rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad

Ravnos Carnival Question

12 messages from 7 participants · 08 April 2005 – 09 April 2005
original thread on Google Groups

Name

Here's the card text: Put X currency counters on this card when you play it, where X is the number of Ravnos you control. If a Ravnos you control successfully performs an action, you may use counters from the Ravnos Carnival to pay some or all of the cost in blood (but not pool) for the card. When the last counter is removed, burn the Ravnos Carnival. Here's the situation: Gabrin wants to equip a palatial estate (2 blood cost), with the carnival in play with 3 counters on it. Gabrin only had 1 blood on him. Would I be right in thinking that he can't even take the action to do it, since you can only use counters "if a ravnos you control successfully performs an action." Thanks Neil

LSJ

"Name" <na...@name.com> wrote in message news:I3B5e.20786$DW.1...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com... [ quoted text not captured ] I'm pretty sure this is the key to the Ravnos Carnival Embrace decks. I'm pressed for time right now, though. Can anyone dig up the old ruling? My initial searches turned up nothing. -- LSJ (vtesr...@TRAPwhite-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep (Remove spam trap to reply). V:TES homepage: http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/ Though effective, appear to be ineffective -- Sun Tzu

John Flournoy

[ quoted text not captured ] While not a direct ruling, the thread contained in http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad/browse_frm/thread/53800f4ed3cfc64d/c54ce86bc0e82471?q=pay+successful&rnum=2#c54ce86bc0e82471 talks about how sections 6.2 and 6.2.3 of the rules include: "If the action is successful (all block attempts were unsuccessful), then the cost of the action is paid and the effects of the successful action take place." The action is considered to be successful at the point where all block attempts fail; if you then can't pay, the action's effect fizzles (and the action is then changed to be considered unsuccessful, I believe.) But the action is clearly counted by the rules as successful before it is paid for, so Ravnos Carnival can be used to pay the cost even if the acting minion can't pay for it without the Carnival. There's definitely a point where the action is at least temporarily counted as successful before any blood/pool payment is made. > LSJ (vtesr...@TRAPwhite-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep (Remove spam trap to reply). -John Flournoy

Chris Berger

John Flournoy wrote: > > While not a direct ruling, the thread contained in > http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad/browse_frm/thread/53800f4ed3cfc64d/c54ce86bc0e82471?q=pay+successful&rnum=2#c54ce86bc0e82471 > talks about how sections 6.2 and 6.2.3 of the rules include: > > "If the action is successful (all block attempts were unsuccessful), > then the cost of the action is paid and the effects of the successful > action take place." > That would be pertinent if Gabrin could attempt the action, which he cannot. A vampire cannot attempt an action that he doesn't have the blood to pay for. If he had 2 blood on him to start with and then paid a blood for stealth, he could still use the Ravnos Carnival to pay for it and it wouldn't fizzle due to him being unable to pay.

John Flournoy

[ quoted text not captured ] An excellent point - I was strictly thinking in terms of whether or not the action succeeds at the end, not whether or not Gabrin can attempt the action in the first place. -John Flournoy

echia...@yahoo.com

[ quoted text not captured ] That was my thought initially. But during the European Last Chance Qualifier in Heidelberg, I had one game where my prey was playing Embrace + Ravnos Carnival. I specifically called over LSJ and asked whether the Embrace action could be attempted, even if the acting vampire had less than 2 blood and he ruled that the vampire can, due to the presence of the Ravnos Carnival.

LSJ

echia...@yahoo.com wrote: > That was my thought initially. But during the European Last Chance > Qualifier in Heidelberg, I had one game where my prey was playing > Embrace + Ravnos Carnival. I specifically called over LSJ and asked > whether the Embrace action could be attempted, even if the acting > vampire had less than 2 blood and he ruled that the vampire can, due to > the presence of the Ravnos Carnival. Hmm. Just verbal, eh? I could've sworn I'd typed this on one of the forums -- but cannot find it here or in PoB. Maybe it was on the WW forum (no archives to check, TTBOMK). -- LSJ (vtesr...@TRAPwhite-wolf.com) V:TES Net.Rep (remove spam trap to reply) Links to V:TES news, rules, cards, utilities, and tournament calendar: http://www.white-wolf.com/vtes/

echia...@yahoo.com

[ quoted text not captured ] Well, the player at the time who was my prey was Kamel Senni. He said that he had previously asked you about it. Perhaps he might have documentation regarding the issue. Also, I believe Christian Chenard had one of the earlier versions of this sort of deck (which Stefan Ferenci and Kamel Senni based their versions around). I'd assume that they probably would have checked to make sure it worked before basing a deck around it. - Eric Chiang

