Official Rulings: Specific Cards
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W
A
Q. When playing ABDUCTION does your opponent get a chance to look at the board and memorize pieces first or must he look away immediately?
A. Heavens, no! He must look away immediately. Best to play this card by sticking it directly in front of your opponent's eyes so as to block his view of the board instantly.
Q. How does the timing work between a DOOMSAYER and ABDUCTION? I.e., if DOOMSAYER is in play, and I ABDUCT one of my opponent's Rooks (or Bishops, Knights, Pawns), he has to name the piece and the location. If he names a piece, one falls to the DOOMSAYER.
A. He doesn't have to name the piece; he can use a circumlocution (e.g. "You took one of these little building guys off the white square there.") If he screws up and says Rook, but remembers its place, then since he got it back from the abduction at the same time he doomed a rook, it can die. If he said Rook but got the place wrong, then it is lost and the DOOMSAYER kills another rook if he has one.
Q. Suppose a Queen is both CURSED and an AMAZON. Does CURSE prevent her from making a Knight-like move at all, or does it let her make a "partial" jumping move two squares away, or does it not affect her at all?
A. Knight-like moves are unaffected by CURSE. Her diagonal move is still affected.
Q. I've played CONFABULATION to merge two Pawns. If I play ANNEXATION, can I move this piece twice, or once and move another Pawn, or once only? Does it move forward two squares if I play ONSLAUGHT?
A. It is only one piece, so it can be moved once (along with a separate pawn) with ANNEXATION, and it moves forward one square (if possible) with ONSLAUGHT.
Q. NEW TACTICS switches regular and capturing moves for Pawns. What happens when this card interacts with other Pawn cards (like DARK MIRROR, ANNEXATION, and FANATIC)? Is it correct to interpret "Forward" as diagonally forward and "Diagonally backward" as backward (while NEW TACTICS is in play).
A. No, NEW TACTICS does not change the instructions on other cards. DARK MIRROR, FANATIC, and ANNEXATION will have the same effect whether or not NEW TACTICS is in play.
Q. Can I capture any of my pieces if I play ASSASSIN, even if I can't get to that square with a legal move?
A. No.
Q. RESURRECTION (and other similar cards) allow you to recover captured pieces (that is captured by your opponent). If I capture one of my own pieces (say via ASSASSIN, or DOOMSAYER) can I recover this piece later in the game via RESURRECTION? (assuming it isn't a King or Queen — so the rules governing RESURRECTION are followed)
A. Yes.
B
Q. I play PACIFISM on one of my Pawns. You play BETRAYAL, taking that same Pawn. What happens to PACIFISM?
A. PACIFISM still affects the new Pawn.
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. During a TRUCE, can a piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. Pieces are not subject to any of the listed capture effects during a TRUCE (and none may explode to trigger FIREBALL). They also do not threaten any pieces, so none could use SPLIT KNIGHT. They may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. Does the 'Frontier' change along with the EARTHQUAKE for the purposes of TOLL or BETRAYAL?
A. Yes.
Q. I played MEDUSA, turned a piece to stone. Opponent did not play a card on his turn. My next turn, I moved a piece then played HAUNTING MEMORIES. Later opponent plays BIG MOJO on MEDUSA. Does BIG MOJO clear both MEDUSA effects, or only one?
A. Only one.
Q. On the first turn, White plays PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS, then BLACK WIDOW (which places both Kings in
check). Does this violate the Checkmate Rule? The Black King can simply capture the White Queen on Black's turn so the card doesn't cause checkmate.
A. Anything that doesn't cause checkmate cannot violate the Checkmate Rule. It would violate the Check Move rule, unless the second card with PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS is played so White does not end his turn in check.
Q. VENDETTA is in play (each must make a capture). Black captures a White piece with a Rook. White wants to BOG the Rook, preventing the capture. Can he do this? Is VENDETTA ended?
A. White may play BOG. Black has now made a move that would be illegal under the strictures of Vendetta, but it doesn't violate the Checkmate Rule. VENDETTA remains, however, because a capture was possible without using a card, which is the condition of the VENDETTA card.
Q. If I move a Rook, Bishop, or Queen two or more squares and play FIREBALL, then my opponent plays BOG, what happens?
A. Your piece moves one square in the appropriate direction and explodes, taking out the pieces adjacent to its final position.
Q. Can my opponent BOG my Knight moving as a Queen via MASQUERADE?
A. No. BOG does not affect Knights, and MASQUERADE does not make your Knight a Queen — it only moves as if it were a Queen. This is true for all cards that allow pieces to move as if they were other pieces. He may, however, BOG your Bishop moving as a Queen.
Q. So I can BOG my opponent's Queen moving as a Knight (DUBBING)?
A. No; the Knight-like move does not qualify for the BOG effect.
Q. So a Queen CONFABULATED with a Knight and making a Knight move can't be BOGGED?
A. Right.
Q. What happens if my Rook is adjacent to one of my own pieces, I play BOMBARD to jump over that piece, and my opponent plays BOG?
A. Count the square beyond the adjacent piece as the first square of the move (i.e., the Rook stops its move on the other side of the adjacent piece). Similarly for GHOSTWALK — the first empty square counts as the first square of the move.
Q. How does BOG work against pieces utilizing cards like MERCILESS and CRUSADE? When, precisely, does the piece get BOGGED? Does the BOGGED piece get to move one square in the first direction and stop OR does it get to move its full movement for the first move and them one square in extra direction? Does the player the card (MERCILESS, CRUSADE, etc.) back?
A. The double-move cards are treated as if the total displacement of the piece were one move. So BOG would cause it to end its move one square from the square where it began that turn. The double-move card is still considered used, so the player does not get it back.
Q. Can BOG ever be played to delay/ignore a potential checkmate situation involving a Rook? I know that in chess a King is never captured, but the threat of a capture is certainly always implied. But BOG can only be played after the Rook actually moves... and the Rook never moves to actually take the King.
A. It is not legal. Even in Knightmare Chess, you cannot leave your King in check at the end of your turn, even if you have a
capture-cancelling card (BOG, THINK AGAIN!, etc.) in hand.
Q. For purposes of BOMBARD, if FORBIDDEN CITY is immediately behind (or in front of) a FORTIFICATION, is that considered one obstruction or two? Is a piece behind/in front of a FORTIFICATION one obstruction or two?
A. The FORTIFICATION edge is one obstruction, and any piece (or FORBIDDEN CITY) also in the way would be a second.
Q. Can BREAKTHROUGH allow a pawn on his home rank to capture a piece with a two-square forward move?
A. Yes.
Q. Can NEUTRAL pieces be BRIBED?
A. Yes, although NEUTRALITY will still be in effect on it.
Q. I played WARLORD and moved within two squares to my opponent's King. He played BRIBERY on my King, which enables any piece but a Queen to swap sides. It does not say anything about the King changing sides.
A. I doubt that he had a captured King to "power" BRIBERY, but in any event the Checkmate Rule prohibits taking your opponent's last King by use of a regular card.
Q. When you say "have had one captured," does one refer to a King with WARLORD, or just any King? Once a WARLORD is captured, that King no longer has the WARLORD power.
A. Any old King (the card refers to "a similar, captured piece"). The new King would still be under the effect of the WARLORD card.
Q. BRIBERY talks about threatening pieces. In a checkmate situation, are those just the ones that have the King in their range or does it include the ones contribute to the checkmate by putting squares adjacent to the King in their range?
A. Only the ones that have the King in their range.
Q. When BRIBERY is played, what happens to the piece that was originally doing the threatening, the one that the card was played on? Is it now captured? Or dead?
A. Dead, but not lost or captured -- he changed sides, so he can't be brought back by cards that bring captured pieces back.
Q. When you play BRIBERY on a piece that has been transformed by a Continuing Effect card, does the captured piece you're replacing it with have to also be transformed? even if the Continuing Effect has ended due to capture?
A. No, to the first question (making the second question moot).
Q. Can BRIBERY by used by an HEIR when it it threatened?
A. Yes.
Q. Can you play BRIBERY when your Prince (from a COUP) is threatened?
A. Yes. Any threat against any King is a check, and it is okay to leave any King in check as long as its loss will not lose the game. So BRIBERY could be used when a Prince is threatened.
Q. If an HEIR is giving check, can the other player use BRIBERY to make the HEIR change sides?
A. Yes, as long as your opponent had previously lost a King and you have more than one King in play. This satisifies the conditions on BRIBERY and does not violate the Checkmate Rule. Identical situation holds for WARLORD.
Q. I used BROTHERS IN ARMS to move two Pawns. My opponent cancelled my move via THINK AGAIN!. I interpreted this as I must move two different Pawns (or do something else completely different and retract the card). Is this correct? I'm assuming I can't move one of the original two Pawns and choose a different one to move (my opponent is preventing the move I made with either or both Pawns).
A. You can move two different Pawns, or one of the same Pawns and one different Pawn, or the same Pawns (at least one of which must go to a different square that it moved to before).
Q. FUNERAL PYRE would only affect the card LEGION OF HONOR, right? That card says it returns one of your captured pieces, whereas BATTLEFIELD PROMOTION, for instance, is a promotion -- not a return of a captured piece.
A. BATTLEFIELD PROMOTION would not be affected by the earlier play of FUNERAL PYRE, right. FUNERAL PYRE will affect the subsequent play of other cards in addition to LEGION OF HONOR though: BRIBERY, BODYGUARD, CONSCRIPTION, DEMOTION, ROOKED, VOLUNTEER, BLIND FATE, and PRISONER EXCHANGE would also potentially be affected.
Q. I place my opponent in check with my Paladin. He plays BRIBERY, but has never had a Paladin during the game; he has had a Knight captured previously, though. What happens?
A. The Paladin changes sides: the original Knight piece dies (is not placed with the captured pieces) and is replaced with a Knight of the BRIBERY player.
C
Q. My Queen is CONFABULATED with my only remaining Knight. Can this piece be CHALLENGED? Can it be captured via RIPOSTE?
A. Yes and no. Your opponent could legally CHALLENGE you to move a Knight, and you would be forced to move the Queen/Knight or forfeit your turn. However, RIPOSTE says that it cannot capture a Queen, therefore it cannot capture the Queen/Knight.
Q. If I put my opponent into check and play CHALLENGE, naming a piece that would not get him out of check, does he lose?
A. No. This violates the Checkmate Rule. If played, the card would be lost and the effects ignored.
Q. If I play PALADIN (or ROYAL KNIGHT or CHAMPION) on a Knight, and my opponent then plays REVELATION on it, what happens?
