This is a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) list about the card game Blue Moon Legends, and its predecessor, the first edition of the game, Blue Moon, both designed by Reiner Knizia. This list was created by Christopher Dearlove, christopher.dearlove@gmail.com. For complete acknowledgements see main section 'Final Points' at the end of this list. This issue of the list is dated 14th January 2021. Its home is http://www.mnemosyne.uk/bgames/bluemoon, which also includes some other material about this game, including versions of this list containing detailed questions specific to the first edition of the game. Contents ======== Contents Introductory Questions About the Basics About the Game About Blue Moon Legends About Languages About Internet Support About the Decks About the Rules About Deck Building About This List Final Points Introductory Questions ====================== About the Basics ---------------- Q: What is Blue Moon? A: Blue Moon was a two player card game that was designed by Reiner Knizia and published starting in 2004, in Germany by Kosmos and in the USA by Fantasy Flight Games. The game was was also, not quite completely, published in the Netherlands by 999 Games, and in France, quite incompletely, by Tilsit. This is described in this FAQ list as the first edition of the game. Q: What is Blue Moon Legends? A: In 2014 Fantasy Flight Games, and their partners Galakta (Poland), Heidelberger Spielverlag (Germany) and Hobby Japan published Blue Moon Legends, a new edition of the game. This is described in this FAQ list (and was also so described by Fantasy Flight Games) as the second edition of the game. When referring to both editions of the game, the name Blue Moon is used in this FAQ list. Q: Were there any significant differences between the first and second editions of the game? A: Yes. The main difference was that the first edition was sold as a basic set, plus additional decks, while the second edition was sold as a single complete set. For other differences see section 'About Blue Moon Legends'. Q: Which edition(s) of the game does this FAQ list cover? A: This list was originally written for the first edition of the game, but all the introductory and final material has been rewritten to describe both editions of the game. This version of this list just contains those sections. The long version of this list also contains specific questions about situations in the game, answered using quotations from the first edition rulebook. (A short version of this list contains just some of those questions, and no other material.) If questions arise based on the second edition rules (which incorporate the material from this list specific to the first edition rules) then these will be added to this version of the list (and to other versions of the list if appropriate). About the Game -------------- Q: What sort of game is Blue Moon? A: Blue Moon is a two player card game, where each game consists of a sequence of fights between the players, each of whom has his own deck representing one of the peoples of the world of Blue Moon. Fights are what are sometimes called "climbing", where each player tries to equal or exceed what his opponent last did; however there are many special abilities of cards that expand on that simple pattern. (For a longer answer to this question, I wrote a review of the first edition of the game in the June 2004 issue of "Counter" magazine; a version of that review is online on the same web page as this FAQ list.) Q: What is the background to the game? A: The game is set in the world of Blue Moon, which was created for the game. The complete story of the "Blue Moon Legend" has never been told, parts are in every Blue Moon product (see also question "Have there been any other Blue Moon products?"), and, most importantly, in the background information on all of the cards. Q: How was the first edition of the game presented? A: The first edition of the game was an expandable, but not collectable, card game. The basic game set was a game that could be played on its own, and was included in the then Kosmos two player game series. It included two of the peoples of Blue Moon: the Vulca and the Hoax. It also included the rulebook, a board, and three dragons. Other decks were sold separately. Six decks represented the other peoples of Blue Moon: the Mimix, the Flit, the Khind, the Terrah, the Pillar and the Aqua. Each of these eight decks could be played against each other. Two "special" decks, Emissaries and Inquisitors: Allies and Emissaries and Inquisitors: Blessings, were not used in the same way, but only for deck building. Finally, the Buka Invasion was a deck which represented an "outside" people, the Buka, and was playable against the other eight people decks. Q: How was the second edition of the game presented? A: The second edition collected all of the cards (including five cards previously produced only as promotional cards, including two only in German) together in one product, with two rulebooks (Rulebook and Advanced Concepts), the board, three dragons, and crystals for scoring. Q: Is the game available? A: Neither edition of the game is in print. Copies might be obtainable on the secondary market. Q: Were there any first edition rules