In chess, when is it appropriate to resign?

I once, in a serious tournament, in the very last round won a game when I was down a whole queen (at one point in the game - by the time I won I had recovered the queen and much more).

I had also before I eventually turned the position around to be clearly winning offered my opponent a draw, a draw which would have advanced him to a statewide individual tournament, but assuming he had a won game (which technically he did but over the board he failed to see how to win - in part because he ran into time trouble) he declined my draw offer.

My point is that even in a serious tournament situation I had not considered resigning in this specific position because the game was still highly dynamic and because since we had not yet met the time control conditions I still had a very real possibility of winning on time even if I was down in materials.

So what more general advice can I offer?

1 - do not resign if the position is still highly dynamic - i.e. even if you are down in pieces you still have more than enough pieces to both technically win the game and have the ability to create counterthreats your opponent will need to deal with before they can win the game

2 - DO resign if you see a clear path to defeat - i.e. if you see a forced mate or a clear consolidation of the game such that your opponent has an overwhelming advantage. This is especially true if you have a lot of respect for your opponent's game - but even in a casual play you should probably resign when it is clear that you have lost. (i.e. when you could only get back into the game seriously if your opponent made major blunders).

In the game I cited above I won because due to persistant threats by my Knight and other pieces my opponent moved his king into a position where I was able to then fork his king and queen - and then proceed to capture many more pieces and come back from a seemingly insurmountable piece deficit to a clear and decisive victory. But I was able to do this because the position was highly fluid with lots of tactical options open to me even with the loss of my queen. It was a complex position, with both kings fairly advanced and I still had plenty of my own pieces and pawns to threaten my opponent with. Furthermore he was in significant time pressure due to a looming time control which we had not yet met - while I had more time on my clock (but still played quickly to keep the pressure on him)

My general rule - resign when you can no longer learn from the game in casual play and in tournament play resign when you no longer have a realistic ability to make serious threats or eek out a draw (and don't forget to look at the clock's impact on play in tournaments)


Can you be sent to Reading Railroad without passing Go?

Yes, it can happen...
There are 2 cases that explain the wording of this card. These cases reveal that it is possible to be sent to Reading Railroad by a Chance card from a square other than a Chance square.
Case 1 Original USA game
According to World of Monopoly, these (first?) four versions of Monopoly contained this Community Chest card : «Pay $10 fine or take a Chance»

Darrow White Box, Darrow Black Box, Parker Bros 1935 Plain, Parker
Bros 1935-36 Plain

This means that you could be sent to Reading Railroad by a Chance card from the Community Chest square between Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue, and NOT pass Go.
According to EnAcademic.com, this Community Chest card has been omitted from the US editions since 1936.
Case 2 Blame Canada
Again, according to World Of Monopoly,

Edition:  “Mini box”, with separate board - Atlantic City Publisher:
Parker Bros. Inc/The Copp Clark Co.Ltd. - ±1946 ... Reg. U.S. Patent
Office Canadian Registration M.S. 19-5674 U.S.  Patents 1.509.312
---2.026.082  Patented Canada.1936 ---- 362.124 ...
«Curiously, the rules of this game (in English and French) contain a
provision that a player rolling a 3 may take a Chance or Community
Chest card instead of making his move.»

I remember playing with this rule in the 1950s, but I always remembered it as a house rule. It appears that it was official, in Canada.
Therefore, if you rolled a 3 while on Mediterranean Avenue, Community Chest(1), Baltic Avenue or Income Tax, you could elect to not play it, take a Chance card, and be sent to Reading Railroad by that card, without passing Go.
Conclusion
In either case, it would be possible to be sent to Reading Railroad, by a Chance card, from a square other than Chance, and not pass Go. And that is why the phrase «... if you pass GO, collect $200» was required on the Chance card in those days. The phrase just was not dropped when no longer required.


Less treasure cards in Dungeon! board game

The number of treasure cards is equal to the number of rooms that exist on each level.  You only get treasure when defeating a monster or triggering a trap in a room.  Therefore, it should never be possible to run out of treasure cards.  My guess is that you were mistakenly awarding treasure in chambers, which should not be the case.

From the rules:

"Monsters in Rooms have treasure; those in Chambers do not."


Does the cooperative Lord of the Rings game require a decent amount of experience with the books to be playable?

It's absolutely not necessary for game play. Players that don't know the book will not get many of the story line references, but I don't think it means they can't enjoy the game.


What happens when you Magical Hack a Quicksilver Fountain?

Lands with flood counters on them retain their latest type even if Quicksilver Fountain is hacked or leaves the battlefield.
That is because the Fountain's first ability is not a static effect itself, but a triggered ability that creates a one-shot effect that in turn creates a continuous effect. Each flood counter has its individual effect at the time it's placed on a land. As an analogy, you can think of flood counters as token enchantments, except it's a counter instead.
That means your option 2) is correct. Lands that got a flood counter before the Fountain was hacked remain islands after the hack, flood counters after the hack turn lands into swamps, and all lands with flood counters retain their respective type after the Fountain has left the battlefield.

Continuous Effects

611.1. A continuous effect modifies characteristics of objects, modifies control of objects, or affects players or the rules of the game, for a fixed or indefinite period.
611.2. A continuous effect may be generated by the resolution of a spell or ability.


When should I open a particular envelope in Risk Legacy?

It would be difficult to go into the reasoning without spoiling anything, but you should probably open it before the 15th signature. Waiting until after that will make some of the packet not matter.

The designer's opinion, RobDaviau wrote:

  I would open at least two envelopes and one pocket first.


Voldaren Pariah is exiled while transforming

There are two possible outcomes, depending on when the Volarden Pariah is exiled. These are the only two possibilities; you can't do anything while the Pariah is transforming.
While the activated ability is on the stack
In this case, the Pariah will never transform, and the triggered ability that would make the opponent sacrifice creatures never goes on the stack.
The relevant rules are these:

112.7. The source of an ability is the object that generated it. The source of an activated ability on the stack is the object whose ability was activated. The source of a triggered ability (other than a delayed triggered ability) on the stack, or one that has triggered and is waiting to be put on the stack, is the object whose ability triggered. To determine the source of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.

201.4. Text that refers to the object it’s on by name means just that particular object and not any other objects with that name, regardless of any name changes caused by game effects.

400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence.

If we put these all together, we see that the instruction "Transform Volarden Pariah" really means "Transform the object whose ability was activated". And when the Pariah is exiled, it becomes a new object, so the original object doesn't exist, and the "Transform" instruction just does nothing. Since it never transforms, the triggered ability on the back face never triggers, and the opponent doesn't have to sacrifice three creatures.
After the activated ability resolves
Once the activated ability resolves, the triggered ability on the back face immediately goes on the stack, because rule 116.2a says

Triggered abilities can trigger at any time, including while a spell is being cast, an ability is being activated, or a spell or ability is resolving. (See rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities.”) However, nothing actually happens at the time an ability triggers. Each time a player would receive priority, each ability that has triggered but hasn’t yet been put on the stack is put on the stack. See rule 116.5.

And rule 112.7a says

Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source...

So, even if the Pariah is exiled while the triggered ability is on the stack, the ability still f the resolves, and forces the opponent to sacrifice three creatures.
If the Pariah re-enters the battlefield
In either case, the Pariah will enter the battlefield face-up. Rule 711.8 says

A double-faced card enters the battlefield with its front face up by default. If a spell or ability puts it onto the battlefield “transformed,” it enters the battlefield with its back face up.

And rule 400.7 (quoted above) says that it doesn't remember its previous existence, so there's nothing that would change what it does from the default.


Will spells that exile enchantments also exile enchantment artifacts?

Yes, any card that can exile an enchantment can exile an enchantment artifact. This is because an enchantment artifact is both an enchantment as well as an artifact.

  205.2b Some objects have more than one card type (for example, an artifact creature). Such objects satisfy the criteria for any effect that applies to any of their card types.

There's also this nugget of information buried in the Basic Rulebook, to help illustrate this relationship to new players.

  Artifact creatures are both artifacts and creatures. [...]  An artifact creature can be affected by anything that affects artifacts, as well as anything that affects creatures.

Trivia: The quoted piece of information was present in the M14 Basic Rulebook, but you won't find it anywhere in the M15 Basic Rulebook.

Examples

Erase can exile Whip of Erebos, because Whip of Erebos is an enchantment, and Erase targets enchantments. Being an artifact does not make this any less true.

Dryad Arbor would be affected by Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, because Dryad Arbor is a land.

Dryad Arbor would also be affected by Anger of the Gods, because Dryad Arbor is a creature.

A Darksteel Citadel enchanted with Ensoul Artifact with an Enchanted Evening in play would be would be affected by anything that affects enchantments, creatures, artifacts, or lands.


Can a toilet be covered if the votes are tied in Drunter und Drüber?

On a tie vote, the Yes votes carry.
Mayfair Games released this game as Wacky Wacky West, on their website is a play demonstration/rules explanation video.
At about 3:15 the voting is explained and contains this:

If there are more yes votes than no votes or if it's a tie the tile is played and the outhouse is destroyed.

On BoardGameGeek, there is a file uploaded entitled Rule clarification - tied voting which has:

The German rules state the following:
"Ueberwiegen die Ja-Stimmen oder waren Nein- und Ja-Stimmen gleich stark, bleibt das Plaettchen ueber dem Toilettenhaeuschen liegen."
This can be translated as follows: If there are more "Ja" votes than "Ne" votes, or if the "Ja" and "Ne" votes are equally strong, the tile remains in place.


Can you use Haunted Plate Mail as a Spirit ONLY when it hangs around all alone on the battlefield?

The rules for permanents, specifically 110.2, says

  A permanent's owner is the same as the owner of the card that represents it (unless it's a token; see rule 110.5a). A permanent's controller is, by default, the player under whose control it entered the battlefield. Every permanent has a controller.

Only permanents have controllers, and 110.1 says "A permanent is a card or token on the battlefield," so yes, "creatures you control" means "creatures on the battlefield that you control."