A. The Knight becomes a Bishop, and PALADIN is suspended. PALADIN remains in play until either the piece is captured or removed from play (where PALADIN is discarded) or until the piece is cahnged back into a Knight. Since REVELATION is not a Continuing Effect, another card would have to be used to transform it back into a Knight, and it may not be affected by cards that affect Knights (but may by cards that affect Bishops, since it is now a Bishop).
Q. What "move" do KNIGHTMARE!, THINK AGAIN!, and CHAOS cancel? Do I play it after my opponent moves a piece, or after his entire turn?
A. They are played after his entire turn, including his optional card play.
Q. After his move, my opponent played PANIC. I made my move, but my opponent then played KNIGHTMARE! (or THINK AGAIN!, or CHAOS). How much time do I have to make my new move?
A. The PANIC is no longer in effect -- you may take your turn under whatever time limits you normally have in your game.
Q. If I play a card that's unrelated to the board state, like PEACE TALKS, and then I have to THINK AGAIN (or KNIGHTMARE! or CHAOS), could I decline to play that card but otherwise make the same exact move on the board? Is it actually the card play AND the board state that must be different here, or is ONLY the board state? If it's only the board state, does that include pieces "off the board"? (i.e. could I get around THINK AGAIN by making the exact same move but [playing / not playing] FUNERAL PYRE?)
A. Board state, ignoring the off-board captured/dead assignments. You could not simply decline the card play and leave the move identical, nor can you circumvent it with FUNERAL PYRE.
Q. If my move is cancelled with the KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) then could I move my piece into the same spot but using a different route, because really that is a different move?
A. No. The move is the displacement of a piece from one space to another; the route isn't part of the definition of move.
Q. I played RIPOSTE after my opponent captured a piece of mine, so my piece stayed in place and his piece was captured instead. He then attempted to play CHAOS (or KNIGHTMARE! or THINK AGAIN!). Is that legal, since it was my not turn when I played RIPOSTE?
A. No. He would have to use FOG OF WAR to cancel your card.
Q. I play two replace-move cards using PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS. My opponent plays KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) on my move. Since KNIGHTMARE! is played after my first but lets me take a card back, do I get to take all three cards back?
A. No. Only the replace-move card involved in the Move that your opponent cancels can be taken back. KNIGHTMARE! will not cancel both moves in such a PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS play.
Q. I play a card and draw to replace, then my opponent plays TAKE BACK THIS EVIL DAY. I'm supposed to take the card I played back to my hand... but what do I do with the one I just drew?
A. Put it back on top of the deck. This would be the same as what happens when KNIGHTMARE (or THINK AGAIN! or CHAOS) causes a card to be undone.
Q. If one player uses CHARGE, MERCILESS, or CRUSADE to sweep down to the opponent's side of the board and then back out again, is the opponent allowed to exact a TOLL?
A. CHARGE et al. result in two Moves (using the second definition of Move) within one Move (using the first definition). TOLL would be legal, yes.
Q. Can you use CHARGE, CRUSADE or MERCILESS to take your opponents king?
A. No. By an extension of the Checkmate Rule, you can't use any regular card to capture the opponent's King (if that would end the game — if he has multiple Kings, for instance, it's okay to capture one of them with a card).
Q. So a Queen CONFABULATED with a Knight and making a Knight move can't be BOGGED?
A. Right.
Q. What happens to continuing effects on pieces that are subsequently CONFABULATED? What if the CONFABULATION is later removed by PEACE TALKS?
A. The continuing effect applies to the whole CONFABULATION. The exception: if the continuing effect resulted in a different, named piece (notably CRAB), it continues to apply only to that portion of the CONFABULATION. After PEACE TALKS, any continuing effects will act as they did prior to CONFABULATION.
Q. If the CONFABULATED piece had PACIFISM (or NEUTRALITY... or both) on it, and the CONFABULATION was removed by PEACE TALKS, do one, both, or neither remain PACIFIED (or NEUTRAL)?
A. Neither. PACIFISM (or whatever) was played on the CONFABULATED piece, and has nothing to affect once CONFABULATION is gone. On the other hand, if PACIFISM had been played on a piece which was subsequently CONFABULATED, the CONFABULATION would be affected by PACIFISM, and if the CONFABULATION was PEACE TALKED away, the original target of PACIFISM would still be PACIFIED. [The distinction exists because when CONFABULATION is undone there is a piece that is clearly gone. When CONFABULATION comes into play, there are two pieces that merge, and are not so clearly gone.]
Q. I've played CONFABULATION to merge two Pawns. If I play ANNEXATION, can I move this piece twice, or once and move another Pawn, or once only? Does it move forward two squares if I play ONSLAUGHT?
A. It is only one piece, so it can be moved once (along with a separate pawn) with ANNEXATION, and it moves forward one square (if possible) with ONSLAUGHT.
Q. Can you COUP a CONFABULATED piece?
A. If the CONFABULATED piece includes a Rook or a Queen, definitely not. Otherwise, yes, you can. Note that if the CONFABULATION is ended, the COUP will also be removed, and your Prince will become King again. (If the Prince has been captured, then the CONFABULATION and the COUP are immune to PEACE TALKS.)
Q. If I have a CONFABULATED piece in play and the Continuing Effect is cancelled, what happens to the piece?
A. The solution for this is on PEACE TALKS and COUNTERSPELL (the cards that can cancel Continuing Effects). "If any piece is left in an illegal situation [such as sharing a square with another piece], its owner must correct the problem on his next move of that piece is considered captured." If one piece is captured because of this, the other is no longer in an illegal situation, so it remains. The owner decides what order to check the pieces, so he effectively may choose which piece stays.
Q. Can Transformed Pieces CONFABULATE with other pieces?
A. Yes.
Q. I play a card (such as CRACK OF DOOM) to escape checkmate. My opponent plays COUNTERSPELL, thus putting me into checkmate again. Does that violate the Checkmate Rule, even though I was already in checkmate?
A. Playing COUNTERSPELL to cause that violates the Checkmate Rule.
Q. Suppose in a game there are multiple Continuing Effects in play, including COUP on Black's Knight. If Black's King was captured, can either player play COUNTERSPELL? Would it just ignore COUP, since cancelling it would break the Checkmate Rule?
A. COUNTERSPELL would have no effect. COUNTERSPELL removes all Continuing Effects in play, as per the text of the card. If Black's King was captured, then COUP may not be cancelled or removed, as that would violate the Checkmate Rule. Playing COUNTERSPELL in this situation would violate the Checkmate Rule, so it has no effect.
Q. I play PEACE TALKS. My opponent then plays HAUNTING MEMORIES on PEACE TALKS. If I now play another HAUNTING MEMORIES (or COUNTERTHRUST) on the HAUNTING MEMORIES he played, which card does it duplicate?
A. It duplicates your HAUNTING MEMORIES, having the same effect as a third PEACE TALKS.
Q. My opponent plays HEIR, giving him his second King. I then play HAUNTING MEMORIES, give me my second King. He then attempts to play CONTERTHRUST, giving him a third King. Wouldn't this be (while clever) illegal?
A. His COUNTERTHRUST would be illegal, for two reasons:
a) In the sequence given above, his King's starting square wouldn't be unoccupied, since his first HEIR would currently be sitting there.
b) The restriction on HAUNTING MEMORIES that it cannot duplicate a unique card from your deck does indeed mean that even if he had moved the HEIR, he couldn't get a second HEIR.
Q. If I play COUP on my Pawn, can it still be promoted?
A. Yes. If it promotes to a Rook or Queen, COUP is suspended until it is no longer a Rook or Queen.
Q. Does FIREBALL affect a Prince (COUP)?
A. No. Since FIREBALL cannot affect or be triggered by Kings, a Prince is immune to FIREBALL and may not be used to trigger one.
Q. My opponent played a PALADIN on a Knight, then played COUP on the PALADIN, and then played WARLORD on the PALADIN/King. Trying to checkmate a PALADIN/WARLORD/King is very difficult, if not impossible. Were any rules broken, or is this all legal?
A. Rules were broken. PALADIN on the Knight is legal, creating a Paladin. COUP on the Paladin is legal, and COUP and PALADIN conflict ("moves by ...." and "keeps its standard move"); PALADIN loses to the more recent COUP and the King has a Knight's move. WARLORD on the new King is legal, and the move specified by WARLORD is in effect — the King can no longer move like a Knight.
Q. Can you play COUP on a NEUTRAL or PACIFIST piece? My best guess is that you can, but that NEUTRALITY and/or PACIFISM would be suspended, since neither can be played on a King.
A. Right.
Q. This would mean that you cannot COUP a NEUTRAL piece of the opposite color, because suspending NEUTRALITY would mean your King just surrendered, right?
A. Since COUP is a Continuing Effect, the Checkmate Rule does not apply. You can indeed surrender your King this way, but it's not a good idea.
Q. If COUP makes a Pawn into a King, can it promote? It seems OK to become a Knight or Bishop, but maybe not a Rook or Queen because of the text on the COUP card.
A. It can promote to any piece, but if it promotes to a Rook or Queen, COUP is suspended (and the previously suspended PACIFISM and NEUTRALITY would kick back in for a Rook, just PACIFISM for a Queen).
Q. If I COUP a Bishop, can I use a card which effects a Bishop, or can I not because it is a King?
A. If you use COUP to change your King to a Bishop, cards which don't remove the Bishop from play are legal. It is legal to change the Bishop to another piece (say a Knight). Any card which cannot be played on a King cannot be played on a piece transformed with COUP.
(You cannot violate the conditions of COUP however, changing the Bishop to a Queen for instance would cancel COUP and remove it from play. And remember if the Prince has been captured, COUP can not be cancelled at all; this would be a violation of the Checkmate Rule which is never allowed during the game).
Q. Can you play BRIBERY when your Prince (from a COUP) is threatened?
A. Yes. Any threat against any King is a check, and it is okay to leave any King in check as long as its loss will not lose the game. So BRIBERY could be used when a Prince is threatened.
Q. Can another piece under COUP be promoted by LEGION OF HONOR to a Rook or Queen?
A. Yes. COUP will be suspended until it is no longer a Rook or Queen.
Q. Can a CRAB make two diagonal moves as its opening move? Make captures en passant?
A. No, the only part of the Pawn's special movement abilities it retains is promotion.
Q. CRACK OF DOOM is to be played at the end of my move, thus given the full duration of my turn to eliminate the checkmate, it seemed logical to me that blocking the path of the checking piece would work.
