How does Phyrexian Dreadnought and Volrath's Shapeshifter interact?

If I have a Phyrexian Dreadnought on top of my graveyard, and I put a Volrath Shapeshifter onto the battlefield, will I have to sacrifice other creatures with the total power of 12 or not?

Yes.

It's the VS's appearance on the battlefield that will determine if the ability triggers.

  603.6d Normally, objects that exist immediately after an event are checked to see if the event matched any trigger conditions. Continuous effects that exist at that time are used to determine what the trigger conditions are and what the objects involved in the event look like.  [...]

Static abilities are always operational when the object with the ability is in the appropriate zone, so there is not a moment the VS is on the battlefield that it's not a PD, so its triggered ability will trigger.

  The same question goes for using the shapeshifters activated ability to discard a Phyrexian dreadnaught from my hand.

No.

An object enters the battlefield when it is placed in the battlefield from another zone.

  Enters the Battlefield: A nontoken permanent “enters the battlefield” when it’s moved onto the battlefield from another zone. A token “enters the battlefield” when it’s created. See rules 403.3, 603.6a, 603.6e, and 614.12.

The object in this case, the VS-become-PD, has not changed zones. All that happened is that its characteristics (name, type, text, etc) changed. As such, it has not entered the battlefield.

If changing characteristics was considered entering the battlefield, then using Giant Growth on a Phyrexian Dreadnought would trigger its ability, and I'm sure you realize it doesn't.


Painter's Servant combo with Progenitus in library

If your opponent has exactly one Progenitus card in their library, then they end up with every other card in their graveyard, and exactly that one Progenitus card for their library, and Grindstone ends at that point and play resumes.

If your opponent has more than one Progenitus card in their library, the game ends in a draw due to an infinite loop. In a tournament, you'd take a game draw on your scoresheets and move to the next game with each other (if there is one).

You may want to cast Lost Legacy naming Progenitus before doing this if you know they have at least one.

How this happens

To recap the Painter's Servant / Grindstone combo: every card will share a color, so activating Grindstone means we put every single card from the opponent's library into their graveyard.

If either revealed card is Progenitus (or both cards!), Progenitus's rules instruct us to instead put Progenitus back into their library and shuffle their library, when Grindstone would otherwise put it into their graveyard. We do this during Grindstone's resolution because it's a replacement effect that tells us to resolve Grindstone slightly differently for this card.

(This is different to doing this with Emrakul, whose triggered ability has to wait until the end of Grindstone's resolution to do anything.)

What this means is we'll reach a point eventually where every non-Progenitus card has been removed from their library, and every Progenitus card has been put back. This is where it matters how many Progenituses there are.

If there's just one Progenitus, events unfold like this:

We reach their last two cards. We take their last non-Progenitus card, put it into their graveyard, and put a lone Progenitus back into their library. They have a library of one card, which we can't meaningfully shuffle. Grindstone saw they shared a color, so it told us to repeat this process.
We take Progenitus out of their library. Grindstone has no second card to compare against, so it does not see two cards that share a color. Grindstone won't tell us to repeat the process. We put their Progenitus back into their library.
Grindstone finishes resolving. Your opponent has a Progenitus card for their library. Play continues.

If there's more than one Progenitus, we have to end the game in a draw:

We've filtered out every non-Progenitus card from their library. They now have a pile of 2-4 Progenitus cards for their library.
They take two Progenitus cards from their library. We reveal them, see they're both Progenitus, and see we have to put them back into their library and shuffle their library of 2-4 cards. They shared a color, so we repeat the process.
They take two Progenitus cards from their library. We reveal them, see they're both Progenitus... put them back... repeat.
Grindstone now repeats infinitely, effectively just telling someone to keep shuffling their library of 2-4 cards forever. The game cannot continue, and gameplay ends in a draw.

Proposing a shortcut for this

If you activate the Grindstone combo and your opponent reveals a Progenitus, they won't have to shuffle their library through every step. They could theoretically have to shuffle their library like fifty times, if Progenitus winds up back on top every single time somehow. This is a lot of unnecessary card damage and time wastage.

In an informal setting, you could explain the infinite loop to them, and show them it means they'll dump every non-Progenitus card in their graveyard and then be left with all their Progenitus cards. Ask them to do that, and ask them to tell you how many Progenituses they will have left because if they have more than one, the game's about to end in a draw, and if they have only one, they'll leave that for their library.

In a tournament setting, I'd call a judge over, tell them the situation, and ask them if handling it like this is OK. (I don't, myself, know how this would be handled in tournament rules enforcement levels.)


Does Phantom Flock still prevent damage if it has no counters left?

The damage is still prevented.

The Gatherer rulings even mention this:

  The damage prevention ability works even if it has no counters, as long as some effect keeps its toughness above zero.

This happens because whenever you can't do everything a card says to do, you do as much as you can. (As the rules, say, "609.3. If an effect attempts to do something impossible, it does only as much as possible.") The card says to prevent the damage, so it's prevented. It also says to remove a +1/+1 counter, and there's not, so you don't remove one. Oh well. This is the same reason that if something says sacrifice three creatures, and you only have one, you still sacrifice that one.

If instead the card said "If damage would be dealt to Phantom Flock, remove a +1/+1 counter from Phantom Flock. If you do, prevent that damage." you would be able to kill it with damage once the counters were gone.


From Rummy-Talk: When to Knock, Play for Gin, or Underknock

  Knock, under most conditions, should be utilized at the first opportunity, with a few
  exceptions:

  When the odds are in favor of your going out in a game, or obtaining
  enough score to catch up to your opponent.
  When it is a reasonable
  assumption on your part that you stand to be underknocked by laying
  off his cards.
  When you know that your opponent is not in a position
  to knock his hand
  When you have your opponent’s hand dead.
  When your hand has the characteristics of a gin hand.


If a creature loses flying after blockers are declared, is the block still legal?

Yes, evasion abilities such as Flying only affect the declare blockers step. Once blockers are declared, flying no longer makes any difference.

  509.1b The defending player checks each creature he or she controls to see whether it’s affected by any restrictions (effects that say a creature can’t block, or that it can’t block unless some condition is met). If any restrictions are being disobeyed, the declaration of blockers is illegal.::: 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.

Your creature will be a 1/1 before doing or taking any damage, because Combat Damage step happens after declare blockers step. Your opponent was able to cast Turn to Frog during the declare blockers step, after blockers had been assigned; which is before the combat damage step.

Combat phase is divided as follows:

  Beginning of Combat Step - Players can cast spells and activate abilities.
  Declare Attackers Step - After attackers are declared, players can cast spells and activate abilities.
  Declare Blockers Step - After blockers are declared, players can cast spells and activate abilities. (This is when your opponent was able to cast Turn to Frog)
  Combat Damage Step
  End of Combat Step - Players can cast spells and activate abilities.


Should I Use A "Negative Double" Over a Possible "Short Club" Bid And Overcall in Bridge?

Your options are:

Double

Double would suggest that you have at least 6 points and that you have at least 4 of the unbid major suit (hearts). I think this is the best bid as it accurately describes your hand. Now that your partner has this information he can decide how best to proceed. If your partner has hearts he can bid them, if he has a strong club suit he can rebid that.

With 10+ points you could still double, but it's often preferable to bid something that shows the extra strength.

2 Clubs

You would normally need 4 clubs to bid this, so this is not a good bid if you only have 3 of them. It happened to work out OK for you on this occasion, but you could easily have ended up in 3 clubs (possibly doubled). There's obviously less risk with this kind of bid when non-vulnerable, but even then it's very unlikely that this is your best option.

Pass

This isn't a particularly poor bid, but double is better. If you'd passed it's quite likely your opponents would have ended up in 1 spade which presumably they would have made.

If you'd only had 6 points and were vulnerable you might prefer this over doubling.


Self-publishing options for a card came with box

DriveThruCards now offers tuck boxes.

Daniel Solis gives a great review of them here.


Players who can't seem to follow the rules -- What can be done?

My experience with people such as this is that they're impatient to start playing, and don't want to take the time to read lots of instructions. The best thing you can do, as @beam022 touched on, is improve the instructions. Make them non-threatening and as easily understandable as possible.
Game element formatting
Graphic symbols--used sparsely--can help. Don't go overboard on symbols, but for the most common of your common game elements symbols can be nice. Dominion, for example uses symbols for money and victory points. It could use symbols for +Cards or +Buy, but those are short, clear words so there's no need. Magic uses symbols for tapping and untapping and for mana costs (maybe a couple other things, but I can't think of any), which is very parsimonious given the level of complexity. Again, they could use a symbol for "target", but it's probably better that they don't. A few graphics can help people parse things better and add color, breaking up text and making it look more inviting. But only use symbols if you can be sure that they are unambiguous. 7 Wonders, for example, uses symbols effectively, but so extensively that every time I've taught the game to someone new they've needed to refer to the symbol glossary frequently.
Systematic formatting can help too. You give an example of a card where the player discards all cards to get $10. If you have many cards that could be broken down similarly, the text on the card could be formatted as

Pay: Discard all your cards.
Get: Gain $10.

Essentially separating the condition and result into bullet points, I think, makes it harder to ignore, and if this is a pattern that can be easily learned and applied to other cards, all the better.
Instructions style
If my experience generalizes, the people who can't be be bothered to read the rules just want to start playing, so write instructions that help them do that. Most rule books start with identifying pieces and set-up, as they should. If you can, the next sections should briefly state the goal of the game, then get on to a sample turn. Give section number references to following sections of the rules where you'll give details on each phase/step/whatever, but let them get started. In writing, you'll be hard-pressed to hold these players' attention for very long. The best you can do is to facilitate their "diving in" by making it easy to look things up in the rules (via short, well-labeled sections and subsections, a Table of Contents, an Index, and cross-references).


