Dune/docs/TLEILAXU_AMBASSADOR_RULES.md

# Tleilaxu Ambassador revival: source contract

Primary-source review, 2026-09-07, with later runtime checkpoints below. This document supplements the [Ambassador effects audit](ECAZ_AMBASSADOR_EFFECTS_AUDIT.md) and [runtime readiness review](TLEILAXU_AMBASSADOR_RUNTIME_READINESS.md). Recorded source questions remain distinct from the Basic-first implementation choices. The current repeated-leader/KH section supersedes first-death-only boundaries in the historical checkpoints below.

## Ordinary repeated leaders — 24 October 2026

**Prototyped / Partial.** The free one-leader alternative no longer has a
lifetime first-death cap. Retain the immediate first-death own-leader permission;
a native leader killed again becomes eligible when its existing ordinary death
cohort permits return. Do not give it the Tleilaxu negotiated early-service
waiver. Atreides' KH keeps its activation and separate next-cohort marker;
its first return is immediate and repeats must meet that marker in the actual
ordinary cohort. Ecaz's shared Duke keeps its independent permission and
selected living/set-aside destination.
Captured or foreign-ghola discs do not become the beneficiary's own Tanks.

The [E3 grant, printed8](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/EcazMoritani-Rulebook-LOWRES.pdf#page=8)
says one own leader without a lifetime death cap. The [base restriction,
printed9](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/Dune-Rulebook.pdf#page=9)
controls repeat deaths. Under the standing choose-recommended-option instruction,
compose those sources by retaining their ordinary repeat condition while waiving
the initial opening for first-death leaders as before. This is an explicit
provisional interpretation, not a located Ambassador repeat FAQ. It supersedes
the generic first-death-only and first-killed-KH implementation boundaries
below, preserving the separate ordinary allowance interpretation. The base
[KH rule, printed17](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/Dune-Rulebook.pdf#page=17)
revives KH like a leader; this bounded repeat composition uses its existing
ordinary marker condition without adding it to the native roster.

A shared phase/slot/price-independent cohort quote now supplies both ordinary
Revival and the Ambassador. Ordinary Revival keeps its actual phase, one-leader
allowance, payment, prevention and native early-service controls. The independent
Ambassador ignores those phase/slot/payment gates and leaves their usage counters
unchanged. Basic ordinary CHOAM cohorts retain their existing policy. The already
adopted Advanced Auditor permission (supplied PDF physical29/logical27, CHOAM E)
remains independent of the ordinary five-disc opening; composing it with this
free grant is provisional rather than a new publisher worked example.

Snapshot an actually opened cohort **before** clearing death. Preserve its cycle
so the newly living leader cannot close the remaining ordinary returns. This
also fixes all-five-first-dead followed by an Ambassador first return, where no
repeat was selected but the ordinary opening was previously lost. Ecaz uses its
existing native identity/cohort record before mutation; Duke's death count does
not index that roster. The original physical identity, printed strength, deaths,
Traitor susceptibility and other native leaders remain. A closed first-death
special return does not manufacture an ordinary opening. Before returning KH,
preserve the actual opening and then set its next marker above both the owner
cycle and prior KH marker. Thus an actual cycle3 return with an older marker2
advances to4, preventing another return in the same cohort. Loss activation
progress and the separate token's identity remain unchanged.

Native and Bene Gesserit copied grants use the same private choices and actual
free return. Zero-price/ordinary-slot independence, exclusive leader-versus-force
selection, current event ownership, original entrant continuation and the existing
committed-return/income receipt remain. Persistent guidance explains repeat
eligibility before selection; no player acknowledgement or new phase is added.
Full modes, exceptional custody/module combinations and comprehensive assurance
remain unfinished.

### Focused repeat proof and limits

A disjoint shared-helper lane, bounded source/implementation review and owner
integration pass **13 files114/114**, `npm run check:quick`, production build and
three changed-path gameplay/rendering programmes. The initial focused case
reproduced a lost first ordinary opening (`0` instead of `1` after the free
return); preserving the quote repairs it and the next actual Revival offers
four remaining leaders. No ordinary phase/slot/price/prevention or native
Tleilaxu early-service gate was removed from normal Revival.