A. Exactly.
Q. How does BOG work against pieces utilizing cards like MERCILESS and CRUSADE? When, precisely, does the piece get BOGGED? Does the BOGGED piece get to move one square in the first direction and stop OR does it get to move its full movement for the first move and them one square in extra direction? Does the player the card (MERCILESS, CRUSADE, etc.) back?
A. The double-move cards are treated as if the total displacement of the piece were one move. So BOG would cause it to end its move one square from the square where it began that turn. The double-move card is still considered used, so the player does not get it back.
Q. My opponent's Queen is CURSED. He establishes HOLY GROUND near her. His question: if his Queen begins her turn on HOLY GROUND, and she can choose her regular move (two squares) or to move as a Bishop, is her Bishop-like movement restricted to two squares?
A. Yes.
Q. Suppose a Queen is both CURSED and an AMAZON. Does CURSE prevent her from making a Knight-like move at all, or does it let her make a "partial" jumping move two squares away, or does it not affect her at all?
A. Knight-like moves are unaffected by CURSE. Her diagonal move is still affected.
Q. What this comes down to is the exact interpretation of the second sentence on CURSE: "This piece can only move one or two squares at a time". Does this mean "one or two squares displaced from the piece's current position" (counted orthogonally or diagonally?), or to "jumping", "swapping" and other nonstandard moves only count as "moving one square" since it doesn't pass through any other squares on the way? Likewise, under what conditions could you play BLACK WIDOW if one queen or the other (or both) were affected by CURSE?
A. Swaps are likewise unaffected by CURSE. CURSE could indeed be worded better, but it restricts a piece moving diagonally or orthogonally to a distance of no more than 2 squares. Moves that are not diagonal or orthogonal are unaffected (but a hypothetical jumping move that was restricted to a diagonal or orthogonal direction would be limited to 2 squares as well).
D
Q. NEW TACTICS switches regular and capturing moves for Pawns. What happens when this card interacts with other Pawn cards (like DARK MIRROR, ANNEXATION, and FANATIC)? Is it correct to interpret "Forward" as diagonally forward and "Diagonally backward" as backward (while NEW TACTICS is in play).
A. No, NEW TACTICS does not change the instructions on other cards. DARK MIRROR, FANATIC, and ANNEXATION will have the same effect whether or not NEW TACTICS is in play.
Q. If PHALANX is in play, and I play DARK MIRROR, can I capture a piece directly behind my Pawn instead?
A. No. PHALANX does not change the instructions of DARK MIRROR.
Q. Can a King be captured without first being put into check (for example, NEW TACTICS is in play and the opponent moves his King diagonal from my Pawn. Can I play DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY on NEW TACTICS and capture the King)?
A. No, by extension of the Checkmate Rule.
Q. Can DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY be played to allow a piece affected by MEDUSA to be captured? The text on MEDUSA is rather strong, especially the "ignore any instruction on a card that would remove it from play."
A. These cards do not conflict. DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY would allow a player to capture an opposing piece that he had earlier MEDUSAed. DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY will override the "He may veto" line in MEDUSA.
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. During a TRUCE, can a piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. Pieces are not subject to any of the listed capture effects during a TRUCE (and none may explode to trigger FIREBALL). They also do not threaten any pieces, so none could use SPLIT KNIGHT. They may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. How does the timing work between a DOOMSAYER and ABDUCTION? I.e., if DOOMSAYER is in play, and I ABDUCT one of my opponent's Rooks (or Bishops, Knights, Pawns), he has to name the piece and the location. If he names a piece, one falls to the DOOMSAYER.
A. He doesn't have to name the piece; he can use a circumlocution (e.g. "You took one of these little building guys off the white square there.") If he screws up and says Rook, but remembers its place, then since he got it back from the abduction at the same time he doomed a rook, it can die. If he said Rook but got the place wrong, then it is lost and the DOOMSAYER kills another rook if he has one.
Q. RESURRECTION (and other similar cards) allow you to recover captured pieces (that is captured by your opponent). If I capture one of my own pieces (say via ASSASSIN, or DOOMSAYER) can I recover this piece later in the game via RESURRECTION? (assuming it isn't a King or Queen — so the rules governing RESURRECTION are followed)
A. Yes.
Q. In a situation where DOOMSAYER is in play, what happens if I play NEUTRALITY on his Knight and during my opponent's turn I say Knight (thus triggering DOOMSAYER) if I have no Knights of my own? Do I remove the NEUTRAL Knight?
A. Yes, you remove the NEUTRAL Knight.
Q. In regular chess, you cannot move your King through check. Since DOPPELGANGER and HERO WORSHIP creates other situations where the King is able to move multiple squares, does it follow that you cannot move your King though check when it is moving like a different piece?
A. In Knightmare Chess, the restriction on castling through check is lifted, even when not playing a card, so long as that it does not end its turn in check. So yes, when moving the King like a different piece, it may move through check.
Q. So I can BOG my opponent's Queen moving as a Knight (DUBBING)?
A. No; the Knight-like move does not qualify for the BOG effect.
Q. If I NEUTRALIZE one of my opponents pieces and then put it into the DUNGEON at the end of one of my subsequent turns, how long does the piece stay trapped for? Can I move it on my very next turn, just after my opponent has been unable to move it or is it trapped during my turn as well? Also, does a piece in the DUNGEON count as being able to give check during that trapped time?
A. The piece is not actually trapped; it simply cannot be moved by your opponent on his following turn. You can move it whenever you like, and it can give check to your opponent's King (since you can move it) but not to yours (since he can't).
Q: RIPOSTE says it can be played when your opponent captures one of your pieces without using a card. My opponent DISINTEGRATED his Pawn (before his move) to open his Rook file, then played RxQ. I'm not sure if this use of DISINTEGRATE constitutes "using a card to make a capture" - it seems like the card changed the board position (pre-move), then my opponent made an ordinary Rook capture.
A: Correct, the Queen is captured without the use of a card.
E
Q. When CONSCRIPTION, PRISONER EXCHANGE, REBIRTH, or RESURRECTION is played after the board has been rotated by EARTHQUAKE does it refer to original squares (or ranks) given the board's new orientation or to the actual squares which are now in a different location?
A. The actual squares (or ranks) that are now in a different position (i.e. the new two ranks in front of you)."
Q. Does EARTHQUAKE count as moving a King and Rooks for the purpose of castling?
A. No. As always, the King moves two squares towards the Rook, and the Rook 'jumps' the King to land adjacent to the King. The fact that this occurs on a file instead of a rank is incidental.
Q. Does the 'Frontier' change along with the EARTHQUAKE for the purposes of TOLL or BETRAYAL?
A. Yes.
Q. White plays FALSE ORDERS on Black's Queen placing it in threat. FALSE ORDERS is not a continuing effect card so it was discarded at the end of White's turn. Black's Queen is not allowed to move during Black's turn. Black plays ESCAPE! and places the Black Queen back on starting position. Was this a legal move? FALSE ORDERS was not a continuing effect and was not "in play" at the time even though is presence was still felt for at least one turn. Black did not move his Queen as a regular turn, but instead moved a Rook. Technically, Black did not move the Queen, however, White expected the intent of FALSE ORDERS to keep Black's Queen at that same spot for White's turn.
A. Yes, ESCAPE! was legally played. The two non-continuing-effect cards have conflicting effects (ESCAPE! did move the Queen, which is forbidden by FALSE ORDERS -- even though it wasn't the player's regular move, it was still a move). So, by the Conflict Rule, the second one played (ESCAPE!) wins. White's intents and expectations don't enter into it.
Q. Can EVIL EYE be used by PACIFISTS? By pieces held in place by FATAL ATTRACTION?
A. No. Capture is not threatened, so EVIL EYE may not be played.
Q. White's King is adjacent to Black's Knight, which was protected by Black's Rook. Can White play EVIL EYE, taking the Knight?
A. Yes. The King still threatens the Knight, since it is legal to place your King in check as long as he is not checked at the end of the turn.
Q. I have played FALSE ORDERS on my opponents Rook, moving it in front of my Pawn. On my opponents turn, he cannot move that Rook, but plays EVIL EYE, thus capturing my Pawn in front of his Rook. Is this legal?
A. No. If a piece that may not threaten capture, whether a Continuing Effect like PACIFIST or a temporary effect such as with FALSE ORDERS, that piece may now capture via EVIL EYE.
Q. My opponent has no pieces left but a King and a Queen. Is it still legal for him to play EYE FOR AN EYE to remove one of my pieces, since the card will not let me remove either his King or his Queen?
A. Yes.
F
Q. White plays FALSE ORDERS on Black's Queen placing it in threat. FALSE ORDERS is not a continuing effect card so it was discarded at the end of White's turn. Black's Queen is not allowed to move during Black's turn. Black plays ESCAPE! and places the Black Queen back on starting position. Was this a legal move? FALSE ORDERS was not a continuing effect and was not "in play" at the time even though is presence was still felt for at least one turn. Black did not move his Queen as a regular turn, but instead moved a Rook. Technically, Black did not move the Queen, however, White expected the intent of FALSE ORDERS to keep Black's Queen at that same spot for White's turn.
A. Yes, ESCAPE! was legally played. The two non-continuing-effect cards have conflicting effects (ESCAPE! did move the Queen, which is forbidden by FALSE ORDERS -- even though it wasn't the player's regular move, it was still a move). So, by the Conflict Rule, the second one played (ESCAPE!) wins. White's intents and expectations don't enter into it.
Q. I have played FALSE ORDERS on my opponents Rook, moving it in front of my Pawn. On my opponents turn, he cannot move that Rook, but plays EVIL EYE, thus capturing my Pawn in front of his Rook. Is this legal?
A. No. If a piece that may not threaten capture, whether a Continuing Effect like PACIFIST or a temporary effect such as with FALSE ORDERS, that piece may now capture via EVIL EYE.
Q. NEW TACTICS switches regular and capturing moves for Pawns. What happens when this card interacts with other Pawn cards (like DARK MIRROR, ANNEXATION, and FANATIC)? Is it correct to interpret "Forward" as diagonally forward and "Diagonally backward" as backward (while NEW TACTICS is in play).
A. No, NEW TACTICS does not change the instructions on other cards. DARK MIRROR, FANATIC, and ANNEXATION will have the same effect whether or not NEW TACTICS is in play.
