[MECCG] CRF 10 Rulings by Term

[Ichabod]

Rulings By Term

-= AAA =-

Actions
Tapping a resource can only be done at a time when you could otherwise play
a resource event.

Active Conditions
An active condition must be in play or established when the action
requiring it is declared. Active conditions serve as the price of an action.
They are restrictions on the player invoking the action.
Annotation 5: If an action requires an entity to tap as a condition for the
action's main effect, that entity must be untapped when the action is
declared; else, the action may not be declared. Tap the entity at this point;
this is considered synonymous with the action's declaration, i.e., it is not a
separate action. When it comes time to resolve the action in its chain of
effects, that entity must still be in play and tapped or the action is
canceled.
Annotation 6: If an action requires an entity to be discarded as a
condition for the action's main effect, that entity must be discarded when the
action is declared; this is considered synonymous with the action's
declaration, i.e., it is not a separate action.
Annotation 7: If any other active condition for an action does not exist
when the action is resolved, the action has no effect; if the action was
playing a card from your hand, it is discarded.
Annotation 8: An action that requires a target is considered to have the
active condition that the target be in play when the action is declared and
when it is resolved. An action may not be declared if its target is not in
play. However, dice-rolling actions may always be targeted by other actions
declared later in the same chain of effects.
When a card mentions an alternate use, the active conditions given in the
beginning of the card text need only be met if they are also mentioned by the
alternate use.
Your opponent's resources may be the active conditions for your resources,
but may not be the targets for your resources.
See also Rulings by Term, Target

Agent
Rules Erratum: A tapped agent may take an action to untap (i.e., move from
tapped status to utapped status).
Rules Erratum: An agent may tap to play creatures at a site if the company
is moving to the site.
Playing a card that makes an agent attack is considered the attack's
declaration.
Agents are not creatures.
Rolls made by agents during combat are done simultaneously with rolls made
by characters during combat, after step 4 of the strike sequence.
Only face-up agents are considered for uniqueness.
While in play agents played as hazards may not become minion characters,
and agents played as minion characters may not become hazards.
An agent played as a character in a Ringwraith deck can only be played at
his home site.
When constructing a Ringwraith deck, agents are always considered
characters. The maximum of 36 mind of agents in your sideboard and play deck
combined still applies.
To wound an agent you only need to defeat the prowess of one strike. To
eliminate an agent you must defeat the prowess and body for all strikes.
Revealed agents may return to their home site, even if they are at one of
their home sites.
Cards played on an agent remain face up when the agent turns face down.
Agents may not move to any version of a hero Haven, unless they have a
special ability allowing them to.
@ Fallen-wizards use minion rules for agents, except where specified by the
White Hand rules insert.
See also Rulings by Term, Card Effect Limitations.

Ahunt Manifestations
If one Ahunt is out and you move through two or more of the regions listed
on it, then you face the attack once.

Ally
Allies may tap to cancel attacks from Slayers and Assassins.
Allies cannot be targeted to be taken prisoner, and otherwise cannot be
taken prisoner.
If an ally may not be attacked by certain attacks, he may still tap to give
+1 prowess to characters facing such attacks.
Playing an ally is not an influence attempt.
If an ally's controller leaves play for any reason, that ally is discarded.
Allies can be healed as if they were characters. Otherwise, allies are only
considered characters for the purposes of combat and playing skill cards.

-= BBB =-

Burglary Attempts
After a successful burglary attempt, another character may tap to play a
minor item.
The character who fails the burglary roll must face the automatic-attack as
though he were a one-character company. He can receive no combat support other
than what he himself can provide.
On-guard creatures are faced by the whole company after a Burglaring
attempt, regardless of the success of the attempt.

Body Check
Annotation 22: When a character fails a body check, his items may be
immediately reassigned to unwounded characters in his company, one item per
character. Reassigning of the eliminated character's items is considered to be
synonymous with his failed body check, i.e., no action may take place between
the failed check and reassigning the items. Unassigned items are discarded.
Effects that modify a character's body also modify the number an Orc or
Troll would be discarded on. A maximum to body applies equally to the discard
number.
If an Orc or Troll could be discarded and eliminated by a result, discard
them instead of eliminating them.
"Affecting the body check" includes modifying the die roll or the body of
the character making the check.
See also Movement/Hazard Phase, Combat, General.

