, then do the Exertion for the Battle Rage.

Q15.5 If I'm Amanda using Berkeley, do I still get two attacks even if I roll a 1?
A15.5 You get the same number of attacks as you rolled. So in this case, Amanda would only get the one attack.

Q15.6 With Chessex out, if I play Desperation as one of my two Events, do I get to play yet another Event?
A15.6 Desperation will let you play another Special card so you can use this with Chessex to play two Situations in one turn. However, if you play Desperation as the first Event, then play another Event, you have satisfied the Chessex by playing two Events. If the second Event was Desperation, then you can play another Event thanks to the Desperation.

Q15.7 Is it possible for me to play two events, then somehow remove Chessex from play and get my attack phase back?
A15.7 If you use Chessex to play two events, no matter how or when Chessex leaves play this turn, you still do not get an attack phase this turn. If you play only one Event AND remove Chessex, then you can proceed to your attack phase as normal.

Q15.8 Another Chessex question. Can I play two events with Darius?
A15.8 Darius counts as one of the Events for Chessex. So you can play Darius + Alliance but that would be your two events. You can play Darius + Master's Dodge and still be able to play one more event. And as in Q15.6, if Darius is the second Event played, then you can play yet another Event thanks to Darius, as long as Darius is played in conjunction with it, of course.

Q15.9 Does Greenfield Hobby only work for me or does it prevent damage from Events played by both players?
A15.9 It prevents damage from ALL events, regardless of who played the Event.

* Q15.10 [Removed]

Q15.11 If a Pre-Game Darius card gets removed, do I need to remove the card it added to my deck? And where would I get the card from?
A15.11 You need to remove the card if you have more than the actual restriction number in your deck. It is not required that the card affected by Pre-Game Darius be included in your deck at all. You begin looking for the card to remove in your discard pile first, then your Endurance, then in your hand, then cards that are in-play. If it is pulled from your Endurance, reshuffle and offer your opponent a cut before resuming play.

Q15.12 If Connor has Forged Steel in play and plays Master's Disarm, does he take my weapon and break it?
A15.12 Yes. And by the text on Master's Disarm only Connor's opponent can now roll to recover Connor's weapon (as long as it wasn't broken as well).

Q15.13 What happens if I Focus Illusory Terrain, then play a Location? Does the new location stay out?
A15.13 Once Illusory Terrain becomes unFocused, the Location gets removed.

Q15.14 Can I use the Director's Cut Situation card as a Cat & Mouse: Plot card?
A15.14 No. Cat & Mouse plots have no requirements in order to be played.

[REVERSAL]
* Q15.15 Do I have to declare the Plot I'm using Director's Cut: Situation for when I play it or can I wait?
* A15.15 You can wait to declare it. It becomes a plot "stand-in" when you play another plot with a requirement. When later playing a different Plot card requiring a different requirement, the Director's Cut can be used to fulfill the new requirement as well. In essence, the same Director's Cut can be used as a 'stand-in' for several different Plot cards at the same time.

Q15.16 For the purposes of using Delusions, what is considered countering a card?
A15.16 Countering a card is done at the time the card being countered is first played. Countering will prevent that card from actually reaching play. This is different than removing a card from play. The only cards currently that can counter other cards are Carl, Watcher: Counter, Forethought, Rachel Ellenstein, Watcher: Involvement, Lt. John Stenn, and Thunder Castle rip cards. Police: Counter Event is a `weak' counter and would not work with Delusions.

  16. Quickenings

 

Q16.1 Can an Immortal use a Quickening card that duplicates his special ability and get a double benefit (like Xavier or Kurgan)?
A16.1 An Immortal gains no added benefit by using a Quickening that duplicates his special ability. The Kurgan only gets one additional point of damage for a successful attack no matter how many Kurgan Quickenings he plays.

Q16.2 [Removed]

Q16.3 [Removed]

-------- Section C: Immortals --------

17. Generic Immortals

 

* Q17.1 [Removed]

Q17.2 What good are the Generic Immortal persona cards if I can play a Generic Immortal without it?
A17.2 The Generic Immortal persona cards allows you to use up to three Master cards. Without the Persona, you can't have any Master cards in your deck.

Q17.3 [Removed]
18. Amanda

Q18.1 Amanda's Master's Advice doesn't say if she loses the extra Ability if the card is removed from play. Should it?
A18.1 Yes, the effects of a Situation like Master's Advice are removed when the card is removed from play.

