Rules about claiming a tunnel in Ticket to Ride Switzerland

You must have an additional Train Car card of the appropriate color (or a locomotive) for each card of that color that gets flipped over.

From the Ticket to Ride: Switzerland rules (emphasis added):

  When attempting to claim a Tunnel route, a player first lays down the number of cards required. Then the 3 top cards from the Train Car card draw pile are turned face-up. For each card revealed whose color matches the color used to claim the Tunnel (including locomotives), an additional card of the same color (or a locomotive) must be played to successfully claim the Tunnel.


I bought the Dixit Odyssey standalone game and was wondering which expansions would best match up

When it comes to the differences between various Dixit games, I'm hoping you've already read this question (and its answers).

But to answer your question, I'm not sure there are really that many choices to make. Dixit 1, 2 and 3 are meant to provide similar experiences but with different cards, so there's no real difference there in terms of abstraction or complexity. They are each equally apart from the Oddyssey game. And maybe I haven't noticed the way to do it, but once the cards are shuffled together, you can't really tell the decks apart. (truth be told, I haven't really tried it. The more cards, the merrier)

The only real choice is between those three expansions, and Journey. Sadly I haven't played Journey but I've read it feels similar to Odyssey (so I'm guessing less abstract, but that's speculation on my part).

Some people advise you to look at the cards of each expansion so you can decide which one to purchase. To me that always felt like spoiling on the fun. I've never browsed through the decks, not even once, and on very rare occasions I still get cards in my hand that I thought I'd never seen before.


Star Wars Imperial Assault tutorial questions

The players decide which hero goes first, and in what order they go.
The rebel players start with all class cards that cost 0xp.


Instantaneous creature death and checking conditions

Yes, it will trigger every time it returns.

Let's start when the Cackler is on the stack, when you originally cast it.

If no one has a response, it resolves. When it is resolving, you choose whether or not to have it enter with a counter. Assuming you do, it enter with a counter on it, as a 0/0, because of the Night of Souls' Betrayals.

At this point, state based actions are checked. The Cackler dies, but Marchesa will see it with a +1/+1 on it, and this process will repeat every end step.


Is a creature turned face down with Ixidron still affected by Halls of Mist?

A creature that is turned face down is still the same object, so effects still apply to it and rules modifications like on Halls of Mist track it as the same creature.

Being face up vs face down is a status as defined in rule 110.5:

  A permanent’s status is its physical state. There are four status categories, each of which has two possible values: tapped/untapped, flipped/unflipped, face up/face down, and phased in/phased out. Each permanent always has one of these values for each of these categories.

Like tapping or untapping a creature, turning a creature face up or face down doesn't make it a different creature or make effects lose track of it.


Can you be visited by more than one Noble in Splendor?

Yes, you can, but not on the same turn.

From the rules:

  At the end of their turn, each player checks the noble tiles in
  order to determine if they’re receiving a visit from one of them.
  A player can be visited if they have (at least) the quantity and
  type of bonuses indicated on the noble tile.

So all that matters is that you have at least 3 diamonds for a noble that requires 3 diamonds; there's no requirement to have an additional 3 for an additional noble.

And the rule limiting it to 1 noble per turn:

  If a player has enough bonuses to be visited by more than one
  noble at the end of their turn, that player chooses the noble to
  be received.


Can I play on other people's buildings in Belfort?

Correct, you may only play on the buildings that you have built.

You may play on a guild that has been purchased by another player, paying that player 1 coin.


Does the attack or defender decide the order of damage assignment to blockers?

By the very rule you quoted (and the one directly following it):

You choose the damage assignment order of attacking creatures you control. (CR 509.2.)
Your opponent chooses the damage assignment order of blocking creatures he controls. (CR 509.3.)

Simple Example

You: "I attack with Centaur Warrior."
Opponent: "I block with Jeskai Student and Disciple of Phenax."
You: "I will assign damage to Jeskai Student first, followed by Disciple of Phenax."
You: "Damage?"
Opponent: "Sure."

Note: There was no need for your opponent to declare a damage assignment order, because each of his blockers are only blocking one attacker. Centaur is assumed to be first in line.

Centaur Warrior must deal at least lethal damage to Jeskai Student before dealing any damage to Disciple of Phenax. You are not allowed to change the order at this point. Therefore, Centaur deals all 3 points of damage to Student. Student and Disciple each deal 1 point of damage to Centaur.

Centaur and Disciple live. Student dies.

Intermediate Example

You: "I attack with Ash Zealot."
Opponent: "I block with Elvish Mystic and Runeclaw Bear."
You: "I will assign damage to Runeclaw Bear first, followed by Elvish Mystic."
You: "First Strike Damage?"
Opponent: "Sure."
You: "Bear dies. Second Strike damage?"
Opponent: "I'll cast Giant Growth on my Elvish Mystic."
You: "Ok it resolves. Second Strike damage?"
Opponent: "Sure."

Ash Zealot deals damage in the first damage phase. Zealot must deal at least lethal to Runeclaw Bear before moving on to Elvish Mystic. Therefore, Zealot deals all 2 points of damage to Runeclaw Bear.

At this point, you both get the chance to play spells and activate abilities. Your opponent takes this chance to make his Elf larger with Giant Growth. We then move to the second damage phase. Runeclaw Bear is already dead and so cannot deal damage. Ash Zealot already dealt its damage. Elvish Mystic is the only creature than will deal damage, and so it deals 3 point of damage to the Zealot.

Mystic lives. Zealot and Bear die.

Special Notes

Some abilities modify, or provide exceptions to, the rules for attacking and blocking. For a particularly complicated example, read about an old mechanic called Banding.


I know that this is an old question, but how about this suggestion?

The main complaint that I am reading here is that the crisis and villain stacks are too large for a normal paced game. How about cutting all stacks in half, or maybe just the crisis, villain, and main deck in half?

In a normal game (non Crisis), we do not see every card in the main deck. By the time we are about half way through the deck, someone has culled their deck enough to kill the super villain every or every other turn.

For Crisis, if you simply remove half of the main deck after shuffling, and half of the rest of the cards, then the game should be just a difficult, but will be faster.

When we do Crisis, it is a lot of luck. If we get stuck with something that requires everyone to destroy a defense or attack card at the same time, then we could go through half of the deck before we see another defense card. Then we need to wait for the player without one to get enough power to purchase it. Then we need to wait for that player to go through their deck and draw it. Removing half of the deck would not reduce this luck factor, and could help speed up the clock for those games where you just had bad luck with the randomizing of Crisis cards.


From the article

  Some creatures, like Bristling Boar above, have abilities that refer to themselves by name. Remember that from a rules perspective, a card using its own name in an ability really just means "me." For example, if Cloudpiercer ends up on top of Bristling Boar, that ability will work on the resulting creature.

As per Rule 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.

From this it is clear that the second ability will apply to the resulting creature, even if it is not named "Rayami, First of the Fallen"


Does the possibility of claiming tricks prevent the defense from profitting from declarer's errors?

Your question displays a gross misunderstanding of the capabilities of good players, even those merely the best in their club. At the club in Kingston where I mastered the game, the top 10 or 12 players could all remember the location of every significant card, for all 26 hands of a session, even several hours after a game. Once or twice a year the Director would be called in the auction of the first or second round with "This hand hasn't been shuffled since last week.", followed by an outline of where all the cards were in all four hands, and what contracts could and couldn't be made by both sides.

Also, a sound claim must cover all possible lies of the cards that remain possible given the knowledge available when the claim is made. It is for this reason that claims are only rarely made when trumps are outstanding. However it is not at all unusual for expert players to claim and concede even endplays such as Throw-ins and Simple and Double Squeezes. At this caliber of play, those techniques are common place, and thoroughly understood by all parties. By the time the hands are well enough known for a sound claim to be made, there are no mistakes left to be made in the hand by any competent, never mind expert, player; any to be made are already history.


Is it my commander?
To reiterate what is stated in the question, your commander is always your commander, and nothing can change that. This is because of the following rule:

903.3. [...] This [commander] designation it is an attribute of the card itself. The card retains this designation even when it changes zones.

Does a commander deal commander damage?
Yes, obviously.
Even if it's morphed?
Yes. Commanderness cannot be hidden. It's an attribute of a card, not a card face. This is specifically covered by an example under rule 903.3.

A commander that’s been turned face down (due to Ixidron’s effect, for example) is still a commander.

Even if it's morphed from my hand?
Yes. Being unable to immediately prove* commanderness is not a legitimate argument for ignoring the rules. To illustrate this very clearly, consider these two rules:

Correct rule 903.3

The commander designation is an attribute of the card itself.

Incorrect rule 903.3

The commander designation an attribute of the card itself if and only if you can prove what card it is.

*Note that you will eventually be required to reveal your morph via comprehensive rule 707.9.
Am I required to immediately tell the truth if asked if a morph is my commander?
It's not clear. The EDH Rules Committee previously stated on their forum:

Face Down Commanders
Since the card itself is designated as the commander, face down commanders still deal commander damage. Your opponents are also allowed to know which morph creature is your commander.

MTGCommander.net is cited in the comprehensive rules as being a source of "additional resources", so rulings made by the EDH Rules Committee are pseudo-authoritative. However, the forum has since been taken down, and with it the ruling. For lack of an authoritative source, it is unclear if "commanderness" is free information.