other than those in the basic set? A: There were new rules in the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks, which each contained the same supplementary rulesheet, referred to here as the E&I rulesheet. There was a new rulesheet in the Buka Invasion deck, referred to here as the Buka Invasion rulesheet. The second edition rulebooks incorporated all of these rules. Q: Have there been any other Blue Moon products? A: Yes, there have been. Kosmos and Fantasy Flight Games released "Blue Moon City", a boardgame for 2 to 4 players by Reiner Knizia. It is currently in print from publishers including in English from CMON, see http://www.cmon.com. The game is set in the world of Blue Moon, after the fighting represented by the card game. It is an entirely independent game, with only thematic links to the card game (and some common artwork). A novel "Blue Moon" by Frank Rehfeld was published by Langenmueller-Herbig (a publishing house connected to Kosmos). It has not been published in English. Neither are covered by this FAQ list. About Blue Moon Legends ----------------------- Q: What were the main changes in the second edition (Blue Moon Legends)? A: In addition to putting all of the cards in one box, there were two main changes. First, while the first edition had large ("tarot sized") cards, the second edition had standard ("bridge sized") cards. Second, the first edition had a single rulebook, plus additional rulesheets for the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks and The Buka Invasion deck, while the second edition pulled these together, and rewrote and reorganised the rules into two parts, described as Rulebook and Advanced Concepts. In addition, some terms were changed, some card text was reworded, and there was also a new way to play the game. These differences are described in more detail in some of the following answers. Q: Were there any other changes? A: There were some other minor changes. For example the first edition had three dragons of the same design, while the second edition had three dragons of three new (to Blue Moon) designs. (The second edition green dragon was also green, the "green" dragon in the first edition was a greenish blue, or blueish green. There was a rather greener dragon, of the same design, in some copies of the board game "Blue Moon City", see question "Have there been any other Blue Moon products?".) Q: Can I read the second edition rulebooks as a first edition player? A: Yes. See section 'About Internet Support'. Q: How were the second edition rules divided? A: The Rulebook was designed to allow you to play with the nine preconstructed decks. It had three main sections. First, some introductory material. Second, what are called the Core Rules. These allowed you to play the original matchup of the Vulca against the Hoax. Third, rules allowing you to play the other seven people decks. The back page had a Core Rules summary. The Advanced Concepts rulebook provided reference material (which was needed to play even with preconstructed decks, once more difficult situations arise) and optional rules (including deck building and a new draft variant, see question "What was the draft variant?"). The back page had a complete quick reference (required even for preconstructed deck play that involved more than the Vulca and the Hoax). Q: Were all the cards in the second edition? A: Yes, all the cards were in the second edition, including all five promotional cards (two appearing in English for the first time). Q: Were the card names and numbering the same in the second edition? A: Yes. There was a small difference in that cards had a symbol rather than a word to represent their people or (for non-people cards) type. Cards in the basic preconstructed decks retained the same letter (and for Buka cards, family number) to indicate this. The X1 or X2 to indicate which Emissaries and Inquisitors deck a card was in had gone, but for non-people cards in those decks there was an indication (Tu, Fa, Ri, Ne) as to which emissary those cards are for, rather than the cards being listed on the emissary card. Q: Was the artwork the same in the second edition? A: The same artwork was used. The cards were, of necessity, cropped differently, usually resulting in slightly less of the original artwork appearing on the second edition cards (although in a few cases slightly more of the original artwork appeared). In some cases this was taken further, to a "zooming in" (to a greater or lesser extent) on the central figure in the artwork. The artwork on some cards was reversed, and that on the three "crystal" cards was rotated. Finally, in the first edition the five Buka "B.P." characters all had the same artwork, showing five masked figures. In the second edition each of these cards showed a different one of the masked figures. (This left three of the four Buka ships as the only cards with the same illustration.) Q: Were there any new components in the game? A: Nothing major, but the game came with nine plastic crystals for match scoring, and a two-sided card to indicate the current element. (Also, there were no icon summary cards.) Q: Do the two editions play the same? A: Yes. The intent was that the second edition plays exactly as the first edition is meant to