Q18.2 If I've got no attacks in my hand while playing Amanda, can I Exert, then use up to two attacks from that Exertion?
A18.2 No, you can only play one card from an Exertion.

Q18.3 When Amanda sidesteps an attack, the cards say that her next attack must be to the left/right. If she does not have an attack to the appropriate side, may she skip her first attack and play her second attack to the restricted side?
A18.3 Yes, she can skip her first attack and play her second attack to the restricted side. She does not need to discard an attack in order to skip her first attack.

Q18.4 After Amanda sidesteps, can she play a Horizontal Slash?
A18.4 No. The attack played after a Sidestep must be to the appropriate side only.

Q18.5 How does Amanda make a Power Blow?
A18.5 Amanda can make a Power Blow like any other immortal, but it does only 2 damage if successful and no damage at all if it is blocked (no exertion necessary unless blocked by another Amanda).

Q18.6 What happens when Amanda blocks Power Blows?
A18.6 If she can dodge the attack, she takes no damage. If she only blocks the attack, she'll take 3 damage. If she makes an Exertion for a Power Block, she will reduce the damage to 2. If she has a Continuity or Ancestral Blade in play, she can make Power Blocks without an Exertion and take no damage. Finally, if Amanda uses Stamina to make the Power Block, she will still take two points of damage. Stamina merely replaces the Exertion so the effect on Amanda is the same as if she was Exerting for the Power Block but without the card loss.

Q18.7 If two people are playing Amanda against one another, how does the damage work with Power Blows?
A18.7 It works much like it would between any two other Personas, but the damage is halved.

Q18.8 Amanda played an Upper Right Attack, then Surprise Attack. I had a Right Guard in play. The Surprise Attack causes me to lose any standing defenses, but can I use the Right Guard to block the Upper Right Attack, since it was played before Surprise Attack?
A18.8 No. Surprise Attack, despite its name, is an Event card. So, even if Surprise Attack is played after an attack, it will have its effect when it is played. Your Right Guard will already have been removed before the start of your turn, so you will need to play a new defense against the Upper Right Attack.

  19. Connor MacLeod

 

Q19.1 Duncan and Connor can ignore the rule about attacking to an area just blocked. Does this apply to the Guard cards, as well, even though they specifically say you "may not play a Right/Left or Center attack" while the guard is in play?
A19.1 When Duncan or Connor plays a Guard, they must drop it to play an attack to that side. For example, Player A attacks with an Upper Left Attack, and Connor plays a Left Guard to defend. Connor can, during his attack phase, drop that Guard in order to play a Left or Center attack.

Q19.2 Master's Stance lets any block you play act as a Guard. Connor's Master's Block covers all nine areas. Since Connor can attack where he just blocked, would he have to drop the Master's Block(Guard) in order to make an attack?
A19.2 No. The inability to attack through a guard is a specific text circumstance of those cards, not something in the rules. So unless stated on a card otherwise, Connor can continue to attack through the Block (Guard).

[REVERSAL]
* Q19.3 Since Connor can look at Hidden attacks, can he look at a Hidden attack, then play a bogus block against it just to get the block out of his hand? Would he still be able to exert for a correct block?
* A19.3 Yes. Though Connor has the power to look at Hidden Attacks, this does not mean the attack is no longer Hidden. Following the rules for Hidden Attacks, Connor can play any one defense against the Hidden Attack, whether he knows it's a legal defense or not. If that defense is incorrect, he could then make an Exertion to search for a defense to play against the Hidden Attack.

20. Duncan MacLeod

 

Q20.1 Do you have to make a normal Exertion before using Duncan's, Annie's, Hugh's, or Kern's Flashback?
A20.1 Yes.

Q20.2 Can I use Flashback with a Battle Rage to get 3 more cards to play with?
A20.2 No. Battle Rage says "make an exertion," meaning you only get to make ONE exertion with it. Flashback gives you an extra Exertion, it doesn't give you a larger exertion.

* Q20.3 Duncan's Persona power says that after a Power Blow his opponent's next attack cannot be hidden. What if they are in the Mountain Cave, can the attack be made hidden (due to the Cave)?
* A20.3 No. No matter what cards are played or effects in play, Duncan's opponent's next attack during his next turn cannot be a Hidden Attack.

