text:
Origin of scores for letters in Scrabble (in relation to their frequency in a langauge)
In Scrabble, each letter is worth a number of points. Typically, the rarer the letter, the more score it has, see Scrabble letter distribution and score.
Does anyone know how these scores are being assigned? (Or modified, if needed.) Is it based on some gut-feeling, or a formula/algorithm?
As I see, the score is proportional to surprisal (from information theory), i.e. \log(1/p), where p is the frequency of a given letter in a given language. Just I am not sure, if such scoring is planned mathematically, or appeared as some emergent behavior (e.g. other scoring seems unfair, unnatural, etc...).

Points based on how common the letter is would make sense as it would reward people for a larger vocabulary.

I don't really think we can tell you how the scoring system originated. We didn't design the game, and we don't have any special insight into how it was designed.

@murgatroid99 I dunno, the main Scrabble Wikipedia article says of the original 1938 version of the game "The two games had the same set of letter tiles, whose distributions and point values Butts worked out by performing a frequency analysis of letters from various sources, including The New York Times." and that paragraph cites a book. (The one the OP linked to claims that this is apocryphal but that's marked [citation needed]...) Seems like this is just a question that could require research, and the information may or may not be availble.

@Jefromi While it might be difficult to track the original version, there are dozens of localized versions, each with a different language. And for each of them scoring had to be set somehow.

"Letter frequency in a language" is ambiguous. All spoken language, all written language, or all dictionary entries? I'm assuming you mean the latter of the three. Written/spoken language tends to favor letters used in common words, while the rarity of a word is hardly significant in competetive scrabble.

@freekvd It is an open question which word frequency. You are right, that likely more related to frequency of letters in words than language (for the reasons you mentioned).

I'm going to tuck this in comments since it's a link-only note (and self-aggrandizement at that), but you might be interested in this note on Gamasutra about letter frequencies.

This is a really terrific question!  Thank you for that surprisal link especially.

That is touched upon in the official History of Scrabble by Hasbro, the owner of Scrabble.

Legend has it Butts studied the front page of “The New York Times” to make his calculations for the letter distribution in the game. This skilled, cryptographic analysis of our language formed the basis of the original tile distribution, which has remained constant through almost three generations and billions of games.

I have misplaced (or more likely given away, again) my copy of Everything Scrabble, but I remember bits of what I think I remember reading there (hows that for reliable source?).
From what I remember reading, the letter distribution in Scrabble has continuously slid in favor of people who memorize things like 2-Letter Lists and Q without U words. Even with two well-read players who have never really studied the English language as it relates to Scrabble, the distribution is off-kilter for the normal vocabulary in 2015.
It's not your imagination, there are too many Is. People who know that QI and ZA are words, really tip the value (and risk) of those letters.
Only Hasbro can change Scrabble, but Words With Friends is gaining popularity in part because the tiles more closely represent the way the English language is used today.
Should the tile values change with the times?
Is ZA really a word?
Has X become the best letter in the alphabet?
These are hotly debated subjects.
The history of how the tiles got their distribution seems pretty clear, even if it is described in the official history as a legend. What is less clear is the origin of the point value of individual letters. I think the point value is a part of the same thing, unchanged since the Scrabble name, but that the values were printed on the scorecard, not the tiles. Unfortunately, I have no citation for that, it's one of those things that I read somewhere - or maybe I saw an antique scorecard on display - who knows? But I am fairly certain that the official Scrabble point value per letter has remained unchanged along with the distribution of 100 letters.

Thanks! Though, "calculations for the letter distribution in the game" is still a bit vague (did he used some formula? or just the ordering?). Plus, I guess, people had to set scores for other languages somehow. I saw even contesting the original scoring (e.g. due to language changes) in http://blog.dictionary.com/tile-values/ (also Scrabble word frequency; see also original article and code), but with no statement what is the goal.

The scrabble tile frequencies were almost certainly tweaked based on playtesting as well as letter frequency.  The fact that there are only 4 's' tiles was probably intended to decrease the probability of getting the most useful letter to make the game less about simply pluralizing things.  Words with Friends tweaked the frequencies further- they added an 'e' and removed an 'i', for example.  I imagine that was based on feedback that Scrabble players get too many 'i' tiles.
My theory is that a lexicographic search would inflate the number of 'i' letters appearing in text or a dictionary, e.g. if there are lots of 'ing' and 'tion' words that are common in print but don't come up as often in scrabble due to the probability of getting those other letters.  In other words, while 'i' may be 3/4 as common as e in the English, the ability to place that letter in Scrabble is less than that ratio would imply because there are fewer letter sequences in which 'i' can appear.


text:
Trigger order Elesh Norn and Coercive Recruiter
There was card played that moved all creatures from the graveyard back to the battlefield under their owners control.
In my graveyard was Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and the opponent had Coercive Recruiter and a bunch of 2/2 creatures.
When Coercive Recruiter enters the battlefield it takes control of Elesh Norn till end of turn.
My question is, will the opponents creature get -2/-2 before he takes control over Elesh Norn

kinda depends on the timing of the triggers resolving, but i assume that elesh norn is alreay on the battlefield(because it can't be snatched by the recruiter otherwise) so her static effect is already active -> the opposing 2/2s are dead already.

@garglblarg It does not depend on the order of the triggers resolving, because there is only one triggered ability given in the question, and therefore only one possible ordering. Also, Coercive Recruiter's triggered ability can target Elesh Norn even if the two creatures entered the battlefield at the same time.

Yes, opposing creatures will get -2/-2 before your opponent gains control of Elesh Norn.
Elesh Norn's ability is a static ability that applies continuously.

604.1. Static abilities do something all the time rather than being activated or triggered. They are written as statements, and they’re simply true.

Coercive Recruiter's ability is a triggered ability. Therefore, its effects do not happen until the trigger resolves.

603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as "[When/Whenever/At] [trigger condition or event], [effect]. [Instructions (if any).]"

603.3. Once an ability has triggered, its controller puts it on the stack [...]. It remains on the stack until it's countered, it resolves, a rule causes it to be removed from the stack, or an effect moves it elsewhere.

With that in mind, here is how your specific situation unfolds:

All creatures return to the battlefield from the graveyard under their owner's control.

At this point, you control Elesh Norn and all of your opponent's creatures have -2/-2.

Any creatures with zero or less toughness die.
Your opponent chooses Elesh Norn as the target for Coercive Recruiter's ability, and then places the trigger on the stack.
Coercive Recruiter's triggered ability resolves.

At this point, your opponent controls Elesh Norn.

What if the opponent got a creatures with a trigger ability "give target creature +2 +2" Would that also resolve at step 3? Or would target creature die before getting the +2/+2

@SirDuckduck I'll assume that the creature you refer to as "target creature" is something with a base toughness of 2. The creature will enter the battlefield and then immediately die to Elesh Norn's static ability before any triggers go on the stack. By the time triggers go on the stack, the creature is already dead and cannot be chosen as the target for any ability that requires a "target creature". Your opponent must still choose a target, and even if the target ends up being one of your creatures. They can't say "Oh well the target I was going to choose died so I just won't choose."

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sort: votes


text:
Can Wear / Tear destroy a Chalice of the Void with X=1?
What happens with Wear / Tear when there's a Chalice of the Void with X=1? Does the Chalice recognize the Wear as having a casting cost of 2 or does it somehow see the Tear and a casting cost of 1?

The Wear // Tear will not be countered
As per the rules on Split cards:

708.4. In every zone except the stack, the characteristics of a split card are those of its two halves combined. This is a change from previous rules.
708.3a Only the chosen half is evaluated to see if it can be cast. Only that half is considered to be put onto the stack.
708.3b While on the stack, only the characteristics of the half being cast exist. The other half’s characteristics are treated as though they didn’t exist.

Your fuse card will either have the CMC of three in all zones except the stack, it can also have a CMC of one or two depending on which part of the split card you use or also a CMC of three on the stack if you fuse it.
It could very easily be countered if you try and destroy an enchantment with it but that is not part of your question.

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text:
Ironworks and Great Hall combo
Just a quick question to be sure we are playing the right way.
Is getting a Great Hall by playing Ironworks let you draw a card and play another action since the Great Hall is both an action card and a victory card?
Reminder:
Ironworks

Action
cost 4
Gain a card costing up to 4 Coins. If it is an Action
card, +1 Action; Treasure card, +1; Victory card, +1 Card.

Great Hall

Action - Victory
cost 3
+1 Card, +1 Action, 1 VP

Yes, that's how they work. If the text on the cards isn't enough for you, it also explicitly says it in the rules:

You get a bonus depending on what type of card you gained. A card with 2 types
  gives you both bonuses; if you use Ironworks to gain a Great Hall, you will then draw a card (because Great Hall is a Victory card) and may play another Action (because Great Hall is an Action card).

This is really another case of "do exactly what it says on the cards" - it says on Ironworks that if it's an Action you get +1 Action, so you do, and it says on Ironworks that if it's a Victory card, you get +1 Card, so you do.

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text:
Can a pawn move to the last line in chess as part of a promotion even if the square is blocked by an opponent's piece?
My reason for asking is I believe the promotion to be instant: As the pawn's toe crosses the line into the square, it transforms into the promotion piece's toe...
Meaning that even though the route was blocked for a pawn, the promotion to a queen (for example) would allow the move to proceed.

No. A pawn gains no special movement rules when on the penultimate rank. Often in end-games the opposing King will be in front of the pawn to prevent it from being promoted.

Just cos you're right...that doesn't mean I have to like it ;)

This is not football, where a "touchdown" is scored by crossing the "plane" of a goal line.
In order to become a queen, a pawn has to occupy a square on the eighth line. If that square is already occupied, a pawn can't "share" the square using a forward move.
The only way a pawn can queen against an enemy piece on a queening square is by capturing it with a DIAGONAL move.


text:
Permanent +1/+1, and −1/−1 until end of turn
As I understand things, if my Korozda Gorgon gives −1/−1 counter to a creature that has a +1/+1 counter on it, as a state-based effect the −1/−1 cancels one of the +1/+1 counters.
What happens at the end of turn? Does the −1/−1 “go away” by the creature getting its +1/+1 back, or is that gone forever now that it’s been annihilated by the −1/−1?

