Core Set Questions
Have a question about the effect or abilities of a specific card? You will find all your answers here!
Questions are alphabetical by the card name
Abort:
Q: Can I use an "Abort!" (or "Miracle") card on another "Abort!" card? In other words, if an opponent tries to cancel my attack with his "Abort!" card, can I cancel his attempt with my "Abort!" card and thus keep attacking him?
A: No. The "Abort!" and "Miracle" cards cancel the entire attack, including both you and your opponents' actions. However, other cards that modify or disable political actions can be used to cancel his "Abort" attempt.
Abraham Lincoln:
Q: I have Abraham Lincoln as my leader. Another player, who has slaves in play, becomes allied with me. What happens to the slave units?
A: The slaves cards would be discarded when the player becomes allied to you.
Alliance Cards: (5 questions)
Q: There are no "forced alliance" cards (Axis of Evil / Communion / Form Treaty / Unholy Alliance) in play. Can one of my friends still help me in combat if they want to?
A: Yes. "Informal Alliances" and the various Machiavellian orchestrations they create are encouraged, as long as they do not interfere with cards in play that create forced alliances. Of course, your friend might want something in return for helping you. Also, cards that effect alliances do not take effect on informal alliances, only forced alliances. (Such as Factory, which allows you and your allies to have no hand limit.)
Q: Can I attack another player, and then force an alliance (through Form Treaty or other card) with them to prevent them from blocking my attack?
A: No. Allied players can not attack one another. If you create an alliance with another player, your current attack on that player would be canceled.
Q: I am allied with Player B (Form Treaty card). Player B is allied with Players C and D (Axis of Evil card). Can I still attack players C and D?
A: Yes. All treaty/alliance cards are considered separate, and the alliances do not interconnect with each other.
Q: I have one alliance with Player B, and another alliance with Player C. These two players attack each other. What do I do?
A: If two of your allies attack each other, you have the official option of not doing anything (because aiding one would be attacking the other), or aiding one or both of the allies. Hey, Superpowers do it all the time! Remember, it is up to you to decide exactly how you want to help an ally if they require help.
Q: I am in a two player game. Me and my opponent become allied. What now?
A: COLD WAR!!!!!! The two of you can not attack each other, but you can still build up troops and add followers. Alternatively, the two of you could choose to remove the "forced alliance" cards (Axis of Evil/Communion/Form Treaty/Unholy Alliance) and the "end alliance" cards (Break Treaty/Renounce Faith) from the game before playing. But that would be lame.
For detailed rules on Alliances, see our Alliances page!
Archbishop of Canterbury: (3 questions)
Q: I have the Archbishop as my leader. Does his religious ally exclusion affect only formal alliances, or any help at all? (Informal / non-forced alliance).
A: Leader abilities take precedence over everything. In this case the Archbishop affects everyone aiding you, regardless of whether a card forces an alliance or not.
Q: I have the Archbishop in play, and another player forces me into an alliance (Communion/Unholy Alliance). Can this happen?
A: Yes, but only if the other player is political. The Archbishop only prevents alliances with religious Players.
Q: I have the Archbishop as my leader. Can I be forced into a three-way alliance (Axis of Evil, Unholy Alliance) where one of the other members is religious and one is political?
A: Yes, but only partially. Your alliance with the political player would stay, but you would not be allied with the religious player. Thus, you would only aid one other player, the religious player would only aid one other player, and the political player would aid both you and the religious player. (Also, see our Alliances page for more information)
Army:
Q: If I attack an opponent with Army and they do not block, does Army still gain the +1?
A: No. Army has to enter into combat with other cards (attack or block) and survive to gain the +1.
Ascension:
Q: I have a political leader and lots of political objects in play. I have played Ascension, which gives me a religious leader. Another player then kills my political leader. Am I now a religious affiliation? What happens to all my political object cards already in play?
A: You are now religious, but all the political object cards put into play under your previous political leader remain in play until they are destroyed or otherwise killed off. You just can't add any new ones.
