1) After reading again the F&F rules, it seems that expand your capital to a metropolis is allowed if an ennemy figure stands in the outskirt (because nothing say the contrary). About huts and villages, this will be clarified in the Faq. But i think you should also clarify this case because the rules only talk about overlaping another city outskirt, outskirt out of the map, and outskirt in unexplored territory (and in the Faq, huts and villages). The rules also say that you cannot expand on a square containing an ennemy figure.

So the problem is :

This said, it seems it is allowed to grow into metropolis if an ennemy figure stands in the old or new outskirt.
If you follow the rules, it seems to be allowed. I think this should be added to the Faq.

But what if you have an ennemy figure standing in the "old" city outskirt, can you grow into metropolis considering the 2 new squares are valid (the square containing the ennemy figure is at the other side of the grow) ?


XXOOOX
XXOCEX
XXOOOX

C = City center / E = Ennemy figure / O = Outskirt

Then you grow into Metropolis

XOOOOX
XOMCEX
XOOOOX

M = Second city center square. -> MC is the overall city.

Is this allowed ?


And what about this one. The ennemy figure stands in the outskirt of the "old" city (C square) and "new" (M square).

XXOEOX
XXOCOX
XXOOOX

XXOEOX
XXMCOX
XXOOOX

Not allowed because the ennemy figure is adjacent to the M square ?



I think the best solution is to forbid the grow of the metropolis if an ennemy figure stands in the outskirt of the "old" city, or will stand in the ouskirt of the metropolis.
Then, as said in the F&F rulesbook, your city will (and will have to) grow at the next Sot where a valid position can be found.

2) Archimedes where we had a long debate... about the anytime, the research, the learn a tech, etc... An argument that Mercuric advanced (that i'm quite agree with) in that in the rulesbook, the terms "research a tech" and "learn a tech" are both used in some similar case (for example : Thomas Edison talks about research a tech for free) -> we thought you get 3 cultures everytime you learn, research a tech that you are the first to get. About research phase there aren't problems because this phase is "simultaneous" for everyone.

The best argument on the other side was that if you get a tech during SoT, the turn haves just began, and you will have to wait the end of the turn to see if no one else will get the same tech.

Our main argument (Mercuric and I) was that a GP where "Anytime" is written, is a GP that acts anytime, so not only during the research phase. When you take a look at Shakespeare GP, it's quite the same : It acts anytime, because you can move on the culture track during another phase than CM (for exemple, Arabia can move during SoT while investing a coin). This is where our opponent argues that "Anytime" means you reveal your GP anytime and have nothinng to do with the moment where the GP can act. But that argument is clearly wrong when you take a look at Rules of F&F in which it said that every GP are revealed the first time you use it. So if "Anytime" is written on Archimedes, it was clear it can be revealed during another phase than research phase, because it can act during another phase.

I think the best solution would have been to change the "Anytime" on Archimedes card by "Research".

3) There is also a special case with Communism ability.

Communism : Choose a square. No figure may leave that square this turn. This may interrupt a figure's movement.

Here is the case : Check the Pics at this Adress http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/991045/communism-question

The blue player haves communism, the yellow player haves sailing and want to get Atlantis.

Can the blue player use a Spy on square D5 to block both yellow armies ?
If yes, can the armies still move on D5 square but cannot move further as they cannot leave the square due to Communism ?

Can he use the spy when yellow player moves his first army on D5 square ? So, the figure is blocked at D5 and the other army can move on D5 but cannot go further ?



I'm asking this because Communism is 99% of time played on a square with figures to stop them directly, and forbid their attack.

The case is allowed if you follow strictly the text, but a lot of players answered saying it was not the intention of the designer, and that will stand in a Faq. So the case would not be allowed anymore.

4) One more question that was a thousand times asked :

Rulesbook p 26 :
"The player declares which of
their cities the scout is “sending” the square to during the Start
of Turn Phase, and all of the icons in that square (including
trade, production, culture, coins, and resources) are then
considered to be in that city’s outskirts for the rest of the turn.
Consequently, the city benefits from any trade, production, or
other icons in the square for the turn."