Unfortunately, you've misunderstood - there's nothing to cancel here. Korozda Gorgon doesn't hand out any counters.
Only effects that explicitly say "counter", like "remove a +1/+1 counter from..." or "place a -1/-1 counter on..." use counters.
An effect that grants ±X/±Y doesn't involve counters, whether it be until the end of the turn like Korozda Gorgon's "Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn." or Honor of the Pure's "White creatures you control get +1/+1." These effects just modify power/toughness.
So while it's true that -1/-1 counters cancel out with +1/+1 counters as a state-based action, Korozda Gorgon never places a -1/-1 counter on anything, so there's nothing interesting going on here. The +1/+1 counter never goes away, and the creature really does just get -1/-1 until end of turn.

Hypothetically, if Korozda Gorgon said "...put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. At the end of the turn, remove a -1/-1 counter from that creature." and you used it on a creature with a +1/+1 counter, then they'd cancel when the -1/-1 counter is added, and then at the end of the turn there'd be no counter to remove and nothing would happen. But it doesn't say that, and cards generally won't. Counters are used when the effect is meant to last: you put the counter on the creature and it stays there as a probably-permanent reminder of the effect. Nothing ever says "put a -1/-1 counter on target creature until end of turn"; it'll always say "target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn" like Korozda Gorgon does.
Thanks to Kevin in the comments, there are a couple cards that do this: Bounty of the Hunt and Shambling Swarm. They're definitely the exception though. I suspect if they were printed today they would not use counters; the text is a lot longer, the unfamiliarity makes it even harder to read, and it doesn't even cause very much functional difference. And Kevin helpfully pointed out an example: Seeds of Strength avoids using counters.

Derp, that explains why I couldn't find any discussion or explanation of what happens with -1/-1 counters until end of turn. Thanks.

Could be an interesting mechanic due to the ability to remove the counter by other means before being instructed to remove it.

@ikegami I guess so, I didn't want to say it's impossible, but it seems pretty unlikely since it only really matters in corner cases like that, so it adds some complexity (and a lot of verbosity) for dubious gain unless you really work hard to put a ton of add/remove counters stuff in surrounding it.

There are cards that give counters temporarily. Namely, Bounty Of The Hunt and Shambling Swarm. Presumably, they did it this way because there's lots of precedent for "distributing" physical things like counters, but no precedent for distributing static power modifying effects. These days, though, I'd expect to see wording more like Seeds of Strength.

@Kevin Thanks, edited that in. I wasn't paying attention to Magic that long ago, and didn't manage to turn them up when I searched. ("distribute", oops)


text:
Improve the Power of creatures in the graveyard?
So I have a deck that relies a lot on the Scavenge1 mechanic, and I was wondering if there was a good, effective way to improve the Power of creatures in the graveyard, so that I get more +1/+1 counters when I Scavenge it.
I already have Corpsejack Menace for +1/+1 multiplication, but it struck me as a neat idea to be able to pump up the Power of, e.g., Slitherhead to get more “free” +1/+1 counters. I’m playing Standard (as of writing, Return to Ravnica, M14, and Theros), but I’d be happy to hear about cards in other formats that work. I’d appreciate markings of the legal formats for any card suggestions, since I’m kind of new to Magic and am not familiar with older blocks.
1 Creature ability: pay a cost and exile the creature from the graveyard, add a number of +1/+1 counters equal to the creature’s Power to another creature.

I only know of Skullbriar, the Walking Grave, and it's not in Standard.

@ikegami That'd make a fine answer; I'd upvote it, and if no one came forward proving you wrong with more examples, I'd accept it in a couple days.

I'm 99% sure that no card other than Skullbriar can cause a creature card's power to differ from its printed value while in the graveyard. There are, however, +1/+1 counter multipliers other than Corpsejack Menace, such as Doubling Season and Primal Vigor.

@Kevin OK, so... are you going to put that as an answer that can actually be voted on and possibly accepted?

I split your question into three, because I thought it was less ambiguous that way.
Is there a way to put a creature with improved power into the graveyard?
Only one that we know of. Someone mentioned Skullbriar, the Walking Grave in the comments. Skullbriar takes his counters with him to the graveyard, where they continue to modify his power and toughness.
Is there a way to improve the power of a creature in the graveyard?
This is the question you actually asked.
The only way I can think of to actually change the power of a creature that is in the graveyard is to play with creatures like Spellheart Chimera, whose power and toughness are calculated. These are static abilities that function in any zone, including the graveyard.
If you had Spellheart in your graveyard and then you played Grisly Salvage and flipped over 5 instants, Spellheart would suddenly have 5 (plus one from the Grisly Salvage itself) more power than he had before, thereby improving his power.
Is there a way to put high power creatures in the graveyard?
Yes. You can discard a creature card like Bearer of the Heavens by having too many cards, or by being forced to discard it with something like Thoughtseize (which can target yourself). You can also mill with a card like Grisly Salvage, mentioned earlier.

The answer I think you were hoping for was a card like "Target creature in your graveyard gets +3/+3 until end of turn" (a buff) or "becomes a 10/10 until end of turn" (a static ability) or even something that affects the power of all creatures in your graveyard. No card like that exists. I doubt one ever will, because the "status" of cards in your graveyard would become unmanageable. Cards like Spellheart Chimera are exceptional in that their status is printed directly on the card, making it impossible to forget.

For the 'high-power creatures' section, while it's rolled out of Standard now I feel obliged to mention Death's Shadow ( http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=death%27s+shadow ), which has actually seen some fringe competitive play in Modern for just this purpose.

How is putting Worldspine Wurm in your graveyard going to help if it immediately gets shuffled back into your deck?

Nice; most likely (based on the comments and consensus that there’s nothing else out there), I’ll be accepting this, though I’m going to give it some time just in case. By the way, the sort of effect I sort of hoped to see was some really expansive form of bonus, like “all creature cards gain +1/+1,” or something that would include the cards in the graveyard.

@bwarner Wow I have probably made that mistake five times with Emrakul, and I'm sure that I will forget it again in 5 more minutes. I found another card to use as an example. Thanks for the catch.

And as a general suggestion, for the third question (getting big guys in the graveyard), look to reanimator decks for inspiration - they're trying to reanimate, not scavenge, but they still need the graveyard fodder just like you.

@Jefromi Unfortunately, there’s only one card (so far as I can tell) that lets me Scavenge a creature that doesn’t just have that ability printed on it, and since Varolz, the Scar-Striped is a Legendary I’m leery about putting in a lot of him or relying on him.

I welcome any of you to edit any of the three sections of this answer. I picked up two of the comments already. This is more of a brainstorming exercise than anything else.

Grisly Salvage revealing 5 instants should bump the power by 6 right? (since the Salvage itself will also hit the GY)

@HaoYe Good catch


text:
Search Gatherer for cards with quotation marks in the flavor text?
A friend recently wondered, and now I’m curious too: is there any way to search Gatherer for cards that have a quotation mark in the flavor text (or in other fields)?
Putting " in the Flavor Text field seems to just return every card. Using \" to try to escape it just returned no results.

It looks like a search for """ in flavor text does it.. This search finds 7868 7891 results, which is very close to the other answer's 7870 results from Scryfall.

Meanwhile, the same expression does not work in the card name field...

Would be interesting to figure out which 2 cards this one missed and why, but likely not worth the effort...  (Just the programmer in me trying to troubleshoot...)

The discrepancies are most likely related to differences in the set of cards that are being filtered by the search. For example, maybe the searches include different sets of supplemental cards, or the count DFCs or functional variants of silver-bordered cards differently, etc. Alternatively there could be a data error in one dataset or the other that omits or adds quotation marks.

Could it be a smart-quotes problem?

Well, the number of Gatherer results is now up to 7891, so I'm not going to speculate further about what has caused the difference.

I've tried a couple of other tricks, like percent encoding and a double "", but to no avail.
Scryfall does support your search: https://scryfall.com/search?as=grid&order=name&q=flavor%3A%22

Upvoting this one because Scryfall is always going to be less painful than Gatherer in the long run.

@PhilipKendall You can upvote more than one, you know. I have upvoted all of them. In this particular case, I accepted murgatroid99’s answer, because it’s the only one that answers precisely the question asked (which specifies Gatherer, and flavor text). The other answers are very useful—possibly even more useful—but they don’t really technically answer the question.

You can include special characters and full regex in your Gatherer search. The correct way to escape them is by surrounding the expression with m/{exp}/
You can use regular expressions in Gatherer, including the backslash escape character for e.g. whitespaces (\s), digits (\d), etc.; you have to enclose the regex with m/{exp}/. Using the m/{exp}/ pattern also allows you to search for special characters that would otherwise break the search if searched for as plaintext, such as quotation marks.
For example, if you add "m/"/" to the name field, you get the 8 cards using quotation marks in their name.

You can find more details at the Gatherer help page.

I can’t seem to get it to work for Flavor Text, sadly: flavor=+[m/"/] returns all cards.

It looks like regular expressions just aren't supported when searching for flavor text.

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text:
3-4 point joseki - wide double-pincer
After a low approach at W2, B3 is a wide pincer.  I double-pincered at W4 and then diagonal B5.
$$
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . 4 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 5 . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ . . 3 . . . 2 . 6 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------

In the follow-up I to W14, after B15 is the marked stone I wound up with only one eye.
$$Bm7
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . 8 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 7 X 5 . |
$$ . . X . . . O 3 O 1 . |
$$ . . . . . B . 6 4 2 . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------

What was a better follow-up to the original joseki?

That should be simple - don't play at 14 in your final diagram. Instead, try this:
$$Bm7
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . B . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 7 X 5 . |
$$ . . X . 8 . O 3 O 1 . |
$$ . . . . . . . 6 4 2 . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------

Note how white is alive, while black has an empty triangle, a bad shape in this case. It is not easy for black to attack the white stone on the right side. For instance:
$$
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . 1 . . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . 2 O . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X . . . |
$$ . . . . . . . X X X . |
$$ . . X . O . O X O X . |
$$ . . . . . . . O O O . |
$$ . . . . . . . . . . . |
$$ ----------------------

If B1, white can split at 2. If B1 at 2, white can move fluently to the right side by playing at 1 herself. In the meantime, black has no eyes yet.
In the original diagram, B13 might be a bad move. I don't know this joseki, but I'd guess black should try something else instead, possibly before 13.