-= CCC =-

Cannot be Duplicated
Short-events that cannot be duplicated cannot be played if a card of the
same name is currently having an effect on play.
Annotation 11 (modified from its original version): Some cards cannot be
duplicated in limited cases -- generally on a specific target. Multiple copies
of these cards or their effects may be in play normally, so long as each
applies to a different target. A card that cannot be duplicated can be played
when a copy is already in play only if the copy in play is currently being
targeted by an effect that will discard it.

Card Effect Limitations
You may not play the following cards if your opponent is a Ringwraith or
Sauron. Additionally, if you are not a Ringwraith or Sauron, a Ringwraith or
Sauron opponent can play these cards against you and not be affected by any of
their global effects.

* All hazard events that require an agent*
* Bane of the Ithil-stone
* The Black Enemy's Wrath
* Foul Fumes
* In the Heart of His Realm
* Mordor in Arms
* Mumak
* Worn and Famished

*Near to Hear a Whisper and Sudden Fury from Middle-earth: Against the
Shadow and Great Need or Purpose may be played because they do not target a
specific agent.
The following cards are also listed in the MELE Rules book as having no
effect on a Ringwraith/Sauron player, but this interpretation has been
modified.
Chance of Being Lost and Winds of Wrath: You may play these cards against
any opponent who is using the same type of location deck (hero sites or minion
sites) as yourself.
Great Secrets Buried There: This card may be played against a Ringwraith or
Sauron player one month after the release of Middle-earth: Against the Shadow.
The Nazgul are Abroad: This card may be played against a Ringwraith or
Sauron player. The only restriction is that the first two paragraphs are
ignored when you play Nazgul creatures against a Ringwraith or Sauron
opponent. Any player can recycle Nazgul hazards as stated on the card.

Character
A character enacting an effect counts as a character in his company, and
may affect himself as a character in the company.
A character in play must always be in one of three independent states:
untapped, tapped, or wounded.
You can have three of a non-unique character in your deck.
Prowess modification due to tapped and wounded status apply only
during the strike sequence.
See also Turn Sequence, Organization Phase, Followers and Playing
Characters

Company
If all characters in a company are removed from the company, all resource
permanent-events played on the company as a whole are discarded.
If all characters in a company leave play, the site goes to the location
deck or discard pile, depending on its tapped status. If this happens during
the movement/hazard phase, the site card stays in play until the end of all
movement/hazard phases. In this case, on-guard cards may still be played on
the site.
The following allies make a company overt: The Balrog, Creature of an Older
World, Great Bats, Great Lord of Goblin-gate, Last Child of Ungoliant,
Regiment of Black Crows, and "Two-headed" Troll.
Entities associated with a company include the characters, allies, and
items in the company, and any events played on the company or on another
entity in the company. The new site and site of origin are not entities
associated with the company.
See also Turn Sequence, Organization Phase, Organizing Companies; and
Rulings by Term, Influence.

Corruption
Annotation 23: When a character fails a corruption check, the standard
effects of this (i.e., the character being discarded or eliminated and his
items being discarded) are implemented immediately and are considered
synonymous with the failed check. A card causing the corruption check may
modify the standard effects of a failed check (e.g. The Precious), but this
timing would not be changed. Certain cards, e.g., Traitor, which do not cause
a corruption check, but specify an action that results from the passive
condition of a failed check, take effect as the first declared action in a
chain of effects immediately following the chain of effects that contains the
corruption check.
Characters with 0 corruption points must still make corruption checks.
A character may attempt to remove a corruption card without tapping. The
roll is at -3.
You can not attempt to remove a corruption card without tapping if you have
attempted to remove that card already this turn. You may not tap to remove a
corruption card that you tried to remove without tapping already this turn.
The resolution of a character tapping to give +1 to a corruption check
happens when the corruption check itself resolves.
If an effect is in play that prevents a character from being discarded, the
character is not considered to fail his corruption check if a result is
achieved that would discard him. A Wizard would not be eliminated and his
player would not lose the game.
A character attempting to remove a corruption card on another character
may ignore the tapping requirement and recieve a -3 to the roll.
See also Turn Sequence, Organization Phase, Storing Items.

