This is the short version of a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) list about the card game Blue Moon designed by Reiner Knizia.
This list was created by Christopher Dearlove, christopher.dearlove@gmail.com. For complete acknowledgements, and a summary of the status of these answers, see the full version of this list.
This issue of the list is dated 14th January 2021. Its home is http://www.mnemosyne.uk/bgames/bluemoon, which also includes some other Blue Moon material, including the full version of this list and a version of this list for Blue Moon Legends.
This short list is primarily aimed at players of the first edition of the game, known as Blue Moon, rather than the current second edition, known as Blue Moon Legends. For details as to why that is so, and what those two editions are, see the full version of this list. In particular note that all quotations from the rules and card text are from the first edition of the game. However, using these answers, both editions should give identical results in any situation.
All the questions in this short list, other than the first one, are taken from the main section 'Specific Cases' in the full list, which contains questions about actual game play situations. Other sections in the main list include introductory and other material. The main list also contains many more game play questions. The questions here are the more difficult and less obvious ones from the full list, including one new rule (shields are icons) and some cases where the rules need some minor extensions. Some of these are covered by questions spelling out general principles that are not explicitly stated in the rules.
About the Buka Invasion Deck
Q: Although it is a promotional card, ship Sea Moon [Promo/Buka 31] (Capacity 1, "Now I may load one card from my hand onto this ship. On the turn in which I land this ship, I may also play one character/booster/support card from my hand.", 2 moons) is indicated as being a Buka card. What does this mean?
A: This means that you do not have to pay its 2 moons cost to include it in a Buka deck when playing with the Advanced Rules. However (despite having a deck indication of B) it is not part of the Buka Invasion deck and should not be included when playing with preconstructed decks, and nor is it part of any of the six Buka families when adding these to another deck. Note that it increases the number of Buka cards to 31, which is the same as the other eight peoples if you include the added cards in Emissaries and Inquisitors, but exclude the Chosen Ones (which have a 0 moon cost).
Card Play: Locations and Status
Q: Where can my cards be?
A: In the basic game, your cards are always in your draw deck, in your hand (note that this includes disclosed cards), in your discard pile (not leadership cards), in a pile on your leader card (leadership cards only), in your combat area (character and booster cards only) or in your support area (support cards only). With Allies and Emissaries, your cards can also be in your influence area (one Hyla card only) or in your achievement area (crystal cards only). With the Buka Invasion your cards can also be in your influence area (ships and cards loaded on ships only), or landed (ships and cards loaded on ships only); in addition face down character cards with the BLUFF icon can be in your support area. A card is never "in limbo" between these places. (Rulebook page 18, Special Rule 10: 'At all times during the game, your cards are either in your hand or on your side of the game board.'.)
Card Play: Timing
Q: Can I play cards, or do anything else, in your turn?
A: With the basic people decks: no. Your cards can each only be played in the appropriate phase of your turn, and you can also only take voluntary actions, such as using a RETRIEVE icon or using the ability of TopNotch [Khind 07] ("On my turn, I may discard one of your active booster/support cards."), on your turn. The only things you do in my turn are in response to my actions, such as that of Bashdin [Terrah 15, Flit deck] ("Now I may force you to discard two cards from your hand."). With Emissaries and Inquisitors you can play interference cards in my turn. With the Buka Invasion you can call my bluff in my turn.
Q: If I have active Shaman of the Deeds to Come [Mimix 19] ("At the end of my turn, I may draw (up to) three additional cards and then shuffle any two cards from my hand into my draw deck.") and support card Oath of Khindship [Khind 28] ("At the end of my turn, I may draw one additional card.") can I choose the order in which I play these effects?
A: Yes, you can. There is no specific rule stating this, however rulebook page 17, under Special Rule 2: 'The original player of a card always determines how the card is applied.', suggests this, although as written in a narrower sense. This is also consistent with the answer to the previous question, which indicates that a choice made in your turn must be made by you.
Q: If you have active support card Irresistible Sirens [Aqua 28] ("By the end of your Booster/Support phase, you must discard one character card from your hand, or I attract 1 (additional) dragon - even if you retreat.") can I discard to prevent you attracting a dragon before my turn?
A: Based on the last but one answer, no, you cannot.
Q: If playing more than one card of the same type (character, booster or support) using FREE, PAIR or GANG icons, or as permitted by some special power text, are the cards played all at once, or one by one?
A: One by one. The easiest way to see this is that special power text is read and then applied when the card is played, and the rules do not cover trying to read and apply two items of text at the same time.
Card Play: Backtracking
Q: The only way I can avoid having to retreat is to play a particular character card, and I suspect that you have interference card Shame on you! [Inter 402, E&I:A deck] ("I may play this card when you play your first character card on your turn: Your card is cancelled and discarded. You must play a replacement or retreat.") in your hand and will play it. So instead I play a different character card, and if you cancel it I will play the character card I need to play and continue the fight. If you do not cancel it then I will continue to my Announce Power phase, be unable to match your total power, backtrack to my Retreat from Fight? phase and play the needed character card. It seems that there is no penalty for doing this since, from the only relevant rule (rulebook page 18, Special Rule 11) 'no cards have been drawn or revealed'. Is this a clever bluff of mine, or am I cheating (I did it deliberately). If I am cheating, how can I be penalised?