21. Luther

 

Q21.1 Luther's Taunt says that 'Opponent must discard 1 attack for every attack he plays next turn.' What does this mean?
A21.1 For every attack the opponent WANTS to play next turn, he has to discard an attack first. So if you had 4 attacks, and wanted to play 2, you would have to discard the other 2 attacks. If you only have one attack in your hand, you could exert for an attack and, if you found one, play it, then discard the attack in your hand after the exertion. Think of it as having to 'purchase' attacks.

Q21.2 Can Luther play an attack, then play Disappear?
A21.2 No. If Luther plays an attack, he can't play Disappear. If he plays Disappear, he can't play an attack.
  22. Nefertiri

 

Q22.1 Nefertiri's Ability seems pretty powerful. So all those cards that force your opponent to discard are pretty useless against her?
A22.1 Many of them are, yes. But remember, Nefertiri can only discard FROM HER ABILITY to the top of her Endurance. If the card forces the target to discard from her Endurance (like the Counterfeit plot), then it will still affect Nefertiri.

[REVERSAL]
* Q22.2 Amanda played one of her Steal cards on Nefertiri. Can Nefertiri still put that card on the top of her Endurance?
* A22.2 No. Nefertiri can only use her Persona power when she is the one doing the discarding. In this case, Amanda is the one discarding the card from Nefertiri's hand, so Nefertiri cannot put it on top of her Endurance.

Q22.3 Can Nefertiri play Bassett & Hotchkiss, discard several attacks to her endurance, then draw them back into her hand and continue discarding the same attacks again and again? A Bassett & Hotchkiss infinite ability-loss!
A22.3 No. The action of discarding the attacks for Bassett & Hotchkiss cannot be interrupted to draw up, either by Nefertiri or by playing Patience. Nefertiri can still discard all her attacks to her Endurance then draw them back into her hand and be set to play another B&H next turn.

Q22.4 Can Nefertiri use her special ability when Battlefield is out?
A22.4 Yes. She can discard a defense card to her Endurance and then draw it right back to her hand. She should show the card to her opponent so they can verify that it is a defense card being discarded but she is not *required* to do so.

Q22.5 Can Nefertiri draw up to her Ability before doing any `must do' effects?
A22.5 No. According to Nefertiri's card text, her Ability is classified as a `may do' which comes after `must do' effects.

23. Richie Ryan

 

Q23.1 Can his Persona power let him use another Persona's Premium card?
A23.1 No. The Premium cards must be played with a specific Persona.

Q23.2 So are the two version of Connor (Series and Movie) considered different Personas so that Richie could pull in a Connor Disarm (SE) and also a Connor Master's Advice (ME) without Darius?
A23.2 No, he will need Darius to do this.

Q23.3 What about the Master's Advice? Could Richie have Amanda's, Duncan's and his own? Or, in other words, does Richie get to ignore Restriction numbers?
A23.3 No, the Restriction number in the upper right corner still applies: however, it only applies to that unique card. A card is considered unique based on the title, Persona, type, and effect/text of the card. So Richie could have Amanda's, Duncan's, Connor's, and his own Master's Advice cards but only one of each. Only one can be in play at a time though.

Q23.4 So Richie can have more than two Master's Block cards?
A23.4 Yes, Richie could have his 2 Master's Block cards, Connor's, Katana's, and Fitzcairn's Master's Block cards. Keep in mind, that would be his five Master Cards he is allowed.

* Q23.5 If Richie has two Slan cards in his deck, Shooting Blade and Berserk, and one Darius, does he need to tell me before the game starts which card of Slan's the Darius will be used with?
* A23.5 Yes. If a player uses the Darius Event, he must declare what card it is that Darius is allowing him to add to his deck. Anytime during the game that the player plays that card, he must play the Darius Event in conjunction with it. This gets a little more confusing when Richie adds two of the same cards from another Persona to his deck. In which case, Richie doesn't have to play Darius with the first of the two cards played because you can't tell for sure if it is the one Darius allowed him to add to his deck. However, before he Exhausts he must play Darius with the second card added.

Q23.6 Can Richie use a Pregame Darius to add a second Shooting Blade?
A23.6 No. Pregame Darius only lets you add cards you are normally allowed to have. Richie can't `normally' have Shooting Blade, his Persona power let's him have it.

Q23.7 Can Richie use a 'Bob Quickening' to pull in extra cards from other Personas?
A23.7 No. Richie gains no benefit from using the 'Bob Quickening'.
 

24. Slan Quince

 

Q24.1 Is Shooting Blade an attack or an Event?
A24.1 See the errata. This card is a Special Attack and should have a Middle Center gold grid. It is also a ranged attack and can't be hidden, can't be a Power Blow and can't be played from an exertion.