The printed text of Circu, Dimir Lobotomist says "target library". The same rules update that changed the rule you quoted also errata'd that card to say "target player's library".


What happens if an Ice's subroutine can't be resolved?

The subroutine isn't broken (matters for stuff like Oversight AI), but doesn't actually do anything (so, technically, not "resolved", based on the unresolvable effects ruling from FAQ 1.5 - but there are no currently-released cards for which "resolved" matters).

Update: @user30903 pointed out that Persephone is coming out soonish, and will care whether a sub "resolved" or not. It seems to me that a subroutine should not be considered resolved unless it has an effect on the game state, but FFG could possibly rule to the contrary. We'll have to wait and see.


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

Humility sets the base power and toughness to 1/1 for all creatures. Glorious Anthem, and other effects like +1/+1 counters are still applied on top of the base power and toughness, so (barring other effects), with one or more Humilities and two Glorious Anthems on the battlefield, your creatures will be 3/3s.
The relevant rule is 613:

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.

Layer 7a is the creature's power and toughness as it's printed on the card, say a 2/2 Grizzly Bears.
Layer 7b (note the use of "base power and toughness" in the rules) is where Humility comes into play, it makes it a 1/1.
Layer 7c is Glorious Anthem's layer, if you have two of them both apply and the 1/1 becomes a 3/3.


Does Trespasser il-vec still deal damage after giving itself Shadow?

Yes, Trespasser still deals combat damage.

The relevant passage is in comprehensive rules 509.1b (emphasis mine):

  A restriction may be created by an evasion ability (a static ability
  an attacking creature has that restricts what can block it). If an
  attacking creature gains or loses an evasion ability after a legal
  block has been declared, it doesn’t affect that block. Different
  evasion abilities are cumulative.


What's the relation between Mansions of Madness, Elder Sign and Arkham Horror?

Mansions of Madness, Elder Sign, and Arkham Horror are all games whose themes pull from the Cthulhu Mythos.

In Elder Sign and Arkham Horror you play as investigators cooperating in an attmpt to prevent/drive away an Ancient One entering this world, but the mechanics of both games are very different. I'll describe the games generally.

Arkham Horror has you play investigators wandering around the town of Arkham, having encounter fighting monsters, traveling through gates to other worlds, and sealing said gates. When you seal enough gates (or some other less often-fufilled victory condition), you win. Game play is driven by skill checks. Each investigator has 6 skills and will use them (along with potential skill boosting items) to make skill checks to succeed at various tasks (Understand lore, escape a house before it collapses, kill a monster, etc.)

Similarly, Elder sign has you playing these very same investigators trying to prevent the ancient horror from entering the world, but there's no board to speak of. Instead, your turn consists of picking one of the encounter cards on the board, gathering a pool of specialized dice, and rolling them, trying to match the necessary results displayed on the cards. Winning gets you various rewards. You win when you get enough 'Elder Sign' tokens, which could be direct rewards from completing a mission or by cashing in some of the trophies you've earned.

Mansions of Madness pits a team of investigators against a 'Keeper', who is trying to fufill some hidden agenda of his. The investigators explore a pseudo-randomly generated building trying to discover, and then prevent, the Keeper's goal. The Keeper meanwhile tries to nudge the investigators in the right direction so he can fufill his secret goal easier. The 'board' in this game consists of modular parts that get rearranged depending on the particular scenario being played.

So mechanically and piece-wise, the games are very different. The only pieces you can use in any of the other games are the markers for the investigators.

In Arkham Horror, the investigators have standing cardboard-y pieces with their images on them. In Elder Sign, the investigators have smaller cardboard-y pieces with their images on them. In Mansions of Madness, the investigators have moulded plastic figures in their likeness. Any of these markers could be used in any of the games equally as effectivelly.

Additionally, the monster figures from Mansions of Madness can be used in Arkham Horror. Arkham Horror's monster tokens are squard cardboard pieces with various monster fighting statistics on them. In Mansions of Madness you have the same sized tokens, but the printed stats are totally different, making them non-interchangable. But Mansions of Madness has you slot these tokens into larger monster figures (the tokens are still readable if you look under the base). So you can use these figures for your Arkham Horror play.

Finally, the figures that come with Mansions of Madness are all unpainted. Fantasy Flight sells painted versions of all of these figures, and more, on their website. So if you like the idea of having investigator minis, but don't want Mansions of Madess, you can still get whichever figures you like.


Can I equip Skullclamp on a creature I am sacrificing?

It is possible to get the benefit of the creature's ability and the two-card draw from Skullclamp, but you have to do things in the right order and have a creature that can withstand a +1/-1.

There are a couple of rules concepts that are relevant here:

For the cards mentioned, sacrificing the creature is part of the cost.  You can tell because it appears before the colon (:)602.1a.  Paying a cost does not use the stack, so you can't "respond" to it.  As soon as you sacrifice the creature to pay the cost, it goes to the graveyard701.16a.
Creatures that have 0 toughness are put into the graveyard as a state-based action704.5f.  This condition is checked any time spell or ability resolves.

With this in mind, there are a couple of possible scenarios:

If you activate the creature's ability first, the creature is put in the graveyard as part of the cost.  This means you can't attempt to equip Skullclamp* while the creature's ability is on the stack - the creature is already gone.
If you Equip Skullclamp first, you have two options for timing your use of the creature's ability:

If you activate the creature's ability while Skullclamp's Equip is still on the stack, the creature is sacrificed before Skullclamp is equipped, so you won't get the two-card bonus.  (The Equip ability no longer has a valid target, so it fizzles.)
If you wait until after the Equip finishes, the result depends on how strong your creature is:

If the creature only has 1 toughness (like Diligent Farmhand), Skullclamp decreases its toughness to 0 and it will be put in the graveyard as a state-based action.  There is no opportunity to activate the creature's ability.
If the creature has more than 1 toughness, it will survive being Equipped with Skullclamp.  Its ability can then be activated, and you will get the two-card bonus when it is sacrificed.

So it is possible to pull off this combo with Dawntreader Elk, but not possible with Diligent Farmhand.**

*It's not generally possible to use the Equip ability like this anyway.  The Equip ability can only be used when you could cast a Sorcery.  There are ways around that, but they won't change this outcome.

**Unless you have some other way to boost its toughness or otherwise prevent Skullclamp from killing it.  There are always loopholes in Magic.


What's the use of blinking a creature out (such as with Essence Flux)?

There are many uses for so-called "flicker" effects like from Essence Flux.
The namesake Flicker was the first card to exile and immediately return the target. This is where the mechanic got its unofficial name.
The creature that returns is a whole new object without any relation to its previous existence. That means that, for example:

The creature will trigger all applicable "enters the battlefield" and "leaves the battlefield" abilities.
If the creature you blink is being targeted by a spell or ability, then it will lose track of the creature and not affect it, or will fizzle if that creature was the only target.
Auras and equipments attached to the creature will fall off of it, and counters get removed.
It will return untapped.
All temporary effects, such as from Giant Growth or Death Wind, will be removed.
The new creature has no damage marked on it, so it's like an improved regeneration effect.
If you blink the creature during combat, it will be removed from combat and will neither deal nor take any damage, but (if it was already assigned as a blocker), the creature blocked by it will still be blocked.

Other blink cards such as Flicker can also target enemy creatures (though not at instant speed), which can be a very valuable play at the right time.
In short, blink effects are a powerful trick that can throw a wrench in your opponent's plans at a crucial moment. The +1/+1 counter for spirits is more of a bonus in most cases, but of course it allows you to get even more utility out of this spell.


Can a trauma card meet the requirements for victory

I don't think it's ever explicitly mentioned, but I'd say no. Thematically it probably makes sense, but from a rules point of view, it seems logical that it would need to be damaged received directly from the Mi Go.


Does Neutron Shark cause me to discard, even after destroying itself?

You discard, but don’t repeat.
From Brad Andres (developer at FFG), via email:
“The effect will continue to resolve and the top card of their deck will be discarded, but no matter what card it hits the effect will not be able to resolve again because the card is no longer in play. Hope that helps.”


How to keep the game interesting if a player is 95% certain to win?

If your goal is to keep that same game fun even though you're certain to lose, then perhaps you could rebalance on the fly by choosing a more attainable goal, e.g. "We can't deal 15 damage and win, but how about we try to reach 12."

However, if your goal is to have fun playing games, you could also just concede and use the time you save to play again (or play a different game). In a game with more than two teams, this option doesn't work so well because one team conceding can throw off the balance between the remaining players. But when there are only two teams, then not only are you certain to lose which is no fun, but also your only opponent is certain to win which in my opinion is also no fun because there's no challenge to it anymore, so everyone should be better off ending the game early.

You can also combine the two approaches above: explicitly concede to your opponent, and then suggest that it might be interesting to continue with a rebalanced goal. This is because if you choose a new goal without conceding, then your opponent might not try to stop you from achieving it if trying would damage their chances of winning normally, and the game will probably be more fun if they're trying to stop you.


Will Myth Realized still become an X/X when Humility's in play?

You are correct, Myth Realized will be a creature with power and toughness equal to the number of lore counters on it.

This is because both its own ability and Humility's apply in Layer 7b (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.) Since they are in the same layer and neither ability depends on the other you use timestamps (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.)

