I'm going to try to go back to my old ways of getting these things out
on a regular basis, be it weekly or every other week.

In Rulings Digest #52 I said:
So You've Come Back states that to discard the card, in the organisation
phase the character has to be in his own company at a Haven/Darkhaven.

If Eladan has the card on him and he an Aragon return to Lorien, can
they just split into 2 companies at Lorien for one turn and then rejoin
and venture off together the following turn with the card removed?? OR
does he have to be completely alone at the Haven/Darkhaven for one turn?

***  This play is legal, as long as Elladan is in his own company at the
end of the organization phase during that first turn.

As Wim Heemskerk pointed out, the above ruling was in error:
Doesn't Aragorn have to move off, as all but one company resulting from
such a split has to attempt to reach another site that turn?

This is correct.  If a company splits, all but one of the results
companies is required to move on that turn.
--------
Here's my newest question: in some of the tournament reports,
references are made to wizards getting corrupted/killed.  I thought
that if this happened, it was the end of the game...?

***  That used to be true, now it counts as -5 MP and play continues.
--------
If I play Radagast's Black Bird Rhosgobel becomes tapped. And if I want
to untap the site for Blackbole I must play an Character at another
Rhosgobel site.

***  Rather you have to move another company to Rhosgobel, and choose to
have them move to a new, untapped copy of the site.  The other option is
to play a new character at a new copy, then move the company at the
tapped Rhosgobel away.
--------
If I have now two companies at two Rhosgobels, will I get both stage points?

***  Yes.
--------
Or must one company join the other one at the end of the organisation phase?

***  There is no requirement for two companies at the same haven to join
at any point.
--------
Would I be able to play multiple characters at Rhosgobel to get all the
stage points?

***  Given that you legally move them to new copies, yes, inefficient
though it may be.
--------
The text isn't entirely clear as to when the -1 to mind comes into
effect, whether it is during the character draft or once the game has
actually begun. This is obviously quite important as the -1 mind can be
very useful if allowed during the character draft. My interpretation of
minor items is that they are added to the company once the character
draft has been completed. However, the text in Open to the Summons
"...reveal it when starting companies are determined as if it were a
character..." would suggest that the -1 to mind occurs during the
character draft.

If so, then if I were to reveal Elerina as a starting character and then
place Open to the Summons on her, this would result in her mind being
lowered to 7 for the remaining period of the character draft... can
someone clarify please?

***  It doesn't really matter, since you can only include 20 unmodified
mind of charaters in your starting company.
--------
Many Turns and Doublings cannot be stopped if you can't increase the
hazard limit or play cards that don't count towards the limit.

***  There was a lot of discussion about this statement, relating to
Josh Grace's experiences at the North American championships.  The short
version is that the statement above is wrong.  The long version is as
follows:

As long as the play is otherwise legal, a card can be played on a chain
of effects, given that its playability conditions are met.  This means
all targets are in play (or in the case of certain cards, are in the
chain), that the card is not required to start a chain, that there is
enough hazard limit, etc.  The resource player is allowed to start a
chain before the hazard player, but the hazard player can choose to
respond to any play with a hazard.  The same is true for the resource
player in response to hazard play.  When neither player wishes to play
another card in the chain, it resolves, LIFO.  All hazards re-check the
hazard limit and targets when resolving, and if either no longer exist,
the hazard fizzles.  A resource will fizzle if its target doesn't exist
at resolution.

Many Turns and Doublings is not an exception to these rules.  It is
played in a chain, and resolves LIFO.  Furthermore, the hazard player is
allowed to play hazards in response to the MTaD, before it resolves and
reduces the hazard limit.  Since the hazards played in response will
resolve before MTaD, they are safe from its hazard limit reducing effects.
--------
Can I start with an non-orc/troll AGENT minion? (For that matter, if I'm
a minion player, can I start with an agent?)

***  Yes.  Open to the Summons works for both minions and FW, Thrall of
the Voice also works for FW.
--------
Can I start with a stage resource specific to a fallen wizard that only
has any effects when he's in play (Eg. Huntsman's Garb)?

***  Yes.
--------
Correct me if I'm wrong, the only Ruins and Lairs sites that I can start
is Weathertop/Ettenmoors. Can I immediately play Information/Minor Items
during 1st turn?

***  Yes.
--------
Can I look at my starting hand before I choose starting site?

***  No.
--------
Can I play orc and troll characters during subsequent turns without Bad
Company?

***  Only with a card that allows this sort of thing.
--------
Can I play Mechanical Bow (Major Item/Weapon/Technology) normally at any
sites with major items playable?

***  Yes.
--------
Non-overt companies must use hero sites for non-Ruins and Lairs site,
does that mean I can't play a minion faction at a Dark/Shadow-hold?

