Completing the third mystery during the same round as Doom track reaches 0

The mysteries I've encountered are only solved at the end of the mythos phase, so, if doom is advancing, it would awaken the ancient one before mythos ends and the mystery is completed. If all mysteries follow this format, then my interpretation is you must flip the ancient one and follow the instructions on the back despite completing the requirements save for waiting until the end of the mythos phase.

From the Doom section of the quick reference:

  When Doom reaches the “0” space of the Doom track, the Ancient One awakens.

From the Ancient One section of the quick reference:

  Once the Ancient One awakens, the investigators must complete the Final Mystery on the back of the Ancient One sheet in addition to the other Mysteries.


The Masquerade card wording is (emphasis mine) -

  Each player with any cards in hand passes one to the next such player
  to their left, at once. Then you may trash a card from your hand.

The card says 'Each' which will mean every player including the one who played it.  It does not say 'Other'

Compare this with the wording on the Witch card

  Each other player gains a Curse.

In that situation it is very specifically the other players.  If Masquerade meant to refer to just other players it would use the word other.

The card is 'passed' to a player's hand.  Note if it used the word 'Gain', it would mean it goes into your discard pile instead.


Mathematically / logically determine unit alignment for close combat

get the number of unit on the face being charged, see how many of the charging units front of base length fit in it then * that by the number of units being changed are open on that side.

if you have uneven formations you would need to keep the current shape of a unit in an object, then find all the lengths along the charged side and use some sort of packing algo to put the charging units along them


Are +1/+1 counters different from +1/+1 effects?

Yes, effects that grant +1+/1 are very different than +1/+1 counters.

For Spear of Heliod, you have a static ability with a continuous effect that grants +1/+1.

For Undying, you have a triggered ability with a one-shot effect that grants a counter that grants +1/+1.

Notice the difference between what grants the +1/+1. It's the effect granting the +1/+1 in one case, and it's the counter in the other case. This matters because the +1/+1 will only be granted as long as the granter exists.

The +1/+1 from the continuous effect will last as long as the continuous effect exists. In the case of the effects from static abilities, that's as long as the card with the static ability is on the battlefield. In the case of effects created by the resolution of a spell or ability, that's as long as stated (e.g. "until end of turn"), or indefinitely if a duration isn't stated.

The +1/+1 granted by the counter will last as long as the counter exists. These normally go away when the permanent on which they reside ceases to exist, although there are cards that can  manipulate counters (e.g. Clockspinning), and granting a -1/-1 counter will cause both the +1/+1 and the -1/-1 counter to be removed.

Another difference is that counters are represented by physical objects (e.g. glass beads or dice used as counters), but effects aren't represented physically.


Sacrificing a creature I control that my opponent owns

Because Magic has physical cards worth money, they go to some lengths to ensure your cards don't accidentally end up with another player. So there is NO way one of your cards ends up in another player's deck, hand or graveyard. (The other zones are shared.)

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

That said, things don't get that far in this situation. Sacrificing instructs you to place the card in its owner's graveyard.

  701.16a To sacrifice a permanent, its controller moves it from the battlefield directly to its owner’s graveyard. [...]

There used to be an exception when playing for ante, but that doesn't exist anymore.


Keeping 4 houses on your property(ies) is a very simple strategy that reduces the length of the game quite dramatically. Tying up 8 or 12 houses prevents other players from buying those houses, keeping rents on their properties low, while increasing rents on your own. On many properties, the difference in rent between 4 houses and a hotel is relatively small and is quite easily offset by the lower rents you'll pay when landing on your opponents' properties. The moment you buy a hotel, though, those 4 (or 8, or 12) houses immediately become available for somebody else to buy.

In addition, if your opponent does buy hotels and is later forced to sell them to pay a debt, using all houses on your own property could force them to tear down all improvements. See this question for further explanation. This costs them more money to build back up and lowers the amounts you pay in the meantime.

Using the "unlimited houses/hotels" house rule is probably the number one mistake people make when trying to play a short game. Computer games against AI can be played in 15-30 minutes using the correct rules; 4 player human games will take a bit longer due to thinking time and socializing, but should stay well within an hour. Hours-long games are almost entirely due to house rules preventing people from losing money as quickly as they otherwise would.


Political Prowess someone else's activation?

The core question here seems to be: does "make a skill check" refer only to yourself, or just refer to executing a skill check regardless of who triggered it?

My gut feeling is that this phrasing usually means you can only use this on skill checks YOU triggered at a location.  The person taking the action is "making the skill check".

For one thing, this card would be extremely powerful (for cases like the one you describe) if it could be used on anybody's skill check any time.


Monarchs Stormforth vs Number 59: Crooked Cook

No, it cannot be tributed. If the player attempts to apply the effect of "Monarchs Stormforth" on an opponent's monster, it has to be on a monster that can be affected.


How come this solution to Tsumego is working?

(I'm a beginner, so take anything I say with a grain of salt).

Two things about Tsumegos (which I actually learned on this very site):

You're looking for the best possible solution, which is not always "black lives unconditionally". If, like it seems here, black cannot make two eyes, live in seki, or run out, then living in ko is the best solution.
You should not make any assumptions what the rest of the board looks like (a tsumego is a local situation, but it's not meant to be understood as "the rest of the board is empty"). In particular, the situation elsewhere on the board might just favor black, in which case black can live.

If black has a good ko threat somewhere, but white does not, then this happens after your second screenshot:

$$ 1: ko threat, 2: response, 4: (ignored) ko threat
$$ ------------------
$$ . . O 3 O X X O . |
$$ . . . O X . X O 5 |
$$ . . . O O X X O X |
$$ . . . . O O O X . |
$$ . . . . . . . X . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

After white now takes back the ko, black kills the three white stones and is out, but even more -- as far as I can tell it can actually make two eyes right here (if white 6 elsewhere, then either 8 at 6 instead, leaving the same result at what's described below, or black fills the ko with 9 and makes a second eye that way):

$$ ------------------
$$ . . O X 6 X X O 7 |
$$ . . . O X . X O X |
$$ . . . O O X X O X |
$$ . . . . O O O X . |
$$ . . . . . . . X . |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

If white now plays the vital point at 8, black plays 9, and a and b are miai to make the false eye true:

$$ ------------------
$$ . . O . O X X a X |
$$ . . . O X . X 8 X |
$$ . . . O O X X b X |
$$ . . . . O O O X . |
$$ . . . . . . . X 9 |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

If white plays 8 anywhere else, black takes that point instead, and has two eyes (even if white plays a and b in 8 and 10, black takes with c, after which a would make the false eye true, and b would create a third eye, so black lives in either case):

$$ 8: anywhere
$$ ------------------
$$ . . O . O X X . X |
$$ . . . O X . X 9 X |
$$ . . . O O X X . X |
$$ . . . . O O O X a |
$$ . . . . . . . X b |
$$ . . . . . . X . c |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

One thing I didn't address was the possibility for white to play 4 locally like this:

$$ ------------------
$$ . . O X 6 X X O . |
$$ . . . O X . X O . |
$$ . . . O O X X O X |
$$ . . . . O O O X 4 |
$$ . . . . . . . X 5 |
$$ . . . . . . X . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . |

so maybe one black ko threat isn't enough.

Anyway, given enough ko threats, black can live. That's not as good as living unconditionally, but if the latter is not possible, a ko is the best result.


Basically I am trying to see if Geralf's Messenger will effect loss of 6 life before it is well and truly dead

Nope. Undying actually makes it worse for you.

I think your error is that you forgot about one of the key rules of MTG:

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

In this context, that means that when the Messenger leaves the graveyard, abilities that later try to move it from the graveyard won't find it since it doesn't exist anymore.

Here's what happens:

Geralf's Messenger dies (is moved from the Battlefield to the graveyard) for whatever reason.

Both its undying ability and Athreos's triggered ability trigger.

The abilities that triggered are placed on the stack in APNAP order. A player decides the order in which his abilities are placed on the stack.

What happens next depends on the order in which you place the abilities on the stack.

If you place the Undying ability on the stack first and Athreos's triggered ability second.

Athreos's triggered ability resolves:

Return it to your hand unless target opponent pays 3 life.

Undying resolves:

If it's still in the graveyard, return it to the battlefield under your control with a +1/+1 counter on it.

So,

If opponent pays 3 life, it ends up on the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter.
Otherwise, it ends up in your hand.

He shouldn't pay any life, forcing you to cast it again.

If you place Athreos's triggered ability on the stack first and the Undying ability second.

Undying resolves:

Return it to the battlefield under your control with a +1/+1 counter on it.

Athreos's triggered ability resolves:

Target opponent may pay 3 life, but it doesn't matter if he does or not since the object to move no longer exists.

So,

If opponent pays 3 life, it ends up on the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter.
Otherwise, it ends up on the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter.

He shouldn't pay any life since it doesn't make a difference.


Can a Cyclone's "Dual Covering Fire" Special Action be used if the Cyclone is engaged in melee?

So, found this little tidbit here:

http://privateerpressforums.com/showthread.php?12489-Covering-Fire-while-engaged&highlight=dual+covering+fire+melee

It seems that, yes, they can, for the reasons I stated above - because it is a special action, not a special attack.


What happens if you roll doubles 3 times then land on "Go to jail?"

You go to jail directly on rolling the third double, so there’s no opportunity to land on “go to jail”.

From the Official Monopoly Rules (Hasbro)

  If you throw doubles, you move your token as usual, the sum of the
  two dice, and are subject to any privileges or penalties pertaining to
  the space on which you land. Retaining the dice, throw again and move
  your token as before. If you throw doubles three times in succession,
  move your token immediately to the space marked "In Jail" (see JAIL).