Is it possible to move auras with the equip ability?

An easy way to get an answer will be to look at Bludgeon Brawl's Gatherer tips:

While Bludgeon Brawl is on the battlefield, an Aura enchantment that somehow becomes an artifact in addition to its other types will also become an Equipment. Any of its abilities that refer to either "enchanted creature" or "equipped creature" refer to the creature it's currently attached to. It can be attached to other creatures using its equip ability. If you try to attach the Aura Equipment to a creature it can't legally be attached to, it remains where it is. If the creature it's attached to becomes an illegal permanent for it to enchant, the Aura Equipment will be put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action.

This is governed by a bunch of rules, but the gist is: you can equip the aura on another legal target, and it will give both the aura and equipment bonuses (it will be attached to a new object).
As for the second part, an Aura which can only enchant a Land will be moved to graveyard if the Land it was enchanting isn't also a creature, because an Equipment can only be attached to a creature. Basically, "enchanting" and "equipped" mean the same - attached to an object. And since the attachment is not legal anymore, the Aura will be moved to graveyard as SBA.

303.4b The object or player an Aura is attached to is called enchanted. The Aura is attached to, or “enchants,” that object or
player.
301.5a The creature an Equipment is attached to is called the “equipped creature.” The Equipment is attached to, or “equips,” that creature.
303.4c If an Aura is enchanting an illegal object or player as defined by its enchant ability and other applicable effects, the object it was attached to no longer exists, or the player it was attached to has left the game, the Aura is put into its owner’s graveyard. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)

And if the current Land it is enchanting is a legal target (it is a creature as well), you may only attach (equip) the Aura-Equipment to another Land if it is a legal target, otherwise it will not move and stay attached to the current Land.


Why to declare the city a scout is sending goods at the "Start of the Turn Phase"?

If could affect the game in the way, that you do not know if some player will trade with you. If he does not accept a trade you might be interested in, you could lack the ressources to do what you intended to do and have misplaced your pioneer (or vice versa, could have done some better move due to a surprisingly good deal).

However, we always decide where to use the pioneer during city management, since the game rule causes unneeded memory issues that are only relevant in niche cases (the game is already complex enough by itself).


Can you counterspell everything? (aside from lands)

You're right; everything that is a spell can be countered by Didn't Say Please. This excludes lands (they aren't spells and can't be countered)

  305.1. A player who has priority may play a land card from their hand during a main phase of their turn when the stack is empty. Playing a land is a special action; it doesn’t use the stack (see rule 116). Rather, the player simply puts the land onto the battlefield. Since the land doesn’t go on the stack, it is never a spell, and players can’t respond to it with instants or activated abilities.

and activated or triggered abilities (which can be countered, but with other cards like Trickbind).

Veil of Summer's effects, including the 'spells can't be countered' part, only apply when they resolve; if it's on the stack, it's still vulnerable to Didn't Say Please.

Note that there are some spells which explicitly state they can't be countered, e.g. Obliterate, but there's an important difference in the wording: "This spell can't be countered." vs. "Spells you control can't be countered this turn.". "This spell" refers to the spell itself when it's on the stack; "Spells" does not.


What is the ruling for Warhammer base size when GW has not produced an official model?

There's no hard and fast rule for it.  I would suggest using a base size most appropriate for the size of the model.  So if the model is Terminator sized, use a 40mm, if Dreadnought sized, use a 60mm.  So convert your model and use what makes sense.

This requires a bit of good judgement and common sense.  If you made a reasonable selection most people will be OK with it in a friendly game.  Though you should always check with your opponent before using something non-standard.  If you plan on using your converted models in a tournament, contact the tournament organizer before hand to get a ruling.

As for units that used to be released with different base sizes, you are still free to use the base they came with, but I would recommend re-basing with the most up-to-date sizes.  This will keep things consistent if you ever need to mix and match new and old models.


Can Jenny Barnes' enable someone to use acquire assets a second time?

No. This is similar to Charlie Kane's special action. The investigator must not already have performed the same action during the current round.

From the official errata:

  Can an investigator’s “additional” action be used to perform an
  action he has already performed in that round?

  No. An investigator may perform an action only once
  each round, even if he is able to perform an additional action,
  such as from the Ruby of R’lyeh Artifact or Charlie Kane’s
  action ability.

There is no reason to suppose that Jenny's ability overrules this limitation.

For reference, here is the actual text of Jenny's special:

  Action: You or another investigator on a City space may perform an Acquire Assets action and gain +2 Influence during that action.

However, if Jenny uses her special action to allow another investigator to perform an acquire asset action (and gaining the +2 bonus to influence), she can, herself, still perform the acquire asset action normally (no +2 influence bonus).


What happens if each player has a copy of the same Archetype?

As long as both Archetypes are in play, no creatures have hexproof.
The most important rule to take into account here is rule 112.11:

Effects can stop an object from having a specified ability. These effects say that the object "can't have" that ability. If the object has that ability, it loses it. It's also impossible for an effect to add that ability to the object. If a resolving spell or ability tries to create a continuous effect that would add the specified ability to such an object, that continuous effect is not created, although that resolving spell or ability can still create other continuous effects. Continuous effects created by static abilities that would add the specified ability won't apply to that object.

This works with rule 101.2:

When a rule or effect allows or directs something to happen, and another effect states that it can't happen, the "can't" effect takes precedence.

This means that each Archetype says that its controller's opponents' creatures lose hexproof and can't gain hexproof, and that removes hexproof from those creatures and overrides any ability that would give them hexproof.
If we want to look at exactly how these abilities interact, then we need to consider rule 613: Interaction of Continuous Effects:

613.1: The values of an object's characteristics are determined by starting with the actual object... Then all applicable continuous effects are applied in a series of layers in the following order:
613.1f: Layer 6: Ability-adding effects, ability-removing effects, and effects that say an object can't have an ability are applied.
613.2: Within layers 1-6, apply effects from characteristic-defining abilities first, then all other effects in timestamp order.

The effects created by Archetypes' abilities are not characteristic-defining abilities (according to rule 604.3), so they are applied in timestamp order (i.e. the order in which they entered the battlefield).
If Player A is the player whose Archetype of Endurance entered first, then the effects are applied in the following order:

Player A's Archetype's first ability. Creatures controlled by Player A have hexproof.

Player A's Archetype's second ability. Creatures controlled by Player B all lose hexproof.

Player B's Archetype's first ability. Creatures controlled by Player B would gain hexproof, but the previous ability prevents that from happening (due to the previously mentioned rule 101.2)

Player B's Archetype's second ability. Creatures controlled by Player A lose hexproof.

The end result is that none of the creatures on the battlefield have hexproof. Note that this process of applying effects does not happen at a particular time during the game. Rather, if at any time you want to determine whether a creature has hexproof, this process gives you the answer.


Where did the "can't build next to the robber" house rule come from?

In the seafarers expansion, you cannot move or build a ship to or from a hex containing the pirate. This could be where the house-rule applying to the robber too came from, by blocking land-based building rather than sea-based building.


Are there any cards capable of modifying the mana symbols?

You cannot change the actual mana symbols; however there are cards that would allow you spend mana "as though" it were another color. Mycosynth Lattice is one example. Among other things, it has:

  Players may spend mana as though it were mana of any color.

With this in play, you could spend any color of mana to activate Shivan Dragon's ability.

Celestial Dawn would allow you to spend white mana as though it were any color; Sunglasses of Urza allows you to spend white mana specifically as though it were red mana.

Sleight of Mind would allow you to change the text of Crimson Hellkite; it refers to "red mana"; so you can change that text to something like "white mana".

Note that in general; gaining access to other colors of mana is called "mana fixing". It can be in the form of lands or other objects that can add multiple colors of mana; or objects that allow you to spend one type of mana to get another type. You can read all about it here: https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Mana_fixing.


Wikipedia claims that this is an acronym from earlier in its development which was later discontinued:

  WotC was sufficiently convinced and contracted LLS to develop the
  service, which was then known as Magic Online with Digital Objects
  (MODO). Initially, the idea of charging for virtual goods, as opposed
  to a subscription model with unlimited access, was greeted with
  skepticism. Additionally, concerns were floated over how solid the
  server and trading code would be;[6] if exploits were found, the
  entire economy could easily be destroyed. After a period of
  beta-testing, the game became available to the general public in June
  2002. The name was changed from MODO to its final commercial title, Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO).

The game apparently gained some notoriety during its development under this name, which may have caused it to stick.  It's likely that this is simply an affectionate hold-over nickname from a time when this old name was relevant.


No, you do not.

The designer has confirmed this here.

  There are a few city cards which are play immediately and refer to the number of cities you currently infect. Does that include the current city card you are in the middle of resolving? or just all the other city cards where you have cubes?

    For question one: it does not include the current city card you are resolving. It has been eradicated, so no longer among the living.


Please identify this game - 4x4 diagonal squares, 4 red and 4 blue pieces - nice wooden board

I believe the game your looking for is Oska.

I found it by typing various descriptions into Google image search and found a similar looking games called 'queah'  then came across Oska whilst trying to find similar games to that.


Simplistic Area Control Board Game with Discs

Glüx is a family game all about illuminating rooms. Every
player tries to play the brightest light tokens in different areas on
the board, thus gaining the majority in those areas. Who can place
their light tokens in the cleverest way and illuminate the most areas?

It looks like you decide how many spaces you move based on the number of pips from the disc blindly pulled from your bag. I was way off on the date, it's only a few years old. Also surprisingly expensive for a simple game that's 4 years old.


In Catacombs, how do the remaining party members deal with a dead Hero's possession?

No.

