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How does multikicker work?
I don't understand Strength of the Tajuru. What does multikicker mean, and how would I use it in a game?

I'm sure someone will write you an excellent answer before long, but in the meantime, you might try reading the rulings on the card's Gatherer entry. There's a concrete example in there.

First, in order to understand how Multikicker works you have to understand how Kicker works. What Kicker {cost} means is that when you cast the spell (before you do anything like choose targets or determine cost) you decide if you are going to 'kick' the spell, if you do you pay {cost} in addition to any other costs of the spell, and it will have a different effect if it was kicked. For example Ardent Soldier has Kicker {2} and If Ardent Soldier was kicked, it enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it. So when you cast the Soldier if you pay an additional {2} it will enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter. Normally you can only kick a spell once, but what Multikicker allows you to do is kick the spell as many times as you can pay for.
Strength of the Tajuru can be a little confusing since it has an {X} in its cost in addition to the Multikicker. How it will work is you decide how many counters you want to place on each creature, this value will be the {X} in the cost, then you decide how many creatures you want to target, the first one is free every additional one cost {1} from the Multikicker. So your final cost would come out to {X}{# of targets - 1}{G}{G}.
From the Gatherer Rulings:

For example, if you want to put four +1/+1 counters on each of three different targets, that means X is 4 and you're kicking the spell twice. You'll pay a mana cost of {4}{G}{G}, plus a kicker cost of {1}, plus another kicker cost of {1}, for a total of {6}{G}{G}.

Strength of the Tajuru is probably the most complicated of the multikicker cards, most of them are much simpler, take for example Apex Hawks. The Hawks have Multikicker {1}{W} and Apex Hawks enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each time it was kicked., what this means is as you cast the Hawks you can pay {1}{W} as many times as you want in addition to the regular cost of the spell, and for every time you do that it gets a +1/+1 counter. So if you payed {3}{W}{W}{W} for the Multikicker it would enter the battlefield with 3 +1/+1 counters.

It might also help to look at a simpler example, without the {X} and where the cost isn't just {1} - say Apex Hawks. Pay {1}{W} once, get one +1/+1 counter. Pay it twice, get two.

In case you were confused, the X in Strength of the Tajuru's cost is unrelated to multikicker. If you need help understanding that mechanic, see What does X mean in a spell's cost?. Now, to understand Multikicker, it helps to understand Kicker first.
Kicker
Kicker is an extra cost that you may pay when you cast the spell. If you choose to pay the cost, then the spell has been "kicked". Generally, you will get some additional effect if the card was kicked. If you don't pay the cost, then you don't get the extra effect.

If you cast MySpell for , then it deals 1 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
If you cast MySpell for , then MySpell deals 1 damage to target creature or planeswalker and you gain 4 life.

Multikicker
Multikicker is a variant of kicker. If you pay the multikicker cost, then the spell has been "kicked". If you pay the multikicker cost N times, then the spell has been kicked N times.

If you cast AnotherSpell for , creatures you control get +0/+1 until the end of turn.
If you cast AnotherSpell for , creatures you control get +0/+1 until the end of turn and all creatures get -1/-1 until the end of turn.
If you cast AnotherSpell for , creatures you control get +0/+1 until the end of turn and all creatures get -6/-6 until the end of turn.

Did you mean {W}{R} on your first example? Also I think an easy source of confusion for Strength of the Tajuru is the {X} vs the {1} per kick (i.e. two different things that are both increments of {1}) - might be worth addressing the card in the question too.

@Jefromi If OP is actually confused about the X in a spell's cost, then he needs to ask a new question anyway.

Is it be possible to maneuver the bullet points to the right of the picture? It would literally cut the answer's length in half. I don't think we have that kind of control, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Unfortunately, it appears that's not currently possible. Related meta.SE post

The question did ask about a specific example. It was originally in the title, so in case you thought that because it was now only in the body it wasn't actually a required part of the question, I've put it back in the title too.

@Jefromi I understand that you are just trying to be proactive, but in this case I think you are being a little too aggressive about trying to read the OP's mind. He hasn't demonstrated any confusion about X in the spell's cost. I don't intend to address confusion that I can't see.

@Jefromi After watching you make the title of the question worse, I caved and decided to add a sentence or two addressing that aspect of the card. Does that satisfy your concern?

@Rainbolt I don't know exactly what the source of the OP's confusion is, but he asked about a specific card. Arguably I went too far by removing it from the title, especially since it caused you to think that an answer which didn't address it still answered the question, so I don't think putting it back in made it worse.

Also to be clear, I said that the {X} was an easy source of confusion - I did not say that it was the only reason the OP asked about that card. Even if it didn't say {X} on the card, the OP asking about a specific card is certainly reason enough to discuss that card in your answer.

@Jefromi Did you just comment to tell me that you have no idea what the OP is asking, and that your best guess should align with my best guess?

@Rainbolt No, I said that no matter what, you should address the actual card the OP asked about, and clarified that I was not saying that you had to think {X} vs multikicker {1} was confusing, just that it was one seemingly-likely thing the OP could have found confusing in an attempt to be helpful.

@Jefromi I disagree that I have to, or even should, use the same example card that the OP used. Sometimes mechanics are far better explained using much simpler examples. If the OP was confused by a different mechanic, then he needs to ask a different question, even if that mechanic happens to be on the same card.

@Jefromi Your last few comments really overstep the bounds of what the comments section is for. You haven't made a real suggestion for improving this answer other than "It should address this card." What specifically about the card needs addressing? After all, if you simply asked "How does this card work?" then I would have to cover half of the entire rulebook. You need to leave more specific comments.


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Is an Enchantment Creature also an Enchanted Creature?
Is an Enchantment Creature also an Enchanted Creature? For example, Spiteful Returned states

Whenever Spiteful Returned or enchanted creature attacks, defending player loses 2 life.

If I have Spiteful Returned and Nyxborn Eidolon on the battlefield - both cast as creatures, not bestowed - and attack with both, does the defender lose 2 life or 4 life? Nyxborn Eidolon is an Enchantment Creature, but it has no enchantments on it. Is it technically an enchanted creature?

In addition to the answer you've already gotten, I want to point out that Spiteful Returned doesn't say 'another enchanted creature'; it specifically uses the phrasing 'when enchanted creature attacks'.  This refers to the creature that Spiteful Returned is enchanting, and that creature only; if you have Spiteful Returned in play and, say, a Bloodcrazed Hoplite that has a Hopeful Eidolon bestowed onto it, then attacking with the Bloodcrazed Hoplite won't trigger Spiteful Returned's ability.

If the OP misquotes a card, and you write an answer based entirely on that misquote, then you run the risk of someone like me fixing the misquote and invalidating your entire answer.

If the OP misquotes a card and I explain to them why their quote is incorrect and how that incorrect quote has led to an incorrect assumption about the behavior of the card, I feel like my answer has served a useful purpose regardless.

Also, you didn't answer the primary question: Is an enchantment creature the same as an enchanted creature? Even in the original revision, it was the very first sentence.

303.4b The object or player an Aura is attached to is called enchanted. The Aura is attached to, or “enchants,” that object or player.

Since Nyxborn Eidolon has no Auras attached to it, it's not Enchanted.
More importantly, it's not enchanted by Spiteful Returned. Spiteful Returned's triggered ability only triggers when Spiteful Returned or the creature it enchants attacks. It would say "Whenever Spiteful Returned or an enchanted creature attacks" if it was meant to trigger whenever any enchanted creature attacks.

They only lose 2 life. Spiteful Returned is a creature with Bestow. This means that when you cast it you have the option to pay its Bestow cost and when you do that you cast just like an Aura picking a Creature for it to Enchant. When it is an Aura the Creature it is attached to is the "Enchanted Creature", it is never an "Enchanted Creature" if it is not attached to anything and is just an Enchantment Creature.

A creature with bestow gives you the option to cast it as an Aura that enchants a creature, granting that creature its power, toughness, and abilities.
When a card with bestow is in your hand, you have two options: cast it normally for its mana cost, or cast it for its bestow cost. If you cast a bestow card normally, it's an enchantment creature spell that resolves and becomes an enchantment creature on the battlefield. Its bestow ability and its "Enchanted creature gets..." text are ignored.
If you cast a bestow card for its bestow cost, it's never a creature spell. Instead, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature, so you have to target a creature to cast it. If that creature has a heroic ability, this will trigger it, just as any other Aura spell would.
If the target creature leaves the battlefield after you cast a card with bestow as an Aura but before the spell resolves, the Aura spell will resolve as an enchantment creature rather than being countered like a normal Aura spell. If the target creature is still on the battlefield when the Aura spell resolves, it resolves as an Aura enchanting that creature.
While it's enchanting a creature, an Aura with bestow grants the creature the bonuses listed in its text box. If the creature it's enchanting leaves the battlefield for any reason, the Aura immediately becomes an enchantment creature again rather than being put in the graveyard like other Auras.

From  The Mechanics of Theros

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Damage to player when activating Flying ability after 'Declare Blockers' step
If I attack with a Leaping Master and my opponent blocks it with an Alpine Grizzly and I then activate the Leaping Master's Flying ability (i.e. at the end of the 'Declare Blockers' step), the Alpine Grizzly can, presumably, no longer block the (now flying) Leaping Master.
However, would Leaping Master deal damage to my opponent in this case or does rule 509.1h prevent this?

509.1h An attacking creature with one or more creatures declared as blockers for it becomes a blocked creature; one with no creatures declared as blockers for it becomes an unblocked creature. This remains unchanged until the creature is removed from combat, an effect says that it becomes blocked or unblocked, or the combat phase ends, whichever comes first. A creature remains blocked even if all the creatures blocking it are removed from combat.

My feeling is that Leaping Master's damage is assigned to the player as the Alpine Grizzly is not "removed from combat"?