In addition, it's worth mentioning that rule 109.2 says

  If a spell or ability uses a description of an object that includes a card type or subtype, but doesn't include the word "card," "spell," "source," or "scheme," it means a permanent of that card type or subtype on the battlefield.

Since Haunted Plate Mail just says "creatures," it is referring to creature permanents on the battlefield.


Catan Road Eligibility for Diplomat with Knight In Between?

Oddly this is clarified in the FAQ under When is a ship “open”?
The full answer is that a knight will interrupt a continuous road, but will not make the road "open", while this is a slightly confusing aspect of the rules it's there to prevent "orphaned" roads, which were not handled in the rules until the advent of volcanoes.
Essentially a road is only open if it is at the end of a trade route, not if both ends are connected to other pieces from the same player.


It is not in the FAQ. But the Temporary Amnesia is mentioned on a forum.
Question:

Had a little debate in a game today over this one...
I say that since the card (Temporary Amnesia) says you are Human "for all purposes", that trumps items like Casting Couch for special powers and Fake Ears and
Fake Beard for the sake of monster bonus/penalty and Race/Class
specific items.
The other side says that those are simply items that override or
sidestep your actual Races/Classes and are thus not affected by
Temporary Amnesia. You're actually a plain old Human, but if you put
on Fake Ears, monsters will think you're an Elf, and so on.
Which is right?

Answer

Your friends are right. Fake Ears/Beard don't actually change your Race; they just change the way it appears. The fact that you don't remember your real Race doesn't affect how those Items work.

This implies that as long as Temporary Amnesia is in effect, you are not a dwarf so the +4 does not apply. But if you wear a fake beard, the +4 again works.


Can I combine troops from multiple regions when conquering?

No, they cannot combine. (in the way that you are implying).

Attacks are not made from units on the board, they are made from units "in hand".  Once deployed to the board, units may not be moved or picked back up until the next turn.

Each attack is from one distinct region to another.  Note that during the Ready your Troops phase, you should pick up all extra troops from each area (and can even eliminate all troops from areas if you wish) in order to make a bigger attack force.

In your example, if those troops haven't attacked this turn, then you can effectively combine them when you ready your troops.


MtG multiple "first time each turn" effects question

For the exact effect you want, you can word the emblem as follows:

At the beginning of each upkeep, if this emblem has no Quickening counter on it, put a Quickening counter on it.
As long as this emblem has a Quickening counter on it, you may cast spells as though they had flash.
If you would cast a spell without a Quickening counter on it, instead move a Quickening counter from this emblem to that spell and the spell becomes cast.

This template keeps track of the number of spells cast with flash through your emblems with counters. You can cast spells as though they had flash as long as at least one emblem still has a counter on it. Since I worded the counter-moving effect as a replacement effect, it makes sure you get exactly N uses out of your N emblems, because they can't put a Quickening counter on a spell that has already been handled by another emblem. After all counters have been moved during this turn, you can no longer cast spells as though they had flash. The counters also cease to exist as the spell leaves the stack, so no maintenance is required in that regard.
Personally, however, I would drop the requirement that it has to affect the first N spells, whether they need it or not. It makes the emblem very awkward to word. I would recommend the following, much simpler and more elegant wording:

{0}: The next card you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash. Activate this ability only once each turn.

That way, you can have multiple copies of that emblem and they work cumulatively and independently, with what I believe to be the minimum amount of text while using standard wording.
For balance reasons, you can add e.g. "and only during your/an opponent's turn" to the second sentence.
The template is a combination of Quicken and Avizoa.
With this wording, you are flexible which card you want to play with flash, and you don't have to awkwardly count the number of emblems, which are the least descriptive objects.


Does the Bavarian Illuminati make a privileged attack in addition to their two actions?

No, the Bavarian Illuminati's special attack is not a free action.

It is not listed as an example free action in the list on page 7 of the rules.  It's function is built into the regular attacks used.  Note that the only mention of the special power in the rules section is inside of the Interference section on page 7.

The Bavarian's privileged attack is simply a way for them to avoid paying the usual cost to make an attack privileged. Instead of Discarding a special card, they can spend $5 once/turn to make an attack privileged.

This does not mean that the groups participating in the attack are exempt from the general rule that each group may only participate in one attack per turn.


Can triggered effects occur even though a creature has summmoning sickness?

You are correct - summoning sickness is not relevant here as it does not prevent a creature's triggered abilities from triggering. It would prevent you from attacking with Aven Wind Mage, or paying costs with the {T} symbol, but you weren't attempting to do those things. See that linked question for the full details.
Another potential confusion in the play here is that it is perfectly acceptable to cast Dramatic Reversal even though it would not directly affect anything. By contrast if you had tried to cast Aerial Assault with no tapped creatures on the battlefield, this would not have be a legal play as that specifies

Destroy target tapped creature.

and you would not have been able to specify a valid target for the spell. The difference here is between an illegal play (one you're not allowed to do) and an ineffective play (one you're allowed to do but doesn't have any real effect).


In Diplomacy, is it good strategy to have a primary alliance with a country on the opposite of the board?

Well, having allies is never a bad strategy, whether it is in Diplomacy or in real life wars. But the one thing I've learnt about Diplomacy is that an alliance never lasts long. There is only one winner at the end of the game. If you agree with the other country that Russia will be destroyed and that you will share the remains, it is a good idea. The question you should ask yourself is: "should I betray the other before he betrays me?"

Let me answer your question in a more generalistic way. Whenever two countries are allies in Diplomacy, each part should have these two strategies:

What will I do if we are allied? What do I want from my friend? What do I do when I have what I want?
What does my ally want? What do I do if I am betrayed? Is there a way for me to forsee that betrayal and use it to my advantage?

So basically, yes, it is a good idea to team up with a distant country, but until when?


No.

You may (but are not required to) choose new copies for any or all copies created by Increasing Vengeance. "Copies" in the last sentence refers to any copies the spell produces, even if it's just one.

Note that these types of questions can be easily referenced by looking up the rulings for Increasing Vengeance on Gatherer.


When races are defeated, do the tokens all go back to the tray for redraw (if power allows)?

Yes. From the rules on conquering regions in the base game, on what to do if you have been conquered:

  Permanently discard one Race token
  back into the Storage
  tray

And from the rules for Sorcerers, for example"

  with one of
  your own taken from the storage tray.


What does it mean that uranium always refills from space 16?

The rulebook is confusingly worded. The "Exception" is calling out a graphical peculiarity, not a rules difference.

The resupply for Uranium works the same as for every other resource: you take the specified number of units and place them on the most expensive slots available. This exception is calling your notice to the fact that there are four extra Uranium slots that do not share one of the large square blocks with Coal/Oil/Garbage, and that once those are full, there is only one slot for Uranium in each of those square blocks.

You can see that this is the case in the example immediately after your quote on p. 6 of the rulebook. The market begins with 2 Uranium on 14 and 16. The table calls for 2 Uranium to be placed, and those are placed on the 12 and 10.


Do Attached Cards follow the Swapped Monster when Creature Swap is used?

So I know my comment started this question, and if you want someone else to answer I understand. But here is why I do not think they go with the creature.
The official rules about equip cards:

  These cards give an extra effect to
  1 face-up monster of your choice
  (either your own or your opponent’s,
  depending on the card). They remain
  on the field after they are activated.
  The Equip Spell Card affects only
  1 monster (called the equipped
  monster), but still occupies one of
  your Spell & Trap Card Zones. If
  possible, place it in the zone directly
  behind the equipped monster to
  help you remember. If the equipped
  monster is destroyed, flipped facedown, or removed from the field, its
  Equip Cards are destroyed

Emphasis mine.

So it points out that Equip cards you control can in fact be on monsters your opponent controls. Creature Swap only says it gives your opponent control of the creature. Not anything else. In my mind the objects attached to the creature would still be under your control.


Can any spell be played as a face-down 2/2 creature for 3 colourless mana?

No, you cannot generally cast any card as a face down spell. Rule 707.1 is saying that there are some cards with abilities that specifically allow you to cast face down spells or otherwise get face down cards on the battlefield. The Morph ability itself is what allows you to cast the card as a face down spell, and that only applies to the card it's printed on, not any other card. The keyword action Manifest on cards like Ethereal Ambush puts cards on the battlefield face down and the ability on the card Ixidron turns cards on the battlefield face down.

Rule 707.7 simply means that the rules themselves do not provide any way to turn face down spells face up while they are on the stack. There are also currently no cards that do that, but the wording of that rule leaves that possibility open for the future.

Rule 707.11 is just describing how to handle "As [this permanent] is turned face up..." abilities. Many morph creatures have those kinds of abilities, but many don't have them. Cards without Morph or Megamorph don't have abilities like that.


Bridge: Is it a rule that you must announce the meaning of partners opening bid

I'm going to go just a bit stronger than Ruds here, assuming ACBL rules here.

Unless the ACBL alert chart mentions a specific announcement, you must not announce the meaning of partner's bid unless asked.  That is conveying information to your partner (conveying your interpretation of it), and is explicitly illegal, and may involve a penalty if a director is called.

Further, if it does call for an alert, you must only say "Alert" and no other information unless asked.  Again, providing that information also informs your partner.  (This may vary in high-level tournaments, where separate rooms or screens are used.)

The specific announcements - 1NT range and 1c shortness - are marked in blue on your convention card (indicating an announcement is appropriate).  Anything else - saying "Weak" after a weak 2, for example - is inappropriate.


Can I re-equip an equipped artifact to the same creature?

As our other Can you re-equip equipment to the same creature? question says, yes you can equip an equipment to a creature it is already equipped to.

However with Sunforger part of the cost of the ability is "Unattach Sunforger", this means that Sunforger will no longer be equipped to the creature it was equipped to prior to the ability being activated. This means that you are in fact not equipping the Sunforger to the creature that it is equipped to because the Sunforger is not equipped to any creature.


Is Lone Rider's ability checked every turn or just the turn it was summoned?