Frozen prize pile in canasta when all but one player has only 1 card in hand?

Your thinking is correct. If you are the only player who has more than 1 card in hand, then there is nothing to stop you from melding the rest of the cards in the draw pile. This has happened to me in a 2 player game (when playing draw 1 instead of draw 2). Nothing here would be different about 3 players. Your opponents have no way of ever legally picking up the discard pile or going out as long as your first discard after picking up the discard pile is a wild card.

You most likely should have been able to play out that hand and won the game. Being thousands of points behind wouldn't have mattered; you likely could have gotten enough points on that one hand to win.


Is it possible to counter cards that boost a creatures power during the combat phase?

It depends on what he's doing, and what you have available.

If your opponent has a card like Serra Avenger, which is a 3/3, and he attempts to cast Giant Growth, giving the avenger +3/+3 until end of turn, then you can counter that with a spell like Cancel or by activating the ability of Judge's Familiar (assuming he can't or chooses not to pay the cost associated with the familiar). Otherwise, the aveneger, now a 6/6, will swallow a 5/5 in combat.

Note that he can cast the Giant Growth during his attackers step, or during your blockers step (after you've declared blockers). Consider the following scenario:

  Him: delcare attacks

  Him: declare Aveneger as attacker

  You: block with Thundermaw Hellkite, a 5/5

  Him: cast Giant Growth on Avenenger

  Result: Aveneger, 6/6 lives, has 5 damage on it, and Hellkite is dead

It's important to note that this is not equipment, but an instant speed spell. Equipment plays by different rules: here's how those scenarios might play out.

If your opponent has a card like Manaforce Mace then he can't equip that during his combat phase, because he can only attach it at sorcery speed. But if you had three basic land types, then you'd have +3/+3 allowing you to take out the Hellkite in the above scenario. Note that this wouldn't really be a surprise like the Giant Growth would be, because you'd have to do this during combat.

If your opponent has a card like Cranial Plating then he could equip that during his combat phase with the activated ability. You can counter this only if you have something that allows you to counter abilities (not spells), for example Stifle

Another option would be something that allows equipment at instant speed, like Brass Squire. You could do this:

  Him: delcare attacks

  Him: declare Aveneger as attacker

  You: block with Thundermaw Hellkite, a 5/5

  Him: tap Brass Squire, attaching Manaforce Mace (which was already on the field, not from your hand, and assuming you have 3 basic land types) to Avenger.

  Result: Aveneger, 6/6 lives, has 5 damage on it, and Hellkite is dead


Are there good ways to "handicap" Midway?

Depending on the edition (60s or 90s), you can handicap for the Japanese by:

60s:

allow Japanese player to start a day (or partial day) sooner than the American player

90s:

allow Japanese player to bring forces onto the board closer to Midway (ie, shorten the time available to sink them)

Handicapping for the American player really isn't needed in the 60s edition, since all you have to do is kill the Atago (iirc). You might be able to add an additional search zone, but that'd be pretty minimal, in my experience. The only other thing I could think of would be to force carrier battle groups to not combine / join-up (or force them to all sail together).

In the 90s edition, you could handicap for the Americans by:

shortening the Japanese search distance
adding a searchable zone to the American side

The basic rules (ie, no CAP, no funky optional rules, etc) make it more-or-less impossible for the Japanese player to guarantee victory, unless they hide their "flag ship" very well and don't attack until they're right atop Midway (don't even search - just go full steam ahead).

When you add CAP, optional rules, and other variants, any form of "handicapping" is going to be pretty hit-or-miss, in my experience.

If both players have read the rules, the Americans are handed a whopping big advantage in that they "know" where the fleet is coming from - and while a game has to make some changes to make it playable, the historical battle didn't provide that much information (which makes the 90s version better (plus it uses hexes instead of squares (which means planes can fly more "realistic" paths, instead of having to convert 5 diagonal squares into 7 straight ones (the distance being nearly equal) for out-bound and in-bound operations))).


Is it legal to announce results of an opponent's hidden card?

Because it is not explicitly mentioned in the rules  what you can or cannot talk about, there are two interpretations for this. I suggest that you agree with each other which interpretation you will follow before starting the game. (as this really can divide people's opinions)

Option 1: Do not reveal a card = do not even talk about the card

Interpret the verb "reveal" as "to make something known". Keep the hidden information hidden, and do not even talk about it. This is pretty simple rule, and it is the way-to-go, if any player disagrees with the other option.

However, it also might be hard to define that how much information someone may give on someone elses (or his own) card: Is a surprised face too much? How about saying "Whoaa!"? What about "Whoaa! I should bow to You"? Or "I should bow to You, Sir/Miss"?

Option 2: Do not reveal a card = do not show a card

Interpret the verb "reveal" as "to show". Now you can say anything about anyone's cards, but it is on the other player's decision that will they believe you or not. This gives people the opinion to bluff and make tactical moves e.g. when playing the Priest or the King.


In The Grizzled, can you help your teammate decide which Trial to use a good luck charm on?

To me, that sort of help is against the rules. The rules say:

  Some information in The Grizzled can’t be shared among players. The contents of the cards in each player’s hand cannot be re- vealed.

In your situation, the help that was given was based on knowledge threat the player had of their own hand, knowledge which cannot be shared. Although they didn't specifically say what card was in their hand, the information given strongly implied information about their hand.

But discussing the options based only on what's visible to all players should be fine. For example, pointing out that there's already 2 rain cards, but only 1 night card, so it's less important to get rid of the night card. The rules don't address this sort of thing directly, so it would fall into the same category as allowing any sort of strategy discussion while playing. Some groups may choose to not allow any discussion at all; but rulebooks don't generally cover the scope of general discussion like that.


Rummy version with a run of seven as last round

Sounds like you've already found the answer: it's a form of contract rummy, just with a different final contract than the one listed on the Wiki entry.

From the contract rummy entry on rummy-games.com :

  The rules detailed below are representative of all Contract Rummy
  games, though there are numerous regional and local variations even
  among games with the same name.

Incidentally, that particular contract (7+3) appears as one of the contracts in Shanghai Rummy (but not the last).


Bloodrush is an activated ability that you can activate from your hand and only from your hand. You cannot use bloodrush if the card is already on the battlefield.

Most ability in Magic are only used from the battlefield, but abilities with costs that only apply in other zones, like "Discard this card," "Reveal this card from your hand," or "Exile this card from your graveyard," can only be activated from those other zones instead.

For an in-depth explanation, let's look at the text of Ghor-Clan Rampager:

  Bloodrush — {R}{G}, Discard Ghor-Clan Rampager: Target attacking creature gets +4/+4 and gains trample until end of turn.

First off, note how Bloodrush is italicized on the card. That means it's reminder text, not rules text. Specifically, it's an "ability word" (207.2c in the comp rules). I'm only pointing this out because it means that, unlike trample or deathtouch, the word itself doesn't imply any extra rules. Everything about bloodrush is printed right on the card.

The ":" indicates that it's an activated ability — pay a cost, get an effect. However, how do you discard a creature that's on the battlefield?

  701.7a To discard a card, move it from its owner’s hand to that player’s graveyard.

So, the answer is, you don't. You can only discard the card while it's in your hand. Which means...

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

  ...

  112.6i An object’s activated ability that has a cost that can’t be paid while the object is on the
  battlefield functions from any zone in which its cost can be paid.

So, because the ability says "discard Ghor-Clan Rampager" as a cost, you can activate it from your hand, even though most abilities are only used from the battlefield.

Some other things to note about bloodrush, based on the text:

Using bloodrush is activating an ability, not casting a spell. It still goes on the stack but it doesn't trigger "When a spell is cast" triggers and can't be countered by cards that say "Counter target spell."
You can't activate the ability at all without an appropriate target (an attacking creature, in this case).


When a card modifies how many copies of that card a deck can have, does that affect the sideboard?

Rule 100.4 clearly distinguishes between the deck and the sideboard, by using the word "also". That is, a player must have a deck of minimum size and may choose to have a sideboard of maximum size.
Rule 100.4a again makes this distinction, and clarifies that the deck and sideboard together may contain a maximum of four copies of the same card. This ensures a person cannot "accidentally" end up with more than four copies of the same card when making changes between deck and sideboard, or "accidentally" mix up the two sets of cards to disguise excess use of one card.
Rule 100.4c gives further insight into the separation between decks and sideboards, by telling us that all cards not in the decks of either player are in the sideboard. A card cannot both be in the sideboard and in the deck, therefore the sideboard cannot be part of the deck.
Consider the outcome of counting the sideboard as part of the deck: someone could pick just 45 (or 25!) cards for actual use in the match, shuffled to form their library. If this was intended, the rule writers could, and given the clarity of the Rules as a whole, assuredly would, have said so.
All told, this would mean a card that says "You may only have one copy of [Card Name] in your deck" would not disallow having three copies in the sideboard as well. However, none of those other copies could be brought into the game by an effect that accesses the sideboard (if such an effect were to be written). To avoid the loophole, the card should say "... in your combined deck and sideboard".


How can I translate a Magic card printed in a language that I don't know?

Instead of trying to translate the card, just search for it with other unique identifiers.  Your image contains a collector number (that first number at the bottom of the card 71/244) and a set symbol (the one for Avacyn Restored, aka AVR). With those two pieces of information, I used Scryfall to search for the specific card.   In this case I searched for https://scryfall.com/search?q=number%3A71+set%3Aavr which returned a result for Peel from Reality

If you don't recognize the set symbol, you could include other search parameters (like the mana cost and artist) or look up the set symbol at https://scryfall.com/sets. Here's another search using just the collector number and artist that also found a single result: https://scryfall.com/search?q=number%3A71+artist%3A%22jason+felix%22


Which card has the highest number of mana symbols in its mana cost?