+1 for a well titled (in my opinion) question. By the way, you can use [mtg:Card Name] to tag cards. There are a few caveats, but it works most of the time.

Thank you; I tried to put something meaningful but not too long-winded :)  Thanks for the [mtg:] tip!

Flying only creates a restriction on blocking when blockers are declared, once the blocker is declared giving the attacker flying will have no effect.
From the Rulings on Leaping Master

9/20/2014  Activating Leaping Master’s ability after it’s been blocked won’t change or undo the block.

Excellent, thank you! (note to self: read content of linked pages fully to avoid looking dumb!)

It's also in the rules: "509.1b. If an attacking creature gains or loses an evasion ability after a legal block has been declared, it doesn't affect that block." So this is not something unique to Leaping Master. (i.e. the ruling is just a clarification)

Thank-you for that David; it's always useful to have the actual rule to refer to.

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How do I play a card if it has two colors within the one mana symbol in its cost?
I have just bought a deck and it has cards that have two colors within one mana symbol, like . Do I have to pay both colors or can I choose between the two?

If you had to pay both, they'd be side-by-side.

Mana symbols such as  are called a hybrid mana cost. You can pay that cost with either of the 2 colors shown. Here is a brief summary of hybrid mana rules:

Hybrid mana symbols represent a cost that can be paid with either of two colors. For example, a cost represented by the  symbol can be paid with one white mana or one blue mana. It’s both a white and a blue mana symbol, and a card with  in its mana cost is both white and blue.

I corrected an "oh1" to the same symbol; could you double check my correction in case that wasn't what it was supposed to refer to?

@doppelgreener Thanks; I had made the same correction in another place but missed that one; it's correct now.


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Exchanging control of creatures that have since left the battlefield
If my opponent casts Switcheroo targeting my 3/3 and his 1/1 and I immediately cast Shock to kill his 1/1 will he still gain control of my 3/3?

No, per the Gatherer Ruling:

If one of the target creatures is an illegal target when Switcheroo resolves, the exchange won't happen. If both creatures are illegal targets, Switcheroo will be countered.

This is because in order to preform an exchange there must actually be something to exchange, you aren't allowed to exchange something for nothing.

701.8a A spell or ability may instruct players to exchange something (for example, life totals or control of two permanents) as part of its resolution. When such a spell or ability resolves, if the entire exchange can’t be completed, no part of the exchange occurs.


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Can creatures with summoning sickness be tapped for convoke?
Can creatures or creature tokens be tapped for mana the turn they entered the battlefield when casting a spell with convoke or do they need haste?
For example, can I cast Raise the Alarm for 2 soldier tokens, then on that same turn tap the soldiers to help pay for a Stoke the Flames.

@Diego Your proposed edit introduced poor grammar where there was none, so I rejected it.

@Rainbolt What happened is that Diego attempted to just add card links; using the wording that was originally in the post. But I made an edit at the same time, which added the card links AND fixed the grammar issues.

@Gendolkari I wish I had taken a screenshot, since that's obviously a bug.

@Rainbolt it's not a bug, it's just a merge conflict - they have to use some protocol to resolve the conflict manually, and they just use "most-recently-approved-edit overwrites" - they could use something like a diff and then apply the diffs, but this is just simpler.

That calls into question whether or not two questions with the same answer are the same question.

This question is asking about a specific situation covered by the other question, which is more general.

Yes, they can. You are probably thinking of the "summoning sickness rule", which does not apply here:

302.6. A creature‘s activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can‘t
  be activated unless the creature has been under its controller‘s control continuously since his or her
  most recent turn began. A creature can‘t attack unless it has been under its controller‘s control
  continuously since his or her most recent turn began. This rule is informally called the "summoning
  sicknes" rule.

So this rule doesn't prevenet creatures for being tapped for any reason other than paying the activation cost of that creature or attacking with that creature.

This is one of my favorite tricks. Nothing like summoning tokens so you can tap them to pay a cost. It never seems to be expected.

Along the same lines, Gilt-Leaf Archdruid can tap itself the turn it enters the battlefield.

Along ikegami's line, I often hear the rule (302.6) summarized as "it just can't tap itself, other things can tap it". Of course, this isn't completely accurate as the rules and cards like gilt-leaf show.

@Pow-Ian though summoning the tokens often costs at least as much as you save by using them for convoke! Still, it is possible and legal.

@David Z, not always. My favorite combo with this: Battle Screech - If you have a white creature in play, you can cast it, and immediately flash it back. The tokens are used to pay the cost. So I go from having a single white creature to having 1 white creature and 4 tokens. It never fails to surprise.

The Judge's Corner has a comprehensive video on Convoke that you could reference in your answer if you wanted to. In any case people can find it here in the comments.

Yes you can use creatures with summoning sickness to pay for convoke costs. Summoning sickness means:

302.6. A creature's activated ability with the tap symbol or the untap symbol in its activation cost can't be activated unless the creature has been under its controller's control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. A creature can't attack unless it has been under its controller's control continuously since his or her most recent turn began. This rule is informally called the "summoning sickness" rule.

Casting a spell using convoke is neither attacking, nor activating an ability with a tap or untap symbol in its cost. Convoke is just another way to pay for the spell in addition to tapping lands like you normally would.
Note that while tapping the soldiers helps pay for the cost of the spell it isn't actually adding any mana to your mana pool, you tap them instead of paying mana.


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Can you block with a creature then return it to your hand before it takes damage?
Someone said they can block with a Dryad Arbor then return it to their hand with a Quirion Ranger before the Arbor takes damage.  That sounds wrong to me.

You can tag cards with [mtg:Card Name]. You didn't say what ranger you were referring to in the question (Quirion Ranger or Scryb Ranger) so I chose one for you. I removed the part about how the Wizards hotline is "bogus", because I couldn't figure out why that was relevant to the question.

@RemcoGerlich Tis definitely a duplicate. OP posted an opinion answer on there even.

"If I unsummon a blocking creature, what happens?" and "Can I unsummon a blocking creature?" are two totally different questions in my opinion.

@Rainbolt Technically, true, since the other one asks about the opponent taking damage, whereas this one talks about whether the blocking creature takes damage. Ideally, they would be combined into 'what happens if a blocking creature is returned to its owner's hand'.

You knew this was correct; you'd seen the answers on the other question already. If your goal was just to get this to make sense intuitively, maybe just ask more directly about that?

Yes, you can return a blocking creature to your hand before it takes damage. What happens is:

You block with Dryad Arbor
You and your opponent both get a chance to cast instants and activate abilities
Damage is dealt

Note that if the blocked creature has tramble, it will still assign all of its damage directly to the player

Rules 509.1 through 509.7 cover what happens during the declare blockers step, which occurs before damage is dealt. The two rules that are relevant to your question:

509.1. First, the defending player declares blockers.
  ...
  509.5. Fifth, the active player gets priority. Players may cast spells and activate abilities

Here is a diagram that illustrates the turn structure. It shows all the opportunities that you get to cast or activate things.

Ok thank you for the answer but I'm of the opinion that this is the most unfair rule in magic.  It doesn't make any intuitive sense to be able to block and then the blocking creature not take any damage for doing so.  What a bummer.

@ArthurGardiner It does due to the simple fact that blocked creatures don't do damage, and the declare blockers step and damage step are two separate steps, so players have a chance to react before damage happens.

@ArthurGardiner Thematically, returning a creature to your hand is like having that creature run away while dodging the attack that's coming at him. The blocking worked because the enemy creature already used up his attack / ammo / whatever in trying to hit the creature that was blocking instead of trying to hit the player.

Blocked creatures implies there was an interaction between said creatures.  In this scenario, the act of blocking is what should damage the blocking creature.  If one returns the blocking creature to its owner's hand and the creature does not take damage, then that attacking creature should not be considered blocked whatsoever - intuitively speaking.

Note that the attacking creature takes no damage either, and if the attack creature has Trample then all damage does go through.

@RemcoGerlich That's useful, so I added it to the answer.

@ArthurGardiner Think of blocking as the blocking creature standing in the path of the attacking creature. That's the interaction. The attacking creature has to stop, they're facing off, about to hit each other (which would be the combat damage step)... and then the blocker vanishes. It's too late for the attacker to run off and hit the opponent instead, so the attacker doesn't have anything to do.

@ArthurGardiner Suggestion: Even if you disagree with the way the rules are; would still recommend marking this answer as correct when you get the chance.


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Triggered abilities from multiple players. Whose resolves first?
If triggered abilities from sources controlled by multiple players all trigger at the same time, in what order do they resolve?
For example, if I control Obzedat, Ghost Council and at least two other creatures on my side of the field and my opponent plays Archfiend of Depravity, can I use Obezdat's ability of exiling him to save him from Archfiend's ability at the end step? Since both abilities trigger at the beginning of the end step, whose ability resolves first?

Whilst I understand the question, Archfiend gives you free choice over which creatures get sacrificed, so why do you need to do anything to rescue Obzedat other than choose two other creatures? Do you intend to choose Obzedat, then also exile it and only end up sacrificing one creature?

@doppelgreener Archfiend says sacrifice all BUT 2 creatures, not sacrifice 2 creatures.

Oh, that's true, I misread. So this is a plan to make Obzedat exempt during the choosing and sacrificing part, then have Obzedat return so that you have 3 creatures? (Just trying to understand what's being attempted here, since you could still just choose for Obzedat to stay alive easily enough, so nothing tricky needs to be done to 'save' it.)

This is kind of a duplicate of What order do triggered abilities happen in if multiple things trigger at the same time? - that question gives a different example, but the relevant rules are the same.

While the other question is newer, the answers are more general since this specific trigger set is an end of turn, and can only happen at a specific point in the timing of the game, where death triggers can happen on any player's turn and need a more general answer. I am voting to close this as a duplicate of the more generally applicable answer.