-= DDD =-

Darkhaven
Rules Erratum: Attacks keyed to Darkhavens are detainment. [effective
11/17/97]
Whenever a hazard affecting heroes refers to a Darkhaven, interpret it as
referring to a Haven instead.
Attacks at Darkhavens are canceled only if the company is at the Darkhaven.
Darkhavens count as their own nearest Darkhaven.

Detainment Attacks
When a strike from a detainment attack succeeds, the character who was
facing that particular strike must tap.
Attacks that have special effects when they wound a character do not have
that effect when they are detainment attacks. This is because detainment
attacks never wound a character.

Discard
A discarded non-Wizard/non-Ringwraith character may be brought into play
again by any player.
When a card is discarded, so are all permanent-events on that card.
Cards discarded from a player's hand must be discarded one at a time. This
is mainly to allow a Pallando player to see each card as it is discarded.
Whenever a character is discarded, all non-follower cards played with that
character are also discarded.
If a card leaves active play, including being returned to a player's hand,
it immediately ceases having an effect on play. [effective 11/3/97]

Dragons
Dragon automatic-attacks are not considered manifestations of any unique
Dragon.
If a manifestation of a unique Dragon is defeated, then the autmatic-attack
at the associated site is removed, and that site therefore loses its hoard
status.

-= EEE =-

Eliminated
When a card is eliminated, all permanent-events on that card are discarded.

Exhausted
Permanent-events discarded when the play deck is exhausted are shuffled
into the new play deck along with the rest of the discard pile.

-= GGG =-

Gold Ring Item
When a gold ring item is tested, the ring is discarded and its marshalling
points are lost whether or not you are able to play a special item.
Ring special items played as a result of storing a ring at a Darkhaven come
into play stored.

-= HHH =-

Hand Size
Effects which increase your hand size or allow you to hold one more card in
your hand mean that you draw up to your new hand size or discard down to it at
the appropriate points during the game.
Effects which increase hand size are cumulative.
See also Card Errata and Rulings, Favor of the Valar.

Haven
Havens can tap.
Whenever a hazard affecting minions refers to a Haven, interpret it as
referring to a Darkhaven instead.
Havens count as their own nearest Haven.

Hobbits
If a Hobbit is a starting character and leaves play, then it may only be
brought back into play normally at Bag End.

-= III =-

Influence
Restricted direct influence is limited in its use, usually to characters
and/or factions of specific races. Unrestricted influence has no use
restrictions.
When a character suffers a minus to direct influence, it must come from
unrestricted direct influence first. If there is no unrestricted influence and
there are multiple instances of restricted direct influence, the player may
choose which restricted direct influence the minus is applied to.
A character removed from the control of direct influence outside the
organization phase does not need to be controlled by general influence until
that player's next organization phase.
See also Turn Sequence, Organization Phase, Followers and Organizing
Companies; and Rulings by Term, Company.
Changes to general influence take place immediately, with a minimum of zero
free general influence.

Items
The "free" minor item may only be played immediately after playing the
resource that taps that site.

-= MMM =-

Marshalling Point Pile
Under standard rules, no more than half of your marshalling points can come
from any one type of marshalling point. Do not round up. The easiest way to
deal with this is to set the category with the most marshalling points to
equal the total of all other categories of marshalling points.
You may not target hazards in your opponent's marshalling point pile for
removal.
You may not gain marshalling points from a hazard you played yourself.

May not Untap
Nothing may untap a character who is the subject of an effect that states
the character may not untap.

MELE vs. METW
Hero items may not be used as conditions for minion resources, and minion
items may not be used as conditions for hero resources. Note that a Fallen-
wizard may play special ring items regardless of the alignment of the gold
ring item tested.
# If you are playing against a deck with three Wizards in it, you may play
any combination of three Ringwraiths, except one each of three different
Ringwraiths.
You may not have both the minion and hero version of a unique item in your
deck.

Minion characters
Minion characters are not affected by cards that target agents.

Modes
When one mode effect is applied to a Ringwraith, all other cards applying a
mode effect to that Ringwraith are discarded.
When a Ringwraith is in a mode, only apply the effects listed on the mode
card, on the Ringwraith, and in the rules for that mode. Do not worry about
cards that are not in play.