play, where meant to play means also in accordance with cases such as answers in this FAQ list (which was used when the rules were rewritten). There is one difference in the handling of an irregularity when play is not conducted properly (see question "What was the difference in handling an irregularity?"). Q: What were the changes in terminology? A: First, the names of the phases of the game were changed. In the first edition these were: Beginning of Turn, Leadership, Retreat from Fight?, Character, Booster or Support (also Booster/Support), Announce Power, Refresh Hand, End of Turn. In the second edition these were: Beginning, Leadership, Engagement, Character, Booster/Support, Power, Refresh, End. Second, the areas in which Hyla and ships are played were described as separate influence areas, rather than a single influence area. Third, the icon PROTECTED was changed to the icon PROTECT (although, except on cards, icon names were usually written as, for example, protect). The term PROTECTED survived however in the term "PROTECTED card". (The term "FREE card" was also used, but here the adjective is the same as the icon name, except that in the rules the latter was written free.) Fourth, the instruction "may not" on cards was been changed to "cannot" (it is still an instruction). Q: What were the reasons for the changes in card text? A: First, due to the terminology changes described in the previous section (phase name changes, area name change, icon name change, use of "cannot" rather than "may not"). Second, for consistency in including the phrase "except active PROTECTED cards" wherever that applies. Third, to use the word "draw" only when taking cards from the deck, and the word "take" only as a general term in restrictions (this applied to Sarogakanas the Ancient [Hoax 17], Shaman of the Here and Now [Mimix 20], Blow Whistle of Friendship [Khind 29], Cardus Nikkus [Pillar 13, Mimix deck], and Fire Spirit [Promo 903]). Fourth, to clarify the timing of some cards (this applied to Ketharkopas the Astronomer [Hoax 15, Khind deck], Distract Holy Dragon [Flit 29], Torrential Flood [Aqua 25] and Tidal Flood [Aqua 26]). Fifth, to remove the use of the word "attack" or "attacked" (this applied to Bounce Back [Khind 31, Pillar deck] mutant Var-dis-Nar [Mutant 105, Hoax deck], mutant Zig-nur-Don [Mutant 106, Vulca deck], and mutant Ras-mus-Pan [Mutant 107, Terrah deck]). Sixth, other changes for clarity (this applied to KhindKin [Khind 23, E&I:A deck], Gloria Gracia [Pillar 12], and inquisitor Razor-Mind Royal Inspector [Inq 412, E&I:A deck]). Q: Can I play a first edition deck against a second edition deck? A: Yes, provided that you take into account the terminology changes described in this section. Since first edition cards were larger, it might be sensible to use the first edition board to play on. Mixing cards between editions in the same deck is of course not possible. Q: What was the draft variant? A: The Advanced Concepts rulebook contained a description of how 2 to 6 players can draft (taking one card from a set, then passing the set on for the next player to take a card, and so on for multiple sets of cards) from a pool of 3 to 9 decks, plus for each the additional people cards that were originally in the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks. Drafting finishes up with each player having between 35 and 42 cards (depending on the number of players, but in an irregular pattern) from which a player can construct a 30 card deck. Moons are not used in this process. Play is still two player games, in whatever format you choose to use. For details see the Advanced Concepts rulebook. Q: What was the difference in handling an irregularity? A: During a game, a player might attempt to continue a fight, but discover that he has miscalculated, and is not able to do so. In this case, the player has to "backtrack". Both editions allow for this happening. However in so doing the player might learn information that he was not entitled to, such as seeing new cards. The first edition rulebook had a specific punitive response to this. This however turned out to have some limitations (that there were additional ways to learn new information, and that the penalty was no longer maximal) that arose when new rules were added using the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks. In addition, the penalty (especially adjusted) was harsh for what can be assumed to be an accidental mistake in friendly play. This FAQ list therefore unofficially (but with the designer's approval) advised a more relaxed attitude in friendly play. This become the second edition rule: in friendly play be forgiving, but do not abuse this. In addition, the second edition rules supported that in tournament play a penalty is appropriate, but allowed the tournament organiser to select whatever penalty seemed appropriate (it should be pre-announced). Players of the first edition can choose to play similarly, now with official approval. About Languages --------------- Q: What languages was the game available in? A: The second edition was available in Chinese, English, German, Japanese, Polish and Spanish, from the six publishers (Game Harbor, Fantasy Flight Games, Heidelberger Spielverlag, Hobby Japan, Galakta and