Triggers controlled by your opponent will resolve first, so you cannot use Obzedat's ability to exile it before the Archfiend's ability resolves. Rule 603.3b says

If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she chooses. (See rule 101.4.) Then the game once again checks for and resolves state-based actions until none are performed, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the stack. This process repeats until no new state-based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets priority.

"APNAP" here means Active Player, Non-Active Player. When the abilities trigger, first the active player (the player taking the turn) puts abilities they control on the stack, then the other player does. This means that your Obzedat's ability goes on the stack, followed by the Archfiend's ability, so the Archfiend's ability resolves before you have a chance to exile Obzedat.


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Does Marchesa and a creature with modular work together?
I control Marchesa, the Black Rose and Arcbound Ravager.
When Ravager dies, will the abilities of Marchesa and Ravager both trigger? If you can confirm it with rules, that would be great.

Yes.
Both are triggered abilities, both would be added to the stack when the Arcbound Ravager dies and resolve independently. It's certainly possible, and indeed happens quite often in the game, that multiple triggered abilities trigger from the same event.

Ignore my previous comment. I just realized that Marchesa actually triggers twice (I think?).

@Rainbolt Marchesa's ability in question does trigger on death and creates a delayed trigger ability. That ability then triggers at the beginning of the next end step.

If Ravager dies the modular ability will trigger. As I'm sure you are aware dies means (700.4. The term dies means “is put into a graveyard from the battlefield.”) So the trigger goes on the stack when Ravager dies. You get to pick what creature the modular ability goes on to. Then during the end step marchesa's ability will trigger bringing Ravager back. The reason the ability triggers is because Ravager had the counter when he hit the graveyard and his ability didn't actually trigger until he is in the graveyard.

Actually, like Hackworth said in my answer above, Marchesa's ability triggers at the same time as the Ravager's ability. This triggered ability, when it resolves, sets up a delayed triggered ability that is triggered during the end step.

Also, tiny nitpickery: there are ways for Ravager to die that don't trigger Marchesa.  For instance, if your opponent puts Spike Cannibal into play and gets to move the +1/+1 counters from Arcbound Ravager onto it, then the game state will 'see' Ravager dying to a state-based effect as a 0/0 creature, and since it died with zero counters on it (those counters having moved), Marchesa's ability won't return it to play at EOT.


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Does "Cheat!" effectively give you two more hands?
Suppose you have a player who has a two-handed weapon A and another two-handed weapon B. He can use either of them without any problems, but not both as he only has two hands.
With the card "Cheat!" he can use both of them. But now he gets a third card C, also two-handed, which he likes to use against a monster. So for one round he puts A and B in his back-pack (it's still in front of the player, but he does not use A or B, but C). Can the player in one of the following rounds use A and B (together, without C) again?
I thought Cheat! would disable the "checking-mechanism" once, when the card comes into game. After that, when anything else changes something with the card it would have to be discarded again. However, I'm not sure if that makes sense. For example, if you used Cheat! because the weapon is only usable by a thief and you are a blogger, it would seem strange to me if you lose the weapon because you changed to a kid.

When you play the Cheat card it is attached to a specific item, either A or B in this case (let's assume A). With the additional item C you can use either A & B together or A & C together, but not B & C together.
The Cheat card only is discarded if you lose the item (for example from getting killed) It doesn't get discarded just because you un-equip the card temporarily.

What if you "cheated" a two-handed weapon you could have actually used before? Can you still, later in the game, use it together with another 2-handed weapon?

Yes, Cheat! allows you to cheat on hands in addition to things like Race/Class/etc. Basically with Cheat! you check if everything else is legal then add the cheated item regardless of if it is legal or not.

@moose If you have a cheated 2H weapon and you want to equip something else, first unequip the cheated weapon, then equip the other weapon, then re-equip the cheated weapon. You can only cheat the cheated weapon, and so you have to equip it last. If you did it the other way around (equip the cheated weapon and then the regular weapon), I think you would actually be cheating. I don't see anything in the FAQ or the rules that says you grow two more hands.


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Descent (Nerekhall expansion) bleeding mechanics
The bleeding condition reads:
"(One action): Discard this card or token. For each other action you resolve while you have this card or token, suffer 1 (one fatigue)"
Should "each other action" be interpreted to mean that every 2 actions my hero takes, the effect of bleeding is applied? Or should "each other action" be interpreted to mean that the effect of bleeding should be applied once to every action that is not the above noted "discarding" action?

A bit of rephrasing may help clarify the intent of this condition:

(One Action):  Discard this card or token.  For any action, other than discarding this condition, you resolve, suffer 1 fatigue.


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How should the "and/or" text of a card be interpreted?
How should the "and/or" text of a card be interpreted? For example on a card like Nahiri's Wrath the text reads:

Nahiri's Wrath deals damage equal to the total converted mana cost of the discarded cards to each of up to X target creatures and/or planeswalkers.

For the remainder of this question, let's fix X at 2 to keep things simple.
Should the "and/or" be interpreted such that the effect is applied to a combination of targets the player chooses. That is to say for Nahiri's Wrath the player could perform one of the following options:

Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of two target creatures.
Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of two target planeswalkers.
Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of one target creature and one target planeswalker.

Or should the card's effect be expanded and applied to both sides of the "and/or". With this interpretation the player would have to the following two options when playing Nahiri's Wrath:

Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target creatures and Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target planeswalkers
Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target creatures or Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target planeswalkers

The confusion stems from comments on the Pinnacle of Rage's discussion page (which was formerly formerly worded using the same phrasing) where some commenters have said things like:

So this lets you do a total of 12 damage? 3 each to 2 target creatures AND 3 each to 2 target players, one of which could be a planeswalker? That's how the "and/or" works, right? You can choose. Otherwise it would just be "or"...

You must choose X different[1] targets, and the targets can be creatures and/or planeswalkers. With X=2,

You can target two different creatures,
You can target two different planeswalkers, or
You can target a creature and a different permanent that's a planeswalker.

This is confirmed by a ruling for Pinnacle of Rage: "You must choose two legal targets to cast Pinnacle of Rage." (The ruling dates back to when Pinnacle of Rage still used the same wording about which you are asking.)

Notes:

114.3. The same target can’t be chosen multiple times for any one instance of the word “target” on a spell or ability. [...]

Awesome! You've just ended the long debate in my group of MTG players.

The footnote applies to the third case too if there's any planeswalker creatures (I'm looking at you, Gideon) on the battlefield.

@Arcanist Lupus, Ah yes. The Q&A was originally about planeswalkers and players (instead of planeswalkers and creatures), and I missed the need to adjust that part in the edit. Fixed.

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text:
Clarification on Support in Diplomacy
The relevant moves are as follows.

England:
Denmark -> Kiel
Sweden Support Denmark Hold
North Sea Support Denmark Hold

Germany:
Berlin -> Kiel
Skagerrack -> Denmark
Blatic Sea Support Skagerrack -> Denmark
Helgoland Bight Support Skagerrack -> Denmark

Does the support fail for Denmark because Denmark attempted to move to Kiel, even though it bounces.

Yes, Denmark is ousted by Skagerrak. A unit order to move invalidates the orders supporting it to hold. See Dan Tilken's answer below.

The support fails. From the bottom right of page 7 in the rules.

A unit not ordered to move can be supported by a support order that only mentions its province.

and

A unit ordered to move can only be supported by a support order that matches the move the unit is trying to make.

You should clarify (emphasize) that Skagerrak doesn't bounce, it moves to Denmark because the rule you quoted specifically disallows Denmark from being supported holding while it is attempting to move.


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Unable to play Agent P card in Phineas and Ferb Uno?
So we were playing Phineas and Ferb Uno.  I got down to two cards, a green 0 and the "Agent P" wild card.  The card I had to play off of was not green. I laid down the wild card, said "Uno" and declared green.  But immediately I was told I could not play the "Agent P" wild card because the person before me had not played a draw card on me.
Reading from the rules they said:

Agent P Card - Play Agent P Card whenever someone plays a Draw 2 or Wild Draw 4 on you and that person must draw the designated amount of cards from the discard pile. The Agent P Card is also a wild card where you choose the color that resumes play.

I claimed that because it says it is also a wild card I should be able to play it as a wild card.  They claimed that because that is only as part of the sentence where you resume play after a draw card was played on you, and also because it only mentions playing it when somebody plays a draw 2 or 4 on you, it only counts as a wild card in that case and otherwise it cannot be played.
I claimed this couldn't possibly be right that this disqualified me from playing it as a regular wild card because that would mean I was stuck with this card and wouldn't be able to ever play it - especially when everybody knows I have it, they are never going to play any draw card on me because they know I will just play this card and they will then have to draw the cards instead.
However I was overruled and as a result I couldn't play and had to draw.  Despite having to draw several more cards after a few minutes I actually managed to wind up down to the "Agent P" card as my only card again but didn't get another turn before another player went out - not that it would have mattered since I couldn't have played it anyway.
Is this really the way the game is supposed to be played?  It seems so inherently fair I stopped playing after that hand - I don't really care so much whether I win or lose, but rather I simply get too upset playing in a game that is so inherently unjust that it has a "cursed" card in it that you can't play if someone else finds out you have it, or if you are simply "unlucky" enough that nobody plays a very narrow set of cards right before you.
I looked through the rules myself and the above quote is the only place where it mentions the "Agent P" card.  There are also wild cards which are not "Agent P" cards as well.

To me it seems pretty clear that the card can only be played in response to a draw two or wild draw four. It is not the only card you can't play when you want to though in the other case it won't prevent you from playing your last card.

Agent P Card - Play Agent P Card whenever someone plays a Draw 2 or Wild Draw 4 on you and that person must draw the designated amount of cards from the discard pile. The Agent P Card is also a wild card where you choose the color that resumes play.