A: You are cheating. Rulebook page 7, under Retreat from Fight: 'When you cannot or do not want to continue the current fight you announce your retreat.'. While you could argue that you are able to continue the fight, it is only by playing the "right" character card, and the spirit of this rule does not allow you to continue in such a way that you will have to retreat. As for a penalty, the only one available is that in Special Rule 11. While the rules do not strictly cover this case, it can be argued that you have "revealed" information about my hand and play, and hence you should be subject to the rule. See also the following question.
Q: When should I apply the previous answer?
A: This is a very strict interpretation of the rules, completely removing your allowance to make an honest error and backtrack. As such, this penalty should be applied in full only in the strictest of cases, such as a tournament. In a friendly game you should allow backtracking. This case can also only occur when using Emissaries and Inquisitors, and should only be applied then. However for consistency it should then be applied at all times, even when you know for other reasons that I cannot have Shame on you! in my hand. See also question "I have attracted three dragons ..." in section 'End of Game'. Note that the second edition rules adopt this approach.
Card Play: Cards in Hand
Q: Are the characteristics of my cards in hand relevant?
A: Usually the characteristics of your cards in hand are not relevant, as they have no effect until after they are played. There are however four cases where cards can have an effect before they are played. The first is that of discarding cards to attract a dragon, for example using leadership card Charm Holy Dragon [Vulca 29] ("Now I may discard cards with a total printed value of at least 8 Fire from my hand to attract one dragon."). The second is that of discarding cards to avoid having to retreat, for example if I have active booster card Caterpillar Fireeater [Pillar 16] ("By the end of your Booster/Support phase, you must discard cards with a total printed value of at least 3 Fire from your hand, or retreat."). The third is that a limited number of cards have special power text which is effective while the card is still in your hand, see question "When is special power text first effective?" in section 'Special Power Texts: General Rules'. The fourth is that the FREE, PAIR and GANG icons are checked while in your hand to see whether and how the cards can be played (see question "When is the FREE icon on a character, booster or support card checked?" in section 'Icons: FREE'), the REPLACE icon in the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks is used from your hand (see section 'Icons: REPLACE'), and the BLUFF icons in the Buka Invasion deck (see section 'Bluffing: General Rules' and following) are checked while in your hand to see if cards can be played as bluff cards (as well as being checked when in play when your bluff is called).
Q: Can effects be applied to my cards in hand?
A: Where your cards in hand have no effect, effects which could apply to them are not relevant. This leaves only the four cases identified in the previous answer. Because in these cases your cards can be effective while they are in your hand, they can also be affected while they are in your hand. In general, characteristics of cards can always be affected by any effects, except where these are qualified by applying only to active cards or cards in particular areas. There is otherwise no distinction between cards in hand, cards in play, and cards which are played to your leader card or to your discard pile.
Q: Which effects can be applied to my cards in hand?
A: Ignoring special power text, ignoring icons (in particular the FREE, PAIR, GANG and REPLACE icons), ignoring cards (and hence their values, icons and special power texts) and reducing cards' printed values. Note that as the PROTECTED icon is effective only when active, it does not protect your cards in hand from these effects (rulebook page 15, under PROTECTED: 'When these cards are active in the combat or support areas, they are protected from any opposing effects.'). Finally note that none of these effects causes you to have to reveal any of your cards in hand, they only limit which cards you can play, in the same way that my declared total power limits which cards you can play.
Values and Total Power: General Rules
Q: Do I always have to maximise my total power?
A: In some circumstances you do, such as those covered by rulebook page 18, under Special Rule 7: 'If there is more than one instruction influencing the fire or earth values of other cards, first apply all increasing instructions in the order that maximizes the values.'. However, in general you do not. For example, if you have active support card Duplicator of Strength [Hoax 25] ("The Earth value of one of my character cards doubles."), you can choose which character card's earth value to double, even if this does not maximise your total power. (Rulebook page 17, under Special Rule 2: 'If you apply the instruction on one of your cards to an active card and this active card is influenced or discarded by your opponent, then you may apply the instruction to a different active card. The original player of a card always determines how the card is applied.'.) Note that Special Rule 7 does not apply in this case because it refers to more than one instruction, while in this case there is only one instruction.
Icons: Shields
Q: Are shields icons? And why does it matter?
A: Shields are icons. This has been officially confirmed by the designer and the publisher. The answer is not clear from the English rulebook, but the German rulebook clearly makes shields icons, so in order to keep things consistent the German rule has been adopted. It can matter in a few cases, one being if opposing Mad Mike Magpie [Flit 13, Terrah deck] ("Your cards with icons are ignored, except Flit character cards and PROTECTED cards.") which results in your cards with shields being ignored. (The second edition rulebook is clear on this point.)
Icons: STOP
Q: If I play leadership card Trigger Brainstorm [Hoax 29] ("On this turn, I may play any number of support cards.") and then a character card with a STOP icon, does Trigger Brainstorm allow me to play support cards, despite the STOP icon?
