Governor's Court

Legend of the Five Rings card from Emperor Edition, Khan's Defiance, Samurai Edition Banzai

Card Type

Holding

Gold Cost

2

Card Text

w: Produce 2 Gold.
Political Tireless Open: Choose your performing Courtier and bow him or this Holding to choose another player with an unbowed Personality in play. He may choose to target and bow one of his unbowed Personalities. If he does not choose this, gain 2 Honor.

Legality

Age of Conquest (Emperor), Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Race for the Throne (Samurai)

MRP

The other player now must have an unbowed personality in play

Deck

Dynasty

Printings

Rules Q&A

• Q: Greetings!
  Player A Controls a single unbowed personality with Legion of Pain attached. Player B uses Governor's court with his 4 gold courtier (or any 7 gold courtier) performing the action.
  Does player B automatically gain 2 honor since player A cannot target and bow his personality due to legion of pain's restriction?
  A: In this case you would gain the 2 honor, as the other player cannot choose to target the Personality. Jon Palmer, "Governor's Court and Legion of Pain", 12 Jan 2012
• Q: Greetings! Player A Has daigotsu Bofana in his home Player B uses his governor's court on Player A Player A chooses to bow hiw daigotsu Bofana, does player B discard a card?
  Thanks.
  A: Yes.
  Daigotsu Bofana: After the first time each phase another player's action targets Bofana: If the action was not performed by a card with (current) Force equal to or higher than Bofana's base Force, the player discards a card. Governor's Court: ... He may choose to target and bow one of his unbowed Personalities. ...
  If Bofana's controller targets Bofana with his opponent's action from Governor's Court, that does trigger Bofana's trait (unless the performing Courtier has sufficient force). Alex Jones, "Governor's Court and Daigotsu Bofana", 9 Jan 2012
• Q: Is the Moto Chagatai Exp. 5's controller allowed to bow a unicorn personality despite the fact that Chagatai's trait has not yet been used?
  A: No.
  http://rules.l5r.com/Card_features#Traits: "Traits that are triggered when paying a Gold cost, and whose effects produce Gold, do not have to be triggered when any given Gold cost is paid; they are optional. All other effects of triggered traits are not optional – they must happen if the trigger occurs." (Emphasis added.) Zen Faulkes, "Governor's Court and Moto Chagatai exp5", 17 Mar 2009
• Q: The ability on Governor's Court doesn't say that your opponent has to target the Personality he chose, so while I think the answer was technically correct (Chen can't negate the bowing), the reasoning was false.
  A: The original question used the word "target," which threw me. GIGO.
  The other reason this doesn't work is that Governor's Court looks for whether bowing happened, not what choice you made. If it asked for what you tried to do, this would work. Zen Faulkes, "Governor's Court and Moto Chen", 4 Mar 2009
• Q: (I)f I have Chen (Moto Chen - SE version) and my opponent's use Governor's Court political ability, may I target Chen and negate its whole effects?
  A: No.
  http://rules.l5r.com/Glossary_C#Cannot: "In card text, when referring to ... targeting... "cannot" is a restriction on the legality of that thing in the first place, not negation of its effects." Zen Faulkes, "Governor's Court and Moto Chen", 3 Mar 2009
• Q: If my opponent controls a Moto Chagatai exp 5 who has not used his trait this phase, would i gain 2 honor if I activate a Governor's Court, even if he chooses to bow a unicorn clan personality?
  Text:
  Moto Chagatai: Unicorn Clan • Clan Champion • Samurai • Tactician • Cavalry • The Khan • Experienced 5 • Unique • Loyal Before the first time each phase that another player's card's effect bows a Unicorn Clan Personality at Chagatai's location: Negate the bowing. Battle: Target one or two Personalities opposing Chagatai. The enemy leader may move one or both home. If one or both still oppose Chagatai, the enemy leader must choose one of the targets (even at home), who is destroyed.
  Governor's COurt: Bow this card: Produce 2 Gold. Political Open: Even if this card is bowed, bow this card or one of your target Courtiers: Choose another player. He may bow one of his Personalities. If he did not bow a Personality, gain 2 Honor.
  Thanks
  A: If the bowing is negated, he didn't bow a personality, so you gain 2 honour. Alex Jones, "Governor's Court and Moto Chagatai exp5", 20 May 2008
• Q: If I use Governor's Court while my opponent has all his personalities bowed, do I automatically gain the 2 honor points?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Governor's Court", 9 Sep 2007
• Q: If I use Governor's Court while my opponent doesn't have any personality in play, do I automatically gain the 2 honor points?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Governor's Court", 9 Sep 2007