My reading says this card is played in response to but getting an answer from the publisher would help.
Update:
A representative of Mattel Consumer Services replied as follows, confirming this answer as correct:

Regrettably this card can't be played unless there was a Draw 2 or
  Wild Draw 4 card played.  I'm sorry this is not the answer you wanted
  to hear.  You can certainly make a house rule to make any changes to a
  game, but they must all be agreed upon before play begins.


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What is Astrochain and how does it work?
I just got into Netrunner, and I'm reading up about it, and I keep seeing Astrochain being mentioned everywhere, but I can't find an explanation of it. I know it involves AstroScript Pilot Program in some way.

I've very commonly heard this referred to as an "Astrotrain" also.

It should be noted that the card and deck that this question is about is no longer legal. For some time AstroScript was made unique, and this only one allowed per deck, preventing the chaining of scores, and now it has rotated out as part of the first Netrunner rotation.

"Astrochain" (or "astrotrain") is a term used to refer to the use of the scored ability of the "Astroscript Pilot Program" (APP) NBN agenda in Android: Netrunner.  When scored by the corporation, an agenda counter is placed on the APP that allows:

Hosted agenda counter: Place 1 advancement token on a card that can be advanced.

This ability can be triggered during any subsequent paid abilities window, and is generally regarded as one of the strongest agenda abilities in the game.
The APP itself is a 3/2 agenda, meaning that it requires 3 advancement tokens to score and yields 2 agenda points when scored.  Because it can be scored so quickly, many NBN decks have been constructed around scoring these agendas in particular and preferably doing so out of hand (meaning the runner will never see them in a remote server, but will only be able to grab them from HQ or R&D) - this strategy is referred to as "Fast Advance".
In faction, they are often paired with SanSan City Grids, which allow for agendas to be scored one advancement token sooner than they would be otherwise.  If the Corporation has a SanSan City Grid installed at the beginning of their turn, they can pay 6 credits to rez it, install the APP, advance it twice (either via credits or with a Shipment from SanSan), and score it all within one turn.  The hosted agenda counter can then be saved to help advance subsequent agendas, which can be immensely helpful if your SanSan City Grid gets trashed.
This kind of deck typically is played as a "rush deck" - where you may install a few pieces of cheap, end-the-run ICE and hope to win before the runner has a chance to fully put together their rig and break through your defenses (typical ICE choices are things like: Chimera, Wraparound, and Quandry).  Once they can get in, you have to win quickly.
This strategy is so strong that the influence splashes in some decks also revolve around accomplishing this goal (scoring APPs out of hand).  The most typical of these is the "Astrobiotics" deck, which includes up to 3 Biotic Labours (splashed from Haas-Bioroid at 4 influence each).  With an APP and a Biotic Labour in hand, one can Biotic, then install, advance the APP three times, and score it within one turn.  Of course, if you do this and also have a SanSan rezzed, you can even do something else with your last click!
APP tokens are sometimes "chained" - which does indicate that you use one APP to score another, but as has been mentioned, it is not extremely common to draw them one after another in this fashion.  However, if you are able to score one or two of these agendas and sit on their agenda tokens, you are in an extremely strong position to score other agendas faster than the runner can deal with them.  For example, with 1 Biotic Labour, you could install a Project Beale and advance it three times.  This would typically score it for 2 agenda points, but if you had previous scored 2 APPs, you could spend their tokens to advance it twice more - yielding you 3 agenda points, and the win! (note: SanSan City Grids do not help with obtaining the additional agenda points from Project Beale)

A "chain" is just using multiple AstroScripts to advance each other.
Once you score an AstroScript Pilot Program, you can use this ability:

Hosted agenda counter: Place 1 advancement token on a card that can be advanced.

To advance a second one quickly. If that scores the second Astro, you can then advance a third...

This is exactly right.  Basically, the answer is "An NBN Fast Advance/Rush strategy that relies on scoring APPs", and it can become even more potent when paired with things like San San City Grids, Shipments from San San (allows you to score an 3/2 agenda out of hand for 1 credit and 1 APP token), Biotic Labours ("Astrobiotic" decks), et cetera.

@Twitch_City If you want to make that a full answer discussing some of the gameplay implications of the chain, I'll totally upvote it. :)

But having two or three AstroScripts on hand is highly unlikely. I still don't see how Astrochain works.

@AnsisMalins you don't score them all in the same turn, but having scored one, you can score any others you draw from your hand. This means you don't need to leave them exposed for a turn in a remote server.


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Weird m "placeholder" card
A while ago a friend of mine pulled an interesting card in a pack of Urza's Legacy. The back was normal, but the front was solid black with a white M on it. I can't find the card right now, but I made an image of roughly what it looked like.
I think at the time I was told it was a placeholder for when there was extra room on the cutting sheet, and was accidentally included in the pack. I cannot remember which rarity slot it occupied.
I am trying to find out how much it is worth, or if there is any information about it online? Googling "magic m placeholder" and variants of that are not turning up anything useful.

This appears to be called a "filler" card, and that word seems to be key to successful Googling.
See here for more info, entry 031 is the one you posted.
http://www.magiclibrarities.net/348-rarities-filler-cards-english-cards-index.html
Seems to be pretty rare.

That's the one! It looks like ChannelFireball sells one for $450 http://store.channelfireball.com/catalog/magic_singles-promotional_cards-promos_miscellaneous/black_m_filler_card/92331 and ebay has one for $699 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Very-Rare-Magic-Error-Filler-Card-from-the-1996-Pro-Tour-Decks-/160987070747?pt=Trading_Card_Games_US&hash=item257b93c11b though I wonder who would actually pay that.

Hard core collectors of anything, revel in the odd minutia....


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Can you force your opponent to cast one of your own spells, using only the cards in your library?
Is there an effect that would allow you to force an opponent to cast a spell you own, without relying on cards from their library? A similar effect exists with Word of Command which forces them to cast a spell they own.
One way I can think of is using Sorin Markov's ultimate and make them Spelljack one of your spells, but it requires the use of one of your opponent's cards.

What exactly is your question? Are you unclear on how Word of Command or Sorin's ultimate works?

@Hackworth I am not unclear, I am using them as an example to segway into asking if a similar effect, forcing them cast a spell  you own as opposed to a spell they own is achievable

@Hackworth I hope my edit makes the question clearer.

I mean, you already gave Spelljack as an example of how a player could play an opponent's card, what makes you think the combo wouldn't work?

@Hackworth it would work fine, but it requires them to have a Spelljack. I want to know if its possible using only the cards in your library, since I can't plan on them owning a Spelljack

Are you specifically looking for the opponent to cast a spell you own, or just to control a spell you own?

@murgatroid99 I'm looking to make them cast it. If they just control it, would they be the "you" in the spell's rules text?

That is the primary meaning of "controlling" an object.

@murgatroid99 then I suppose that would be sufficient if full casting isn't possible

There are a few ways to force an opponent to cast a spell you own. There are a number of permanent cards that allow you to cast cards from an opponent's library, including Chaos Wand, Daxos of Meletis, and Etali, Primal Storm. If you have a permanent like that, you can give it to your opponent with something like Donate or Zedruu the Greathearted, then take control of them with Mindslaver or Sorin Markov's ultimate and force them to use that ability. If you have some kind of deck manipulation too, you can choose which card they cast.
Alternatively you can cast the spell yourself, then transfer control of it to your opponent. To do this, you would use a Perplexing Chimera. As before, you can donate the Chimera to them, or just use the Chimera's own ability when they cast a spell, then control their turn and cast the chosen spell, and force them to gain control of the spell in exchange for the Chimera.
In most situations, these two options are practically the same: the player who controls the spell is the one who follows the instructions, and "you" on the spell refers to the controller. The primary difference is on-cast triggers. If a player has an effect that says "whenever you cast a spell" (like cards with Prowess) or the spell itself has "when you cast this spell" (like on Emrakul, the Aeons Torn), the triggered ability will be controlled by the player who cast the spell, not the player who controls the spell as it resolves.

donating a perplexing chimera, or mindslavering with chaos wand both look like viable options. thanks for the clarification about casting

@chiliNUT Note that Perplexing Chimera has a "may" ability, so you still need to Mindslaver them to force them to take control of the spell.

@ArcanistLupus ah yeah I stand corrected

Gonti is an enter the battlefield ability so that wouldn't work. Thief of Sanity would work if you could give it haste (or pass it over the turn before) though.

You're right, Gonti isn't a good example here. I've replaced it with Etali.

The only way I know to force an opponent to cast one of your spells without controlling their turn is Hive Mind, which reads

Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell, each other player copies that spell. Each of those players may choose new targets for their copy.

They don't technically cast the spell, but they get a copy of it (and they don't get an option as to whether or not they get a copy - while they can control the targets, they can't choose to not play it like they could with Eye of the Storm.  It won't increase their storm count, but they'll get the effect of the spell.
There's even a combo deck based around playing Hive Mind and then playing Pacts that your opponents aren't able to pay for, forcing them to lose the game.

Hive mind is really cool. If you play a Final Fortune, who gets the next turn?

From the Final Fortune Gathere rulings:" If multiple “extra turn” effects resolve in the same turn, take them in the reverse of the order that the effects resolved."  Your Final Fortune will resolve last, which means that your extra turn will happen first.  But there are a couple of different ways to skip your turn or keep yourself from losing, so that's not insurmountable.

Such as waiting until their copy resolves and then countering your own.

Should the last sentence have Hive Mind instead of Eye of the Storm?

@murgatroid99 entirely correct, and fixed now.


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Why does not being able to draw a card make you lose (in universe)
Is there an in universe explanation for why being unable to draw a card would make you lose (Rule 104.3c)? Running out of life, or losing as the result of a spell or effect, all make sense to me in universe, but I don't understand why a planeswalker running out of new spells would make them die.

Actually, I'm not sure why an effect saying "you lose the game" or "you win the game" makes sense in-universe either.