Note that if Myth realized is already a creature when Humility is played it will become a 1/1 until the end of turn, but the next time it is activated it will be back to normal.

Myth Realized's ability is not a Characteristic-Defining Ability which would be applied in layer 7a and then get overwritten because cause CDAs require that

  604.3a A static ability is a characteristic-defining ability if it meets the following criteria: ... (2) it is printed on the card it affects, it was granted to the token it affects by the effect that created the token, or it was acquired by the object it affects as the result of a copy effect or text-changing effect;

Also from the Gatherer Rulings

  Activating the ability that turns Myth Realized into a creature while it’s already a creature will override any effects that set its power or toughness to a specific value. Effects that modify power or toughness without directly setting them to a specific value will continue to apply.

This would not be possible if its ability were a CDA


In Pandante, why is the fine for a failed challenge against a player telling the truth multiplied by the total number of players?

With more players in the game the chances of at least one player deciding to challenge you go up.  To counteract this, you need to make it less attractive to each individual player to challenge you, which can be done by modifying the payouts in the way described in the question.


Can a sacrifice be used to pay for more than one effect?

You're absolutely correct: you can only sacrifice the Mogg Fanatic to pay the cost for one of those two effects, not both.  From the Comprehensive Rules:

  117.10. Each payment of a cost applies to only one spell, ability, or effect. For example, a player can't sacrifice just one creature to
  activate the activated abilities of two permanents that each require
  sacrificing a creature as a cost. Also, the resolution of a spell or
  ability doesn't pay another spell or ability's cost, even if part of
  its effect is doing the same thing the other cost asks for.


What constitutes a pair in the game "L'Auberge des Pirates"?

According to the rules (via google translate):

This player
shows you his cards (and to
you alone). Your charge is successful
if he has a pair between the
cards in his hand and those
that he has in front of him.

And in the description of drawing a card:

Draw 1 card without the
show (if it makes a pair with
cards in your hand or those
placed in front of you, do not say anything,
you haven't lost until
you are not charged).

Despite the awkwardness of the translation, it seems clear enough that when challenged, you lose if there is a pair ANYWHERE among the cards you own, whether between two cards in your hand, or one from hand and one from in play.


If a creature takes non-lethal damage, turns into a non-creature, and then back into a creature, does the damage remain?

Yes, Damage is marked on a permanent even if it is not a creature.

Comp rules:

  119.6. Damage marked on a creature remains until the cleanup step, even if that permanent stops being a creature.

Heliod will also not be indestructible in the given scenario, since he was a creature while Hour of Devastation was resolving, which is all that HoD cares about. Changing or losing permanent types does not cause Heliod to regain indestructibility.


How should my strategy change for six players?

Call easy, Play aggressively

I've only played it up to 5 players but in my experience the game works best if you don't go overboard with you calls. I prefer to call one or even two tricks less than I tought if someone else calls big numbers. But then I try to persue those tricks aggressively.

Because even if the calls add up nicely people generally don't manage to follow through. So waiting towards the end to get you tricks is risky as the chances that someone messes up increases with the number of players. Fighting for you tricks to soon is risky too because that's an easy way to waste good cards to wizards.


No, you would suffer up to 5 damage if the opponent choose to assign the trample damage to you.

When two creatures deal combat to each other, it's simultaneous. So, for example, a non-trampling 6/6 would deal 6 damage to your 1/1, causing 6 damage to become "marked" on it, while, concurrently, your 1/1 would deal 1 point of infect damage to the 6/6, causing a -1/-1 counter to be put on it. The counters are the damage.

Trample doesn't add an extra step to damage resolution, it just changes how damage is assigned. So, a trampling 6/6 allows its controller to assign 1 damage to your 1/1 (since that's enough to kill it) and as much of the remaining damage as he wants to you. You, your blocker, and the attacking creature all take damage simultaneously.

If you blocked the 6/6 trampler with a 1/1 creature that had both infect and first strike, then its infect damage would be applied first, giving the 6/6 a -1/-1 counter, and then you'd only take a maximum of 4 trample damage.


Can You Create Free Rent Agreements in Monopoly

You can offer a rent free situation by promising the player that you will never claim rent.  As rent is only ever paid when the owner of a property claims it, you can in effect offer free rent.

There is no way to enforce this though and you must treat this as nothing more than a gentleperson's agreement.


How should I determine how many lands of each different color to put in my deck?

As an unscientific method for quickly throwing lands into a draft deck, I could up the number of coloured mana symbols in the casting costs of my cards, and use the results as a ratio to choose my lands.  So, if my deck has 20 white mana symbols and 10 blue mana symbols, and I need to select 17 lands, I'd typically be thinking about 11 Plains and 6 Islands.

Though of course it's not quite as simple as that.  You also need to factor in coloured activation costs, of course; and then, consider when you need your different colours of mana.  In the example given above, if many of the white cards cost 4W or 5W, and all the blue cards cost U or UU, then evidently I need to draw my islands early and can get away with drawing plains later on.  That sounds like a pretty peculiar deck, but if for some reason it did exist you could easily be considering even 9 Islands and 8 Plains.

Another example: suppose your deck is pretty much mono-white, with a red splash.  Your red mana symbols may be less than 10%  of your total mana symbols: you may even only have one red card!  Even so, it might not serve you well to dogmatically have 1-2 Mountains and 15-16 Plains.  12 Plains should be more than enough to run your white spells off (assuming none of them cost WWW, anyway!) and you can make up the difference with 5 Mountains, to make sure you have a good chance of playing that red spell in any game you draw it.

Unfortunately I don't think there's any simple magic formula for answering this question: it's just the sort of thing that becomes more and more intuitive the more Magic you play.  But one last tip: if you're playing a lot of Limited games where your mana is letting you down, consider the possibility that it might not be your choice of lands that's letting you down at all - maybe you should be trying to assemble decks that are less ambitious about the range of spells they are trying to play!


In Settlers of Catan, what are ways to "hide" your strength until the end?

Hoarding developments cards is a great way. Here's a few specifics on that, along with a few ways that don't involve development cards (note that you usually don't want to exploit your hidden strength until you think it will propel you to victory):

Hold off using a Monopoly card even if you get it very early in the
game. Wait for exactly that right moment when there are many of one
resource that you can monopolize and efficiently convert into several
settlements/cities/dev cards.
Hold off using a Road Building card until it results in you getting
longest road and a new settlement all on the same turn.
Hold off using a Year of Plenty card until you happen to have a card
combo in your hand where employing it results in a 3 victory point
turn.
Have a couple roads that go off to horribly unproductive locations -
but are nonetheless potential settlement sites. Many people
automatically assume you'll never build there - but you will on the
turn it vaults you to victory.
People often have no clue that you'll have longest road with
just 2-3 more road links closing 1 or 2 loops. Do this on purpose,
particularly if you have a hidden road building development card.
If playing with the Seafarers expansion, have extra ships available
that you will eventually use to build a surprise settlement, or
better yet a surprise settlement on a new island that gets you a
victory point bonus, or best of all combine with leaping to longest
road. But of course try not to make it obvious you're planning this.

Of course, if you have a hand of 7 unplayed development cards, you will be greatly feared so all the hidden strength tactics involving development cards work best when you have 2-3 unplayed cards.
Perhaps the most important hidden strength:
Gear your initial settlement placement and early building towards the end game. In other words - go for ore and grain, with a little sheep thrown in. You will fall behind in the beginning but so long as you get at least 1 additional settlement, you'll have no problems towards the end of the game while others stall out. Taken to extremes, it's possible to win with only 2 settlements, as I did here (nobody realized how strong I was until the game was just about over - those 15 development cards were all mine, though I didn't have enough turns to play them all!):


Michael Redmond, the only western nine-dan pro, is a player who plays in the style you describe. The result is that he has placed "high" in several tournaments but has never won one. He "outlasts" most players but inevitably falls to one with a "sharper" style. His games (and game commentaries) often serve as models for the kind of play you are looking for.Here is some Redmond commentary. And here are some of his games

It has been noted by a commenter that the computer program Alpha Go plays "slow" moves that maximizes the chances of winning, rather than maximizing the score.


Is Gleam of Authority's bonus constant or one-time?

It is a constant thing, not one-time, so if a creature you control gets another +1/+1 counter after the enchantment comes into play, the enchanted creature will increase in power and toughness.

The ability is a static ability, which means that it is in effect as long as the enchantment is in play, and its effect on the creature depends on the current board state, not the board state when the Enchantment entered the battlefield.

The relevant rules are these:

  604.1. Static abilities do something all the time rather than being activated or triggered. They are written as statements, and they're simply true.
  604.2. Static abilities create continuous effects, some of which are prevention effects or replacement effects. These effects are active as long as the permanent with the ability remains on the battlefield and has the ability, or as long as the object with the ability remains in the appropriate zone, as described in rule 112.6.
  611.3a A continuous effect generated by a static ability isn’t "locked in"; it applies at any given moment to whatever its text indicates.


I'll be quoting from the rule book here.
Page 10 has general rules for using Spades. In general, if you're gaining Spades during an Action phase, you can exchange Workers to finish the job. If you gain the Spades outside of the Action phase (such as for the Cult Bonus), you can't.