Assassin/Assassination: (3 questions)
Q: I have an Assassin in play and I use the Assassination card. Can I choose to kill only one political leader?
A: Yes. You may kill one or two leaders in play.
Q: I have an Assassin in play and I use the Assassination card. Do I have to discard my Assassin card after killing two leaders?
A: No. If you use Assassination with Assassin in play, you may kill two leaders without discarding Assassin. You could, however, choose to kill three leaders this turn (two with the Assassination card, a third political leader with Assassin), and discard Assassin. But that would kill your assassin, and you might not want to do that.
Q: Can I use Assassin / Assassination to kill my own leader?
A: Yes. Assassin targets any political leader, and Assassination targets any leader in play, including your own if desired.
Axis of Evil
see "Alliance Cards".
Bad Mustache: (2 questions)
Q: I have a Political Leader in play, and I use Bad Mustache. If my Political Leader dies, what happens to the Mustache?
A: If the Leader dies or is otherwise discarded, Bad Mustache would also be discarded.
Q: I have a Political Leader in play, and I use Bad Mustache. However, I also used Heir to the Throne, which lets me put a second leader into play. If the first leader is discarded, can the Mustache switch to the second leader, or do I have to discard it?
A: The Mustache stays! The text of Bad Mustache says "A Political Leader", but does not specify that it attaches to only one. Thus, if you have two leaders in play, they would effectively share the Mustache. If one subsequently dies, the remaining Political Leader would inherit the Bad Mustache and it would remain in play.
Benito Mussolini: (4 questions)
Q: If I play Mussolini and there are no other leader cards in play, does anything happen?
A: If there are no other leader cards in play, Mussolini would have no abilities at all.
Q: Can Mussolini copy the abilities of a leader that comes into play after I have played him?
A: No. Mussolini can only copy leaders that are in play when he comes out.
Q: Is the copied ability of a leader permanent? Or can I stop using one leader's ability and copy a different leader if I want to?
A: No. The copy happens only once when Mussolini enters play, and is permanent.
Q: I played Mussolini and copied a leader currently in play. That leader then dies. Does anything happen to Mussolini?
A: Nothing happens to Mussolini. The copied ability remains even if the leader it was copied from is killed or discarded.
Blood Money: (2 questions)
Q: Another player uses Assassination on me to make me discard my leader. Can I use Blood Money to discard my leader first, thus gaining the three followers?
A: No. Cards take effect in the order they are played, unless a card counters one played before it. Thus his Assassination takes effect first (discarding your leader), and your Blood Money takes effect (Discard your leader). Since you no longer have a leader, Blood Money would do nothing.
Q: I just used Blood Money. Where do I get the followers from?
A: The three followers are drawn randomly from the discard pile. If there are no cards in the discard pile, they are then drawn from the deck.
Born Again: (2 questions)
Q: I used Born Again. Am I now considered a Religious player?
A: No. Born Again only gives you the ability to use Religious cards in addition to your Political affiliation. Cards targeting Religious players do not effect you.
Q: I used Born Again and my Political Leader was killed/discarded. What happens to Born Again?
A: Born Again is tied to your specific Political Leader. It would be discarded when your leader is killed.
Buddha: (2 questions)
Q: The Buddha Leader card was already played once this game. If this card comes into play again (via Reincarnation or playing through the entire deck), can I put it into play as a leader and use it to play an extra card that turn?
A: Yes. The "Play an extra object card" effect of Buddha takes place each time it is put into play, regardless of how many times it has previously been put into play.
Q: When I play an Object from my hand, does it have to be Religious, or can I play any object I have?
A: You can play any object card you have in your hand. This includes Political Objects. Some objects, such as Bad Mustache, have additional requirements needed to play them, seen on the text of the card. You would still need to meet the requirements of these cards in order to play them.
Card Mechanics: (3 questions)
Q: I have a bunch of religious cards in my hand, and my friend has a bunch of political cards. Can we trade cards with each other?
A: Yes. Trading or bartering cards with other players is highly encouraged, and can be done at any point in the game (even during combat). It is up to the players to decide exactly what or how to barter.