@GendoIkari "You Lose" because you are no longer fit for battle. Door To Nothingness sends you to a void far from the battlefield. Losing from Transcendence seems like a case of extreme exhaustion to me. "You Win" because something totally awesome happened. To use murgatroid99's example, if decking yourself makes you lose your mind, then Laboratory Maniac makes decking yourself cause you to achieve enlightenment and become neo from the matrix.

Put simply, losing due to trying to draw from an empty library represents succumbing to madness.
In the flavor of Magic, the library basically represents memories and knowledge that you draw on to cast spells. In turn, mill effects are often represented as causing insanity or memory loss. For example, the first printing of the card for which "mill" is named, Millstone has this flavortext:

More than one mage has been driven insane by the sound of the millstone relentlessly grinding away.

You can see similar flavor in the names of cards like Mind Grind and Mind Funeral.
Keep in mind that in general, mechanics are only loosely related to flavor, if at all. Not all mill cards are directly related to this flavor, but many have some relation to madness, or mental pain, or some other (generally unpleasant) interaction with the mind.


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Band of Misfits and Throne Room
I found this ruling on Dominion Strategy Wiki FAQ for Band of Misfits:

You first play Band of Misfits, then you play the card you chose to
  emulate. In this sense, Band of Misfits plays like a Throne Room
  variant, and one play of Band of Misfits with a successful emulation
  counts as two Actions played; this matters for Conspirator.

So my understanding of Band of Misfits is that it basically reads "Choose a card in the supply costing less than Band of Misfits.  Band of Misfits is that card until it leaves play.  Play band of Misfits."  Is this correct?
However, on the same page, I found this:

If you use Throne Room, King's Court, or Procession to play a Band of
  Misfits card multiple times, you only pick what to play it as the
  first time; the other times it is still copying the same card.

These two rulings don't seem to make sense if Band of Misfits is copying Feast.  I would think it works like this:

Play Throne Room.  Choose Band of Misfits.
Play Band of Misfits.  Choose Feast.
Play Band of Misfits as Feast.  Trash Feast.
Throne Room loses track of Band of Misfits and can't put it into play, but it's still played from the trash.
Band of Misfits has reverted to itself, so the card you're playing shouldn't be Feast anymore.  From here I see two possibilities, and neither one seems completly right:

Since Band of Misfits isn't in play, it can't copy anything(?), so nothing happens.
You can play Band of Misfits as a new card, but it immediately reverts to being itself on resolution(?).

Why does Throne Room keep track of what Band of Misfits copied?  It seems like there's no reason for that.  And if this is the case, what exactly is being played the second time?  Is it actually a card?  Does Band of Misfits mean it's actually copying that exact card in the supply that you chose?

Found it.  They even use my exact example (I guess they're the canonical "play twice" and "one-shot" cards).  From the Complete and All-Encompassing Dominion FAQ:

Regarding Band of Misfits no longer being in play, see 10.5 Atomicity
  of abilities. If you use Throne Room to play Band of Misfits twice, it
  will be the chosen card the second time you play it, so you will play
  it as the same card twice. However, if the card is removed from play
  (like a Feast), it will be just a Band of Misfits again the second
  time. You can then choose another Action card from Supply to play it
  as. The card will stay where it is, and the chosen card's abilities
  will trigger even as the Band of Misfits will immidiately revert back
  to being just Band of Misfits (since it's not in play), but you will
  resolve the triggered abilites of the card (link, link). This reverses
  a previous ruling.

So speculation #2 was actually correct.

Note that there was recently a lengthy discussion about this, which resulted in Donald X actually changing a previous ruling, and saying that Palying BoM as another card counts as playing 2 actions. See here: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=13115.0

Thanks, good to know.  Do they have a change log or anything whenever a ruling gets reversed?

Not that I know of; wiki.dominionstrategy.com should always have the latest information, along with details about if a ruling is new or a reversal of a previous ruling. Such a thing is very rare.

As of September 2019, Band of Misfits has received official errata that changes its behavior in regards to this question.
The new text for Band of Misfits is:

Play a non-Command Action card from the Supply that costs less than this, leaving it there.

So Band of Misfits no longer "becomes" another card, instead each time you play it, it causes you to play another card from the supply without that card moving from the supply.
This means that now when you play Throne Room + Band of Misfits, you will play an actual Band of Misfits twice, and each time you will choose a card costing less than it to play. So you can now choose a different card each time; it makes no difference if you chose a self-trashing card like Feast or not.
Also, if you do choose a self-trashing card such as Feast; nothing will get trashed. The Band of Misfits is no longer trashed because it is just a Band of Misfits, not a Feast. And the Feast will not get trashed because it expects itself to be in play but it isn't. This means that each time you play Band of Misfits choosing Feast, you will gain a card costing up to $5 without trashing anything.


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Where do MTG spoilers come from and why are the images low quality?
I'm quite new to MTG, joining just within the Khans block. I've seen spoilers for Fate Reforged and I'm wondering: if the spoilers came from Wizards then why do the images look like they've been taken with a bad camera phone?
Source:

Most spoilers coming directly from Wizards, or other authorized spoilers we get nice full sized images that are clear and easy to read. But occasionally we get spoilers taken from promotional items Wizards sends out. In this case the spoiler image was scanned or photographed from a calendar of events that Wizards provides for stores to put up and have the time and format of their FNMs, Pre-Releases, etc. The Mastadon is the promo for the release events and for that date it has a picture next to the date. As you can see here it is fairly small, about half the size of a normal card. That is why this one is such low quality.
The other main reason that spoilers from Wizards are low quality is that they spoiled them at a Con and the only images we have are ones people at the con took with their phones. For example when Crux of Fate was first spoiled the only pictures we had were from people that attended PAXAus, it wasn't until later that Wizards gave us higher quality images.


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Speeding up complicated games by limiting player interaction
Without changing "the official rules" of the game, what sorts of house rules can be imposed on player interaction to speed up game-play for games that generally encourage players to discuss options (in cooperative games) or cut deals with each other (in competitive games).
For instance, I imagine adding a rule to some board games which makes secret deals more difficult that says "once per turn, you may pass a note to someone else at the table.  Otherwise you can't discuss anything in secret."  To make it more interesting, one might even add a die roll:
1 <- Throw away the note
2-5 <- Successful pass
6 <- Reveal the note for everyone else at the table to see

But I imagine such a rule might backfire and slow down the game even more; especially if people start trying to come up with systems to encrypt their notes.
Although my friends would probably tell you that this is a lie and that I'm usually the worst offender, I'm not thrilled with sacrificing game-pace for the sake of over-analyzing.
EXPLANATION:
This question is meant to be general, but the Game of Thrones board-game was the particular example I had in mind.  I played this game with a group which had added the (IMHO awful) house rule that anyone may look at anyone else's house cards still in hand.  Supposedly this rule was added to keep people from writing down which cards everyone else had played already and to minimize the advantage more experienced players have.  What it did was ensure that everyone spent time analyzing all possible outcomes of each battle before the battle is even fought.  Unsurprisingly, the same group had to also add a house rule that the game only lasts 5 turns rather than 10.

It is not a house rule... you can view a players hand at any time except during combat.  Discarded house cards are always visible to all players

Oh, oops.  I thought that was a house-rule.  In any case, I'm still interested in how to speed up the game

Is secret discussion part of the rules of this game?

There is nothing explicitly forbidding it ... this is game of thrones.. backstabbing and shady deals is part of the appeal! :p

@link64 Backstabbing and shady deals are still quite possible with public discussion; it happens all the time in other games. Haven't played this so it's hard to say which way it works best, but just wondering in case completely doing away with it is possible.

There are various ideas that I've used in the past to help. Be warned though - ultimately long games are long, and there's only a limited amount you can do about it.
1) Use a timer
Timed negotiation phases go back to Diplomacy. They're an official rule feature of Here I Stand. Not only does the time limit help the game along, and focus players, but it actually adds an interesting layer of strategy because you can't always talk to who you want to when you want to, meaning players have to work around it.
Only a few negotiation-heavy games feature a specified negotiation phase. But it's quite easy to add one - look at the turn structure and decide where it's best put and then enforce it, and the timer, with an iron first.
2) Ban paper and mobile devices
As you've discovered one of the worst culprits for slowing down games generally are players who insist on making notes, referring to them and optimizing their strategies. Unless it's absolutely essential as part of the play that they be allowed to do it, ban the recording of anything on anything except for the officially supplied game components and enforce it with an iron fist.
3) Overlap wherever possible
There are a surprising number of games where players can actually overlap their turn structure to try and get things done faster. This isn't specific to negotiation per-se. In Titan, for instance, the meat is the movement phase. So after playing X is has finished moving and is recruiting, the next player in line can be checking their stacks, splitting and rolling for movement. Identify areas suitable for concurrent play in your game, and enforce everyone doing just that with an iron fist.
4) Play online
I never play Diplomacy in real life any more, because it takes too long. I do, however play by email. And doing so has given me a particular delight in the fact that I have to negotiate via email. You can't see the face, or the body language of the person you're negotiating with, which leads for interesting decision making. Not to mention that it's pretty thematic since early 20th century diplomats spent a lot of time writing to each other. The same is probably true of AGoT, except they probably write with iron fists.


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2000s Tabletop war game, hex terrain pieces, mix of science fiction and fantasy
I remember a friend of mine was trying to get me to implement this as a computer game. It came about around 2002-2006. Terrain pieces were stackable plastic hex pieces. Figures were similarly on hex pads, and had a series of stats. There were Ranged and melee attacks defined. Ranged attacks involved line of sight and measured distance from the tip of the weapon to a "vulnerable area" on the figure (shown in kind of a two color front and profile views on the associated chart). Characters had a mix of technology and magic (I remember one figure having a military rifle and a magic sword) and might have been drawn from different dimensions. There were some goblinoid characters also, I remember. And... that's most of what I remember at the moment, but it's bugging me.

I had a sudden inspiration and looked at an archived copy of a USB stick I carried back then and found the rules PDF. It was Heroscape.