The two Basic runtime programmes start from the original public
`tests/fixture-duke-ambassador.ts` sources (72/73 accepted actions through actual
paid entry), then explicitly assign **controlled five-disc repeated histories
and a prior completed cohort**. They are not earned repeat-death battle histories.
Each real native/BG-copy choice returns the same native disc free at deaths2,
retains cycle2 and the spent ordinary slot, explicitly finishes the original
entrant, then reaches next-turn ordinary Revival and pays4 to return another
leader. Each uses27 continuation actions and retains four ordinary choices after
the first free return. Existing physical source cards/forces remain unchanged.

A separate controlled Advanced source in
`tests/fixture-ambassador-repeat-leaders.ts` uses the actual Guild shipment,
transport permission and Ambassador trigger (three source actions), followed by
KH return and original entrant completion. Actual cohort3 plus old marker2 yields
next marker4, with ten activation losses and five native discs retained. Its
histories are also assigned, not played Advanced setup/complete-game proof.
Twelve existing profiles (native/copy/KH × four levels) each make one legal free
return and finish the original entrant; no strategic tuning or calibration.

Actual GameTable/EcazEntry rendering shows repeat policy, exact leader/KH
buttons, enabled/busy states, completed return and the later ordinary remainder.
Framework aliases/CSS stubs mean runtime rendering, not browser/visual/deployed
acceptance. Sixteen pure helper cases and ten engine cases cover open/closed
cohorts, first-death independence, identity bookkeeping, ordinary slot/zero price,
KH marker boundaries, event ownership/exclusivity, and native/copied receipt
income allowance/cancellation. Related ordinary, Auditor, Duke, revival-use and
income regressions remain in the focused union. The controlled Advanced KH
fixture initially omitted native transport permission; submitting its actual
allowance fixed the fixture before frozen proof.

Frozen source: base `16f654071aa79763e325b7953ccfeb5d524e791c`, tree
`464b5a0363de992ddddd0c0d08dc3ec9a5bbe3e82a6e30cc4cb1ee26fcdd55f0`,
2,616 tracked/nonignored files, including only the supplied untracked PDF's hash.
The PDF is not committed or republished. Private logs, HTML, snapshots and runtime
results are in
`/home/quintine/.local/share/dune/checkpoints/20261024-ambassador-repeat-leaders/`;
`frozen-integrated/report.json` contains the complete passing batch. Final
checkpoint prose/reference changes are compared against all frozen file hashes.
Full modes, wider custody/module combinations, comprehensive assurance and
deployed acceptance remain open. No saved-room/database/reset/restart/deployment
operation or strategic calibration.


## Provisional free revival income — 24 October 2026

A successful positive Ambassador force, native leader, KH or Ecaz Duke return
now uses Tleilaxu's existing bank-income mechanism. The [E1 rulebook, printed
page7](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IxianAndTleilaxuRulebook.pdf#page=7)
awards income for each faction using free revival or Ghola. The [E3 rulebook,
printed page8](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/EcazMoritani-Rulebook-LOWRES.pdf#page=8)
makes this Ambassador return free. Applying that general trigger, including
the leader alternative, is source composition. Neither passage explicitly
settles cross-phase repetition. Under the standing choose-recommended-option
instruction, use **one bank spice per actual beneficiary per turn**, shared
with ordinary free revival; actual Ghola remains independently rewarded per
use. This is a provisional interpretation, not a located publisher example.
It supersedes only the earlier Ambassador income-independence boundary below.

Complete the physical return first, then stamp the existing `revivalFreeIncome`
ledger through `collectRevivalIncome`. The actual recipient may be Ecaz, its
ally or Tleilaxu itself. A decline returns nothing, consumes no entitlement and
opens no income response. An already-used ordinary free entitlement pays no
second reward. Existing Tleilaxu Homeworld suppression remains in the shared
calculation. No ordinary quota, price, paid request, Ghola or out-of-phase Axlotl
payment is added.