Q: I was targeted by a card that makes me discard cards from my hand. Can I just give all the cards in my hand to one of my friends or allies, not be affected by the discard, then take them all back after the discard is over?
A: No. You can not trade cards simply to weasel around the effect of a card you do not like.
Q: I have more than five cards in my hand, and I do not have any card that removes my hand limit. When must I discard the extra cards? Do I discard them at the end of my current turn, or immediately?
A: If you gain more than five cards during your current turn, you can wait until the end of your turn to discard down to your hand limit. If it is not currently your turn when you gain the additional cards, however, you must immediately discard down to your hand limit.
Catherine the Great:
Q: Can I use "Heir to the Throne" to put Catherine the Great into play alongside a leader I currently have out? Or does her prohibition against using "Heir to the Throne" prevent this from happening?
A: The card effects of Leaders take effect only when they enter play. Thus, you can use Heir to the Throne to put Catherine into play. By the time Catherine enters play, Heir to the Throne has already been used and is not affected by her card restrictions.
Circles of Hell: (2 questions)
Q: How does Circles of Hell work? Since it is an object, do I need to use it the moment I play it, or can I wait and use the effect later? Do I have to use the effects only at the beginning of my turn?
A: Circles of Hell is one of a few "limited use" object cards, similar to "Stack of Bibles". You play it just like any other object; but you can use the card effect (rolling dice) any time you want. Since you already played the object card itself, the actions it provides are considered "free", and do not count towards card limits and such. With Circles of Hell, this means you can force an opponent to roll dice three times in a row (since you can use this card three times) if you so desire, or use it on other opponents' turns.
Q: I am allied with another player, and she just played Circles of Hell on me. I thought she couldn't attack me!
A: Circles of Hell does not involve Fighting Units and is based on chance (dice roll), and thus is not considered a direct attack. You and your target each have a chance to lose three followers. Because it is not considered an attack, it can be used in forced alliances.
Clone War
Q: If I use Clone War, do I have to select only Fighting Units that I could legally play, or can I choose any Fighting Units in the discard pile that I desire? For example, if I am a Religious player, would I only be able to put religious Fighting Units into play, or could I put Political Units into play too?
A: Clone War allows you to choose any three Fighting Units and put them into play. This includes Units you would not normally be able to play, such as Units from a different affiliation. However, some Fighting Units have additional card requirements (as specified on the card) that still must be met. For example, The Amish is a Fighting Unit that, in addition to being a Religious Unit, also requires the player to have a Religious Leader in play. This card text stays as a requirement of the card that Clone War does not remove. Likewise, a Unit such as the Spanish Inquisition requires you to discard a Fighting Unit when it enters play. You must pay that additional requirement when playing the card.
Communion
see "Alliance Cards".
Death Camp:
Q: I used Death Camp at the beginning of my turn to make my opponent lose a follower. That player countered by playing a card that destroys my object (Illiteracy, ). Does that player still lose a follower?
A: Yes. No cards can be played to prevent the loss of the follower. In this case, Death Camp would be destroyed, but the effect would still happen and your opponent would lose a follower.
Discarding Cards
see "Card Mechanics".
Factory: (2 questions)
Q:Vow of Poverty (hand limit 3) was played on me. However, I am also in an alliance with a player who has Factory in play (allies have no hand limit). Do I have a hand limit or not?
A: Cards take effect in the order they are played. Here, the effect of the second card would override the effect of the first. Thus, if you had Vow of poverty first, and later entered the alliance, the alliance would override the Vow. However, if you were in an alliance first, and then had Vow of Poverty, the Vow would override the allied Factory's effect. The other members of the alliance would still have no hand limit, as Factory only affects you.
Q:I was previously in an alliance with a player who has Factory in play, and consequently I had no hand limit. The alliance ended, and now I have more than five cards in my hand. Do I discard the extra cards immediately, or can I wait until the end of my turn?
A: If it is currently your turn when the alliance ends, you have until the end of your turn to discard down to your hand limit. If it is not your turn, you must discard the extra cards immediately.