With a counterpincer, you need to think about sacrificing one stone or the other. One way is to play 14 as in mafuctct's answer, and "let go" of the stone on the right side.
The other way is to extend one or more spaces to the left of 4, and sacrifice the 2 stone. But since Black played a wide pincer, you should probably develop the 2 stone instead of counterpincering.


text:
Does the 3-3 invasion work with 3 stones already placed?
With the three black stones placed, I did the 3-3 invasion.
$$Wm1
$$ ----------
$$ ........|
$$ ...X....|
$$ ...X.1..|
$$ ....X...|
$$ ........|

I tried tried to force a KO and did get 2 moves elsewhere, but I would rather have lived.
$$Wm1
$$ ----------
$$ ........|
$$ ...X..5.|
$$ ...X.O.7|
$$ ....X236|
$$ ......4.|

Does 3-3 invasion work here?

Liam showed a good way to kill the invasion already, but you can be even more mean and play 2 at 4:
$$Wm1
$$ ----------
$$ ........|
$$ ...X....|
$$ ...X.1..|
$$ ....X...|
$$ ......2.|

If white then plays 3, you just draw back instead of playing below 1, and you avoid a cut at 4:
$$Wm1
$$ ----------
$$ .....c..|
$$ ...Xb.a.|
$$ ...X.1..|
$$ ....X.3.|
$$ .....42.|

Then, a, b and c are miai to kill.
The cut would not usually be dangerous, but it at least allows white to get 1 or 2 outside sente moves in the area, which is more than she should get - the original invasion at 3-3 was way too deep (the deepest possible would be white 1 at 2 in the above diagram, but that is a bit advanced, don't worry about it too much).
White may try to be sneaky and return to the variation with the cut present like this:
$$Wm1
$$ ----------
$$ ........|
$$ ...X....|
$$ ...X.1..|
$$ ....X...|
$$ .....32.|

In that case, you can easily play at 6 instead of a to gain more and avoid white's sente atari at 6. The white inside group is still dead as per what we saw above.
$$Wm1
$$ ----------
$$ ........|
$$ ...X....|
$$ ...X.1a.|
$$ ....X45.|
$$ .....32.|
$$ ......6.|

Black 6 should be at white 7. After this white dies uncondittionally.
https://online-go.com/demo/66482


text:
Do Gather The Townsfolk's (or cards like it) tokens go on the stack separately?
A friend of mine was playing a deck that uses Cathars' Crusade and Gather the Townsfolk (and cards like it) to pump his creatures.
Another guy was watching and said that all the tokens went on the stack separately so each subsequent token was smaller than the last.
This leads to my question: Is this correct? And, if it is, what happens if, in response to the first or second token going on the stack, someone played a split second spell so nothing else could enter the stack (like the rest of the tokens)?

NO, only the spell is put on the stack.
This Bog Post from magicjudges.org talks about that exact situation.
Once Gather the Townsfolk resolves both tokens enter the battlefield simultaneously and then the Cathars' Crusade triggers go on the stack. When the Cathars' Crusade triggers resolve both tokens get a +1/+1 counters for each trigger, and therefore both creatures are 3/3.
EDIT: For a similar situation see this question's answers

Tokens don't go on the stack, only spells and abilities. Gather the Townsfolk creates both tokens simultaneously.

You cast Gather the Townsfolk.
Gather the Townsfolk resolves:

Put two 1/1 white Human creature tokens onto the battlefield. Cathars' Crusade's triggers twice.

Cathars' Crusade's ability is placed on the stack twice.
The second instance of Cathars' Crusade's ability resolves:

Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

The first instance of Cathars' Crusade's ability resolves:

Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

Both tokens (and any other creatures you might have had) got two +1/+1 counters.

As for your second question, someone casting a split second spell would not change anything.
A split second spell between steps 1 and 2 would resolve before step 2, then you continue with step 2. Same goes for one cast between steps 3 and 4, or between steps 4 and 5.
Split second merely stop you from casting a spell or activating an ability in response to the split second spell.

Gather The Townsfolk is one spell on the stack that generates multiple tokens. Each token entering the battlefield triggers a separate Cathars' Crusade "enters the battlefield" ability. (This is probably what that guy was talking about.)
However, all the tokens enter the battlefield simultaneously. The "enters the battlefield" abilities on the stack each resolve in turn, and all the tokens are already on the battlefield, so all the tokens will get a +1/+1 counter from the effect of each ability. This is clarified with the Cathars' Crusade ruling on gatherer:

The creature that entered the battlefield and caused the ability to trigger will also get a +1/+1 counter, provided it's still on the battlefield when the ability resolves.

The second part of your question.

And, if it is, what happens if, in response to the first or second token going on the stack, someone played a split second spell so nothing else could enter the stack (like the rest of the tokens)?

We've established that tokens aren't going on the stack, only the spell that creates them. They all enter the battlefield simultaneously, so there's nothing Split Second can do to prevent a token from being created. Split Second also doesn't prevent triggered abilities from going on the stack, so there's nothing it can do to prevent the tokens from receiving all the +1/+1 counters.


text:
If I were to "cheat" a card into play, would Kurgadon activate?
If I had a Kurgadon and a Didgeridoo, hacked to say "beast" instead of "minotaur" with Artificial Evolution, in play, and I used Didgeridoo to put Symbiotic Beast into play, would Kurgadon's ability trigger?
I am thinking no, since I am not casting the Symbiotic Beast, just putting it into play.

Reading the gatherer wording for older cards can make the analysis easier.
Didgeridoo:

{3}: You may put a Minotaur permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Kurgadon

Whenever you cast a creature spell with converted mana cost 6 or greater, put three +1/+1 counters on Kurgadon.

So you are correct, clearly the Didgeridoo does not cast a creature spell, so the Kurgadon's ability will not trigger.

Well this is good information. Thanks! Unfortunately I was hoping to be wrong.. But oh well! Saves me some embarrassment later.

@MiloGertjejansen Cards like Garruk's Packleader or Gruul Ragebeast will work with sneak-into-play effects.

@AlexP Hmm.. That would be worth looking at. I have a few Gruul Ragebeast's around. I also looked at Adaptive Snapjaw to evolve the crap out of it.

I don't know if you can say "clearly" - Digerdoo's card text states "as though it had just been summoned" - when you consider the vast number of rules around summoning, this text is hardly clear in any stretch of the imagination. It might be an easy decision for those familiar with the rules, but it is not immediately clear, given the text on the card, that it you do not treat the creature the same as having been cast.

@corsiKa Digerdoo's card text used to say "as though it has just been summoned" which is why I said reading the gatherer wording for older cards can make the analysis easier. This is why Wizards has a canonical source for card rules text: to keep interpretations current with modern rules and templates.

@corsiKa In other words, my usage of the word clearly is clearly in the context of my answer: referring to the modern functionality of the card, and was not referring to what's printed on the card. Gatherer ("Oracle Wording") is what's used in rules interpretations in MtG tournaments.

Casting refers only to putting spells on the stack, not moving cards from one zone to another by other means.

601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pays its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect.

In this case, you're putting an ability activation on the stack, but the card in question goes directly from your hand to the battlefield, so nothing is cast.
(Note also that casting refers to moving the object onto the stack — objects created on the stack, like storm copies, also aren't "cast".)


text:
When someone dies who controls a permanent but does not own it, what happens?
In a multiplayer game, if I were to give someone a permanent with Donate and they were to die while controlling that permanent, then would I get that permanent back? Or would the permanent get put into a graveyard?
I am specifically wondering for Celestial Dawn but I figure it would be the same with any other permanent.

You get your permanent back.

800.4. Unlike two-player games, multiplayer games can continue after one or more players have left the game.
800.4a. When a player leaves the game, all objects (see rule 109) owned by that player leave the game, any effects which give that
  player control of any objects or players end, and all spells and
  abilities controlled by that player on the stack cease to exist. Then,
  if there are any objects still controlled by that player, those
  objects are exiled. This is not a state-based action. It happens as
  soon as the player leaves the game. If the player who left the game
  had priority at the time he or she left, priority passes to the next
  player in turn order who’s still in the game.

Check out this related question for some more info: In Magic free-for-all multiplayer, what happens when someone dies?

@colin D.  What if the player who died was the one who cast the permanant with say... Knowledge pool

@SamIam I am not completely sure what you are asking, but I believe it would get exiled. Example: Alex casts Bribery, which reads, “Search target opponent’s library for a creature card and put that card onto the battlefield under your control. Then that player shuffles his or her library,” targeting Bianca. Alex puts Wall of Wood onto the battlefield from Bianca’s library. If Bianca leaves the game, Wall of Wood also leaves the game. If, instead, Alex leaves the game, Wall of Wood is exiled.

@SamIam Knowledge Pool says the cards are exiled. So the cards are exiled. I would think.

@MiloGertjejansen I think he is referring to the card that knowledge pool lets you pay without paying its mana cost. So the situation of someone controlling a card they do not own, but also having no 'control changing effect' that can end.

@SamIam: The wording of 800.4a explains this: Then, if there are any objects still controlled by that player, those objects are exiled. Basically you undo any existing control changing functions that give that player control, if they still control something then that object gets exiled.

So then how about a creature that has been cloud shift controlled  (http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/11495/after-using-act-of-treason-and-cloudshift-does-a-creature-re-enter-the-battlefi)? Would that card be exiled or returned? It is a new permanent after it re-enters right?

@Pow-Ian Exiled. Wording is very similar to the Bribery example above.


text:
Can extort be triggered for countered spells?

Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay b/w. If you do, each
  opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)

Questions:

If my opponent has a creature with extort out, then casts a spell that I counter, can he still pay the 1 mana to trigger extort?

And if not,

Does he have to choose whether to spend the mana before or after I have countered the spell?

Note that for people playing lots of Gatecrash cards: normally copying spells doesn't trigger extort (because the copy appears on the stack), but some cards make a copy in another game zone and then cast it, which does trigger extort. Easiest way to tell is to see whether the text of the ability says "cast" (e.g. cipher spells or Isochron Scepter).