Progenitus has 10.  This is easy to check in gatherer, just use CMC >= 10, and see that it's the max.

Draco has the largest generic mana number, at 16.  (Observed using the same query.)

If you include unsets (I know you didn't want that, but for completeness, and because I love them) Big Furry Monster from Unglued has 15.  And Gleemax has generic mana requirement of 1,000,000.


Yes, you can have more than one companion.

Nothing in the rules says you can't, also the Dog, Girl and Madman cards say on them that they cannot be dropped, traded or stolen.


Can Terminators Assault Through a Gate of Infinity?

Gate of Infinity allows units to be placed as per the Deep Strike rules.  According to the Deep Strike rules you cannot assault the same turn you arrive via Deep Strike.  You are also subject to any other rules related to Deep Strike.  You scatter, are affected by terrain, and can mishap the same as if you arrived via normal Deep Strike.

Here's an example forum thread where the general consensus is that you can't assault through a Gate of Infinity.


What are the differences between the 3 versions of Carcassonne?

Besides the scoring differences listed, there is also the "youngest player" goes first rule in 1st. Edition. For a list of all differences between editions, see this excellent annotated rules list and FAQ that covers the Basic Game and 11 expansions.


Choose a leader when copying the Courtesan's Guild with Olympia (B)?

On boardgamegeek.com, Jacek Deimer says he has asked Antoine Bauza, the author of the game:

  Can I chose new leader for the copy or am I forced to copy leader that already has Courteasan Token on it?
  For example: I copy CG that copies PLATO, will I have to copy PLATO again or can I copy different leader?

Antoine's answer:

  You can copy any Leader from your two neibhourgs

So, {Variant 1} would be correct.

(note however: there is no source to verify that statement)

Here is a statement by a Éric Franklin (credited for "Revision" in the rule book) confirming that the interpretation described in {Variant 1} is correct.

Update (2013-02-18): Repos Production published an official FAQ, containing this question:

  Q: With stage 3 of Olympia’s B side, I copy the Guild of Courtesans. Do I then need to copy the effect of the Leader where the Courtesan token is, or do I get my own virtual Courtesan token which I can use as I want?

  A: You get your own virtual courtesan token.


Looks like it's Frogger, a board game based on the video game. A picture of the die from there:

And the game:

(I found this by searching on Google for ["all hop over" "turn log"] - the single result is of all things a patent for the game.)


Can the Mermaids create towns with +1 shipping bonus?

The shipping, whether regular shipping or the temporary shipping bonus, would not have an impact on the mermaid towns. Even with shipping, towns cannot be founded across river; it only counts direct adjacency. So yes, even if they have a shipping bonus, the mermaids could found a town by placing the town marker on the river space that connects 2 half-towns.


What are the differences between Rise of the Runelords and Skull and Shackles?

Skull and Shackles has two main changes from Rise of the Runelords.

The boat mechanic.  This mechanic is completely new to S&S, but I don't think it adds to the game overall.  The rules for it are not intuitive.  Your party will have a boat in most adventures and have opportunity to fight other boats.
General iterative rules development.  Despite what I said about the boat, S&S is a better game than RotR just due to them having another chance to write the rules and balance things.  Specific things I liked better

More skills are useful in challenges
Characters are better balanced
The rulebook is much better organized
As they went thru the RotR adventures they used certain templates on the cards. These are incorporated as basic rule terms in S&S. These leads to more clarity.

Overall, unless the pirate theme doesn't appeal to you I'd recommend skipping Rise of the Runelords and starting right in Skull and Shackles.

You didn't ask, but this advice holds even if you consider the newer release Wrath of the Righteous.  WotR is much harder and has a few more moving parts than either of the other two sets.  It's a fine second game to get, but if it is your first purchase in the Adventure game line it could lead to disappointment.


Gin-Rummy with different number of cards

The standard 13 Card Rummy suggests you're OK to look to 13 as the basis of your pattern, yes.

For Gin, I'd say you have it right: hands should be 4 + 3*k cards for some positive integer k. 11 is conceivable, but strikes me as too confining.

When adjusting the hand size, you should also adjust the point limit barrier to knock. Since it's 10 points for a 10-card version, you might consider just keeping it the same as the number of cards.


What are the Blackjack rules used in Atlantic City casinos?

Random article from Google

Stand on soft 17
Eight decks
No mention of shoe emptying rules
Splitting up to 3 times (total of 4 hands)
Double down after splitting is allowed
Not explicitly mentioned but unlikely due to one card after split Ace
One card each after splitting an ace (and no resplit)
Ace and ten after split is 21
The dealer does check for Blackjack, so 21 never occurs vs Blackjack
Blackjack pays 3 to 2
Insurance is allowed and pays 2 to 1, typically insurance is up to half your original bet in this case (not explicitly mentioned)
Late surrender is allowed
No mention of minimum bet
No mention of betting rules


It is my experience that when players trade, the player who's turn it is asks for resources or offers them.  The other players will then respond to the proposed trade however they see fit.  All this information is done publicly and other players  may offer a better trade to undercut another player.  There isn't anything in the rules about trading having to be done publicly, but it's the only way I've seen the game played.  Also, if you play the game online on the games official website, all trades are offered publicly by a player requesting a resource, and the results of that trade is shown to all users.  The same goes for if the player chooses to trade with the bank.

Since the size of a players hand is public knowledge, (that is declared explicitly in the rules) when they discard cards, how many cards they've discarded is also public knowledge.  You can watch them return the cards to the bank, and make a accurate educated guess of how many cards of each type are returned.  Thus, while it's not in the rules for them to declare how much of what they're discarding, it's easy to guess most times.  On the online version of the game, that information is offered to the player.

Finally, how many cards are left in the bank is something that is mentioned in the rules.

  If there is not enough of a given resource in the supply to fulfill everyone’s production, then no one receives any of that resource during that turn.

Thus, during resource production, a count of how many resources are left in the bank of a particular type should be made if it looks like there will be a shortage.  I can't find reference in the rules if there are other times when the resource should be counted, but there is nothing in the rules saying you can't do it either.  However, in the official online implementation of the game, that information is NOT offered to the player.


Are tokens copying Essence of the Wild still tokens?

A token cannot become a card through copying. It's not one of the things copied [CR 706.2].

A token cannot become a card by any means. A card refers to a physical MTG card [CR 108.2]. The rules cannot create physical objects, and thus, they cannot create cards or change something into a card.

They are still tokens, and thus, you can have populate copy them.

  108.2. When a rule or text on a card refers to a “card,” it means only a Magic card. Most Magic games use only traditional Magic cards, which measure approximately 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) by 3.5 inches (8.8 cm). Certain formats also use nontraditional Magic cards, oversized cards that may have different backs. Tokens aren’t considered cards—even a card that represents a token isn’t considered a card for rules purposes.

  706.2. When copying an object, the copy acquires the copiable values of the original object’s characteristics and, for an object on the stack, choices made when casting or activating it (mode, targets, the value of X, whether it was kicked, how it will affect multiple targets, and so on). The “copiable values” are the values derived from the text printed on the object (that text being name, mana cost, color indicator, card type, subtype, supertype, expansion symbol, rules text, power, toughness, and/or loyalty), as modified by other copy effects, by “as . . . enters the battlefield” and “as . . . is turned face up” abilities that set characteristics, and by abilities that caused the object to be face down. Other effects (including type-changing and text-changing effects), status, and counters are not copied.


Where online can I post my (free) rules and materials for games I've created?

I'd say the first place that jumps to mind for me is boardgamegeek.com

This forum seems like an appropriate place to post your rules and materials:
http://boardgamegeek.com/forum/26/boardgamegeek/board-game-design

You might consider setting up a tumblr or some other website you control and link the materials and information in the forum.


Your understanding is all correct.

While Events are printed on cards in a landscape shape; the event itself is not a physical thing like a card, but rather an task or action that you get to perform. Each time you buy an event you use up 1 of your buys (and however much money it cost). So if you have enough buys an money, you can buy an event repeatedly.*

From the Empires Rulebook:

  Events are not Kingdom cards. In a player’s Buy phase, when a player can buy a card, they can buy
  an Event instead. Buying an Event means paying the cost indicated on the Event and then doing the
  effect of the Event. The Event just stays on the table, the player does not take it; there is no way for
  players to gain one or end up with one in their decks. Buying an Event uses up a Buy; normally a
  player can either buy a card, or buy an Event. A player with two Buys, such as after playing Villa,
  could buy two cards, or buy two Events, or buy a card and an Event (in either order). The same Event
  can be bought multiple times in a turn if the player has the Buys and available to do it.

*Note that certain events from the Adventures expansion specify "once per turn" or even "once per game". These are an exception to the usual rule of being able to buy one repeatedly.


Am I obligated to distinguish between morphs and megamorphs when I'm casting a card face-down?

As long as you make it clear that you are casting the card as a 2/2 face-down creature with no text, no name, no subtypes, and no mana cost, it doesn't matter what you say. The comprehensive rules aren't specific about what you can legally say, and the tournament rules only say that everyone has to be clear about what's going on.

When you cast a Megamorph creature, you are casting it as a Morph creature, so there is no need to distinguish. The Dragons of Tarkir release notes add this to the morph rules:

  702.36e Megamorph is a variant of the morph ability. “Megamorph [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” and “As this permanent is turned face up, put a +1/+1 counter on it if its megamorph cost was paid to turn it face up.” A megamorph cost is a morph cost.