echia...@yahoo.com

Here are some of the other things I've been able to find: LSJ Dec 2 2003, 5:09 am Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad From: LSJ <vtes...@white-wolf.com> - Find messages by this author Date: Tue, 02 Dec 2003 08:09:23 -0500 Local: Tues, Dec 2 2003 5:09 am Subject: Re: [LSJ] Sunset Strip salem wrote: > How early can you tap Sunset Strip to reduce the cost of a mortal ally > by 1? > for example: > cicatriz has 1 blood. it wants to get a courier. you can't attempt an > action you can't afford. cicatriz can't afford the courier. but can > you tap the sunset strip as you announce the action, or something, to > be able to attempt (and then succeed at, as the cost is 1 less) the > action? Yes. The most frequent example of this effect is Masochism, but Succulent Vitae and then Soul of the Earth are a distant second and third, I imagine. Similarly, a vampire who had played Inner Essence could use the effect to reduce the cost of a combat card down to something he could afford to pay. There's also this case: LSJ Feb 8 2000, 12:00 am Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.jyhad From: LSJ <vtes...@wizards.com> - Find messages by this author Date: 2000/02/08 Subject: Re: LSJ combat question Derek Ray wrote: > On Tue, 8 Feb 2000 10:55:13 -0800, "John (Droz) Ferretti" > <pitt...@olypen.com> wrote: > >>[Camille with Masochism with 5 counters] > >> Camille spends 4 rush counters to play body of sun at Superior, burning > >> Emerson Bridges and sending her to torpor. > >> Camille has zero blood and 3 rush counters. > Camille would only have 1 rush counter, since she cannot gain more > rush counters than her capacity, which is 5. She gains 14 rush > counters over the course of the entire combat though (1 point of > damage, +1 per round for superior FOR, EXCEPT for round 6), most of > which fall off, since she's actually taking damage, but the UP is > preventing her from actually going to torpor. On the last round, Camille burns four rush counters to play Body of Sun. Masochism now has just 1 rush counter. During strike resolution, Camille takes one damage, so Masochism gets another counter. At superior, the Masochism gets yet another counter at the end of the round. #1. So normally Cicatriz shouldn't be able to even attempt the Recruit Courier action. But since he has a means to reduce the cost (to something he can pay), he is allowed to take the action. #2. Normally Camille should not be able to play Body of Sun (doesn't have enough blood). Yet she is allowed to play it by using Masochism. Masochism states that "Whenever the vampire plays a card, you may remove X rush counters from this card to reduce that card's blood cost by X." You have to be able to play the card in order to use the Masochism and at face value it appears Camille should not be allowed to play the card in the first place. Precedent in these cases seem to imply that a minion can play a card that he/she does not have the blood to pay for, if he/she has a means with which to reduce or pay the cost such that he/she can then afford to pay for the card. It seems logical that such a ruling on Ravnos Carnival and Ravnos Cache would follow in a similar manner. - Eric Chiang

James Coupe

In message <1113002819.2...@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>, echia...@yahoo.com writes: >Precedent in these cases seem to imply that a minion can play a card >that he/she does not have the blood to pay for, if he/she has a means >with which to reduce or pay the cost such that he/she can then afford >to pay for the card. > >It seems logical that such a ruling on Ravnos Carnival and Ravnos Cache >would follow in a similar manner. The difference is that most (all) of those cards reduce the cost immediately. Ravnos Carnival simply gives you counters you can burn instead, which isn't quite the same thing. However, Meshenka was originally worded as burning one less blood on completion, rather than reducing the cost, but now reduces the cost. This wasn't considered to be a card text migration, so we can reasonably assume that Meshenka could (e.g.) play Bauble even when on 1 blood, even though the cost was still 2 blood. At which point, the potential to be able to pay for the card and complete the action successfully (assuming it resolved RIGHT NOW) seems to be enough to allow you to play cards in the first place. -- James Coupe "Why do so many talented people turn out to be sexual PGP Key: 0x5D623D5D deviants? Why can't they just be normal like me and EBD690ECD7A1FB457CA2 look at internet pictures of men's cocks all day?" 13D7E668C3695D623D5D -- www.livejournal.com/users/scarletdemon/

echia...@yahoo.com

Additionally, The rulebook states that: A drop of blood with a number on the left side of a library card (in the middle of the side or in the bottom corner) indicates the amount of blood or pool that must be burned to play the card. A number in a red drop represents blood cost (the amount of blood the vampire must burn). A number in a white diamond with a skull represents pool cost (the amount of pool the Methuselah must burn). Card texts: Path of the Feral Heart Unique master. Put this card in play. Gangrel antitribu burn 1 less blood when playing cards that require Protean [pro]. Any minion may burn this card as a (D) action. If that minion is a vampire, he or she takes 1 damage (damage not preventable) when this card is burned. Little Tailor of Prague Sabbat: When the Tailor recruits an ally or employs a retainer that requires Tzimisce or Vicissitude, the cost is reduced by one blood or pool. +1 bleed. With a strict interpretation of "playing," an empty !Gangrel would not be able to play a Claws of the Dead. The rules state that you need to burn 1 blood (A) in order to play the card (B). And according to the Path once you are playing the card (B), you then burn 1 less blood (C). So A --> B --> C. Since you cannot do A in the first place, you cannot do B nor C. A similar case exists if a !Gangrel with 1 blood wants to play a Dual Form when the Path is in play. Or look at the Little Tailor. The cost is reduced by one blood or pool only when he recruits or employs. Since the card text refers to "recruits" instead of recruiting and "employs" instead of "employing" it would seem to only trigger when the event occurs, not during the process of the action. The strict interpretation would mean that the Little Tailor, when at 1 blood, could not attempt a recruit/employ action that costs 2 blood even if his special would reduce that cost. (Let's say he wants to employ a Revenant, when there's a Cold Amber Revenant in play). But the strict interpretation does NOT seem to be the case - an empty !Gangrel can indeed play Claws. Same with the case of Dual Form and Little Tailor even though those set up a delayed cost/burn reduction which occur when the action is successful. Thus it makes sense that Ravnos Carnival would follow in the same footsteps. - Eric Chiang

jnew...@difsol.com

[ quoted text not captured ] I'm pretty sure the key to this is that "having enough blood to pay for" something doesn't (have to) mean that he must have X blood, where X is the amount in the red drop. He (maybe) just has to have enough that, counting modifiers that are in effect now (Paths, Sunset Strip, Ravnos Carnival, etc.) he can satisfy the cost. Since it won't cost 2 blood, but instead two blood OR counters off the Ravnos Carnival, he doesn't need two blood to attempt the action. Since he won't pay for the card until he successfully completes the action anyway, he has enough blood to pay the cost. Still, if this is the intended effect, Ravnos Carnival should probably be migrated the next time it's printed (if ever). John