Yes. If the spell wasn't countered, the following would happen:

He casts the spell. (Puts it on the stack, pays costs, etc.) Extort triggers.
Extort is added to the stack.
Players get priority.
Extort resolves. He chooses to pay the mana. Each opponent of his loses 1 life and he gains that much life.
Players get priority.
The spell resolves.

The spell can be countered in step 3 (in response to extort) or in step 5 (after extort resolves), but as you can see, extort has already been added to the stack at that point.
The choice of paying mana happens on resolution, so whether he chooses to spend the mana or not depends on when you counter the spell. If you counter in response to extort (step 3), he chooses after you counter. If you counter after extort resolves (step 5), he chooses before you counter.

You say 'He casts the spell' but doesn't countering the spell prevent the 'cast'? Is a countered spell still cast? If what you're saying is true then does http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=talrand,%20sky%20summoner 's ability still trigger on countered spells?

@user4861 countering a spell does not prevent the spell from being cast, it only prevents the spell from resolving; and yes, the same holds true for Talrand, Sky Summoner, countered instants and sorceries will still trigger Talrand's ability. (As is clearly stated in the last ruling on that gatherer link…)

You can't counter a spell if it hasn't been cast yet (because the card is not a spell until it's cast). Countering the spell simply removes it from the stack.

If my opponent has a creature with extort out, then casts a spell that I counter, can he still pay the 1 mana to trigger extort?

Yes.
According to the Gatecrash FAQ here's the official rules for extort:

702.100. Extort

702.100a Extort is a triggered ability. "Extort" means "Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay . If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain life equal to the total life lost this way."

So Extort is a triggered ability that is added to the stack when a spell is cast. Triggered abilities are added to the stack before priority is passed.

Does he have to choose whether to spend the mana before or after I have countered the spell?

The Gatecrash FAQ clarifies when the mana is paid:

You may pay {W/B} a maximum of one time for each extort triggered ability. You decide whether to pay when the ability resolves.

If the counterspell is added to the stack after the triggered ability, it will resolve first. The player whose spell is countered gets to choose whether or not to pay the extort after the counterspell resolves. Of course, this has implications if the counterspell was something like Spell Rupture.
However, as @AlexP rightly points out, the smart counterspell caster will wait for the extort trigger to resolve, and see whether their opponent decides to pay the mana for it, then decide whether or not to cast a counterspell like Spell Rupture when they receive priority.

Both players will get priority after the extort trigger resolves. So there's no reason not to wait and see whether your opponent pays for extort before throwing down a counter (well, okay, no reason short of mind games or "My opponent is going to kill me with the trigger, but I have Fall of the Gavel so I can gain some life if I don't wait for extort to resolve").

Very good point Alex P. The smart counterspell-er will wait for the player's extort trigger to resolve.

Absolutely, Extort triggers for spells which are countered.  "Casting" a spell isn't dependent on whether that spell goes on to resolve (or "be successfully cast", if it helps to think of it in those terms).  Per the comprehensive rules:

601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will
  eventually resolve and have its effect.

So yes, when you put your spell on the stack and pay its costs, the Extort trigger takes place and is put on the stack.  The triggered ability will therefore be on the stack above the originally cast spell; though the original spell can be countered either before or after the Extort ability resolves!

I pose the same question to you then. Does http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=talrand,%20sky%20summoner 's ability still triggered on countered spells?

@user4861 Read the last ruling on that card's gatherer page. :)

@AlexP, sorry! I kind of realised that was a very laboured sentence as I finished typing it, but then I had to rush off in a hurry.  I was trying to answer the OP's question "Does he have to choose whether to spend the mana before or after I have countered the spell?" which is actually fairly meaningless - the spell can be countered before or after the Extort trigger resolves.

I've now tried to change that statement to something a little easier to parse, FWIW...

@thesunneversets Yup. Fixed. That's why I deleted my comment. ;)


text:
What may happen after a stack of spells resolves?
Within the same phase, once a stack of spells has resolved in its entirety, is priority once again given to a player so that more spells may be cast?
For example:
I attack with a creature. Opponent opts not to block. Now, I want to buff (e.g. +3/+3) my creature multiple times, but I'm afraid of my opponent responding with a burn (e.g. Deal 3 damage) spell at the top of the stack. Can I buff once, ask if opponent wants to respond, then allow the stack to resolve. Then, in the same phase, cast more buff?

The active player (whose turn it is) receives priority after any spell or ability resolves
If that player passes, every other player in turn order gets priority as regular, and everyone with priority can cast spells or abilities, including when the last item on the stack resolves.
From the comprehensive rules:

116.3. Which player has priority is determined by the following rules:
116.3a The active player receives priority at the beginning of most steps and phases, after any turn-based actions (such as drawing a card during the draw step; see rule 703) have been dealt with and abilities that trigger at the beginning of that phase or step have been put on the stack. No player receives priority during the untap step. Players usually don’t get priority during the cleanup step (see rule 514.3).
116.3b The active player receives priority after a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves.
116.3c If a player has priority when he or she casts a spell, activates an ability, or takes a special action, that player receives priority afterward.
116.3d If a player has priority and chooses not to take any actions, that player passes. If any mana is in that player’s mana pool, he or she announces what mana is there. Then the next player in turn order receives priority.

Yes, the active Player receives priority after a spell or ability resolves, and the next phase does not occur until both players pass priority when the stack is empty.

116.3b The active player receives priority after a spell or ability (other than a mana ability) resolves.
500.2. A phase or step in which players receive priority ends when the stack is empty and all players pass in succession. Simply having the stack become empty doesn't cause such a phase or step to end; all players have to pass in succession with the stack empty. Because of this, each player gets a chance to add new things to the stack before that phase or step ends.


text:
How do I build a Pokémon TCG deck?
It's a bit hard to build a deck. There's so many cards I can barely think of an idea, or how I'm supposed to build one! Could anyone lend me a hand on this?

A pre-emptive reminder to voters: http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/07/its-ok-to-ask-and-answer-your-own-questions/

My guess: nothing to do with asking and answering your own question. It's just a really broad question, a bit subjective, the kind of thing that'll lead to discussion... all these are reasons that questions are closed.

Ah, good point. It's more of a guideline actual competitive players use and that newer players might find useful (given the deck building guidelines in the rulebook aren't THAT good). If you could help improve the question I'll be grateful.

To be honest I don't think it's a "real" question, it's just an excuse to post the (probably excellent) article below.  This one leads down the slippery slope of broad overviews and strategy guides for every game... No bad thing in and of itself, but I feel the site is traditionally more about more specific rules questions, with more manageable and verifiable answers.  (Blimey, I've become such a reactionary old fogey after a year or two here...)

Well, given the site is in open beta I thought something like this would help attract more people.

Attracting more users isn't a reason to allow questions that otherwise wouldn't be allowed. I don't play Pokémon but as thesunneversets suggested, this is probably good content with an excuse for posting. If you instead broke this up into more specific, answerable questions - more along the lines of "how do I make my Pokémon deck more consistent?" - it'd be a lot better all around. Among other things, specific questions invite more answers (people are unlikely to try to compete with your lengthy article) and make it easier to read and find what you're looking for.

My son ran across this question and got excited because he recognized this as a Stack Exchange site.  But a few minutes later he had given up because he's not really a collector.  (He inherited a bunch of cards from his uncle.)  Looking through the answer, I think the problem is that the question was too broad.  If you'd asked a more focused question, you wouldn't have caught his attention, but you also wouldn't have disappointed him with an answer that he couldn't use.  I suggest following @Jefromi's suggestions.

This got bumped by a user trying to discuss your answer - unsurprising given how broad the question and answer are. If I could vote again to close, I would. I strongly believe this is too broad, and it needs to be split up into multiple questions to be useful as a question and answer - right now it's a blog post, and discourages further answers, which is about the worst thing you can do for a question.

Voting to close this as too broad. If this is about competitive deck building, saying that would help (this is not instruction casual players would follow) - but others who understand the game more are saying it needs to be broken up, even so.

Having used StackOverflow for a while, I think this is a fine question since while the answer might seem opinion-based, there's a lot of fairly settled practice in the "real world" of Pokemon deck building. HOWEVER, the answer here should definitely be a community wiki, since the best examples might benefit from being updated over time (since the set of standard play cards rotates each season).

How do I build a Pokémon TCG deck?
Deck building 101
What's the starting point from building a deck? Before deciding on this you must have clear what actually makes a deck win games.
Consistency
I cannot stress this point enough. A consistent deck is one where every single card work towards a well focused strategy. Let's make some examples on this to explain this better.
I'll list a theme deck, say, Ice Shock from Boundaries Crossed:
Pokémon: 30

2 Black Kyurem
1 Blastoise
2 Wartortle
3 Squirtle
2 Golduck
3 Psyduck
1 Jellicent
2 Frillish
3 Pikachu
2 Electrode
2 Voltorb
1 Electivire
2 Electabuzz
2 Lopunny
2 Buneary

Trainers: 12

2 Energy Retrieval
2 Energy Search
2 Great Ball
1 Pokémon Communication
2 Switch
2 Cheren
1 Skyla

Energy: 18

11 Water Energy
7 Lighting Energy

Now, can you tell me the strategy this deck uses? Sure, one could go like "let's load a lot of energy thanks to my only Blastoise and attack!". But ask yourself the following:

Where are we focusing our efforts?
What are Pikachu, Electrode, Electivire, Lopunny, Golduck and Jellicent doing here? Better yet, what is each card in this deck doing to make a win easier?
Are we ensuring we will get what we want whenever we want?