***  Not without the appropriate card play.
--------
Hero resources can affect non-orc/troll minion characters? Minion
resources can affect hero characters and fallen wizards? What about
minion resources that affects the whole company?

***  All of the above examples are legal plays, and will have the
appropriate effect on the company.  All non-orc/troll characters are
considered hero characters for FWs.
--------
He used a combo that tapped Rivendell during his organization phase,
afterwards he played Arwen at Rivendell as a second company and moved
the characters from company 1 to Arwen's company.

***  This is illegal.  If you play a second copy of a haven during the
organization phase with a new character, the new character is considered
a different company, and cannot join the first.  Secondly, one of the
two companies must move this turn.
--------
Wim had played Long Winter on me as I travelled from Rivendell to Ruined
Signal Tower (site path www) and because I had a ranger and DoN was in
play I arrived at a tapped site. During his go he travelled from a site
in Withered Heath to Sarn Goriwing in the Heart of Mirkwood. Obviously
he was using region movement, as he wasn't travelling from a
Haven/Darkhaven, and he told me the site path was www. Now, in my
reckoning this should have meant Sarn Goriwing was tapped, however, his
ruling on this was that Sarn Goriwing's actual "site path" for Long
Winter was actually dw, as dictated by the actual site card itself, even
though he wasn't travelling from Dol Guldur.

***  Wim played this correctly.  There is a difference between a
company's site path, and a site's site path.  The site's site path is as
printed on the site card.
--------
I have a question for you regarding the One Ring. Does the +1 corruption
point to every character in the bearer's company ALSO include a +1 to
the bearer him/herself, thereby giving the bearer a total of 7
corruption points?

***  That is the case.  The One Ring gives a cumulative 7 corruption to
its bearer.
--------
When playing a card that has multiple effects to choose from (says
"alternatively" for example), at what point do you have to choose which
effect you are going with? Upon declaration or resolution?

***  Declaration.
--------
If a group w/ a diplomat and another character w/ the One Ring were
attempting to use Cracks of Doom, could I play Pledge of Conduct and
pass off the One Ring thereby avoiding the corruption while still dunking?

***  CRF, Card Errata and Rulings, Cracks of Doom:
     * Pledge of Conduct played on the bearer of the One Ring for this
check will discard Cracks of Doom without effect.
--------
So how does the "Pledge of Conduct" works against following cards?
When the target character be decided?  Before transfering or After
transfering?
The Will of the Ring
The Ring's Betrayal

***  Pledge of Conduct is played in response to the corruption check,
and will resolve before the corruption check.  If the target of the
corruption check is no longer legal (no longer bears the One Ring or a
ring, respectively), then the check fizzles.
--------
You can use Leaf Brooch to satisfy the clause on Lucky Search referring
to the discard of the item should the scout become wounded by the
attack, right?

***  That is correct.
--------
If a card refers you to the current site's nearest haven and you are at
an underdeeps site, what site would that be?

***  Underdeeps sites have no nearest haven.
--------
Do the non-minion agents (Lobillia and My Precious) attack against
Minions as detainment or not?

***  They're detainment.
--------
Does Baduilla's special effect work against Minions or not?

***  It works.
--------
Can a player discard a ring from off of Rumor/Whispers of Rings in
response to Rolled Down to the Sea?

***  No.  Rings of off Rumor/Whispers of Rings must be played, not
discarded.
--------
Real easy one here:  When the hazard limit is halved, what is the haz
limit against a 3 character company?

***  Two, assuming you're referring to 3 characters that all add 1 to
the hazard limit.
--------
When if Free General Influence calculated?  At the end of the Org Phase?
  How static is that #?  Does it increase if a character is
removed/discarded from play during the course of a turn?  Is it
recalculated when the opponent takes his turn?

***  General influence is calculated in real-time.  In other words, it
changes any time something causes an influence change.  You only have to
deal with being over 20 GI at the end of your organization phases.  Your
free GI can never go below 0.
--------
My Precious says that Gollum is playable. Does Stinker count as Gollum
for these purposes?

***  No.
--------
On a similar note, does the hazard player get to choose if the agent
attacks if it was the resource player's agent?

***  No.
--------
If a RW has both a Black Horse and a Creature of an Older World can the
RW still travel in Black Rider mode? It would appear so, as there's
nothing on the BH card to say otherwise.

***  CRF, Card Errata and Rulings, Creature of an Older World:
This card will not put a Ringwraith into Fell Rider mode if there are
any other allies in the company.
--------
Given the scenario that the BH and/or the CoaOW dies during a trip, what
happens to the RW?