A: Yes, it does. Rulebook page 17, under Special Rules, first point: 'Instructions on the cards supersede these game rules.'. So because the STOP icon is a game rule (rulebook page 14, under STOP: 'Playing a card with a STOP icon prevents you from playing any further cards during your turn.'), the special power text on Trigger Brainstorm supersedes it.
Icons: RETRIEVE
Q: If you have active Wing Commander Razorfeather [Flit 01] (RETRIEVE icon), and I have active Ciklarethas the Bitter [Hoax 05] (RETRIEVE icon) and support card Impenetrable Fog [Terrah 26] ("Your icons are ignored, except STOP and PROTECTED."), can I retrieve Ciklarethas the Bitter?
A: No, you cannot. Rulebook page 15, under RETRIEVE: 'If your opponent's combat area contains active character cards depicting the RETRIEVE icon then you may not apply the RETRIEVE function depicted on your character cards.'. This specifies only that a blocking character card must depict the RETRIEVE icon, which Wing Commander Razorfeather does. Furthermore even though this RETRIEVE icon is ignored and cannot be used (I could not have retrieved Wing Commander Razorfeather in my turn) it is still present (see question "What is the effect of something being ignored?" in section 'Special Power Texts: Ignored (General Rules)') and hence blocks your retrieval.
Icons: PROTECTED
Q: How should the phrase "PROTECTED cards" be interpreted on cards such as Mad Mike Magpie [Flit 13, Terrah deck] ("Your cards with icons are ignored, except Flit character cards and PROTECTED cards.")?
A: As "cards with a PROTECTED icon which is not ignored". (Note that the German uses the equivalent of the phrase "cards with a PROTECTED icon" rather than "PROTECTED cards".) Normally this interpretation only matters for active cards, as the PROTECTED icon is usually only effective for such cards (rulebook page 15, under PROTECTED: 'When these cards are active in the combat or support areas, they are protected from any opposing effects.'), but the PROTECTED icon can also be relevant in some cases involving cards discarded using the REPLACE icon (see section 'Icons: REPLACE').
Q: Some cards explicitly mention the PROTECTED icon, but most do not. Does the PROTECTED icon protect against cards that do not mention it?
A: Yes, it does. The rules on PROTECTED (see rulebook page 15) are written in general terms. The specific mentions of PROTECTED on cards are for clarity, and are used in two cases: on cards which affect "all" cards of some description, and cards which mention icons. There are two exceptions to the first of these: leadership card Cast Cataclysm [Vulca 30] ("Now I may discard all of your active support cards.") and, with the Buka Invasion, Lookout Dolora Paal [Buka 22] ("Now I may discard all of your active booster cards or all of your active support cards."). There is one exception to the latter: Mekarthas the Shrewd [Hoax 16, Aqua deck] ("Your icons are ignored, except STOP.") respectively. See the next two questions.
Q: If one or more of my active cards have the PROTECTED icon and you play leadership card Cast Cataclysm [Vulca 30] ("Now I may discard all of your active support cards."), are they discarded?
A: No, they are not. Cast Cataclysm's special power text does not provide any reason to override the general rule for cards with the PROTECTED icon. (Rulebook page 15, under PROTECTED: 'The cards cannot be ignored or discarded by the opponent, and their values cannot be reduced by the opponent.'.) The same applies to Lookout Dolora Paal [Buka 22] ("Now I may discard all of your active booster cards or all of your active support cards.").
Q: If I have active support card Ravenous Razorjaw [Aqua 23] (PROTECTED icon), and you have active Mekarthas the Shrewd [Hoax 16, Aqua deck] ("Your icons are ignored, except STOP."), and then play leadership card Cast Cataclysm [Vulca 30] ("Now I may discard all of your active support cards."), is my Ravenous Razorjaw discarded? Is there any difference if you play leadership card Provoke Earthquake [Terrah 29] ("Now I may discard all cards from your combat area, except active PROTECTED cards.") rather than Cast Cataclysm?
A: First, Mekarthas the Shrewd ignores the PROTECTED icon. This is because it explicitly applies to icons (and even explicitly only excludes the STOP icon) and rulebook page 17, under Special Rules, first point: 'Instructions on the cards supersede these game rules.' applies. Thus once the PROTECTED icon is ignored, Cast Cataclysm can discard these cards. The same applies with Provoke Earthquake, owing to the interpretation of the phrase "PROTECTED cards" in question "How should the phrase "PROTECTED cards" be interpreted ... ?".
Icons: FREE
Q: How should the phrase "FREE card" be interpreted on cards such as mutant Man-shu-Ran [Mutant 110, E&I:A deck] ("I may only play this card if you have an active FREE card. The contested element of the fight changes between Fire and Earth.")
A: As "card with a FREE icon which is not ignored". See question "How should the phrase "PROTECTED cards" be interpreted ... ?" in section 'Icons: PROTECTED'. (Note that in this case it is only active FREE cards that are relevant, but only because that is explicitly said.)
Q: When is the FREE icon on a character, booster or support card checked?
A: When the card is in hand, just before it is played. As noted in question "Where can my cards be?", in section 'Card Play: Locations and Status', a card goes directly from being in hand to in play. You cannot check the FREE icon on a card after it is in play, because you may not be able to play the card if it does not have a FREE icon, for example if it is the second card of that type that you have played this turn.