When building a deck always make yourself these questions. If a card looks cool enough with a decent effect, but you aren't sure if this will help your strategy, think again or remove it entirely. At the end of this post there's a Blastoise/Keldeo-EX deck. Let's say we think Jellicent from the deck I just listed looks cool enough for inclusion. "Sure!", you might say. "It's a decent card and we can still give it lots of energy thanks to Blastoise!". And maybe it might be a good idea, but what is it doing to help us win, or better yet, how does it help our main strategy, which consists of fast and powerful attacks with Keldeo-EX? Personally I see no reason for it to be here.
On that regard, the deck I listed at the bottom of the post might not be the most optimal build, but at least it keeps a level of consistency in that no card is there for no reason.
Speed
You might have a consistent deck. It can be a REALLY consistent deck. But if it's not fast enough, consistency won't win games. Speed is important. You want to take a prize before your opponent does.
Keep in mind: one Stage 2 line removes from your speed. Don't think this means you shouldn't use Stage 2 cards, but be aware that two Stage 2 lines might be too slow. Back in the DP-on and MD-on era we even had a Stadium Card (Broken Time-Space) that allowed us to evolve Pokémon as fast as we wanted, meaning we could just skip the evolution constraints. Nowadays we don't have such a card and we can just rely on Rare Candy and maybe the newer Clefable. What we can do though is to use strong Basic Pokémon, like Pokémon-EX, to speed up things. Or, we can use Stage 2 Pokémon with little energy requirements and that can hit hard, such as Garchomp and Empoleon.
Speed is important. If you don't have speed in your deck, you might have a good strategy and be pulling it decently but your opponent might have already taken two or three prizes, meaning you're already losing.
Strategy
Why would I want a strategy? I just play with my friends! And that's perfectly fine. If you're not going to play in tournaments and are completely fine with building a deck with your favorite cards and don't mind losing, it's perfectly fine. However, if what you want is to take a step forward, then a strategy is a must.
For choosing a strategy, choose a combination of two or more cards. Some good combinations are Eelektrik and Zekrom (Zekrom discards [L] energies you can retrieve with Eelektrik), Gabite, Garchomp and Altaria (Gabite searches for [D] Pokémon, Garchomp hits 60 for [F] and Altaria is a [D] Pokémon that adds 20 damage to [D] Pokémon when in play), Empoleon and Emolga (Emolga fills your bench and Empoleon deals damage with [W] and adds more damage the more Benched Pokémon you have, plus it lets you draw two cards by discarding one) and Blastoise and Keldeo-EX (which I'm going to talk about now).
Choosing a strategy
The first thing you should ask yourself is: "How do I want to win?" Let's double check the possible ways to win a game, since that's what you build your deck for.
You win a Pokémon TCG game by fulfilling one of the following conditions:

Defeat all of your opponent's Pokémon. This means, when you knock out your opponent's active Pokémon, your opponent should not be able to move a benched Pokémon to an active position.
Draw all your prizes. Usually this means defeating six of your opponent's Pokémon, but Pokémon-EX allow you to draw two cards and "Lugia-EX" allows you to draw an extra prize, so did "Rayquaza & Deoxys LEGEND". Also there are cards that can increase the amount of prizes your opponent has to take.
Your opponent cannot draw a card at the start of his or her turn. Keep in mind this does not apply to other effects that would allow you to draw cards. For instance, "Professor Juniper" states that you must draw 7 cards from your deck. If you have less than that, you draw all of them and it doesn't cause a game loss condition; you only lose if you cannot draw a card at the start of your turn.

Keeping all of this in mind, we must choose one or more ways to win. For the sake of simplicity (and because most decks use this as a basis), we will use the first two winning conditions.
Choose a combination
The best way to see what cards would allow us to win in the way we've chosen, we must find a combination of two or more cards that would let us win in the fastest way possible. Why fastest? In the current format (BW-on), speed is important. There are so many Pokémon-EX we cannot just ignore speed. We must hit hard and fast before our opponent get a chance to use their Pokémon! And this doesn't just apply to Pokémon-EX but to any metagame. Even in the old days of Base Set/Jungle/Fossil we had to deal with this, namely the Haymaker deck which won many games hitting fast and hard.
There's a combination we can use for a simple deck (keep in mind this combo is actually being used): Blastoise (Boundaries Crossed) and Keldeo-EX. Why?

Blastoise - 140 HP - W
Stage 2 - Evolves from Wartortle
Ability: Deluge

As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), you may attach a [W] Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon.

[C][C][C][C] Hydro Pump - 60+

Does 10 more damage for each [W] Energy attached to this Pokémon.

So, it's a Pokémon that allow us to attach as many [W] energy as we want to our Pokémon! Now let's see Keldeo-EX:

Keldeo-EX - 170 HP - W
Basic Pokémon
Ability: Rush In

Once during your turn (before your attack), if this Pokémon is on your Bench, you may switch this Pokémon with your Active Pokémon.

[C][C][C] Secret Sword - 50+

Does 20 more damage for each [W] Energy attached to this Pokémon.

Pokémon-EX rule: When a Pokémon-EX has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards.

So, the idea is: we take out Blastoise, draw as many [W] energies as we need, attach them to Keldeo-EX and use Rush In to make it active. Great synergy!
Building the core
Now that we've decided our core strategy, we must now build the basic core! Just keep in mind we cannot place more than 4 cards of each type, except for Basic energies. Let's do it!
Pokémon: 16

4 Squirtle (BC)
4 Wartortle (BC)
4 Blastoise (BC)
4 Keldeo-EX (BC)

Why 4 of each? Not only this is our core, but the cards we will be using the most. It's only natural we want the most of them!
But, do we really want 4 of each?
Firstly. How many Blastoise do we need in play? Only one. So maybe four Blastoise is a bit overhead. We can try reducing this to a smaller core (keeping four Squirtle in case of being catchered [Pokémon Catcher allows you to switch our opponent's Pokémon with any other of his or her bench]):
Pokémon: 16

4 Squirtle (BC)
3 Wartortle (BC)
3 Blastoise (BC)
4 Keldeo-EX (BC)

We can still reduce the Wartortles with help from Rare Candy, which lets us evolve one of our Basic Pokémon to its Stage 2 card. If we include all four Rare Candies we can reduce Wartortles to just one (and one to avoid Item locks such as Gothitelle, which wouldn't allow us to play that card):
Pokémon: 12

4 Squirtle (BC)
1 Wartortle (BC)
3 Blastoise (BC)
4 Keldeo-EX (BC)

Trainers: 4

4 Rare Candy

It's still 16 cards, but now we can have Blastoise at turn 2 and be ready to attack. It's way faster than what we had before!
Supporting cards (not Supporter cards though)
Now that we have our core, we must focus on cards that will support our main strategy. Do not confuse the title with Supporter cards. We will add them here but I'm not talking exactly about these.
What do we need to take these Pokémon as fast as possible? Here you can be creative and add whatever cards you would think will help the strategy. I'll describe some cards you should consider when building a deck (and that might be useful for this particular deck):

Computer Search: An ACE SPEC card (meaning we can only have one of them and no other ACE SPEC card) that allows us to discard two cards and search for any other card in our deck.
Gold Potion: Another decent ACE SPEC card that heals 90 damage from one Pokémon.
Great Ball: An Item card that lets us look at the first seven cards of our deck, choose a Pokémon from there and place it in our hand.
Heavy Ball: Another Item card that lets us search for a Pokémon with a Retreat Cost of 3 or more. Blastoise has 4 so we can consider it.
Professor Juniper: A Supporter card (we can play one of these during our turn) for discarding our hand and drawing seven new cards. Good for hand refreshing, also a staple.
Cheren: Draw three cards. Straightforward.
Bianca: Draw a card until you have six in your hand.
Eviolite: Keldeo-EX will love these. A Basic Pokémon with this tool attached will receive 20 less damage from any attack.
Rescue Scarf: Another card for Keldeo-EX. If you don't worry that much about damage, consider retrieving them when they get KO'd.
N: Supporter. Each player shuffles their hand on their deck and draw one card for each prize card remaining. Good disruptor.
Random Receiver: Item, reveal one card from your deck until you find a Supporter. Good in a pinch.
Skyla: Search your deck for any Trainer card.
Ultra Ball: Discard two cards from your hand and search for a Pokemon in your deck.
Super Rod: Search for three cards in any combination of Pokémon and Basic Energy cards and shuffle them in your deck. A good recovery card, include at least one of these in your deck.
Pokémon Catcher: Switch your opponent's Active Pokémon with a Pokémon on his or her bench. A must for every deck, 3 or 4 will do.
Pokémon Communication: Change one Pokémon from your hand with one from your deck.

If you notice, Trainer cards can be roughly classified as:

Hand refreshing: They allow us to refresh our hand. You must have some of these in every deck. Juniper and N are examples of this.
Drawing: They draw more cards for us to have mor play options. Bianca and Cheren do this.
Searching: They let us search for specific cards. Skyla and Heavy Ball are examples of this.
Disrupting: They alter the way your opponent plays, such as N and Pokémon Catcher.
Recovery: They help us retrieve things that were discarded, or to turn around the table when things look bad. Super Rod, and in a certain way, N, are excellent for this.
Combat: They help us during combat, when receiving and dealing damage. Gold Potion and Evolite do this.

All in all, we shouldn't just include one of each and be done. What we must be pursuing is consistency. Our deck must be able to pursuit the goal we've defined before in all times and each and every card must help with this. Keeping all of this in mind, I've decided to include the following cards:
Pokémon: 12

4 Squirtle (BC)
1 Wartortle (BC)
3 Blastoise (BC)
4 Keldeo-EX (BC)

Trainers: 29

4 Rare Candy
1 Computer Search
2 Ultra Ball
4 Great Ball
2 Super Rod
4 Cheren
3 Bianca
3 N
4 Pokémon Catcher
2 Skyla

29 trainers?! Isn't it a bit excessive? No. Actually no. Most of your deck should consist of Trainers, believe it or not.
Completing the deck and adding other cards
We have a solid deck but we're lacking two other things:

Energy Cards
Techs

What's a tech? It's a card we include in order to deal with threats to our deck! What can threat our deck SO much???

Mewtwo-EX: The more energy cards we have attached, the more damage we will receive thanks to X Ball. We must deal with this somehow!
Sigilyph: It basically nullifies our Keldeo's attacks.

