Eve Of Midnight

Lore and other documents for the Eve of Midnight game

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Eve of Midnight: Reimagine Calamity - Advanced Stack Rules

Overview

The Stack in Eve of Midnight enables dynamic interactions between players by allowing effects to respond to one another. To ensure gameplay remains efficient and avoids delays, the Stack is designed with minimal complexity and clear resolution rules.

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1. Core Stack Mechanics

Definition

• The Stack is a temporary zone where triggered, activated, or reactive effects are placed in sequence.
• Effects on the Stack resolve in Last In, First Out (LIFO) order:
  • The most recently added effect resolves first.
  • Effects continue resolving until the Stack is empty.

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2. Recursion and Loop Handling

Identifying a Recursion

• A recursive effect occurs when an effect reactivates itself or another effect repeatedly without external intervention.

Rules for Recursion:

1. Automatic Limitation:
   • A recursion must resolve after a fixed number of iterations (e.g., 3 cycles).
   • Example: “Deal 1 damage, and if the opponent’s health changes, repeat this effect once.”
2. Player-Defined Limits:
   • Players must declare the number of iterations if a recursion allows them control (e.g., “This ability may be repeated up to X times”).
3. Forced Termination:
   • If a recursion would result in infinite repetition or delay of play, the game immediately terminates the effect, and no further iterations occur.

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Identifying a Loop

• A loop occurs when two or more effects create a repetitive chain (e.g., Effect A triggers Effect B, which in turn triggers Effect A).

Rules for Loops:

1. Immediate Detection:
   • If a loop is identified, players must declare it to all participants.
2. Resolution Limit:
   • A loop resolves a maximum of three full cycles unless a specific card or effect dictates otherwise.
3. Stability Check:
   • After each cycle, check if the loop changes the game state meaningfully:
     • If it does (e.g., dealing incremental damage), the loop proceeds.
     • If it does not (e.g., no net effect), the loop is terminated immediately.

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3. Efficiency and Minimalism

General Principles

1. Delay Prevention:
   • The Stack should not cause significant delays in gameplay.
   • Players are encouraged to make quick decisions when responding to effects.
2. Efficient Routing:
   • Effects that do not interact with other Stack items (e.g., uninterruptible effects) resolve immediately without entering the Stack.

Nested Stacks

• Definition: A nested stack occurs when a new Stack is created during the resolution of an existing Stack.
• Rule:
  • Nested Stacks are discouraged but allowed if no other resolution path is possible.
  • When a nested Stack occurs, it resolves entirely before returning to the original Stack.

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4. Advanced Interaction Rules

Concurrent Stacks

• Definition: A concurrent stack occurs when multiple stacks exist simultaneously (e.g., effects triggered by different zones at the same time).
• Rule:
  • Concurrent Stacks are heavily discouraged to avoid complexity.
  • If unavoidable, resolve each Stack in the order they were created, ensuring one Stack is completely resolved before moving to the next.

Rerouting Effects

• If an effect would target a removed or invalid entity (e.g., a card removed from play), reroute the effect to its next valid target.
• If no valid target exists, the effect fizzles (is removed from the Stack without resolving).

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5. Simplified Guidelines for Players

1. Adding to the Stack:
   • Only effects that explicitly allow interaction or interruption may be added to the Stack.
2. Resolving the Stack:
   • Resolve all effects in reverse order (Last In, First Out).
   • Ensure each resolved effect modifies the game state meaningfully.
3. Handling Recursions:
   • Limit recursive effects to a maximum of three iterations or a player-declared number.
4. Avoiding Complexity:
   • Players should avoid creating nested or concurrent Stacks unless no other resolution path exists.
5. Minimizing Delay:
   • The Stack should be used to enhance strategy, not slow gameplay. Players should make decisions quickly to maintain flow.

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Examples

1. Simple Recursion

• Effect: “Deal 1 damage, and if an opponent’s health changes, repeat this effect once.”
  • Sequence:
    1. First effect resolves: Opponent takes 1 damage.
    2. Health changes, triggering the effect again.
    3. Second effect resolves: Opponent takes another 1 damage.
    4. Recursion ends after two iterations.

2. Preventing an Infinite Loop

• Effect A: “Gain 1 resource whenever you play a card.”
• Effect B: “Play a card for free whenever you gain 1 resource.”
  • Loop Detection:
    • Effect A triggers Effect B, which triggers Effect A repeatedly.
    • The loop resolves for three cycles or until no meaningful change occurs.

3. Nested Stack

• Player A activates a Subterfuge card: “Disable an opponent’s Support Card.”
• Player B responds with an Incantation: “Cancel an opponent’s card.”
• Player C interrupts with a Machination: “Prevent all cards from being canceled this turn.”
  • The nested Stack resolves:
    1. Player C’s Machination prevents Player B’s Incantation.
    2. Player A’s Subterfuge card resolves successfully.

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