Rules Verification

By Kaimetsu-Uo, in Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game

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So we came across something interesting and odd tonight. I was teaching the game to somebody using the learner decks indicated in the Learn to Play guide. My opponent was about to lose a conflict, and jokingly threw down Outwit (chose an opposing character with lower political skill than a participating courtier you control, move it home). We double-checked the Rules Reference just to make sure. It didn't apply since the Courtier in question wasn't participating in the conflict, but it did raise a question.

Here is the relevant wording:

Control and Ownership

  • A player controls the cards in his or her out-of-play game areas (such as the hand, the dynasty and conflict decks, and the dynasty and conflict discard piles).

Now, check that wording against a card like Favorable Ground.

Action: During a conflict, sacrifice this holding. Choose a character you control - move that character to the conflict or home from the conflict.

By a strict reading of the rules, it appears the "character you control" wording would apply equally to any character in the in-play areas and the out-of-play areas that aren't the Removed From Game areas. This defies common sense, but...rules is rules, after all. Does that mean I can sacrifice Favorable Ground and scout my deck for the "perfect" card for that conflict?

Hooray corner cases.

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Not a lawyer yet, so I don't have RR page reference.

Unless specifically targeting an out of play zone, cards can only target in play.

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6 minutes ago, Shosuro Onigatsu said:

Unless specifically targeting an out of play zone, cards can only target in play.

It would be nice if text to that effect were in the Target rules, but there isn't text indicating that there.

I did find the text for you, though. It's under Ability. Thanks for the guidance.

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I agree. The rules are organized differently than my brain, and it took me a few hours to get familiar enough with them to be ready to play my first game.

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Under Ability on Page 2.

  • Card abilities only interact with, and can only target, cards that are in play, unless the ability specifically refers to an out-of-play area or element. Card abilities on characters, attachments, holdings, strongholds, and provinces can only be initiated or affect the game while they are in play unless the ability specifically refers to being used from an out-of-play area, or require that the card be out of play for the ability to resolve. Event cards and role cards implicitly interact with the game from an out-of-play area, as established by the rules of their cardtypes.