Q: If I play Yang [Aqua 12] ("The next character/booster/support card I play on this turn is treated as if it had the FREE icon."), can I also play Young Bear [Mimix 16] (PAIR icon) and Young Fox [Mimix 17] (PAIR icon) together?
A: Yes, you can. Yang allows you to play Young Bear as if it had the FREE icon, and hence not to count it against your limit of one character card. Then the PAIR icon on the two cards allows you to play Young Fox with it, also not counting against the limit. (Rulebook page 16, under PAIR: 'If you have two character cards in your hand with identical first words in their names and both depicting the PAIR icon, you may play the pair together instead of a single character card.'.)
Icons: GANG
Q: If I start a fight with NoClass [Khind 21] (Earth value 2, GANG icon), declaring a total power of 2 with contested element earth, then you play Glimmer [Vulca 13] (Earth value 3), declaring a total power of 3, and I know your last card in hand is mutant Zig-nur-Don [Mutant 106, Vulca deck] ("I may only play this card if I am attacked by at least 5 Earth. The contested element of the fight changes to Fire."), can I play NoStopping [Khind 16] (Earth value 3, GANG icon), without using its GANG icon, pushing NoClass under it, thus declaring a total power of 3, and preventing you from playing Zig-nur-Don?
A: Yes, you can. Rulebook page 16 under GANG: 'If you already played one or more character cards of the same gang on your previous turns, and there are no other active cards in your combat area (character cards not belonging to the gang or booster cards), then at the beginning of the CHARACTER phase of your subsequent turn you can add one or more character cards of the same gang from your hand without pushing the other cards under it.'. This is an option, it is not compulsory. You can then continue the gang in the usual way if you choose.
Icons: REPLACE
Q: Does using the REPLACE icon count as playing a card? In particular, if you have active support card Brain Drain [Hoax 26] ("On your turn, you may not play more than one card."), and I discard a card with a REPLACE icon in my Leadership phase, must I now retreat?
A: No, it does not count as playing a card. Although the REPLACE rule uses the word "play", the card does not count as played, as it does not satisfy the rules for playing cards. Rulebook page 17, under Special Rules: 'When a player brings a card with a special power into play, he reads out the text.'; this is not done when using the REPLACE icon. Hence in the given case the discarded card does not count towards Brain Drain's restriction and you do not need to retreat, you can still play a character card.
Special Power Texts: General Rules
Q: When is special power text first effective?
A: In most cases, special power text is first effective when the card has come into play, is active, and is read out. (Rulebook page 17, under Special Rules, first point: 'When a player brings a card with a special power into play, he reads out the text.'.) However in five cases special power text is also relevant when the card is in hand, before it is played. (Note that only the first of these cases applies if not using Emissaries and Inquisitors or the Buka Invasion.) The first is that the condition "I may only play this card if ..." on mutant cards and Old Goo Laa's Ghost [Buka 23] ("I may only play this card if I have no cards in my influence area. The contested element of the fight changes between Fire and Earth.") is checked to see if the card can be played. The second is that the condition "I may play this card when ..." or "I may play this card immediately after ..." on interference cards is checked to see if the card can be played. The third is that the text "I must ... to play this card" on Tutu cards is applied before it is played. The fourth is that the condition "I must have ..." on crystal cards is checked to see if the card can be played. The fifth is that the condition "If you have ..." on Buka "B.P." characters is checked to see how the card can be played. Finally note that the condition on Coxswain Mora Marn [Buka 19] ("If this card is played from a landed ship, now I may discard all cards from your combat area, except active PROTECTED cards.") is effective while the card is still loaded on a ship; it is checked while it is in hand, but the condition is never satisfied in that case.
Q: If I keep a card active for longer than one turn, can I use its special power text again?
A: Special power texts divide into three groups. The first group is of texts which take effect when their card is played, and thereafter do not have any effect. This group contains texts using the word "now", texts applied while in hand (see question "When is special power text first effective?"), texts changing the contested element, and the texts on KhindKin [Khind 23, E&I:A deck] ("I may play this card into my combat area without pushing the previously active cards under it."), Bounce Back [Khind 31, Pillar deck] ("My active cards attack again."), Yang [Aqua 12] ("The next character/booster/support card I play on this turn is treated as if it had the FREE icon.") and Yin [Aqua 13] ("The next character/booster/support card I play on this turn is treated as if it had the FREE icon."). The second group is of texts which, as long as they remain active, can be used once on each of my turns, or which apply once on each of your turns, or may be used each time the indicated event happens. This group contains texts including one of the phrases "On my turn", "At the end of my turn", "If my turn is about to end", "at the beginning of my turn", "During my Leadership phase", "By the end of your Booster/Support phase", "On your turn, you must", "If you retreat", or "At the end of each fight". The third group is of texts which continue to be effective as long as their card is active, and contains all other texts. Note that leadership cards, although they may fall in the third group, are not active long enough to have a lasting effect (rulebook page 7, under LEADERSHIP: 'The effects of most leadership cards are implemented immediately, some remain active for your entire turn, but never beyond the current turn.').
Special Power Texts: Ignored (General Rules)
Q: What is the effect of something being ignored?