It does in fact trigger every turn (both yours and your opponent's!) in which you gain 3 or more life.

From the Comprehensive Rules:

  603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as “[Trigger
  condition], [effect],” and begin with the word “when,” “whenever,” or “at.” They can also be
  expressed as “[When/Whenever/At] [trigger event], [effect].”

  603.2. Whenever a game event or game state matches a triggered ability’s trigger event, that ability
  automatically triggers.

So in this case, the ability triggers every time it's "the beginning of the end step", not just the turn the card was played. (Actually there's one more technicality here:

  603.4. A triggered ability may read “When/Whenever/At [trigger event], if [condition], [effect].” When
  the trigger event occurs, the ability checks whether the stated condition is true. The ability triggers
  only if it is; otherwise it does nothing. If the ability triggers, it checks the stated condition again as it
  resolves...

So if you haven't gained 3 life by the beginning of a given end step, the ability does not trigger at all during that end step.)

MtG has been around for a long time and by now is shockingly good at having one definitive meaning for the text, so in general if there's something you don't understand, your answer probably exists in at least one of these places:

The Gatherer page for the card in question - the "Rulings" section may have your answer (not this time though).
The Basic Rules.
The Comprehensive Rules. It'll definitely have your answer, but the answer may be hard to find because there's so much there.


Artisan of Forms and Gift of Immortality

When a permanent that's a copy of something else leaves the battlefield, it immediately reverts to its original form as printed on the card. Anything that happened to it while it was on the battlefield has no influence whatsoever on it once it is in the graveyard or anywhere else (unless its effect says so). Artisan of Forms stops being a copy as soon as it leaves the battlefield, so how can it possibly still be one when it returns?

This is usually termed as a card moving between zones "forgetting" everything about what it was.

  400.7. An object that moves from one zone to another becomes a new object with no memory of, or relation to, its previous existence. There are seven exceptions to this rule:

Gift of the Immortality can find the right card in the graveyard because of one of the exceptions, but the card will still have reverted back to its original characteristics.

  400.7d Abilities that trigger when an object moves from one zone to another (for example, “When Rancor is put into a graveyard from the battlefield”) can find the new object that it became in the zone it moved to when the ability triggered, if that zone is a public zone.


Let's start from the beginning, "World Legacy Key"'s effect stated:

Negate any opponent's Trap effect that activates in the same column as a "Mekk-Knight" monster you control.

Assuming this Continuous effect already took place, your opponent activates "Fiendish Chain" with this activation condition:

Activate this card by targeting 1 Effect Monster on the field; ...

Which will now be explained by this article: Activate

A card or effect can only be activated if that card or effect meets its activation conditions.
The activation cost for a card or effect must be paid in order to activate a card or effect.
It is not possible to activate a card or effect if the effect would fail to do anything when it resolved.
It is not possible to activate a card or effect if it has no valid target.

Number 3 does NOT actually stop "Fiendish Chain". It means fail to do anything by the game mechanic or does not change any game state if it resolved, not negated by card effects (for example, activating "Raigeki" or "Dark Hole" when there are no monsters in the field). It is perfectly fine to activate cards as long as the activation condition is met, regardless if it would be negated by even Continuous effects.
Additionally, "Fiendish Chain" continuously targets the targeted monster, therefore as soon as "World Legacy Key" is no longer active, "Fiendish Chain" will automatically negate the targeted monster at the time of activation.
Therefore, "Fiendish Chain" can be activated, but its effects are negated as long as "World Legacy Key" is active. "Fiendish Chain" will remain on the field.
According to Shinji's explanation below, "Fiendish Chain"'s Continuous Effect still negates according to this ruling about "Skill Drain", so yeah, my bad. Kudos to him for finding the ruling in Japanese. Sometimes Konami make everything more convoluted than it should be.


No. For this particular combination of cards, there is no time during which the Matsu-Tribe Decoy is a legal target for Trap Runner's ability.

The Oracle text for Trap Runner's ability says:

  Target unblocked attacking creature becomes blocked. Activate this ability only during combat after blockers are declared.

Since this ability can only be activated after blockers are declared, Trap Runner would first have to block the Decoy... but then the Decoy is no longer an unblocked attacking creature.

Note also that your question asks about making the Trap Runner an "illegal target" for the Decoy's ability. Nothing about the Decoy's target being tapped (or otherwise unable to block) would make it an illegal target... just not one worth spending the mana on.


This seems like an issue brought about by some analysis paralysis, as mentioned in the comments on the original question. Check out the linked post (Countermeasures to "analysis paralysis"?) for help with dealing with that aspect at a high level.

As far as making Game of Thrones go faster, there are a number of ways you can do it (with the first four bullets borrowed from the BGG thread on the same topic):

Use a timer for the order placement, negotiation, and order execution phases of each round. This can be done for everyone at once, or by starting the timer once the first or second-last player is done (a la RoboRally or Galaxy Trucker).
Use text messaging (or another non-verbal method) to do all of the secretive discussion, instead of having players leave the room or try to whisper.
Have everyone place their orders at the same time, instead of in turns.
Have printouts of each player's hero cards available, so that they aren't being passed back and forth every battle.
For anyone who is new to the game, make sure they have read through the rules on their own and had a chance to ask questions before the game starts.
Use social pressure to encourage everyone to go faster. For example, whoever is last to place their orders is in charge of getting drinks/snacks until the next order placement phase.
Put a timer on the table which can be flipped by anyone at any time who feels like someone is taking too long (a la Codenames).

These are just a few different ways to speed up the game, I'm sure there are more. Using just a few of the above approaches, we got our games down to a reasonable ~90 minutes even with a couple analysis paralysis folks involved.


"A Brief History of the World" - what are the area values over the epochs?

According to boardgamegeek these are the contents of the game:

Giant Map Board
180 plastic playing pieces
130 card counters
32 Area Values

5 x Epoch 1

2 x Epoch 2

6 x Epoch 3 (BGG has 3, but that is a typo).

4 x Epoch 4

4 x Epoch 5

11 x Epoch 6

30 City/Capitals
20 Monuments (4 types x 5)
20 Forts
18 Bonus tokens (1's, 2's 3's - 6 of each)
6 Gold Markers (1 in each player colour)
4 Fleets
42 Empire cards (6 epochs, 7 cards per epoch)
54 Event cards (6 epochs, 7 cards per epoch, plus 12 initial events)
6 Epoch maps
6 Six sided dice
4 Plastic Stands
1 Epoch chart
1 Array

There are 32 area value tokens, specified by epoch.


Is Mana Weaving ok if it's followed by a thorough shuffle?

Look at it this way:

If you properly randomize your deck, then its initial configuration is irrelevant. So "mana weaving" is just wasting more productive time.
If you don't properly randomize your deck, then "mana weaving" is likely part of you cheating.

So, there's no upside. "Mana weaving" doesn't actually accomplish anything, unless you're accidentally or purposefully cheating.

Judges routinely prohibit "mana weaving" because the down side of disrupting someone's pointless pre-game ritual is much smaller than the upside of guaranteeing a fairer game.

Some players "mana weave" to "break up clumps." That's based on a mistaken assumption. A truly randomized deck isn't one where the lands and spells are perfectly distributed; it's one where all the cards are in an arbitrary and unpredictable order. That'll mean you sometimes get lucky and sometimes you won't. Bad draws can be frustrating, but some amount of clumping — even the rare incident of really egregious clumping — is perfectly normal. A player who never gets mana-flooded or mana-screwed isn't shuffling properly.

If you're constantly experiencing clumps, especially drawing cards in an order similar to how you played them last game, then it's a sign you're direly under-shuffling. Spend more time shuffling (2-3 minutes before a game is pretty standard) and practice stronger techniques like riffle or mash shuffling.


Clarification on how the emblem gained by Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor works

No and yes respectively to your questions.
For your first question, your analysis of rule 201.4a is correct, however you have an incorrect assumption in your question.  You assume that Tibalt's effect that creates the emblem can be countered separate of Tibalt, but it cannot.  Tibalt's effect is worded thus (emphasis mine):

As Tibalt enters the battlefield, you get an emblem with "You may play
cards exiled with Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, and you may spend mana as
though it were mana of any color to cast those spells."

Since it is worded "As ..." it is a replacement effect, not a triggered ability.

614.1c Effects that read “[This permanent] enters the battlefield with . . . ,” “As [this permanent] enters the battlefield . . . ,” or
“[This permanent] enters the battlefield as . . . “ are replacement
effects.

A triggered ability would be worded as "When Tibalt enters the battlefield ..."

603.6a Enters-the-battlefield abilities trigger when a permanent enters the battlefield. These are written, “When [this object] enters
the battlefield, . . . “ or “Whenever a [type] enters the battlefield,
. . .” Each time an event puts one or more permanents onto the
battlefield, all permanents on the battlefield (including the
newcomers) are checked for any enters-the-battlefield triggers that
match the event.

Since it is written as a replacement effect, there is no ability that ever goes on the stack that can be countered to stop creating Tibalt's emblem separate from countering Tibalt himself!  So you could never get into a situation where 201.4a could apply (under normal casting circumstances, copying Tibalt or some other jankiness can cause it to happen).  If Tibalt hits the battlefield, so does his emblem.
For the second situation, your analysis of rule 706.11 is correct.  The game will track Tibalt and any cards exiled by it, no matter if it's name changes or not.


Where can I find the rules for "Deer Hunters Challenge"?

I found the game for sale on a site called cauf.com that says

  Since we are located within the heart of Ohio’s Amish community, we have access to some of the most amazing and high quality products directly from the manufacturer, saving you money.

And there is a Six Mills Game Company in Ohio, or at least there used to be. Sites that list business information aren't always good at staying up to date. But since the game is still for sale, it seems like a good bet.

  Six Mills Game Co, 8076 State Route 241, Millersburg, Ohio 44654
  (330) 674-2541

You can try contacting them for the rules. And maybe the company name/location is just coincidence, because I couldn't find anything else about them.  Good luck!


