Quill & Tankard Regulars - Issue 6

Quill & Tankard Regulars - Issue 6

This week in Quill & Tankard regulars we prepare our readers in their studies for the Valyrian Steel Link, by having a look at some good old magic. Also, due to the popularity of our Quiz on Meera Reed, this Issue contains our first official installment of Questioned by the Conclave.

Beware the Sphinx - Pyat Pree

Beware the Sphinx is a series of articles concentrating on important cards with several peculiar, complex or unintuitive interactions. An emphasis is kept on both new and competitively relevant cards. Remember, the Sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler.

Together with Direct Assault (KotStorm), this card was one of the first claim replacement effects to hit the AGoT LCG. Being cards from the game's history as a CCG these effects had established rulings in place – some of which were quite surprising for LCG players. So, all the way from The House of the Undying, here's Pyat Pree.

Pyat Pree's ability states: If you win a challenge in which Pyat Pree attacked alone, instead of the normal claim effects, choose and kill 1 character controlled by the losing opponent.

In game terms this means that as long as the conditions are fulfilled (If you win a challenge in which Pyat Pree attacked alone) the normal claim effect of the challenge in question, regardless of it's original type, is changed to the attacker choosing and killing exactly one character controlled by the losing opponent.

All fine and good, so where's the magic? Let's have a look:

• The new claim effect does not in any way depend on the claim value of your plot. Thus using Pyat Pree with a Valar Morghulis (Core) or Focused Offense (QoD) will have the same effect of killing one character.
• If you win a challenge with several attacking characters, with Pyat Pree one of them, the claim is not modified in any way.
• If your opponent does not have any characters to kill, you do not get the original claim. Rather similar to trying to steal power from a player with no power on his or her house card.
• Pyat Pree (like any other claim replacement effect) does not in any way affect the type (Military, Power or Intrigue) of the challenge, just the effect it has on the game.
• If Red Vengeance (PotS) is used to change the player who must pay the claim, Pyat Pree's ability will still function. The attacker will just choose a character controlled by the player chosen to fulfill the claim (in a Joust, that will always be himself/herself; in a Melee it can also be another player).
• When used against a player with Twist of Fate (APS) revealed, both of the effects are trying to replace the original claim effect. In such a case, the effect applied later will take precedence, and since the first player decides the order in case of a conflict, they will be able to decide which effect happens.

Ok, some interesting effects there already, but mostly just smoke and mirrors. Now for the real thing that makes him a Sphinx...

Pyat Pree's ability changes the game mechanics of claim - it does not work directly on characters. This means that his ability is not affected by any kind of immunity currently on characters in the game – be it immunity to character abilities, immunity to triggered effects or even immunity to card effects. He can just as easily kill Cat o' the Canals (RoW), The Red Viper (PotS) or Joffrey Baratheon (TftRK) as he could kill a lowly Bastard in Hiding (KotStorm). The only thing that stops his ability are cards which cannot be killed such as Beric Dondarrion (IG) or any noble character with a The Power of Blood (Core) revealed.

Dear Archmaester

Dear Archmaester collects interesting, unusual and unexpected rulings from the FFG Rules forum.

Q: Dear Archmaester,
my puny Targaryen opponent has made my The Conclave (CbtC) scared with Dragon Fear (QoD), will Leyton Hightower (GotC) encourage my conclave for some dragon chasing, without a fear of them being used as common claim fodder?

A: Yes. As your conclave is immune to attachments thanks to Leyton Hightowers ability, it will not be affected by Dragon Fear (QoD). This is because it says attached character must be chosen, which means that the attachment is directly working on The Conclave (CbtC). Now, if it were to read the controller of attached character must choose it then it would not be covered by the attachment immunity, since then the attachment would be acting on the player. For further discussion, see here.

Questioned by the Conclave

Questioned by the Conclave is a series of quizzes for our readers, loosely based around the topics of the Issue in question. Correct answers will be posted in the comments, after enough readers have had their chance of testing their knowledge. The difficulty of the questions will vary from those directed at Apprentices, to those best suited for Archmaesters.

1. The Red Viper (PotS) is burned by a combination of Threat from the North (PotS) and Flame-Kissed (Core). Can you now get him back into hand with Retreat (Core)? Why?

2. You have Retaliation! (ASoSilence) revealed and are attacking (in military) alone using Robb Stark (LoW), with a Northern Courser (APS) attached. Your opponent defends, so you play Direct Assault (KotStorm) to trump their strength. What happens when the challenge resolves?

3. You win a power challenge with Hugor Hill (VM) attacking alone unopposed. However, the only character in your opponents discard pile is Cat o' the Canals (RoW). What happens?

4. What if the character in their discard pile were instead The Conclave (CbtC)?

Antti Korventausta (WWDrakey) is a self-proclaimed Finnish AGoT philosopher and nitpicker, who also used to practice Quantum Mechanics, but found that it paled to AGoT in both interest and complexity. As a Stahleck regular and judge, he sometimes has oddly vivid dreams of understanding portions of the game. In AGoT, he'll play anything as long as it's suitably twisted... often ending up with something that has horns on it.

Helmut Hohberger (Ratatoskr) started playing AGoT in September 2010 and has never looked back (although his wife has, longingly). As a German, he loves rules - and I mean *loves* 'em. Try triggering a Response at the end of a phase on his watch, and he'll probably invade your country. He has actually read the FAQ, and was made a judge at Stahleck 2011 and at various other events. He sometimes answers rules questions on boardgamegeek and the FFG rules board. Some of his answers haven't even been contradicted, corrected or expanded upon by ktom - there is no higher accolade for a rules board morlock.

Every Maester needs a Raven on his shoulder. As a Finn, Iiro Jalonen (Ire) got pulled under the waves by Krakens years ago, and has never looked back. A self-inflicted Shagga and active member of the global AGoT community, he has always strived to know the rules of the game, in order to make them do ridiculous things.