Edge Entertainment). A The first edition was available in English (except two promotional cards), German, Dutch (except the Buka Invasion and at least two promotional cards) and French (only the basic game set and the Mimix and Flit decks). Q: Should I buy the English language version of the game? A: Assuming that you are an English speaker, yes. Unless your alternative language, and that of all of your intended opponents, is very good, you will find an alternative language set hard to use. This is because almost half of the cards in the original eight people decks, over half of the cards in the Buka Invasion deck, and almost all of the cards in the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks, have special power text which you will need to understand to play. However in case you do need it, I have provided some help for using German Blue Moon material on the same web page as this FAQ list. Q: Which language version was original? A: The game was developed in English, and later translated into German and other languages. (This is most clearly shown by that Pillar is clearly a contraction of caterpillar. In German, caterpillar is Raupe, but the people are still the Pillar. However the name of the Khind is probably derived from the German Kind for child.) Q: Are there any pronunciations I should know? A: I can only tell you what the designer and playtesters do, it is up to you what you say. The Khind are pronounced more like "kinned" than "kiynd" and the Hyla are pronounced more like "huwla" than "hiyla" (in German style). The latter however hides what might be the inspiration for the name. About Internet Support ---------------------- Q: Have the publishers provides online support? A: Some information about Blue Moon Legends, in particular the rulebooks, is still available from Fantasy Flight Games; use the search function at http://www.fantasyflightgames.com. Kosmos used to supply material at a dedicated "Blue Moon Games" website, at http://www.blue-moon-games.com/us/index.html in English (or replace the /us/ by /de/ or /nl/ for German or Dutch). However this website was later (September 2007) removed. You might still be able to access its information using the Wayback Machine at http://www.archive.org. Q: Can I read the rules before I play? A: Yes. The second edition Rulebook and Advanced Concepts rulebook are available as indicated in the previous answer. The first edition basic set rules are still available online at http://www. fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/Blue_Moon/bluemoonrules.pdf. The first edition Emissaries and Inquisitors and Buka Invasion rules are not, as far as I know, available online in English (although some material about each was available on the Kosmos "Blue Moon Games" website). Q: Can I see the cards online? A: The first edition card images were available on the "Blue Moon Games" website (the Buka Invasion only in German, and excluding the promotional cards). See question "Have the publishers provided online support?" for further details. The card images were also included in Keldon Jones's computer program (see question "Can I play Blue Moon against a computer (online or not)?"). For the second edition, the card images are not, as far as I know, available online. Q: Are there any other online resources? A: The best source of material in English is on the BoardGameGeek at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/9446 and http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/147154. The largest Blue Moon site is the Blue Moon Fans site at http://www.blue-moon-fans.com/. It is mainly in German, but does include some English material at http://www.blue-moon-fans.com/index.php?c=3. Although the latter has been active in the past, it has not been for some time. (The German part of the Blue Moon Fans site was always more active, but this also is not as active as it was.) The home of this FAQ list, and some other Blue Moon material, is at http://www.mnemosyne.uk/bgames/bluemoon. See also the next question. Q: Can I play Blue Moon online? A: This used to be possible at http://www.blue-moon-liga.com. However this league ("Liga" is German for "league") no longer appears to be active and that website has now gone. You might still be able to access its information using the Wayback Machine at http://www.archive.org. It was a peer-to-peer service using freely downloadable software called "CardTable", which was available at the Blue Moon Liga site. While it was primarily in German, it also supported English use. An alternative called "LackeyCCG" is still available, but not apparently supported, at http://www.lackeyccg.com/bluemoon. Q: Is the Blue Moon Fans online site official? A: My understanding is that it was (and presumably still is) acceptable to Kosmos as an unofficial non-commercial service only. Q: Can I play Blue Moon against a computer (online or not)? A: Maybe. An artificial intelligence, based on neural nets, was created by Keldon Jones, and was released at http://keldon.net/bluemoon. However it has not been updated for some time, and you might or might not be able to get it working. See also discussion in some threads on the Blue Moon forum at the BoardGameGeek. It only played the basic nine decks against each other. It