Game Board Power Action Spaces
For spaces 5 and 6 you can exchange Workers for Spades.

Page 17: If these Spades do not suffice to transform a given Terrain space into your Home terrain, you may exchange Workers* for the missing Spade – at the current Exchange rate on your Exchange track. If you only need one Spade to transform a Terrain space into your Home terrain, you may spend the second Spade on another Terrain space. However, you may not place a Dwelling on this other space.
*Darklings need to exchange 1 Priest for each missing Spade.

Bonus Cards
When using the Special Action on the Bonus card (scroll) to gain a Spade, the same rules apply (page 19).

Cult Bonus Spades

Page 15: You may not acquire additional Spades when getting them as a Cult bonus. You may not save Spades for future turns.


Roll as many dice as you need to (nine, in your case). The relevant bit in the rules, I suppose, is:

  When making a skill check, a player always rolls a number of dice equal to his investigator’s value in the appropriate skill.

There's also an example, under Weapon and Skill Limits, saying:

  ... He then accounts for the Star Spawn’s combat rating (–3), leaving him with 13 dice with which to roll 3 successes (as the Star Spawn’s toughness is 3)

There are so many things that wouldn't make sense if you were limited to five dice. There are investigators with a skill that goes up to 6, items like the Tommy Gun that give +6 to something. And there's the bit where skill checks requiring 3 successes would be pretty much impossible, and even two would be hard. Combat should often involve more than five dice, and it's quite possible to get yourself up past ten dice - I think they just figured it wasn't really feasible to give you enough dice for any possible situation.


Is it better to go first or last in Vinci?

This is very difficult question to answer because so much of it depends on your experience, play-style, and how the random elements of the game turn out.  These games have sufficient complexity that, based on how they are played by humans, going either first or last might be an advantage.

It's certain that one's play-style preferences will affect this decision.  If you are one who more often likes to find a best response to your opponent's moves, then going later will be 'better' since it suits your play-style, this you'll win more often going later than going earlier.  However, if you're one who prefers to be more strategic, going earlier might yield you more wins.

Two things to note:

If you have the choice of consistently going in a certain order, keep choosing the one you have the most experience with.  This will enable you to remove one variable of the game, and allow you to improve your skill in the game faster.
There ARE certain combinations of races and powers that are clearly better, especially in terms of how they interact, than others.  This means that in certain games, it will be more advantageous to grab them, thus go earlier.  However, it's not at all clear that these situations happen often enough to offset any advantages (if they exist) from going later.


Are you allowed to play a 5 of a kind in Exploding Kittens to add an Exploding Kitten to your hand?

In the rules,

  Five Different Cards

  If you play 5 different cards (any 5 cards with different titles), go
  through the Discard Pile to take any single card you’d like. (Grab the
  Pile quickly to choose your card so that you don’t get “Noped!”)

So you could probably grab an exploding kitten. But why should you:

  Exploding Kitten 4 Cards

  You must show this card immediately. Unless you have a Defuse Card,
  you’re dead. Discard all of your cards, including the Exploding
  Kitten.

So two things can happen:

You have a defuse card. Use it and put the kitten back in the game.
You don't have a defuse card, you are out of the game.

The second option is a creative way to leave the game early. The first is possible a valid option if there is only one player left and you know for sure your defuse card was the last in the game and all attack and skip cards are gone. So by putting the kitten on top of the stack, you force him to draw and explode resulting in a win for you.


Yes, you can combine sets into new sets. As long as you follow the rules. That is the fun part of the game.

From Wikipedia:

  Joker substitution:
  A set containing a joker can have tiles added to it, be split apart or have tiles removed from it. The joker can be moved or replaced in any possible way as long as you maintain a set of at least three tiles.


In Pokemon, is the 'Attack' action the last action that is performed on your turn?

Typically yes, attacking is the last action you take prior to ending your turn. See the TCG Rulebook, page 9.

Attack. Then, end your turn.

Some turns you may take other actions to end your turn and not attack. But there is no second main phase like in Magic. Once you declare an attack there is no more playing cards unless the attack requires it.


Shogun: Which player resolves winter revolts first?

Page 10 of the rule book:

  If multiple players face revolts this winter, the revolts are resolved in the turn order of the preceding fall round.


Do i have to have a spell target to tap a wizard creature with Patron Wizard?

You absolutely do have to have a target in order to use the ability.

  602.2  To activate an ability is to put it onto the stack and pay its costs,
  so that it will even tually resolve and have its effect. Only an
  object’s controller (or its owner, if it doesn’t have a controller)
  can activate its activated ability unless the object specifically says
  otherwise. Activating an ability follows the steps listed below, in
  order. If, at any point during the activation of an ability, a player
  is unable to comply with any of those steps, the activation is
  illegal; the game returns to the moment before that ability started to
  be activated (see rule 717, “Handling Illegal Actions”). Announcements
  and payments can’t be altered after they’ve been made.

And you have to choose a target in order to cast a spell or activate an ability.

  601.2c The player announces his or her choice of an appropriate player, object, or zone for each target the spell requires. A spell
  may require some targets only if an alternative or additional cost
  (such as a buyback or kicker cost), or a particular mode, was chosen
  for it; otherwise, the spell is cast as though it did not require
  those targets. If the spell has a variable number of targets, the
  player announces how many targets he or she will choose before he or
  she announces those targets. The same target can’t be chosen multiple
  times for any one instance of the word “target” on the spell. However,
  if the spell uses the word “target” in multiple places, the same
  object, player, or zone can be chosen once for each instance of the
  word “target” (as long as it fits the targeting criteria). If any
  effects say that an object or player must be chosen as a target, the
  player chooses targets so that he or she obeys the maximum possible
  number of such effects without violating any rules or effects that say
  that an object or player can’t be chosen as a target. The chosen
  players, objects, and/or zones each become a target of that spell.
  (Any abilities that trigger when those players, objects, and/or zones
  become the target of a spell trigger at this point; they’ll wait to be
  put on the stack until the spell has finished being cast.)

  602.2b The remainder of the process for activating an ability is identical to the process for casting a spell listed in rules 601.2b –
  h. Those rules apply to activating an a bility just as they apply to
  casting a spell. An activated ability’s analog to a spell’s mana cost
  (as referenced in rule 601.2e) is its activation cost.


If I buy more than one property when playing monopoly must my cards be where all players must see them?

Yes, the title deed cards must be visible. From the rules:

  BUYING PROPERTY… Whenever you land on an unowned property
  you may buy that property from the Bank at its printed price. You
  receive the Title Deed card showing ownership; place it face up in
  front of you.


MTG: Can I use the ability of my Five-Alarm Fire before it getting destroyed? How does priority works here?

Yes, and yes for the most part.

Unless an ability has a timing restriction (e.g. it says "use this only during your upkeep") or is on a summoning-sick creature, you can use it whenever you have priority. Side-note: Mana abilities, which are like Tap: Add G to pool, have slightly different rules but those aren't relevant to this.

So for part one, he'll go to demystify, which'll put it on the stack and can either put another action on the stack or pass priority. Assuming he passes, you can then respond with activating it and put that on the stack above the demystify. He'll have a chance to respond to that. If he passes, he gets shot, a priority wave happens, his demystifies resolves and your Five-Alarm blows up.


Disclaimer, I've never played this but found rules online and seem fairly straight forward.

Yes the 3-of-a-kind bonus can be score with 3 white rocks.   This has bee confirmed by designer on the BGG forums here

As far I as I can tell from BGG pictures of the game, all bridge rocks are grey, not white.  Also looking at rules here the bridge rocks are not even defined by a colour and just called 'bridge rock' as opposes to 'white rock', 'blue rock' etc so don't see why a bridge rock would could towards 3 white rocks.


Game where you guess whether something is true


No, you can only give orders for your own units.

The first sentence of paragraph 2, "Order writing phase" in the rules is, emphasis mine,

  Each player secretly writes "orders" for each of his/her own units on a slip of paper.


betrayal at house on the hill crystal ball and used items

Looking at the rules here there are instructions for discarding rooms tiles.

  If you go through the whole stack of room tiles, shuffle the tiles you set aside in a discard pile

With that in mind I would handle all discards (of room tiles cards etc) into a discard pile for each and shuffle again if the draw deck for them runs out.  I couldn't see anything in rules about discarding to bottom of deck so that doesn't feel correct.


When is Dúnhere considered to be attacking alone?

Lets have a look at the rules. In the combat phase, after resolving the attacks by encountered enemies, it is the players turn to attack with hers/his heroes and allies. To attack a target the player declares the attackers and exhausts them. Then the combined attack strength will be determined and so on. Only encountered enemies can be attacked.

For Dúnhere this means the following. If you select him in the combat phase as an attacker, and he attacks alone, he can also attack enemies in the staging area. As mentioned on the card if he does so, he gets +1 attack. This does not mean that you cannot do other attacks.

See also this discussion.


Can my opponent and I decide on a victory condition to avoid a draw?

Bribery and Collusion do not really factor into this.  If there is no agreement (or offer) to exchange something of value for a particular match result, there is no bribery.  "Collusion" is not inherently illegal in the absence of bribery (No rule says I can't concede to my friends because they're my friends.)

