Political Interference

Legend of the Five Rings card from Samurai Edition, Reign of Blood

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Keywords

Political

Card Text

Reaction: After a player announces an action, bow your performing Courtier: The player may choose to raise the action's Gold cost by 2 (this will give a Gold cost to actions that have none). If he did not choose this, he loses 2 Honor.

Focus Value

3

Legality

Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Political Interference 0G 3FV Political Reaction: After a player announces an action, bow one of your target Courtiers: The player may choose to raise the action’s Gold cost by 2 (this will give a Gold cost to actions that have none). If he does not choose this, he loses 2 Honor." [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 150

Rules Q&A

• Q: Player A is on 12 honour and attempts to buy Doji Kurohito (Exp 2) for full. He bows 13 gold. Player B plays Political Interference on Player A. Player A cannot lose 2 honor otherwise Kurohito cannot enter play. Can Player A now decide not to pay the full 13 gold for Kurohito and buy him without honour instead (i.e. for 11 gold)?
  A: The cost isn't paid yet, so he can choose to reduce it or produce more gold for it by whatever means he has available, including the rulebook discount. Martin Lund, "Rules for 25 April 2004", 28 Apr 2004
• Q: Is the honor loss a cost or an effect? In other words, is a Shadowlands player forced to pay the increased gold cost, or can he just ignore the card?
  A: "If a card effects forces you to make a decision, you may not choose an option that is known in advance will fail. You may, however, immediately respond with a voluntary effect that negates or cancels the action or effect you chose. [Summary of other rulings]" (Accumulated Rulings, "Decisions")
  The Horde player can't choose the option to lose honor, because he knows in advance that it will fail. Martin Lund, "Rules for 22 April 2004", 25 Apr 2004
• Q: I can play this card in a personality card?
  A: You may play "Political Interference":
  "When another player is paying for a card," (card text)
  Personality cards are indeed cards. If another player pays for that Personality, you can React with Political Interference to raise the gold cost of that Personality.
  Just keep in mind, there is a distinction between the following:
  1.) "paying for a card"
  Like paying the 5 Gold Cost for Matsu Aoiko's card, or 1 Gold Cost for Tsuruchi Technique.
  2.) "paying for an Action on a card"
  Like paying the 2 Gold Cost for Farmlands ability to create 1F Follower Token.
  Political Interference will only work on circumstance #1. Martin Lund, "Rules for 16 April 2004", 16 Apr 2004
• Q: My opponent begins to pay for a personality and I play Political Interference in response. He or she decides to lose two honor and can no longer meet the personality’s honor requirement. They may no longer play the personality and the gold is lost, correct?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 9 December 2003", 9 Dec 2003
• Q: concerning this http://rules.l5r.com/Abilities_and_actions#C._Pay_costs: If paying an action’s mandatory costs is interfered with between announcing it and this step, no effects of the action resolve; the ability is considered to have been used; and the action is considered to have been taken, but not resolved.
  Political Interference reads: "Political Reaction: Before a player pays an action’s gold cost, bow one of your target Courtiers: The player may choose to raise that Gold cost by 2. If he does not choose this, he loses 2 Honor."
  If you go according to the cost payment section listed above:
  Suppose I declare that I am playing a Stay Your Blade in a battle. I target one of my samurai that I intend to send home. I wish to proceed to cost payment section of the action. My opponent declares that he plays Political Interference before I pay costs. I choose to raise that gold cost by 2. The Stay Your Blade now has a cost of 2 gold, as well as bowing and sending home a samurai. As per Cost Payment section above, the mandatory zero gold cost was interfered with between announcing it and cost payment. As per Cost Payment section above, no effects of the action resolve. Even if I have 2 gold that I wish to spend on the action, no effects of the action resolve because the opponent interfered in any way at all with cost payment. The same situation should arise if the opponent targets any Crab Clan personality you control while you also have Kuni Daigo in play. The same This does not seem right.
  Could the cost payment section be reworded in such a way that Political Interference does not automaticly cancel any effect if you choose not to lose 2 honor? The word "interfered" should probably be reworded to "prevented". If this is not the case, please explain why?
  A: This looks like it belongs in the Troubleshooting thread in CCG strategy main forum.
  See also http://rules.l5r.com/Costs_and_restrictions for more detail. Zen Faulkes, "Cost Payment vs Additional Costs", 14 Aug 2007
• Q: (C)an it be used when another player is bringing a personality or holding into play during their dynasty phase?
  A: Not actions. No. Zen Faulkes, "Political Interference (Again)", 4 Aug 2007
• Q: Since this ( viewtopic.php?f=59&t=59476&p=765820&hilit=Political+Interference#p765820 ) question was asked a few days too early and wasn't answered, I was wondering if I could get an answer to it now. Can this action be played in Reaction to an action with 0 gold cost? Can it be used on actions with no defined gold cost, like those actions printed on Personalities or the general player actions described in the rulebook (such as lobbying or equipping)? Finally, can it be used when another player is bringing a personality or holding into play during their dynasty phase?
  Political Interference Political Reaction : Before a player pays an action's gold cost, bow one of your target Courtiers: The player may choose to raise that Gold cost by 2. If he does not choose this, he loses 2 Honor.
  A: The announcement has not been updated, so still applies. No Samurai Edition card questions yet. (General rules are okay). Zen Faulkes, "Political Interference", 31 Jul 2007
• Q: The SE version of Political Interference reads:
  Code: Select all Political Reaction: Before a player pays an action's gold cost, bow one of your target Courtiers: The player may choose to raise that Gold cost by 2. If he does not choose this, he loses 2 Honor.
  Can I play this when a player is taking an action with 0 gold cost? Also, can I play this when a player is taking an action without any gold cost defined (like performing an action printed on a personality)?
  A: Please read the announcement regarding Samurai Edition cards.
  viewtopic.php?f=59&t=58026 Chris Fuchs, "Political Interference", 21 Jul 2007