was authorised by Kosmos. Q: The Blue Moon Fans site includes material for various "unofficial" peoples; what is their status, and are there any restrictions on what I can do with them? A: They were created by fans, and not part of the Blue Moon world. Because of issues such as my involvement in the development of the game, I have not looked at any details of any of them. Note that there are many aspects of Blue Moon that are protected, being owned by the designer, the publisher, the artists and so on. These include not only the name and rules of the game and the card artwork, but aspects such as the Blue Moon logos (first and second edition versions) and various details of the cards. This puts significant restrictions on what you can do. There is an official Kosmos statement on the subject, in German, at http://www.blue-moon-fans.com/viewtopic.php?t=1219&start=15#13757. But in short, do not do anything remotely commercial without checking with the relevant parties. About the Decks --------------- Q: The decks seem to be mixed up slightly, the Vulca deck has only 26 Vulca cards (and a leader card), plus 3 cards from other peoples and 1 mutant. What's happening? A: This is deliberate, and has a number of purposes. It gives you a preview of the other sets (the basic game has one card from each of the other six Blue Moon peoples, as does each other pair of Blue Moon people decks). It also provides you with a touch of how deck building works (see section 'About Deck Building'). Note that the second edition retains the same arrangement. Q: Do I have to play only with the preassembled decks? A: No, you do not. There are the Advanced Rules (first edition) or Deck Building (second edition) which allow deck construction (see section 'About Deck Building'. Note that this is not "free for all" deck construction, but provides rules which allow deck construction while retaining the essential characteristics of each people. The Emissaries and Inquisitors decks and the Buka Invasion deck (and the second edition rules that describe the corresponding cards) also provide additional ways to play the game. The second edition rules also contain rules for drafting, see question "What was the draft variant?" in section 'About Blue Moon Legends'. Q: I like to play "consolidating" the peoples, for example putting Heroine of the Great Plains [Mimix 06, Vulca deck] back into the Mimix deck, and in return getting back Titanic Gauntlets [Vulca 22, Flit deck] ("The Earth value of one of my character cards doubles."). Is this reasonable? A: It is not an option described in either edition rulebook, but if you and your opponent want to try it, you obviously can. It should be reasonably balanced (it is the starting point for building decks, see section 'About Deck Building'), however the preassembled decks are those that have been balanced against each other. With Emissaries and Inquisitors it is more complicated, you have more cards for each people than you need for a 30 card deck, but may be building a different sized deck if using emissaries or inquisitors. Also note that the emissaries are intended to be used with the preassembled decks (with added cards), not with "consolidated" decks. Q: How many different deck matchups are there? A: With eight people decks there are 28 different pairs of decks, or 56 if you allow for playing each way. Adding the Buka Invasion deck (or using the second edition) increases this to 36 or 72. Playing with emissaries this increases to 336 or 672 even without the Buka. Playing with deck building the number of possibilities is too large to consider calculating. Q: Have all the matchups of the preconstructed nine people decks been tested? A: Yes. Q: Are fire and earth completely balanced in the overall game? A: Yes, they are. For every pair of fire and earth values on a card there is another card with the values reversed, for every shield on a fire value there is a matching shield on an earth value, and vice versa, and for every reference to fire in special power text there is a similar reference to earth, and vice versa. (There is a subtle asymmetry in that all of the FIRE BLUFF and EARTH BLUFF icons appear on cards which are stronger in earth than in fire.) Q: How are the individual peoples and decks balanced between fire and earth? A: Four of the peoples (the Mimix, Flit, Khind and Aqua) are fully balanced in fire and earth (except for an extra shield in earth in the Flit), one (the Pillar) has a slight imbalance (in favour of earth), two (the Vulca and Hoax) have a significant imbalance in favour of fire and two (the Terrah and Buka) have a significant imbalance in favour of earth. (The people listed first has the stronger imbalance in each case.) The preassembled decks reduce the imbalances in the Vulca, Hoax and Terrah and introduce slight imbalances in the Mimix, Flit and Aqua (in favour of fire, earth and fire, respectively). The Emissaries and Inquisitors decks together are fully balanced. About the Rules --------------- Q: What's the best way to find out what happens in a complicated situation in the game? A: In all cases, whether you are playing with the first or second edition, read the rulebook, carefully. For the second edition, make sure this includes the Advanced Concepts