Q. Can EVIL EYE be used by PACIFISTS? By pieces held in place by FATAL ATTRACTION?
A. No. Capture is not threatened, so EVIL EYE may not be played.
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. During a TRUCE, can a piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. Pieces are not subject to any of the listed capture effects during a TRUCE (and none may explode to trigger FIREBALL). They also do not threaten any pieces, so none could use SPLIT KNIGHT. They may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. Can I move my King and play FIREBALL (since it says Kings are not affected)?
A. No. Or, you could, but nothing would happen, since the King does not explode, and none of the surrounding pieces would be captured.
Q. If I move a Rook, Bishop, or Queen two or more squares and play FIREBALL, then my opponent plays BOG, what happens?
A. Your piece moves one square in the appropriate direction and explodes, taking out the pieces adjacent to its final position.
Q. If I play PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and I move one (or two with a swap card) of my opponent's pieces does that count as a moved piece that I can FIREBALL?
A. FIREBALL will explode the piece you moved before playing PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS. That is the move which you are using to meet the "play after move" condition of the card.
Q. Can you play MERCILESS to give your Rook a second move after its part of a castling move?
A. Castling counts as both a Rook and a King move, and thus MERCILESS is fine, and (for instance) you could FIREBALL the Rook or MYSTIC SHIELD either the King or Rook.
Q. Does FIREBALL affect a Prince (COUP)?
A. No. Since FIREBALL cannot affect or be triggered by Kings, a Prince is immune to FIREBALL and may not be used to trigger one.
Q. What happens if my opponent plays FOG OF WAR against my PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS?
A. He can cancel your PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS before you play your additional two cards, or he can cancel either of the subsequent cards. This is not a game of speed, however, so if you do not pause between playing PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and the additional cards, your opponent can ask you to back up in order to cancel the PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS card.
Q. FOG OF WAR can be played against any of the 3 cards in a PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS trio. If it is played against the second card, is your opponent commited to playing the same third one?
A. Yes.
Q. If I play a card on my opponent's turn, which cards may he use to cancel my card? FOG OF WAR says it cancels a card, but KNIGHTMARE! claims to cancel my move. Will KNIGHTMARE! stop me?
A. FOG OF WAR is the only card that cancels another card. KNIGHTMARE! et al. cancel a move and give the victim the option of retrieving his played card, if any. He may play the same card, or a different one, as long as his move is different.
Q. If I have PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and two FOG OF WAR cards in my hand, could I play PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and then the two FOG OF WAR to stop both cards my opponent plays with their own PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS?
A. Yes, that sounds legal.
Q. Using PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS, I play BRIBERY and then RESURRECTION. My opponent then plays FOG OF WAR on my BRIBERY. Can she do that, or does FOG OF WAR affect PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS?
A. She can FOG OF WAR your PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS before you play the other two cards, or she can FOG OF WAR either of the other two cards after you play them.
Q. If she plays FOG OF WAR on my BRIBERY, do I get to move again (this time without using a card)?
A. Yes.
Q. I played RIPOSTE after my opponent captured a piece of mine, so my piece stayed in place and his piece was captured instead. He then attempted to play CHAOS (or KNIGHTMARE! or THINK AGAIN!). Is that legal, since it was my not turn when I played RIPOSTE?
A. No. He would have to use FOG OF WAR to cancel your card.
Q. A FORTIFICATION is set up like this:
1 | 2 3 |--- 4 5 6
Can a piece move from squares 2 to 6? 1 to 5? 5 to 3? 2 to 4? What if FORBIDDEN CITY is played on square 3?
A. 1 to 5, 5 to 3, and 2 to 6 are okay. You cannot move from 2 to 1, 4, or 5 (unless the moving piece can jump). FORBIDDEN CITY at square 3 would not change these -- the vertexes are still clear.
Q. What happens when I use IRRESISTABLE FORCE to push an opponent's piece into a FORBIDDEN CITY?
A. FORBIDDEN CITY beats IRRESISTABLE FORCE. The pushed piece cannot enter the FORBIDDEN CITY, and therefore none of the pieces can be moved. IRRESISTABLE FORCE is still played, however; it just doesn't happen to accomplish anything in this instance.
Q. For purposes of BOMBARD, if FORBIDDEN CITY is immediately behind (or in front of) a FORTIFICATION, is that considered one obstruction or two? Is a piece behind/in front of a FORTIFICATION one obstruction or two?
A. The FORTIFICATION edge is one obstruction, and any piece (or FORBIDDEN CITY) also in the way would be a second.
Q. Can a Pawn moving sideways with FORCED MARCH capture a piece beside it?
A. No. The sideways move replaces the Pawn's regular (non-capturing) forward move.
Q. There is a FORTIFICATION separating e4 from e5 and d4 from d5. Another FORTIFICATION is played, separating f4 from f5 and g4 from g5. Can we still move diagonally between e4 and f5 and between f4 and e5, or do the two FORTIFICATIONS become one long one?
A. The two FORTIFICATIONS remain distinct, so the diagonal move (along one of the diagonals) is possible.
Q. If I play a card that's unrelated to the board state, like PEACE TALKS, and then I have to THINK AGAIN (or KNIGHTMARE! or CHAOS), could I decline to play that card but otherwise make the same exact move on the board? Is it actually the card play AND the board state that must be different here, or is ONLY the board state? If it's only the board state, does that include pieces "off the board"? (i.e. could I get around THINK AGAIN by making the exact same move but [playing / not playing] FUNERAL PYRE?)
A. Board state, ignoring the off-board captured/dead assignments. You could not simply decline the card play and leave the move identical, nor can you circumvent it with FUNERAL PYRE.
Q: FUNERAL PYRE would only affect the card LEGION OF HONOR, right? That card says it returns one of your captured pieces, whereas BATTLEFIELD PROMOTION, for instance, is a promotion -- not a return of a captured piece.
A: BATTLEFIELD PROMOTION would not be affected by the earlier play of FUNERAL PYRE, right. FUNERAL PYRE will affect the subsequent play of other cards in addition to LEGION OF HONOR though: BRIBERY, BODYGUARD, CONSCRIPTION, DEMOTION, ROOKED, VOLUNTEER, BLIND FATE, and PRISONER EXCHANGE would also potentially be affected.
Q: Does FUNERAL PYRE only affect the pieces captured up to the point that the card is played, or does it continue to affect all pieces captured for the duration of the game?
A: FUNERAL PYRE is not a continuing effect, so it only deadens those pieces that are in the "captured" box at the moment it is played.
G
Q. What happens if my Rook is adjacent to one of my own pieces, I play BOMBARD to jump over that piece, and my opponent plays BOG?
A. Count the square beyond the adjacent piece as the first square of the move (i.e., the Rook stops its move on the other side of the adjacent piece). Similarly for GHOSTWALK — the first empty square counts as the first square of the move.
Q. Using GUARDIAN can a pawn land on another piece and capture it?
A. It may not land on a piece.
H
Q. HAND TO HAND decreases the size of the board to the smallest rectangle that can fit all the pieces, and it is a Continuing Effect. Does the board continue to get smaller as pieces move and new empty ranks are open?
A. No. The board is only shrunk when HAND TO HAND is played. HAND TO HAND is a Continuing Effect so that it may be affected by cards that suspend or cancel Continuing Effects.
Q. If I play CONSCRIPTION and my (or my opponent's) first rank has been removed by HAND TO HAND, do we place the Pawns on the new second rank or the original second rank?
A. The original second rank, now the first rank.
Q. If I play REBIRTH to return a piece to its starting square, what happens if all those squares have been removed from play by HAND TO HAND?
A. REBIRTH is played without effect. This is just as if REBIRTH was played without an unoccupied square to place the piece.
Q. I play PEACE TALKS. My opponent then plays HAUNTING MEMORIES on PEACE TALKS. If I now play another HAUNTING MEMORIES (or COUNTERTHRUST) on the HAUNTING MEMORIES he played, which card does it duplicate?
A. It duplicates your HAUNTING MEMORIES, having the same effect as a third PEACE TALKS.
Q. My opponent plays HEIR, giving him his second King. I then play HAUNTING MEMORIES, give me my second King. He then attempts to play CONTERTHRUST, giving him a third King. Wouldn't this be (while clever) illegal?
A. His COUNTERTHRUST would be illegal, for two reasons:
a) In the sequence given above, his King's starting square wouldn't be unoccupied, since his first HEIR would currently be sitting there.
b) The restriction on HAUNTING MEMORIES that it cannot duplicate a unique card from your deck does indeed mean that even if he had moved the HEIR, he couldn't get a second HEIR.
Q. I played MEDUSA, turned a piece to stone. Opponent did not play a card on his turn. My next turn, I moved a piece then played HAUNTING MEMORIES. Later opponent plays BIG MOJO on MEDUSA. Does BIG MOJO clear both MEDUSA effects, or only one?
A. Only one.
Q. If I play a card that specifically states that it constitutes my whole move, and my opponent then plays HAUNTING MEMORIES, does that mean it constitutes his whole move as well, i.e. he cannot make a move or play another card?
A. Yes. HAUNTING MEMORIES has the same effect as the last card, and if part of the effect of the last card was that it replaced your move, then HAUNTING MEMORIES replaced your move.
But note that he cannot play another card because he already played a card, HAUNTING MEMORIES, not because your card replaced your move. If he could somehow replicate the effect of your last card without playing his own card (not possible with the current card set), he'd still be able to play a card of his own (as long it did not also replace his move).
Q. White plays HEIR. Can Black use a regular card to checkmate one King?
A. There is no checkmate against White possible until one of White's Kings has been captured.
Q. Can Black capture one King using a card (e.g. MERCILESS)?
A. Yes.
Q. Can BRIBERY by used by an HEIR when it it threatened?
A. Yes.
Q. If an HEIR is giving check, can the other player use BRIBERY to make the HEIR change sides?
A. Yes, as long as your opponent had previously lost a King and you have more than one King in play. This satisifies the conditions on BRIBERY and does not violate the Checkmate Rule. Identical situation holds for WARLORD.
Q. If KING OF THE MOUNTAIN and HEIR are both in effect, do you win if your third turn ends with one King in check?
A. Yes, as the rules for HEIR state you may leave one King in check. However you wouldn't be allowed to complete any turn, even the final one, with both Kings in check.
Q. If HEIR is removed by PEACE TALKS, who decides which King to remove?
A. HEIR cannot be removed from play in this method; it is not a continuing effect card. The only legal way to remove HEIR is to cancel the card as it is played via FOG OF WAR.
Q. In regular chess, you cannot move your King through check. Since DOPPELGANGER and HERO WORSHIP creates other situations where the King is able to move multiple squares, does it follow that you cannot move your King though check when it is moving like a different piece?