What does "reveal" mean in this context?

From the Legendary: Marvel core rule book on page 17 (emphasis mine):

  “Reveal a card” just means show the other players that you have it. You don’t play or discard the card you revealed. When you have the opportunity to “reveal a card”, you can reveal a card from your hand or you can reveal a card in front of you that you have already played this turn.

Unfortunately, this doesn't appear to be explicitly stated in the rules for Big Trouble in Little China, but they same rules likely apply.

In the context of this card, you will (almost always) end up revealing a card from your hand. The reveal happens as part of the Master Strike for Six Shooter, which most likely happens at the beginning of a player's turn when the top card of the villain deck is revealed. In some other Legendary versions it's possible to reveal the top card of the villain deck in the middle of a player's turn, but I haven't played this enough to know whether that's possible in the Big Trouble in Little China version.


Does Sosuke, Son of Seshiro's deathtouch-like ability combo with Matsu-Tribe Sniper?

The damaged creature will not be destroyed.

"Combat damage" is a specific subcategory of damage. The only way to deal Combat damage is during the combat damage step in the combat phase of a turn. From the Glossary in the comprehensive rules:

  Combat Damage

    Damage dealt during the combat damage step by attacking creatures and blocking creatures as a consequence of combat. See rule 510, “Combat Damage Step.”

Any other damage dealt, such as from the activated ability of Matsu-Tribe Sniper, is just damage; it is not "combat damage". Even if it took place during the combat step; it wasn't damage that was dealt as a result of attacking or blocking.


To me, the benefits of these cards have always seemed limited for several reasons:

Initial outlay. You need to invest a number of wood into the card to begin with.
Delayed gratification. The first harvest after you sow the forester/copse, you simply get back your initial investment, therefore it is two harvests before you get any benefit at all. This is particularly negative when we are talking about wood, which is most useful early in the game.
Needing to sow. Sow spaces are often at a premium, particularly in games with 4/5 players. You aren't going to want to waste a whole action just to sow your copse, so it's only really valuable if you are going to be sowing grain anyway.

For these reasons, an occupation like the Wood Collector seems preferable. On the surface it might seem like a poor alternative, since the total amount of wood that you get is potentially less: 5 versus 12 if you were to use the Forester to its full potential. But compare them over time, if both were played as early as possible:

On round four, the Wood Collector is already up by 3 wood, whereas the Forester is DOWN by three wood.
On round six, the Wood Collector is up by 5 wood and the Forester is drawing even.
It's not till round 10 that the Forester is actually ahead by 1 wood over the Wood Collector (6 vs 5).
By round 14, the Forester has gained 9 wood compared to the WC's 5. There is an extra three to come, but it is only useful if you have the Joinery/Sawmill.

And that's all if the Forester is used perfectly. If you don't get the chance to sow before the first harvest (which requires having picked up three wood and used the "Sow/bake bread" spot) then your return is much poorer.

  Being able to expand rooms as well as building fences to get that first pool of sheep seems pretty powerful.

From this, I wonder if you have misinterpreted the cards in some way. You should be taking one wood from the top of each stack during the field phase of each harvest and putting it into your supply. The wood on the card is not available for you to use to pay for anything until you have harvested it. For that reason, you don't get ANY benefit from the Forester/Copse until Round 8 at the earliest (the first harvest is just recouping your initial investment), so to use it to get the first pool of sheep seems implausible.


TTR: Destination ticket value changes in the America 1910 expansion

Which tickets were changed?

The following destination tickets received a decrease in value:  (Source: this post by Days of Wonder Forums user "Baron Von Schmidt original")

Sault St. Marie to Oklahoma City: now 8 points
Los Angeles to Miami: now 19 points
Los Angeles to New York: now 20 points
Seattle to New York: now 20 points

Tickets Probably Over-valued

It appears that the minimum number of trains required to complete a destination ticket was the starting point for assigning each ticket a point value. The claim is made  (in this post by Days of Wonder Forums user "Caboose")  that Alan Moon (the game's designer) said the ticket values were not supposed to be the shortest route between two cities. Lacking the context that this may have been said in, I believe the intent was to put to rest worries that some ticket values were mistakes or misprints, rather than to deny all connection between tickets' values and their minimum lengths.  (This post by Caboose from several years earlier shows (s)he had previously believed the issue was due to a misprint.)

Additionally, if the changes were to "fix" the tickets to match their minimum lengths, they didn't fix all of them. It's been pointed out  (in this post by Days of Wonder Forums user "DiscJet")  that the Los Angeles to Chicago ticket and the 1910 expansion's Las Vegas to Miami ticket are each worth more than their shortest length.

I conclude that Mr. Moon decided the four changed routes were somewhat over-valued, at least for the 1910 rules (if not in general).

Attribution Note: I got the idea to look through the Days of Wonder Forums from aramis' answer. I don't have access to my copy of Ticket to Ride and the 1910 expansion at the moment, so I can't verify the route lengths or values myself.


Can land and sea units adjacent to the territory or sea zone being attacked ( also units range permitting) move in and help defend?

First of all, a defender can't move sea units into the Caucasus. (An attacker can fire a one-shot bombardment from a battleship in conjunction with a land attack.)

The second thing is that a defender can't move units during another player's attack portion of the turn. A defender may move defenders into a territory during the portion of the turn when s/he is entitled to attack.


Where can I read Mahjong game commentaries?

I kept searching for the past few days, but the only thing I found was tenhou's logging feature. It basically lets you replay previous hands, so you "only" need to find strong players and links to their hand records. I do not yet know how to do that.

Example: http://tenhou.net/0/?log=2008120919gm-0007-7447-xc9f52854acf6&tw=3. It starts with some Japanese advertisment, but just click the link at the bottom after a few seconds and you'll be lead straight to the game. Everything is self-explanatory from that point on. Sadly, I have no idea how strong the players in the link are, I just found it by accident.

Apart from that there is a number of youtube videos, but it's rather hard to follow so I can't recommend it really.

Sadly neither of these options offers commentaries, so it's only partly useful.

Edit: This page tells how to watch replays on tenhou.net. It's a very comprehensive guide. Also have a look at this page which explains how to watch live games of high dan players.

Replays on tenhou look like this:


Can regenerate save a creature from -X/-X effects?

Regenerate will not save the creature. The state based action that moves the creature to the graveyard in this case does not technically destroy it.

  704.5f If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it’s put into its owner’s graveyard. Regeneration can’t replace this event.

Even if regeneration could replace this kind of death, the creature would simply die again anyway because it would still have -3/-3.

Regeneration can replace:

Actual destruction, such as the destruction wrought by Dreadbore
The state based action described by 704.5g

  704.5g If a creature has toughness greater than 0, and the total damage marked on it is greater than or equal to its toughness, that creature has been dealt lethal damage and is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event.

The state based action described by 704.5h

  704.5h If a creature has toughness greater than 0, and it’s been dealt damage by a source with deathtouch since the last time state-based actions were checked, that creature is destroyed. Regeneration can replace this event.


When something is put into play, who controls it and why?

The tokens will always come into play under your control, you cannot choose otherwise.

From the comprehensive rules:

  110.2a If an effect instructs a player to put an object onto the battlefield, that object enters the
  battlefield under that player’s control unless the effect states otherwise.

  110.5a A token is both owned and controlled by the player under whose control it entered the
  battlefield.


Frederic Moyersoen, the designer of the game, clarified it should be option 1 on BGG here (emphasis mine).

  Consider the geologist as someone who picks up the crystals as they are discovered. As the crystals are printed on the cards and cannot be physically be picked up, we just count the points at the end of the round. We don't care if a path connects to the crystals or gold.


Have you tried looking at any of these? I've ordered that list by popularity, so the stuff at the top should be the most useful. There are lots and lots of summaries and crib sheets available. Which one works best for you is really a question of personal taste.


Can I use my Dark Angels with my Space Wolves?

Yes you can.  Wolves and Dark Angels are qualified as "Allies of Convenience" under the 6th edition allies rules.  This allows you to field 1 HQ, 0-1 Elites. 1-2 Troops, 0-1 Fast Attack, and 0-1 Heavy Support options from the Dark Angels codex with your Space Wolves detachment.

In game-play rules they are treated as enemy models that cannot be directly target by your weapons and abilities.  The DA troop options do count as scoring units for you though.


Can you combine the Orbital Teleporter's ability with other Alien Tech cards?

No, while there is no restriction on using different alien tech on the same ship, the rules for Orbital Teleporter specifically prevent a ship already placed from having its value changed when moved to another facility. Stasis Beam also doesn't work on placed ships. Rules, page 14

Orbital Teleporter - Each turn you may pay two fuel to move one of your docked ships from one orbital facility to a different orbital facility. You may only move one of your ships with the Orbital Teleporter but the moved ship may be used at the new facility in conjunction with other as yet unplaced ships from your fleet. You may not reuse the ship at the same facility from which it was removed. You may not change the value of the ship as it moves from one facility to the other.
Stasis Beam - Each turn you may pay one fuel to decrease the value of one of your unplaced ships by one point. You may discard a Stasis Beam to place the Isolation Field on a territory or, if the Isolation Field is already on a territory, move it to another territory. (Page 15)

Card Reference (scans), and card reference 2.

Orbital Teleporter - Pay (E E) to reuse one of your ships at a different facility.
Stasis Beam - Pay (E) to subtract one point from one of your unplaced ship.

Technically, you could achieve what it is you want by using one of your '5's on the Solar Collector, since it also gets you 3 energy. Then use the Stasis Beam to change the '6' to a '5', then use the remaining 2 energy to move the '5' from the Solar Collector with your remaining '5' and newly Stasis Beamed '5' onto the Colony Constructor.


Catan : how to play with extension 5-6 players when we are less than 5?

The 5-6 player extentions contains tiles, number fiches and additional playing pieces so there is enough to play with more players.

It contains scenario's for 5 and 6 players.