Multi-player Games
Only the moving player, and the hazard player drawing cards based on his
movement, may take advantage of drawing cards, including cards drawn for
events like The Nazgul are Abroad and From the Pits of Angband. These two
players are also the only ones who may discard a card at the end of the turn.
All players reset their hand size when any turn or movement/hazard phase
ends.
In multi-player games the following hazards count as 1/2 a creature:
hazards that can be played as events or creatures, Ahunt Dragon
manifestations, and At Home Dragon manifestations. Agents in a Wizard deck
also count as 1/2 creatures.
You may only play The Lidless Eye if none of your opponents are
Ringwraiths.
Twilight may only be played by the moving player and the hazard player. As
an exception, a player who's own environment will be discarded by an
environment may play Twilight to cancel that environment.
For Spying out the Land and Here is a Snake, each hazard player shows
hazards immediately before he draws and/or plays hazards, and then can only
play those hazards. Players who are not playing hazards are not required to
show hazards.

-= NNN =-

Normal
Normal means as written on the card, not considering other card's effects.
Note that this definition only applies to affects refering to card texts.

Nazgul
If a Nazgul is tapped to become a short-event as printed on its card, it
turns into a short-event upon declaration. At this point, the Nazgul is a
short-event just as if had been played as such from your hand.
The body referred to in the text of female characters with combat bonuses
against Nazgul is the body of the Nazgul

-= OOO =-

Off to the Side
Host cards of cards off to the side can be targeted normally.

Optional Rules
If a character is facing two strikes, and the first strike kills the
character, the second strike is considered successful.
A character tapping to face two strikes is at -3 prowess against both
strikes. The character taps when resolving the second strike.
For recently visited sites in multi-player games, the automatic-attack gets
+1 for each player who has that site in their discard pile.
See also Rulings by Term, Burglary Attempts.

-= PPP =-

Passive Conditions
A passive condition causes an action to happen as stated on a card already
in play.
Annotation 9: If a card specifies that an action is to occur as a result of
some specific passive condition, this action becomes automatically the first
action declared in the chain of effects to immediately follow the chain of
effects producing the passive condition. The passive condition must exist when
this resulting action is resolved in its own chain of effects, or the action
is canceled. Note that actions in the strike sequence follow a different set
of rules.
Annotation 9a: If a card is required to be discarded by some passive
condition, the card is discarded immediately when the condition resolves, not
in the following chain of effects.
Annotation 10: If more than one action is required to be the first action
declared in a chain of effects, the player whose turn it is chooses the order
in which they are declared. No other actions may be declared in this follow-up
chain until the multiple required actions have been declared.
A card causing an action as a result of a passive condition must be in play
when the action resolves, or else the action is canceled.

Playing a Card
Playing a card is the process of bringing a card from your hand into play.
@ You may not play a card which has no effect on the game. Causing a dice
roll is considered to be having an effect on the game.

-= RRR =-

Reveal
Any revealed cards are shown to all players.

Ringwraith
You may have any number of Ringwraiths in your sideboard, as long as you do
not duplicate more than one of them in the combined deck and sideboard.
Characters with combat bonuses against Nazgul also get those bonuses
against Ringwraiths. However, other effects that affect Nazgul do not affect
Ringwraiths.
Ringwraith may not move from a non-Darkhaven site to another non-Darkhaven
site unless they are using Dwar Unleashed. This means a Ringwraith may not
move to Under-deeps sites that do not have a Darkhaven for a surface site.

Ringwraith Follower
Ringwraith followers may still use magic as printed on their card.
When your revealed Ringwraith leaves play without being eliminated, you
have until the end of your next organization phase to bring your Ringwraith
back into play, and use him to re-control any Ringwraith followers. Otherwise,
all Ringwraith followers are discarded.

-= SSS =-

Sage Only
Any card requiring a sage to play is a sage only card.

Short-event
Short-events are discarded when resolved in a chain of effects, not when
declared. Thus, they can be targeted by certain special effects in the chain
of effects.

Sideboard
The sideboard is increased to 25 cards.
You can access hazards from your sideboard when your opponent's Wizard is
in play. You must declare this at the end of your opponent's untap phase and
then access hazards as if you had tapped a Nazgul permanent-event to do so.
The hazard limit against all of your opponent's companies that turn is halved,
rounded up.
Tapping a Nazgul to bring cards in from the sideboard does not turn the
Nazgul into a short-event. It is discarded immediately upon declaration.
You may have Wizards in your sideboard. You may have no more than three
copies of one Wizard, and one copy of each other Wizard, in your sideboard and
play deck combined.

