Refugees

Legend of the Five Rings card from Samurai Edition, Anvil of Despair, Jade Edition, Diamond Edition, Gold Edition, Lotus Edition, Pearl Edition, Training Grounds 2, Tomorrow, Onyx Edition, Shattered Empire, Hidden Emperor Starter, Ambition's Debt, Soul of the Empire, The War of Spirits, The Fall of Otosan Uchi, A Perfect Cut, Reign of Blood, Enemy of My Enemy, Code of Bushido, Drums of War, Glory of the Empire, Promotional–Samurai

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Battle: Even, if you are the Defender, if you control no units at the current battlefield, target a Personality without Followers: Move him home. Bow him if he moved. His controller may pay 1 Gold; if he did, create a 1F Ashigaru Follower and attach it to the target.

Focus Value

2

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Clan Wars (Imperial), Four Winds (Gold), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond), Shattered Empire, War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Refugees 0G 2FV Battle: Even if you are the Defender and you control no units at the current battlefield: Target a Personality with no Followers at the current battlefield. Move him home bowed. His controller may pay 1 Gold as a cost to attach a 1F Ashigaru Follower token to him." [MRP, Drums of War, 22 May 2006] Rules Archive, November 11, 2006, p. 46
• Erratum: Reads, "Refugees 0G 2FV Battle: If you are the Defender, you may take this action even if you control no units at the current battlefield: Move home a target Personality without Followers. Bow him if he moved. His controller may pay 1 Gold as a cost to create a 1F Ashigaru Follower card to him and attach it to him." [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 151
• Can be used when you are not the Defender. [ZF, 1 February 2008] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 151

