Unrequited Love

Legend of the Five Rings card from Samurai Edition, Diamond Edition, Lotus Edition, Hidden Emperor 5, Twenty Festivals, Code of Bushido, Promotional–Twenty Festivals

Card Type

Strategy

Gold Cost

0

Card Text

Political Open: Target one of the active player's unbowed Human Personalities. That player may choose to bow the Personality and gain 1 Honor. If he does not choose this, dishonor the Personality, and the player loses Honor equal to the Personality's printed Personal Honor.

Focus Value

2

Legality

A Brother's Destiny (Twenty Festivals), Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Hidden Emperor (Jade), Race for the Throne (Samurai), Rain of Blood (Diamond), War of the Seals (Onyx Edition)

Deck

Fate

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Unrequited Love 0G 2FV Political Open: If it is the Action Phase: Target an unbowed Human Personality controlled by the active player. That player decides whether this card bows the Personality and gives the player 1 Honor, or whether it Dishonors the Personality and makes the player lose Honor equal to the target’s printed Personal Honor." [MRP, Lotus Edition, 31 October 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 38
• May target a bowed Personality. [DW, personal correspondence, 12/2/98] [REVERSAL] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 61
• May be played by The Shadowlands Horde, even on a bowed Personality, as it is still technically a conditional loss. [ibid.] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 61
• Erratum: Reads, "Unrequited Love 0G 2FV Political Open: Target one of the active player’s unbowed Human Personalities. That player may choose to bow the Personality and gain 1 Honor. If he does not choose this, dishonor the Personality, and the player loses Honor equal to the Personality’s base Personal Honor." [MRP, Samurai Edition, 25 July 2007] Comprehensive Rules, Samurai Edition, with specific card rulings, final version, May 2009, p. 167