You are running afoul of 'Unsporting Conduct - Improperly Determining a Winner'.  Entering into (or offering) an agreement with your opponent to choose the winner of the match by any means not included in the rules of the game is a disqualification.


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

Consensus at BoardGameGeek seems to be:

  My impression from all of the people who have actually commented after receiving the expansion is that one can play just fine with the original base game as long as one is willing to tolerate some minor inconsistencies.

Apparently the size of cards differ between 1st ed and the expansions, but that can be remedied by sleeving the cards. There are a few inconsistencies in rules texts, but overall 1st ed seems playable with the expansions.


Can I use the Angel's Feather to roll higher than the dice would allow?

Yes, you can.
The Angel's Feather reads:

When you attempt a roll of any kind, you can call out a number from 0 to 8.  Use that number instead of rolling the dice.
Discard this item after you use it.

The feather explicitly says it can be used for a roll 'of any kind'.  That's different from a lot of effects in the game which only apply to skill rolls.  The feather can be used for a skill roll, the Mystic Elevator roll, a haunt roll, or anything else.  That includes the sneak attack roll that you're interested in.
Of course, some rolls, (Like the Mystic Elevator, for example) are undefined for values that are normally not achievable on the roll.  This being Betrayal, the rules don't really define what happens if you choose a value outside of the available options.  But the feather specifically says that you can call out a number from 0 to 8 on any roll.  So I believe that you can use it as written, even if the specified number would normally be impossible.
I would say that the card tells you what happens when you roll any of those numbers.  Since you don't 'roll' any of those numbers, you do none of the indicated events, and hence, nothing happens.


The Soul Seizer remains an enchantment, but you regain control of it (at the end of the turn). Nothing in the rules about the transform ability says it becomes a different permanent, even though it changes types.

701.27. Transform
701.27a To transform a permanent, turn it over so that its other face is up. Only permanents represented by double-faced cards can transform. (See rule 711, “Double-Faced Cards.”)

Since it now enchants one of your own creatures, it's effectively useless. However, you can't use it anymore on your opponent's creatures, so it's definitely a smart move from your opponent. Just not that smart ...


No, it would not return to your opponent's hand that way.

The reason for that is that the previously exiled card is no longer in exile. It explicitly says that it moves the card from exile to opponent's hand, but the card is no longer in exile by that time, so it's trying to do something impossible.

Also, the object represented by that card stops existing when it changes zones, and a new object is created, represented by the same card. There are some exceptions that allow objects to be tracked across zones, but none of them apply here.

  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:


Yes, Graft is a regular triggered ability and can be responded to, for example by destroying the receiving creature before it gets the counter. If that happens, or the creature becomes unable to receive the counter for any other reason, the +1/+1 counter stays on the Graft permanent.
Graft is a triggered ability:

702.57a Graft represents both a static ability and a triggered ability. “Graft N” means “This permanent enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters on it” and “Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, if this permanent has a +1/+1 counter on it, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this permanent onto that creature.”
603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as “[When/Whenever/At] [trigger condition or event], [effect]. [Instructions (if any).]”

All triggered abilities (except triggered mana abilities) use the stack.

603.3. Once an ability has triggered, its controller puts it on the stack as an object that’s not a card the next time a player would receive priority. [..]

If the creature that is about to receive the counter dies or otherwise becomes unable to receive the counter, the counter stays where it is, on Llanowar Reborn in your case:

122.5. If an effect says to “move” a counter, it means to remove that counter from the object it’s currently on and put it onto a second object. If either of these actions isn’t possible, it’s not possible to move a counter, and no counter is removed from or put onto anything. This may occur if the first and second objects are the same object; if the first object doesn’t have the appropriate kind of counter on it; if the second object can’t have counters put onto it; or if either object is no longer in the correct zone.


No, haste gives you the choice to attack or activate abilities with the tap (or untap) symbol in the cost, but does not create a requirement. If a creature is required to attack it will be explicitly spelled out like with Juggernaut. (As far as I know there are no cards that require you to activate an ability)

702.10b If a creature has haste, it can attack even if it hasn’t been controlled by its controller continuously since his or her most recent turn began.
702.10c If a creature has haste, its controller can activate its activated abilities whose cost includes the tap symbol or the untap symbol even if that creature hasn’t been controlled by that player continuously since his or her most recent turn began.


There are no building limits in Lords of Waterdeep as defined in the Appendix 3: Clarifications section in the rulebook of Scoundrels of Skullport:

  Number of Buildings in Play: You are not limited to the ten empty
  spaces on the game board for Building tiles when putting Buildings into
  play. Simply place any additional Buildings in a convenient place on or
  near the board.

Also on the official FAQ for Lords of Waterdeep:

Can more than 10 Buildings be in play?

  Yes. The number of empty Building spaces on the board is no limit to
  the number of Buildings that can be in play during the game.

EDIT:

As for personal building limits, you are in fact limited to the number of building tokens you have, as defined in the official FAQ:

Can you control more Buildings than you have control markers?

  No. The number of control markers you have is the maximum number of
  Buildings you can have in a single game.

This limit is also enforced on the iOS game.


How the game actually end for Carcassonne?

Yes, depending on how many players there are and what expansions are being played, the game will sometimes end with one or more players having played one tile less.

Furthermore, some tiles can become discarded. At times, early on in the game, a four sided city tile has no where to go and thus has to be discarded; the player draws again, and upsets the tile distribution.

Another instance is when playing the Traders and Builders expansion. The builder allows players to draw up to two tiles per turn, and thus disturb tile distribution.


The Professor does not have any secret knowledge. Looking at The Professors rules in the linked PDF there's no indication that the Storyteller would ever tell The Professor when they wake up in the night if someone has died that same night.
The Professor only knows who is dead when Dawn arrives and the Storyteller lets the group know who, if anyone, has died. That's how The Professor gets their knowledge in the game. One of the last lines of The Professor examples has:

At dawn, after declaring which players died, declare which player is alive again.

Let's work with the example in the question:

Unbeknownst to the Professor, that player was regurgitated by the Shabaloth and is now alive. The Storyteller shakes their head no, because the Professor must choose a dead player.

The Shabaloth eats 2 players every night and may, the following night, regurgitate one of the two players. In the given example The Shabaloth eats 2 players and the following Dawn The Storyteller shares with the group that 2 players are dead.
This gives The Professor information on who the 2 dead players are, one of which they (The Professor) may resurrect the following night. Unfortunately, in the given example The Shabaloth goes before The Professor, regurgitating one of the players which changes their status to "alive". When it is The Professors turn they coincidentally choose the regurgitated player and the Storyteller must inform The Professor that the chosen player is not dead by giving them a head shake:

The Storyteller shakes their head no, because the Professor must choose a dead player.

In this instance, The Professor does get the knowledge of a player coming back to life specifically because:

The Professor can only choose dead players.
The player was dead the previous night and would be up for consideration.

The rules state in multiple places that The Professor must choose a dead player specifically. This means they have prior knowledge of who is considered dead players, even if that knowledge changes in the same night they resurrect.
I would consider the above example an edge case. Otherwise, The Professor could have a lucky guess one night and resurrect a dead player the same night they died which the rules do not touch on at all.

The above is my interpretation of the linked rules. The rules will not cover every edge case. When in doubt, The Storyteller will always have the final say.


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

The Procession plays Encampment for the first time. You don't reveal a Plunder or Gold, so you set Encampment aside. This does not prevent Procession from playing it a second time, but both Encampment's attempt to set itself aside again, and Procession's attempt to trash it, will fail because it's not currently in play. You gain an Action card costing $3 ($1 more than Encampment), then at the end of your turn you return Encampment to its pile.

Reasons for what happens:

Procession needs to wait for Encampment to finish being played twice before it can do the trashing. It can't find Encampment if it's set aside (because it has "lost track"), so it can't trash it.
Procession's "gain an Action card" effect does not depend on successfully trashing the played card (as noted in the FAQ).
"Lose track" effects only happen when an effect tries to move a card, but the card is in an unexpected location. So Procession "thinks" the Encampment is in play and tries to move it to the trash, but since it's not in the "in-play area" it can't trash it. But being set aside doesn't change Encampment's text or cost so it still does the same thing when it gets played again, and it can still be used to calculate the cost of the card gained by Possession.


As @Dopplegreener mentions, all cards that said "remove ... from the game" has been errataed to say "exile ...".

The problem with getting rid of a commander permanently is rule 903.9:

  903.9. If a commander would be exiled from anywhere or put into its owner's hand, graveyard, or library from anywhere, its owner may put it into the command zone instead. This replacement effect may apply more than once to the same event. This is an exception to rule 614.5.

This rule lets the commander's owner put it back to the command zone no matter what happens.  Well, almost no matter what happens.