You can play with 3 or 4 players on a 5 or 6 player board, but then the game becomes too easy. The board is just to big (contains too much resources) to have a challenging game. And yes, you can increase the number of VP needed, but keep in mind the game pieces max out at 13 VP, there are a few cards with extra VP and there is 4 points to collect with the longest road and the largest army. But keep in mind that if you need all these, the game is tied if two players buy a +1 VP card.

Of course, you can use pieces of the extention in the 3-4 games. But then you leave some other pieces out.


How many units and resources will the Germans get when they research logistics?

There is not (at least yet) an official, explicit statement for this. For the time before a new FAQ version is released, I would suggest to stick into the Official and Unofficial rules and clarifications made by Itchi (BGG). He was one of the playtesters of the Wisdom & Warfare expansion, and this UFAQ is used in our playgroup if no help is offered by the official rules or the FAQ.

Germans get 3 resources and 3 units by researching or learning Logistics if they havent already unlocked these levels of units. For
example, if they already had Democracy and research Logistics, they
will gain 2 resources and 2 free units (Mounted and Artillery). For
example, if they already have Railroad and Mathematics and learn
Logistics, they will gain 2 resources and 2 free units (Infantry and
Mounted).

Remember, that this is true also even if you have level 3 or level 4 units unlocked. From the official FAQ v.2.0:

Q: If the Germans research a tech which unlocks a level 3 or 4 unit
and later researches a tech which unlocks the level 2 unit of the same
type, do they still get the free unit and resource?
A: Yes


Can I discard Funding anytime to remove a debt?

Found this in the faq. The answer is that the funding can be used anytime, even after discovering that there is a reckoning phase, as long as the reckoning effect of either card has not yet begun being resolves (i.e. the card hasn't been flipped).

Q. When can an investigator discard a Debt Condition with a Funding Condition?
A. If an investigator would gain a Debt Condition and he already has a Funding Condition, he may discard the Funding Condition instead of gaining the Debt Condition.
If an investigator has both a Debt Condition and a Funding Condition, he may discard both cards at any time so long as the effect of neither Condition is currently being resolved.
For instance, a Mythos card instructs investigators to resolve reckoning effects; an investigator may choose to discard both Conditions before resolving the reckoning effect of either Condition, but he cannot begin resolving his Debt Condition, decide he doesn’t like what he sees, and then discard both Conditions before finishing the effect.


In bridge, are the two "equal vulnerabilities" basically equal?

The equal vulnerability is only talked about at game level or higher. I haven't heard it being used for partscore battles, where it does not make too much sense, as you say.

Playing matchpoints, in partscore battles, the deciding factor is whether you are vulnerable or not.

-100 (down 1 double, non vul) might lead to a great score, but -200 (down 1 doubled, vul) is usually a poor score at matchpoints.


What is a quick way to test or simulate card strategies for deck building games?

I admit I don't have much experience in actually doing this, so I have no idea how well any of these actually work and can't make any guarantees myself. But I'm sure there are others who can, and these are probably some great starting points:

dominion simulator python framework

similar project

vdom java simulator

A sourceforge project

Dominionsim is also mentioned here

Here are some I found for Magic: The Gathering. Once again, I can't make any personal guarantees:

MTG Studio (don't know if it actually supports simulations)

Magic Workstation

If you are anyone else has more feedback on any of these, I'd love to here it!


Can I use simulation to show that one bidding point count is more accurate than another?

Absolutely!

I believe Deep Finesse (100% free according to the web site) is the double dummy analyzer used by the A.C.B.L. for modern tournament to determine par scores on hand records. That would likely be your best choice for play analysis.

Yes, a double dummy analyzer is, to the best of my knowledge and understanding, the best technology available for hand analysis. It is imperfect, but world-class players rarely miss a line of play that can be deduced from the available information.

However, before you jump in, you are not the first, by a long shot, in this pool. I would recommend researching the attempts already made along this line. One other such is:

Two thirds the total obtained from:

A = 5;
K = 4;
Q = 3;
J = 2;
T = 1;

with fractions of 1/3 and 2/3 rounded down and up respectively.

Other factors to consider including:

assess distribution in both NT (hand shape) and trump (fit & ruffing potential) contracts differently;
adjusting for suit quality;
traditional (uniform) approaches miss that Aces and Kings are overvalued in NT contracts and off-suit quacks and tens are overvalued in suit contracts.


Is this viable? Yes.
Will this always be the best choice? No.

An example of an old deck which I played in the past:
Black and white knights (pro black on the WK), pestilence, circle of protection black (old rules: pump pestilence once with 2-3 mana. Power CoP black once. A castle or two, sengir vampires and serra's if you can find them. Pegasi, (with castle they survive 2 damage), ... hypnotic specters, unholy streght, terror, ...

That deck would not survice and serious competion, but against similar decks of starters it did quite well. So yes, depending on your environment you can build quite viable decks.

If you move up en anvironment where people are actually buying current generation cards to build a tournament deck, then the answer if different and it will vary between releases of new expansions.

But as I read it you are just starting with MTG and a agressive black deck with some help from white can do just fine.


Pokemon tcg knock out attacks versus effects

Shining Fates Amazing Rare Yveltal has the following attack text:

Amazing Destruction

Your opponent’s Active Pokémon is Knocked Out.

That is an attack, and the effect of that attack is that the opponent’s Pokémon is knocked out. A Pokémon that was protected from the effects of attacks would be protected from that; it is not dealing damage.


When multiple monsters enter a Vortex during a turn do multiple Dunwich tokens get added?

The wording specifies that this action is in addition to raising the terror level.

The rules does not state that you add one Dunwich Horror token for each monster added. After increasing the terror level, if there a fewer than 3 tokens, add one token only


Are tribal spells with changeling considered creature spells?

The spell is not a creature spell, so it is not affected by Heartless Summoning. The Changeling ability says that the card has "all creature types", but "creature type" is just the name for the subtypes that Creature and Tribal share. So, Changeling doesn't make the card a creature, it just makes the card have all of the creature subtypes.

The relevant rule is 205.3m :

  Creatures and tribals share their lists of subtypes; these subtypes are called creature types.


How does the cost of designer board games compare to other forms of entertainment?

I'm an aging grog... For me, I judge a game based upon player-hours of play. At about $1 per player-hour. Same rate I've used since the late 80's...

And at that rate, the $30 supplement I just got for TTR/TTRE has some way to go. 1st two plays were 4p @ 2.5h and 3p @ 3h - so far, $19 of the $30. One more large play should do it.

Dominion and Intrigue got enough time to "pay off"... and did so rapidly, even tho most were 2p games.

The $50 Cargo Noir is close. At 1.5 to 2h per play, and 3-4p per play, I've gotten 7 plays out of it since mid Dec.

Now, I will say, I never adjusted for inflation, and find most movies on DVD today not worth the $1/person/hour, so that metric still works for me.

You might, however, consider a more movie based metric. A movie is $5 at matinee, per person, and typically 1.5 to 2 hours.  If we add the anticipation and post-movie discussions, we can justify calling them 3 hours. That calls for $2 per person-hour.

I'll note also that I'm 56 hours in on a $50 videogame (Skyward Sword) and 30 in on another (Ocarina of Time 3D), so that $1-$2 per player-hour is quite well holding. Mario-Cart, at that rate, paid off in the first week: 10 hours, 3 players, two days; $20 paid for the disk.

Update for Dec 9 2012: The latest supplement I got for TTR paid off with another $12 of play.

Update for July 2013: All the mentioned games have since paid off. And the Wii has paid off.


How to calculate points, if there are more than 10 cards

The designer answered in this post on BGG that the max score for a set is for the 10-set (55 points):

  Scoring is capped on 10 so if you have 10 you can buy more only to block the opponent form [sic] getting them.


When Turn to Frog changes a creature's base power/toughness to 1/1 do any affects that change creature's power and toughness still apply?

Yes, power/toughness modifications, including counters, apply on top of the base power/toughness exactly as you described in the question. Turn to Frog originally just said "becomes a 1/1", but along with many other cards, got the "base power and toughness" wording to help clarify this.
There's actually a specific order for applying those modifications as part of the layer system, but generally you don't need to know any details, just start with the base and add the rest. In case it does come up, here are the rules:

613.3. Within layer 7, apply effects in a series of sublayers in the order described below. Within each sublayer, apply effects in timestamp order. (See rule 613.6.) Note that dependency may alter the order in which effects are applied within a sublayer. (See rule 613.7.)
613.3a Layer 7a: Effects from characteristic-defining abilities that define power and/or toughness are applied. See rule 604.3.
613.3b Layer 7b: Effects that set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value are applied. Effects that refer to the base power and/or toughness of a creature apply in this layer.
613.3c Layer 7c: Effects that modify power and/or toughness (but don’t set power and/or toughness to a specific number or value) are applied.
613.3d Layer 7d: Power and/or toughness changes from counters are applied. See rule 121, “Counters.”
613.3e Layer 7e: Effects that switch a creature’s power and toughness are applied. Such effects take the value of power and apply it to the creature’s toughness, and take the value of toughness and apply it to the creature’s power.


What is considered a good score in Scrabble?

I checked out the recent NASPA 2016 North American Scrabble Championship playlist on Youtube which had ten videos of late round games. I've put the scores of those videos below. Note that competitive Scrabble is only 2 players.

  gibson 585 swift 243

  eldar 350 francillon 493

  gibson 358 li 311

  eldar 480 winter 374

  gibson 347 swift 333

  eldar 461 winter 460

  gibson 397 meller 501

  gibson 311 weinstein 449

  gibson 397 weinstein 371

  meller 438 sherman 436

The lowest score was 243, and it was the only one that was under 300. From this I can surmise that to be a top tier Scrabble player, you should be getting 300 a game on a regular basis. And this is against other very good players who will be attempting to limit your moves. Against regular players you would expect this to be even higher, as they will be less likely to take the doubles and triples.