Rules Q&A

• Q: Can I use Imperial Messenger on A) Dirty Politics B) Unrequited Love ???
  A: Yes to Dirty Politics. It has a printed honor loss, even if it isn't numeric.
  No to Unrequited Love, the Honor Loss is conditional. Imperial Messenger doesn't trigger on actions that "may" cause honor loss, but Actions that "will." Martin Lund, "Rules for 6 July 2004", 9 Jul 2004
• Q: How do you decide what you are actually "choosing" when an action gives you a choice? Apparently, in the case of Iaijutsu Challenge, you're choosing to accept or refuse the duel ("If the challenge is refused...") but what about "Unrequited Love"? Based upon "If he does not" I'm assuming you're choosing to bow or not.
  A: [MARTY] Judging by past precident, the choice is usually as simple as possible. In general, the template should work in one of two ways:
  Template #1
  "Choose either to do X or do Y."
  And that's the whole decision. Any further sentences like, "If you choose X, effect Z happens," on that card or any other card or Stronghold are not part of the decision.
  Template #2
  "You may do X."
  And that's the whole decision. You either choose to do X, or choose not to do X. Any further sentences like, "If you choose X, effect Z happens," on that card or any other card or Stronghold are not part of the decision.
  Overwhelmed is very clear example of Template #1: "The opposing player chooses either to destroy one Personality with the highest Force in his army or send two units in his army home without bowing."
  Outmaneuvered in Court is a very clear example of Template #2: "That unit's controller may bow his Stronghold."
  Challenges are stickier because they don't operate on full card text, but instead have rulebook explanations. Any challenge is, by default an either / or choice between accept and refuse. Martin Lund, "Rules for 22 June 2004", 25 Jun 2004
• Q: Shosuro Maru
  Scorpion Clan Distracter ï Courtier Soul of Yogo Asami Open: Bow Maru and target a player to force that player to target and bow one of his unbowed Personalities.
  Unrequited Love
  Political Open: Target an unbowed Human Personality during his controllerís Action Phase. His controller may bow the Personality to gain 1 Honor. If he does not, dishonor the Personality and cause his controller to lose Honor equal to the Personalityís printed Personal Honor.
  Questions:
  1) Can you use Maru to bow an attacking or defending personality if the targeted player has neither units at home nor at other provinces?
  A: You may use Maru if either:
  She is in the current battle, or
  You have someone in the current battle AND the only possible Personalities the other player may target with her action are in the current battle. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 27 Feb. 2004", 28 Feb 2004
• Q: 2) Can you use Unrequited Love when you are defending?
  A: No. Unrequited Love can only be played in the Action Phase. [card text] Jeff Alexander, "rules for 27 Feb. 2004", 28 Feb 2004
• Q: 3) Can you use Unrequited Love when you are targeted by Retribution?
  A: No. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 27 Feb. 2004", 28 Feb 2004
• Q: If a player plays Unrequited Love on a Lion, and that Lion\222s controller use Rokuro to negate the bowing, does the Lion personality become dishonored and cause his controller to lose Honor equal to the Personality\222s printed Personal Honor?
  A: The Lion player has two choices:
  He may bow the Personality to gain 1 Honor. He may allow the Personality to become dishonored and lose Honor.
  If he chooses the former, and the bowing is negated, he may continue trying to bow the Personality to gain 1 Honor or he may allow the payment to fail and gain nothing. But the Personality is not dishonored and no honor loss happens because he did not choose the second outcome of the card. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 6 Feb. 2004", 7 Feb 2004
• Q: So is this reversal?
  A: You don't have to ask; Jeff is right by definition. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 7 December 2003", 7 Dec 2003
• Q: Here Jeff refers to the bowing as a cost and costs cannot also be considered as effects can they?
  A: Yes, they can. Something can simutaneaously be an effect and a cost (precedent: Hida Kosho). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 7 December 2003", 7 Dec 2003
• Q: Unless im completely wrong here, another way of saying this is.... If you use Rokuro, you could gain 1 honor, but then you would subsuquently be dishonored and loose printed PH.
  A: No. There are two issues at hand.
  First, is Rokuro's action legal to be taken at for Unrequited Love? Yes. The bowing is a card effect of Unrequited Love, so it is a legal trigger for the action.
  Second, if you take Rokuro's action, what do you accomplish? Nothing. You did not bow, because that was negated, so you do not gain honor, and you must proceed to the "If he does not" clause. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 4 December 2003", 5 Dec 2003
• Q: [I]f you're still faced with the choice of bowing or dishonor, that Rokuro cannot prevent the bowing from Unrequited Love?
  A: To be more precise than is probably necessary: It can prevent it, but the effect is the same as if you'd never bowed the Personality in the first place. So it is a rather pointless action to take. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 2 December 2003, Part 2", 3 Dec 2003
• Q: Does this mean you don't gain the 1 honor from Unrequited Love if you negate the bowing?
  A: That's what it means. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 2 December 2003", 2 Dec 2003
• Q: If I play Unrequited Love on a personality, can my opponent choose the option "Bow to gain 1 honor", and then use Rokuro's reaction to prevent the personality from bowing, thus cancelling Unrequited love?
  A: Cancel? No. "Cancel" has a very specific meaning (Diamond rules, pg. 72). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 30 November 2003", 1 Dec 2003
• Q: I am playing Scorpion[...]
  A: What a shock, Calvin! I'd never have guessed. ;) Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 13 November 2003", 13 Nov 2003
• Q: and my opponent is playing Phoenix in Morning Glory Castle. My opponent has a bunch of unbowed peeps including one unbowed Shugenja and one unbowed Shiba Danjuro. I play Unrequited Love on one of my opponent's Shugenja. My opponent reacts with Danjuro[.] When Danjuro bows to redirect the action, Danjuro is now BOWED. Is it still legal to target him with Unrequited Love?
  A: Yes. He could have been legal targeted with the action originally (he was unbowed), so it can be redirected to him. Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 13 November 2003", 13 Nov 2003
• Q: A Personality or Follower is performing an action if its controller is the player taking the action, and any of these things is true:
  A: Note the whole "if its controller is the player taking the action," line right there. If you hit another player's Personality with Unrequited Love, that Personality does not "Perform" Unrequited Love. Martin Lund, "Bayushi Saya+Unrequited Love", 31 Jul 2007
• Q: Quote:
  Current word from Jeff Alexander: You cannot dishonor someone who already is dishonored.
  Say my opponent has a dishonored personality in play that had attached a Bloodspeaker Students. I play Stern Reprimand, since they cannot choose to dishonor a dishonored personality, they would have to send the follower to their hand?
  A: Yes. The player cannot choose an option that will have a partial result when an option exists that will have the full result. Jeff Alexander, "Stern Reprimand and Unrequited Love", 12 Apr 2005
• Q: If I play Unrequited Love on a dishonored personality, would he have to bow his personality since he cannot dishonor his dishonored personality?
  A: No. His choice isn't between bowing and dishonoring. His choice is whether to bow to produce some effect. He can choose "yes, I'll bow" or "no, I won't bow". Unless the Personality cannot bow. Then he has to choose "no, I won't bow". Jeff Alexander, "Stern Reprimand and Unrequited Love", 12 Apr 2005
• Q: Is the person bowing from Unrequited Love 'performing' an action that gains honor?
  A: Only if it was their controller who played "Unrequited Love." Martin Lund, "Performing an action", 11 Apr 2005