Heroscape (stylized as "heroScape" or "HeroScape") is an expandable turn-based miniature wargaming system originally manufactured by Milton Bradley Company, and later by Wizards of the Coast, both subsidiaries of Hasbro, Inc., and discontinued by Hasbro in November 2010. The game is played using pre-painted miniature figures on a board made from interlocking hexagonal tiles that allow for construction of a large variety of 3D playing boards. The game is often noted and lauded by fans for the relatively high production quality of the game materials, in particular the pre-painted miniature figures as well as its interchangeable and variable landscape system.


text:
Do we really need to leave materials below the completed structure?
According to the official rules, after completing the structure these things happen:

When you complete a structure, take its Site card and tuck it
  underneath the top edge of your Camp so that the gold coins are
  showing. The materials stay with the completed structure.

According to that, the materials used to build this structure need to stay below, for the whole game.
Anyway, the buildings stacked on the 2-3 materials, especially when you've put your cards into sleeves, are still moving a bit, and they make some chaos because of that stacking.
I'm wondering if they could be just put away from the game, after completing the building? I was looking for the others buildings rules, trying to search any situation, when materials of completed building could matter in any way.
Do you know any situation of this kind? Do you think I can remove them from the game safely?

In the base game there is no building that interact with the materials, so, in this case, the answer is yes, you can remove them from the game safely.
But in "Glory to Rome Promo Cards" set you have three buildings that do interact with the materials. Castra Praetoria, Solarium and Watch Post. For the first two cards the kind of interaction is not important here, they move materials upon building completion, after that you do that you could still remove from the game the rest of materials. But Watch Post states : you may use a CRAFTSMAN action to tear down one of you completed buildings. Add foundation to your hand and materials to your stockpile.
So if you are playing with that card the answer is no, you cannot remove them from the game safely.
(I hope that my answer is understandable ... I am not english native speaker)

Thank you, that is exactly the answer I was looking for - didn't know about the additional cards. Anyway, after few more plays remaining materials below the buildings seems not that bad at all - so I wouldn't probably be removing them.
Anyway, thank you for the rules clarification!


text:
Green Horde: Do Orc Fatties spawn with 2x Orc Walkers?
The answer to this question pertaining to Black Plague suggests that Orc Fatties don't get an escort because it's not specifically stated in the rule book; as Green Horde is also a stand-alone core set, is it safe to assume this holds true for it, as well?

I think, you can safely assume that, because it is not in the rules (I checked all the instances of fatties and the relevant sections) they do not get an escort.
But if you think that is too easy, you can always add them.


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Is cycling a card from your hand considered a spell?
My opponent has a werewolf transforming card in play, currently with the human side face up.
I have a sliver in my hand with sliver cycling. I cycle this sliver to find another in my deck. The one in my hand therefore goes into my graveyard. I end my turn after revealing my chosen sliver and placing it in my hand.
My opponent wants to transform his werewolf, claiming I cast no spells.
I payed mana, a card left my hand and entered my graveyard. Was that a spell?

To be strict, you didn't actually "draw" the sliver: it won't trigger any abilities that look for a draw. Unlike most forms of cycling, with slivercycling you don't draw a card, you choose a sliver from your library and put it in your hand. I know that's likely what you meant, but MtG terminology is important and I don't want readers to be confused.

No, Cycling is an activated ability that you can only use while the card is in your hand. Casting a spell requires that you pay a cards mana cost printed in the upper right of the card.

702.27a Cycling is an activated ability that functions only while the card with cycling is in a player’s hand. “Cycling [cost]” means “[Cost], Discard this card: Draw a card.”
202.1 A card's mana cost is indicated by the mana symbols at the top of the card. ...
202.1a The mana cost of an object represents what a player must spend from his or her mana pool to cast a card. ...


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How can I find the price of non-english cards?
I have several German cards, from Unlimited - Fourth. How can I tell the price of German (ex. Hypnotic Specter)? TCGplayer's website doesn't appear to have much data for foreign language cards.

"TCGplayer's website doesn't appear to have a foreign language option."

?? There's a product language box on the leftmost bar.

@HaoYe I tried checking the German box for that option and all of the results said "4 Total Prices Available. This product has no pricing options based on the filters you selected. Please adjust your filters to see more options." So while it technically has the option it doesn't really help (at least for this card)

That's because nobody has one for sale. If there's none for sale then there's no price. You should list yours, then there will be a price. And you can set the price at whatever you'd like to be paid for it.

Starcitygames.com has a built-in foreign language price/ordering. The search page for Hypnotic Specter has a link to the old german version.

Please note that the prices in North America can be very different to the prices in Europe. If you plan on selling/trading in Europe, use the prices of EU-based shops like magiccardmarket.eu

https://www.magiccardmarket.eu/ is widely used as the authoritative* price for non-English product. They are a market place and will typically have many sellers for most big name cards in many languages.
* That isn't to say that there isn't many weird prices to be found, you still need to use your head.

Please note that the prices in Europe can be very different to the prices in North America. If you plan on selling/trading in North America, use the prices of US-based shops like TCGPlayer or StarCityGames.

The same complaint could be made of the other answer with the regions reversed :)

It wasn't meant to be a complaint, just advice for OP. Since they were already using TCGPlayer, I assumed they are selling in North America.


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Marriages in Schnapsen/Sixty-six
I'm not 100% grasping marriages/melding.
I'll run you through what I understand/think of it so far:
If I have lead, and a matching (trump, for this example) King/Queen, I can lead one of them, say "marriage", and reveal the other. Now, the opponent responds to the lead trick with a Jack and if I win, do I then receive the 20 (or 40) points PLUS 2 points for their Jack? Also upon winning would I put both the King and Queen and their Jack together as a trick and in my pile?
If the above is true (I'm guessing it's not), then that would bring my hand to 1 card smaller than opponent, and that makes no sense to me.
Surely I'm doing some of this wrong, heh. I've tried reading Pagat's rules, and any other sources. The only thing I'm certain about is revealing, must have lead, and also must win a trick anytime during that hand for points to count.
Thanks!

I received an answer on /r/cardgames. It's from David Parlett's Oxford A to Z of Card Games.

I recommend David Parlett's Oxford A to Z of Card Games. Here's my understanding from his book:
You lead one member of the happy couple, reveal the other (but hold onto it), and play the trick as normal. In your example, you would take the Jack, and also score for the King or the Queen you chose to play on top of the marriage points.

The key I was missing was the "hold on to it" part, even after the marriage happens and points are awarded (assuming you took a trick). This takes care of the problem I was having where my hand would have one less card than my opponent's.


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Pyxis of Pandemonium and 'enters the battlefield' abilities
My question about Pyxis of Pandemonium is:
When all of the cards are finally turned face up, what determines the order in which their "when X enters the battlefield..." effects resolve?

emaltman, just so you know, the permanents aren't turned face up, the exiled cards are. They don't become permanents until they're put into play. And we really are trying to help; questions really are more helpful if there's more than just a card name in the title.

All - I'm removing comments about he edit/rollback cycle.  Just a couple notes - 1) Everyone is free to cast downvotes/close votes as they like.  No explanation is required.  2) If the Questioner chooses to rollback your edit, do not edit the question further.  Engage in comments or chat, if the questioner does not want to engage with you, please walk away from the question.  You can always flag for moderator attention as well.  Thank you all for caring enough to want to make this a better site!

First the active player (the player whose turn it is, regardless of who activated the Pyxis) puts all of the triggered abilities they control on the stack, then each other person in priority order does the same. When all players are done putting their triggered abilities on the stack, the active player gets priority. When each player has multiple "enters the battlefield" triggers, they get to choose the order as their set of triggers goes on the stack.

603.3b If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, each player, in APNAP order, puts triggered
  abilities he or she controls on the stack in any order he or she
  chooses. (See rule 101.4.) Then the game once again checks for and
  resolves state
  - based actions until none are performed, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the stack. This process repeats
  until no new state
  - based actions are performed and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets priority

Information about APNAP (emphasis mine):

101.4. If multiple players would make choice s and/or take actions at the same time, the active player (the player whose turn it is) makes
  any choices required, then the next player in turn order (usually the
  player seated to the active player’s left) makes any choices required,
  followed by the remaining nonactive players in turn order. Then the
  actions happen simultaneously. This rule is often referred to as the
  “Active Player, Nonactive Player (APNAP) order” rule.

To clarify, would the active player in this case be the one who popped the Pyxis?

No. The "Active player" is the player who is currently taking their turn.


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Does Hardened Scales interact with the undying mechanic?
Would a creature with undying (like Young Wolf) get 2 +1/+1 counters instead of 1 when it dies if I had Hardened Scales out?

Yes, Young Wolf would get 2 +1/+1 counters. The reminder text for Undying says

When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.

A ruling on the Hardened Scales Gatherer page says

“Placed on a creature you control” includes that creature entering the battlefield with +1/+1 counters on it. If a creature would enter the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters on it while you control Hardened Scales, it enters with that many counters plus one.

When Young Wolf returns to the battlefield from the graveyard, it enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter, so Hardened Scales makes it enter with 2 instead.


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How do other auras interact with Gift of Immortality?
I'm pretty sure that if a creature is enchanted with some other aura, say Rancor, and then you put Gift of Immortality on it and the creature dies, Rancor falls off when it comes back to the battlefield. Is this true? My instinct is yes because the creature goes to the graveyard and becomes a new object and all that but I'd like to be sure. As an added question would Rancor's and Angelic Destiny abilities work off a creature that dies while enchanted by Gift of Immortality?