The important thing, however, isn't to judge yourself based on what is a good or bad score. Rather, are you improving your scores? Are you enjoying the game? Do you know what causes you to get more or less points and how to get better? I think these are far more encouraging and productive questions than reducing yourself to a score comparison.


Do you win a game of Catan even if you don't realize you have won?

I have found reference to this in other posts, though I didn't see a question phrased as directly as this.

In reference to the online Rules (PDF):

On page 5, you will find the following under "Ending the Game":

  If you have 10 or more victory points during your turn the game ends and you are the winner! If you reach 10 points when it is not your turn, the game continues until any player (including you) has 10 points on his turn.

There is no requirement of declaring victory (though in other parts of the rules it does use the phrase "claim victory" or something similar.

On the online FAQ the question is addressed pretty directly:

  Victory Conditions - What if someone has reached the required number of victory points for a win but is unaware of it? Did this player win anyway?

With response:

  Yes. The game ends as soon as a player has reached the required number of victory points on his turn. If he’s unaware of it, you should tell him, because you can’t take an already gained victory away from him.

And on another FAQ page you are not allowed to not claim victory to "pad" your score in an official game:

  Victory Conditions - May I continue scoring points after having reached the number of victory points required for a win?

With response:

  This could make sense in a private tournament where the scores from several games are added up. For individual games and official tournaments, the following applies: You have won as soon as you have reached the required number of victory points on your turn – and then the game is over.

So, if you want to run a private tournament with some "house rules", you could, but in an official game the first player to have 10 points on their turn wins, regardless of if they realize it or announce it.


Does a Life Gain deck have any hope against a Stigma Lasher?

Stigma Lasher's effect cannot be removed while the game is still going on — so, obviously, the only way around it is to abandon the current game and replace it with a new one by using Karn Liberated's third ability, which gets rid of the effect and also everything you've accomplished so far.


Last turn in Ticket to Ride: clarification

He can only claim a route with length 1 because he only has one train.
You will not magically get more trains because it is the last turn so all normal rules still apply.
By the rules:

Game End
When one player’s stock of colored plastic trains gets down to only 0,1 or 2 trains left at the end of his turn, each player, including that player, gets
one final turn. The game then ends and players calculate their final scores.

There is no mention of different rules for the last turns so normal rule apply.


If you are asking about the "Ghost" card from the Valley of Shadows expansion, it says:

  Play in front of an eliminated player. That player returns to life without a character ability and no way to gain or lose life points. Besides this he plays as a normal player.

This means the targeted player returns to the game and since (s)he has this blue card on the table they don't need to discard it, therefore the only way to get rid of them is to remove the Ghost card from play (either discarding it or stealing it).


In tsumegos where you should kill a group, the best (and thus correct) answer is always the solution where you kill unconditionally (if possible). Only if there is no unconditional kill the ko would be the best (correct) solution.

The basic idea is that a tsumego is a local fighting position which you should solve without knowledge of the rest of the board. In your example, the rest of the board could either be that white has more ko threats or that black has more ko threats. Thus, your solution would depend on the unknown rest of the board, whereas the unconditional kill works always.

In general, if there is a position with equal outcome you should always prefer the way without ko. Even if you have more ko threats now, the position might change over time and therefore it is better to avoid the ko from the beginning.


It means that for double-wide tiles; you can place them so that they are only half on your board, with the other half hanging off the board. There is an illustration of it in the appendix in the rules.  Basically, it allows you to fit more things on your player board.

Note that there is a minor error in that illustration; as you cannot have a double pasture hanging off the board (since building a double fence requires being built on top of 2 adjacent meadows). Details about that can be found here.


Does Alien Fuel Refinery count as having a trade power in Race for the Galaxy?

It does count. The Alien Artifact rules actually cover this!

  Consume powers, such as Trade League’s power, can be used.
  Trade League and Wormhole Prospectors do score for this world.

Similarly, the Brink of War rules explicitly state that Trade League does score for the can't sell power of Alien Oort Cloud Refinery (bottom of page 13)


One of the first things I try and figure out when evaluating a set of kingdom cards is to try and figure out which way I think the game will end.  Is it going to be a three-stack game or a province/colony game?  Are there cards that push it in one direction or another?  Am I going to try and push it one way or another, and what do I know about the tendencies of my fellow gamers (and their first turn purchases)?  If I believe that it's going to be a three-stack game, or I will be pushing it that way, there is no mid-game for me.  I'm usually going to try and buy as many VP cards as I can while keeping my deck's head above water.  Since I've evaluated the tableau and decided that there won't be an extended run on Provinces/Colonies, the bar for success in my deck has changed.  Trying to keep a consistent 5 purchase power (for Duchies) is a much different thing than trying to build to a consistent 8 or more, and in such a deck, mid-power cards can always be useful.

If I've decided that it's going to be a game where one of the big VP stacks is going to run out, then presumably I've decided how I'm going to drive me economy.  At every step of the way, what matters more to me than anything else is answering two rolling questions:  what is the average value of the cards in my deck and how does my purchase change that number.  Adding silver to a starting deck changes things from .7 $/c to .82 $/c, pretty good.  A Laboratory, added to a starting deck, does a little worse, .76 $/c.  But, later on in the game, if you've got a deck that is averaging 1.5 $/c over, say, 25 cards, adding a silver doesn't do much, 1.52 $/c.  But a Lab does better, 1.62 $/c.  Etc.  Obviously, I'm not computing this stuff directly at the table, but you should have a rough idea of where you are at and should only buy cards that can move the needle.  Stuff like Silver (or similar cards that don't have +Cards attached to them) is limited, and should be avoided once the average value of your deck is getting close to their inherent value.


If a spell is countered, do on cast effects still get triggered?

Yes. A player doesn't have a chance to cast a counterspell until after you have finished "casting" your spell, and any "when cast" triggers are triggered and put on the stack. At that point, a player could counter your spell, but the triggered ability is still there as a completely separate thing.

  601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect.

  112.7a Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won’t affect the ability.


What are the chances of shooting the moon in Hearts?

It's certainly possible to calculate which hands can Shoot the Moon with 100% probability, but it's not going to be easy.

There are 635,013,559,600 different starting hands of 13 cards from a 52 card deck.

We know that if we are dealt all 13 cards of one suit, there's 4 hands out of  635,013,559,600 that will shoot the moon ;)

If we have 12 cards of one suit and one ace in another suit, there are 13 different ways to get 12 cards of one suit, times 3 different other ace cards in other suits, times 4 different suits so: 13*3*4 = 156 winning hands.

Of course if we have an ace and king of the other suit and the rest one suit, it's also a winning hand — wait it has to be an Ace-King in the long suit too because we can't risk an opponent having a king plus another card in our long suit.

Well, this is getting difficult soon. Thankfully, Bridge players have already figured this out for us. :) They have a concept called the Losing-Trick Count, a method of hand evaluation for counting the number of losing tricks held by a partnership. To "shoot the moon" we need a Losing-Trick Count of Zero.

According to this table I found on Wikipedia, there are 4,245,032 hands with a losing trick count of zero. As a check I summed up the number of hands in that table and it equals 635,013,559,600 exactly. Whew! Sounds right!

Therefore, your probability of Shooting the Moon with 100% accuracy is at a bare minimum .000668% percent.

HOWEVER… Trick points are scored differently in Hearts as compared to Bridge. You can lose tricks but still take all the hearts and the queen of spades. So Ace-King of Spades + AKQJT98 of Hearts plus 6 other losers is a winning hand. I expect about half of the 90,206,044 hands with a LTC of 1 are shoot the moon winners since if the losing trick is a club or diamond, at that point it doesn't matter. (Presuming the winning tricks have forced the Queen and hearts. Things get murky.)

So, I expect the number of perfect shoot the moon hands is significantly more than the .000668% percent of Bridge hands that are perfect. You can add at least .0071%, and then a bit more as you start chipping away at those losing tricks that no longer matter.

My brain is starting to hurt now.

I think I'll go lie down and hopefully this gives you an idea of how to start to get the answer. It's important to realize that the reason shooting the moon isn't as rare as you'd expect is because even a marginal hand has a decent chance of shooting the moon, for your opponents don't have perfect knowledge. If an opponent has a king-queen in one suit and a king-10 in the other, which king do they keep to stop your attempt?

And of course, at first most opponents don't expect players to go for the moon, and are trying to get rid of trick taking cards when they can. That's what makes Hearts so interesting in my view, the psychology of being wary of those greedy moon targetters. ;)


Can a Dimir Keyrune receive a Cipher, and does the encoded spell stay?

Yes, you can encode it on an animated Keyrune; and yes, it remains encoded even if the Keyrune stops being a creature.

A creature is a creature. It doesn't matter how it became a creature. It's even less relevant that it might stop being a creature. (Any creature could stop being creature.)

Enchantments, Equipments and Fortifications fall off because State-Based Actions (SBA) specifically ensure they are attached to a valid object. There is no such SBA for Cipher cards. As long as the Keyrune remains on the battlefield, Paranoid Delusions will remain encoded on it. Of course, you'll have to reanimate the Keyrune to take advantage of the encoded card.

There's a reminder rule that covers this:

  702.98c The card with cipher remains encoded on the chosen creature as long as the card with cipher remains exiled and the creature remains on the battlefield. The card remains encoded on that object even if it changes controller or stops being a creature, as long as it remains on the battlefield.


Spoils is played twice, but is returned to the Spoils pile and not trashed.

Spoils is a treasure providing three coins that reads:

  When you play this, return it to the Spoils pile.

Counterfeit reads:

  When you play this, you may play a Treasure from your hand twice. If you do, trash that Treasure.

According to the Dark Ages rulebook (PDF), page 11:

  If you use Counterfeit to play Spoils twice, you will get [six coins], (in addition to the [one coin] from Counterfeit) and return Spoils to the Spoils pile; you will be unable to trash it.

To answer your second question, Spoils can be trashed, but not when it is played, exactly as you expect.


In Shadow Hunters, can Bob’s special ability be triggered before damage is reduced?

I would say no, Bob's special ability does not trigger.