A. In Knightmare Chess, the restriction on castling through check is lifted, even when not playing a card, so long as that it does not end its turn in check. So yes, when moving the King like a different piece, it may move through check.
Q. If a PALADIN finishes its first of two jumps on a SEAT OF POWER (or HOLY GROUND), may it then, on its second jump, move like a Queen (or Bishop)?
A. No. SEAT OF POWER affects moves, not jumps. But, for instance, a Rook that had moved onto the SEAT OF POWER and then had MERCILESS played on it could make its second move as a Queen.
Q. My opponent's Queen is CURSED. He establishes HOLY GROUND near her. His question: if his Queen begins her turn on HOLY GROUND, and she can choose her regular move (two squares) or to move as a Bishop, is her Bishop-like movement restricted to two squares?
A. Yes.
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. During a TRUCE, can a piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. Pieces are not subject to any of the listed capture effects during a TRUCE (and none may explode to trigger FIREBALL). They also do not threaten any pieces, so none could use SPLIT KNIGHT. They may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
I
Q. When I play INSUBSTANTIALITY, does the phrase "your next move" refer to your immediately following move within the same turn as when you played the card, or your next move on your next turn?
A. The move on the same turn.
Q. Can a PACIFIST Pawn capture by using IRRESISTIBLE FORCE?
A. A PACIFIST may use IRRESTIBLE FORCE, but not if it would result in a capture. It is also immune from being pushed off of the board.
Q. What happens when I use IRRESISTABLE FORCE to push an opponent's piece into a FORBIDDEN CITY?
A. FORBIDDEN CITY beats IRRESISTABLE FORCE. The pushed piece cannot enter the FORBIDDEN CITY, and therefore none of the pieces can be moved. IRRESISTABLE FORCE is still played, however; it just doesn't happen to accomplish anything in this instance.
K
Q. If KING OF THE MOUNTAIN is in play and on my turn right before the opponent's Kings' third turn in the same space in the middle of the board is put in Check/Checkmate, could my opponent just stay in the spot since the game would be over after his turn anyways?
A. Let's say that White has the central King in question. If he's in checkmate, Black wins. If he's in check, then he must end the check somehow, either by moving the King, interposing a piece, or playing a card which makes the checking piece incapable of making the capture. If he can do this without moving the King, then White wins.
The main point is that, regardless of the current victory conditions and a player's ability to fulfill it, a King may not end its turn in check.
Q. If KING OF THE MOUNTAIN and HEIR are both in effect, do you win if your third turn ends with one King in check?
A. Yes, as the rules for HEIR state you may leave one King in check. However you wouldn't be allowed to complete any turn, even the final one, with both Kings in check.
Q. If I play a card on my opponent's turn, which cards may he use to cancel my card? FOG OF WAR says it cancels a card, but KNIGHTMARE! claims to cancel my move. Will KNIGHTMARE! stop me?
A. FOG OF WAR is the only card that cancels another card. KNIGHTMARE! et al. cancel a move and give the victim the option of retrieving his played card, if any. He may play the same card, or a different one, as long as his move is different.
Q. What "move" do KNIGHTMARE!, THINK AGAIN!, and CHAOS cancel? Do I play it after my opponent moves a piece, or after his entire turn?
A. They are played after his entire turn, including his optional card play.
Q. After his move, my opponent played PANIC. I made my move, but my opponent then played KNIGHTMARE! (or THINK AGAIN!, or CHAOS). How much time do I have to make my new move?
A. The PANIC is no longer in effect -- you may take your turn under whatever time limits you normally have in your game.
Q. If I play a card that's unrelated to the board state, like PEACE TALKS, and then I have to THINK AGAIN (or KNIGHTMARE! or CHAOS), could I decline to play that card but otherwise make the same exact move on the board? Is it actually the card play AND the board state that must be different here, or is ONLY the board state? If it's only the board state, does that include pieces "off the board"? (i.e. could I get around THINK AGAIN by making the exact same move but [playing / not playing] FUNERAL PYRE?)
A. Board state, ignoring the off-board captured/dead assignments. You could not simply decline the card play and leave the move identical, nor can you circumvent it with FUNERAL PYRE.
Q. If my move is cancelled with the KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) then could I move my piece into the same spot but using a different route, because really that is a different move?
A. No. The move is the displacement of a piece from one space to another; the route isn't part of the definition of move.
Q. I played RIPOSTE after my opponent captured a piece of mine, so my piece stayed in place and his piece was captured instead. He then attempted to play CHAOS (or KNIGHTMARE! or THINK AGAIN!). Is that legal, since it was my not turn when I played RIPOSTE?
A. No. He would have to use FOG OF WAR to cancel your card.
Q. I play two replace-move cards using PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS. My opponent plays KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) on my move. Since KNIGHTMARE! is played after my first but lets me take a card back, do I get to take all three cards back?
A. No. Only the replace-move card involved in the Move that your opponent cancels can be taken back. KNIGHTMARE! will not cancel both moves in such a PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS play.
Q. I play a card and draw to replace, then my opponent plays TAKE BACK THIS EVIL DAY. I'm supposed to take the card I played back to my hand... but what do I do with the one I just drew?
A. Put it back on top of the deck. This would be the same as what happens when KNIGHTMARE (or THINK AGAIN! or CHAOS) causes a card to be undone.
L
Q. Can LEGACY retrieve unique cards?
A. Yes.
Q. Can another piece under COUP be promoted by LEGION OF HONOR to a Rook or Queen?
A. Yes. COUP will be suspended until it is no longer a Rook or Queen.
M
Q. Does a MYSTIC SHIELDED piece set off a MAN-TRAP? A NEUTRAL one? A PACIFIST?
A. MYSTIC SHIELD only protects a piece on the turn after it moves -- so if it landed on the MAN-TRAP, it would be captured before the next turn. A NEUTRAL piece has no inherent protection from being captured, and is affected by cards which affect enemy pieces, so it would also be captured byt the MAN-TRAP. A PACIFIST is immune from capture, and thus from the MAN-TRAP. Like a King, it also would not set off the MAN-TRAP.
Q. Can my opponent BOG my Knight moving as a Queen via MASQUERADE?
A. No. BOG does not affect Knights, and MASQUERADE does not make your Knight a Queen — it only moves as if it were a Queen. This is true for all cards that allow pieces to move as if they were other pieces. He may, however, BOG your Bishop moving as a Queen.
Q. MEDUSA says the piece cannot be moved. Does that mean only a movement by normal means, or can I play a card that lets me swap the places of my MEDUSA Bishop and your non-MEDUSA Knight?
A. Swapping is considered a move, so the MEDUSA will usually prevent it since it is a Continuing Effect and trumps non-Continuing Effects.
Q. I played MEDUSA, turned a piece to stone. Opponent did not play a card on his turn. My next turn, I moved a piece then played HAUNTING MEMORIES. Later opponent plays BIG MOJO on MEDUSA. Does BIG MOJO clear both MEDUSA effects, or only one?
A. Only one.
Q. If my opponent plays MEDUSA on one of my last pawns, then on my turn I play SURVIVORS' REWARD, which immediatley promotes both pieces, does MEDUSA's effect stay with the promoted piece?
A. MEDUSA's effect does stay with a piece through promotion as long as the Pawn is promoted to something other than a Queen. If the Pawn is promoted to a Queen, MEDUSA's effect is suspended, since its initial conditions are no longer met. Since SURVIVORS' REWARD cannot promote to Queens, MEDUSA would still affect the Pawn in this case.
Q. Can DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY be played to allow a piece affected by MEDUSA to be captured? The text on MEDUSA is rather strong, especially the "ignore any instruction on a card that would remove it from play."
A. These cards do not conflict. DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY would allow a player to capture an opposing piece that he had earlier MEDUSAed. DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY will override the "He may veto" line in MEDUSA.
Q. Can you play MERCILESS to give your Rook a second move after its part of a castling move?
A. Castling counts as both a Rook and a King move, and thus MERCILESS is fine, and (for instance) you could FIREBALL the Rook or MYSTIC SHIELD either the King or Rook.
Q. If one player uses CHARGE, MERCILESS, or CRUSADE to sweep down to the opponent's side of the board and then back out again, is the opponent allowed to exact a TOLL?
A. CHARGE et al. result in two Moves (using the second definition of Move) within one Move (using the first definition). TOLL would be legal, yes.
Q. How does BOG work against pieces utilizing cards like MERCILESS and CRUSADE? When, precisely, does the piece get BOGGED? Does the BOGGED piece get to move one square in the first direction and stop OR does it get to move its full movement for the first move and them one square in extra direction? Does the player the card (MERCILESS, CRUSADE, etc.) back?
A. The double-move cards are treated as if the total displacement of the piece were one move. So BOG would cause it to end its move one square from the square where it began that turn. The double-move card is still considered used, so the player does not get it back.
Q. If a PALADIN finishes its first of two jumps on a SEAT OF POWER (or HOLY GROUND), may it then, on its second jump, move like a Queen (or Bishop)?
A. No. SEAT OF POWER affects moves, not jumps. But, for instance, a Rook that had moved onto the SEAT OF POWER and then had MERCILESS played on it could make its second move as a Queen.
Q. Can you use CHARGE, CRUSADE or MERCILESS to take your opponents king?
A. No. By an extension of the Checkmate Rule, you can't use any regular card to capture the opponent's King (if that would end the game – if he has multiple Kings, for instance, it's okay to capture one of them with a card).
N
Q. Does a MYSTIC SHIELDED piece set off a MAN-TRAP? A NEUTRAL one? A PACIFIST?
A. MYSTIC SHIELD only protects a piece on the turn after it moves -- so if it landed on the MAN-TRAP, it would be captured before the next turn. A NEUTRAL piece has no inherent protection from being captured, and is affected by cards which affect enemy pieces, so it would also be captured byt the MAN-TRAP. A PACIFIST is immune from capture, and thus from the MAN-TRAP. Like a King, it also would not set off the MAN-TRAP.
Q. If the CONFABULATED piece had PACIFISM (or NEUTRALITY... or both) on it, and the CONFABULATION was removed by PEACE TALKS, do one, both, or neither remain PACIFIED (or NEUTRAL)?
A. Neither. PACIFISM (or whatever) was played on the CONFABULATED piece, and has nothing to affect once CONFABULATION is gone. On the other hand, if PACIFISM had been played on a piece which was subsequently CONFABULATED, the CONFABULATION would be affected by PACIFISM, and if the CONFABULATION was PEACE TALKED away, the original target of PACIFISM would still be PACIFIED. [The distinction exists because when CONFABULATION is undone there is a piece that is clearly gone. When CONFABULATION comes into play, there are two pieces that merge, and are not so clearly gone.]