The game rules, pg 11 (12 of the pdf) say:

  At this point, that hero is out of the game unless the remaining heroes reach Althea the Healer and resurrect the dead hero (see page 16). Due to this possibility, the dead hero retains control of any spells, gold coins and or items that he or she has collected. Dead heroes may not use their gold coins or offer them to other players in any special room until successfully resurrected.


Starbases are classified as "Ships" (see page 6 of the manual), and despite their lack of a drive they work exactly like any other Ship as far as the game mechanics are concerned.  This would include being able to pin, or be pinned by, opposing Ships. (see also this response by one of the game designers to a related question)

As per page 14, the relevant rules for pinning are,

  If your Ships move into a hex, or out from a hex, containing other players' or Ancient Ships, at least one Ship per each opposing Ship must stay (the Ship is said to be "pinned")...
  ...
  If you later on move or build more Ships to the hex, you may change which Ships are pinned.  The original Ships may move, as long as one Ship per each opposing Ship stays pinned.

As the rules clearly specify "Ship" without qualifying it further, they would apply to Starbases as they would any other Ship.  So yes, the move was legal.


Is Zap A Card considered stealing if a keeper was taken from another player?

Considering that "Steal a Keeper" is an Action card, and it tells you to put another player's Keeper in front of you, I'd say no. This card tells you to take any card and put it in your hand, which is also not considered in play.


Can I use a Murder to kill a planeswalker if it is a creature?

Yes, that's exactly how it works. Note that Sarkhan makes them not planeswalkers anymore (until end of turn), but even if they'd become a creature in addition to being a planeswalker, Murder would still work.


How does Finn Edwards' passive ability affect the directive to discard Unique Assets?

According to the Reference Manual for Eldritch horror, when Discarding:

  When a double-sided card is discarded, it is immediately shuffled
  back into its respective deck.

Nothing supersedes this rule in updated manuals or contradicts this anywhere else within the guide.  For instance, under the Discarding heading in the Reference guide:

  Whenever a card is discarded, it is placed in a faceup discard pile
  by its deck.

  Double-sided cards, such as Spells or Conditions, are immediately
  shuffled back into their respective decks when discarded.

This still indicates that while the general rule is a separate discard pile, double-sided cards as a whole are immediately reshuffled.

For how this works with Finn's passive ability, we need to look at the specific wording of his character sheet

  Effects cannot cause [Finn] to discard ...

Emph added.  So this means that a game effect (e.g. an encounter causing Finn to become delayed and lose an ally) can be ignored.  The natural consequences of using an item, however, cannot be ignored.

Thus, Finn's ability would prevent someone from stealing his Old Journal, but if said journal were aged and worn, he would be unable to prevent its falling apart upon reading it.


It doesn't hurt the gameplay. It's a decent special ability, but not overpowered. Here are situations that discourage or prevent action chaining:

She can't play more than one Bang! card per turn (unless she has a Volcanic),
Dueling is dangerous when she holds no other cards,
Mancatos are not playable unless someone is shooting at her (so not on her turn),
Emporio, Dligenza, and Wells Fargo result in card draw, so do not trigger her ability,
She probably would not play a gun that is a downgrade.

Situationally, she might also not want to use a Gatling or Indians if it might kill a teammate, or a Beer if she and her teammates are at full life, or a Panico if seated next to teammates.

While I don't see it explicitly in the rules, my group has always played that you can't play a duplicate card. The rules do say

  There is no limit on the cards you can have in front of you provided that they do not share the same name.

so there is no reason to think she could play a Barrel, Mustang, or Scope if she already has one. For weapons, the rules say

  If you want to play a new weapon when you already have one, you
  must discard the one you already have.

which leaves a bit of ambiguity about whether Suzy could discard a Remington to play a new Remington. (Is it a new gun if it's the same as the old gun? My group says "no".)

Suzy with a Volcanic is a dangerous combination, but she is by no means overpowered. Calamity Janet and Slab the Killer are also particularly scary with a Volcanic.


How can the traitor win scenario 49 in this way?

This Haunt is one of those that causes... issues and debate among the playerbase due to ambiguities in it, even after revisions (one printing of the haunt actually gave the astral spirit a Sanity of 1 instead of 6, which would prevent them from even possessing a body in the first place!). Liberal use of the rule on the inside front cover of the base rulebook is pretty much required here. The exact text of that is as follows:

  What If There Isn't a Rule for That?

  Many hours went into playtesting this game, but it's still possible you'll run into situations where the game rules or haunt books don't clearly answer a question about game play. Don't let that slow you down. In such cases, come to an agreement as a group for what makes the most sense and go with it. (If that doesn't work, flip a coin to decide.) Then continue your experience in the house.

There are a few potential house-rulings to fix the token shortage:

Given that the revised text is that the heroes must HAVE the tokens, not HAVE COLLECTED, the tokens they gained would be lost upon the destruction of the hero's soul or body and returned to the pool of tokens the heroes set aside. An immediate rebuttal is that the tokens are used to represent damage dealt to the Astral Spirit, and a second one is that in a 6-player game, you're still going to have the token limit problem even with this.
Given that the sole reason for marking the body the Astral Spirit is attempting to affect is to count the number of successes, there is no reason why an alternative marker (e.g. a standard d6) couldn't be used. Unlike the previous house-ruling, there is no obvious rebuttal to this, and this in particular completely bypasses the physical token limit. In addition, in a 6-player game, it is actually possible for the Traitor player to place down 20 Tokens without ending the game (which is more than the total number of attribute tokens the game comes with), and these tokens are never removed.

As for the six interpretations you provided:

erroneous sanity stat aside (Astral Spirit's stats are 3 Speed, 6 Knowledge, and 6 Sanity, go grab the revised traitor's guide), in a 5-player or 6-player game, this presents a problem as the heroes would only need to score two or one (respectively) Sanity attack successes against the Astral Spirit. Also, note that the Astral Spirit must have already destroyed the soul of the body it wants to affect before it can start affecting it, and if the Traitor (not the Astral Spirit) were to deliver the finishing blow, the body is destroyed instead of the soul [same effect from the Hero's perspective, but the Astral Spirit can't use the destroyed body].
See the first proposed house rule above.
This has the problem of basically cancelling the progress made by the heroes. A potential fix would be to swap out the hero's Sanity Roll token for a Knowledge Roll token if you were to do this, as this would preserve the hero's progress while also not allowing the physical token limit to stop the traitor from winning by the special victory condition.
This is even worse than the previous as if all 5 heroes were to have scored a Sanity Roll token, the traitor is still locked out of that win condition.
Not likely, given the traitor can place 20 tokens down in a 6-player game and the game only came with 18 attribute tokens total. If the Astral Spirit destroys 4 of the five souls and then affects each of their bodies 5 times each, the game still doesn't end.
See second proposed house rule above.

Of note is I think this is the only haunt in the game where the physical limit of tokens is a problem.


Take out double at first opportunity to double?

I'm assuming that the cards in the question are your cards, in the conventional ordering of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.

You certainly can make a takeout double at this stage - you have a shortage of your opponent's bid suit, and no major shortages elsewhere - but the question is, do you really want to?  With such an uninspiringly flat hand, only 11 HCP, and a partner who has already indicated that she doesn't have an opening hand, it seems unlikely you're going to be able to seriously compete in this auction, even in the best case scenario.  Supposing you force your opponent to bid here - do you really want to end up in 2C or 2D with a marginal fit and about 20 points between you?  (Not entirely a rhetorical question - maybe if you have 60 below the line, or your opponents have 70 below it, you do!)

If you're not worried about ending up in a miserable minor-suit partscore or, even more likely, giving your opponents a little more information about the lie of the cards than they previously had, then this doesn't seem an actively diabolical bid.  In general though I would adhere to the rule of thumb "third hand low, fourth hand high": given that your hand in the fourth seat is so unexciting I'd usually just keep quiet and hope for more interesting cards next time around.


What activity is there in Computer Go tournaments?

The  Computer Go Server1 is currently a very active test bed for bots. The Computer Go page at Sensei’s Library refers, under Competitions, to various competitions including the Computer Go Server, with its own page at Sensei’s Library, which gives the URL1. On that site, you will find daily updated tables of bots for 9×9, 13×13 and 19×19, These refer to the Bayes ELO ratings pages (on the same site) where for example the 19×19 page as I write (2020-04-19 22:17) shows 1064 programmes ranging in strength from DunceBot at 538 to KG30b11_406_2x2060 at 3387. The non-Bayes page shows the date+time of the most recent game by each bot, showing that a game was played some two hours ago.

The page http://www.computer-go.info/events/index.html, though was described at Sensei’s Library as showing “all competitions” in fact covers the dates 1920–20172.

I know no more than you of what has become of the UEC Cup. Surprisingly, none of the AlphaGo variants appear although one convincingly defeated a top professional, Lee Sedol, in 2016; more recent bots such as LeelaZero (released 2017-10-25) and KataGo (released 2019) appeared after the UEC Cup apparently stopped.

1  The current URL is http://www.yss-aya.com/cgos/ . Sensei’s also gave the URL http://cgos.boardspace.net/, but this appears not to work, which I have noted in Sensei’s.

2 I have updated Sensei’s accordingly.


Can you reveal your hand when you fold in poker?

