Official Rulings - September 17, 2003
Section 3: Specific Cards - K

Q. If KING OF THE MOUNTAIN is in play and on my turn right before the opponent's Kings' third turn in the same space in the middle of the board is put in Check/Checkmate, could my opponent just stay in the spot since the game would be over after his turn anyways?

A. Let's say that White has the central King in question. If he's in checkmate, Black wins. If he's in check, then he must end the check somehow, either by moving the King, interposing a piece, or playing a card which makes the checking piece incapable of making the capture. If he can do this without moving the King, then White wins.

The main point is that, regardless of the current victory conditions and a player's ability to fulfill it, a King may not end its turn in check.

Q. If KING OF THE MOUNTAIN and HEIR are both in effect, do you win if your third turn ends with one King in check?

A. Yes, as the rules for HEIR state you may leave one King in check. However you wouldn't be allowed to complete any turn, even the final one, with both Kings in check.

Q. If I play a card on my opponent's turn, which cards may he use to cancel my card? FOG OF WAR says it cancels a card, but KNIGHTMARE! claims to cancel my move. Will KNIGHTMARE! stop me?

A. FOG OF WAR is the only card that cancels another card. KNIGHTMARE! et al. cancel a move and give the victim the option of retrieving his played card, if any. He may play the same card, or a different one, as long as his move is different.

Q. What "move" do KNIGHTMARE!, THINK AGAIN!, and CHAOS cancel? Do I play it after my opponent moves a piece, or after his entire turn?

A. They are played after his entire turn, including his optional card play.

Q. After his move, my opponent played PANIC. I made my move, but my opponent then played KNIGHTMARE! (or THINK AGAIN!, or CHAOS). How much time do I have to make my new move?

A. The PANIC is no longer in effect -- you may take your turn under whatever time limits you normally have in your game.

Q. If I play a card that's unrelated to the board state, like PEACE TALKS, and then I have to THINK AGAIN (or KNIGHTMARE! or CHAOS), could I decline to play that card but otherwise make the same exact move on the board? Is it actually the card play AND the board state that must be different here, or is ONLY the board state? If it's only the board state, does that include pieces "off the board"? (i.e. could I get around THINK AGAIN by making the exact same move but [playing / not playing] FUNERAL PYRE?)

A. Board state, ignoring the off-board captured/dead assignments. You could not simply decline the card play and leave the move identical, nor can you circumvent it with FUNERAL PYRE.

Q. If my move is cancelled with the KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) then could I move my piece into the same spot but using a different route, because really that is a different move?

A. No. The move is the displacement of a piece from one space to another; the route isn't part of the definition of move.

Q. I played RIPOSTE after my opponent captured a piece of mine, so my piece stayed in place and his piece was captured instead. He then attempted to play CHAOS (or KNIGHTMARE! or THINK AGAIN!). Is that legal, since it was my not turn when I played RIPOSTE?

A. No. He would have to use FOG OF WAR to cancel your card.

Q. I play two replace-move cards using PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS. My opponent plays KNIGHTMARE! (or CHAOS or THINK AGAIN!) on my move. Since KNIGHTMARE! is played after my first but lets me take a card back, do I get to take all three cards back?

A. No.  Only the replace-move card involved in the Move that your opponent cancels can be taken back.  KNIGHTMARE! will not cancel both moves in such a PLOTS WITHIN PLOTS play.

Q. I play a card and draw to replace, then my opponent plays TAKE BACK THIS EVIL DAY. I'm supposed to take the card I played back to my hand... but what do I do with the one I just drew?

A. Put it back on top of the deck. This would be the same as what happens when KNIGHTMARE (or THINK AGAIN! or CHAOS) causes a card to be undone.