Bob's ability requires you to inflict 2 or more damage, and while you may roll 2 damage, you only inflict 1 point of damage.


How to determine starting player in Betrayal Legacy chapter 12?

We interpreted it as

   The player whose family crest appeared the most times on the BACK of the helm (due to a side-quest of cursing Him earlier in the game).


Pharika's Mender, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Rescue From The Underworld

No

The targets of abilities and spells are chosen as these go on the stack, so you should have had a target chosen already even before the merchant died in the first place.


Do movement cards need to be played continuously?

I've not played this game but reading the rules here it seems clear you can not.  The rules say (emphasis mine).

If you have “leftover” power, you may use it to continue moving to the
next space. The same 2 requirements apply, but you first subtract the
power you already spent from the played card’s power value. You can
stop moving at any time. In that case, you lose any unspent power
immediately.

If you have left over power on a card it can only be used for the next space.  if it is not then then the power is lost.   As soon as the sailor card is played to move then any power left on the card with machete symbol are lost.
I did not see any indication in the rules that would allow you to use unspent power on a card after a new card for movement has been played.


Can I cast an instant in the middle of an ability resolving?

It isn't possible. While the creation of the solider and the attaching of the equipment aren't simultaneous[CR 608.2c], you do not get priority (the permission to cast instants and other actions) in the middle of the resolution of a spell or ability.

  116.2e Resolving spells and abilities may instruct players to make choices or take actions, or may allow players to activate mana abilities. Even if a player is doing so, no player has priority while a spell or ability is resolving. See rule 608, “Resolving Spells and Abilities.”

  116.3. Which player has priority is determined by the following rules:

  116.3a The active player receives priority at the beginning of most steps and phases, after any turn-based actions (such as drawing a card during the draw step; see rule 703) have been dealt with and abilities that trigger at the beginning of that phase or step have been put on the stack. No player receives priority during the untap step. Players usually don’t get priority during the cleanup step (see rule 514.3).

  116.3b The active player receives priority after a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves.

  116.3c If a player has priority when he or she casts a spell, activates an ability, or takes a special action, that player receives priority afterward.

  116.3d If a player has priority and chooses not to take any actions, that player passes. If any mana is in that player’s mana pool, he or she announces what mana is there. Then the next player in turn order receives priority.

Side notes:

An existing Night of Souls' Betrayal would temporarily make the Soldier a 0/0, but it wouldn't kill it if an Equipment boosting toughness is attached to the Soldier by the ability. It survives because State-Based Actions (what moves a creature with non-positive toughness to the graveyard) aren't performed in the middle of the resolution of spells either.
Even when you can cast a spell in the middle of a spell's or ability's resolution, as possible with Epic Experiment, it will still resolve when the stack unwinds as normal, not in the middle of the resolution of a spell or ability. For example,

You cast Epic Experiment with X=2.
Instants can be cast here.
Epic Experiment resolves:

You exile Shock and a Mountain from your library.
You cast Shock.
Put the Mountain in your graveyard.

Instants can be cast here.
Shock resolves.


How does Switcheroo affect equipment and Unsummon?

The bladed bracers remain attached to the creature and will continue to confer the bonus as long as they remain attached, but you are still their controller.  Next time you have an opportunity you could use the equip ability to move them to another creature you control.  (Note there is no "unequip."  You need to have another creature under your control to move them on to in order to activate the ability.  In this case it's likely you do since you got one from Switcheroo!)


Can The Card "Suppression Bonds" enchant a creature with Shroud

It depends on how you are enchanting the creature.

If you are casting the spell then no, you cannot enchant a creature with shroud. This is because aura spells target while they are on the stack.

  114.1b Aura spells are always targeted. These are the only permanent spells with targets. An Aura’s target is specified by its enchant keyword ability (see rule 702.5, “Enchant”).

If the aura is entering the battlefield due to some ability or spell just putting it there (like Starfield of Nyx's triggered ability) you can put it on a creature with shroud, because the aura is not on the stack, therefore it doesn't target.

  303.4f If an Aura is entering the battlefield under a player’s control by any means other than by resolving as an Aura spell, and the effect putting it onto the battlefield doesn’t specify the object or player the Aura will enchant, that player chooses what it will enchant as the Aura enters the battlefield. The player must choose a legal object or player according to the Aura’s enchant ability and any other applicable effects.


How does Diver movement work in forbidden island?

You got it right the first time. In your example, it takes the diver 1 move action to go from T1 to T2. The Diver is incredibly useful for quickly getting around the island while it's flooded. It's not as overpowered as it would initially seem... until tiles start sinking, the Diver hasn't any other special abilities. In later stages of the game, you can ensure he'll probably survive.


In Canasta, if the discard pile has already been frozen with a wild card, is a subsequent discard allowed to be another wild card?

You can always discard a wild card even if one is already on the pile.  It freezes the pile for both sides, much like the start of the hand.
When the pile is frozen, it can only be unfrozen when a natural (non wild or 3) is on top of the pile and it is taken with a natural pair of those same cards.
I've played several different variants of canasta, but the above rules are the same.
Here is one set of rules for Canasta, I'm not aware of an official set of rules from a universal governing body.  https://bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/canasta/


Why is Bang! so predictable when I play it?

In some sense, your question is a bit circular. It's predictable because the games were all played with the same, predictable strategy. While it's definitely bad to start shooting away right at the beginning of the game, you don't have to save everything up for one final shootout.

If you're an outlaw, you don't have to just shoot at the sheriff - killing a deputy or renegade is good too, and you can potentially go for that without demonstrating that you're an outlaw. If you're a deputy or the sheriff, you don't have to wait until you know who your target is - in fact, if you wait until people are shooting at the sheriff, it's probably too late. For the deputy and sheriff, most other players are valid targets, so even if they shoot someone without knowing, more likely than not it's someone they wanted to shoot.

For many players, it's advantageous to weaken the players between them and the sheriff. For the outlaws, this is good so that they'll be within range of the sheriff when the time comes, and for the deputy, it's good to have the sheriff on one side and reduce the number of hostile players they're within range of.

And this brings us to your assertion that there's no information. Once people are taking potshots, there's a little bit of information - everyone's trying to eke out a bit of advantage before the late game without putting all their cards on the table. It's still not the deepest game, but it doesn't have to be as dull as the way you've played it.


Advice on acquiring / constructing Dice Towers

The primary goals of a dice tower being

Keeping the dice on the table
Improving the randomization by reducing the ability to manipulate the dice.

There are several good designs, however, the basic principle to check for: it should have at least 3 slanted faces, and all the slanted faces should be covered in felt or corduroy. Friction is your friend, here.
The shape is almost always an L. Let's compare it to a cowboy boot...

The toe is opened up so that you can see the landing zone. It needs about a 3/4" to 1" high rim.
The heel has a slanting plate, angled to kick the dice out to the toe.
The shaft of the boot: deflectors.

Plates: The shaft has anywhere from 0 to 5 angled plates within, usually about 30° to 45° downward, angled to toss the dice about in the tower. I don't use ones without at least 2 additional plates. Most have a top plate, angling down to the front, and a second plate below angled down to the back. The plates should cover about half to 2/3 the cross section. Better designs may have left and right angled plates, or even a narrow center triangle, to toss the dice side to side.
Dowels: if plates are too much trouble, dowels can be used instead. The dowels should be about 3/8" to 1/2" hardwood, and are placed in levels. Top is usually a front to back and a side to side cross, centered. 1.5"-2" down, 2 off center parallel; a crossing set another 1.5" to 2" down. Taller ones may have additional crosses, or even run dowels corner to corner.

Plastic, Foamcore, Bare Wood, Felt, or Corduroy? What do I cover the thing with?

only the inside of the tower and the tops of the deflectors need covering if you opt to do so, and dowel deflectors can have slipcovers rather than glued down ones.
Bare wood is noisy, and some dice will slide flat along it. It's acceptable, but not preferred.
Felt: cheap, easy, reduces noise, no nap, so it produces less hang potential than corduroy.
Corduroy: has a clear nap. This will help catch and tumble the dice. The nap, however, should be arranged to put the lines at a downward angle of 20°-40°, so that the dice also get some sideways motion and better tumble. Probably the quietest of the mentioned materials.
Bare plastic: extremely noisy, very slick. Least tumble.
Foamcore: as slick as plastic, but not as noisy, but often puts more bounce on the dice. A foamcore sole of the boot can easily result in dice bouncing OUT of a low toe. (personal experience.) Also, damaged by water, unless sealed with paint or glue.

There is another design for a dice tower I've seen used: spiral staircase. Each stair was angled 30° down, and it went clockwise with 1/4" drops off each stair. Being bare wood, it was rather noisy, but it also was very random.
Plans & howto's
The plans at http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-Formboard-Dice-Tower/ are decent enough; it's a short 2 deflector boot-style.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/13307/dicebox-pdf
Plans for a 2 deflector tower. Annotated.
http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/games/articles/HirstDiceTower/HirstDiceTower.html
Building with plaster molded "stones".
http://webspace.webring.com/people/xc/crosstowngames/crosstowngamesdicetowerplans.pdf
Another set of plans for a square boot.
http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/games/articles/DiceTower.html
A square castle design, using 3 deflectors.
http://www.geeknews.net/2008/01/02/very-cool-diy-dice-tower
Spiral path in square tower; wood core with polycarbonate sides.
commercially made towers
http://www.chessex.com/dice%20accessories/Dice_Accessories.htm I have one of these! It's noisy as a monkey house. But it's good and random, tho' it lacks side-to-side deflectors. the toe plate is a little short, however. Also, it's friction fit, so it can be taken down and stored flat. This is great for the GM on the go... unless you space where you shelved it!
http://boardgamegeek.com/image/625539/gruumsh
the same clear boot after adding some felt to the deflectors...
http://www.bluepantherllc.com/BP3_DT.htm
Kits to construct both small and large dice towers... just need "... glue, rubber bands and about 10 minutes..." The mini is a "land in drawer" mode, and the larger ones are a variation on the boot.
http://www.uniquedicetowers.com
Assembled dice towers started on Kickstarter.
Alternatives to the tower
The dice tray: a dice tray of some kind (we've often used the box lid) controls the dice, but doesn't add much to the randomization unless requiring a bounce off the back wall.
Dice Cups: all the material issues for towers apply to dice cups. Plus, as dice stacking displays show, it's possible for the skilled to manipulate them pretty well, tho' it's still MUCH harder than in a tray or tower. It does, however, take some practice to shake-flip-slam so that the dice don't roll across the table. Again, good ones are felt or corduroy lined (my good one is). An inepensive one can be made by taking a soup can (not a poptop, tho), carefully filing the edge smooth (steal your sister's emery boards!). Then line with felt or corduroy, gluing it to the inside. Use some more, or some inexpensive leather, to cover the outside. This gets you a lunch and a dice cup for under $15...