Ways to Nullify a Commander

The rule doesn't apply to phasing.  If you phase out a commander, such as with Vanishing, and have Stasis in play, their commander will be out of play until stasis is removed (phasing happens during the untap step, so Stasis prevents their commander from phasing in).  You can also have the commander out of play for most of the game without using Stasis by activating Vanishing as soon as their commander phases back in (their commander will exists for only a brief window at the beginning of some upkeeps).
If you take over their turn, such as with Mindslaver, and exile their commander on their turn, such as with Unmake, you chose whether or not to apply the replacement effect and can choose to have the commander be exiled rather than go to the command zone.
You can turn their commander into something else, such as with Song of the Dryads or Imprisoned in the Moon.  (Note that causing a commander to lose all abilities, such as with Lignify, isn't sufficient to nullify the commander against some decks, as a commander with no abilities is still a commander and can still deal commander damage.)
You can prevent them from casting their commander, such as with Meddling Mage
You can take control of their commander, such as with Empress Galina (your friends might not play with you if this is your commander) or Aethersnatch (it pains me that Commandeer doesn't work on most commanders; it can only target the few planeswakers that say "can be your commander").
You can eliminate the player that owns the commander, such as with Door to Nothingness.  When a player leaves the game, all objects owned by that player leave the game.

At the end of the day though, short of eliminating the player, you can't permanently prevent someone from accessing their commander1.  Any permanents you use to lock down their commander can be destroyed.  Any other tricks you pull can be negated through some combination of Pull from Eternity, Elixir of Immortality, Mastermind's Acquisition, and Brand.  There is always a way to get a card back, no matter where it has gone, unless it's owner has been eliminated from the game.

1. @ThomSmith found a way to permanently prevent a player from accessing a commander but it requires you to concede the game.

Joke Answers

There are a handful of cards not legal in the format2 that can either permanently remove a commander or that deserve honorable mentions:

The silver-bordered cards AWOL and Look at Me, I'm the DCI can put their commander into a zone not referenced by any other card in Magic.
Bronze Tablet (an ante card, not legal in any format) is one of the few cards that can change ownership of a permanent, nullifying rule 903.9.
During a subgame of magic, from Shahrazad or Enter the Dungeon, a commander is only available to a player if it was in the command zone at the start of the subgame ("719.2c As a subgame of a Commander game starts, each player moves their commander from the main-game command zone (if it's there) to the subgame command zone.") or if they pull a card from outside the game ("719.4. All objects in the main game and all cards outside the main game are considered outside the subgame (except those specifically brought into the subgame).")
If you make their commander a copy of the silver-bordered Chaos Confetti (such as by animating Chaos Confetti with March of the Machines and then using Cytoshape), take control of their turn (such as with Mindslaver) and activate the Chaos Confetti ability on their commander, you could destroy their commander card permanently (by ripping it to pieces).
Using the silver-bordered R&D's Secret Lair, you can remove cards from the game by playing an older version of a spell that exiles (such as Unmake) and ignoring the errata that changes this text to "exile".
If their commander is Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker or Hokori, Dust Drinker, you could attempt to claim ownership of it via the silver-bordered Ashnod's Coupon (you'd probably need a judge to rule on this one).  If drink ever becomes a creature type, Ashnod's coupon will gain additional potency via cards such as Amoeboid Changeling and Unnatural Selection.
The silver-bordered Spike, Tournament Grinder lets you use any of these other banned cards (if only it weren't banned as well).

2. Some of these cards were briefly legal between Dec 1, 2017 and Jan 15, 2018.


Why does Online Dominion allow you to reveal reaction cards multiple times?

Yes, you can reveal a reaction drawn by Secret Chamber.  For example, the following scenario is perfectly valid (according to BGG's Dominion FAQ)

Be attacked.
Reveal Secret Chamber.
Draw two cards (one Moat), replace two cards.
Reveal Moat to deflect attack.
Reveal Secret Chamber again.
Draw two cards, replace two cards (put Moat back on deck)

Most reaction cards, such as Moat, have no real value to being revealed multiple times during the same trigger.  However, since the rules do not explicitly forbid such behaviour and there may be other edge cases where revealing the same card multiple times has merit, it remains a valid option.


Can a creature token represent a different creature token?

You can represent your tokens however you want with

coins
dice
sleeves
deckboxes
your smartphone, etc
If you have different types of tokens, I normally put them face down.

But there are some things to be careful of however. (mostly applies to competitive scenarios)

If you have many of the same token, Avoid using dice to represent the quantity.  If you do this, you'll have issues differentiating tapped tokens from untapped, and tokens with summoning sickness from tokens without.
If a card produces a token, avoid turning that card face-down for your token.  If that card is in your graveyard, your graveyard is where it belongs.  find another object to  represent your token with.

To Summarize:  You can represent your tokens in whatever manner you want, so long as they're clearly and accurately represented.


While I don't know any, you can easily figure it out and try if that works.

Official rules state:

pla  pan  tok
9    -
8    4/5  47
7    4/5  55
6    4    55
5    3w   47
4    2e+  55
3    2w-  47

(players, panels, tokens)

I find it odd it allows 7 and 8 players to play with either 4 or 5 panels without varying the amount of token to use. I read it "you must use it, but we have to provide rules to allow you to play even if you don't have it".

Assumed that, there are two ways to amend it.

pla  pan  tok
9    6    55
8    5    47
7    5    55
6    4    55

the more conservative approach is to just assume they meant the western extra panel to be used and keep the tokens as they were. Problem is you would need a sixth panel to add a ninth player, and it doesn't officially exist (nor unofficially, AFAIK). If you take this route, you'll automatically also get a 10-player version, using 6 panels and 47 tokens.

pla  pan  tok
9    5    47
8    5    55
7    4    47
6    4    55

the optimistic approach assumes they messed up the token amounts trying to allow 7 and 8-player games to work both with 4 and 5 panels, so you fix it as in this table.

They would both need testing; before actually testing them in the field, actually counting territories and population in each panel could help (I didn't, yet).


Where do you put the reward you gain when attacking Draco/zombies?

Just got the answer straight from the Publisher on BGG:

  If you have a container, straight there. If you don't it goes on top of your Town Hall and has to be used this turned otherwise you will have to discard it!
  Indeed, it means that this resource is vulnerable to an attack this turn. Unless you have a defense and that could be a nice lure


Damage Trample and Lifelink which cause Damage

Assuming nothing else happens, in the combat damage step, P1's creature will deal 2 damage to P2 (and 1 damage to P2's creature), and P2's creature will deal 1 damage to P1's creature.
Lifelink modifies the damage dealt, so at the very same time, both creatures are dealt 1 damage, P2 is dealt 2 damage, and P2 gains 1 life.

119.3f. Damage dealt by a source with lifelink causes that source’s controller to gain that much life, in addition to the damage’s other results.

The artifact triggers, but before the trigger is put on the stack, State-Based Actions are checked and see P2 at 0 life, causing that player to lose the game.

116.5. Each time a player would get priority, the game first performs all applicable state-based actions as a single event (see rule 704, “State-Based Actions”), then repeats this process until no state-based actions are performed. Then triggered abilities are put on the stack (see rule 603, “Handling Triggered Abilities”). These steps repeat in order until no further state-based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the player who would have received priority does so.
704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 116, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. (...)
704.5a. If a player has 0 or less life, he or she loses the game.

The trigger from the artifact is never put on the stack, and certainly never resolves.


MTG: Creature can't attack unless X after "declare attackers"

It remains an attacker.

508.1k Each chosen creature still controlled by the active player becomes an attacking creature. It remains an attacking creature until it’s removed from combat or the combat phase ends, whichever comes first. See rule 506.4.
506.4. A permanent is removed from combat if it leaves the battlefield, if its controller changes, if it phases out, if an effect specifically removes it from combat, if it’s a planeswalker that’s being attacked and stops being a planeswalker, or if it’s an attacking or blocking creature that regenerates (see rule 701.13) or stops being a creature. A creature that’s removed from combat stops being an attacking, blocking, blocked, and/or unblocked creature. A planeswalker that’s removed from combat stops being attacked
506.4a Once a creature has been declared as an attacking or blocking creature, spells or abilities that would have kept that creature from attacking or blocking don’t remove the creature from combat.


Can Ice Witches use Winter markers on the turn they were earned?

They should be played the same round. The rule is not explicit and I have found no official statement. But this topic on boardgamegeek took the same conclusion:

  All the magic sources do is indicate how many markers the Ice Witches may play at the end of their turn. Highlighted this bit as this is a rule we've got wrong a few times when playing.


Can the Madman cause you to die from sanity loss? If so, can the dog retrieve him?

1) Yes you would die from the sanity loss. From the rule book (page 9):

  Once the haunt begins, if any of your traits (Speed, Might, Sanity, or Knowledge) moves down to the skull symbol, your explorer dies.

This does not differentiate in any way between taking direct damage and any other forms of stat loss, so gaining the Madman can kill you if your sanity is already at its lowest point.

2) No, the Dog cannot carry the Madman (or the Girl). According to the rule book (page 7):

  Some omens, like the Dog, aren’t items at all, so they can’t
  be dropped or traded. They’re companions that follow
  the explorer who has custody of them. (The Dog, Girl, and
  Madman all work this way.)

and according to the Dog card:

  Once during your turn, the Dog can move to any explored room up to 6 spaces away, using doors and stairs, and then return. It can pick up, carry, and/or drop 1 item before it returns.

The Dog explicitly states that it can only pick up items. The rules explicitly state that both the Madman and the Girl are not items, so therefore neither of them could be carried by the Dog.


Mystery of the Abbey - How to track clues over time?