Sigilyph can be easily dealt with: We load a Blastoise with energy, retreat a Keldeo, and send it to attack. A Blastoise with [W][W][W] attached will KO it in no time. The real problem is Mewtwo-EX. Sadly the best way to counter it is with another Mewtwo-EX. So, we will include two of these.
Now we have 43 cards in our deck. How about adding three more cards? I would bet for Energy Retrieval, which recovers two Basic Energy cards from our discard pile. So adding three of these will be great. The remainder of the deck will be water energies - limit yourself to no more than 18 Energy cards and that's for a deck that actually needs many of them.
The final deck
Pokémon: 14

4 Squirtle (BC)
1 Wartortle (BC)
3 Blastoise (BC)
4 Keldeo-EX (BC)
2 Mewtwo-EX

Trainers: 32

4 Rare Candy
1 Computer Search
2 Ultra Ball
4 Great Ball
2 Super Rod
4 Cheren
3 Bianca
3 N
4 Pokémon Catcher
2 Skyla
3 Energy Retrieval

Energy: 14

14 Water Energy

Conclusion
We've gone through building a deck from the very core of it to an actual full fledged deck. Keep in mind this might not be an optimal build, but I think it's enough to illustrate the point and to help starters getting going with their very own deck.

This could use an introduction summarizing the general points about speed, consistency, and focused strategy.

[D] is commonly used to denote the Darkness type. Similar to how [R] is used to distinguish Fire from [F] Fighting, Dragon is often referred to as [N] (since all other consonants are taken and [N] can more or less obviously only be Dragon). The same problem appears with the new Fairy type, by the way, which is usually abbreviated as [Y] (again, rather obvious what it's meant to be).

authors: Hášíl Páůďýál


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Where can I get custom Magic: the Gathering cards printed?
I have made up some custom MtG cards, and I am trying to get physical copies made (to mess with my friends, and for casual use). Does anyone know where I can get them made?
Disclamer: These cards will be clearly fake, and for personal use only. I'm not trying pull any shenanigans here. In the interest of openness, a graphical list of the cards can be found here. The back will be a custom back that I am still working on...

print pictures of cards.  glue them to real cards.

Putting them in opaque sleeves in front of a real card of the same color in the way to go. The massive savings I got from proxying justified paying $35 for 600 sleeves in my case. :)

A word of advice: Do not glue them! I've tried a couple different kinds of glue on my custom cards and you it generally warps the card, making it unusable. A sleeve and a real card backer is the way to go.

@Discord, spray-on adhesive works fine without warping the card. The main problem with gluing onto an existing card is that you're going to change the card's thickness.

I've printed decks to playtest with friends before buying the actual cards. I just went to a local print shop. Everywhere has one.
I didn't bother printing backs. I just sleeved the cards. For rigidity, I backed them with real cards or those silly advertisement cards you get in booster packs. As long as you do that for every card in the deck, it should shuffle correctly.
I use the images from magiccards.info since they have a higher resolution than Gatherer's. To get the cards to display right, I create an .html file with the following content and print it to a PDF using my browser.

I've added to my answer.

At the bottom of an individual card's page on magiccards.info, there are a handful of links under the heading "Print Proxies". Clicking the +1 through +4 links will build up a page of proxies to print, while View/Clear does exactly what you'd expect. So long as your browser/printer doesn't resize the resulting page, the images print at the correct size for proxies; there's no need to roll your own.

@Brian S, That places a gap between them for me. Not a biggie for proxies, I suppose.

I found that vertical spaces were created between rows.  I was able to get rid of them by wrapping the img tags in a div with the row-height:0 style.  http://www.moock.org/blog/archives/000309.html

If you're looking to get the correct thickness for the cards, ask the print shop to print them on 14-point paper, or whatever they have in stock that requires a printer drum to have a rating of just over 300 psi. Through some experimentation at my job and a bit of research, I've discovered that to be the thickness of all trading cards. If they don't have a machine with a drum that can handle it, they'll know someone in the area that will.
Keeping in line with ikegami's comment, I would recommend not printing a back on the cards unless you expect them to be unsleeved for any great length of time. The price of the paper is, relatively, marginal; it will generally cost a dollar's worth of cardstock to print a large number of cards. However, tonor is really expensive, and it'll easily be 80-85% of your total project cost.
My one other recommendation would be to cut the cards yourself. Unless you personally know the person cutting out the cards, you'll most likely get unseemly white edges and the occasional slanted cut, especially if their cutting machine is slightly off.


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Is a deck with extra aces more beneficial to a dealer, or a player?
If a deck, being used for BlackJack, contains extra Aces, does the dealer have an advantage, or vice versa. Additionally, do less aces cause an effect on the dealer or players advantage?

How many extra Aces are we talking here? Does the casino pay 3:2 on a Blackjack? Can you split, double down, double down after a split, etc. Are you playing a single deck, 4 decks, 8 decks, etc.

This is a very complicated question. There are several factors to consider that make it impossible to answer without knowing a lot of details that you left out. Taken to the extreme, imagine a blackjack deck with 1 million extra Aces. In such a game, the player would have the advantage if the dealer was required to hold on 17. The player can hit until they have 18, confident that the dealer would most likely get 17 and be forced to stop. Here are some odds for adding a single extra Ace.

Decreased Chance of Player Blackjack

52 card: ((4/52) × (16/51)) + ((16/52) × (4/51)) = 4.82655%
53 card: ((5/53) × (16/52)) + ((16/53) × (5/52)) = 5.80552%

The odds of getting BJ are the odds of getting dealt an Ace then a 10/face-card plus the reverse order. Adding in an extra Ace increases your odds by almost one percent.

Increased Chance of Dealer Blackjack when player has BJ

52 card: ((3/50) × (15/49)) + ((15/50) × (3/49)) = 3.67347%
53 card: ((4/51) × (15/50)) + ((15/51) × (4/50)) = 4.70588%

The calculation here is much the same, except two cards are removed (the player BJ). Adding a single Ace hurts the player by over a whole percentage point.
Unless you give me a lot more detail (there are other things to consider) I have no idea who has the advantage. For example with 4 Aces, you have increased your odds of BJ by almost 3.5%, but the dealer has an increase of greater than 3.5% chance of having BJ when you have BJ. Who has the advantage would require extra information on what the payout is for player BJ.

56 card player BJ: ((8/56) × (16/55)) + ((16/56) × (8/55)) = 8.31169%
56 card dealer BJ after player: ((7/54) × (15/53)) + ((15/54) × (7/53)) = 7.33753%

In your second formula, that should be 5/53, right?

@bwarner: Which changes it to 5.8%, a 1% increase in blackjack chance. Assuming dealer blackjack pushes, there is still a 0.88% increased blackjack for the player. OP is correct that blackjack payout is important (as is insurance payout)

Extra aces (without extra other cards) increase the chances of blackjacks.
If we assume a normal deck, there are 4 aces, and 12 faces; this means a blackjack is (4/52)*(12/51)=48/2652, or about 12/663.
If we add 4 extra aces, it instead goes to (8/56)*(12/55) = 96/3080 = 12/385.
just over twice as many blackjacks, before accounting for splitting two aces.
If they pay even 6:5 on blackjacks, they have lost a good bit, because it's normally the highest paying hand, and blackjack has very low house odds favor. If they don't change the typical 3:2 payout for a blackjack, they've probably lost their house edge.
The house edge in blackjack is normally measured in hundredths of a percent. Double the frequency of blackjacks, and they lose money.
Heck, allow doubledown after a split in a single-deck blackjack table, and the house loses money, so doubling the number of blackjacks is a definite benefit to the player.

Surely the house has the same increased odds of a blackjack? If a house blackjack beats any hand, this would work against the player.

The way I am used to the rules, player blackjacks will pay before the dealer even reveals their other card

@TimLymington, you are absolutely right (and this answer is probably wrong (we need more detail in the question)). The increased odds that the deal BJ pushes your BJ lessens some of the increased advantage of getting a BJ.

Due to insurance and increased payout for blackjack, additional blackjacks are good for the player overall.

Shouldn't your calculation use 16 (not 12 cards of '10' pip value) since there is 10,J,Q K. Additionally, you can get Blackjack with an Ace dealt first or second with a complementary 10-value card, so you need to add IP both of those odds to get the total odds of getting BJ.

Yep, probably should... but the principle is adequately enough shown, and the reciprocal form (Face first, then ace) is the same odds. The important factor is that any increase in player chances of Blackjack hurt the house far worse than help the house, because a player blackjack usually pays without even showing the dealer's hand.


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Does Goblin Test Pilot hit a Planeswalker?
To my understanding, after it hits the player, the person in control of the Goblin gets to decide whether it hits the player or planeswalker, but I could be way off. How would it work?

Whenever you do damage to a player outside of combat, you can decide to redirect that to one of that player's planeswalkers instead. This is explained better than I can by Wizard's cust-help:

If a source you control would deal noncombat damage to an opponent,
  you may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker that
  opponent controls instead. This is a redirection effect: you choose
  whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied,
  and it's subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects.
  The player affected by the damage chooses the order in which to apply
  such effects, but the controller of the source of the damage chooses
  whether the damage is redirected. Note that this redirection can't be
  applied to combat damage.

For example, although you can't target a planeswalker with Shock, you can target your opponent with Shock, and then as Shock resolves,
  choose to have Shock deal its 2 damage to one of your opponent's
  planeswalkers. If you do, two loyalty counters are removed from that
  planeswalker.
You can't choose to split the damage between a player and a planeswalker. In the Shock example above, you couldn't have Shock deal
  1 damage to the player and 1 damage to the planeswalker.
If a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead.
In a Two-Headed Giant game, damage that would be dealt to a player can't be redirected to a planeswalker his or her teammate controls.

A key point, however is the third bullet: If a source you control would deal damage to you, you can't have that source deal that damage to one of your planeswalkers instead.

Those who like Comprehensive Rules should know that this is covered by CR 306.7 If noncombat damage would be dealt to a player by a source controlled by an opponent, that opponent may have that source deal that damage to a planeswalker the first player controls instead. This is a redirection effect (see rule 614.9) and is subject to the normal rules for ordering replacement effects (see rule 616). The opponent chooses whether to redirect the damage as the redirection effect is applied.


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Multiple blockers with first strike
Scenario:
Player A attacks with a 6/6 creature.
Player B assigns TWO blockers to block the 6/6 creature, each is 3/3 with first strike.
Which of these happens?

B's first strike blockers deal their damage first, destroying A's larger creature before it deals any damage
Each blocker must take its turn blocking. So the first 3/3 blocker does first strike damage, then dies. Then the second blocker does first strike damage, and lives.