A: Rulebook page 17, under Special Rules, second point: 'When a card is ignored, its values, icons and special power texts have no effect.'. However note that although these things have no effect, they are still there. This means that although the card's icons are ignored it still has icons, and although its special power text is ignored it still has special power text. A card also retains its other characteristics, including its people, its type (such as character, booster or support) and its moons. An active card remains active, even if ignored. Also note that as well as a card being ignored there are cases where only the card's icons, or only its special power text, is ignored.
Special Power Texts: Ignored (Special Power Text)
Q: If I am using inquisitor Razor-Mind Royal Inspector [Inq 412, E&I:A deck] ("+5 cards + 5 moons I may play my cards as if they had the REPLACE icon.") and you have active Tittertweet [Flit 07] ("Your special power texts are ignored, except on Flit character cards."), can I play all of my cards as if they had the REPLACE icon?
A: No, you cannot. The text on inquisitors, including Razor-Mind, is special power text and is ignored in this case. (Note that it is not possible to affect Razor-Mind's "+5 cards +5 moons" text, which is only relevant before the game starts.)
Special Power Texts: Discard (Caterpillar Cards)
Q: If you have active booster card Caterpillar Eartheroder [Pillar 17, Terrah deck] ("By the end of your Booster/Support phase, you must discard cards with a total printed value of at least 3 Earth from your hand, or retreat."), when can I make my discard? Can I make a discard and then retreat?
A: You can make your discard at any time from your Beginning of Turn phase to your Booster/Support phase. If you make a discard before that point, you can still retreat. Otherwise, you could make the discard, reach your Retreat from Fight? phase or later and determine that you needed to backtrack, but that the only rule permitting backtracking (rulebook page 18, Special Rule 11) does not permit backtracking that far.
Q: If you have active booster card Caterpillar Watertamer [Pillar 18] ("By the end of your Booster/Support phase, you must discard cards with a total printed value at least 2 Fire and 2 Earth (on different cards) from your hand, or retreat."), can I satisfy it by discarding NoStopping [Khind 16] (Fire value 1, Earth value 3) and NoClass [Khind 21] (Fire value 1, Earth value 2) for the 2 fire, and NoNo [Khind 15] (Fire value 3, Earth value 1) and NoClue [Khind 20] (Fire value 2, Earth value 1) for the 2 earth?
A: No, you cannot. Rulebook page 17, under Special Rule 5: 'if you are instructed to discard a number of fire or earth values, you may not discard additional cards that do not contribute to satisfying the instruction.'. The discarding of both fire and earth values is specified by a single instruction, which could be satisfied by discarding fewer of those cards.
Q: I have active Mad Mike Magpie [Flit 13, Terrah deck] ("Your cards with icons are ignored, except Flit character cards and PROTECTED cards."), and you have active character card Crysalus Frendus [Pillar 14] ("The effect of one of my Caterpillar booster cards doubles."), booster card Caterpillar Fireeater [Pillar 16] (FREE icon, "By the end of your Booster/Support phase, you must discard cards with a total printed value of at least 3 Fire from your hand, or retreat.") and booster card Caterpillar Eartheroder [Pillar 17, Terrah deck] (FREE icon, "By the end of your Booster/Support phase, you must discard cards with a total printed value of at least 3 Earth from your hand, or retreat."). I play a character card covering Mad Mike Magpie, so that your Caterpillar booster cards are no longer ignored; when is it decided which of them is doubled? What happens if I can manage to make a discard if Caterpillar Fireeater is doubled, but not if Caterpillar Eartheroder is doubled?
A: The effect of Crysalus Frendus is decided when you cover Mad Mike Magpie. Rulebook page 17, under Special Rule 2: 'If you apply the instruction on one of your cards to an active card and this active card is influenced or discarded by your opponent, then you may apply the instruction to a different active card.'. Your Caterpillar booster cards becoming no longer ignored is an instance of such influence, and hence I may decide at this point to which Caterpillar booster card Crysalus Frendus's effect is applied. If you are unable to make the necessary discard (or choose not to) then you are required to retreat, however strictly you are not allowed to backtrack on hearing my choice of which card to double the effects of (see question "The only way I can avoid having to retreat ... ?" in section 'Card Play: Backtracking' for the consequences of this). Thus if you cannot handle both choices I might make, you should retreat.
Q: What if in the previous question Mad Mike Magpie [Flit 13, Terrah deck] ("Your cards with icons are ignored, except Flit character cards and PROTECTED cards.") is replaced by Hank Highflyer Hawk [Flit 12, Hoax deck] ("Your character cards are ignored, except Flit character cards.") so that when it is covered it is character card Crysalus Frendus [Pillar 14] ("The effect of one of my Caterpillar booster cards doubles.") that is no longer ignored?
A: The effect is the same. This relies on an interpretation of the quoted rule that includes the influence on the two Caterpillar booster cards being indirect, through Crysalus Frendus no longer being ignored. This is in the spirit of the quoted rule, if not its exact letter, is consistent with the previous question, and avoids having to introduce any form of memory to the situation.