What I do in games such as these is to make use of the directions my opponents face.  So, on the box for each monk, the player across from me will get the top-center of the box, while the player to my left gets the lower left of the box.  My notes will go in the appropriate location of the box for each player.  As for tracking the card movements, it's best to assume that knowledge is always shared, even if it wasn't, so the elimination note will pass from player A to player B anytime they exchange information.  This allows you to ask questions that you're SURE will leas to new information (if the question is answered as you hope), instead of possibly redundant information.


What is a good strategy for using the Doomsday card?

For half your life, you get to stack your deck and set yourself up for a number of combos.  There's a combo going around that involves Shelldock Isle/ Doomsday/ Emrakul, the Aeons Torn to pop out the Emrakul for free.

In addition, cards such as Serra Avatar, Beacon of Destruction, and other cards that shuffle back into your library afterwards can be used to stall running out of cards.  Platinum Angel can help keep you from losing the game.

That said, it's a pretty hard card to build around.


In MTG, what happens when Sakashima the Imposter copies Halcyon Glaze?

A relevant paragraph from the MtG Comprehensive Rules:

  706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of
  the original object's characteristics
  and, for an object on the stack,
  choices made when casting or
  activating it (mode, targets, the
  value of X, whether it was kicked, how
  it will affect multiple targets, and
  so on). The "copiable values" are the
  values derived from the text printed
  on the object (that text being name,
  mana cost, card type, subtype,
  supertype, expansion symbol, rules
  text, power, toughness, and/or
  loyalty), as modified by other copy
  effects, by "as . . . enters the
  battlefield" and "as . . . is turned
  face up" abilities that set
  characteristics, and by abilities that
  caused the object to be face down.
  Other effects (including type-changing
  and text-changing effects), status,
  and counters are not copied. Example:
  Chimeric Staff is an artifact that
  reads "{X}: Chimeric Staff becomes an
  X/X artifact creature until end of
  turn." Clone is a creature that reads,
  "You may have Clone enter the
  battlefield as a copy of any creature
  on the battlefield." After a Staff has
  become a 5/5 artifact creature, a
  Clone enters the battlefield as a copy
  of it. The Clone is an artifact, not a
  5/5 artifact creature. (The copy has
  the Staff's ability, however, and will
  become a creature if that ability is
  activated.) Example: Clone enters the
  battlefield as a copy of a face-down
  Grinning Demon (a creature with morph
  {2}{B}{B}). The Clone is a colorless
  2/2 creature with no name, no types,
  no abilities, and no mana cost. It
  will still be face up. Its controller
  can't pay {2}{B}{B} to turn it face
  up.

I think that what this implies is that Sakashima does NOT become a 4/4 creature when copying a creatured-up Halcyon Glaze, but rather an enchantment with Halcyon Glaze's rules text.  So you'd have to cast another creature to turn enchantment-Sakashima into a 4/4 flyer.  I don't think he'd revert to being a 3/1 at end of turn; he'd stay a noncreature enchantment until returned to hand with Sakashima's ability.

Essentially the key issue here is about what the Magic rules like to call "copiable values". The switched-on Glaze is a valid thing for Sakashima to copy, because it's a creature in play, but its switched-on status is not a copiable value. So Sakashima just becomes a switched-off Glaze, with all the extra characteristics as defined in the Sakashima rules text.


How to easily differentiate Catan expansion pieces?

For the tiles it's quite easy to write the expansion (or print it out on a sticker for a nicer look) on the bottom.


Confused with Bidding in Contract Bridge

The bidding process continues until all players have passed in succession, or three players have passed in succession after a bid.  You seem to misunderstand the double and redouble bids - they can't go on indefinitely.  After a double from the opposing team, your only options are to go to a higher level or redouble.  After a redouble from the opposing team, your only option is to go to a higher level.  (Or pass out of course, in either case.)  If bidding reaches 7 no trumps redoubled, there is nowhere left to go.
It would be easy to assume that "double" and "redouble" imply x2 or x4 value for the contract - much too easy!  In fact doubling and redoubling also do some rather complex things to scoring overtricks or undertricks in the final score, dependent on the "vulnerability" of the contract, that has little to do with a simple multiplier.  And that's before we get into the additional "insult bonus" for successfully making a doubled or redoubled contract... Here's a link to the Wikipedia sections on the subject, probably better and conciser than me trying to outline all of it from memory.
Declarer is, as you say, the first player to mention the trump suit (or bid no trumps) in the partnership that ultimately wins the contract.
Unfortunately dummy has little to do except twiddle his thumbs until the contract is played out.  Fortunately Bridge is a complex and tense game that is usually as much fun to watch as play, and generally I don't find it a big problem to sit there watching partner play the hand, even online.  You definitely want to be able to berate your partner after she's finished making a hash of the hand, with useful advise about how you would have done it!  Er, I mean "commiserate with", not "berate", obviously...


Footlight Fiend vs. Rising Populace Trigger order

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

The attacking player is the active player, so Rising Populace's trigger is put on the stack first, followed by Footlight Fiend's trigger, which will resolve first. After the ability resolves, state-based actions will see a 2/2 with 2 damage, and kill the Rising Populace before its own ability can come to the rescue.


What happens when I copy a card with awaken?

The awakened version of Part the Waterveil targets a land; since Mirrorpool's ability says "You may choose new targets for the copy." you can choose either the same land or another land. As @Arthur says in the comments, it should be noted that the copy is also awakened, since that is an alternative cost:

  702.112a Awaken appears on some instants and sorceries. It represents two abilities: a static ability that functions while the spell with awaken is on the stack and a spell ability. “Awaken N—[cost]” means “You may pay [cost] rather than pay this spell’s mana cost as you cast this spell” and “If this spell’s awaken cost was paid, put N +1/+1 counters on target land you control. That land becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste. It’s still a land.” Paying a spell’s awaken cost follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rules 601.2b and 601.2f–h.

and that information is copied as well:

  706.10. To copy a spell, activated ability, or triggered ability means to put a copy of it onto the stack; a copy of a spell isn’t cast and a copy of an activated ability isn’t activated. A copy of a spell or ability copies both the characteristics of the spell or ability and all decisions made for it, including modes, targets, the value of X, and additional or alternative costs.


If I search for a Miracle and put it in my hand, can I cast it for its Miracle cost?

No. The card changes zones but is never drawn by you.

  120.5. If an effect moves cards from a player’s library to that player’s hand without using the word
  “draw,” the player has not drawn those cards. This makes a difference for abilities that trigger on
  drawing cards and effects that replace card draws, as well as if the player’s library is empty.

This means you can't cast the cards you tutor directly into your hand by paying their miracle cost.

It does, however, mean that any cards you tutor up with Mystical Teachings won't count towards your "first card drawn this turn" -- so you could use Teachings on your upkeep and still cast a miracle card you drew naturally, for example.

If you want to cast miracle cards with tutors, use ones that put cards on top of your library, like Mystical Tutor and Liliana Vess.


Cast Pitfall Trap after opponent attacked with two creatures

Pitfall Trap checks how many creatures are currently attacking, not how many were declared as attackers. And creatures that are removed from combat are no longer considered attacking creatures. Therefore if there were two creatures declared as attackers, but one was removed from combat somehow you can cast Pitfall trap for its alternative cost.

  508.1j Each chosen creature still controlled by the active player becomes an attacking creature. It remains an attacking creature until it’s removed from combat or the combat phase ends, whichever comes first. See rule 506.4.


Are there any fan-created campaigns for Shadows of Brimstone?

Both City of the Ancients and Swamps of Death (the two base game sets available) include an adventure book.

Each adventure book features 12 missions, the first six of which are the same in both books, and then the last six are specific to the setting. They can be played through as a campaign or as individual missions, supposedly getting harder as they progress (I have only played the first three so far so can't really comment on the difficulty of later missions).

Regarding the setup phase where you determine the "difficulty" of the game, it is not a choice of easy/medium/hard etc. It is a scale based on the number of heroes, which defines the general number/difficulty of monsters and the number of revives you can use when heroes are knocked out. This scale is more about balance for the number of players than a way to actually increase/decrease the difficulty.

You can of course choose to make things harder or easier by changing the number of revive tokens or the Threat deck you draw from, but so far I have found the suggested difficulty to be reasonably well balanced and have lost just as often as I have won, although I have so far only played with 1, 4 or 5 players so can't really speak about the balance of 2, 3 or 6 player games, but the progression seems reasonable.


Do the Elf creatures put into the battlefield by Planeswalker Nissa Revane suffer from summoning sickness?

Yes,

From the Comprehensive rules:

  302.6. A creature's activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can't be activated unless the creature has been under its controller's control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. A creature can't attack unless it has been under its controller's control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. This rule is informally called the "summoning sickness" rule.

Any elf with Haste ignores that restriction as usual of course.


Can I Shatter a Lotus Petal, using mana from the Lotus Petal to pay for Shatter?

Yes, you can do this.

When casting a spell, declaring targets happens before paying costs:

  Casting Spells

    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.[...]

      601.2c The player announces their choice of an appropriate object or player for each target the spell requires.[...]

      [...]

      601.2g If the total cost includes a mana payment, the player then has a chance to activate mana abilities (see rule 605, “Mana Abilities”). Mana abilities must be activated before costs are paid.

      601.2h The player pays the total cost in any order. Partial payments are not allowed. Unpayable costs can’t be paid.