Does exiling a creature after it has been destroyed or dealt lethal damage still count as if it "died"?

No, Sengir Vampire does not get a +1/+1 counter.

A creature dies when it moves from the battlefield to the graveyard. So, there are two different possibilities here. If the creature goes to the graveyard and then moves to exile, then it counts as dying. However, if it goes to exile instead of the graveyard, then it does not count as dying.

In your particular case, Pillar of Flame says

  If a creature dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.

The use of the word "instead" indicates that this is a replacement effect. So going to exile replaces going to the graveyard. Specifically, rule 614.6 says

  If an event is replaced, it never happens.

The event of the creature dying is replaced by exiling the creature, so it never died.


For Flashpoint... can you "share" the victim POI marker?

Yes.

You can consider the cost in dealing with victims having to do with moving them, not so much carrying and holding onto them.  So if one firefighter moves a victim to square, there is no cost for picking up or dropping the victim, simply a cost to transfer the victim from one location to another.  With this in mind, you can walk up to a square where a firefighter has just moved a victim and continue to move that victim into a different square, assuming you still have enough action points to bear the load.


What happens if you steal an Elixir of Immortality and then use it?

It goes into Bob's library (the owner of the card).

From the Comprehensive Rules:

  400.3. If an object would go to any library, graveyard, or hand other than its owner’s, it goes to its
  owner’s corresponding zone.

There is also specific errata on the Elixir

  Elixir of Immortality - {1}
  Artifact
  {2}, {T}: You gain 5 life. Shuffle Elixir of Immortality and your
  graveyard into their owner's library.

  This new wording correctly instructs the player as to what to do in
  the case where the controller of the ability does not own Elixir of
  Immortality.

  Please pass this information on to other interested parties who may
  not have received it.


Diplomacy: No units but 1 Non-Home Supply Center

Ok So I found the answer on this post:
All armies and fleets destroyed - Still in Game?

@bwarner said:

Even if it wasn't a home supply center they are technically not eliminated from the game. They could be included in a draw despite having no pieces on the board (and no way of getting more). You aren't eliminated until you have zero centers during a winter phase. – bwarner May 5 '14 at 13:31

So technically I would still be in the game.


Will Boartusk Liege give +1/+1 to Goblins if Dralnu's Crusade is in play?

You are correct: when both cards are in play, Boartusk Liege does not give Goblins +1/+1. A ruling on Dralnu's Crusade says

  The Goblins are both Goblins and Zombies and they are black (they lose their previous color(s)).

Since they lose their previous colors, they are not red.

In regards to how this works in general, rule 105.3 says

  Effects may change an object's color or give a color to a colorless object. If an effect gives an object a new color, the new color replaces all previous colors the object had (unless the effect said the object became that color "in addition" to its other colors). Effects may also make a colored object become colorless.

The reason that the Goblin doesn't get +1/+1 from Boartusk Liege before you change its color to black is that Magic uses a layer system to determine in what order effects get applied. Effects that change color are on layer 5 and effects that change power and toughness are on layer 7, so the color changing effects get applied first.


40K: No Retreat! combat assault results loophole?

I can imagine a few situations that would trigger this rule.

There are a few special rules that give a unit a +1 to combat resolution.  So if the fearless unit whiffs and gets no kills, they can still "loose".

Another situation is if there are two units involved in an assault with a fearless unit, and the one that can hurt the fearless unit is wiped out.

Finally, if the unit that assaulted was able to hurt the fearless unit only by means of Furious Charge's +1 to ST.

There are probably a few other situations.  It's defiantly an edge case and I've never seen it come up, and I've been involved in running numerous large(30-60 person) 40K tournaments.


What are good ways to learn to "read" a sequence of moves mentally?

TLDR: Putting stones on the board is not always possible. Reading is super important. Practice it with tsumego and apply it in games.

You're definitely right that it has a strong impact on the outcome. Reading is the most fundamental skill in Go, and improving in that area is absolutely required to become a strong player.

In serious games, it is usually not possible to put stones on the board "just to see what happens". You'll have to imagine the results in your mind before you put down a stone. This is a fact that can't be changed.

However, as a beginner, you should try some stuff by yourself or in non-serious games (with knowledge of the other player, obviously) first. Then, it is absolutely fine to put the stones on the board to check what happens. You'll then quickly become aware of typical shapes (for instance a ladder), and be able to spot it immediately (if not, just keep trying!), without the need to put actual stones down. This is the first step on the road to strong reading.

In teaching games, you'll usually also lay down important sequences (during or after the game), in particular when they are not easy to see. Try to remember them so you'll notice them next time!

Further, you will need to improve your reading abilities. Typically, players practice solving tsumego for this purpose, as they require reading skills of a particular level (yours in this case). First make sure you really solved the problem - do not miss a strong, difficult-to-see reply by your virtual opponent. Then, to check your solutions, it is fine to put down stones to make sure you did not miss anything. It is also beneficial to have reliable solutions at hand with which you can compare your own, for instance by using a tsumego book.

Over time, tsumego as well as simply practicing reading in real games will improve your abilities and you will be able to read faster, deeper and more precisely. In particular, as you memorize the involved shapes, you'll immediately know which moves are impossible without considering them. This will drastically speed up the selection process and cut down the variation tree to very few branches, each of which you have to explore as best as your visualization abilities allow you to.

As a beginner, it is actually often sufficient to always read only 2 or 3 moves ahead to avoid stupid mistakes. Once this does not help you anymore, try reading a few moves more, and you'll certainly do more than most lazy dan players :)

This last tongue-in-cheek sentence is actually true - when they are not serious, advanced players often rely on shape exclusively without reading much, as they can already tell the results from the initial shapes (often, but not always correctly). This ability is beneficial in very fast games, but in serious games you still need to actually read (deeply) to find the best moves. Use memorized shapes only to reduce the tree width.

By the way, aspiring pro players typically spend a few hours every day on tsumego. It is, after all, said that pros solved every tsumego in existence at least twice. If you enjoy it, feel free to do alike! If not (which applies to many people), well, just do it if you feel like it - Go should be fun! Tsumego are often more fun when hand-picked and given by a friend, possibly to many people at once, with a joint resolution session which typically includes a lot of "Oh!"s and "Aaah!"s.

Regarding "visualization" of moves. I did not go into that point yet. This is something I kind of wonder about myself, as I found it difficult to see clearly the moves very deeply, in particular when "new" stones touch stones from a while ago or are even played on top of them (this is called "ishi no shita" or "under the stones"). As far as I can tell, you cannot work on this specifically - it's simply a result of studying and will hopefully improve as one gets better at tsumego.

As a final, practical advice: Copy or print out tsumego from a good book on cards or cut little paper sheets. I liked this a lot, but definitely start with the easiest book, as the problems are often harder than they appear at first! Then put them in various places in your house as well as in your pocket. Every time you are forced to wait for a minute or more, pick one of them and try to solve it. Repeat until the wait is over. I often did that in waiting rooms (even though I have to admit that it sometimes made me rather sleepy).

Quoting tasuki on the above works:

  Cho Chikun’s Encyclopedia of Life and Death is a wonderful progression which will take you from an absolute beginner to mid dan level.

  Next, we present you with the three most famous classical tsumego collections. Gokyo Shumyo deals mostly with patterns occuring often in real games. XuanXuan Qijing focuses on feeling and vital points, and the insanely difficult Igo Hatsuyo-ron is here just to make you cry.

They come without solution due to copyright, but you can mostly check them with friends and/or stronger players. By the way, I can absolutely confirm his statements, in particular about Igohatsuyoron :'(


Is playing against an opponent's known "misbids" a good way to defend against a contract?

Assuming no psych bid: South has a balanced hand with 12+ to 14 HCP presumed to include Spade AKQ for his 4-card holding. That leaves very little room for additional values in his hand. With a presumed (23) or (33) holding in the minors the likely reason to have not opened one of those, planning a rebid in NT, is that they are both bare of high cards.
It's Rubber Bridge so I'm leading the Club K expecting to find partner with a good (45)  or (53) holding in the minors with at least 4 Clubs. We will strip South of his side suit exits and make him give me my two Spade tricks. I'm looking for a 2 or 3 trick set here, and at dinner Partner and I will discuss the value of voids in Opener's suit, and why we didn't get 500 or 800 on this hand.
I can only ever lead Spades from my hand safely once; and I need to save that in case I get endplayed later in the hand. So I'm not leading Spades on Trick One.


Sacrificing creatures here is part of the cost, so you can simply sacrifice five creatures (all at once) to pay for the ability.

Costs are always things that, if you're able to spend the resource in question or perform the action in question, you can do so to pay for the ability. If something has mana or energy as a cost, you can pay mana or energy for it. If a permanent has an ability with tapping as a cost, you can tap that permanent to pay it. If it requires you to discard cards, or exile cards from your graveyard, or sacrifice creatures as a cost, you can do so to pay it.

So no, you don't need anything separate, and in fact, you can't sacrifice the creatures for anything separate. They're the cost for this ability, and that cost has to be paid here, just like a mana cost would be - see Can I pay two different costs with the same payment?