Special Power Texts: Khind Cards
Q: Can I use the ability of TopDog [Khind 06] ("On my turn, I may discard one of your active cards that has an icon, except your last remaining active character card and PROTECTED cards.") or TopNotch [Khind 07] ("On my turn, I may discard one of your active booster/support cards.") in my turn before I either retreat, or play a character card not from the "Top" gang? What about Genathones the Blind [Hoax 14] ("On my turn, I may play one additional support card.") which has similar wording?
A: Yes, you can use TopDog's or TopNotch's abilities again - even though this means you have used the card's ability twice, but it has only been active for one turn (or three times for two turns, and so on). However Genathones the Blind is different. Its ability is only usable in your Booster/Support phase, so you cannot use it before retreating, and you can only use it once (or once per turn if you can keep it in play).
Q: Can I play leadership card Bounce Back [Khind 31, Pillar deck] (STOP icon, "My active cards attack again.") when I have no active character cards? If so, what is my total power?
A: Yes, you can. The usual rules (rulebook page 7, under CHARACTER: 'In order to continue the current fight, you must play a character card.') are superseded by Bounce Back (rulebook page 17, under Special Rules, first point: 'Instructions on the cards supersede these game rules.'). There is no rule that you must have a character card. If this is the start of a fight you still choose the element. (This can also occur if I retrieve my active character, or if you discard cards from my combat area.)
Special Power Texts: Aqua Cards
Q: If you have active support card Torrential Flood [Aqua 25] ("If I have more than one active Flood support card after the end of my turn, then you must immediately retreat.") and support card Tidal Flood [Aqua 26] ("If I have more than one active Flood support card after the end of my turn, then you must immediately retreat."), when exactly do I retreat, and what can I do before retreating?
A: You retreat after the end of my turn, but before the beginning of your turn, so you cannot do anything else. Note that this differs from all other cases of retreating due to the effects of special power text, due to the use of the word "immediately". In all other cases you retreat only in your Retreat from Fight? phase. (This does not include retreats due to having your bluff successfully called when using the Buka Invasion deck, when you retreat in your Announce Power phase.)
Special Power Texts: Other
Q: If I have six cards and play Ketharkopas the Astronomer [Hoax 15, Khind deck] ("If my turn is about to end with me holding fewer than nine cards in my hand, I may draw to nine cards.") and support card Oath of Khindship [Khind 28] ("At the end of my turn, I may draw one additional card."), how many cards do I draw altogether?
A: 5, up to 9. First you refresh your hand up to 6 cards, drawing 2 cards, then you draw 1 card for Oath of Khindship in your End of Turn phase, up to 7 cards, then your turn is about to end, so you draw 2 more cards up to 9 cards for Ketharkopas the Astronomer.
Q: If you have active Bottelus Emptius [Pillar 15] ("You may not take further cards into your hand.") and I play Shaman of the Holy Sacrifice [Mimix 18] ("At the end of my turn, I may reveal (up to) three cards from the top of my draw deck, then discard one of them and take the others into my hand.") what can I do using its special power text?
A: Nothing. When you reveal cards, this is as part of taking these cards into your hand. (See also question "Where can my cards be?" in section 'Card Play: Locations and Status'.) But as you cannot do this due to Bottelus Emptius, you cannot reveal any cards. Note that you cannot discard a card either, as that follows the revealing of cards, and is dependent on it.
Q: If I play Shaman of the Deeds to Come [Mimix 19] ("At the end of my turn, I may draw (up to) three additional cards and then shuffle any two cards from my hand into my draw deck."), can I draw, for example, two cards rather than three even though I have at least three cards in my draw deck?
A: Yes, you can. The card says "up to", without any qualification, so you can draw any number of cards from zero to three. Note that you still have to reshuffle two cards into your draw deck even if you draw fewer than three cards. You also do not have to draw any cards (the card also says "may") if you do not want to, in which case you do not have to reshuffle any cards. Thus if you do not draw any cards, then you can choose to reshuffle two cards, or not, by treating this case either as drawing zero cards, or as not drawing cards, respectively.
Q: If you have active support card Chitter Chatter [Flit 28, E&I:B deck] ("You may not draw additional cards at the end of your turn.") and I play Ketharkopas the Astronomer [Hoax 15, Khind deck] ("If my turn is about to end with me holding fewer than nine cards in my hand, I may draw to nine cards."), and I have six cards in my hand at the end of my turn, do I draw another three cards?
A: Yes, you do. Chitter Chatter stops you drawing any "additional cards at the end of your turn" which applies to cards with this wording, for example Flare [Vulca 15] ("At the end of my turn, I may draw two additional cards.") or Shaman of the Deeds to Come [Mimix 19] ("At the end of my turn, I may draw (up to) three additional cards and then shuffle any two cards from my hand into my draw deck."). It does not apply to normal refreshing, nor to other cards which allow you to gain cards using any other wording, such as Ketharkopas the Astronomer, Shaman of the Holy Sacrifice [Mimix 18] ("At the end of my turn, I may reveal (up to) three cards from the top of my draw deck, then discard one of them and take the others into my hand."), Shaman of the Afterlife [Mimix 21] ("Immediately after my Booster/Support phase, I shuffle my discard pile face down and may draw two cards from it into my hand.") or leadership card Muster Reinforcements [Hoax 27] ("Now I may draw five cards.").