rulebook. When playing with the first edition you may also need to read the E&I rulesheet and the Buka Invasion rulesheet when using those decks. The next thing is to read all special power texts on cards carefully, and apply them straightforwardly. Finally, if you need them (if you read the rules and cards carefully you mostly should not - and with the second edition the intent is to remove that "mostly") the questions in the main version of this list may help, both directly and (first edition only) as examples of how to reason from the rules. (For the second edition the answers are correct, but the reasoning from the rules may differ as the rules differ.) Q: How many optional rules are there in the game? A: There are essentially three optional rules, but each has some special cases. See the following three questions. Q: What alternative ways of playing the game are there? A: Using the first edition, you could play with the preassembled decks, or using the Advanced Rules for deck building, see section 'About Deck Building'. With Emissaries and Inquisitors you had two additional alternatives: playing with the preassembled decks and emissaries, or playing with the Advanced Rules and inquisitors. With the Buka Invasion you had one additional alternative: playing with the other preassembled decks and Buka families. With the second edition, all of these options are possible, and an additional set of rules for drafting are also provided. (With the downloadable second edition Advanced Concepts rulebook, you can also play the drafting rules with first edition cards.) Q: What alternative ways of playing more than one game are there? A: You can continue with the same deck, the standard case, and always used with deck building, or change decks after each game, either swapping decks with your opponent or picking a new deck each at random. When continuing with the same deck, the standard case is to play a sequence of games up to a score of five crystals; you could agree to modify this limit, but this is not an option suggested in either edition rulebook. Q: What is the final optional rule? A: This is the rule that in the first edition is on rulebook page 19, under Optional Rule, which allows players to replace part or all of their initial hands. It should not be used unless both players agree to it in advance. In the second edition it is suggested as standard for tournament play, but as for all tournaments, that is up to the organiser. About Deck Building ------------------- Q: How does deck building work? A: Blue Moon deck building does not allow you to construct decks with any combination of cards. It starts with a selected people, whose cards are free. You can then "buy" cards from other peoples to augment your deck. The cost of a card is expressed in "moons", and is shown on the card. With cards costing from 0 to 4 moons, and with only 10 moons to spend, you still keep the particular "flavour" of your selected people, but you can customise your deck quite significantly, and in a manner of your choice. Q: Can I use more than 10 moons in a constructed deck? A: Within the published rules, only by using inquisitors, which modify the number of cards in your deck and the number of moons you may have and may give you an additional special power. Q: Do I have to learn how to build decks to play the game? A: No, you do not. Many people probably will not ever play anything other then the preassembled decks. But for those who want more, deck building offers this. Q: If we are playing with deck building, can each of us have a copy of the same card in our deck? A: Yes, we can. However each player may only have one copy of each card. This means that the ideal when deck building is one copy of the game each (second edition) or one copy of the decks we are to select from each (first edition). (If you have to share cards there are various ways you can devise to do so.) Q: If we are playing with deck building, can I use all types of cards from other peoples in my deck? A: Yes, you can, including character, booster, support and leadership cards. These are all the types available if you limit yourselves to the cards in the original eight Blue Moon people decks. You may (using the first edition assuming that you have these decks) also allow cards originally from the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks, thus also including Hyla, crystal and interference cards. You may (using the first edition, assuming that you have the Buka Invasion deck) also allow Buka cards, thus also including ship cards. Q: If we are playing with the deck building, can I use as many cards as I want with zero moons from other peoples? A: Yes, you can, subject to the overall card limit, and even in preference to your own zero moon cards. This also means that you can have more than one mutant in your deck. Q: If we are playing with deck building, do I have to pay for cards from other peoples which are usually included in the preassembled deck of the people I am playing? A: Yes, you do. For example if you are constructing a Vulca deck and you want to use Heroine of the Great Plains [Mimix 06, Vulca deck] (2 moons) you have to pay the 2 moons. But you can, for example, include Flash the Incendiary [Vulca 02, Terrah deck] (2 