Rules Q&A

• Q: I am a little confused by how Shosuro Saemon's reaction works with cards that specifically check for the presence of followers, (such as Refugees, Peasant Vengeance, etc.)
  A: "If one or more of an action's targets become illegal between when they are chosen and when the action begins to resolve, that action will not affect those targets. This remains true even if they become illegal, then return to being legal. [JA, 15 June 2004; 22 June 2004]" (Accumulated Rulings, "Actions and abilities")
  Saemon says, "Reaction: After another player’s action targets Saemon: Target a Personality you control. Give him a 1F Ninja Follower token."
  That happens before the Action begins to resolve effects, so Saemon can cause the effects of such cards to fail against him by using his ability on himself. Martin Lund, "Rules for 27 and 28 December", 4 Jan 2005
• Q: 4.) Refugees and Right Hand of the Emperor
  Since the effects are seperate, and I use the Right hand's ability to negate the send home, do I also have the option to place a 1F follower token on the target personality? The only effects I've negated is the send home/bowing, not the secondary effect of placing a 1F token. Or, would "sending home bowed" be a cost to having that effect?
  A: Yes, you may buy a 1F Follower token. Martin Lund, "Rules for 13 April 2004", 14 Apr 2004
• Q: I know this might be asking an old question over but some of the newer players in our group were wondering if it was legal to Superior Tactics or Refugees your own units when your attacking? I had never considered doing this in as many years as I have played and the cards do not specifically say yes or no nor does the rulebook to my knowledge.
  Anyone clear this up for me?
  A: It's absolutely legal to play cards like Refugees and Block Supply Lines on your own units, provided they're legal targets (no Followers for Refugees, attacking for BSL, and unbowed for both because you're targeting your own Personality with your action). It's also legal to play Charge or Outflank on Personalities in the opposing army. And, yes, there really are situations where it's beneficial to do so. Jeff Alexander, "post for 22 May 2002", 23 May 2002
• Q: How does Gift of the Water Dragon interact with Refugees and Torrential rain ? Thanks !
  A: Refugees will not send the unit home or bow it, but still gives its controller the option of paying 1g for a Follower token.
  It doesn't stop Torrential Rain at all. The battle still ends immediately, without resolution, and all units return to their controllers' homes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 12 April 2002", 13 Apr 2002
• Q: eg Chagatai and Zhijuan are at one battle and Huang is at another battle.
  Zhijuan is sent home with a Refugees, can Chagatai move Huang into his battle or move over to join Huang?
  A: Yes. Either. Jeff Alexander, "post for 15 January 2002", 16 Jan 2002
• Q: 2.) Argued the point, request confirmation: If Hida Sunao is sent home with a Block Supply Lines, Refugees, Tsudao favor, or other send-home action that bows the target, I can straighten him using his reaction once the battle ends?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 18 December 2001", 19 Dec 2001
• Q: Also, are the Shosuro Gardens only allowed to target legal targets, or when someone targets my attacking samurai with Refugees, can I redirect it to another samurai at home?
  As long as they're unbowed yes.
  A: Sorry, no. When redirecting an action, you are bound by, and ONLY by, the action's original targeting requirements (plus the redirecting action's own restrictions, of course). Shosuro Gardens can redirect a Refugees to any of your own Personalities, bowed or unbowed, in the current battle who have no Followers. Jeff Alexander, "post for 18 December 2001", 19 Dec 2001
• Q: Also, are the Shosuro Gardens only allowed to target legal targets, or when someone targets my attacking samurai with Refugees, can I redirect it to another samurai at home?
  A: All redirection effects are bound to other legal targets. Jeff Alexander, "post for 17 December 2001", 17 Dec 2001
• Q: If so, could (in the first example with the Sac Altar) a SLH player, realizing that he or she is out of options in the fight that just didn't turn his way, sac a unit to the altar to 'pay' for a Refugees to return another of his attacking units home (presuming the target of the Refugees has no Followers)?
  A: Yes. Jeff Alexander, "post for 11 December 2001", 12 Dec 2001
• Q: Can I use Bushi Dojo to pay the 1 gold for a Refugees token?
  A: No, as you are not paying for an action. Jeff Alexander, "replies to 1-2 July", 5 Jul 2001
• Q: Tsuchi-do Text Kiho Battle: Bow one of your shugenja or monks and target any Personality in play. The target may not move into or out any battles this turn. This action may be performed even if you do not have any units in this battle, and even if neither Personality is in this battle. Gold 0 Focus 4
  If a personality who has been targeted by this kiho is then targeted by Block Supply Lines, Refugees, or the Favor, are they bowed? The rulings seem to indicate yes.
  A: They are bowed. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for early March, 2001", 14 Mar 2001
• Q: If they are bowed by these actions, then I have a another question.
  If a personality can not be moved from the battle they are in due to a card effect, etc., then why are they a legal target for BLS, Refugees,or actions that would send them out of the battle they are in?
  A: Because it's not illegal to try something that you know won't produce all its effects. It's not even illegal to try something that you know won't produce ANY effects. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for early March, 2001", 14 Mar 2001