1. The 6/6 will die, and the 3/3s won't take any damage.

In the first strike Combat Damage Step, both 3/3 deal three damage to the attacker. It is destroyed shortly after for having marked damage matching its toughness. The 6/6 won't be around in the normal damage Combat Damage Step to deal damage to the 3/3s, so they'll survive intact.
If the attacker was a 7/7, it would survive the first strike Combat Damage Step and a second Combat Damage Step would get created for the remaining creatures (the 7/7) to deal their damage (destroying the blockers).

So basically if two 3/3 creatures with first strike blocked one 6/6 creature without first strike then the 6/6 creature will die but the two 3/3 creatures would live?

Previous answer in-correct
When the 6/6 attacks you declare two 3/3 first strike blockers on the one 6/6.
The 6/6's controller chooses blocking order (which one will block first and which will block second).
It would play out like this (6/6 attacks blocked by 1st 3/3 first strike, 6/6 is a 6/3 untill the end of turn first 3/3 is destroyed, then 6/6 attacks the 2nd 3/3 first strike and is destroyed by the 3/3 before it attacks it)
In short the 6/6 will die and you will lose one of your two 3/3's.
hope this helped.

This answer is completely wrong on all counts except that the attacker chooses how to order blockers.  It doesn't go 'first strike then normal combat per creature' - all creatures with first strike damage deal their combat damage, and then all creatures without first strike deal theirs. (See rule 510.5)  Furthermore, the 6/6 is never a 6/3, despite what Duels of the Planeswalkers tells you - it's a 6/6 with 3 damage on it.  (This can matter for effects that check a creature's toughness)

It's called "damage assignment order" (not "blocking order") because it must be picked for each creature that deals combat damage. I didn't mention damage assignment order because it's irrelevant to the question. In fact, you have absolutely no choice in the presented scenario. First 3/3's order: 6/6. Second 3/3's order: 6/6.

@ikegami (Nitpicking: that order is chosen during the declare blockers step, well before creatures actually get to do combat damage - see rule 509.2.  While it is irrelevant to the question as given, the attacker does still get the choice of how they want to order blockers.)

@Steven Stadnicki, Fine, there are no meaningful choices since the attacker doesn't get to do any damage. But true, a Lightning Bolt or Giant Growth could make it meaningful.


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What happens when you die in Munchkin?
In the card game Munchkin, what happens when you die? I know you go back to level 1, and you lose all the cards in your hand and your items, but do you lose your class and race too?
And how does it work with the rest of the players taking your cards?

You do not lose Class, Race, Level, or Curses when you die. The other characters get to loot your body when you die, each getting one card from your revealed hand or the cards you had in play, starting with the highest level character. The remaining cards (non-Class/Race/Curse) are discarded.
The rules have a section labeled Death that clearly explains the consequences (page 3).

Death - If you die, you lose all your stuff. You keep your Class(es), Race(s), and Level (and any Curses that were affecting you when you died) – your new character will look just like your old one. If you have Half-Breed or Super Munchkin, keep those as well.
Looting The Body: Lay out your hand beside the cards you had in play. Starting with the one with the highest Level, each other player chooses one card . . . in case of ties in level, roll a die. If your corpse runs out of cards, tough. After everyone gets one card, the rest are discarded.
Dead characters cannot receive cards for any reason, not even Charity, and cannot level up. Your new character appears when the next player begins his turn, and can help others in combat . . . but you have no cards. On your next turn, start by drawing four cards from each deck, face-down, and playing any legal Race, Class, or Item cards you want to, just as when you started the game. Then take your turn normally.

The FAQ reiterates much of the same information.

Q. Exactly when do you die, and how long do you stay dead?
A. You die when you get Bad Stuff that says you're dead. (A very few other cards can cause Death as well.) If you were fleeing from other monsters, you are excused from their Bad Stuff, because you're dead. While you are dead, you cannot receive cards for any reason, and you cannot level up. You STAY dead only until the next person's turn starts. Your new character appears at that point and may join normally in the combat, though you will get no new cards until someone gives you charity, you get cards as payment for helping in a combat, or your next turn starts. Fortunately, death is temporary . . .
Q. What happens when you die? Do Curses that persist go away?
A. There are a number of Curses that persist, like Tiny Hands, Big Feet, Sex Change, Chicken On Your Head, and so on. Most of these Curses can only be gotten rid of with a Wishing Ring or perhaps some luck. If a Curse persists, its effects transcend death. Remember, your new character looks like the last one. So, if your sex was changed, you are still your new sex (but you very likely died because of combat, so that pesky -5 is gone), you still have Big Feet or Tiny Hands, and if you didn't have Headgear on when you died, that stinking Chicken is going to roost on the head of your new character. Sucks to be cursed, but, well, you knew that . . .

that's what I get for trusting my friends and not reading the rules myself

There are a couple other cards that don't leave depending on the sets you have. Those cards spell out clearly that they don't leave upon death. The ally Laddie the dog is one that comes to my mind.


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Looking for an Online Card Shuffler and Drawer
For some play-by-forum games I'm looking into creating specific card based games that allow people to moderate on their own.
Specifically I'm looking into 7 Wonders. The only thing a mod needs to do is distribute hands at the beginning of each Age (including Leaders). Once everyone has received his initial hand he can just pick a card and send the rest along to his neighbor. For this we've used a token (just post DONE after you've picked your card) after which you'll receive your next hand from your neighbor. Obviously this requires some trust that you've actually picked a card and not just posted that you've done this, but on our forum it hasn't been an issue.
This leaves me with shuffling and drawing cards. Is there any way (an online app maybe) to allow people to draw cards from the same deck without seeing the cards that have been drawn by the other players? The order that they draw cards in doesn't matter much as long as each player just gets a hand of 7 random cards and gets it only once.
Any thoughts?

You could always just use a physical copy of the game, shuffle the cards, deal the appropriate number of hands, and then send a message to each player listing out one of the hands.

Well, that would always be an option, @bwarner, but I want some way to participate myself without being able to look at everyone's hands. :)

The game Tabletop Simulator has many games on the workshop, including 7 Wonders.
Tabletop Simulator (TTS) is exactly what the name implies: it simulates a tabletop. You can play chess, checkers, poker, or any game really since the game has extensive support to import own games. Even more, there is a whole scripting environment to automate actions/mechanics in games.
One of the great features TTS has is that you can shuffle cards and deal to all players. You can simulate this for your forum group, but if you guys want to take it real time you can all acquire TTS and play together. Online.
This is why TTS is so popular. It allows players that normally don't have that much time to come together play awesome games. It is also used a lot for playtesting custom games, so if you're into that, you might want to check it out as well.


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Power Tile Effect: Initiative and Movement/Victory
When using the 'Initiative' power tile (which destroys two units pre-battle)  against a [foolish or unfortunate] opponent who has only two units:
Is a victory point scored?
Is movement interrupted?

The rulebook says:

If the attacker wins the battle, and has at least one unit left, he gains a permanent Battle VP.

The English rulebook doesn't seem to be clear about the movements, but the German version clearly states that in the case of an Attack:

The movement ends in every case.

You won't get a victory point in this case:
-> The effect of 'Innitiative' resolves during Day-Phase. If you destroy the enemy troop during Day-Phase (Same as for example with a DI-card) there won't be a battle -> no VP.

Boggle.  I do not see how day phase relates to this circumstance.


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Game of Thrones 2nd Ed vs 1st + Expansions
I've got the GoT 1st Ed, and was wondering: is it better to get the 2nd Edition straight, or is it somehow worthwhile to get the two expansions (Clash of Kings + Storm of Swords), on which I understand the 2nd Ed is based on?

Having played both, the second edition is definitely more streamlined than the first edition.  The mechanics and "feel" of the game are pretty much the same (although the new "Wildling" and optional "Tides of Battle" cards do make wildling attacks and battles more interesting), a few balancing tweaks, but the biggest changes are mostly aesthetic.
To me, just being able to play without messing around with the overlays from Clash of Kings is a significant selling point (second edition only contains one King's Court overlay to balance three/four-player games), but if you already have the first edition base game, I don't know that any of these benefits are really worth the jump.
Storm of Swords, for the record, contains a completely different game mode/map which is not included in the second edition (and which I have never actually played); it is, however, playable with second edition pieces despite being a first edition expansion.


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Parasite + Wyrm combo - is it an insta-killer?
Wyrm has the following text:

1[Credit]: Ice has -1 strength.

Parasite has the following text:

Host ice has -1 strength for each virus counter on Parasite and is trashed if its strength is 0 or less.

If I understand this correctly, if I place a Parasite card on an ICe's, and use Wyrm's (somewhat expensive) ability to lower an ICe's strength, I can bring it down to 0 and then Parasite will kick in and kill it. Am I missing something?

Yes, this combo works.
Parasite will trash any ice as soon as it has zero (or lower) strength, regardless of how that strength was lowered (i.e. it doesn't only trigger from Parasite's counters).
Other cards that combo with Parasite include Datasucker:

Whenever you make a successful run on a central server, place 1 virus counter on Datasucker.
  Hosted virus counter: Rezzed piece of ice currently being encountered has -1 strength until the end of the encounter.

or Ice Carver:

All ice is encountered with its strength lowered by 1.

Just note that you have to "encounter" the ice before you can pump Wyrm up and then lower the target ice down to 0. This means a DataRaven will still tag you, a Tollbooth will still cost you 3C etc.

@Nick - True, but not if I use the Datasucker combo offered by Johno. Nice!

@AviadBenDov Its also true with Datasucker; you have to encounter ICE before you can use Datasucker on it. Only IceCarver will lower the Strength before the "on encounter" abilities trigger.

@AviadBenDov Nick is correct. "On encounter" effects are triggered before you get the opportunity to use paid abilities (such as the one on Datasucker). If Ice Carver reduces the strength to 0, Parasite can trash (e.g.) Tollbooth before the effect, because neither requires a paid ability to do so.


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Does Cell Portal restart the run?
Cell Portal has the following text:

The Runner approaches the outermost piece of ice protecting the attacked server. Derez Cell Portal.