Site
To untap a site the character doing so must be at that site.

Site Path
Certain cards refer to the site's site path. The site's site path is always
the site path given on the site card, regardless of how the company got to
that site.
Events can alter both a site's site path and a company's site path.

Skill Cards
Two or more skill cards may be played by a single character outside of the
strike sequence.
Two skill cards may not be declared by one character against a given
strike.
"<Foo> only" cards can only be played by characters with the <foo> skill.

Stage Resources
@ If your opponent is playing the same Fallen-wizard as you, and reveals
that Fallen-wizard first, you must discard any Fallen-wizard specific stage
resources that you have in play.
@ Wizard specific Stage Resources may be played with the starting company.

-= TTT =-

Targets
An action that is played out through one or more specific entities as
stated on a card or in the rules is considered to "target" the entities. A
targeted entity is said to be a "target" of the action. A card that acts on a
class of entities does not target them.
Annotation 1: A card is not in play until it is resolved in its chain of
effects. When the play of a card is declared, no elements of the card may be
the target of actions declared in the same chain of effects. An exception to
this is a dice-rolling action, e.g. a corruption check.
Annotation 2: A corruption check or any dice-rolling action can be targeted
in the chain of effects during which it was declared.
Annotation 3: Long-events and certain other cards do not have targets
because they are not played out through one specific entity, i.e., they
generally affect an entire class of things.
Annotation 4: An action may not target a face-down card nor any element of
a face down card. Face down cards include unrevealed new site cards and on-
guard cards.
You cannot target an opponent's character or resources with your own
resources.
A card that is played on a card continuously targets the card it is on.
See also Rulings by Term, Active Condition.

Timing
The validity of an effect, including the hazard limit, is checked upon
declaration and upon resolution.
Annotation 24: If a card specifies that more than one action occurs when
the card itself is resolved in a chain of effects, all of these actions are to
be resolved in the card's chain of effects uninterrupted and in the order
listed on the card. No actions may be declared to occur between these multiple
actions. The actions listed on the card are considered to have been declared
in the reverse order as they are printed.
(amendment to original version of Annotation 24): As an exception, if one
of the effects of a card is an attack, cards may be played that cancel the
attack, cancel one of its strikes, or that otherwise are playable during the
strike sequence--see Annotation 18 (Turn Sequence, Movement/ Hazard Phase,
Combat, The Strike Sequence).
Annotation 27: If a card has optional effects, the player playing the card
must choose which will take place. He must do this at the time the card is
played, not when it is resolved in its chain of effects. When such a card is
resolved, if any active conditions for the choice of effects do not exist, the
card has no effect and is discarded. The player may not at this point choose
to implement an alternative effect of the card.

Trophies
Creatures whose marshalling points are listed with an * give marshalling
points while used as trophies.
Defeated Dragon manifestations can be used as trophies, including Dragon
factions.
Trophies can be discarded to satisfy "thieving" attacks, and count as items
for all other effects.

-= UUU =-

Under-deeps
@ Marshalling points with companies at or moving from an Under-deeps site do
not count for the purposes of calling the Free Council. They do count at the
Council. This includes minion and Fallen-wizard companies.
When a company's site of origin is an Under-deeps site and the company
reveals a new site at the start of its movement/hazard phase, the company is
declaring it will make a roll to determine if the movement was successful. No
cards can be played between the site being revealed and the roll except for
Reach of Ulmo. Neither player draws cards for this movement if the roll is not
successful.
At an Under-deeps site, after a successful rescue attempt, a character can
tap for a minor item only.
Automatic-attacks that allow the revealing of creature cards are not
stopped by Stealth or Secret Entrance.
Creatures revealed as automatic-attacks do not count as creatures.

-= WWW =-

Wizard
# You may put two of the same Wizard in your deck, or you may put one copy
each of two different Wizards in your deck.

------- "The Crossing-guard of Mordor" -------
Craig "Ichabod" O'Brien www.cstone.net/~ichabod/
Assistant Editor, ICE Me:CCG Official Netrep
"Home isa where you hanga your hat!" -Dr. Emilio Lizardo
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