Fighting Units:
Q: One of my Fighting Units had its power reduced to zero (or below). What happens to this fighting unit? Can it defend, or does it instantly die?
A: If a Fighting Unit's power becomes zero or less, that unit can not attack or defend. Only units with a positive power can participate in combat. The unit remains in play, but can not do anything until its power is restored.
Form Treaty
see "Alliance Cards".
Games Without Borders: (2 questions)
Q: Can I give the player any cards of my choice, or am I limited only to cards they would be able to use?
A: You can give the player on your left any three cards in your hand, regardless of whether they can use them or not. Great for getting rid of useless cards!
Q: I have less than three cards in my hand (or no cards at all). What do I do?
A: You must give the other player as many cards as you can, up to three. If you have two cards in your hand, you would give them two. If you have no cards, you would not give them any (since your hand is empty). You would still receive three cards from the player to your right, however.
Grant Matheny: (2 questions)
Q: Who is Grant Matheny?
A: You will learn all the answers in time.
Q: Do the two abilites of Grant Matheny stack? For example, if I have both Plutonium and Nuclear Warhead in play, would my units gain +2 (+1 for each of the 2 cards)?
A: Yes. Your units gain +1 for each card. If Nuclear Warhead and Plutonium are both in play, your units would gain +2.
Gunshot to the Face: (5 questions)
Q: Suppose I have some fighting units I need to get rid of (to make space for the better fighting units I have in my hand). Could I play Gunshot to the Face, target myself, and then discard three of my fighting units?
A: Yes, as long as you are not a Religious player. Gunshot to the Face only effects Political players.
Q: Can I use Gunshot to the Face to make another Political player discard their leader?
A: Yes. You can choose any three cards your opponent has in play, regardless of whether they are objects, actions, fighting units, or leaders.
Q: Can I use Gunshot to the Face to make three opponents each remove one card from play?
A: No. Gunshot to the Face only targets a single opponent.
Q: One on my opponents has a combined fighting unit, made up of three individual fighting units (See Defending an Attack section for more information on this). If I play Gunshot to the Face on that combined unit, does that count as one card or three?
A: It would count as three. The combined unit counts as one fighting unit, but the cards within it are still counted separately. Thus, three.
Q: Can I use Gunshot to the Face to end alliances, since the cards that create alliances are permanent actions?
A: No. Alliances are the products of an Action. That action card has already been played and taken effect, but players often just leave the card on the table to remember who's allied to who. Essentially the alliance card should be in the discard pile; the effect just keeps going. Thus Gunshot to the Face can not target alliances, since the targeted card is no longer considered in play after it is used. This is the same with other permanent action cards such as "Vow of Poverty". Note that Gunshot to the face is different than Stack of Bibles, which targets the effects of cards, rather than the card itself.
Hitler Youth:
Q: Adolf Hitler is in play and I play Hitler Youth as a sixth Fighting Unit. If Hitler then is killed or discarded, what do I do with Hitler Youth, since I am over my Fighting Unit limit?
A: If you have more than five Fighting Units you will need to immediately discard down to five. You do not need to discard Hitler Youth specifically; if you want to discard another unit to get down to five, that is fine.
Impeachment:
Q: I just played Impeachment. Do I have to discard my own Political Leader too?
A: Yes. Impeachment effects all Political Leaders, even your own.
Julius Caesar: (2 questions)
Q: I am in a three person alliance (Axis of Evil, Unholy Alliance). I use the leader ability of Julius Caesar to get out of the alliance. What happens with the other two players?
A: The other two players are still allied. Basically, the three person alliance becomes a two person alliance.
Q: I used the Julius Caesar leader ability to remove myself from an alliance. Can I rejoin that alliance if I want/need to?
A: No. Julius Caesar lets you out get of alliances. Once that alliance is over, you can not redo it, unless you have another alliance card.
Leader Cards: (4 questions)
Q: We shuffled two (or more) decks together. Are duplicate leader cards allowed in play? For example, can two players each have Adolf Hitler as their leader at the same time?