Q24.2 Can the Shooting Blade be Dodged?
A24.2 Yes, it can be avoided by any dodges that cover the middle center square (however, you cannot Back Away from it, as that dodge does not dodge ranged attacks.

Q24.3 Can I play Shooting Blade without playing Back Away?
A24.3 Yes. The requirement for some ranged attacks to be used only after playing a Back Away is on the cards affected. It isn't a general rule for all ranged attacks.

Q24.4 Can I use Slan's special Ability to make every one of his Berserk attacks into a Power Blow?
A24.4 No, he can make ONE of the attacks a Power Blow, but not all of them. Remember, you may make only one Power Blow per turn.

Q24.5 Okay, here's a fun one: Slan just blocked an attack using a Right Guard, and during his attack phase, he played a Berserk and drew NINE! attack cards. But all of them were right attacks. Can Slan play any of the attacks?
A24.5 At first glance, Slan appears to be screwed. However, it doesn't make any sense that way. In a situation like this, Slan can take one of the attacks he drew and discard it, essentially skipping that attack. He may then play the rest of his Berserk attacks.

Q24.6 If my opponent breaks my weapon, can I still use Shooting Blade?
A24.6 No. If your weapon is broken, you are Disarmed and follow all the normal rules for being Disarmed. You cannot attack and you cannot block. However, unlike normal Disarming, if your weapon is broken, you do not get to roll each turn to recover it.
  25. Xavier St. Cloud

 

Q25.1 How many Plot cards is Xavier allowed?
A25.1 His Ability lets him have twice the Restriction number (whether it be Card Restriction or Title Restriciton), so he could have 12 Sea Witch cards, 12 Counterfeit, etc. He could have 4 Hooks, 4 Lines, and 4 Sinkers from the Sea Witch Plot, for example.

Q25.2 So can Xavier have 12 Cat and Mouse Plots of the same type?
A25.2 Yes. He could have 12 of the first Plot card for Counterfeit if he wanted them. The 'only 6 per title' restriction on cards is overruled by Xavier's special Ability with respect to Plot cards.

[REVERSAL]
* Q25.3 If Xavier Dariused in a Kurgan Disguise Plot (restricted to 3) can he Darius in 5 more as well?
* A25.3 Yes. Kurgan's Disguise is a Plot and Xavier's Persona power will double this Restriction to 6. However, since Disguise is a card he cannot normally have in his deck, he must use a Darius Event to add each one to his deck; in this case he would be adding 6 Darius Events and 6 Kurgan Disguises (one Darius for each Disguise).

Q25.4 What is Xavier's Hook card? Is it an Attack or do you have to play an attack with it?
A25.4 The Hook card has errata that makes it more like Extra Shot or Combination. It now reads: "Play an additional attack this turn. This extra attack may not be blocked."

Q25.5 Does his middle center attack Ability count as Xavier 'playing' a card his turn?
A25.5 No. He still must play a card, or make an Exertion if he cannot play a card.

Q25.6 Can Xavier's Persona power Middle Center attack be Hidden?
A25.6 Yes. If there is some way to make it Hidden such as in the Mountain Cave, then Xavier may declare that the attack is Hidden.

Q25.7 Can Xavier's Stalk be a Power Blow or a Hidden Attack?
A25.7 No. It is a Special Attack (like Slan's Shooting Blade and cannot be a Power Blow, Hidden, or played from an Exertion.

[REVERSAL]
* Q25.8 If Xavier just played Forethought, can he use it to counter the Police: Remove Situation card I play in my turn?
* A25.8 Since Forethought is a "discard to use" card, you are allowed to play a card before it can be used. If you play a Police to remove another card from play, he can't discard Forethought to stop the Police becuase the Forethought cannot be used until AFTER you played your first card in the turn after he puts it into play.

[REVERSAL]
* Q25.9 The text on SE Pedestrian says "No attacks may be played until after your opponent's next 2 turns." If Xavier doesn't play a Special, he can make a Middle Center Attack that does 1 damage, so can Xavier attack with Pedestrian in play since he's not technically playing an attack?
* A25.9 No. For all intents and purposes, Xavier is considered to be playing an attack when using his Persona power to make a Middle Center Attack (even though he isn't actually playing a card).
  26. Kastagir

[REVERSAL]
* Q26.1 Can Kastagir 'stop short' when Exerting to search for an attack or defense? For example, Kastagir is Exerting to search for an attack: he Exerts one card at a time, and by the third card, he realizes that he's already gone past three really good cards. He wants to cut his losses and stop. Can he?
* A26.1 No. Kastagir can only stop when he actually finds an attack or defense and plays it or when he reaches the full size of the Exertion declared.