No, you are not allowed to show reveal your hand when you fold as that gives unequal and unfair knowledge to the rest of the players. For example in Texas holdem where you have two cards in your hand it would reveal to others two cards that would not possibly show up in the cards on the table and that could give them knowledge that they need in order to fold or bet to their advantage.
http://poker.wikia.com/wiki/Fold

Folding should be done without revealing your cards. To do otherwise is against the rules and is considered rude in poker etiquette. If a player folds their hand face up, the other players get additional information about what cards are dead and what cards are still live, and this additional information may affect later betting or game play (a player on a draw may subsequently fold if they see another player fold one of their outs face up, for example). If a fold is done in such a way that only some players at the table could see the cards being folded (e.g. they flipped up on edge, facing one end of the table, then fell back facedown), the dealer is responsible for ensuring that all players have an equal opportunity to know what cards were folded. If a still-active player suspects that some other player has seen a folded card, they may request the dealer to show it to everyone, under the common "show one, show all" rule. Generally speaking, however, hands which are folded by a player are not shown to other players, and other players do not have a right to see them.
In variants with upcards such as 7-Stud, folding is done by first turning your upcards over, facedown, and then returning them to the dealer or the muck. Note that in these variants, it is often against the rules (and is always inconsiderate) to fold out of turn, since hiding your upcards prior to someone being able to act deprives them of information which other players may have seen.


What regions count towards support of another region?

The following is taken from page 12 of the rules (emphasis mine):

  If you move one or more of your units into an area containing units from another house, a battle will ensue once you have completed all your movement from that March order.  If you move into such an area, you are considered the attacker, and the opponent currently occupying the area you entered is considered the defender.

Support can only be given to the area in which the battle takes place, and only if you have a Support order adjacent to the embattled area.  Since the March order is played out to completion before the battle starts, the only embattled area would be the area that the attacker moved into (i.e., the defender's area).  The concepts of attacker and defender don't even apply until after you've moved into this area.

This is explicitly clarified in page 18 of the second edition rules:

  Reminder: Support can be granted only from an area containing a Support Order that is adjacent to the embattled area.  Do not confuse the embattled area with the area the attacking March Order was assigned to (and from which the attackers marched).


Do spells targeting Daring Thief follow it after control is exchanged?

Yes, if you exchange control of Daring Thief with another creature while a spell targeting Daring Thief is on the stack, the spell will still be targeting the Daring Thief when the exchange completes. The Thief is still the same object when the exchange happens, it just has a different controller.


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

Generally no, it's not allowed.
Once a card's effect has taken place, you can't reverse the decision. As L. Scott Johnson aluded to in his comment, this is something that friends at the table can allow, especially if the outcome hasn't changed because of something that was triggered by the effect.
For example, if you banish a coin to draw another card, and receive another coin. If you had kept the first coin and banished something else you could now have afforded buying a new card so you want to change your mind about what you banish. At this point you've cheated by looking at what will happen in the future depending on what you decide to banish. That's like looking at the top card before deciding what you want to do.
In your example however it more comes down to a gentlemans agreement since the card you banished doesn't affect what you were allowed to do while it was in play. So I wouldn't be surprised if your opponent allows it if you ask.
I would personally however say that this is a good lesson in tactics and use it to learn how to plan what you need to do in a turn to minimize mistakes like this.


The rules talk about "paying costs" on page 25 and say this (emphasis added):

  Many cards are written in a “pay or exhaust X to do Y” manner. When confronted with such a construct, everything before the word “to” is considered the cost, and everything after the word “to” is considered an effect. Costs can only be payed with cards or resources that a player controls. If an effect is canceled, the cost is still considered to have been paid.

Hail of Stones' text matches the scheme described here, and therefore it doesn't seem that you can exhaust characters that other players control for this purpose.


A question about Morophon, the Boundless

Morophon, the Boundless' second ability is a replacement effect:

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

Replacement effects don't 'trigger' and AFAIK there is no way with the current Magic cards to make them apply twice. Yarok, the Desecrated only duplicates triggered abilities, not replacement effects. One of the rulings below the card in Gatherer mentions this as well:

  Abilities that apply “as [this creature] enters the battlefield,” such as choosing a color with Diamond Knight, are also unaffected.


Does Humility stop all creatures from being able to morph?

Yes, it stops morph:

  702.36e Any time you have priority, you may turn a face-down permanent you control with a morph ability face up. This is a special action; it doesn’t use the stack (see rule 115). To do this, show all players what the permanent’s morph cost would be if it were face up, pay that cost, then turn the permanent face up. (If the permanent wouldn’t have a morph cost if it were face up, it can’t be turned face up this way.) The morph effect on it ends, and it regains its normal characteristics. Any abilities relating to the permanent entering the battlefield don’t trigger when it’s turned face up and don’t have any effect, because the permanent has already entered the battlefield.

(emphasis mine)

Humility makes a creature lose all abilities, including morph and its cost, which is part of the ability itself:

  702.36a Morph is a static ability that functions in any zone from which you could play the card it’s on, and the morph effect works any time the card is face down. “Morph [cost]” means “You may cast this card as a 2/2 face-down creature with no text, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost by paying {3} rather than paying its mana cost.” (See rule 707, “Face-Down Spells and Permanents.”)


Can I use a fetch land to shuffle my deck while the opponent has Ashiok, Dream Render in play?

Yes, you can still activate the Delta's ability in order to shuffle your library, according to one of the rulings under the card in Gatherer:

  If an effect says “Search your library . . . then shuffle your library,” your opponents shuffle their libraries even though they can’t search.

Note that the Polluted Delta says "Search your library" and not the very similar "You may search your library" like Civic Wayfinder; in that case, choosing to shuffle is not possible.

  If an effect says “You may search your library . . . If you do, shuffle your library” or “You may search your library . . . then shuffle your library,” your opponents can’t choose to search, so they won’t shuffle.


Alpha, Beta, and Arabian Nights in Tournaments?

There is a special limitation on Alpha cards to account for their differently-cut edges. From the official Magic The Gathering Floor Rules:

102. Authorized Cards
Alpha cards (cards from the first print run of the basic set) may be used in decks  containing non-Alpha cards only
if all cards are placed in completely opaque sleeves  and only if the
sleeves could not be considered marked. If sleeves are not used, Alpha
cards may be used only in decks that consist exclusively of Alpha
cards.

There are no such restrictions on Beta or Arabian Nights cards however, which are (hopefully) less easily distinguishable by their shape from modern cards.
As rahzark's answer rightly suggests, individual cards may be restricted or banned in different tournament formats, but there's no prohibition against cards from older sets as a whole.


How will Gadwick remember the actual amount of X mana spent?

Under current rules, the card would not work as intended with the current wording.

As the card Venarian Gold shows, it is, in principle, possible to refer to a self-chosen value of X for an enters-the-battlefield ability. However, as you might tell, it's quite an awkward wording and, if it got a functional reprint, would probably be handled more elegantly with a replacement effect ("As Venarian Gold enters the battlefield, [..]").

In any case, Gadwick, the Wizened's wording is different, makes no reference to "X as you cast [it]", and would not work under current rules. 107.3 and its subsections do not provide a definition of the value of a self-chosen X on an object outside the stack, because no currently released card would need it.

We have to expect a rules update for Gadwick, and, if they even remember the card, a change in Venarian Gold's oracle text.

Update from Eli Shiffrin, the Magic rules manager:

  Now Gadwick, the Wizened gets a new 107.3k rule to clarify that its triggered ability looks at the value X that comes from the spell it was, not the permanent it is.


When resolving Extract, do I need to know what card I'm looking for?

You don't need to name a card. If you need to name a card that card would say it, like with Cranial extraction for example.


What are the chances of winning Accordion Solitaire?

Accordion

According to one of the biggest player on the solitaire market (SolSuite), the game of Accordion (one card at a time version) has a chance of winning in about 1 of 200 games, i.e. 0,5%

But I would actually say that there is no difference in the winning percentage (if played right) between the two versions you are talking about, since (in the one card at a time version) you could always lay out the entire deck first one card at a time before starting to play...


Pandemic on the Brink expansion in different language than the main game

If all the players know the expansion language well, there will be no problems.

Otherwise you may need a reference, paste-ups, or some other solution.

There should be no gameplay differences* between versions in different languages, if that's your concern.

*barring translation errors


Is there an action window to trigger abilities once the point limit has been reached?

It's not actually completely simultaneous; the Runner wins the game.

From the Android: Netrunner FAQ:

  If the Runner steals an agenda from Jinteki using the core set identity, but has no cards in hand, who wins?
  The Runner wins the
  game. Whenever a player has 7 or more  agenda points in his score
  area, the game immediately ends. The  game ending takes precedence
  over any conditional ability that  triggers when an agenda is stolen.


Monopoly chance card "move to" utility owned by person who recieved card

Nothing happens (or if you want to say he owes himself money you can).  Monopoly spells out what happens in the rules fairly well.  The Chance and Community Chest cards also do a good job of explaining what should happen.  Nothing in that Chance card says anything about the Bank paying in the event the property is owned by the player.  It simply says

  If OWNED, throw dice and pay owner a total ten times the amount
  thrown.

"Pay" is clearly an instruction to the player who drew the card, not the bank.


Can I use an instant speed Act of Treason effect to take a Seedborn Muse and use its ability?

Well, obviously there will be points in the game prior to your opponent's untap step. For instance, on the turn before your opponents turn, you can grab the Seedborn Muse during the ending phase. If that's your turn, you can announce after your second main phase "I am casting Act of Treason using Vedalken Orrery's ability". Or, if you're in a multiplayer game, if that's another player's turn, then when that other player announces the end of their turn, you can say the same; when a player says they're ending their turn, they're just passing priority, and other players have the chance to take actions before the turn actually ends.

However, there are two problems.

First, Act of Treason only lasts until end of turn. If you do this during the end step you will pass Seedborn Muse back more or less immediately after it. You will not have Seedborn Muse by the time the next turn starts and it will be back under the control of whoever had it last.

Second, once the untap phase begins, it's too late to do anything to affect what happens in the untap phase. Even when something is "instant", you still have to wait until you receive priority, and

  No player receives priority during this step so spells or abilities cannot be played. — Rules for the Beginning Phase

You first receive priority during your Upkeep, by which time Seedborn Muse has already had its effect and it is too late for gaining control of it to do much for you.