In addition, as Jefromi points out, the Mechanics of Dragons of Tarkir says

  If you understand how morph works, megamorph is almost exactly the same. The only difference is that if you turn a face-down creature with megamorph face up by paying its megamorph cost, not only will it suddenly have its normal characteristics, but you'll put a +1/+1 counter on it as well!

Morph and Megamorph use the exact same wording for the bolded section, so you should just be able to say "I cast this face down" and pay {3}.


Do reserved cards influence the end of the game?

Reserved cards have no effect on the end game trigger, and do not count as negative points. The rules just say that "When a player reaches 15 prestige points, complete the current round so that each player has played the same number of turns. The player who then has the highest number of prestige points is declared the winner".


Will Yixlid Jailer negate Snapcaster Mage's flashback-giving ability?

Actually, in this scenario, if Yixlid Jailer was already on the field when Snapcaster Mage's "enter the battlefield" ability resolves, the card does have flashback until end of turn. This is mainly because, generally, when continuous effects that modify the same kind of thing (type, color, abilities, etc.), they are applied in timestamp order. Yixlid Jailer removes abilities, and Snapcaster Mage adds abilites, so when we consider how the effects are applied, first Yixlid Jailer removes all abilities of all cards in graveyards (because it entered the battlefield first), then Snapcaster Mage adds flashback to one card. So the net result is that that card has flashback.

If instead Snapcaster Mage's ability resolved first, it would give the card flashback and then Yixlid Jailer would remove the abilities, so the card would not end up with flashback. However, in most cases you can either cast the targeted spell in response to the Jailer or simply cast it before they have the opportunity to cast the Jailer (in the case where you cast Snapcaster on an empty stack and you are the active player).

The comprehensive rules say:

  613.1. The values of an object's characteristics are determined by starting with the actual object. For a card, that means the values of the characteristics printed on that card. For a token or a copy of a spell or card, that means the values of the characteristics defined by the effect that created it. 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.

and

  613.2. Within layers 1-6, apply effects from characteristic-defining abilities first (see rule 604.3), then all other effects in timestamp order (see rule 613.6). Note that dependency may alter the order in which effects are applied within a layer. (See rule 613.7.)
  613.6. Within a layer or sublayer, determining which order effects are applied in is usually done using a timestamp system. An effect with an earlier timestamp is applied before an effect with a later timestamp.

  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.
  613.6b  A continuous effect generated by the resolution of a spell or ability receives a timestamp at the time it's created.

One important thing to note is that Yixlid Jailer doesn't say "Cards in graveyards lose all abilities and can't have or gain abilities," so it doesn't stop the card from gaining flashback.


Are there names for the different types of adjacency in a square grid?

A common way to describe this in game rules is surrounded or 'surrounding spaces`.

As an example from the rules of Carcassonne

  A monastery is completed when it is surrounded by 8 tiles. Each of the
  monastery’s tiles (the 8 surrounding tiles and the one with the
  monastery itself) is worth 1 point.


What does the skull mean on the wheel of heal points?

The skull is actually indicating 0 Life Points (i.e. you are dead and eliminated from the game). This is made more explicit in the Fifth Anniversary Edition rules:

In other words, the skull is one lower than 1 Life Point rather than one higher than 12. The fact that the skull and 12 are next to each other is only because this is a round wheel.


What, generally, happens to card prices when a new set is released?

There is no way to accurately predict at what price a given card will settle during a Standard season. Pre-order prices generally spike for mythics and obviously good cards, but as the season continues, prices will fluctuate based on what decks make it in the meta.

Worse, some cards in Standard may find a home in Modern, Legacy, or Vintage (or Commander!), which alters the price in an even more unpredictable way given the larger card pool; at least in Standard you can fairly easily look at what combinations you've got available to you, with under 1000 distinct cards.

Judging what cards are low and will go higher, and what cards are high and will go lower, is a process called speculation. Speculation is not an easy thing to be good at, and there are people who make their (shaky) careers on it.


The rulebook (page 14) states that the Shiny Orb can only be used once per turn.  Nothing about per opponent.  You can use it but once each turn.

You can use it in addition to the Vampire power (which can be used once per opponent per turn.

If you are Magic, then you can use it one additional time, on the same or different opponent.


Can I Advance an Unrezzed Ice in Netrunner?

Yes, unless otherwise noted on the card text.
I couldn't find this specifically addressed in the FAQ, but it's pretty easy to reason out the answer if you look at all the Ice that can be advanced. For example, several cards have something like this:

  Tyrant can be advanced only while rezzed

This implies that the others can be advanced while unrezzed. To really drive the point home, Wormhole says:

  Wormhole can be advanced and its rez cost is lowered by 3 for each
  advancement token on it.


Can I cast a spell in combat check after having rolled?

From the Rules (Page 13)

  Skill Checks / Modifiers
  This number is added to or subtracted from the investigator’s skill value before the player makes the check. The result is the number of dice the player rolls to make the check. Note that modifiers always apply to the number of dice a player rolls for a check, not to the results of the individual dice.

A combat check is a skill check, and a spell is a modifier (with additional rules) to that check, therefore you must decide to use the spell before rolling the combat check, and you can not change your mind after the check to roll additional dice if you failed.

Thematically it makes sense as well, spells are hard to cast, require preparation and mental strengthening, so it's best to have them at the ready and in hand.


D&D Adventure game system, additional adventures

This BGG geeklist seems to have links to a bunch of user generated content.  It also has links to the official WoTC adventures, but they seem to be permanently removed at this point, so the only way to get them would be from someone that already has the PDFs.


The best place that I know of is http://www.reddit.com/r/mtgcube

Other options include tweeting the link to your cube with the hash tag #mtgcube.

Quite often if you do one or both of those, people will draft your cube using cubetutor, which will then give you drafting statistics about what cards are taken highest, and you'll usually get direct feedback from the person themselves as well.


How does Accelerated Aging effect Lenara Kahn with an Engineering Pad

From this ruling we read (emphasis mine):

When a personnel gains a skill that is not printed on his or her card, that skill is not inserted anywhere into that personnel's listed skills and is therefore unaffected by Accelerated Aging.
However, if a personnel gains an additional level of a printed skill he or she already has, that printed skill can still be affected by Accelerated Aging.

Given that Lenara Kahn already has Astrometrics (that is, it's already printed on her card), it seems that Accelerated Aging will affect her.
Disclaimer: I was not so familiar with this game, but did quite some reading and searching. Still, open for suggestions.


Determining which areas to use in 2- or 6-player Power Grid

We use the system where player 1 picks an area to keep, player 2 picks an adjacent area, etc. until we have the right number of areas. I'm nearly positive this is how the designer, Friedemann Friese, taught us. If not then we picked it up from the earlier version of the game, the crayon-based Funkenschlag.

One tip: when the new (current) edition came out I had a chance to play with the designer explaining the rules. We used the pick-an-adjacent-area rule to pick our staring zones and were using the Germany map. With six players we picked five zones, and the one left out was the center zone, leaving a ring-shaped map. Friedemann immediately exclaimed, "We never playtested it that way!"

It turns out that's a pretty poor map to play on since you're restricted to expanding through other people's territory much earlier in the game than you normally would. The result was an extra-long game that frankly wasn't as fun.

So the tip: if you play the Germany map with 6 players, do not eliminate the center territory.


What happens when all your cards (the whole deck) are in play?

The rule is always that you do as much as you can of the card, in order.

So, if you play a Smithy, you would draw those two cards.

A case that is more illustrative of how the process works is Lookout. Lookout reads: "+1 Action, Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. Trash one of them. Discard one of them. Put the other one on top of your deck." If you only had two cards remaining in your deck, you would do as much of the card as you can, in order:

+1 Action; no problem.
Look at the top 3 cards of your deck. You only have two, so that's what you do.
Trash one of them. You can do this, so you must trash one of those two cards.
Discard one of them. You can also do this, so you must do it.
Put the other one on top of your deck. You can't do this because there is no other one, since you only had two to start with. So, you skip this step.


What form of chess was played in seventh-century Arabia?

Wikipedia has an entry on the History of Chess. It states that the differences between what is now modern chess began in Europe in the 15th century. Besides the name changes for the pieces, the rules differed. The section covering The Indo-Arabic game appears to reference, Murray H.J.R. 1913. The history of chess. Oxford. reprint ISBN 0-936317-01-9

In early chess the moves of the pieces were:
Shāh: as King now.
Firzān: one square diagonally at a time (contrast modern Q).
Fīl: two squares diagonally (no more or less), but could jump over a piece in between (contrast modern B). This move meant that an individual fīl could move to only eight squares on the board, and no fīl could ever attack another fīl.
(Horseman): as Knight now.
Rukh: as Rook now.
Pawn: one square forwards (not two), capturing one square diagonally forward; promoted to firzān only.
The game could be won by 1. Mating the king; 2. By giving stalemate; 3. By capturing all the opponent's pieces. This kept down the number of draws.

The Murray book in its entirety is out of copyright, I found this section regarding Islam in India. He notes that the prophet supposedly denounced the game, and the difference in rules covered above on the Wikipedia page. This other site notes that Murray objects to the belief that Mohammed would have seen chess played in his lifetime, since the game is of Indian/Persian origin, and wouldn't have spread to the Islamic world until the fall of Persia.