Interference Cards
Q: If you have active support card Brain Drain [Hoax 26] ("On your turn, you may not play more than one card."), and I play a character card, and you respond with interference card Shame on you! [Inter 402, E&I:A deck] ("I may play this card when you play your first character card on your turn: Your card is cancelled and discarded. You must play a replacement or retreat."), can I respond with interference card I saw that coming! [Inter 407, E&I:A deck] ("I may play this card when you play an interference card. Your card is cancelled and discarded.")?
A: No, you cannot. Although Shame on you! will cancel the character card, and cause it not to count as a played card, this would not apply until after I saw that coming! is not played. This is because if, in the absence of Brain Drain, Shame on you! caused the character card to not count as played before I saw that coming! may or may not be played, then the character card would be played, become not played, and then, if I saw that coming! were played, become played again, and the rules do not include the concept of playing a card again, or what its effects would be. Note that I saw that coming! is your only interference card that is affected by Brain Drain, and only if not played in response to my I saw that coming!, as it is the interference card you play in your turn.
Inquisitors
Q: If I am using inquisitor Swift-Fist Royal Marshal [Inq 411, E&I:B deck] ("+0 cards + 0 moons At the start of the game, I attract one dragon."), when do I attract the dragon and choose which one?
A: At the start of the game means as early as possible. So following rulebook page 3, Game Preparation, you lay out the game board, put the three dragons in the middle, and each take your deck and display your leader and inquisitor. This is now the earliest point at which you can attract the dragon. It is also consistent with rulebook page 17, under Special Rules: 'When a player brings a card with a special power into play, he reads out the text.' and this applies to Swift-Fist too. Note that this is before you see your opening hand.
Ships: Loading Ships
Q: If you have active support card Pandemonium [Khind 26, Vulca deck] ("You may not play support cards."), can I load cards onto ships?
A: You cannot load cards onto ships in your Booster/Support phase. Buka Invasion rulesheet, under Loading a Ship: 'If you are prevented from playing support cards you may not load any cards onto ships.'. There is an exception to this rule, you may load cards when playing ship card Sea Devil [Buka 29] (Capacity 3, "Now I may load up to three cards from my hand onto this ship."). This is because the quoted rule applies only to loading cards in the Booster/Support phase. (This is not entirely clear from the English rules, the German rules however add words equivalent to "at this point in time" to the quoted rule.) Note that similar reasoning applies if using support card Brain Drain [Hoax 26] ("On your turn, you may not play more than one card.") instead of Pandemonium, it prevents loading cards in your Booster/Support phase (as you must have already played a card) but does not prevent loading cards after playing Sea Devil (although you will then have to retreat, having played Sea Devil).
Q: If you have active Ferro Fos [Terrah 12] ("You may not play cards that have special power text."), can I load a card with special power text onto a ship?
A: Yes, you can. Buka Invasion rulesheet, under Loading a Ship: 'Instead of playing a support card, you may load a card onto one of your ships' defines loading a card as instead of playing a card, not as playing a card, and therefore Ferro Fos's restriction does not apply. (Note that the later rule 'If you are prevented from playing support cards you may not load any cards onto ships.' is not applicable here, it refers only to a complete inability to play support cards, not a limitation on playing some support cards.)
Bluffing: General Rules
Q: Cards with a BLUFF icon are character cards, but are played as support cards, so are they affected by cards that affect character cards, or by cards that affect support cards?
A: In hand these cards are character cards, as indicated on them, they are affected by effects that apply to character cards, but not by effects that apply to support cards (see section 'Card Play: Cards in Hand' for effects that apply to cards in hand). However while they are character cards, they are played as support cards (Buka Invasion rulesheet, under Bluffing: 'You may play a card with a BLUFF icon facedown into your support area, unseen by your opponent. This is treated as the play of a support card.'). Finally, once in play, bluff cards are treated as support cards (Buka Invasion rulesheet, under Bluffing: 'Such a facedown card in play is known as a bluff card, and it is considered as an active support card in all regards').
Q: If you have active Corono Cos [Terrah 16] ("You may not play cards that do not have special power text."), can I play a card with a BLUFF icon, and without special power text, as a bluff card?
A: No, you cannot. Buka Invasion rulesheet, under Bluffing: 'You may play a card with a BLUFF icon facedown into your support area, unseen by your opponent. This is treated as the play of a support card.'. Consequently it is subject to the restrictions of such card play, and in this case that includes that it must have special power text. Of course at the time of play, this cannot be verified, but that also applies to that it must have a BLUFF icon. In order that this can be verified when the bluff card is discarded, it must be noted which bluff card(s) are subject to such a restriction. This can be done because bluff cards can be tracked (there is no suggestion otherwise).
Q: How can I tell that all the cards you have played face down are legal? What happens if they are not?
A: Buka Invasion rulesheet, under Bluffing: 'Whenever any of your bluff cards are discarded, including facedown ones when a fight ends, they are revealed to your opponent when placed onto the discard pile.'. (For possible exceptions to this rule, and how to handle them, see the following question.) You will thus eventually discover that I have misplayed. Strictly, this should then be treated similarly to rulebook page 18, Special Rule 11, and I would lose the game with you scoring maximum. You may, or may not, choose to be more forgiving in a friendly game.