Q. Can I capture my own piece if it has had NEUTRALITY played on it?
A. Yes.
Q. If I NEUTRALIZE one of my opponents pieces and then put it into the DUNGEON at the end of one of my subsequent turns, how long does the piece stay trapped for? Can I move it on my very next turn, just after my opponent has been unable to move it or is it trapped during my turn as well? Also, does a piece in the DUNGEON count as being able to give check during that trapped time?
A. The piece is not actually trapped; it simply cannot be moved by your opponent on his following turn. You can move it whenever you like, and it can give check to your opponent's King (since you can move it) but not to yours (since he can't).
Q. Which direction(s) can a NEUTRAL Pawn move?
A. Only away from its owner's home row.
Q. In a situation where DOOMSAYER is in play, what happens if I play NEUTRALITY on his Knight and during my opponent's turn I say Knight (thus triggering DOOMSAYER) if I have no Knights of my own? Do I remove the NEUTRAL Knight?
A. Yes, you remove the NEUTRAL Knight.
Q. Can NEUTRAL pieces be BRIBED?
A. Yes, although NEUTRALITY will still be in effect on it.
Q. White moves a NEUTRALIZED White Rook so that it checks Black and then plays PEACE TALKS to remove NEUTRALITY from the White Rook, making the situation checkmate. Is this disallowed by the Checkmate Rule because PEACE TALKS is a "regular" card?
A. Yes.
Q. Can you play COUP on a NEUTRAL or PACIFIST piece? My best guess is that you can, but that NEUTRALITY and/or PACIFISM would be suspended, since neither can be played on a King.
A. Right.
Q. This would mean that you cannot COUP a NEUTRAL piece of the opposite color, because suspending NEUTRALITY would mean your King just surrendered, right?
A. Since COUP is a Continuing Effect, the Checkmate Rule does not apply. You can indeed surrender your King this way, but it's not a good idea.
Q. If COUP makes a Pawn into a King, can it promote? It seems OK to become a Knight or Bishop, but maybe not a Rook or Queen because of the text on the COUP card.
A. It can promote to any piece, but if it promotes to a Rook or Queen, COUP is suspended (and the previously suspended PACIFISM and NEUTRALITY would kick back in for a Rook, just PACIFISM for a Queen).
Q. If your opponent moves a NEUTRAL piece, can you use your turn to move it back to the same square?
A. Yes.
Q. NEW TACTICS switches regular and capturing moves for Pawns. What happens when this card interacts with other Pawn cards (like DARK MIRROR, ANNEXATION, and FANATIC)? Is it correct to interpret "Forward" as diagonally forward and "Diagonally backward" as backward (while NEW TACTICS is in play).
A. No, NEW TACTICS does not change the instructions on other cards. DARK MIRROR, FANATIC, and ANNEXATION will have the same effect whether or not NEW TACTICS is in play.
Q. Can a King be captured without first being put into check (for example, NEW TACTICS is in play and the opponent moves his King diagonal from my Pawn. Can I play DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY on NEW TACTICS and capture the King)?
A. No, by extension of the Checkmate Rule.
O
Q. The wording for OFFICIAL VISIT is, "the two kings swap positions, provided that it places niether of them in check." If you have more than one King, then the word "the" is improper. We assumed it means one of your Kings may swap places with one of your opponent's Kings. Is this corrent?
A. Yes.
Q. If you have multiple Kings, are you still not allowed to leave one of them in check after using OFFICIAL VISIT? According to the rules of HEIR, "you can now leave one of your Kings in check ..." So, by extension, shouldn't you be allowed to leave one of your swapped Kings in check?
A. Except that card text overrides this rule, even if it would be "okay" given the backup King. So, yes, you are still not allowed to leave one of them in check.
Q. I've played CONFABULATION to merge two Pawns. If I play ANNEXATION, can I move this piece twice, or once and move another Pawn, or once only? Does it move forward two squares if I play ONSLAUGHT?
A. It is only one piece, so it can be moved once (along with a separate pawn) with ANNEXATION, and it moves forward one square (if possible) with ONSLAUGHT.
P
Q. I play PACIFISM on one of my Pawns. You play BETRAYAL, taking that same Pawn. What happens to PACIFISM?
A. PACIFISM still affects the new Pawn.
Q. Can a PACIFIST Pawn be promoted? If so, is the promoted piece still PACIFIST?
A. Yes and yes.
Q. Can a PACIFIST Pawn capture by using IRRESISTIBLE FORCE?
A. A PACIFIST may use IRRESTIBLE FORCE, but not if it would result in a capture. It is also immune from being pushed off of the board.
Q. Can EVIL EYE be used by PACIFISTS? By pieces held in place by FATAL ATTRACTION?
A. No. Capture is not threatened, so EVIL EYE may not be played.
Q. Does a MYSTIC SHIELDED piece set off a MAN-TRAP? A NEUTRAL one? A PACIFIST?
A. MYSTIC SHIELD only protects a piece on the turn after it moves -- so if it landed on the MAN-TRAP, it would be captured before the next turn. A NEUTRAL piece has no inherent protection from being captured, and is affected by cards which affect enemy pieces, so it would also be captured byt the MAN-TRAP. A PACIFIST is immune from capture, and thus from the MAN-TRAP. Like a King, it also would not set off the MAN-TRAP.
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. If the CONFABULATED piece had PACIFISM (or NEUTRALITY... or both) on it, and the CONFABULATION was removed by PEACE TALKS, do one, both, or neither remain PACIFIED (or NEUTRAL)?
A. Neither. PACIFISM (or whatever) was played on the CONFABULATED piece, and has nothing to affect once CONFABULATION is gone. On the other hand, if PACIFISM had been played on a piece which was subsequently CONFABULATED, the CONFABULATION would be affected by PACIFISM, and if the CONFABULATION was PEACE TALKED away, the original target of PACIFISM would still be PACIFIED. [The distinction exists because when CONFABULATION is undone there is a piece that is clearly gone. When CONFABULATION comes into play, there are two pieces that merge, and are not so clearly gone.]
Q. Can a piece with PASIFISM played on it still put a King in check?
A. No, a piece under the effects of PACIFISM cannot threaten capture, so it cannot put the opposing King in check.
Q. Can you play COUP on a NEUTRAL or PACIFIST piece? My best guess is that you can, but that NEUTRALITY and/or PACIFISM would be suspended, since neither can be played on a King.
A. Right.
Q. This would mean that you cannot COUP a NEUTRAL piece of the opposite color, because suspending NEUTRALITY would mean your King just surrendered, right?
A. Since COUP is a Continuing Effect, the Checkmate Rule does not apply. You can indeed surrender your King this way, but it's not a good idea.
Q. If COUP makes a Pawn into a King, can it promote? It seems OK to become a Knight or Bishop, but maybe not a Rook or Queen because of the text on the COUP card.
A. It can promote to any piece, but if it promotes to a Rook or Queen, COUP is suspended (and the previously suspended PACIFISM and NEUTRALITY would kick back in for a Rook, just PACIFISM for a Queen).
Q. My opponent played a PALADIN on a Knight, then played COUP on the PALADIN, and then played WARLORD on the PALADIN/King. Trying to checkmate a PALADIN/WARLORD/King is very difficult, if not impossible. Were any rules broken, or is this all legal?
A. Rules were broken. PALADIN on the Knight is legal, creating a Paladin. COUP on the Paladin is legal, and COUP and PALADIN conflict ("moves by ...." and "keeps its standard move"); PALADIN loses to the more recent COUP and the King has a Knight's move. WARLORD on the new King is legal, and the move specified by WARLORD is in effect — the King can no longer move like a Knight.
Q. White spends his first two moves moving his Knight, then Black moves a piece, such as a Knight or a side Pawn. White then moves his Knight again into position and plays PALADIN. Now he is in a position where the Black's King is in checkmate, because it is surrounded by his own pieces. Is that allowable?
A. Yes. If Black hasn't moved any of the pieces around him, he might be put in checkmate by this method (or he might have a card that lets him escape anyway).
Note that the Checkmate Rule applies only to regular cards, not to Continuing Effect cards such as PALADIN.
Q. If I play PALADIN (or ROYAL KNIGHT or CHAMPION) on a Knight, and my opponent then plays REVELATION on it, what happens?
A. The Knight becomes a Bishop, and PALADIN is suspended. PALADIN remains in play until either the piece is captured or removed from play (where PALADIN is discarded) or until the piece is cahnged back into a Knight. Since REVELATION is not a Continuing Effect, another card would have to be used to transform it back into a Knight, and it may not be affected by cards that affect Knights (but may by cards that affect Bishops, since it is now a Bishop).
Q. If a PALADIN finishes its first of two jumps on a SEAT OF POWER (or HOLY GROUND), may it then, on its second jump, move like a Queen (or Bishop)?
A. No. SEAT OF POWER affects moves, not jumps. But, for instance, a Rook that had moved onto the SEAT OF POWER and then had MERCILESS played on it could make its second move as a Queen.
Q. Can SPLIT KNIGHT be played on a PALADIN?
A. SPLIT KNIGHT can be played on a PALADIN, this is definitely a legal play. These combinations of cards can be quite devastating; don't be surprised when your opponent cancels the card or your move...
Q. If I play PANIC, can my opponent make a move quickly and then take his time to decide which "after move" card to play?
A. No. His entire turn must be completed within 15 seconds (first definition of Move in the glossary).
Q. After his move, my opponent played PANIC. I made my move, but my opponent then played KNIGHTMARE! (or THINK AGAIN!, or CHAOS). How much time do I have to make my new move?
A. The PANIC is no longer in effect -- you may take your turn under whatever time limits you normally have in your game.
Q. What happens to continuing effects on pieces that are subsequently CONFABULATED? What if the CONFABULATION is later removed by PEACE TALKS?
A. The continuing effect applies to the whole CONFABULATION. The exception: if the continuing effect resulted in a different, named piece (notably CRAB), it continues to apply only to that portion of the CONFABULATION. After PEACE TALKS, any continuing effects will act as they did prior to CONFABULATION.
Q. Can you COUP a CONFABULATED piece?
A. If the CONFABULATED piece includes a Rook or a Queen, definitely not. Otherwise, yes, you can. Note that if the CONFABULATION is ended, the COUP will also be removed, and your Prince will become King again. (If the Prince has been captured, then the CONFABULATION and the COUP are immune to PEACE TALKS.)