A: Yes. Duplicate leader cards are allowed.
Q: I do not have a leader. Am I affected by cards that target only Political or Religious affiliations?
A: Yes. A Neutral player (no leader card in play) is considered to be both political and religious. In addition to using cards from either affiliation, you are affected by cards that target only one affiliation.
Q: When can I put a Leader card into play?
A: You can put a leader card into play at any moment in the game, except during combat directly involving you or your forced allies.
Q: I don't want to be political (or religious) anymore. Can I discard my Leader?
A: No. There are cards in the game that allow you to kill your own leader (Assassin, Blood Money), but you cannot simply discard your leader whenever you feel like it.
Miracle:
Q: Can I use an "Miracle" (or Abort!) card on another Miracle/Abort! card? In other words, if an opponent tries to cancel my attack with his "Abort!" card, can I cancel his cancellation attempt with my "Miracle" card and thus keep attacking him?
A: No. The "Abort!" and "Miracle" cards cancel the entire attack, including both you and your opponents' actions. However, other cards that modify or disable political actions can be used to cancel his "Abort" attempt.
Nirvana: (5 questions)
Q: I am attacking another player on my turn. Can I attack them, play the Nirvana card, then choose to not block any of my units, thus dealing damage to that player?
A: No. You can only play Nirvana at the beginning of the other player's turn, not during your own.
Q: I am attacking another player on their turn. Can I attack them, play the Nirvana card, then take their turn for them and choose to not block any of my units, thus dealing damage to that player?
A: Sort of. Nirvana requires that you play it at the beginning of a turn, while attacking comes later on. Thus you could play Nirvana, take over the other player's turn, and then attack them and have them not block any of your units. The effect is the same, the order is just a bit different.
Q: Another player has just attacked me during their turn. Can I play Nirvana to take over their current turn and stop that attack from ever happening?
A: No. You must play Nirvana at the beginning of a player's turn. Since they are attacking you, it is no longer the beginning of their turn and you missed your chance.
Q: I took over another player's turn and attacked them with my units, choosing to have that player not block anything. Can that player's allies block for them?
A: Yes. Allies may still aid the player whose turn you took over.
Q: I just played Nirvana on another player. Since I have control over their hand, can I trade all their good cards to my actual hand?
A: I'm going to say yes? How devious.
Occultists
Q: I just played Occultists, which allows me to steal two objects. Additionally, one of my other fighting units in play has Prison on it (can not attack or defend). Can I steal the Prison with Occultists' ability and put it on my opponents fighting unit?
A: Yes. Prison is still considered your opponent's object, even though it effects your fighting units.
Prison (2 questions)
Q: I just played Occultists (steals two objects when it enters play). Additionally, one of my other fighting units in play has Prison on it. Can I steal the Prison with Occultists' ability and put it on my opponents fighting unit?
A: Yes. Prison is still considered your opponent's object, even though it effects your fighting units.
Q: Can I play Sacrifice (discard fighting units, gain twice that many followers) on one of my fighting units that has Prison on it?
A: Yes. Although your fighting unit is immobile, it is still considered in play under you. Once you sacrifice the unit, the Prison on it would be discarded.
Sacrifice (2 questions)
Q: I have five fighting units in play. Can I play Sacrifice, take out all five of my own units, then gain ten followers, thus winning the game immediately?
A: Yes. Sacrifice is one of the most powerful cards in the game for precisely this reason. Remember that you must have a Religious Leader in play to use it, however. Also, you would not win immediately, but rather at the end of your turn. Someone could still kill off or steal your followers after you play Sacrifice but before your turn ends.
Q: Can I Sacrifice one of my fighting units that has Prison on it (can not attack or defend)?
A: Yes. Although your fighting unit is immobile, it is still considered in play under you. Once you sacrifice the unit, the Prison on it would be discarded.
Slaves:
Q: I have Abraham Lincoln as my leader. Another player, who has slaves in play, becomes allied with me. What happens to the slave units?