After a creature dies, but before triggered abilities are placed on the stack, State Based Actions are performed. The SBAs will cause both Rancor and Gift of Immortality to go the graveyard because they are not attached to anything [CR 704.5n].
Then, it's time to place on the stack the abilities that have triggered. Gift of Immortality's ability and Rancor's ability are placed on the stack in whatever order you choose.
When Rancor's ability resolves, it returns to your hand. When Gift of Immortality's ability resolves, it returns the creature to the battlefield and creates a delayed triggered ability, which puts Gift of Immortality back on the battlefield, attached to the creature at the beginning of the next end step.
Angelic Destiny's ability works the same way Rancor's does, so it would also return to your hand.

Note the abilities don't go on the stack until no SBAs remain.  You could stack them in whatever order you like.

Thanks, I couldn't remember which way it went. Do you remember which rule says that?

@murgatroid99 - try 704.3

116.5 is probably most direct

Both of those rules pretty much have the same relevant information.

When a creature dies, all Auras enchanting that creature are moved to the graveyard. That includes Rancor, Gift of Immortality, and Angelic Destiny. Then, triggers go on the stack. In more detail:

A creature enchanted by Rancor dies. Then, Rancor goes to the graveyard. Then, Rancor's triggered ability returns Rancor to your hand.

A creature enchanted by Angelic Destiny dies. Then, Angelic Destiny goes to the graveyard. Then, Angelic Destiny's triggered ability returns Angelic Destiny to your hand.

A creature enchanted by Gift of Immortality dies. Then, Gift of Immortality goes to the graveyard. Then, Gift of Immortality's triggered ability returns the creature it was enchanting to the battlefield. Then, at the beginning of the next end step, Gift of Immortality is reattached to that creature.

If all three are enchanting the same creature, and that creature dies, then you get to decide the order in which to stack these triggers. However, the effect will usually be the same regardless of the order in which they resolve.


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Interaction of Pyxis of Pandemonium with Altar of the Brood
I play Pyxis of Pandemonium in a mill deck. I also run Undead Alchemist and Altar of the Brood. I understand that when Pyxis's 7-cost ability resolves, all relevant permanents enter at the same time, so does that mean the mill that would happen would only be a result of any Altars already on the field?
In addition, what of the zombies resulting from that mill? Would they be a separate resolution following the Pyxis ability or would they resolve during the Pyxis? Also would they then include any Altars and Pyxis that entered the battlefield by the ability of Pyxis?

If Altar of the Brood enters the battlefield at the same time as other permanents, it would trigger for each of those permanents.

603.6a Enters-the-battlefield abilities trigger when a permanent enters the battlefield. These are written, “When [this object] enters the battlefield, . . . ” or “Whenever a [type] enters the battlefield, . . .” Each time an event puts one or more permanents onto the battlefield, all permanents on the battlefield (including the newcomers) are checked for any enters-the-battlefield triggers that match the event.

That means all of your Altars (both you already have on the battlefield and those entering it due to Pyxis of Pandemonium will trigger.
Basically what would happen: Pyxis's ability resolves, and a lot of permanents (possibly including other Altars) will enter the battlefield. There will now be a lot of triggers from all the Altars you have on the stack. They will start resolving one by one, sometimes triggering Undead Alchemist's ability (which then goes on stack and resolves). The zombies entering will also trigger all of the Altars and will be put on stack.

Alright so then the stack would not fully resolve until all of the zombies produced and any that would result would enter?

@CAProgersMerica As I've mentioned in the answer, Undead Alchemist might trigger during the resolution of Altar trigger, and will be put on top of the stack. So yeah, most zombies will enter the battlefield before all Altar triggers resolve.

The first part of this doesn't seem right - the Altars entering the battlefield due to Pyxis don't trigger from everything else entering at the same time. Everything from Pyxis enters the battlefield at the same time, and the Altar has a "when enters battlefield" trigger. Since the Altar and everything else from Pyxis enter the battlefield at the same time, the Altar never sees the other Pyxis cards enter. That is, by the time the Altar is on the battlefield and available to be triggered, everything else is, too.

@Matt, Altars will trigger on permanents entering the battlefield at the same time, added a rule quote to answer to clarify.

From a Gatherer ruling on Altar of the Brood:

9/20/2014 If Altar of the Brood enters the battlefield under your control at the same time as other permanents, its ability will trigger for each of those permanents.

Like the ruling states, all the Altars would "see" the other permanents that come into play at the same time. You would mill X times the amount of Altars in play, and that includes the Altars that come into play after you sacrifice Pyxis. X is equal to the number of face down cards exiled with Pyxis of Pandemonium.

In addition, what of the zombies resulting of that mill? Would they be
a separate resolution following everything in the Pyxis resolving or
would they resolve within the Pyxis? Also would they then include any
Altars and Pyxis that resolved in the Pyxis?

The Undead Alchemist's second ability is just a plain old triggered ability. You will have a whole lot of Altar triggers that mill cards. Every time one of Altar's triggers resolve, you mill one card. Then, if it is a creature card, the Alchemist's triggered ability triggers.
Remember that although the Pyxis will put many things on the battlefield at the same time, all these triggers have to be put on the stack one by one. They do not resolve as a group, but one at a time after priority has been passed by both players.

Why seven cards in particular? The correct formula will be (X cards entering due to Pyxis)x(Total Altars)-(Altars entering)

Aah it cost seven mana to pop so I'm just assuming you will pop it first chance you get when you get to seven mana.

You might, but it doesn't mean Pyxis will have 7 cards attached to it when you have 7 mana/

OK golly I will edit

I don't think this answer deserves down votes as the information it provides is correct.

I upvoted because I think your answer is accurate and answers the question, but I think it could be improved by references. I went ahead and added a ruling to support your answer, which you are welcome to roll back.


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Where can I find the dimensions and weight of a game?
I eant to order some games from the USA (I live outside the US).
Is there an online store or some other site that specifies the dimensions and weight of a board game or the entire order and not just the shipping fee before checkout?
Thank You.

Try amazon.com for starters. Example: Race for the galaxy, Product Dimensions: 8 x 2.5 x 12 inches. Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds.

Check with Board Game Geek.  On pages for games, they have a list of all versions with the size and weight.  For example, see this entry for Race for the Galaxy.  It states that pretty much all versions are 10.83 x 7.48 x 2.56 inches and 1.44 lbs.  Other games should also have version sections with similar information.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/


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In Android: Netrunner, is there a bias towards a particular sub-type of ICE in corp decks?
I'm looking to put together a runner deck that takes advantage of Tinkering and Paintbrush. I'm also considering cards that care about ICE or breaker sub-types, such as Kit for my identity, or supporting cards like Lockpick. After looking over some corp decks on NetrunnerDB and seeing the quantities of different types of ICE, and keeping in mind click management, I'm trying to decide if my primary breaker should be a decoder or a different sub-type.
So, in general, do corp decks tend to have a bias towards a particular sub-type of ICE?
Expected answers do not have to be exhaustive and can be as detailed as you want. At a high level, I'm hoping to discover which ICE sub-type is more numerous in corp decks. Do sentries tend to outnumber barriers or code gates? Or, can you expect an even distribution of sub-types?
Some detailed information could break things down based the corporation or even the type of deck itself (such as NBN fast advance or Jenteki flatline), if available.

You can't really expect an answer to anything of the form "do corp decks tend to ..."! But check it: http://www.sneakdoor.com/

@TheChaz2.0: That website could use a description of what it represents. I assume it's a breakdown of how effecient, credit-wise, breakers are at defeating ICE? In either case, why wouldn't I expect an answer? I just want to know if the average corp deck has more sentries, barriers, or code gates for ICE, plus any additional details if they're available. That seems very measurable to me - I simply lack the means to do so, so I'm asking the question.

How would you possibly measure that, such as to take an average? I definitely hear where you're coming from - it just seems impossible for anyone to do much besides "this is what my deck uses". Maybe someone could aggregate data from tournament play? NetrunnerDB? But you'd get a lot of losing decks in there, which I'm sure you're not trying to emulate.

@TheChaz2.0: Querying a database is exactly what I had in mind. I don't particularly care if the decks are winning or losing because if they have ICE, I'll probably have to spend clicks to break them. But, NetrunnerDB does have a couple different rating mechanics for decks, so it'd be easy to include them... if I had access to run those types of queries.

Not sure why this was downvoted. I would think that knowing a typical corp deck has an even distribution of ICE or more often than not tend to have more sentries than code gates would be useful information to know when creating runner decks. I'd certainly like to know, as it will impact which breakers and even the identity that I decide to use.

NetrunnerDB has an API I can access. I experimented calling it a little bit with Fiddler. When I have some free time (which is in extremely short supply), I'll write up a small program to pull down their card list, a bunch of their deck lists, and then count up the ICE. Unfortunately, there's no way that I can see in order to get an idea for a deck's popularity so I'll be getting the good decks along with all the bad ones.

I'll answer the question of "are particular corporations more inclined to use certain types of ICE".
The answer?  Kind of.  If you look at the whole list of ICE and where the 'good' ones are, you'll get a sense of what each corporation likes to use to stop a runner from getting in.  Just to be sure, each corporation has one of each type of the basic three ICE (Barrier, Code Gate, Sentry).  And, while some of the corporations have different 'affinities' for one type or the other (such as Jinteki and NBN having more code gates then anyone, and Weyland having more Barriers), you'll see more paradigms then straight-out "corporation X uses ICE type Y".
So, as Kit, will you want to use just Decoders?  Absolutely not.  Will you want to take good Decoders?  Absolutely yes.  You should use the best Decoder you can get your hands on as your main Icebreaker, and have copies of the other types for when there are more ICE on the server (consider Omega, if you can get it).

While there's some decent information here, I'm not sure this actually answers the question. The fact that Jinteki and NBN have some strong code gate ICE doesn't mean that Jinteki and NBN decks typically contain mostly code gates. And for what it's worth, I'm not leaving home without at least one copy of each breaker type, plus a few AIs if necessary.

Also, can I ask why you recommend Omega? It's nice to have something to always break the inner-most ICE, but at 7 credits and 1 strength, it seems very expensive to install AND use.