Q. Can VULTURE pick up continuing effect cards?
A. Yes. It is still "in play" (use a proxy) and can be PEACE TALKED or whatever, but it is also in the hand of the player who used VULTURE.
Q. If I play a card that's unrelated to the board state, like PEACE TALKS, and then I have to THINK AGAIN (or KNIGHTMARE! or CHAOS), could I decline to play that card but otherwise make the same exact move on the board? Is it actually the card play AND the board state that must be different here, or is ONLY the board state? If it's only the board state, does that include pieces "off the board"? (i.e. could I get around THINK AGAIN by making the exact same move but [playing / not playing] FUNERAL PYRE?)
A. Board state, ignoring the off-board captured/dead assignments. You could not simply decline the card play and leave the move identical, nor can you circumvent it with FUNERAL PYRE.
Q. I play PEACE TALKS. My opponent then plays HAUNTING MEMORIES on PEACE TALKS. If I now play another HAUNTING MEMORIES (or COUNTERTHRUST) on the HAUNTING MEMORIES he played, which card does it duplicate?
A. It duplicates your HAUNTING MEMORIES, having the same effect as a third PEACE TALKS.
Q. White moves a NEUTRALIZED White Rook so that it checks Black and then plays PEACE TALKS to remove NEUTRALITY from the White Rook, making the situation checkmate. Is this disallowed by the Checkmate Rule because PEACE TALKS is a "regular" card?
A. Yes.
Q. If I have a CONFABULATED piece in play and the Continuing Effect is cancelled, what happens to the piece?
A. The solution for this is on PEACE TALKS and COUNTERSPELL (the cards that can cancel Continuing Effects). "If any piece is left in an illegal situation [such as sharing a square with another piece], its owner must correct the problem on his next move of that piece is considered captured." If one piece is captured because of this, the other is no longer in an illegal situation, so it remains. The owner decides what order to check the pieces, so he effectively may choose which piece stays.
Q. If HEIR is removed by PEACE TALKS, who decides which King to remove?
A. HEIR cannot be removed from play in this method; it is not a continuing effect card. The only legal way to remove HEIR is to cancel the card as it is played via FOG OF WAR.
Q. If PHALANX is in play, and I play DARK MIRROR, can I capture a piece directly behind my Pawn instead?
A. No. PHALANX does not change the instructions of DARK MIRROR.
Q. PLAGUE states "Any piece which shares the same square will also become diseased." I don't understand the sentence or the the significance of its italics.
A. There are other cards which will allow the pieces to be in the same square without a capture, so this sentence makes them diseased. The word "same" is italicized just because this is an unusual occurrance.
Q. What can I do with PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS?
A. You can play 2 "before-move" cards, then make a normal chess move.
You can play a "before-move" card and a "replace-move" card.
You can play 2 "replace-move" cards.
You can make a normal chess move, then play 2 "after-move" cards.
You cannot play a "replace-move" card and an "after-move" card, because the "after-move" card is not legal to play at the moment Plot Within Plots is played.
On your opponents' turn, you can play 2 "after-opponent's-move" cards, 2 "after-opponent's-card-play" cards, or (if he played a "replace-move" card) one of each.
Q. If I play PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and I move one (or two with a swap card) of my opponent's pieces does that count as a moved piece that I can FIREBALL?
A. FIREBALL will explode the piece you moved before playing PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS. That is the move which you are using to meet the "play after move" condition of the card.
Q. What happens if my opponent plays FOG OF WAR against my PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS?
A. He can cancel your PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS before you play your additional two cards, or he can cancel either of the subsequent cards. This is not a game of speed, however, so if you do not pause between playing PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and the additional cards, your opponent can ask you to back up in order to cancel the PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS card.
Q. FOG OF WAR can be played against any of the 3 cards in a PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS trio. If it is played against the second card, is your opponent commited to playing the same third one?
A. Yes.
Q. If I have PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and two FOG OF WAR cards in my hand, could I play PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS and then the two FOG OF WAR to stop both cards my opponent plays with their own PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS?
A. Yes, that sounds legal.
Q. Using PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS, I play BRIBERY and then RESURRECTION. My opponent then plays FOG OF WAR on my BRIBERY. Can she do that, or does FOG OF WAR affect PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS?
A. She can FOG OF WAR your PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS before you play the other two cards, or she can FOG OF WAR either of the other two cards after you play them.
Q. If she plays FOG OF WAR on my BRIBERY, do I get to move again (this time without using a card)?
A. Yes.
Q. On the first turn, White plays PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS, then BLACK WIDOW (which places both Kings in check). Does this violate the Checkmate Rule? The Black King can simply capture the White Queen on Black's turn so the card doesn't cause checkmate.
A. Anything that doesn't cause checkmate cannot violate the Checkmate Rule. It would violate the Check Move rule, unless the second card with PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS is played so White does not end his turn in check.
Q. I play two replace-move cards using PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS. My opponent plays KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) on my move. Since KNIGHTMARE! is played after my first but lets me take a card back, do I get to take all three cards back?
A. No.† Only the replace-move card involved in the Move that your opponent cancels can be taken back.† KNIGHTMARE! will not cancel both moves in such a PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS play.
Q. Can RESURRECTION bring back a PRINCESS?
A. No. There is no space it could have occupied at the beginning of the game.
Q. Is a PRINCESS "based on" a Queen?
A. No. It is not affected by cards that only affect Queens, and exclusions that name Queens do not necessarily exclude PRINCESSES.
Q. I place my opponent in check with my Paladin. He plays BRIBERY, but has never had a Paladin during the game; he has had a Knight captured previously, though. What happens?
A. The Paladin changes sides: the original Knight piece dies (is not placed with the captured pieces) and is replaced with a Knight of the BRIBERY player.
R
Q. Can my opponent use REBIRTH to send my white-square Bishop back to the black-square Bishop starting position?
A. Sure. It only matters that a Bishop could have started there; this is also true for Knights, Rooks, and Pawns, but somehow only Bishops are asked about...
Q. If I play REBIRTH to return a piece to its starting square, what happens if all those squares have been removed from play by HAND TO HAND?
A. REBIRTH is played without effect. This is just as if REBIRTH was played without an unoccupied square to place the piece.
Q. When CONSCRIPTION, PRISONER EXCHANGE, REBIRTH, or RESURRECTION is played after the board has been rotated by EARTHQUAKE does it refer to original squares (or ranks) given the board's new orientation or to the actual squares which are now in a different location?
A. The actual squares (or ranks) that are now in a different position (i.e. the new two ranks in front of you)."
Q. How come RESURRECTION can't raise the dead (it only recovers lost pieces, not dead ones)?
A. Because we thought that would make it too powerful, and we wanted dead to mean REALLY dead.
Q. RESURRECTION (and other similar cards) allow you to recover captured pieces (that is captured by your opponent). If I capture one of my own pieces (say via ASSASSIN, or DOOMSAYER) can I recover this piece later in the game via RESURRECTION? (assuming it isn't a King or Queen – so the rules governing RESURRECTION are followed)
A. Yes.
Q. Can RESURRECTION bring back a PRINCESS?
A. No. There is no space it could have occupied at the beginning of the game.
Q. Since REVELATION says "replace" rather than "switch the positions," the Knight is removed from the board, correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Since REVELATION specifies "owned," it only works if you (or your opponent) has an on-the-board Bishop with which to replace the Knight, correct?
A. No, the replacing piece comes from out-of-game. The ownership is only there to clarify what color it remains when the effect is done.
Q. If I play PALADIN (or ROYAL KNIGHT or CHAMPION) on a Knight, and my opponent then plays REVELATION on it, what happens?
A. The Knight becomes a Bishop, and PALADIN is suspended. PALADIN remains in play until either the piece is captured or removed from play (where PALADIN is discarded) or until the piece is cahnged back into a Knight. Since REVELATION is not a Continuing Effect, another card would have to be used to transform it back into a Knight, and it may not be affected by cards that affect Knights (but may by cards that affect Bishops, since it is now a Bishop).
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. During a TRUCE, can a piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. Pieces are not subject to any of the listed capture effects during a TRUCE (and none may explode to trigger FIREBALL). They also do not threaten any pieces, so none could use SPLIT KNIGHT. They may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. My Queen is CONFABULATED with my only remaining Knight. Can this piece be CHALLENGED? Can it be captured via RIPOSTE?
A. Yes and no. Your opponent could legally CHALLENGE you to move a Knight, and you would be forced to move the Queen/Knight or forfeit your turn. However, RIPOSTE says that it cannot capture a Queen, therefore it cannot capture the Queen/Knight.
Q. I played RIPOSTE after my opponent captured a piece of mine, so my piece stayed in place and his piece was captured instead. He then attempted to play CHAOS (or KNIGHTMARE! or THINK AGAIN!). Is that legal, since it was my not turn when I played RIPOSTE?
A. No. He would have to use FOG OF WAR to cancel your card.
Q. Can I play RIPOSTE when my opponent uses a Pawn to capture my piece on his eighth rank, even if he wants to promote the Pawn to a Queen?
A. Yes. The effect of RIPOSTE would apply before the promotion.
Q. RIPOSTE says it can be played when your opponent captures one of your pieces without using a card. My opponent DISINTEGRATED his Pawn (before his move) to open his Rook file, then played RxQ. I'm not sure if this use of DISINTEGRATE constitutes "using a card to make a capture" - it seems like the card changed the board position (pre-move), then my opponent made an ordinary Rook capture.
A. Correct, the Queen is captured without the use of a card.
Q. What types of cards preclude a RIPOSTE response?
A: If a piece that wasn't captured before is captured once the regular card's effect is resolved, RIPOSTE can't be played in response to its capture.
S
Q. I wanted to clarify SEAT OF POWER - a piece which starts on the SEAT OF POWER may move like a Queen and make a capture, correct?
A. I'm not sure how this clarifies the text on the card, but yes, if a Queen on the space could make a capture, then a piece on the SEAT OF POWER can make the same capture, because it can move like the Queen.
Q. If a PALADIN finishes its first of two jumps on a SEAT OF POWER (or HOLY GROUND), may it then, on its second jump, move like a Queen (or Bishop)?
A. No. SEAT OF POWER affects moves, not jumps. But, for instance, a Rook that had moved onto the SEAT OF POWER and then had MERCILESS played on it could make its second move as a Queen.