"most probably the Prophet had never heard of the existence of chess, since the Muhammadan jurists have been unable to settle the question of the legality of chess-playing by any direct decision of Muhammad as recorded in the Qur'an, or in authentic tradition. (HJR Murray 187.)" It is difficult to state with any great certainty that chess was played in Arabia during the Prophet's lifetime; chess was after all an Indo-Iranian invention, and it is not unreasonable to assume that it entered Arabian culture through the conquest of Egypt and Western Asia after the Prophet's death. However, it is clear that chess had gained tremendous popularity amongst all classes and social spheres by the time of the Abbasid Caliphate, which took power in the year 750, still very early in Islamic history. It was at this time that religious scholars began to question the legality of playing chess.


What should we do if we realise the Queen should have been on the board?

Treat it as covered.

According to these rules:

  96) If the Queen is pocketed by a stroke and is not covered, the Queen shall be taken out for placing. If not noticed by the Umpire or by the opponent, before the next stroke is made, the Queen shall be recorded as properly covered.

In a casual setting, however, I'd take it out and place it before your next turn (so you get the next shot on it).


Damage using Professor Kukui in Pokemon TCG

No.  The card specifically states (emphasis mine):

During this turn, your Pokémon's attacks do 20 more damage to your opponent's Active Pokémon.

Damage to benched Pokémon is not affected.


Can I view rules for Crayon Rail games online?

While I don't see a complete rulebook for EuroRails, the BoardgameGeek page does contain a number of reference sheets. I'd start with the BGG page for each game you're interested in and go from there.


I have an Ivy Lane Denizen, how does targeting work?

Cards in Magic: The Gathering (at least when looking at the official Oracle wording, found on Gatherer) usually mean exactly what they say, nothing more and nothing less. If you had to place the counter on the denizen, it would've said "Whenever another green creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Ivy League Denizen.", and if you had to put the counter on the creature that just came out, it would've said "Whenever another green creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature."

When an ability or spell you play uses the word "target", you are entirely free to choose a target to your liking, within any explicitly mentioned restrictions (it has to be a creature since it says "target creature", said creature can't have shroud or protection from green, etc.)


Question about Shuttle Flight (spoilers)

Normally I'd leave this as a comment since it doesn't cite any official source, but it's answer-y enough and comments don't have spoiler tags.

   As you say, the plain text of the rules would seem to say this is allowed. And I think it does make sense RP-wise as well: "accessing" a haven basically means searching it (for tools, notes, inhabitants, etc), but in order to fly somewhere you just need to know where it is (it's on your map) and how to get there safely (you've charted a sea lane to it). The only problem RP-wise is if there's nowhere to land safely - you know havens have landing strips but you could argue it might be in sufficient disrepair that you can't use it, and that part of "accessing" a haven includes fixing up the strip.


In duplicate, is it ethical to base your play on other people's body language?

Under no circumstances is one entitled to draw inferences from the actions of a partner or teammate.
Under certain circumstances one is entitled to draw inferences from the behavior of the opponents at one's table, on boards one is playing against them. As you note, deliberately peeking at an opponent's scores is not one of these cases.
However, under no circumstances is one entitled to draw inferences from the behaviour of opponents at other tables, about boards not currently at your table. In this instance, there additionally seems to have been a conscious interpretation of forbidden knowledge, making the violation particularly egregious.  Other than for a novice, I would likely assess average-minus on the board in question, and a further procedural penalty of one additional full board if I felt there was sufficient evidence to establish a likelihood that the egregious violation occurred, other than from lack of knowledge.
If I felt that the offender had lied in order to hide the deliberateness of the offense, that is blatant cheating. If sufficiently established I would immediately eject the player from the game, consequences to the movement not withstanding; impose a lengthy suspension from the club; and file a full incident report to the ACBL describing my actions and the evidence I used to reach the decision..


I also was unable to find a definitive answer in the rule books, reference guide and FAQ. So let's look at it thematically.

Look first at Pete's character card.

  After you perform an Acquire Assets action, you may gain 1 Item or Trinket Asset with value less than your Observation from the discard pile.

So after looking at the shops, you can scrounge around the garbage for anything that has been discarded but might be useful for you. Notice that it says "the discard pile", as you discard into specific card type piles, it seems appropriate to limit this to the common assets discard pile.

If we were to ignore that, and deem it appropriate to delve through the unique item discard pile or artifact discard pile, what value do we assign to those items and trinkets? Well those items are priceless, not able to be purchased by anyone through normal means.

Instead blood, sweat and tears (and probably sanity) must be spent to bring these items into your possession. It would be reasonable to say they have a value greater than any mere common item, and would always exceed Pete's observation skill.

This also fits into the general concept for the game of "if you're uncertain about the rules, choose the interpretation that makes it more difficult for the players". You're fighting against unmentionable evils, ancient things, and it shouldn't be as easy as picking up an artifact of immeasurable power from the trash heap.

Summary: Pete's skill is limited to the related discard pile, not the others. Ignoring that, unique items and artifacts are of unknown wealth and can not be purchased, so have no known value, but it should be assumed they are all valued well above Pete's observation skill.


Can you use sandbags as your discard when you have more than 5 cards?

Yes.  Page 6 of the rules states

  Note: You may use the power of a Special Action card if you are
  forced to discard it.


The question is more generally about when to leave pieces in your opponents home board.  If those pieces are safe, you can theoretically leave them there until all of your other pieces are in your home board.  The question is, should you?  The advantage of leaving these pieces is threefold.

It forces your opponent to play safe when bringing pieces towards or into their home board, as you have a credible counterattack sitting there.  Without that, they can take a much looser approach to their home board and you can only punish them if they hit one of your pieces.
It prevents them from completely blocking their home board, meaning you can always (theoretically) bear on.
It delays the beginning of the pure race.

The disadvantages are:

Those pieces can be much harder to get to your home board.  This is much more of a consideration if the pieces are sitting on the 24 point rather than the 20 point, as it's very easy for pieces on the 24 point to get stuck.
You can be forced to make a disadvantageous move if those are the only pieces not in your home board.
It delays the beginning of the pure race (this is a downside if you are ahead as it gives your opponent more chances to turn the game around).

In the case where you have already moved both pieces to the 20 point, disadvantage #1 is less of a concern.  Consequently, whether you want to move these pieces as opposed to others mostly boils down to whether you are ahead or behind: move them if you are ahead so that you can start the pure race earlier (which solidifies your lead) and leave them if you are behind to try to disrupt/hit your opponent and gain an advantage.

Necessary caveat: all of this depends on both the rolls you make and the situation on the board.  If you have a roll that lets you safely advance pieces from one of these positions but not the other, this can force your hand.  Additionally, if you can hit a piece in your opponents home or outer board, that should take extremely high strategic priority.


How to prevent heroes running past my defenses?

There are usually about three things you can do to slow rebels down:

Big damage, forcing them to rest - the most obvious way, but very situational if it will work enough to slow them down for a specific round or objective (though it is always good, the closer to wounding you get them the better—it just may not be enough if your one goal is objective positioning denial)
Stun - Stuns (and other Harmful conditions, but stuns are the most effective) reduce their action choices and uses, which is a big help
Figure blocking - get your figures in their way (most heroes have to use extra movement points to go through you) or park them on/around the objective you wish to deny (they can't stop their movement temporarily on you to perform an Interact); lots of small figures in one deployment card (Troopers for example) or Large figures work well for this, but you get enough of anything and it can get the job done

Personally, I would generally only use the third option as a last resort. For one, it jams you up so it's more difficult to attack because of a lack of line of sight for the figures in the back of your denial pile. But mostly because it's not too fun to play with nor against that tactic. But it is a viable tactic nonetheless.


When I used to play Bridge regularly, I started out simply by keeping track of suit counts.  How many have been played from each suit.  I then added counts for Aces and Kings, keeping track of those on top of the suit counts.  I then expanded into tracking all of the trump suit, and followed by tracking the remaining suits.  If you play regularly and take a gradual approach, it will eventually become second nature, but it does require regular play.


Quickling can and should be used on your own creatures for the same reason you would use Peel from Reality: to return a creature with a useful enter-the-battlefield ability such as (at least in M15) Frost Lynx, Reclamation Sage or Hornet Queen, more usefully, because it has Flash, you can use it to save a creature that opponent is trying to hit with any removal.

So not only do you get to reuse a useful creature or save it form being destroyed or otherwise rendered useless (i.e. with Encrust or Crippling Blight), but you also get a 2/2 flier out of the deal, which you can cast any time during your opponent's turn and attack with the next turn.


Isn't secrecy quite pointless for Bio-terrorist?

To answer the question in the title: No.  Without secrecy, it would be trivial for the BT to be caught, making them mostly ineffective.  Even a little bit of doubt as to where the BT is will often be enough to keep the players from attempting to capture them, since the moves would be wasted if they're wrong, and capturing often isn't strong enough to risk that.

In terms of why it isn't actually trivial to know where they are, you left out an action, which is probably the most common one.  The BT may drive between locations just like a player does.  This does not reveal where the BT is, and is your primary method as the BT of keeping the players from knowing where you are.  Also, when you discard a card, the players do not know if you are using it for a Direct Flight (going to the city) or a Charter Flight (going from the city).


Which Dominion Expansion Should we Buy for Passive Play?

From a pure numbers standpoint, Dark Ages would be the best with 37 new Kingdom cards, only 6 of which are Attack cards. From how well the sets are regarded by the designer (and others from what I have heard), you are better off getting Intrigue or Seaside.