Q: What happens if I have an active bluff card, which you have not seen, and I then play leadership card Summon Sorcerer [Vulca 28] ("Now I may retrieve one of my active cards into my hand.") to return it to my hand? What if the card did not actually have a BLUFF icon?
A: Strictly speaking, this case is not covered by the previous answer, and it may be argued that, by the letter of the rules, your card is returned to hand unseen by me, and that I cannot detect that you played a non-bluff card. Note that such play is not however permitted by the rules, and it is cheating to do this and attempt to cover it up. That this cannot be detected is not satisfactory, and the spirit, and intent, of the rule quoted in the previous answer is that a bluff card is revealed whenever it ceases to be a bluff card. You should therefore reveal a retrieved bluff card, even in friendly play; in a tournament this is essential. Note that a similar answer applies if you play Erupta [Vulca 17, E&I:B deck] ("Now I may force you to shuffle all cards from your combat and support areas into your draw deck, except active PROTECTED cards.") rather than Summon Sorcerer.
Bluffing: Calling a Bluff
Q: If you have an active bluff card and announce your total power, can I call your bluff and then, if that call fails and the fight continues, play interference card Enough of this! [Inter 404, E&I:A deck] ("I may play this card immediately after you announce your power: Your turn ends immediately.")?
A: No, you cannot. You can only play Enough of this! immediately after I announce my total power, and if you call my bluff you have given up this opportunity. (Note that you cannot play Enough of this! first and then call my bluff either, as once you have played Enough of this! my turn is over and you cannot call my bluff.)
Start of Fight
Q: If a player declines to start a fight, is this the end of a fight? And does that matter?
A: No, the fight has not started, so it is not the end of a fight. This means that the player refreshes his hand to six cards as described on rulebook page 9, under Declining to Start a Fight, rather than due to the fourth point under Winning a Fight on the same page. This has two consequences. First, only the player who declined to start the fight refreshes his hand, and second, if the player who declined to start the fight has active Hyla Octak [Infl 607, E&I:A deck] ("At the end of each fight, if I hold fewer than eight cards in my hand, I may draw to eight cards.") he refreshes only to six cards, not eight, because this is not the end of a fight.
Q: I am due to start a fight, but plan to decline to do so. But first I play leadership card Charm Holy Dragon [Vulca 29] ("Now I may discard cards with a total printed value of at least 8 Fire from my hand to attract one dragon."), and I need to discard all my five remaining cards to do so. What can I do now, as I should discard at least one card to decline to start a fight?
A: Decline to start the fight without a discard. The only rule which allows backtracking does not backtrack far enough to cover this case. (Rulebook page 18, under Special Rule 11: 'the game may be backtracked to the situation before the play of the character card.'.) Declining the fight without discarding is as close as you can get to following the rules, which do bot quite cover this case. (This is analogous to, but not covered by, rulebook page 17, Special Rule 4.) Note that the second edition rules do cover this point, and in this way.
End of Game
Q: When a game ends due to my running out of cards, who is the winner?
A: Whichever of us has attracted one or more dragons. You do not lose just because you have run out of cards. Running out of cards only matters in deciding a win if all three dragons are in the neutral position in the centre of the game board. In this case whoever who ran out of cards loses, or if both of us have run out of cards, whoever who ran out of cards first loses. If you run out of cards in hand, but then regain (retrieve or otherwise acquire) cards in hand, you do not count as having run out of cards. If you run out of cards, then regain some cards, and then run out of cards again, only your running out of cards for the final time counts. In other words, if the game ends with all three dragons in the centre of the game board, then the winner is the player who most recently had any cards in hand.
Q: I have attracted three dragons, have an active crystal card, have announced a total power which you cannot match, and am about to win the game with a total score of five crystals. But you decline to retreat, start to play and in so doing reveal some of my cards. Then, as you cannot match my total, you have to backtrack. But at this point you claim that rulebook page 18, Special Rule 11 applies, specifically that you lose the game because of the revealed cards, and by four crystals. But I was going to win by five crystals. This cannot be right, can it?
A: No, it cannot. But first note that with reasonable players this should never be an issue, the rule is only there to cover a case that cannot happen without erroneous play, and I would expect most players in friendly games to not need it. In the second edition this has become the standard rule, except in tournament play not to penalise, but not to abuse this either. The penalty in second edition tournament play has been left up to the tournament organiser to define. However when using first edition rules strictly, and if you get to the point of needing it, note that the rule in question says 'Otherwise the player loses the entire game, the opponent winning the maximum score of four crystals.'. Before Emissaries and Inquisitors was released, the maximum score from a game was four crystals. When using Emissaries and Inquisitors the maximum score is now more (seven, but usually scores above five do not matter), and in keeping with the obvious purpose of the rule, it is the 'maximum' that matters, rather than the 'four'. This maximum should apply whenever using Emissaries and Inquisitors, not only if you have played crystal cards, or even not only if you selected them in your deck. When playing strictly, you should also apply this rule (using whichever maximum number of crystals is appropriate) to other irregularities such as playing with an invalid deck.