Q. Normally in Chess, you cannot promote a Pawn to a King. But with the SPECIAL PROMOTION card, can I promote a Pawn to a WARLORD?
A. No, Pawns may not promote to a King or a Transformed Piece based on a King.
(In the errata: http://www.sjgames.com/knightmare/errata.html )
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. During a TRUCE, can a piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. Pieces are not subject to any of the listed capture effects during a TRUCE (and none may explode to trigger FIREBALL). They also do not threaten any pieces, so none could use SPLIT KNIGHT. They may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. Can SPLIT KNIGHT be played on a PALADIN?
A. SPLIT KNIGHT can be played on a PALADIN, this is definitely a legal play. These combinations of cards can be quite devastating; don't be surprised when your opponent cancels the card or your move...
Q. My King captured a Bishop, and I want to play SPOILS OF WAR. I figure my King certainly can't change into a Bishop without still being a King, so is this not allowed, or would it is and my King would become a King that looks and moves like a Bishop?
A. You're right, the King can't change into a Bishop without still being King, because that would be a violation of the Checkmate Rule. SPOILS OF WAR, however, tries to change it into a Bishop and cause it to cease being King, so the proper conclusion is "... so therefore I cannot play SPOILS OF WAR when making a capture with my only King."
However, in the event you have two (or more) Kings, this is definitely legal.
Q. SURROUNDED states "Replace it with the same piece of your color." Can you use this card if you don't have a captured piece of that type?
A. Yes, because it does not say "with a captured piece". Take one from another set, make one out of clay, or use a proxy.
Q. If my opponent plays MEDUSA on one of my last pawns, then on my turn I play SURVIVORS' REWARD, which immediatley promotes both pieces, does MEDUSA's effect stay with the promoted piece?
A. MEDUSA's effect does stay with a piece through promotion as long as the Pawn is promoted to something other than a Queen. If the Pawn is promoted to a Queen, MEDUSA's effect is suspended, since its initial conditions are no longer met. Since SURVIVORS' REWARD cannot promote to Queens, MEDUSA would still affect the Pawn in this case.
T
Q. When TAKE BACK THIS EVIL DAY is played, after my opponent's turn, it states "on my next move". Does that mean my move that is coming up now?
A. Yes.
Q. I play a card and draw to replace, then my opponent plays TAKE BACK THIS EVIL DAY. I'm supposed to take the card I played back to my hand... but what do I do with the one I just drew?
A. Put it back on top of the deck. This would be the same as what happens when KNIGHTMARE (or THINK AGAIN! or CHAOS) causes a card to be undone.
Q. What "move" do KNIGHTMARE!, THINK AGAIN!, and CHAOS cancel? Do I play it after my opponent moves a piece, or after his entire turn?
A. They are played after his entire turn, including his optional card play.
Q. After his move, my opponent played PANIC. I made my move, but my opponent then played KNIGHTMARE! (or THINK AGAIN!, or CHAOS). How much time do I have to make my new move?
A. The PANIC is no longer in effect -- you may take your turn under whatever time limits you normally have in your game.
Q. If I play a card that's unrelated to the board state, like PEACE TALKS, and then I have to THINK AGAIN (or KNIGHTMARE! or CHAOS), could I decline to play that card but otherwise make the same exact move on the board? Is it actually the card play AND the board state that must be different here, or is ONLY the board state? If it's only the board state, does that include pieces "off the board"? (i.e. could I get around THINK AGAIN by making the exact same move but [playing / not playing] FUNERAL PYRE?)
A. Board state, ignoring the off-board captured/dead assignments. You could not simply decline the card play and leave the move identical, nor can you circumvent it with FUNERAL PYRE.
Q. I used BROTHERS IN ARMS to move two Pawns. My opponent cancelled my move via THINK AGAIN!. I interpreted this as I must move two different Pawns (or do something else completely different and retract the card). Is this correct? I'm assuming I can't move one of the original two Pawns and choose a different one to move (my opponent is preventing the move I made with either or both Pawns).
A. You can move two different Pawns, or one of the same Pawns and one different Pawn, or the same Pawns (at least one of which must go to a different square that it moved to before).
Q. If my move is cancelled with the KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) then could I move my piece into the same spot but using a different route, because really that is a different move?
A. No. The move is the displacement of a piece from one space to another; the route isn't part of the definition of move.
Q. I played RIPOSTE after my opponent captured a piece of mine, so my piece stayed in place and his piece was captured instead. He then attempted to play CHAOS (or KNIGHTMARE! or THINK AGAIN!). Is that legal, since it was my not turn when I played RIPOSTE?
A. No. He would have to use FOG OF WAR to cancel your card.
Q. I play two replace-move cards using PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS. My opponent plays KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) on my move. Since KNIGHTMARE! is played after my first but lets me take a card back, do I get to take all three cards back?
A. No. Only the replace-move card involved in the Move that your opponent cancels can be taken back. KNIGHTMARE! will not cancel both moves in such a PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS play.
Q. Can a PACIFIST piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. It is not subject to any of the listed capture effects (and cannot itself explode to trigger FIREBALL). It also does not threaten any pieces, so it could not use SPLIT KNIGHT. It may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. During a TRUCE, can a piece be captured by FIREBALL, HOSTAGE, REVENGE, TOLL, DOOMSAYER or SPLIT KNIGHT? Can it be killed (made Dead) by BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION?
A. Pieces are not subject to any of the listed capture effects during a TRUCE (and none may explode to trigger FIREBALL). They also do not threaten any pieces, so none could use SPLIT KNIGHT. They may become Dead because of BETRAYAL or DISINTEGRATION.
Q. What happens if a TOLLED player has no Pawns?
A. The TOLL is lost without effect.
Q. If one player uses CHARGE, MERCILESS, or CRUSADE to sweep down to the opponent's side of the board and then back out again, is the opponent allowed to exact a TOLL?
A. CHARGE et al. result in two Moves (using the second definition of Move) within one Move (using the first definition). TOLL would be legal, yes.
Q. Does the 'Frontier' change along with the EARTHQUAKE for the purposes of TOLL or BETRAYAL?
A. Yes.
Q. What is the effect of playing of playing a VENDETTA card while a TRUCE is in effect or a TRUCE card while a VENDETTA is in effect?
A. TRUCE beats VENDETTA. VENDETTA is dependent on a legal capture being available. As long as neither King is checked, TRUCE makes all capturing moves illegal. VENDETTA would be discarded no matter which card was played first. (Note that the conflict rule is not invoked, because there is no conflict.)
U
Q. In a situation where a player has only two pieces left on the board (a pawn and a king) and the player plays UNDER ELF HILL. On the players following turn, can the king be placed in front of the pawn? In this situation the pawn can no longer move forward and the king is not allowed to move - is a player allowed to force a stalemate? A similar situation arises when a player only has a king and plays UNDER ELF HILL.
A. Those will result in a turn without a move, but not a stalemate. If there had been no legal square for the King to return to, then it would be stalemate.
V
Q. What is the effect of playing of playing a VENDETTA card while a TRUCE is in effect or a TRUCE card while a VENDETTA is in effect?
A. TRUCE beats VENDETTA. VENDETTA is dependent on a legal capture being available. As long as neither King is checked, TRUCE makes all capturing moves illegal. VENDETTA would be discarded no matter which card was played first. (Note that the conflict rule is not invoked, because there is no conflict.)
Q. VENDETTA is in play (each must make a capture). Black captures a White piece with a Rook. White wants to BOG the Rook, preventing the capture. Can he do this? Is VENDETTA ended?
A. White may play BOG. Black has now made a move that would be illegal under the strictures of Vendetta, but it doesn't violate the Checkmate Rule. VENDETTA remains, however, because a capture was possible without using a card, which is the condition of the VENDETTA card.
Q. When VENDETTA is in play, capture is compulsory (if possible). What happens however if you are placed in check? Naturally the Checkmate Rule must be followed, but if you are able to capture a piece such that it blocks/cancels the check do you have to? Or are you allowed to move out of check and discard VENDETTA?
A. No, you are not allowed to move out of check without capturing if there is a capture available that will also get you out of check.
Q. Can VULTURE pick up continuing effect cards?
A. Yes. It is still "in play" (use a proxy) and can be PEACE TALKED or whatever, but it is also in the hand of the player who used VULTURE.
W
Q. When you castle you can't move your King through check, does the same apply with a WARLORD?
A. Castling in Knightmare Chess is odd, because Knightmare Chess allows you to put your King in check as long as he's out by the end of the turn. So you can castle your King through check, and thus WARLORDS too.
Q. Can a WARLORD move through check to a square which doesn't place it in check via its standard move?
A. Yes.
Q. My opponent played a PALADIN on a Knight, then played COUP on the PALADIN, and then played WARLORD on the PALADIN/King. Trying to checkmate a PALADIN/WARLORD/King is very difficult, if not impossible. Were any rules broken, or is this all legal?
A. Rules were broken. PALADIN on the Knight is legal, creating a Paladin. COUP on the Paladin is legal, and COUP and PALADIN conflict ("moves by ...." and "keeps its standard move"); PALADIN loses to the more recent COUP and the King has a Knight's move. WARLORD on the new King is legal, and the move specified by WARLORD is in effect — the King can no longer move like a Knight.
Q. I played WARLORD and moved within two squares to my opponent's King. He played BRIBERY on my King, which enables any piece but a Queen to swap sides. It does not say anything about the King changing sides.
A. I doubt that he had a captured King to "power" BRIBERY, but in any event the Checkmate Rule prohibits taking your opponent's last King by use of a regular card.
Q. When you say "have had one captured," does one refer to a King with WARLORD, or just any King? Once a WARLORD is captured, that King no longer has the WARLORD power.
A. Any old King (the card refers to "a similar, captured piece"). The new King would still be under the effect of the WARLORD card.
Q. Can a WARLORD check the opposing King?
A. Yes, of course. In Knightmare Chess, a King can even check the opposing King (provided that you have a card or piece that allows you to do so without ending your turn in check).
Q. Normally in Chess, you cannot promote a Pawn to a King. But with the SPECIAL PROMOTION card, can I promote a Pawn to a WARLORD?
A. No, Pawns may not promote to a King or a Transformed Piece based on a King.
(In the errata: http://www.sjgames.com/knightmare/errata.html )
Q. If an HEIR is giving check, can the other player use BRIBERY to make the HEIR change sides?
A. Yes, as long as your opponent had previously lost a King and you have more than one King in play. This satisifies the conditions on BRIBERY and does not violate the Checkmate Rule. Identical situation holds for WARLORD.