moons) for free. (Playing with the Emissaries and Inquisitors decks you can also, for example, include leadership card Inflame Mutant [Vulca 31, E&I:A deck] ("In my Character phase, I may play any mutant.", 1 moon) for free.) Q: I hve been playing with deck building. How do I reassemble my original decks? A: In the lower left corner of each first edition card, below the name of the people and card number, and to the left of the moons (if any) there's a letter (V, H, M, F, K, T, P, A) which shows which deck the card belongs to. The two Emissaries and Inquisitors decks use X1 and X2. The Buka Invasion deck uses Ba to Bf - the second letter relates to Buka families. The promotional cards (see section 'About the Game') have no deck indication, except the Buka ship is indicated as a Buka card with no family. Second edition cards have similar information, see question "Were the card names and numbering the same in the second edition?" in section 'About Blue Moon Legends', but it is on the lower right of each card, and does not indicate X1 or X2. Q: Do I have an advantage playing with deck building if I have more decks to choose from? A: This is only an issue for the first edition of the game, with the second edition you have all of the cards. Using the first edition, as you have a greater choice of cards to select from with more decks, then the answer is yes, at least to some extent, and in some cases to a significant extent. In particular you may get more cards from your people that you do not have to pay for, and you will have a significant advantage if only you can use one or both Emissaries and Inquisitors decks. In a friendly game we should agree which decks we can use to produce a fair game. About This List --------------- Q: Are all the questions on this list really frequently asked? A: This question really applies to the specific questions in the main version of this list. This version of the list is largely a summary of what the game is. Some of he questions in it have been asked, others are to fill in and expand on what the game is. Final Points ============ Q: Are the Vulca stronger than the Hoax? A: This is a common question from a first game, but is generally reckoned to be because the Vulca are easier to play than the Hoax. More experience generally tends to the view that they are well balanced. Q: Are any of the other decks too good or too bad? A: The general consensus is that the preconstructed decks are all at least reasonably well balanced. Again some decks are easier to play (and to play against) than others. Q: This list always refers to the Vulca, the Hoax, the Mimix, the Flit, the Khind, the Terrah, the Pillar and the Aqua (and those introduced in Emissaries and Inquisitors, including the Buka) as "peoples". Sometimes I see "races" being used. Should it be? A: No. Q: I keep losing, what advice can you give me to improve my play? A: I will keep the number of pieces of advice down to the usual limit of three. First, you often should retreat even when you do not have to. Two of the things to look for here are when I have four or five cards in my combat and support areas (since allowing me to attract one dragon now may save you from my being able to attract two dragons later) or when I have strong support cards in play (which may mean you are playing good cards against bad odds of winning the fight, while I can play poorer cards). Second, keep your hand balanced. Too few character cards may mean you run out of them and have to retreat, too many and you usually are too weak. Do not be too afraid to "waste" cards if you need more draws to get back in control; you do not lose the game due to running out of cards (except when all dragons are in the centre). A special case of this is to know how the end of the game works and not be caught out by it; many games that should have been narrow wins have become losses this way. Third, it helps to know the decks, yours and mine. This can help advise you which element to select, and tell you particular threats to look out for, and which of your cards are not likely to be useful. While you probably will not count all, or even most, of the cards played, tracking a few key cards from both decks (such as mutants and the "signature" cards of a deck) can help you plan better. Q: Are there any official tournament rules? A: A set of official (from the designer) rules for "Simple Tournaments for Blue Moon" have been created. Their preamble states 'The following suggestions provide a simple tournament structure for the card game Blue Moon. They are intended to produce a tournament which allows players to play as much as possible without having to wait between games (or campaigns). More structured round-based tournaments may be preferred for serious competition, but are not covered here, although some of the suggestions may serve as guidelines.' These rules may be found, among other places, at the home of this FAQ list http://www.mnemosyne.uk/bgames/bluemoon. Q: Are there any official multiplayer or solitaire rules? A: No, Blue Moon is designed solely as a two player game. Q: Are there any card protectors available that fit the cards? A: The second edition of the game indicated which Fantasy Flight Games card protector size were appropriate (green, or