If the square Gathered is modified after the player decided to "send" the square -> What will be the benefit of the City ? Old "sending" or new square sending ?
For exemple : Player A begins, during his SoT one of his Scout send to his capital a square with 2 hammers (forest). Then player B SoT -> Player B play a Drought on that square. -> Will the Capital of player A benefit of + 2 hammers or of +1 trade ?
The case appears most of the time when a scout is sending a square belonging to a City to another City. For exemple the Scout stands on a moutain in the outskirt of the second City, and send the square to the Capital (+1 hammer), but during CM, second city builds a Workshop on the moutain -> Will the capital benefit of +1 hammer or +3 hammers ?

5) Can you destroy one of your own wonder with Monarchy or Gunpowder ; your own buildings with Gunpowder or Combustion ?

6) Can you Nuke one of your own city ? (To destroy ennemies Armies in the outskirt ^^).

7) Can you Invest a coin the same start of turn you get 2 free investments due to seven cities of gold ?

8) A clarification about what "empty square" exactly means would be great. No fgiure (Ok), but what about building, wonder, Gp and disaster. I think disaster is considered as empty square, but for other markers, the doubt stays there...

9) Chinese resurrect ability and Hut/Village Information.

Someone asked a question about the timing between these 2 things.

Do you first get the information of the Village and then you can decide to resurrect an unit ?
Or
Do you first have to decide to resurrect an unit and then get the Village information ?

This case can also happen if you decide to take a Hut or a Village as loot from another player.

10) Shakespeare and tie-break :

How do you handle this case :

Player A plays first and reach the end of the culture track (where you draw a culture card as specified in the Faq).
Player B plays after. He haves Shakespeare and also reach the end of the Culture track. So he Jumps above the marker of the other player and reach an unbelievable step (a vortex that maybe bring him back to the point 0 of the culture track... no I'm joking ^^).

So 2 questions even if I think one is very simple but the other one is maybe more difficult to answer.

1) Does Player B draws a Culture card ? (i suppose yes...)
2) Does Player B get one more point for the tie-break ? Player A gets 21 points from his move on the Culture track. But does Player B gets 22 points from his move on the Culture track ?

One argument is : When you count the point for tie-break from coins, you count the Coins even those above 15. So maybe this one more step on the Culture track should be considered.

One other argument is : If this is allowed, then a Player that reached the end of the Culture track could still move on it (if he haves enough cultures and trades to do so), and so get some more points for the tie-break, and also (if the answer to question 1) is Yes) some more Culture Cards.

Or do you simply consider that the Culture track haves an end and then player B just stops at the end of it (and don't jump above Player A, abording Shakespeare ability in this specific case, as Shakespeare states that the player may skip one step on the culture track where there is another player marker on it.

What do you think ?

That's all for the moment but this is already huge ^^.

1) Never seen this one. A figure normally blockades the city. Hard to say

2) I would have to ponder this.

3) Card states "cannot LEAVE square" so yes, you use this as an obstical.

4) The square becomes "useless" before the player can use the resouces if the square was modified during Start of Turn phase

5) You could, but why?

6) "Nuke a non-capitol city." It does not specifically say opponent, so I agree w/ you.

7) Yes, you can only convert 1 coin to an investment coin per turn. So you have to unspent investment coins.

8) Empty square means building and army. kind of like turning a desert into water under a civilization army that does't have sailing. You are killing the forces w/out fighting or proper culture event.

9) Ressurect only occurs at the end of a battle. The chienese can recall 1 unit lost from the battle that was just finished.

10) The end of the culture track is a wall, the remaining culture is negated. Use tie-breaking rules to resolve.

5) Very rare case but can be usefull. Let's say I'm the starting player, the player just after me is going to lose his capital, the player just after is the player that will win military, and the last player haves nothing to do except he haves 2 barracks.

I have 3 barracks and the last player haves 2 barracks. The player that is going to lose haves no interest in building Units as they will be crushed by the other player Units that are stronger. -> The only solution to save the player is to destroy my own barracks (even if I can destroy a barracks from the last player but let's say he's also in a weird situation vs the third player -> I prefer to destroy my own barracks) and let him build it during his Cm.

Ok i know this case haves like 0,0001 % chance to happen but who knows ^^.