It's just a mistake that the canal symbol is missing. If you look at the second edition rule book, you see the canal symbol on a level 1 shipyard:

The rules also say

  If you have just completed the Canal Period then remove all canal
  and Tech level 1 Industry counters, along with any cubes on them,
  from the map.

No mention of the canal/rail road symbols. They a just reminders.

Since level 1 shipyards are also tech level 1 industries (they look and behave like the other industries and the shipyard counters are listed in the rules as industries counters), they are removed as well when the canal period is completed.

So the short answer is: yes.


Frigga's Protection multiple use in single battle

Yes, in the game of Blood Rage, you can use the Frigga's Protection card to save multiple units in one battle as long as you have sufficient rage. See this post from Thiago Aranha, one of the three authors of the rules of the game:

https://boardgamegeek.com/article/20522706#20522706


Is it allowed to play a jetpack when buried?

A rules faq on boardgamegeek here says you can.

  Yes. While a buried player cannot take any action other than removing sand, using equipment doesn't take an action.


Would Panharmonicon give my Myojins extra divinity counters?

Panharmonicon will not double the divinity counters on any of the Myojins because the ability that adds a divinity counter is not a triggered ability. Myojin of the Seeing Winds' ability says

  Myojin of Seeing Winds enters the battlefield with a divinity counter on it if you cast it from your hand.

This is a static ability that creates a replacement effect of the type described in rule 614.1d that modifies how the creature enters the battlefield.


Does a Xantcha I cast trigger a Warstorm Surge I control?

No, it enters the battlefield under the opponent's control and is not even momentarily under your control. If you both had Warstorm Surges, it would trigger theirs and not yours.

"As (this card) enters the battlefield" is a replacement effect that altogether changes how it would enter the battlefield. In this case, it replaces the card entering under your control with entering under theirs. This is like how a Mistcutter Hydra does not enter the battlefield as a 0/0, then gain +1/+1 counters (it would die) — it enters with those counters and, from the rules' perspective, had them all along for as long as it was on the battlefield.

We can check this in the rules for replacement effects:

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

It would trigger your Warstorm Surge (and not an opponent's) if it instead said:

  When Xantcha, Sleeper Agent enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice gains control of it.

... because that is a triggered ability that would have to go on the stack and resolve first, after Xantcha enters under your control.


Do we continue to draw additional tiles after the initial meld?

yes.  this is very clear stated in the rules

  After players have made their initial plays, they can also build on
  other sets on the table with tiles from their racks. If a player
  cannot add onto the other sets, the player picks a tile from the pouch
  and the turn ends.


What are the password requirements for the new Planewalker points system?

Click the "?" next to the field where you have to enter your new password, and it tells you the password requirements.

  Password Must Contain:

  Minimum of 7 characters
  Maximum of 29 characters
  Uppercase letter (1 or more)
  Lowercase letter (1 or more)
  Number (0–9)
  Special character (e.g., !, $, *, etc.)

  Passwords Cannot Be:

  Your Login ID
  Your email address
  Your screen name
  Your DCI number
  A drawing of your favorite Planeswalker


Would it be possible to play through Pandemic Legacy more than once?

Yes, it is possible. Someone on BoardGameGeek has designed a Reset Kit, which gives full instructions for keeping various components separate, rules reminder cards so you don't have to sticker the rule book, and other stickers to go over the ones on the board/cards to set them up afresh.

If you're really careful, you can remove the stickers from the board and have something that is 99% vanilla Pandemic, which is also an option.

However, for many people the permanence of the game is part of the experience. You don't just get the excitement of winning, you get the visceral feeling of finality when you tear up cards and mark the board. I understand that that experience is not for everyone, but there is a lot to recommend it.


Effect of "keep in play" on "Thirty-Three" crisis card?

We've always played it as option #1, and I've only ever seen it played as option #1.  I agree its 'weaker' than the effect in the show, but its the only interpretation that is supported by hard-and-fast rules-as-written logic.


Does changing control of an object update that object's timestamp?

Player C controls it

613.6a A continuous effect generated by a static ability has the same timestamp as the object the static ability is on, or the timestamp of the effect that created the ability, whichever is later.
613.6c An object receives a timestamp at the time it enters a zone.

Even though you gain control of it it stays in the same zone, the battlefield, but it is an aura so there are more rules to it

613.6d An Aura, Equipment, or Fortification receives a new timestamp at the time it becomes attached to an object or player.

But it is still enchanting the same creature so it does not receive a new timestamp meaning player c still controls it


First you'll want to build up a fan base.  To do that, you could:

Introduce it at board game meetups and conventions.
Send print and play files to interested people over the internet.
Show it off on board game forums.

Once you have a fan base, then it's time to think about options for publishing the game.  I wouldn't recommend spending any money on marketing until you have a publishing route worked out, since you won't have a product to sell yet, and (depending on which way you go) your publisher will probably already have their own marketing ideas and budget.


At first this seemed very infeasible to me.

You would need a 3 second timer for every piece.
You need a way to prevent simultaneous claims of single board spaces.

After giving it some thought, I came up with a possible implementation. You would need a board with a socket for each square. When a piece is inserted into this socket, it is held in place by the socket for 3 seconds. Each piece would then need an indicator so you can see whether or not it can be moved (based on the status of the socket) and a button to remove it within the 3 second timeframe in case it's been captured.

Two people simultaneously using both hands to move 32 pieces on a 50x50cm chess board still seems like a bad idea. The board would have to be a bit bigger than a normal chess board, with more distance between the pieces. This will mitigate the problem but for the most part this will have to be "part of the game".


The flop eliminates a majority of reasonable players because they have such a low probability of winning anything. With a dripfed board, they would stay for longer and commit more, thereby being priced in despite having no real chance.

It avoids early big bets by high pocket pairs and (suited) connectors that have caught something from the first single card or the first two community cards, from taking a pot based on the luck of their pocket.

Overall, it turns a game based on luck into one that allows for substantial skill, without eliminating player choice in how to play the game.


Does Avis or Iago have a better chance of winning a match?

According to Swing Dice theory, Avis has the advantage.

If both players choose the same size X, Iago needs to keep 20 points to win (the 2/3 difference between his 60+X points and Avis' 30+X). So all things being equal, Iago needs to win and hold on to one of his 20-siders.

The bad news for Iago is that even in the best case (Avis takes a d20, Iago takes a d4), he still needs to hold 9.3 points (which means he still needs that d20, since the d4 won't cut it here). The point difference between the two buttons is wide enough that Iago must always win - there's no case where Avis can end up with a higher point total.

The news gets worse - if Iago ends up with a larger X than Avis, he now needs to hold two dice. And it doesn't help that Avis has five dice vs. Iago's four - given that a normal game of BM involves taking dice each round, he needs Avis to pass at least once.

To sum up - Iago's best action is to take a d4 (regardless of what Avis has), win initiative, force Avis to pass at least once each battle, take all of Avis' dice, and hold one of the d20s.

(Avis, on the other hand, can take a d20 and still force Iago to win and hold a d10 or better to win. There's no bad matchup for him.)

Source: a quick Excel spreadsheet to calculate win conditions for each combination of Xs. :)


What happens when you stack "unblockable" and "unblockable except by"?

No, it's still just unblockable. There are two restrictions. One will prevent it from being blocked by most things, while leaving artifact creatures and black creatures unrestricted. One won't let it be blocked at all. If nothing blocks it, both restrictions are satisfied, so that's allowed. If a black creature blocked it, one restriction would be violated, so that's not allowed.


Small World: Do Spirit Ghouls Score When Active Race Declines?

Yes,

From the Spirit description in the Rule Book.

  You may thus end up with two different races In
  Decline on the map at the same time and score for them both.


Good counter to Minion in Dominion: Intrigue

As you have seen, Minion is a powerful card that, unlike many other Dominion cards, "combos" well with itself: if you draw two you can play one for cash and one to get a new hand, possibly getting another Minion, and attacking the opponent as well!

Minion is a card that's difficult to ignore. There are several ways you might consider to handle it:

Probably the clearest way to handle it, and the one that is always available, is to pursue Minions yourself. The Minions are powerful and every one you buy is one that your opponent or opponents cannot. If you choose this route, you usually want to go all-out to buy as many as you can. In a two-player game, getting 6 of the 10 Minions while the other player is stuck with 4 is a big deal.
Cursing and junking attacks are powerful counters to Minion. By filling your opponent's deck with space-wasting cards, they make it much less likely that the Minions will "power up" by showing up in the same hand. Sea Hag, Witch, Ambassador, Cultist, Marauder, of of course Mountebank are a few to look out for.
"Draw-up-to" effects can be an okay counter to Minion's discard, although they're not as effective as they are against, say, Militia. Still, Jack of all Trades is a powerful card in any board and probably worth considering if you're not going with Minions yourself.
Of the Reactions, Tunnel is powerful on any Minion board, whether you're the one playing the Minions or not--all those discarded Tunnels turn into Gold! Horse Traders is another powerful choice if you can spare room for the terminal action, since it neuters the attack and gives you a free card to boot. Moat and Lighthouse blunt the attack, but aren't super powerful in their own right; Lighthouse is a bit easier to fit into most decks. Secret Chamber looks attractive (save your favorite cards for the hand you're about to draw) but if Minions are flying around, its ability to discard junk for cash might be worth very little.


Most instructions must be followed immediately. For example, if you are instructed to move or to destroy a minion, you must do so when instructed. "Play an extra minion" and "play an extra action" are special. The instruction simply raises the limit on the number of minions or actions you can play this turn. (Rule quoted at the bottom.)
For example, Insta-Grow (Action from the Plants) reads

Play an extra minion.