Q: If you could go back in time and redesign which cards were in which sets, and the order the sets came out (but not changing/adding/removing any cards), what would you move and why?
Vaccarino: For set order I like going Intrigue, Seaside, Prosperity – set trying to be a good first set, generally good set, set that adds Colonies. I would put Alchemy last, where it was; it was there because I knew some people wouldn’t like potions, because somebody hadn’t. You could swap Hinterlands with Seaside but I wouldn’t. After Prosperity then there are Hinterlands and Dark Ages to order and well you have the question from before of whether or not Hinterlands is a standalone. I like having another standalone, and if it is one then I would put it ahead of Dark Ages. Possibly I would anyway. A question is, do you recombine Cornucopia and Alchemy. If people don’t like Alchemy then it’s nice that they get a tight package of just it, rather than buying it to get Cornucopia or passing on Cornucopia because of it. So possibly it’s worth keeping them separate. Large sets are better though, so either expand Cornucopia and Guilds or combine them. That’s another decision to make before knowing what order to put them in, but Guilds wants to be near the end due to complexity. If they’re not one set then large Cornucopia could go between Prosperity and Hinterlands still, uh depending on how it turned out.

-Intrigue - 21/24 Non-Attack cards. Intrigue adds Dual-Type cards. From a ratings standpoint, I believe the highest rated sets are
-Seaside 21/26 Non-Attack cards. Seaside adds duration cards.
-Alchemy 11/13 Non-Attack cards. Alchemy adds a new Potion treasure.
-Prosperity 24/27 Non-Attack cards. Prosperity adds new treasure kingdom cards, VP tokens, and high cost Platinum and Colony cards.
-Cornucopia 10/13 Non-Attack cards. Cornucopia rewards players with diverse decks, and offers 5 Unique Gifts available in the Tournament.
-Hinterlands 23/26 Non-Attack cards. Hinterlands adds cards that have an effect when bought/gained.
-Dark Ages 31/37 Non-Attack cards. Cards that do something when Trashed, care about the Trash, or are upgradable.
-Guilds 11/13 Non-Attack cards. Coin tokens that can be played on later turns, bonus effects for paying extra for cards.


There's a lot that can be said on this topic, but here are some of the factors that enter into my decision making process:

I have a personal preference for Bishops over Knights. This has nothing to do with their inherent value, but is simply because I tend to utilize Bishops better. It's worth considering whether you have a penchant for one over the other, because your personal play style may determine which is more valuable for you.
In general, Knights are better early in the game and Bishops are better late in the game. This is because, in the early game pawns tend to obstruct Bishops, while Knights can move more freely.
There can also be a difference in value between Bishops (the so-called Good Bishop and Bad Bishop). If most of your pawns are on black squares, your "white" Bishop (the one on white squares) has greater freedom of movement (Good Bishop), while your "black" Bishop's movement will be hindered by your pawns (Bad Bishop). Your Good Bishop probably has a higher value than your Bad Bishop at that point. A common tactic is to trade your Bad Bishop for your opponent's Good Bishop. This can create a slight advantage. You might also trade your Bad Bishop for one of your opponent's Knights.
Two Bishops is generally better than two Knights or one of each. Engineering exchanges that result in you keeping two Bishops and leaving your opponent with two Knights or one of each, may result in a small advantage for you. It's debatable whether two Knights are better than a Knight and Bishop. I tend to think so, but it's very situational.

Obviously, these are generalizations that may not always apply. Chess is a complex game and the situation on the board dictates what makes the most sense, but they are reasonable rules-of-thumb and worth keeping in mind. The real answer depends on your strategy, your opponent's strategy, and the current state of the board. That is what really determines the relative value of the pieces at that moment.


Legend of Drizzt - How may items per Hero Phase?

You can use as many items as you like, as long as you follow the rules on the card. For example, if you have two Potion of Healings you can use them both during your Hero Phase, but not during another player's turn. You may use a Heavy Cloak on the Villain Phase during your turn, or another player's turn. A Flask of Oil is used instead of attacking, so you can only use one on your turn.

From the rulebook:

  You can benefit from multiple Treasure cards in play that apply
  to your Hero. For example, you can use both a Fortune and an
  Item to increase the bonus to an attack roll.

"Multiple Treasure cards" includes using multiple Items (subject to the rules listed on them). However,

  The only exception to this rule applies to Items that provide
  attack or defense bonuses. A Hero can gain only one attack
  bonus and one defense bonus from Items at a time.

This exception means that you cannot use two Belt of Storm Giant Strengths at the same time.


It will still be targeting the Avatar but since it is no longer a legal target, due to being in the graveyard and not on the stack, the Backlash will "fizzle" (be countered due to lacking a legal target). This means that it will not deal damage to the Avatar's controller.

701.5a To counter a spell or ability means to cancel it, removing it from the stack. It doesn’t resolve and none of its effects occur. A countered spell is put into its owner’s graveyard.
608.2b If the spell or ability specifies targets, it checks whether the targets are still legal. A target that's no longer in the zone it was in when it was targeted is illegal. ... The spell or ability is countered if all its targets, for every instance of the word "target," are now illegal.

Note that if the Counterflux hadn't been overloaded and just targeted the Veil the Avatar would still be on the stack to get countered and Alice would then lose.


First of all, there's only one fifteen: the seven and the eight.  That's two points.  (Note that the sixes can't participate in 15s at all)

Next, there are three runs of three: each six in turn, the seven, and the eight.  That's 3*3 = nine points.

Finally, there's the trio of sixes, worth six points (or equivalently, three pairs of sixes).

So the final score for the hand is 2+9+6 = 17 points.


The November 2014 tournament floor rules answers this:

  Before the first turn of the game if there are effects/reacts that
  could be conflicting before a winner has been determined by lowball
  (E.G. Grifter abilities), use the following procedure:

  All players make a choice as to whether they are going to use or pass on the grifter ability. Each player then holds their hand out
  with a concealed token in there, with an agreed colour code, red for
  use and blue for no use.
  If a player fails to hold out a token of either colour then they pass the use of the grifter.
  Both players open their hands at the same time and use the ability or not as indicated.

In friendly games, we usually don't worry about this, and even in tournaments in my experience it is resolved without resorting to this 90% of the time.


Are there any cards in Yu-Gi-Oh that let me interact with face-down banished cards?

There are a few cards that allow you to put these back in the graveyard or deck.
E.g. "Psyframelord Omega" and "Necroface".

The rule around this is that you cannot use cards that limit you to a certain card type (for example 'escape from the different dimension' can only summon back a monster).
The cards I gave as an example do not have these limitations but can put back any type of card, so they still work with face down cards.
Of note is, you yourself can still look at these cards, so you do not have to pick them blindly to put back in the graveyard/deck


Monopoly: The Mega Edition Bankruptcy rule for distribuiting properties of creditor

Yes, you must un-mortgage the property and redistribute the building across all the properties.
Rules

Owning all but one

  You may build houses and hotels once you
  own all but one property in a color group

Accruing the last one

  If you acquire the
  final property of a group, after previously building on its other
  properties, you must un-mortgage this property immediately
  (if mortgaged) and build it up according to the “even” building rule or, if you can’t afford to do so, you must redistribute
  existing houses among all properties of the group. You may
  need to break down hotels to do this


Rival Executioner draws Robespierre...does this end the day?

Yes, you end the day if you collect Robespierre via the Rival Executioner.

The game only has one verb for the process of operating the guillotine: "collect." When a noble is collected, you do all of the side-effects of that noble. Guillotine is a mix of tactics and luck, so drawing Robespierre due to the Rival Executioner is well in line with the way the game typically plays out.


In Elder Sign, if you need to draw from a deck and there are no cards left, do you lose the opportunity?

If there are no cards left, then you do not gain anything.  Ideally, you should be making use of these cards as often as possible to ensure that future gains do not get wasted due to not having cards available.

(Remember that all discarded cards go immediately to the bottom of their appropriate decks -- so you may want to spend spells freely in encounters that have spells at stake -- they'd then be at the bottom of the deck, and available as part of your reward.)

Exact quote from page 13 of the rules:

  After all dice on a Spell card are removed, the player returns the
  card facedown to the bottom of its deck.


In Hogwart's Battle, do villain cards negate rewards from defeating a villain?

You will not gain the heart or remove the control.

Andrew Wolf, the game designer from USAopoly, cleared this up over on BGG:

  ...  if [a Villain] has an ability preventing the Heroes from doing something, they do not gain the reward from defeating another Villain.


I've massively over-sprayed my models! Help!

Yes, acrylic paint can be safely removed, and quite simply too. The basic process is to dunk your models in a solution of household cleaner, watered down if you like, and leave them in the bath for a few hours. The paint turns into a kind of slimy goo, which you can then scrub off with a toothbrush and toothpicks.

In the US, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is the standard recommendation. In the UK, diluted Dettol (a common disinfectant), has been shown to be effective.

Somebody actually did a comparison of different cleaners for this very purpose. He actually found that oven cleaner worked best of all (easy removal after an hour), but also reported positive results with Simply Green (although interestingly, not 409, which serves a similar purpose).

Degreaser or brake fluid are other possibilities, but these are nastier and harder to assess, since they come in many variants. For safety, I'd stick to surface cleaner, or oven cleaner if you have a test model you are willing to potentially sacrifice (if you've ever cleaned an oven, you'll be well aware that oven cleaner is viscous stuff!).

Methylated spirits and so on are best avoided, as these can erode your models over time.


When I gain control of a creature, do I also gain control of any auras or equipment attached to it?

Your opponent controls the Nighthowler.

Control of an enchantment and control of the object it enchants are independent.