• Q: Sure. When you play the action from your hand, it thinks that it's going to send Gaheris home. That makes it legal. Something negating one of the effects that made it legal to play doesn't retroactively make it an illegal action (extenstion from Jeff's ruling on ToC/Winter Warfare, 12/10/00).
  When Winter Warfare is in effect, it's clear that Block, Refugees, etc. will not send Gaheris home. I can't find the ruling you cite. Can you post it, or tell me where to find it? It's not in Zen's rulings file dated 2/1/01.
  Seems to me that you're allowing an action that knows it's going to be illegal, yet in the Journal/Encircled example you don't want to allow an action that's not 100% sure whether it's eventually going to be legal. Maybe if I could see the ruling you mention I'd understand better.
  A: This is the only point I've seen so far that warrants further consideration. The core issue here is whether the card whose legality is in question shall always be evaluated in isolation. That's what Vaughn did, and that's why he got the results he got: Block Supply Line's removal is unconditional and immediate, making its printed effect pass Gaheris's test, whereas Encircled Terrain's removal is not immediate. In both cases, no other cards or current conditions are considered.
  Perhaps existing involuntary effects, like Winter Warfare, should be considered if their own game effects are both immediate and unconditional? It's one for the Rules Team. Jeff Alexander, "Rulings for 5 February 2000", 8 Feb 2001
• Q: Yoshino is defending at a province with another personality... say Yufu. I use Yoshino's ability killing an opponent's personality, and then destroying one of his attachments on another personality. He uses Refugees or some other way to send Yoshino home... I allow that to happen. I then drop Doomed Intentions and move Yoshino back in and straighten him... as the latter portion of DI states, can I then use his ability a second time killing another personality without an attachment and blow up another attachment?
  A: No, you cannot use Doomed Intentions to use an ability more than the normal number of times. Zen Faulkes, "Does Doomed Intentions get around 1x/turn use of abilities?", 20 Jan 2008
• Q: I have Unshakable and Refugees in my discard pile and an unbowed Tactician in the current battle. Under SE rules, can I play Unshakable from my hand to play Unshakable from my discard pile, to play Refugees from my discard pile?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Unshakable Squared", 18 Jul 2007
• Q: I.e., will the first Unshakable remove the second Unshakable from the game before #2 allows me to play Refugees?
  A: No.
  (Fixed.) Zen Faulkes, "Unshakable Squared", 18 Jul 2007
• Q: If an opponent uses a political action in battle, and I want to play Enough Talk!, does my Samurai have to be in the battle? The Rules of Presence and Relevance don't apply to Reactions as far as I can tell, and the card doesn't specify.
  Sample scenario where it came up:
  -Opponent has one attacking unit in an undefended province, resolves it first
  -I attempt to Refugees the attacking unit, and my opponent bows his courtier using the Right Hand Wind to negate the movement
  At this point I want to play Enough Talk! as a reaction to the political reaction taken, though I have no Samurai in the battle - but I do have one at home, unbowed. Is this legal?
  A: No.
  Your understanding of the situation is pretty solid. The card doesn't specify that the Personalities involved need to be anywhere in particular, so they can be anywhere in play and still duel.
  Your unbowed Samurai at home and beat up his Courtier at his home, even during a Battle.
  - Marty Lund
  Deputy Rules Monkey Zen Faulkes, "Enough Talk! in a battle", 11 Apr 2005
• Q: (Tangen Sensei) can't redirect an action that becomes ilegal, like redirect a Refugees to a personalitie with followers, I belive that this is correct.
  A: Diamond rules, pg 74: Could they have been picked in the first place? You could not have targeted someone with followers with Refugees in the first place. Zen Faulkes, "Redirection - Tangen Sensei", 31 Mar 2005
• Q: If I'm on a Attack Against no units and my opponent plays Refugees and I cancel with the Reaction on the Kaneka Wind, can my opponent play Fall On Your Knees to cancel de reaction? Even without presence in the current battle?
  A: Yes (Diamond rules, pg. 80). Zen Faulkes, "2 Questions", 21 Mar 2005
• Q: I attach Troll War Band to Hoshi Eisai (exp) and declare an Ambush with him. My opponent plays Refugees on his personality as his first action. None of us has any more Battle or Open actions playable, neither on cards in play, nor in our hands, except of course Eisai's ability. I cannot pass because the War Band is unbowed (and I cannot use its abilities), but I can copy someone's Force infinitely many times with Eisai. Is the game a draw?
  A: No, you lose for annoying a deputy rules guy. Look, use a little common sense here. Send the War Band unit home and get on with the game. (No, this is not a rules based solution. This is a pragmatic recommendation of what I would do as a tournament judge to ensure that games progress in a timely manner.) Zen Faulkes, "Troll War Band", 12 Mar 2005
• Q: I attach Troll War Band to Hoshi Eisai (exp) and declare an Ambush with him. My opponent plays Refugees on his personality as his first action. None of us has any more Battle or Open actions playable, neither on cards in play, nor in our hands, except of course Eisai's ability. I cannot pass because the War Band is unbowed (and I cannot use its abilities), but I can copy someone's Force infinitely many times with Eisai. Is the game a draw?
  A: No, you lose for annoying a deputy rules guy. Look, use a little common sense here. Send the War Band unit home and get on with the game. (No, this is not a rules based solution. This is a pragmatic recommendation of what I would do as a tournament judge to ensure that games progress in a timely manner.) Zen Faulkes, "Troll War Band", 8 Mar 2005