It means

You may play one more minion than you otherwise could this turn.

Before playing Insta-Grow, you can play up to one Action and one Minion on your turn.
After playing Insta-Grow, you can play up to one Action and two Minions on your turn.
Minions and Actions can be played in any order — they can even be intermixed — and you need not play all the cards you can play.

Extra: Normally, you can play one minion and one action each turn. A card that lets you play an extra minion or action lets you play an additional card of that type during that turn. You don't have to play the extra card right away unless the extra card was gained by a Special ability.
[Accompanying example of "Extra" is "Spreading the Word". Action: Play up to two extra minions with the same name as a minion in play.]

("Unless the extra card was gained by a Special ability" wasn't present in the original game's rules. This quote comes the Cthulhu set.)


Rialto starting player and initial order on Doge track

I found a copy of the English rules, and point 11 reads of the setup reads as follows:

  Beginning with the player to the right of the starting player and in counter-clockwise order, each player puts one counter on the first space of the Doge track.See below for details on the Doge track.

This would produce the opposite order of yours.

BoardGameGeek has a file titled "Official Czech Rules with corrections." Step 11 of that document reads as follows:

  Postupně od hráče po pravici začínajícího hráče a dále
  proti směru hodinových ručiček umístěte své označovací kameny
  na počáteční pole stupnice vlivu dóžete (více o stupnici vlivu dóžete
  najdete níže na této straně).

The quoted passage is in red, which has been used to identify the corrections.

This matches the the text of the English rules I quoted above.


Do harbor pieces count for determining the end game phase in Ticket to Ride Rails and Sails?

It only includes Ships and Trains. The English rulebook is a bit unclear on this point, but other translations make it clear.
The specific wording form the English rulebook:

When any one player’s supply of plastic pieces contains six pieces or fewer (regardless of their type), each player, including that player, gets two more turns, after which the game ends and players calculate their final scores.

Note that "plastic pieces" is also used in the rulebook in other places, such as when talking about exchanging pieces. Because you start with all your harbor pieces anyway; you would never need to exchange them; you are only exchanging trains for ships or vice-versa.
From the French rulebook:

Lorsque la réserve de wagons d’un joueur tombe à 6 pions (wagons et bateaux confondus).

Google Translate:

When a player's wagon reserve drops to 6 pawns (wagons and ships combined)

The German rulebook:

Wenn ein Spieler am Ende seines Zugs nur noch 6 oder weniger Figuren (egal ob Waggons und/oder Schiffe)

Google Translate:

If, at the end of his turn, a player has only 6 or fewer pieces (regardless of whether they are wagons and / or ships)


What game did these black and yellow dice come from?

Well, that was an obscure one.

As seen in the below image, these dice are from the 2006-07 Collectable Miniatures game Dreamblade. As far as I can tell, the game was extremely popular in a very small niche, and without the miniatures themselves I don't think the dice have any particular intrinsic value. They look pretty neat, though.


What happens if a blocking creature with flying loses flying?

Your creature is still blocked. The blue frog will still deal damage.
If you cast Turn to Frog after attackers are declared, but before blockers are declared, your spirit can't be blocked by that creature.

509.1b The defending player checks each creature he or she controls to see whether it's affected by any restrictions (effects that say a creature can't block, or that it can't block unless some condition is met). If any restrictions are being disobeyed, the declaration of blockers is illegal.
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.
Example: An attacking creature with flying and shadow can't be blocked by a creature with flying but without shadow.

The check for evasion ability blocking restrictions is made before blockers are declared, but is not made again. If the attacker gains or loses evasion abilities it doesn't matter. It's not explicitly mentioned in that rule, but it logically follows that if the defender gains or loses the ability to block flying creatures after the block is declared, it doesn't matter.


Pandemic - reduced rule-set for beginners

I don't believe simplified rules exist. For the reference here are the full rules.
This is how we approached it:
First, follow the steps on page 2-3 to setup. Then look at the inset at the bottom right corner of page 3 which says:

Each player turn is divided into 3 parts:

Do 4 actions.
Draw 2 Player cards.
Infect cities.

After a player is done infecting cities, the player on
their left goes next.
Your hand can have City and Event cards in it. City cards are used in some actions and Event cards can be played at any time.

So what we find useful, is to follow these 3 parts in sequence. To perform part 2, follow page 6 "Draw Cards". For part 3 follow page 6 "Infections".
Part 1, actions is a bit trickier, because a player needs to be familiar with the actions available to them to make choices. All the actions are described on page 4, with an example on page 5.
In my opinion, good understanding of page 4 by all players, is the most important thing that makes the game following more smoothly, because this is where most variations are. For parts 2 and 3 you can simply follow the script in the rule book - there is not much choice there, and after enough times you'll memorise it and have no problems with it.
By studying page 4 on the other hand, you can understand what options are available to you and make those choices that matter.


A web search for tsume shogi reveals lots of sites with Shogi mating problems.

I'm not aware of a specific compilation of Shogi Zukou and Shogi Musou, but if it's a pdf you want I did discover this compilation of 300 problems in pdf form.


18xx Companies able to buy other companies, what will be the impact

I'd love to see a proper set of Merger & Acquisitions rules for 18xx.

I suspect I would start with something like this:

Companies may buy each other's shares with company cash.
Companies may not buy more than 20% of another company without making a takeover bid.
To make a takeover bid, a company must have enough cash to pay current market-price for all the shares it doesn't hold.  It first buys all shares of the target company that are not owned by players or other companies.  If that gets them >50%, then the takeover is successful.
If it doesn't get them >50%, then they offer current market price to the other shareholders.  If enough accept to get to >50%, then success, otherwise, they can raise the offer until they succeed, run out of cash, or give up.
Any remaining shares are then forcibly bought at the highest price reached in the takeover auction.
Once the company has been taken over, the new company has then eaten it.  It can issue the share certificates of the takenover company as additional shares, diluting its own shareholdings.

That's a hostile takeover system.

A merger would go more like this:

If two companies each own 20% of each other and both presidents want them to merge, then they should announce this.  They need >50% of the shares to vote in favour.  Shares owned by each other automatically vote yes.
There is now one, bigger company with all the station markers and trains.  If there are rules on the maximum number of trains a company can own, then this company can own twice as many.  Share certificates now represent half as large a percentage as previously.
The two Presidents' shares are combined into a single certificate, so that shareholding isn't diluted.  The new President will have to exchange some of his previous shares to get the shareholding right (ie Pres share is normally 20%, the President's certificate they had before is now only 10%, so they will have to hand over two other certificates to balance it out: if they don't have that many, then they can buy them from the company; it certainly owns at least 20% of itself).  If both of the Presidents of the pre-merger companies have the same shareholding in newco, then they have to agree when they announce the merger.
Any remaining shares that remain with the company after forced purchases by the new President and making change to the old President are now available to be bought on the open market.
The new share price is the average of the share prices of the two old companies.


Does Forbidden Words affect the character or player or both?

My take was that the physical player is not allowed to speak anymore, as else I think there would be specific instructions like you cannot use spells anymore. I think the goal is to create a more interesting interaction by forcing the player to communicate with gestures/pointing on the board.


I think you're confusing tokens and token cards.

Tokens are game objects that are generated by various spells and permanents. They are never part of your deck and indeed can not exist outside the battlefield. If a token moves to, for example, the graveyard, it vanishes instantly after moving, as far as the rules are concerned.

When an effect tells you to create tokens, you just do it—they exist now on the battlefield and don't “come from” anywhere inside the game. You can represent them with anything you want, even dice or scrap paper or a basic land with sharpie on it, but Wizards of the Coast also prints token cards you can use.

Token cards are cards that you can use to represent tokens. While they're by no means the only way to represent tokens (see above), they are by far the most convenient way to do so, as you can use the cards to easily represent various game effects, like their tapped state or whether or not they have counters on them.

Token cards don't go in your deck. You keep them with you while you're playing, maybe left inside your deck box. When an effect instructs you to create a token you can take one of those out and put it on the battlefield to represent the token.

You can find token cards from various booster packs, and pre-constructed products. They are not in any way tied to these products and can be used anywhere. Various sites also offer custom token cards with their own artwork. Some are two sided, so you can use the side you need (ie. the side that represents the token that was created). As far as the rules are concerned, the other side does not exist.


In 2 player, 10 card Gin, figuring out opponents cards

In Gin, you don't get any hard information on what is in your opponent's hand until the hand is over.

This means you have to make use of whatever information you can get.  The primary source of information is the discards.  To be successful you need to keep track of both

What your opponent discarded
What you discarded

Pay attention to both suits and the number of each card.  For example, if your opponent discarded the 5 of clubs, he is most likely not interested in 5's or mid range clubs.

Observe your opponent, if he usually plays fast but pauses even briefly to consider the jack of diamonds you just tossed then he most likely has several cards around that.  A couple examples of what he might have.

10-K of diamonds
sets of 9's and 10's but he has diamonds of both and could make another run (like 7-8-9-10 of clubs)

Perhaps from previous discards and pickups you could narrow down the options as to what he might have.


What happens when a deal is passed out in Duplicate Bridge Tournaments?

I understand how duplicate bridge works, but I'm still missing one small conceptual part of the scoring, being the outcome when a deal is passed out. Is the score for that hand just assumed to be 0 for both sides

Yes. Why would there be an exception? Passing out the hand is a perfectly valid way to play it.

  making it identical to a hand that happened to have a 0 score?

There are no other ways to have a 0 (raw) score.

  What happens if some tables play the hand and score highly where others just don't play it since they all passed?

The usual rules for converting score to matchpoints (or team IMPs, if you use those) apply.