What happens after the Runner passes the outermost piece of ice: does it

Continue to the next ice after the outermost piece; or
Continue to the next ice after Cell Portal?

When the subroutine on Cell Portal fires, the Runner must encounter all ice (again), starting from the outermost.
Just be careful with terminology; the run doesn't "restart" (i.e. no "start of run" effects are fired again), the Runner is just teleported back to the first piece of ice and must continue from there.

I would love to think this is the case; it seems reasonable and fit to the cost of Cell Portal. But how do you deduce that?

Another caveat to using the word restart - Cards like Komainu still have the subs they gained during the first run past them, sending a runner via cell portal through komainu a few times can flatline a runner with the wrong tech easily, particularly if you use Labyrinthine Servers or Whirlpool to keep them in the run.


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Placing advancements on non-advanceable cards
I know you can't advance something that is non-advanceable, but what about the Runner?
In the new Opening Moves Data Pack, there is a card called "Queen's Gambit" (according to the pics). It says:

Place up to 3 advancement tokens on an unrezzed card in a remote server. Gain 2[Credits] for each advancement token placed.

Can anyone say that works? The Runner doesn't know what can be advanced or not..

Queen's gambit doesn't specify that the card has to be able to be advanced. If you compare it to Matrix Analyzer, you will see the difference:

When the Runner encounters Matrix Analyzer, you may pay 1 [Credits] to place 1 advancement  token on a card that can be advanced.

Normally the Advance action is used to advance cards. This is where the corp pays 1C and 1click to place an advancement counter on a card which can be advanced. When another card places advancement counters, its not actually "advancing" the card, and so it doesn't need to be an advanceable card. However, most effects which add advancement counters specify the card has to be advanceable. The only exception at the moment is Queen's Gambit, since the runner obviously won't know, and is in fact gambling that the card isn't advanceable, to avoid helping the corp.

Seems like the right answer. Just seemed odd - I guess it's the first time a Runner advances a card, so they had to make the exception?

Cards that require the target to be advancable say they must be. Shipment from Kaguya is an example from core, and Trick of Light is another one. Queen's gambit is meant to be a gamble, you are betting on the card you chose to not gain a benefit from the counters placed on it, if you're wrong you helped the corp out, if not, no issue. Mushin no Shin is an example of a corp card that advances cards without caring if they can be advanced or not.


text:
Swapping Creatures in Troops
Regarding the Creatures in troops:
May a troop with a creature have its creature replaced with a creature not currently on the board?

The rulebook doesn't say anything about recalling creatures, but you can't recall single units either, only a whole group and only after a battle. I guess it's safe to assume that it's not possible to recall a creature and put another one in the same group.
The only trick I see to achieve this is to move with the creature you want to remove from the group, split the group and take one unit with you. Go into a battle and call that unit back (or have it killed) and with the next recruitment put it back into the original group with a different creature. (Assuming the remains of the original groups are in your city.)
I think this solution may be too complicated to be actually worth to play though.


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Do you get two actions when you return from space with Starbuck?
In Battlestar Galactica, "Starbuck" has a special ability that when she starts her turn in space, she gets two actions instead of one. This makes sense because as a snazzy pilot, she can out-manuever everyone.
However, what happens if she decides to move back into the Galactica?
More specifically, does she get two actions inside the Galactica if she started her turn in space and discarded a card to go back into the Galactica?

Yes, she does. The rule is stated quite clearly, no need to second-guess it. Maybe she's on such a rush from piloting that for the rest of the turn she can still get stuff done, even on Galactica.

I'm second guessing because that's (a) not thematic and (b) quite powerful, as it allows the character to, for example, do an action and then XO another player to do two actions, which is how we use it.

It is quite powerful, definitely motivation to keep her in a viper! Also gives a cylon Starbuck some good options for a nasty reveal.

It is in the FAQ Q: If Starbuck starts her turn piloting a viper, does she receive
two actions if she moves to Galactica or Colonial 1?
A: Yes.

Yes, she can move to Colonial One or Galactica and use two actions if she started her turn in a viper. The FAQ states this clearly. Remember that the player needs to discard one skill card to move from the viper to the Colonial One or Galactica.


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What advantage do I get from attaching something to my house card?
In Game of Thrones The Card Game, some cards say that they can be played as an attachment to the house card instead of being played as a location. What are the advantages to this?

One way makes it an attachment, the other makes it a location.  Which way you would want to play it depends on what your opponent is likely to be able to do.  If they can discard attachments (such as with the card Bought and Paid For), you would want to play it as a location.  If they can get rid of locations, play it as an attachment.
The choice just makes the card flexible.


text:
Where can I find scans of D&D:TFBG board game cards?
My friend has bought second hand Dungeons and Dragons The Fantasy Board Game and about half of the cards is missing. He'd like to print the missing cards himself to be able to play the game.
Are the scans of the cards available anywhere for download and print?

I don't know where you can find scans to download and print, but you can use BGG to help out with things:

Full component list (with card names, but not full card text)
2013 Spare Parts Resource List entry for the game - He could post his wants there after seeing what is missing
Image gallery for the game (15 pages of images, there might be images of the cards)

Not a lot of scanning of cards for printing purposes because that leads to copyright issues, and since we're talking about WotC, they WILL go after people with C&D orders if and when they find that sort of thing. But the above links should help him in getting the actual cards.


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What are the differences within/between Pokemon series?
My kids are getting interested in Pokemon TCG, so I'm trying to figure out the different series and sets. I played Magic the Gathering for a little while, which has helped me understand some of the terminology (e.g., starter sets, theme decks, booster packs), but some things seem to be different. Specifically: what are the differences within/between Pokemon series?
For example, what are the differences between the Black & White Dragons Exalted set and the Black & White Emerging Powers set? And what are the differences between the Black & White series and the Heartgold & Soulsilver series?
I understand that the different sets/series have different cards in them, but is there anything else? In Magic the Gathering, the different expansion sets had extra mechanics not seen in the core set. Note that I'm more interested in the differences pertaining to gameplay than to collecting.

It's not the set theirselves, it's the "era". BW: Dragons Exalted and BW: Emerging Powers are from the same era and share the same mechanics (although starting from BW: Next Destinies Pokémon EX were introduced, and from BW: Plasma Storm we got Team Plasma cards with certain advantages when combined with other cards that give them effects).
However, the Black & White series and the HeartGold & SoulSilver series are different in that, given the former has Pokémon EX and Team Plasma Pokémon, the latter has Pokémon Prime and Pokémon LEGEND (Prime cards are more powerful versions of certain Pokémon, and LEGEND cards are Pokémon that can only be played by having both parts of the whole card in your hand).
Sometimes the rules change over the eras aswell. In BW some cards received errata (such as Rare Candy) and certain rules were reworked (such as who goes first), but besides that the game remains largely the same.
Hope that helps.

Official tournaments use a set rotation system. This means that only the newest sets are legal for tournament play. Since Pokémon offers tournaments on a very casual level, this is definitely a point to consider.
What sets are currently legal changes once a year, usually around September. Any new set that is released automatically becomes legal (for higher level tournaments such as National Chamionships, there is a small delay between the street date and the date when it becomes legal for tournament play).
Most of the time, the number of legal sets after a rotation occured in September is roughly 5-8. Right before the rotation (at the time the World Championships take place), it's usually 9-12.
The time between 2 rotations is called a Season. All achievements, point scores and similar things connected to tournaments and leagues ("Organized Play"), notably the age group players are assigned, are reset at the start of each Season.

Game Mechanics (rules), while slightly changing with each era (see the other answer), usually stay mainly the same.
Strategic Mechanics, however, generally change a lot between eras. Sometimes, Basic Pokémon play the most important role, sometimes Evolved Pokémon do (right now, as of X&Y, Evolved Pokémon are back on the rise). Searching Pokémon out of the deck is sometimes based mainly on other Pokémon's abilities, other times on Supporters or Items. Some eras have very strong Energy manipulation, others are very disruptive, still others rely on damage manipulation a lot.
Some eras even use completely new mechanics which are not present in older (or newer) sets. An example for this is the Heartgold & Soulsilver era, which introduced the Lost Zone, an area nowhere on the field where cards could never return from (within one game), as well as several cards referring to this area and using it (for example, Lost World allowed a player to declare himself the winner if at least 6 of the opponent's Pokémon were in the Lost Zone, while Mew was able to use any attacks of Pokémon in the Lost Zone). This concept was never used again after Call of Legends.


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When Exchanging Items Does It Have To Be a Trade?
I tried to find the info on the wiki but it is difficult to find stuff there.  When heroes do their "Exchange" phase, does that means they have to trade items?  Or can a hero just give an item to another hero in their space?  Logic would dictate the latter in my opinion, but I don't believe the rules are explicit enough about that.

You can give an item to another hero in your space without receiving anything in return. This FAQ from the back of the rule book clarifies this:

Q3. - If you have four items including Gasoline or Old Betsy, and you gain a fifth item, can you immediately use the Gasoline or Old Betsy to avoid having to discard an item?
A3. - Yes. You could also immediately hand off an item to any other Hero in your space.


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Rolling for Horror Between Rooms with No Door
The setup for Story 2 contains adjacent rooms with no wall or door.  The rules say that you must roll for horror when entering a room with a monster or when a monster enters the room.  My assumption is that applies in the case where there is a clear line of site since the rules specify "room".
However, I just wanted to know if anyone could verify that even if there is a line of site between 2 rooms, you only do the horror role when in the same room as a monster.

The rules clearly state that you roll a Horror Test, when a monster enters a room with an investigator or visa versa (page 15). Line of Sight has nothing to do with the question, you do not roll a Horror Test, because you can see a monster.

Room - An area of the map tile that has a name and is separated from the other rooms by solid brown walls, doors, or the edge of the map tile. ... (page 8)
Whenever a monster enters (or is placed in) an investigator’s room (or vice versa), the investigator must immediately make an attribute test called a HORROR TEST. He does so by making a Willpower test modified by the monster’s horror rating (the blue number at the top of its monster token). If he fails this test, he takes one horror (see “Damage and Horror” on page 24)

I think I saw in a faq that in regards to fire they would count as two rooms and I  have played the horror rules the same way.  When it comes to shooting though I have used normal LOS rules.