Forced March

Legend of the Five Rings card from Shadowlands

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

6

Card Text

Absent Battle: Target your unit that has been at another battlefield this turn: Straighten it and move it to the current battlefield, even if it was in an attacking army during battle resolution this Attack Phase. After this battle's Resolution Segment, bow the unit. It will not straighten during your next Straighten Phase.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Bowing cannot be prevented by Rallying Cry, because it is an effect of Forced March, not battle. [Card text] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 18
• The bowing of the unit happens as a direct result of Forced March, not as a normal result of battle. It cannot be prevented by cards like Rallying Cry. [card text] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 27

Rules Q&A

• Q: Can a personality who remains bowed by forced march be unbowed by call to arms?
  A: I got beat to this one by a number of folk, but, yes, Forced March only prohibits straightening in your own next Straighten Phase, so Call to Arms will still straighten them. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 1-2 April 2001", 7 Apr 2001
• Q: 2. This is a timing Question concerning Forced March. If a defender plays a Counter Attack, resolves the Battle, and then plays Forced March to move one of the returning attackers to another of the opponents provinces, would that battle then be resolved or would it move back to the original attacker. Boy that was convoluted. Let me try to simplify so "I" understand what I just asked.
  Player A is being attacked by Player B. Player B has assigned units to 2 of Player A's provinces. Player A defends both provinces with units. Player B resolves one of the battles his units are in. Player A wins the battle and counter attacks, sending all of the units at that battle to one of Player B's provinces.
  A: Counterattack is not played until all the battles have resolved. Player A cannot play Counterattack here. I think that renders the rest of your example rather moot. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 8 February 2001", 14 Feb 2001
• Q: Is the use of this card restricted to a different province only or can it be used to reattack a province after a bridged pass is blown, etc.
  A: Forced March may only move a unit into the current Province. The unit it moves in must have, at some point this turn, been in an army at another Province. (It may or may not have been in an army at THIS Province, too, at some point -- it doesn't matter.) Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 7 February 2001", 9 Feb 2001
• Q: I am playing Otaku Palaces.
  I use Forced March on my Kamoko.
  My opponent attacks me on his turn.
  Can I straighten my Kamoko?
  A: Yes. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for December 18th", 18 Dec 2000
• Q: The entry in the FAQ on bowing does not address the term "in" as used on Forced March, and the entry on Forced March doesn't either.
  A: During=in, for this purpose. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for December 18th", 18 Dec 2000
• Q: Assuming I have multiple Forced Marches in my hand, and the gold to pay for them, may I target the same unit twice on the same turn with Forced March.
  A: Sure. Vaughn Derderian, "Rules for December 18th", 18 Dec 2000
• Q: - Does the personality has to be at home to be targeted by this strategy ?
  A: No. The only requirement is that he have been in a battle at another Province. Brook Cunningham, "Forced March VS March Beyond Hope", 2 Apr 2010
• Q: - Would this action resolve if the targeted personality has already been in the attacking side during battle resolution this attack phase ?
  A: The wording of Forced March is not specific enough (without receiving errata) to get around the current Rule against moving into an attacking army after having already been on an attacking side during a resolution. So, in such a case, the movement would fail. Brook Cunningham, "Forced March VS March Beyond Hope", 2 Apr 2010