  Are certain measure taken in the creation of the hands to avoid deals that are likely to be passed out?

No. It's not a TD's responsibility to speculate on how a hand is likely to be played before play occurs.


Do I roll for reinforcements when I lose a Pygmy due to a Sorcerer taking control of it?

Yes, you can roll for reinforcements.

The Rules for the expansion read:

  Each time you lose a Pygmy token, roll a reinforcement die ...

The Sorcerer definitely causes you to lose a Pygmy token, it is not required to be killed.  Therefore you get to roll the reinforcement die to replace them.


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

In a game where you have only one opponent remaining, you would win the game before you can lose it. With more than one opponent remaining, both you and the targeted opponent would lose.
Losing due to trying to draw from an empty library is a state-based action:

704.5. The state-based actions are as follows:

704.5b If a player attempted to draw a card from a library with no cards in it since the last time state-based actions were checked, that player loses the game.

However, state-based actions are not checked during the resolution of spells or abilities:

704.4. Unlike triggered abilities, state-based actions pay no attention to what happens during the resolution of a spell or ability.

So if you try to draw from an empty library during Mirrodin Besieged ability's resolution, you won't lose the game until it has actually finished resolving and the active player would gain priority, because that's when state-based actions are checked:

704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 117, “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. [..]

117.3b The active player receives priority after a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves.

As soon as a player loses, they leave the game, and if you have no opponents remaining, you immediately win.

104.1. A game ends immediately when a player wins, when the game is a draw, or when the game is restarted.

104.2a A player still in the game wins the game if that player’s opponents have all left the game. This happens immediately and overrides all effects that would preclude that player from winning the game.

So in essence, Mirroding Besieged starts resolving. You carry out as many instructions as you can, and the last instruction is that a target opponent loses the game. In a game where the targeted opponent is the only opponent remaining (or in a 2-Headed Giant game), that opponent losing would be the immediate end of the game, and you would be the winner. In game with more than one opponent remaining (except 2HG), the targeted opponent would lose, you would lose immediately afterwards when SBAs are checked, and the game would continue for the other players.


How do I create a deck of cards that generates a dungeon of an average particular size?

This game mechanic introduces the problem of trying to establish the expected result of a dynamic series of events that can't be readily repeated. For common terms through out, I'll be using the following to describe the game pieces.

Tile   Doors   Effect
A      1      -1
B      2       0
C      3       1
D      4       2

Additional variables are:

  M = Totel Deck Size
  t = number of turns taken cards drawn
  a, b, c, d = Number of tiles drawn of that type
  A, B, C, D = Total Number of that Tile in the Deck

In the Worst Case, if you draw every other tile before you start drawing A's, you would need sufficient A tiles to close the open dungeon. For this:

  A >= 3 + C + 2*D

This is because you are starting on the south edge of the map with 3 open doors (west, north, and east). For the tiles you draw, C adds 1 door, D adds two doors, and A subtracts 1 door. If this equation is true for your deck of tiles, than there will be no open doors left.

Not yet addressed is the total number of tiles, needed to provide for an game of t turns, but I'll get there. Crunching the permutations.


Can Actions Be Played on 1 base and "jump" to affect play on other bases?

An Ornate Dome on base B only prevents players from playing cards on base B (i.e. playing cards with "play on a base" on base B). I don't understand the scenario you are presenting in your question, but it doesn't seem to include anything affected by an Ornate Dome on base B. Specifically, Hidden Ninja is not played on a base, so it's not affected by Ornate Dome.


Can the Bishop select a player who discarded the Handmaid?

No, the Bishop cannot guess the hand of a player who discarded the Handmaiden last turn.

This comes from the original rules:

  If all players other than the player whose turn it is are protected by Susannah, the player must choose him- or herself if possible.

This shows that the Handmaid doesn't only cause the player to not be affected, but it actually stops another player from choosing that player when choosing a player.

Also, having to reveal whether or not you hold a specific card is definitely being affected. If you are ignoring all effects from other players cards, then you would ignore the part where you must answer whether or not you have the guessed card.


Yes, given that Bioshift is an instant.

The combat unrolls as follows:

...
Declare Blockers [CR 509]

Blockers are declared. [CR 509.1]
Damage Assignment order for attacking creatures is decided. [CR 509.2]
Damage Assignment order for blocking creatures is decided. [CR 509.3]
Players get priority. [CR 509.4-5]

Combat Damage Step (First Strike) [CR 510]

Attacker assigns damage. [CR 510.1]
Defender assigns damage. [CR 510.1]
Combat damage is dealt. [CR 510.2]
Players get priority. [CR 510.3-4]

Combat Damage Step (Normal Damage)

Attacker assigns damage.
Defender assigns damage.
Combat damage is dealt.
Players get priority.

End of Combat Step

Players get priority.

First Strike damage is dealt in 3.3 above, leaving you free to shift counters in 3.4 before normal damage is assigned and dealt in 4.1 and 4.3.

Note that the counters could also have been transferred in the Declared Blockers Step (2.4 above). However, it's more advantageous to wait until the First Strike Combat Damage Step (if possible) since two creatures get to take advantage of them.

  510. Combat Damage Step

  ...

  510.4. Fourth, the active player gets priority. Players may cast spells and activate abilities.

  510.5. If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 702.7) or double strike (see rule 702.4) as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.


One Night ultimate werewolf Hunter Question

For voting, it matters who has the hunter when voting, not who started with it. What you started with only matters for what you do during the night phase. Similar with the Tanner and the Werewolves.
For the doppelgänger, you just have to trust them. You always have to trust them to tell the truth about what they copied, no matter what it is.


Live statistics chess960 from chess.com?

Update 2: Fixed now. see the 'json' vs the 'preformed'. WOW.
Update 1: It appears Mike Steelson has an answer here, where the code is given as
=arrayformula( regexextract(split( substitute(substitute(substitute(getDataJSON(A1;"/games";"/pgn");"[";"");"]";"");"""";"") ;char(10));"\s.*") )

with an example given here
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MX1o5qdy0K3gTMzbimUV3SmFf-0XPCSJ8Vz4IjI-8Ak/copy
It appears there's a problem when it gets to the case of chess960 only. Consider for example this player: Replacing 'gmwso' with the player's username will yield a weird output. i imagine the output will be messier for mixed chess960 and chess.


How can I make alternative characters for BatHotH?

Getting custom printing of arbitrary shapes on arbitrary materials is hard to do, even in this internet age of CafePress and print-on-demand book publishing.

One thing that's easy, though, is making custom stickers: go and Google "sticker maker", and it will show you sticker-making machines. Those machines take any shape of cut-out paper, and make the back sticky. Print out your own custom character card with your favorite image-editing software (possibly scanning in the Betrayal at House on the Hill character boards first for a template?), cut it into a pentagon, cut out a pentagon of tagboard, then use the sticker-maker to make your print sticky and stick it to the tagboard. (For a better fit, make the sticker bigger than it needs to be, and don't cut the tagboard until you've put the sticker on it.)

This is morally equivalent to getting a Glue Stick and making the sticker yourself, but I've found that the glue in sticker makers is generally better than glue sticks, and sticker makers will apply the glue precisely to the edge of the paper. Depending on exactly what thickness of tagboard you find in your local art supply shop, you may need to layer them to get the right thickness for the clips that come with Betrayal at House on the Hill.


This is Go Long, a game about (American) football.

The black die is for yards gained, if I remember correctly.

Here's an image of the dice from Go Long (from BoardGameGeek):


Do creatures who come into play tapped have summoning sickness?

Yes, it has summoning sickness like every other creature. If you want to attack with your Leviathan the turn it enters the battlefield you'll also need to give it haste.


Does the extra effect in Scavenging lead to 2 discards?

You will only discard one card as that is all the crossfire rule calls for. If you notice it specifies how many cards to draw based on the game setup and it specifies how many to discard under all game setups.

For the normal version you discard then draw meaning you won't discard what you will draw. Also you can draw the card you just discarded.

For the hard version you draw then discard meaning you can discard a card you just drew.


What is (Larry Cohen's) the "Law of Total Tricks" In Bridge?

Law of total tricks is an empirical law which states the following:

  If opponents play the contract with their best suit (with A cards) as trumps, and they can make x tricks, and you play the contract in your best suit (with B cards) as trumps and you can make y tricks, then A + B = x + y.

This was first proposed by Jean-Rene Vernes in a bridge world article and made popular by Larry Cohen in his book: "To Bid or not to Bid: The Law of Total Tricks."

The purpose of the law is to decide whether to play or defend and the level to play, when both sides are bidding, i.e. it is more useful in competitive auctions.  Trying to apply it in constructive auctions (where opponents haven't bid) does not make much sense. (Of course, when you are raising partner with a weak hand, as a preempt, you are kind of using the law in advance).

As a simple example: Say you hold xx, Kxxx, QJx, Txxx, playing IMPS, non-vul.

Suppose partner opens 1 Heart (showing 5+ cards), RHO overcalls 1 Spade. You bid 2 Hearts and LHO bids 2S, which is passed around to you.

Now assuming opponents have 8 spades between them, if you assume the law, then there are 8+9 = 17 total tricks.

Now suppose 2S is making exactly. Then by the law, it means you can make 3H.
Now suppose 2S is making 9 tricks. Then by the law, 3H is at most down 1.
Now suppose 2S is down 1. Then by the law, you make 10 tricks in hearts!

In all cases, you are better off bidding 3H (even if doubled, non-vul) as opposed to letting them play in 2S.

Of course the law is based on empirical evidence, and there are many adjustments that need to be made, which you can find in Larry Cohen's book.

On the flip-side, there is a book by Mike Lawrence: I Fought the Law of Total Tricks which says that the law might actually not be as useful as people think.