Omega is expensive, but for kit, that might be all you need.  If the corp doesn't try to install three ICE deep, Kit can Decode the first ICE and Omega breaks the last one.  It's a suggestion only.

The three main sub-types of ICE are pretty much equally common. Particular Corp factions have strengths and weaknesses, but typically you don't know what you're facing when you're building your deck other than to be aware of the current metagame. It is rare to find a deck without at least one piece of barrier, code gate and sentry ICE (scanning through http://netrunnerdb.com I would guess >90% of decks have all 3 major ICE subtypes). I also haven't seen a single example of a tournament winning deck list on http://www.stimhack.com without all three major ICE types. Although there are, of course, exceptions e.g. The Code Dilemma v1.2 on NetrunnerDB has only code gates.
As you are talking about Kit, you need to make sure your decoder is good - typically either Torch, Gordian Blade or Yog.0 + support. And that you have a fracter, so that wraparound doesn't make you sad (Inti often fills this role). I think trying to build without a Killer (for sentries) is a mistake - but it is possible.
Bring answers to all 3 major ICE subtypes. Otherwise you will regret it!


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What does this number represent?
I've been away from Warmachine for a while and it looks like things have been significantly revised (RIP mage hunters VS warcasters). I was looking around in the new War Room v2 app and noticed a  number in the top right with the other abilities and stats that I can't find the purpose of. For Kaelyssa here, that value is 30. What is it?

It's the base size of the model. In Kaelyssa's case, and all other small base models, it's 30mm.
Here's a reference from PPS_Jackson on Reddit where he answers this very question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warmachine/comments/6afm9k/comment/dhfgmxg

That indicates the models base size which is a new addition given how dragoons are now shown as two separate cards.


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What does "Gunblade" refer to in Netrunner?
I'm just starting to look into Android: Netrunner and encountered some decks that referenced a "Gunblade". For context, I was looking at some Shaper decks that utilized Cloak/Dagger to break ICE. What is this actually referring to?
Is this in some way a reference back to Dagger (ie: a blade)? If so, where does the "gun" portion of the reference come from?

The "gunblade" combo refers to having both a Silencer (the gun) + Dagger (the blade) installed. Dagger is strength 0 killer unless a stealth card provides a credit to boost it (+5 for each credit).  Currently, the only stealth cards available that interact with Dagger are Shaper's Cloak (which uses 1 MU, and whose recurring credit can be used on any Icebreaker), and Criminal's Silencer (which is hardware, but can only be used with Killers - and has high influence to splash at 3 pips).  Silencer is prefered over Cloak due to memory limits, which allows you to have multiple Silencers out to stack the ability while also leaving room for other programs.
With 3 Silencers in  a deck and lots of draw (e.g., via Diesel), the idea is that it should come up fairly consistently, and with all the Shaper tricks for tutoring it should be very easy to find/install Dagger. This is a very efficient combo for breaking most sentries, and can be enhanced by Tinkering/Paintbrush to interact with other types of ICE.  Another trick is to boost the strength of Dagger, either via Dinosaurus or Personal Touches to get it to 6+ strength using only 1 stealth credit.

Changed the links to NRDB (RIP ono-sendai!).


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What are some common tactics to make runs against servers with unrezzed ICE in Netrunner?
When I play as a runner, I tend to be apprehensive about unrezzed ICE unless I have a breaker of each type and a pile of credits. Naturally, neither of those things are in place early in the game, and some decks might not even be able to get all 3 breaker types out during the play (if they even exist in the deck).
So far, I've played the core Shaper deck a few times, as well as the core Criminal deck once (fun fact, the only way to break code gates in it is with Crypsis or bypass with Femme Fatale, both of which seem very expensive). I'm trying to keep the pool of cards small so it's less overwhelming to keep track of which cards do what. So, I'm sticking to the core set for the moment, although the corp decks I run against could have cards from any set. I am starting to look at decks that others have built, particularly some Shaper Dagger/Paintbrush decks (which is raising it's own set of questions, which I'll probably ask later).
So, early in the game when your rig is incomplete or non-existent and unrezzed ICE is out on the board, what are some common tactics in dealing with them? Is it usually "safe" to simply facecheck ICE early on?

Some more details would be useful - what factions are you playing?  Running is very different for Shapers then for Criminals, for example.  Also, are you playing against the latest cardpool?

@Twitch_City: I'm more than happy to edit in some more info, but I'm not sure how the faction or cardset I'm playing makes much of a difference when you don't have much out besides your identity.

Because of how the factions set-up their rig.  If you are playing Criminal, you generally only are running Special Order to find your breakers.  If you are playing Shaper, you generally have Self-Modifying Code, or Test Run, or massive card draw (Diesel/Quality Time).  Some of the latest cards (Komainu specifically), will kill your ENTIRE HAND if you face check them first turn, and is affordable for the corp turn two.  So, if you are playing against Jinteki, it is different than playing H-B, where most ICE will just end the run.

@Twitch_City: Oh, so you're not only approaching this from a "how to stay safe" direction but also in a "how to keep important stuff safe" direction as well?

And for what it's worth, I'm still extremely new (less than 6 games in total as runner or corp), and I haven't tried every faction yet.

Exactly, if you are Shaper - Test Run actually works to draw from your stack (deck) AND your heap (discard).  So, it matters a bit less if an important breaker gets pinged by net damage from your hand.  So, we can mitigate the damage somewhat.  However, Special Order only works from the stack, so if your only Corroder (for example) gets hit from your hand, you might not have any ability to get it back - which would be terrible.

The old adage was "run early, run often" - most ICE won't hurt you too much, and you are taxing the corp by making them spend money rezzing their defenses.  However, you need to be aware of the worst case scenarios (in core, hitting a Neural Katana will take 3 cards from your hand if you hit it without a sentry breaker).  Komainu, in the latest big expansion, will deal as much net damage as you have cards in hand, which could be devastating.  However, if you are just learning and playing your first games, you probably are only playing core, so that's not as big of a worry :)

@Twitch_City: That's the start of a great answer all by itself, regardless of the faction or sets I'm playing.

Obviously it depends on the game-state, but here are some tips:

Be aware of how much money the Corp has. The less they have, the less dangerous the ICE they can afford to rez. (Also, don't forget that the more aggressively you run, the more they rez and the less money they have for other plans.)
Run on click one, especially against HB. Judge the threat of bioroids, which are cheap for how dangerous they are, but can be safely face-checked if you have clicks to spare.
Run with redundant cards, especially against Jinteki. You should already be aware of traps in Jinteki servers, but ICE can also hurt you. Related to this, if you have something you absolutely have to keep, get it on the table if you suspect damage from ICE. If you lose one card from a hand of five, of course you'll lose the one you could least afford to!
Run with a click (and two credits) to spare, especially against NBN (and some Weyland). Tags are a genuine threat, and Corps won't ever try to tag you without having something nasty round the corner. Scorched Earth is a game-defining card. Your last click should be reserved for clearing a tag until you know you won't need to.
Don't install any programs. Counter-intuitive, and kind of contradictory to installing cards you need, this makes you particularly resilient against program-trashing strategies. It's surprisingly viable to run very aggressively with no rig. Once you're being consistently kept out, slow down, build a rig and come back ready.
Forewarned is forearmed. Run HQ and R&D aggressively from the start. Missing an agenda is not a waste of a click at the start of the game. Learn from what you do see. You'll almost certainly see ICE at some point, so log it. Especially watch for out-of-faction ICE, or ICE that would be particularly punishing. (Obviously, this applies to more than just ICE.)

This is all good advice. The only part I would take issue with is not installing programs. Every ice so far that can trash programs is a sentry (apart from Wotan.) If you've got a sentry breaker out, you're relatively safe from program-trashing effects. So for that reason, getting your Killer out is usually a top priority and will make your early runs a lot, lot safer.

@JohnMcCollum You're also safe from program-trashing effects if you don't have any installed ;)

Ha! You're not wrong. Although having a Sentry breaker out also protects you against other pieces of ice that you don't want to run into in the early game, such as Komainu, Neural Katana, and Fenris.

@JohnMcCollum I do agree that of all the ICE types, Sentry tends to be most dangerous, so getting a sentry breaker out first is a good general strategy. Other ICE is more likely to just cost you credits, clicks or successful runs than programs and limbs.

I'd like to add to the given answer that it matters what parts of your rig you have built. Killers tend to be more important to have than Fracters and Decoders, since most of the punishing ice are Sentries, Code gates tend to give a benefit to the Corp if you don't break them, Barriers tend to end the run if not broken but it's sentries that actively punish the runner. If you only have your killer, running is less risky than it would be if you only have your Fracter.
There are exceptions of course, Fairchild for instance is a Code Gate, Tithonium is a Barrier, both function more like a Sentry would be expected to, but the general rule of thumb based on type still applies.

@Veskah Killer is the icebreaker type that breaks sentry ice. Fracters break barriers, decoders break code gates. Sentries are the riskiest ice to hit unprepared, so having your killer makes runs at protected servers less risky


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Catan - Mixing German base game with English extensions and expansions
Has anyone tried to use the German edition of the Settlers of Catan base game (published by Kosmos) with the English editions of expansions and extensions (published by Mayfair)? Is it possible? (How much) Are they compatible?
I am asking because I have a Serbian edition of the base game which is an exact copy of the German edition, but I don't speak German, so I would like to have English editions of expansions/extensions. But I also wouldn't like to have to buy the English edition of the base game also.

Per se it should be possible to mix german/english or in your case serbian/english editions. But you should have a close look which edition you're buying (also depending on which edition you already own) there are even (minor) compatibility problems inbetween english editions (this should apply on german editions too)
Also hava a look on this answer.
Besides the form factor english editions of the game have those (in my eyes ugly) white borders around their tiles. Additionally other graphics are used (in my opinion those are shrill compared to the german ones)
I hope I could help you slightly.