Guarding walls?

[Sailor Vulcan]

If I have a creature guarding in my zone, and that zone is walled in by fog banks, can a bat attack one of my fog banks after entering the zone?

[jacksmack]

no.

If there is a guard in a zone melee attacks cannot be made against non-flying objects.


(exceptions apply such as: the guard is hindered, have pest or the attacker has elusive. A creature can still melee attack itself or an object to itself such as tanglevine.)

[wtcannonjr]

no.

If there is a guard in a zone melee attacks cannot be made against non-flying objects.


(exceptions apply such as: the guard is hindered, have pest or the attacker has elusive. A creature can still melee attack itself or an object to itself such as tanglevine.)

I believe this answer is not completely accurate.

Walls are objects that are NOT in zones. They are between zones so since guarding only protects objects IN A ZONE, the walls can be targeted and guards do not intervene. i.e. melee attacks can target an object within a zone or between zones. I don't believe a guarding object requires a melee attack to target only objects within a zone.

[Sailor Vulcan]

That's exactly what I was confused about. At first I thought walls could be guarded, at least on the side the guard is in, so you would need two guards, one in each zone to fully guard the wall between them. Then I remembered that guards guard the zone, not zone borders...

[ringkichard]

Jack is correct.

Rulebook says:
Protect the Zone: If a creature is in a zone with one or more enemies with guard markers (except for guards he can ignore; see sidebar), that creature cannot make a melee attack against any object without a guard marker.

Again, the rule is that if the attacker is in a zone with a guard, the attacker must attack the guard. It doesn't matter what the attacker would like to attack or where that thing is. The location of the wall is irrelevant.

[wtcannonjr]

Jack is correct.

Rulebook says:
Protect the Zone: If a creature is in a zone with one or more enemies with guard markers (except for guards he can ignore; see sidebar), that creature cannot make a melee attack against any object without a guard marker.

Again, the rule is that if the attacker is in a zone with a guard, the attacker must attack the guard. It doesn't matter what the attacker would like to attack or where that thing is. The location of the wall is irrelevant.

The November 28, 2013 Supplement has clarified this section of the rules. It now reads:
"If there is an enemy Guard (a creature with a guard marker) in a zone, then you cannot melee attack any object in that zone other than enemy Guards. This condition is checked when the attack is declared."

[Wildhorn]

Is there not somewhere in the rules that says that a wall is in both zone for targeting purpose?

[ringkichard]

No. The rule is that you can attack it from either zone, but the rules are clear that walls are not in zones.

[ringkichard]

The November 28, 2013 Supplement has clarified this section of the rules. It now reads:
"If there is an enemy Guard (a creature with a guard marker) in a zone, then you cannot melee attack any object in that zone other than enemy Guards. This condition is checked when the attack is declared."

Well hush my mouth!
Looks like the current Rules as Written are that you can't guard walls. That's quite a change!

[jacksmack]

Im pretty sure the reason why this is in the FAQ is to solve the problems with guards not protecting conjurations from flying creatures.
There are a few badly worded clarifications in the FAQ that and this could be one of them.

I put my money on guards will protect walls still. (obviously only if the attack occurs in the zone that the guard is in.)

[wulfen777]

The November 28, 2013 Supplement has clarified this section of the rules. It now reads:
"If there is an enemy Guard (a creature with a guard marker) in a zone, then you cannot melee attack any object in that zone other than enemy Guards. This condition is checked when the attack is declared."

That, and also in the german rules it says (translated): "If a creature is in a zone with one or more enemy creatures that are guarding, it may not make a melee attack against a creature without a guard marker. Exceptions are guards it can ignore, see sidebar."

I am part of the german Mage Wars realisation team (I am lector) and I know that our responsible persons do confer with the US team before the rules are printed, thus I take this as a hint how the rule might have been meant in the first place.

Im pretty sure the reason why this is in the FAQ is to solve the problems with guards not protecting conjurations from flying creatures.
There are a few badly worded clarifications in the FAQ that and this could be one of them.

I put my money on guards will protect walls still. (obviously only if the attack occurs in the zone that the guard is in.)

Because of what I have posted above I would gladly accept the bet and say guards do only guard creatures in their own zone but I think we will have to wait till we get an "official" answer by someone of the US Mage Wars team.

[jacksmack]

Protect the Zone:
If a creature is in a zone with one or more enemies with guard markers (except for guards he can ignore; see sidebar), that creature cannot make a melee attack against any object without a guard marker.

rulebook 2.0



back to the subject.
Its about walls... nothing else.


edit:
I consider that the quote i pasted supports that walls are protected too.

[Shad0w]

It should apply to walls also but until I get final word if it was changed or not I will not rule on it. Was on nights for 6 weeks so did not talk to rest of rules team much during that time.

[Laddinfance]

You cannot guard walls. As walls occupy the border of a zone and not the zone itself it is not covered by a creature guarding. This is done because each of the zone borders is of an indiscriminate size. Guarding assumes a certain amount of interposition from the guarding creature, but with an object of that size it's impossible for a creature to engage another and prevent it from getting to some point on the wall.

The Rules and Codex Supplement will be updated with this ruling. If anyone has any questions, please ask me!

[Wildhorn]

You cannot guard walls. As walls occupy the border of a zone and not the zone itself it is not covered by a creature guarding. This is done because each of the zone borders is of an indiscriminate size. Guarding assumes a certain amount of interposition from the guarding creature, but with an object of that size it's impossible for a creature to engage another and prevent it from getting to some point on the wall.

The Rules and Codex Supplement will be updated with this ruling. If anyone has any questions, please ask me!

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