And as you suggest, doing so will result in Shatter fizzling; going to the graveyard without resolving when it attempts to resolve. You might want to do this for a reason such as increasing your Storm count, or because you have other things that combine with having Shatter in your graveyard.

You also could choose to sacrifice Lotus Petal first, for example if you wanted to cast Argivian Find, targeting the Lotus Petal in your graveyard (again just to either increase Storm count, or because you need Lotus Petal in your hand for something, etc).

You seem to be mixing up "tapping lands" with "paying costs". These are 2 separate things. Tapping lands (or Lotus Petal, etc) adds mana to your mana pool. This can either be done any time you could activate any other ability, or it can be done during 601.2g while casting a spell.

However, paying the cost itself can only ever happen during 601.2h. You can't pay the cost for a spell before you begin the process of casting that spell.

In terms of the difference between tapping lands before you begin to cast the spell or during the casting of the spell, there is generally no difference. The rules allow for either, and I think as casually played, I've seen players do either. The difference is whether your opponent sees the card you are casting as they see you tapping your lands or not.

There are some cases where you need mana that isn't produced by a mana ability. For example, if you are casting Dark Ritual to cast a spell that costs 3 mana even though you only have 1 Swamp in play. In this case, you wouldn't be able to wait until you start casting the spell you want to cast, because you aren't allowed to cast Dark Ritual as part of that process.


How far can you safely extend from your own wall?

Choosing the right distance for an extension basically depends on your goal in extending as well as the relative strength of stones in that area. Also, we need to differentiate between extensions to just explore open areas and extensions from existing walls.

Extensions from a wall

Let's start with the basics first. There is a well known rule of thumb, called the "wall plus one" rule. If you got a wall of height n, extend n + 1 spaces.

Assuming your wall has a height of 2. Consequently, the basic distance for an extension should be 3 spaces.

$$Wcm1 Wall of 2, extend 3
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . W . . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

For a "wall" of height 1 (that is, a single stone), the safe distance is 2 spaces.

$$Wcm1 Wall of 1, extend 2
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . W . . O . . X . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

"Safe" means that is is difficult to invade and split your stones. The reason why it is safe is that you can either capture an invading stone, or at least connect your stones so you're not left with two weak groups. There are several midgame joseki that revolve around this, and the details will become more apparent as your reading grows stronger.

$$Bcm1 Safe distance: Difficult to invade, white can choose from A or B to kill or cover the invading stone
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . a b . O . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . O . 1 . O . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

Extending further than wall-plus-one distance means your position is more open to invasion and typically leads to bad shape (it's difficult to fix the invasion point without becoming overconcentrated). On the other hand, extending less wide leads to immediate overconcentration. Neither is desirable, so especially beginners should heed the wall-plus-one rule.

$$Bcm1 Unnecessarily difficult: Two wide extensions are far easier to invade.
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . 2 . , . O . . . , . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . O . 1 . . O . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

Extensions to explore open areas

Sometimes, you simply want to extend along a side without having any kind of wall. In that case, the usual idea is to simply play in the center of the stones on that side (no matter whom they belong to).

$$Bcm1 Simple extension along the side
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

This means that, since you intentionally ignored the wall-plus-one rule, your opponent will be able to invade and split you. However, since you played right in the center, you can simply extend to get a base (this leads to the concept of miai), while your opponent will be left with a single stone stuck between two relatively safe groups of yours.

$$Bcm1 Invasion is possible, but we can handle it
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . O . . . . . , . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . 3 . . 1 . 2 . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

Occasionally, you want to adjust the distance slightly, but this dives into the realms of tactics already.

Relative strength adjustment

The stronger you are, the further you should go, and the stronger the opponent, the more tight and defensive should you be. What does this mean in practice?

If your opponent is strong around, sometimes the wall-plus-one rule should be changed to wall-plus-zero, i.e. a tight extension. This means, in the classic sense of the word, overconcentration, but it makes for more safety which might be more important. Typically, this is chosen if the opponent already has a checking extension that interferes with your extension.

$$Wcm1 It's a good idea to hold back sometimes.
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . , . . . O . X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . X . . 1 . . O X . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

Extending further may provoke an invasion.

$$Wcm1 After B6, black can connect on either 'a' or 'b' and white has cuts.
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , 3 4 . O O . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . X . 1 . 2 . O X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . b . 6 . a . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

White can try to dodge, but is left without a base while black got extra points.

$$Wcm1 No base, no points.
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . 7 5 3 . O O . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . X . 1 4 2 . O X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . 8 6 . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

Compare to when there is no extra stone on the lower side.

$$Wcm1 The invasion does not work that well: Black can't escape, the invasion failed.
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . |
$$ | . . X . . . . . . . . 5 6 . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , 3 4 7 O O . X . . |
$$ | . . . X . . . . . 1 . 2 . O X X . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------

On the other hand, if you're really strong somewhere, the correct distance is "as far as possible"; ignore the vast space and go right to your opponent's corner. If he dares to invade and split your extension stone, attack him and make him suffer by using your thickness.

$$Bcm1 Wide extension is desirable
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ | . . O . . . . . . . . . . X X O O . . |
$$ | . . . , . . . . . , . . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . O . 1 . . . . . . X . . X O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X O O . . |
$$ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ -----------------------------------------


Small World, what does "permanently discard" mean?

Because it says "back into the Storage tray", it is the first option; Skeletons and Sorcerers can reuse them. Note the limitation in the rules for both Skeletons and Sorcerers:

  If there are no more tokens in the storage tray...

Both Skeletons and Sorcerers state that the new unit comes "from the storage tray", and the rules for the loosing player state that the killed unit goes "to the storage tray".


Identify game with 'Cataclysm cards and Sin cards' based on game end rules

I could google the game: Its called "7".

Googling the first sentence of the second paragraph, I found the rule book. It does, for some strange reason, not contain the game name written anywhere. (The pdf was called "7_Rulebook_english.pdf", but I did not get that hint ;) )

However, at the end of the rules, it states the game designer, and googling him led me to boardgamegeek.

So, here you go:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/53376/7
https://tesera.ru/images/items/69366/7_Rulebook_English.pdf

Edit: Okay, the rulebook starts with the logo of the game, that includes a 7. I just did not get that thats the game name :D


How does a renege that is discovered later in a bridge game affect the scoring?

Everything below still stands, but it now occurs to me that it may not address the correct aspect of the question.

The renege having been noted, and the appropriate penalty adjustment made as described below, the play of the hand is completed.

At this point the deal is scored according to the contract as originally bid, with the trick results as played and adjusted for the renege. If the contract is made, points below (and possibly also above in the case of overtricks) the line are scored by Declaring side; otherwise points above the line are scored by Defending side.

In this sense, if the determination of made or set was decided by the penalty adjustment for the renege, then said tricks can be said to be properly scored below the line. This may be the confusion that OP is originally inquiring about.

The Laws or Rubber Bridge (2014) clearly state:

  Law 64 – Procedure After Establishment of a Revoke

  When a revoke has become established,

    A. if the offending player won the trick on which the
    revoke occurred, (penalty) that trick and one of
    any subsequent tricks won by the offending side
    are transferred  to the non-offending side (if no
    subsequent trick was won by the offending side,
    only the revoke trick is transferred).

    (For the scoring of transferred tricks see Law 77.)

  Law 77 – Transferred Tricks

    A trick transferred through a revoke penalty is reckoned for all scoring purposes as though it had been won
    in play by the side to which it had been awarded.

      Example:

      Declarer plays in 3♥ and takes eight tricks. A revoke by a defender is found to have been established, with the penalty determined to be two tricks. Two tricks are transferred from the offenders to declarer, who therefore has 10 tricks. Since he bid only 3♥, he scores 90 trick points, which count toward game, and 30 premium points for the overtrick.

Note that Law 77 and accompanying example clearly states that the transferred tricks are transferred only in regards the play; not in regards the contract. This is consistent with the scoring described in Law 72 (my emphasis):

  Law 72 – Points Earned

  The result of each deal played is recorded in points,
  which fall into two classes:

    A. Trick Points. Only declarer’s side can earn trick
    points and only by fulfilling the contract. Only the
    value of tricks named in the contract may be scored
    as trick points (see Law 81). Trick points mark the
    progression of the rubber toward its completion.

    B. Premium Points. Either side or both sides may earn
    premium points. Declarer’s side earns premium
    points by winning one or more overtricks, ....


Unfortunately they are completely different rulesets.  While they have a few similar mechanics(rolling to hit/wound or making characteristic tests), the structure of the games do not synch up.  Turn structure is different. Ranged weapons, saves, movement, and combat are all different.  Applying some fairly common rules in one system to the other can have game breaking results.

Even if you did build a bridge between the two systems the armies would just not play well against each other.  Stats aren't balanced between the two systems.  They have different baselines(Armor saves in fantasy are mostly 6+, if you have one at all, and in 40k 2+ and 3+ are not uncommon).

The closest you could get would be to have one person play Chaos Demons.  The same demon models can be used in fantasy and 40k with the appropriate army book.  It's a little awkward because 40k and Fantasy use round and square bases respectively, but most players would give you a pass in friendly games.


OZ fluxx Tin Woodman vs the Fighting Trees

According to The Rules:

  Optional actions allowed by new Rules, Keepers, etc., may be performed at any point...

...during the turn sequence. This would include chopping down the Fighting Trees.