Voice of the Emperor

Legend of the Five Rings card from Lotus Edition, Diamond Edition, Training Grounds 2, Reign of Blood, Hidden City

Card Type

Wind

Card Text

Favor Political Repeatable Reaction: After a target Personality bows for a condition upon an effect of a Spell or Kiho action, discard the Imperial Favor to straighten him and draw a card.
Political Limited: Bow your performing Monk or Shugenja to put a Ring into play. While it remains in play, it does not count toward an Enlightenment Victory. If it is still in play when the turn ends, put it in your hand.

Legality

Age of Enlightenment (Lotus), Rain of Blood (Diamond)

Deck

Pre-Game

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "Voice of the Emperor Political Reaction: After a Personality bows to pay the cost of a Kiho or Spell, discard the Favor: Target the Personality. Straighten him. Draw a card. Political Limited: Once per turn, target and bow a Monk or Shugenja you control: Put a Ring into play from your hand; it does not count towards an Enlightenment Victory until it is not in play. If it is still in play when the turn ends, put it in your hand." [MRP, Lotus Edition, 31 October 2005] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 155

Rules Q&A

• Q: if i use Finding the Harmony on a ring if have in play because of the Voice, it will stay in play ad infinitum, and the ring that subsequently went back into my hand gets reshuffled, correct?
  A: Finding the Harmony puts the Ring into play until something else removes it from play - ad infinitum if nothing else happens - sure.
  Why would you reshuffle the returned Ring, though? Unless I'm misreading something, the Voice of the Emperor's action only makes you do the "discard or reshuffle" effect while the Ring is in play. Once the Ring leaves play (via Finding the Harmony in this case), the effect's duration has expired. Martin Lund, "Rules for 4 November 2004", 8 Nov 2004
• Q: What happens to the Rings the you put into play from the Voice of the Emperor when Doji Kurohito Dies and the Voice of the Emperor is then removed from the game?
  A: The effects of an Action are not automatically ended just because the card that generated them has left play. Voice of the Emperor says, "Political Limited: Once per turn, bow your Stronghold or a Courtier to put an Elemental Ring into play from your hand. While in play, that Ring does not count towards an Enlightenment Victory, and at the beginning of each of your turns, discard a card from your hand or shuffle the Ring back into your Fate deck."
  That's all one ability. Its effects persist until the Ring leaves play as per the "while" duration in the second sentence. Whether the Voice stays in play or not is irrelevant once the Action has been played. Every turn you may choose to either discard to keep the card or shuffle it back into your deck. The effect ends once that Ring leaves play, not the Voice. Martin Lund, "Rules for 27 July 2004", 30 Jul 2004
• Q: Voice Political Limited: Once per turn, bow your stronghold or a courtier to put an elemental ring into play from your hand. While in in play, that ring does not count towards an Elightenment Victory, and at the beginning of each of your turns, discard a card from your hand or shuffle the Ring back into your fate deck.
  Is the discarding of a card to keep the Ring in play political?
  A: It is an effect of a Political action. It is not an action by itself. Jeff Alexander, "rules for 12 March 2004", 13 Mar 2004
• Q: Can I use Introspection if I used the non-favor Voice of the Emperor action to put a ring into play?
  A: Yes (card text). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 24 November 2003, Part 2", 25 Nov 2003
• Q: Can I use Introspection after using The Voice of the Emperor to put a ring into play?
  A: Yes (card text). Zen Faulkes, "Rules for 19 November 2003, Part 2", 20 Nov 2003
• Q: the Voice of the Emperor says, "Political Limited: Once per turn, bow your Stronghold or a Courtier to put an Elemental Ring into play from your hand."
  Does that count as "playing" the ring?
  A: Yes. Zen Faulkes, "Voice and "play"", 27 Mar 2005
• Q: If I use Voice of the Emperor to put a ring into play, does this count as playing that ring from my hand?
  A: Voice of the Emperor card text: "put an Elemental Ring into play from your hand." Zen Faulkes, "Ring + Voice Question", 21 Mar 2005