A: The slaves cards are discarded when the player becomes allied with you.
Stack of Bibles: (3 questions)
Q: How does Stack of Bibles work? Since it is an object, do I need to use it the moment I play it, or can I wait and use the effect later?
A: Stack of Bibles is one of a few "limited use" object cards, similar to Circles of Hell. You play it just like any other object; but you can use the card effect (cancelling an action card) any time you want. Since you already played the object card itself, the actions it provides are considered "free", and do not count towards card limits and such. With Stack of Bibles, this means you can cancel any three actions you want at any time, even on other players' turns.
Q: Can I use Stack of Bibles to prevent actions created by an object card? For example, could I use Stack of Bibles to prevent one of the die rolls from Circles of Hell?
A: No. Stack of Bibles only targets the effects of actual Action cards.
Q: Can I use Stack of Bibles to end Permanent Actions, such as alliances (or Vow of Poverty)? What if the actions began before I played Stack of Bibles?
A: Yes. Stack of Bibles specifically targets the effects of action cards. Since the effect of Permanent Actions are still occuring even after the card has been used, that permanent effect can be targeted by Stack of Bibles. Note that this is different from Gunshot to the Face, which targets actual cards in play, and not continuing effects of cards previously played.
Stealth Bomber: (2 questions)
Q: Does the extra "hidden" Fighting Unit put into play by Stealth Bomber count towards my Fighting Unit limit? Does it count only when turned face-up?
A: The extra Fighting Unit that Stealth Bomber lets you put into play does count towards your Fighting Unit limit at all times. Thus, if Stealth Bomber was your fifth fighting unit, you would not be able to put another "hidden" unit into play.
Q: Am I required to play a second "hidden" unit when playing Stealth Bomber? If I have no other units, can I still play it?
A: You have the option of putting another unit into play when you play Stealth Bomber. You are not required to. Thus, you can play Stealth Bomber without playing a "hidden" card.
Trading Cards
see "Card Mechanics".
Unholy Alliance
see "Alliance Cards".
Unholy Alliance/Blood Money/Reincarnation:
Q: There are two players, Player B and Player C, who I want to force into an alliance with each other. (Because they hate each other and it would be fun.) Can I:
Turn 1: play Unholy Alliance to create an alliance on the three of us,
Turn 2: play Blood Money to destroy my leader and end my part of the alliance,
Turn 3: play Reincarnation (or Vatican Archives) to get the leader back into my hand, and
put my leader back into play, laughing that Players B and C are now allied with each other?
A: Yes. Behold the power of combos! However, do realize that after you kill your own leader, a political player could use Alien Abduction to take your leader out of the discard pile and ruin your beautiful combo. Also, leader cards can not be put into play during combat, so watch out for that. Also, Players B and C are now probably pissed off and may crush you with their new alliance.
Also, there are easier ways to end your part in a three way alliance, such as with the Julius Caesar leader card.
Vow of Poverty: (3 questions)
Q:
Vow of Poverty was just played on me. Do I discard down to three cards immediately, or at then end of my turn?
A: If it is currently your turn, you can wait until the end of your turn to discard down to three cards. If it is not currently your turn, you would discard down to three cards immediately.
Q: Vow of Poverty (hand limit 3) was played on me. However, I am also in an alliance with a player who has Factory in play (allies have no hand limit). Do I have a hand limit or not?
A: Cards take effect in the order they are played. Here, the effect of the second card would override the effect of the first. Thus, if you had Vow of poverty first, and later entered the alliance, the alliance would override the Vow. However, if you were in an alliance first, and then had Vow of Poverty, the Vow would override the allied Factory's effect. The other members of the alliance would still have no hand limit, as Factory only affects you.
Q: Vow of Poverty was played on me earlier. However, I now use the Spy's card ability, which allows me to draw a new five card hand from other players. Do I draw five cards, or only three?
A: You would draw a new five card hand, but would immediately discard down to three cards. Before you ask "what's the point?", remember that you are taking these five cards from other players, so even though you have to discard two of them, you are still depriving other players of those two cards.