Q26.2 If Kastagir is Exerting because of Toadies, is he Exerting for a defense (in this case three of them) and therefore can he stop at anytime?
A26.2 No. Toadies says that he may make an Exertion. This Exertion is not considered to be searching for an attack or defense so Kastagir's Special Ability doesn't apply.

  27. Katana

 

* Q27.1 [Removed]

* Q27.2 If Katana were able to make more than one exertion in a turn but Psychosis was in play, would he have to use any "extra" Exertions to remove Situations?
* A27.2 No. Katana's Nemesis card only restricts the type of Exertions he can make it doesn't force him to make Exertions, in this case he can only make Standard Exertions during his turn. A Standard Exertion is any Exertion made to make an attack a Power Blow, make a block a Power Blow, or to search for an attack or defense. So Katana cannot make an Exertion to remove a Situation while his Nemesis card is in play.

* Q27.3 [Removed]

Q27.4 If Katana is exerting to remove a Situation, can he also play a defense or an attack from that Exertion?
A27.4 No. The Exertion is for the sole purpose of removing the Situation and can't be used for anything else.

Q27.5 Will a Guard already in play stop an attack played with Katana's Taunt?
A27.5 Yes. Katana's Taunt prevents you from playing a defense (except from an Exertion) but it does not prevent you from using a defense already in play.

Q27.6 If Katana has 3 Collect cards in play and Exerts to remove one of them, how big (or small) of an Exertion can he do?
A27.6 When Katana Exerts to remove a Situation, the Situation remains in play until the Exertion is complete. So in the above example, Katana could Exert as few as 2 cards (5 - 3) or as many as 8 (5 + 3).

   28. Khan

 

Q28.1 Will Khan's Breastplate Armor stop all the damage from slashes?
A28.1 Yes and no. A horizontal slash is entirely a middle attack, so Breastplate would stop the damage. A vertical slash is not entirely a middle attack (it is also an upper and a lower attack), so Breastplate would not stop the damage.

Q28.2 If I have all three pieces of Armor out (Helmet, Breastplate, and Greaves), would that prevent all damage from a vertical or Diagonal slash?
A28.2 Yes.

Q28.3 Will a fully Armored Khan take any damage from Kurgan's Bloodlust since the attacks are all 1 point?
A28.3 Possibly. It depends on the attacks played and other effects in play. The success of the attacks is determined at the end of the Defense Phase. All adjustments to damage are applied at that time. For example, after the Bloodlust, three attacks are determined to be successful;

  • a) Upper Left Attack
  • b) Middle Left Attack
  • c) Thrust

The damage is adjusted by +1 each for Kurgan's Persona power, +1 for the Thrust, and -1 due to Helmet and Breastplate. A total of 4 points of damage hits Khan which he could have used Dr. Sonny Jackson or Dr. Anne Lindsey to reduce further.

Q28.4 Is Khan's special ability optional? Can he choose to lose 5 ability instead of 3 when he exhausts his Endurance?
A28.4 Khan's ability is not optional.
29. Kurgan

 

Q29.1 If I use his Persona power with Thrust, do I get the extra point?
A29.1 Yes, any attack played by Kurgan that is successful will have an extra point added. The Thrust would then add a further point of damage on top of this. So a successful Thrust from Kurgan would do 4 damage. If the Thrust was made a Power Blow and not blocked or avoided it would then do 6 damage; 4 damage if blocked without a Power Block.

Q29.2 Does the Kurgan still get the +1 damage bonus from his ability if Fade Away is in play? Does he get the extra point from a Thrust?
A29.2 No matter how much damage Kurgan does with a single attack, it is reduced to 1 when his Nemesis card Fade Away is in play.

Q29.3 Does the Kurgan's special Ability affect Dirty Tricks?
A29.3 No. Doing 'no' damage is different than doing zero damage.

Q29.4 Kurgan's Bloodlust says each attack does 1 damage. Does his special Ability work with Bloodlust so any successful attacks do an additional point of damage?
A29.4 Yes.

Q29.5 What if Kurgan makes one of the attacks a Power Blow?
A29.5 Bloodlust has officially entered into the errata. None of the attacks from Bloodlust may be a Power Blow.