Changing control of a permanent doesn't automatically change control of any Auras or Equipment attached to that permanent. Your opponent still controls the Nighthowler, even while you control the creature it enchants. And your opponent will retain control of the Nighthowler if it becomes detached from the creature you've stolen for any reason (e.g. that creature leaves the battlefield or Nighthowler can't enchant it anymore because it gains protection1), because none of the game actions described are changing control of the Nighthowler.

1 - The rules for bestow+protection are a bit poorly worded, but Rules Manager Matt Tabak has confirmed that this is the correct interpretation.


If I exile Rout with Narset's ability, when can it be cast?

It's a cost increase, so you may use it in combination with Narset's alternative cost.

The cost to cast a spell or activate an ability is calculated as follows[CR 601.2e]:

total cost to cast
= mana cost or alternative cost
+ additional costs and other cost increases
- cost reductions

Rout's ability adds to the total cost, so it's a cost increase. It's not an additional cost since it doesn't use the word "additional"[CR 117.8], so it's just an generic cost increase[1]. It's not an alternative cost since those replace the mana cost. Alternative costs usually include the phrase "rather than pay" or "without paying its mana cost"[CR 117.9].

So, the total cost to cast is {2}. (Alternative cost of free, plus a cost increase of {2}.)

Another example of a cost increase: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.

To my knowledge, there's nothing that distinguishes between additional costs and other cost increases. They're the same except in name.

  601.2e [...] The total cost is the mana cost or alternative cost (as determined in rule 601.2b), plus all additional costs and cost increases, and minus all cost reductions. [...]

  117.8. Some spells and abilities have additional costs. An additional cost is a cost listed in a spell’s rules text, or applied to a spell or ability from another effect, that its controller must pay at the same time that player pays the spell’s mana cost or the ability’s activation cost. A cost is an additional cost only if it’s phrased using the word “additional.” [...]

  117.9. Some spells have alternative costs. An alternative cost is a cost listed in a spell’s text, or applied to it from another effect, that its controller may pay rather than paying the spell’s mana cost. Alternative costs are usually phrased, “You may [action] rather than pay [this object’s] mana cost,” or “You may cast [this object] without paying its mana cost.” [...]


What are the mechanical differences between Doom and Descent from Fantasy Flight Games?

One significant difference that leads me to prefer Descent over DOOM is Ammo.
In DOOM, Ammo is "full of fail".  Ammo scarcity is a thematic element that happens to be implemented in an abstract way that is often flat out not fun.

The breadth of characters and skill and item combinations make Descent really come to life compared to the relatively lackluster variety in DOOM.

The surge mechanism in Descent is really novel and can give you a lot of interesting tactical options in battles.  DOOM has no analogue.


Why choose tsuke-nobi after a double keima against hoshi?

Black at the 3-3 point is a special strategy that requires supporting stones in the area.

In the fuseki, without supporting stones, black's objective is to separate white, with 3 main options:

tsuke nobi against the pincer stone (your diagram)
tsuke nobi against the pincered stone
5-5 point

38 Basic Joseki is an older book that favors the first option. In more modern play you'll see the two other options as well. The tsuke nobi keeps the white stones separated, while the 5-5 point will put more emphasis on cental influence.

This page shows a very recent variation from AlphaGo.


In Warhammer 40k is it possible to have your army use vehicles from other factions?

Yes and no

In the current edition, all armies (except unbound armies) are made up of formations.  For example, you might take the Combined Arms Detachment from the basic rules, or any other formation from your codex.  Which army you are using is basically determined by which faction your warlord is from.  You can take formations from other armies and books, however, as long as you follow the rules for allies, located in the rule book.  (I don't have my book with me to get a page reference).

So, you could take a Harlequin Combined Arms Detachment and also take an Eldar Warhost, which would give you the ability to take a lot of Eldar stuff, as long as you fulfill the requirements of the formation.  I'm sure there are other Eldar formations that would have less stringent requirements, as well.

Additionally, you could take an unbound army, which has no force org requirements, but also grants none of the special rules associated with formations (no objective secured or warlord trait reroll, for example).  In that case, you can take exactly whatever models you want.  You would still have to follow the rules for allies, though, which can make movement or deployment difficult if you pick armies that do not like each other.


How does the Dog companion work and what is its benefit?

What is the point/benefit of the dog?

The main purpose is to trade objects between players. Say that a character gains the Revolver item, which allows them to use Speed to attack. If the character who found it has a low speed, they can use the dog to give it to another player with a higher speed, without having to take the time to meet up with them on their own.

Some scenarios require an object to be in a certain location. For instance, The Mummy Walks (#1) requires the book to be in the same room as the mummy in order for a character to attack it. If one of my allies is in the same room and I'm 6 spaces away, it would probably take me two turns to give it to them. But with the dog, I can give it the book and then have it travel the distance in one turn.

Also, some of the scenario setups instruct you to put items in rooms, such as The Stars are Right (#14), which tells you to place paint cans in several rooms. The dog can pick those up and give them to its owner.

  I'm assuming it can only pick up dropped items? What items can it pick up, in what scenario?

The rules do indeed say that the dog can pick up a dropped item. I suppose technically you could have a character drop an item (a free action) and then have the dog pick it up.

My group has always ruled that a character can voluntarily give or take something from the dog, since that seems to make the most sense thematically and avoids the extra complexity of dropping and picking up things. It's basically the same as the Trade action, but at range through an intermediary.

The dog can carry any omen or item, aside from ones that slow movement (per the dog's description) or specifically say that they can't be transferred or carried by the dog. For instance, it can't carry the Girl or the Madman because those say they can't be transferred. Some scenarios will introduce new objects and will specifically say that the dog can't pick them up.

  If it can explore tiles, and landing on a tile with an icon that makes you draw a card which ends your turn, and your dog can explore 6 of these freely each turn, how do you keep track of which tiles still need cards drawn when you land on them? Do you still draw cards when you land on these spaces?

The question is moot because the dog can't explore tiles. Per the description, the dog can only move to "any explored room up to 6 spaces away".

  If a explorer finds a room that has to roll, does the dog sit outside or find a way around? Or does the final rule only apply for when it is exploring?

The last paragraph about one-way passages and rooms that require a roll is intended to be an extension of the rules of the second paragraph.

In other words, when the dog is sent out to a space 6 spaces away, it cannot go through one-way passages or rooms that require a roll. If it's not moving on its own, the dog is "along for the ride" and stays with the player just like any other omen or item.


How does the strategy of attacking a support unit in a skirmish work?

I've had a response here
From a user named: David F:

  It's invoking this rule. Bolded the part that's relevant for this.

    rulebookwrote: Front-Line Unit Combat Capability Effects When
    resolving a skirmish, if a player’s final attack strength equals or
    exceeds the final health value of the enemy, that player’s attack is
    said to have “sufficient strength,” meaning that he normally will
    destroy an enemy unit in the skirmish. However, the involved units’
    types, combat capabilities, and arrangement in the skirmish will
    affect whether and which figures are actually destroyed. The following
    factors govern this determination, and are considered during the
    “Destroy Units and Discard Cards” step of skirmish resolution.

    If a player has sufficient strength, and his front-line unit’s combat capability allows it to target the opponent’s front-line unit,
    the opposing front-line unit is destroyed. (The combat rules and
    examples on pages 26–33 assume this.)

    - If a player has sufficient strength, and his front-line unit’s combat capability is unable to target the opponent’s front-line unit,
    but is able to target one of the opposing supporting units in the same
    skirmish, such a supporting unit is destroyed instead. (If multiple
    opposing supporting units are possible targets, the player who
    controls those units selects which one is destroyed.)

    If a player has sufficient strength, and his front-line unit is unable to target any opposing unit in the skirmish, no opposing units
    are destroyed.

  Deliberately put a Valkyrie in front, go "oh sorry I can't hit the
  Zealot. I guess I'll hit the air unit behind it then".

  To counter this, use the Defensive Module from Brood War (ruled here
  that you can switch units within the same skirmish).


Can anyone block a steal or assasination?

When Andy has his turn, the following happens:

Andy claims to have an Assassin, and named Charlie as his target and pays 3 coins
Bob and Charlie both have an opportunity to challenge Andy
If Andy has not been challenged (or he was challenged but does have the Assassin), the Assassination action proceeds. If the challenge was successful, the Assassination action did not take place and thus Andy has his 3 coins returned to him
Charlie (and only Charlie) may claim Contessa to block the assassination
If he does, Andy and Bob both have an opportunity to challenge Charlie
If Charlie does not (claim to) have the Contessa, the assassination goes through and Charlie loses an influence

A similar effect happens with someone claiming Captain. On the other hand, anybody may claim to have the Duke in order to block someone's Foreign Aid.

Source: The game's designer, answering pretty much this exact same question on BGG: https://boardgamegeek.com/article/10440845#10440845


Are there more cards like Boseiju, Who Shelters All for non-mana costs?

Maybe you mean something like Quicken or Savage Summoning?


In Robinson Crusoe, once you build the brick, what happens to it?

As I understand it, the brick increases the palisade level by 1 when it is built. Then what?

It is placed in the invention spaces.
Rules, p. 18:

At the end of the Action Phase, any Inventions in the Future Resources space will
trigger their effect, be flipped to the Item side and then placed in the Invention
spaces on the board (even personal Inventions).

It is not turned over to be built again on its own, but if some effect turns it over, then it

undoes its effect (you lose 1 palisade level)
Can be built again.

Rules, p. 18:

The Brick increases the Palisade level by 1. If, later in the game, it is flipped
to the Invention side, the Palisade level must be reduced by 1. If this is not
possible, nothing happens.

Rules, p. 18:

During the game, an effect may force players to flip Items back to their Invention
side. From the start of the following round, such an Item ceases to be available
(it is still available for the current round). It must be built again before it can be
used.