bridge sized, 7 packs of 50 protectors required). For the first edition of the game (whose cards are exactly 7 cm x 12 cm in size) thin card protectors are available from a number of sources, which this list no longer attempts to report, while more durable card protectors (Tarot Card Sleeves, FFS66) were produced by Fantasy Flight Games. The latter are protecting all of my first edition cards, with no failures when sleeving. Q: How do you score the crystals for games? A: The first edition rules suggested recording on a piece of paper, but obviously you can use any way you like (unless a tournament organiser specifies a method) for example using paper, dice, tokens or even by just remembering the current score. If using tokens, it would be thematic if these looked like crystals, or crystal shards. That suggestion has been taken up by the second edition of the game, which supplies such components. Q: Who wrote this FAQ list? A: Christopher Dearlove, christopher.dearlove@gmail.com, who wrote all of the actual wordings of the questions and answers. However many of the specific questions in the main version of this list were based on questions on the BoardGameGeek, the Blue Moon Fans website, and the former Yahoo bluemoongame group. Answers to game play questions are based on the rulebook where obvious, and otherwise on discussions as described in question "Who else has helped with this list?". Note that the former official German FAQ list, which was at http://www.blue-moon-games.com/de/faq.html, was also based on the same process. (German questions are now handled on the Blue Moon Fans website.) As usual with FAQ lists, your corrections and comments are welcome. Q: Is that your name on the back of the rules? A: Yes, it is (first edition rules and additional rulesheets, and second edition rules). If wondering what my credit for "additional material" is in the latter, that would be use of some of the material from the main version of this list (and associated discussion) in the second edition rulebook, rather than genuinely new material. (I was not involved in creating the drafting rules that are the genuinely new material.) Incidentally, my involvement in Blue Moon, particularly the Buka Invasion, has also meant that I have been able to write an article on how that deck was created; it is available on the same web page as this FAQ list. Q: Does that mean these are official rulings? A: What is in the main version of this list is not absolutely official, although according to a statement that was at http://www.blue-moon-games.com/us/news.html it "(almost)" was, and there is nothing more official. Also, as noted, the second edition rules have incorporated some of this material. I do not (except as credited in the rulebook) have any official relationship with Fantasy Flight Games. Reiner Knizia usually refers questions to me, but remains the final design authority (to whom I refer back as needed, see the next question). Q: Who else has helped with this list? A: The main question answering team for difficult questions in the main version of this list has also included Reiner Knizia, Sebastian Rapp (from Kosmos), Martin Higham, and Mario Ludwig ("Ruwenzori"), although most questions did not need the full team. Sebastian Rapp and Mario Ludwig also reviewed versions of this list, as did Matthew Monin ("Octavian"). My thanks to all of these, and for other significant corrections and contributions from (in alphabetical order) Gerrit Ansmann, Adrian Brooks, Alex Eaton-Salners, Keldon Jones, "KivasFajo", Ken Shoda (from Hobby Japan) and Brendan Weiskotten (from Fantasy Flight Games). Any remaining errors are my responsibility. Addition of a contents list was due to a suggestion by Colin Baumgarten. Peter Mumford suggested an unformatted version of the list and fitting a version in the game box. Thanks to Robert Rossney for much help with the XML version of this list, and for work on the (still unfinished) HTML conversion; giving questions tags, as is in the XML, was first suggested by "meowsqueak". Thanks to Karl Frank for some suggestions on the contents of the shorter FAQ list. Thanks to "GeoMan", Manuel Pombeiro and "Mark ma" for information on card sleeves, and to Kevin Wood for crystals (though most information on sleeves and crystals is no longer reported here). Also my thanks to Maik Golias ("Randan") from the Blue Moon Liga site for walking me through an online game, allowing me to comment on it. Finally, thanks (mostly) to the people who asked the questions which, directly or indirectly, appear in this list. Note that with regard to game credits, for the first edition rules the Emissaries and Inquisitors rulesheet probably best indicates where most of the real work was done, with special mentions by Reiner Knizia of the late David Farquhar, Kevin Jacklin and Martin Higham due to their particular contributions. The second edition rulebook has the latest version of the credits. My first edition playtesting was mostly done with Jon Blackwell. David Farquhar is commemorated by the Emissary of the Hyla named after him (Farquhar) originally in the Emissaries and Inquisitors: Allies deck. "I applaud your quest for enlightenment. However, the path will be difficult, and may take you to unexpected places.".