[REVERSAL]
* Q29.6 If I'm playing Kurgan with Xavier's Quickening that lets me have twice the normal number of Plots, then I can have 6 Disguises. If I use a Pre-Game Darius to raise the restriction number on Disguise to 4, can I now bring in 8 Disguises or is it only 7?
* A29.6 Xavier's Quickening allows you twice the Restriction on Plots (whether it be Card Restriction or Title Restriction). Pre-Game Darius will raise the Restriction of a card by one. So figure out the Plots new Restriction with Pre-Game Darius first, then double the result to determine how many of that Plot you can use. Remember that Pre-Game Darius will only increase Card Restriction, not Title Restriction. So, in this case, you could use Pre-Game Darius to increase the Restriction of Disguise to 4, then double that with your Xavier Quickening to make it a total of 8 Disguise cards.

Q29.7 If Kurgan plays Stunning Blow, does he do a 3 card or 5 card Exertion?
A29.7 His special Ability lets him make a 3 card exertion to make a Power Blow. Since Stunning Blow isn't a Power Blow, Kurgan must make a 5 card exertion.

Q29.8 If Kurgan has a Guard up, and he plays Run Through, what happens to the Guard? Does it stay up?
A29.8 Yes. The Guard remains. It just doesn't stop the attack.

Q29.9 Can you use Iron Wills to augment the die roll for Kurgan's Master's Disarm? When would they be played?
A29.9 You can use Iron Wills with Master's Disarm. The play sequence would be to play Master's Disarm, play any Iron Wills you want, then make the exertion and roll the die. Remember, after making an Exertion you can no longer play any cards from your hand for the remainder of the current phase.

  30. Nakano

 

* Q30.1 Nakano can duplicate any Event his opponent played last turn by discarding a Special Card from his hand. Can he use this power to duplicate Reserved and Signature cards from other Immortals? Like Hugh's Fast Talk?
* A30.1 Yes. The Reserved and Restriction qualities of a card are only applicable during deck design. Normally only the proper Persona can play a Signature card, but in this case Nakano is only duplicating the effects of the card and is not considered to be playing the card itself.

[REVERSAL]
* Q30.2 Does using his Persona power count as Nakano's Special card for the turn?
* A30.2 Sort of. Nakano can use his Persona power instead of playing a Special card during his turn. So once he duplicates the effects of an Event played by his opponent, he can no longer play a Special card that turn. Also, if he plays a Special card during his turn, he cannot then duplicate the effects of an Event played by his opponent.

[REVERSAL]
Q30.3 If Nakano duplicates an Event, can the opponent counter it using TCG, Forethought, or Watcher/Counter?
A30.3 No. When Nakano uses his Persona power to duplicate the effects of an Event, he is not considered to be playing a card; although the effects are treated as if he did.

Q30.4 Does Nakano roll the dice for a Mirror Image in his defense phase?
A30.4 No. The attack played is what triggers the die roll so the attacker would roll the dice during his attack phase.

Q30.5 Can Nakano play Master's Disarm when his opponents plays a Pistol or other Ranged Attack?
A30.5 No. Master's Disarm can only be played after his opponent plays a non-ranged attack.

Q30.6 If Nakano's opponent plays Candy, can Nakano use the discarded special card in order to duplicate Candy?
A30.6 No. Nakano must discard a special card, but can then discard a second special card to duplicate Candy.

Q30.7 Can Nakano discard a Special card to duplicate the last (Event) card of a Plot sequence?
A30.7 Yes, but only if Nakano can meet the other requirements (i.e., have Part 1 and 2 in play) of the Plot.

Q30.8 If Nakano has out Mirror Image and I play Disarm, would I need to roll to see if the Disarm is "aimed" at the right target?
A30.8 No. Disarm is played in place of an attack and is not an attack itself.

Q30.9 If I play a Mirror Image card, what happens to one already in play? Do they both protect me?
A30.9 Both Mirror Image cards stay out however, you only have to roll against the most recently played card. A miss would still be counted against all Mirror Image cards in play. If any of the Mirror Image cards has two misses on it, it is removed from play.

ERRATA UPDATE

Disarm
EVENT
Play in place of a Basic Attack. You have a 1 in 6 chance of Disarming your opponent.

Copyright © 1996 Thunder Castle Games - All Rights Reserved This document may be freely reproduced and distributed, so long as it remains unaltered and this copyright notice is preserved