***  In either case, the RW returns to your hand.
--------
Group I went to Wellinghall to play one of those allies. M/H-Phase is
over!  Group II is off to Carn-Dum. Can the hazard player now play WVR
on Wellinghall?

***  No.
--------
Is the text on Noble Steed valid even if no Noble Steeds are in play?
That is, can Bill the Pony or Shadowfax carry a lone rider 6 regions
each turn?

***  No.
--------
Is it legal to play a character during an org. phase even if you don't
have enough GI or DI to control the character?

***  Yes.  If there is not enough influence to control that character by
the end of the organization phase, the character is returned to your hand.
--------
does that mean i can play agents as hazards vs RW/Balrog players, but no
events to help my agents hindering my opponent companies/resources? :(
or this just apply when i'm playing wizards and my opponent is playing
Ringwraiths?

***  The rule applies no matter what alignment is playing against another.
--------
for a series of add/multiply effects (like Moon is Dead/Plague of
Wights), the hazard player decides what order the effects happen in, right?

***  Not if the effects are already in play when the attack is created.
  In that case, the resource player chooses.  If you play them in
response to the attack, then they apply based on the order in which you
played them.
--------
Would an extra strike from Hoarmurath (as a Hazard Perm) be subject to
any doubling effects, or would it just get appended to whatever previous
total we came up with?

***  Since you will choose when to tap Hoarmurath, it will be doubled if
you tap him in response to the declaration of the doubling effect.
--------
My opponent's company decides to spelunk from an untapped Mount Gram to
the Under-leas (I think that's the one).  Mount Gram stays in play long
enough for me to use Foul Fumes to tap it during the Movement/Hazard
phase (and thus trap my opponent underground until he can surface
elsewhere), right?

***  Correct.
--------
And finally, a question, there are some cards that allow players to take
a hazard or resources at the end-of-turn phase from the discard pile to
the hand. Is this done after redrawing to your hand size? Therefore
allowing you to keep an extra card in hand?

***  As long as it says the end of turn phase, you can use the effect
after drawing up to hand size.
--------
Can I play additional minor Item after playing Noble Hound at ALREADY
TAPPED border hold?

***  No.
--------
Re: Return of the Kind and Choice of Luthien:
"Only playable IN Minas Tirith" and "Playable on Arwen IN Minas Tirith"
suggests to me that Minas Tirith has to be entered in order for these to
be played.

***  Nope.  You just have to be at the site, during any phase.
--------
Can a minion character (or agent) benefit from hero resources (must be
long or permanent events of course) played by the hero player and vice
versa?

***  Yes, as long as the agent is played as a character.  Agents played
as hazards are considered hazards, and therefore will not benefit.
--------
Re: The Great Eye
Does this event effect Hero companies as it does for Sauron's own Minion
companies?

***  Yes, The Great Eye's hazard limit reducing effect will affect an
opponent's hero company.
--------
Is playing a character considered part of organizing your company?

If this is allowed, what's to stop someone from playing a DI boosting
card (that lasts until the end of the turn) in between moving characters
around (ie. organizing the company)?

***  CRF, Turn Sequence Rulings, Organization Phase, Organizing Companies:
Company composition changes that you choose to make, including bringing
a character into play, must all be done at the same time during the
organization phase. During this time no other actions may be taken.

The last sentance stops the behavior to which you refer.
--------
Wim posted this to the list, and this is just the official stamp:
A very perceptive new player, Josh Delahunty, pointed out a mistake to
me in the detailed combat example on page 34 of the METW unlimited rules
booklet.  I thought I'd share with you all here, also in hope to see
Chad stamp it official in his next digest.

In the 2nd paragraph of this example an Orc-warband is played. It is
carefully keyed to border-lands to avoid the Elven-cloak Beregond is
carrying. But... an Orc-warband is not keyable to border-land (or any
other non-wilderness element of that company's site path).... OOPS ;)
--------
does hour of need tap the site or not?

***  Didn't you ask this question a year or two ago, Dave?  Yes, it taps
the Diplomat's site.
--------
Now for some rulings that have come from internal discussions:

Dual purpose resources
Note that there are no special rules for counting resources playable by
both heroes and minions as either a hero or a minion resource for the
purposes of deck construction. A fallen-wizard is therefore restricted
to his normal construction maximum of two copies of each such resource.

Tookish Blood
Cannot be considered a resource in deck construction for a minion player.
--------
Regarding Faithless Steward:
You only get the MPs if the agent is at the site and unwounded.

Chad Martin
chad@th...
Official Council of Elrond NetRep
http://www.feinus.com/ccg/elrond.htm
Assisted by: Nigel Buckle, Wim Heemskerk and Travis Took