No.  The supply cards are when you adjust your position on the Supply track, but your armies must always respect your supply.  This is called out specifically in the supply section of the rulebook on page 8:

  A player is never allowed to take any action in the game that would cause him to exceed his actual supply limit as dictated by his position on the Supply track (such as mustering, marching, or retreating).

The mustering section on page 9 has a blurb that reinforces this idea:

  A player may never muster a unit that would create or expand an army beyond his actual supply limit.  In other words, if mustering a new unit would cause a player to have more (or larger) armies than allowed by his position on the Supply track, that unit cannot be mustered.

Thus, in your example, you cannot have an army of 4 while you remain at position 2 on the supply track.  This also prevents you from swapping out say a siege engine for a footmen - once you recruit a unit, you're stuck with it until it dies.


How can I beat Forbidden Island at Elite or Legendary difficulty with two players?

Your limited power to hold cards is still going to be one of the most important parts of the game.

Since you're guaranteed to go through the deck at least once and probably more, don't be afraid to use your special action cards (helicopter and sandbags). You might already be doing this, but I know my group sometimes tries to save them when we could have easily gotten them again when the deck cycled through a second time and gotten almost double the benefit. The big exception is if you're toward the end of the game, have only 1 helicopter, and know you won't be drawing one soon.
If you have the cards to get a treasure, get it ASAP. Having to hang on to 4 cards essentially gives you a 1 card capacity and means you'll have to discard a lot of things you'd rather have kept. The sooner you can dump those cards for a treasure to free up hand space, the better.
Time is your enemy. You probably already knew this, but it's worth reiterating. You need to manage the cards that you draw as effectively as possible by getting treasures as soon as possible, because once you discard 2 cards of one color, you have to wait until the next reshuffle to even have a chance at getting them back. And with 3-5 tiles flooding per turn it's extremely difficult to shore them up fast enough. Thing will get worse every turn, so do whatever it takes to avoid having to wait a long period of time for a certain card.
Figure out what part of the island you really need to save. There are virtually always some tiles that are less important that you can let sink without much consequence. Since movement is so expensive, be very wary of what's worth moving for. If you're going to use your whole turn to move to a tile to shore it up, make shore its a tile that's actually worth it.
However, if you don't have to move to shore up a tile, I'd always do it unless you have something more urgent, like getting a treasure. Shoring up a tile guarantees that it will stay afloat at least until the next Waters Rise! card comes up, and having its flood card in the deck means that more important things won't be sinking. Any turn you shore up 3+ tiles, even if they're non-essential, is a well spent turn as long as you won't be forced to discard anything valuable.
As for trading, try to identify one part of the island you can keep afloat and both stay in to reduce movement needed to reach the other player. If you have 4 cards of one color between you, do whatever is necessary to get that treasure FAST so you won't be forced to discard 2 cards of one color and have to wait for another reshuffle.

I'd definitely say the game is most difficult with 2 players, so don't be ashamed if you have trouble winning. I'd probably leave out the navigator and messenger as Bryanjonker stated in his answer as their powers will be the weakest in a 2 player game. You'd probably have better odds of winning if you gave yourself a small handicap. My preferred way to playing is with 4 actions per turn and the initial water level cranked up 1 level. Things tend to stay about even, the game goes quicker, there's more tension, and IMHO more strategy. If you like you could also allow sandbag cards to be used as any color treasure to reduce the dreaded long wait for that one card you need to complete a set.


Mexicali
It's a variant of Liar's Dice.
The variant in question is, according to Wikipedia, called Mexican or Mexicali, and is typically a drinking game. My preference is for Mexicali.
Other liars dice variants are typically 5 dice, not two, but the play's much the same.


The original rules have been lost. There are two competing interpretations about how the game might have been played. These rules are usually used when the game is reprinted these days. One version is R.C. Bell , the other is Kendall. Both rules sets can be viewed here.

Both rule sets believe that this game was a precursor to backgammon. The game was originally played with 4 sticks that were marked on one side. You would move a single pawn 1-5 squares (one for each mark, or 5 for no marks) along the backwards S-path. Two pawns could not occupy the same space. Your own pawns block your movement, and landing on an opponents pawn either swapped (Kendall) or removed (Bell) the piece(s).

The Bell rules:

Is played with 10 pawns, five for each player.
Players add pawns to the board at the specially marked squares based on their roll, or
Move a pawn already on the board.
Special squares are "safe" from attack.
Landing on an opponents piece removes it from the board, your own pawns block your movement.
Landing on the last, upper-left square scores that player 5 points and sets the ending alternating pattern.
The first player go get all their pieces into the alternating end squares gets 10 points, and one more point for each additional turn their opponent takes.
Pieces in end squares cannot be attacked.

The Kendall rules:

Is played with 10 pawns, five for each player.
Pawns start already on the board in an alternating pattern.
Landing on an opponents square swaps positions, your own pawns block your movement.
The next square marked with the Ankh is where pawns go that fail to make their rolls to get off the board.
The special squares at the end require specific rolls to exit, or send you back to the Ankh.
Winner is the first to get all their pawns off the board.

From (left) - House of Beauty (or Good), House of Humiliation (or Water), House of Three Judges (or Two Truths), House of Two Judges (or Ra-Atum), House of Heru (or Horus).


Can I win in 1v1 if I stole someone else's platinum angel, would lose without it, then defeat them?

You'll win the game. Once your opponent leaves, and you're the last person standing, you win immediately. From the rules on Ending the Game:

104.1. A game ends immediately when a player wins, when the game is a draw, or when the game is restarted.
104.2. There are several ways to win the game.
104.2a A player still in the game wins the game if that player’s opponents have all left the game. This happens immediately and overrides all effects that would preclude that player from winning the game.
(...)
104.5. If a player loses the game, he or she leaves the game. If the game is a draw for a player, he or she leaves the game. The multiplayer rules handle what happens when a player leaves the game; see rule 800.4.

All of these in approximately reverse order mean the following:

When a player loses, they leave the game. (We handle the processes around them collecting all their stuff in multiplayer games.)
Once they leave the game and you're the only player left, you win. This happens immediately as they leave.
Once you win, the game ends immediately.

There is no time gap between any of these steps; they effectively happen simultaneously.
You'd only lose if the game continued (for example due to a third player still being in the game), as we'd remove the platinum angel, check state-based actions, and determine that you lose for having 0 or less life. But since that wasn't the case for you, you've won! Congratulations.


Other "network building" style games, like Hackers and Illuminati?

Carcassonne is a tile laying game where each player contributes to the same board while placing tokens to control different zones.

Farms
Cities
Roads
Cloisters

It is very easy to learn and there are a plethora of expansions that add a huge variety of different mechanics if you wish to make the game more challenging.


What card game was played in "Solo: A Star Wars Story"?

The card game is called Corellian Spike, a variation of sabacc.


Solitaire game where you deal four up, four down

The game you are looking for is a mixture between the classic solitaire games Scorpion  and Yukon.

I've looked through over 700 games in both SolSuite Solitaire and Pretty Good Solitaire and I came really close to finding your game in a variation called Geoffrey (by Thomas Warfield) in Goodsol's game Pretty Good Solitaire. The only difference is that Geoffrey is played with the last 2 cards dealt face up (instead of just the last card) in the last 4 columns.

Geoffrey
https://www.goodsol.com/games/geoffrey.html

Info
 - 1 Deck.
 - Success rate - Medium (30%).
 - Mostly Skill.

Layout
 - 4 Foundation columns (on top) - Build up in suit from Ace to King.
 - 8 Tableau columns (below foundation) - Build down in suit.
 - No Stock

Object of the game
To create four suites of 13 cards each in an ascending suit sequence from Ace to King, by moving all the cards from the tableau to the foundation.

Tableau
 - 52 cards in eight columns.
 - At the start of the game 7 cards are dealt to the first 4 columns and 6 cards are dealt to the next 4 columns.
 - In the first 4 columns, all cards are dealt face up. In the next 4 columns the first 4 cards are dealt face down and last 2 cards are dealt face up.

Rules
 - Tableau columns must be built down in suit, e.g. a 10 of ♠ can only be played on a Jack of ♠.
 - Any face up card, no matter how deep it is in a column, may be moved to make a build. All covering cards are moved with it together as a unit.
 - When a face down card is uncovered, it is automatically turned face up and is available for play.
 - Nothing can be placed on an Ace. A King cannot move, except to an empty space.
 - Spaces can only be filled with a King or groups of cards headed by a King.
 - Foundation columns must be built up in suit from Ace to King.
 - The top card of each tableau column is available for play to the foundations.
 - The game is won if the entire deck in all four suites has been moved to the foundation.

Here are some other examples of similar games:

Scorpion from SolSuite Solitaire

ScorpionCell from SolSuite Solitaire

Scorpion
https://www.politaire.com/scorpion

Applegate
https://www.politaire.com/applegate

Scorpion Head
https://www.politaire.com/scorpionhead

Three Blind Mice
https://www.politaire.com/threeblindmice

Farmers Wife
https://www.politaire.com/farmerswife

Double Scorpion
https://www.politaire.com/doublescorpion

Russian Solitaire
https://www.politaire.com/russian


Non-team variants for four or more players in Mille Bornes?

This happened in my gaming group as well, we fixed it simply by having a remedy 'timer' which is once you've been stuck for 3 turns, any GO card would suffice to move again.  Likewise, if stopped for three turns, you could simply play mileage cards.

The other variant we tried, which you might like is that remedy cards (and go cards) were played into a face-up draw stack, and instead of drawing normally, you could draw from any used card in the stack, so once someone had fixed their flat tire, anyone could spend the turn to draw the remedy the second time.