Dear all,
I've been playing AGOT and need a little clarification on some of the rules.

1. When a military challenge is unopposed does the defender still have to kill off a selected character?

2. If a participating attacking character has the deadly keyword does it mean that if you loose the challenge you still get to kill the defenders character?

3. If I defend with a character that has the deadly keyword and loose the challenge, do I have to select and kill one of my characters and the defender also has to select and kill an attacking character?

4. If a military challenge is issued and won by a participating attacking character with the deadly keyword does this mean that two defending characters can be killed, one for the claim value on the plot card, and one for the deadly keyword

5. Do plot cards affect all houses in play? For example, if I choose to play a plot card that states that no events can be played during that round; does this affect all houses, or just the opponents?

6. When attaching attachments to opponent’s characters, do these remain in place throughout the game or just for that round? If it’s just for that round are the attachments then placed in the opponents discard pile or your own?

When do you use the discard pile? I have been using this for used events and when event cards specifically tell you to use it. I take it it’s not used for any other reason as you can’t discard drawn cards from your hand into the discard pile and then draw again?

When putting character cards into play do you announce their card effects to the opponent and can you read the other players cards/ ask what the card effects are before making a decision on what to do? I have been assuming you can when you need to as I play with house Stark and do not necessarily have a good knowledge of the other player’s house.

Many thanks

Amnell

Amnell said:

Yes. Of course. The defender still loses the challenge, so they still have to deal with claim effects. We worry about "unopposed" in addition to winning/losing because of the extra power awarded. Winning an unopposed benefit carries two benefits for the attacker.

Amnell said:

Yes, with a couple of caveats. Deadly does resolve whether the attacker wins or loses the challenge. But it only resolves if the attacker has more participating characters w/ Deadly than the defender (for example, a Deadly attacker vs. a Deadly defender means no death by the keyword) and the character that is killed for Deadly can only be a participating defender - not any character controlled by the defending player.

Amnell said:

No. Deadly only kills a participating defender if the attacker has more participating characters with the Deadly keyword than the defender. As stated above, a tie in the number of Deadly characters results in no character being killed. And if the defending player has more participating Deadly characters than the attacker, nothing happens. Nothing dies. Deadly is never a risk for the attacker.

Amnell said:

Not necessarily, and in fact, only if the defending player is not paying attention. When the defender loses the Deadly military challenge, they have to kill any 1 of their characters (assuming claim 1) for claim first, and then kill 1 of their participating defending characters for Deadly. It is a pretty simply matter to choose the 1 character to die for claim in such a way that there are no participating defending characters left to kill for Deadly. For example, if you attack with a Deadly character in a military challenge, I can defend with some weak little weenie character. You win, so I have to kill any character, then kill a defending character. So if I choose the weak little weenie character I used to defend for claim , then I have no participating characters left to kill for Deadly. Now, if I'm not paying attention and choose to kill some weak little power weenie to die for claim, then yeah, the weak little weenie I used to defend will die for Deadly. Or if I defended with 2 weak little weenie characters, still lose the challenge, and choose 1 of them to die for claim, the other will have to be killed for Deadly. So, yes, losing a Deadly military challenge can result in having 2 characters die, but it usually doesn't happen if the defending player is paying attention.

Amnell said:

Unless specifically stated otherwise, plot cards affect all players. You do not get to ignore the effects of your own plot.

Amnell said:

Attachments always stay in play until they are specifically removed or the card they are attached to leaves play. When attachments leave play, they go to the discard pile (unless some card effect says otherwise).

Amnell said:

You've got it a little backwards. Events that are played, cards that are specifically "discarded" and really anything that leaves play goes to the discard pile. Essentially, you use the discard pile for everything. It is the dead pile that isn't used for anything other than effects that specifically say "kill." Usually, the dead pile is significantly smaller than the discard pile at the end of the game.

I'm not sure where the idea of "put a card in the discard pile any time you want and draw a new card" came from, but it certainly is not part of this game. You cannot put cards in the discard pile just because you feel like it. However, the discard pile is the general destination for any card that is not specifically "killed."

Amnell said:

Wow. What kind of games have you been playing or jerks have you been playing against that you'd expect a game to specify a rule that an opponent be given the opportunity to look at your cards and prohibit being blind-sided by things they've never seen before? Yes, you can take the time to read any card that is in play - and you can ask your opponent to pause in their game play long enough for you to do so. It is not specifically necessary to announce everything that every card does when you use it as if you were in a Yu-Gi-Oh! cartoon (how annoying would it get if you had to announce what a Northern Fiefdom did every time you triggered one?), but you are expected to let your opponent see the cards you are using, read them, and digest what is happening - perhaps with a little help or explanation from you. But this isn't a rule so much as common courtesy and sportsmanship.

Many thanks for all your answers Ktom. It sounds like I am doing the right thing for the most part but you have helped to clarify what I was thinking.

I take it attachments, if they belong to your opponent, are returned to your discard pile and not your opponents if you manage to discard them by returning the character they are attached to back to your hand etc?

Amnell

Amnell said:

I'll save ktom the trouble of quoting this part of the FAQ again : ):

(3.29) Changing Control and Leaving Play
When a card leaves play for any reason, it
always returns to its owner's discard pile, dead
pile, hand, deck, or shadows area (depending
on the specific circumstances).