Favored Hoplite won't be saved. Ordeal of Heliod will have no valid target, will be considered countered, and will be sent to Player 1's graveyard.

When do Heroic abilities trigger?

Heroic abilities always follow this format:

  Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets {this card}, {do something special}

They trigger right after a spell is cast. A spell is considered cast when you place it on the stack, having paid its costs, chosen its target, and so on. This is the point when you and other players can put other spells and abilities on the stack to respond to that spell. It's also before the spell resolves. (Tangentially: even if a spell gets countered, that doesn't change that it was considered cast at some point. It just doesn't get to resolve.)

So you cast a spell targeting your Favored Hoplite, triggering its ability, which goes on the stack on top of the spell. The Heroic ability resolves before the spell does:

Ordeal of Heliod (bottom)
Favored Hoplite's Heroic ability

However, these haven't resolved yet. At this point, before either resolves, you and the other players have an opportunity to place other spells and abilities on the stack. If you're confused about how the stack works, check this question: In plain English, how does casting spells and using creature abilities work with the stack and priority?

What happens in this scenario?

In this case, your opponent may immediately cast Magma Jet (since it's an Instant) before either the Heroic ability or Ordeal of Heliod have a chance to resolve. That would make the stack look like this:

Ordeal of Heliod (bottom)
Favored Hoplite's Heroic ability
Magma Jet

Magma Jet will resolve first and kill your Favored Hoplite before the Heroic ability or Ordeal of Heliod get to do anything about it. You'll need to find another way to save it. That could include casting any instant targeting Favored Hoplite, which will trigger its Heroic ability again - and that one will resolve before Magma Jet and save it.


What Dominion kingdom-card setups tend to lead to the shortest games?

Kingdom setups with +Buy, gain free cards, tend to end on piles instead of Provinces.

Workshop, Garden
Ironworks, Great Hall
Goons
Smugglers
Werehouse, Treasure Map


Do [spoilers] leave a corpse when they die?

Inhabitants will not create a corpse.

The term "corpse" is mentioned one time in the rulebook (not counting an example haunt), in the Dying section. This refers specifically to one of your traits moving to the skull, which kills the character and creates a corpse.

  DYING

  Once the haunt begins, if any of your traits moves to the skull, then
  you die. Tip over your figure on your tile. DROP all your Items,
  Omens, and Objects. You are now a corpse.

  Even if the traitor dies, as long as the monsters can complete the
  haunt’s goals, the monsters still get their turn (under the traitor’s
  control) and the traitor can still win.

From the Rulebook PDF

   Your traits refers to the traits of a player's character.


When can opponents react to the lifegain from the mana ability of Pristine Talisman?

605.3b An activated mana ability doesn’t go on the stack, so it can’t be targeted, countered, or otherwise responded to. Rather, it resolves immediately after it is activated. (See rule 405.6c.)
405.6c Mana abilities resolve immediately. If a mana ability both produces mana and has another effect, the mana is produced and the other effect happens immediately. If a player had priority before a mana ability was activated, that player gets priority after it resolves. (See rule 605, “Mana Abilities.”)

Pristine Talisman's ability resolves immediately (including the life gain, which is part of the resolution), and triggers the Well's ability which goes on the stack. That will be the first time your opponents can do anything, and destroying the Well is too late by then; its ability will resolve even if it is destroyed (rule 112.7a).


If an encounter card requires me to discard a card under my control, can I choose to discard from my hand or my in-play area?

Cards in your hand are not in play, and cannot be discarded in this way. For example, if the mythos card says "discard 1 asset you control", it must be under the investigator's control (so on the table).

This is from the FAQ, under Rules Errata:

  Rules Reference page 7, column 1, “Costs” The third bullet point
  should read: “When a player is exhausting, sacrificing, or otherwise
  using cards to pay costs, only cards that are in play and under that
  player’s control may be used...”


Does Ursula Downs get a free re-roll every turn?

It is just free. You may pay one less so you may pay zero to reroll. This is different from a situation such as "when an investigator would gain a clue, gain an extra clue" which is somewhat the wording you are looking for where a conditional would require something before adding a bonus to it.


What should you do if the surplus worker level limit is exceeded?

Following the suggestion given by user @Oltarus, I contacted Ludically and got the following answer from Christophe Boelinger, the designer:

  Do nothing.

  When The surplus worker reaches the max level then it stays there no matter if any effect would require to go higher, and in such a case nothing else happens than leaving the marker at the max level. Which is already not a very helping situation anyway.
  And this no matter if it is in a solo game or multi player game.


Is it impossible to pay off-color mana costs in EDH?

Commander used to have special rules about color identity and mana generation. As of January 18, 2016, these rules have been removed. Tapping lands for mana works just like regular Magic.

Note that the restriction on mana production and color identity in deckbuilding still applies. So your red/blue deck still can't include a Crumbling Necropolis.

You can, however, use all these exceptions to pay off-color costs:

Mana generators without mana symbols

Note that the deckbuilding restriction only applies to mana symbols, not "any method of generating other colors of mana."

The most common example is that cards that say "any color" aren't considered to have mana symbols in the card text. They may safely be included in non-five-color decks.

Borrowing your opponents' stuff

Say you're playing Ashling (red), and I'm playing Sen Triplets (white/blue/black). If I steal one of your Mountains (e.g. by playing it from your hand with my commander's special ability), I can tap it for red mana.

Changing mana's function without changing its literal color

Cards like Mycosynth Lattice allow you to spend mana "as if it were any color of mana" without actually changing the colors of that mana.

There's a really technical caveat to that, though...

I'm pretty sure that, even with Mycosynth Lattice in play, there are still corner cases where mana colors matter: for instance, Mycosynth Lattice will allow me to spend 5 blue to cast Torrent of Souls, but the spell still checks the color of mana spent on it (which, in this case, causes it to have no effect). This is based on the rulings text of Celestial Dawn:

  You may use a different color mana than the color required for spells
  and abilities that require a specific color. If you do, and the spell
  or ability checks the actual color of the mana, it can tell the
  difference.

Alternatives to mana

Some rules allow you to "pay for" mana costs without using mana at all. You can use it to pay off-color costs. For example:

Convoke cards, like Chord of Calling.
Phyrexian mana, like Phyrexian Metamorph.

(Note that color identity still applies: you can't put Chord of Calling in your Sen Triplets deck. But, if you've got some green creatures, you can cast someone else's.)


How can I tell the difference between early Magic: The Gathering card editions?

ALPHA cards are black bordered and have very very rounded edges (2mm radius) compared to all other kinds of magic cards (1mm radius). Just pick up a black bordered card and overlay them on top of each other. If the corners are VERY different then you have ALPHA, otherwise you have BETA.

There are several cards that were corrected between alpha and beta and can be used to instantly identify extremely worn cards. As cited on Wikipedia

Circle of Protection: Black was accidentally omitted from Alpha.
Cyclopean Tomb had no casting cost, instead of a casting cost of 4.
Death Ward incorrectly credited Dan Frazier as the artist rather than Mark Poole.
Elvish Archers had its power/toughness listed as 1/2 rather than 2/1.
Force of Nature was printed with the letter G in its text box rather than the green mana symbol, and the artist's name was spelled incorrectly.
Orcish Artillery had a casting cost of 1R rather than 1RR.
Orcish Oriflamme had a casting cost of 1R rather than 3R.
Phantasmal Forces was printed with the letter U in its text box rather than the blue mana symbol.
Red Elemental Blast was printed as an instant rather than an interrupt, making half of its ability unplayable under the rules of the time.
Sedge Troll incorrectly credited Jeff A. Menges as the artist rather than Dan Frazier.
Volcanic Island was accidentally omitted from Alpha.

One set that recently came to my attention that is not identified on the identification chart for English cards (see below) is called "Alternate 4th Edition".
More info about those cards can be found at The Magic Librarities, here are the main points:

This set is only available in starter decks. Their ISBN is 1-880992-26-4 instead of 1-880992-25-6.
The back of the Alternate Fourth Edition cards feel glossy, very much different from normal Magic Cards.
Alternate Fourth Edition cards do not glow under ultraviolet light, while normal cards do.
Alternate Fourth Edition cards have a darker blue colour at the top of the letter A from the word MAGIC while normal cards have a light blue colour.
The printing pattern is very different. Regular cards have a hexagon pattern, while Alternate 4th Edition cards have an indiscernible pattern.

This Magic Set Identifier flowchart will help you determine the set of English cards up to about 2001, beyond there it's fairly easy to identify from the set symbol on the card. Thanks to Hackworth for providing an up to date url for it!

There is an updated version of that flowchart that includes foreign language cards as well. While identifying English cards is relatively easy, there are some difficulties with other languages, especially with German Revised White Border Cards (aka "Unlimitierte Edition" (unlimited edition) - not to be confused with the Unlimited set!). Some of them are almost undistinguishable from Fourth Edition cards.

The Green Disenchant Project has some more in-depth information and scans that may help identify such cards.


Is 5 a maximum number of buildings in Stone Age?

No, there is no limit to the number of huts a player can have. The space on the board is simply done that way for design; you do not have to put 1 hut in each space.

From the rulebook, page 7:

  The player places the acquired building on one of the corresponding spaces of their
  board. Once a player has more than 5 buildings, he stacks them on these spaces.


Hungarian card says MINIMUM in the description, but MAXIMUM on the top

The English text on Colonizer Training Camp is

  (Oxygen must be 5% or less.)

This goes with the "max 5%" icon, as you suspected.

edit: Link to an image on BGG, where the English card can be seen.