When a reward is due, keep the original Ambassador at `income` with a receipt
binding its event, owner, entrant, token, site, turn/phase, beneficiary, Tleilaxu
owner and exact committed return. Distinct `ambassadorRevival` response routing
avoids Richese's purchase continuation. Allow pays the bank spice; cancel spends
the actual eligible card and prevents only that spice. Both finish the original
Ambassador once, without replaying the return or releasing the free entitlement.
Returned pieces need not stay in their original location during an otherwise
legal interruption. The income source also remains bound across BG conversion
and its printed counter. Persistent guidance explains the provisional reward
before selection and the already-completed return during the response.

The original Basic source also exposed an old conservative Occupy whitelist.
Bare selected `ecaz`+`ix` with native Tleilaxu now admits the existing ordinary
Basic coalition and Face Dance paths, with classic seats and optional Moritani.
The start and battle guards remain; this does not open native Ixian/CHOAM/
Richese Basic compositions or add optional modules/independent card variants.
See [the native force-owner contract](ECAZ_OCCUPY_RULES.md#native-e1e2-force-owner-integration--2-october-2026).
The actual source roster for this income programme is Ecaz/Harkonnen/Tleilaxu/
Guild; its original47-card Treachery deck and22-card Spice deck are retained.

### Focused income proof and remaining scope

Frozen owner integration passes **8 files,81/81 tests**, types/lint and production
build. The six pure receipt cases bind exact source/return identity and fixed
one-spice amount. Engine cases cover force/native leader/KH/Duke returns, actual
beneficiary/self attribution, decline, prior ordinary free revival, actual Ghola
before/after the grant, printed cancellation and an Advanced BG conversion's
printed counter. The latter restores the original income without another revival.
Existing ordinary usage, legacy BG contexts, Basic coalition and Duke paths pass
in the affected union. No full recovery/privacy/custody suite was added.

`tests/fixture-ambassador-revival-income.ts` supplies native and copied original
public Basic sources using **158/159 accepted actions**. Five unopened deal
positions give Guild its actual Karama, two unopened ordinary Spice positions
and original packet/scalar lotteries retain all components. Real paid placements,
Duke acquisition, a two-poison battle/death and next-turn paid Guild entry precede
the free Duke return and separate bank-income response. Four allow/cancel
programmes preserve the living strength6/deaths1 shared disc, the consumed free
entitlement and original entrant movement. Only allowing credits the one spice;
the original held Karama is physically spent only on cancellation.

Actual GameTable/entry rendering checks enabled/busy Duke controls, preselection
policy, income-owner amount and persistent cancellation guidance. Eight existing
Easy/Medium/Hard/Brutal native/copy policies select the legal return and an eligible
response, then finish the original entrant. No strategy refinement. The private
driver initially selected an idle seat without a cancellation card; selecting
an eligible responder repaired only that driver. Runtime alone reran with all
application/test source identical to the already-passed tests/quick/build.
Framework aliases/CSS stubs make this runtime rendering, not browser, visual or
deployed acceptance.

Six explicitly controlled Basic coalition consumers retain the actual public
setup, original47-card inventory, physical forces and Traitor identities. Labelled
conserved board/card/Face Dancer swaps precede real next-turn Nexus/alliance,
funded city shipments and native choose/lead/plan/loss/cleanup controls. Both
Tleilaxu co-side leads suppress self Face Dance; external Tleilaxu zero/three
replacement returns both winning Ecaz/Guild armies and retains original rewards.
Their initial cost expectation omitted the actual Guild alliance half-rate;
only that expectation was corrected. These are controlled consumers, not six
unmodified original full-game programmes or wider-combination certification.

Frozen source: base `f9e204c301c6789718553c0cd10cd59ef315792c`, tree
`9cd43e04cf7d4cada94daa2749da36bd335da9d3ff78a72062d47364fefc70e0`,
2611 source files, including only the hash of the untracked authorized PDF.
Private evidence:
`/home/quintine/.local/share/dune/checkpoints/20261024-ambassador-revival-income/`.
`frozen-integrated-final/report.json` explicitly combines the identical-source
passed checks in `frozen-integrated-2` with `runtime-repair`; earlier failed
feedback reports remain. Final checkpoint prose/reference is a reviewed
documentation-only overlay. Full modes, generic repeated ordinary leader
eligibility, wider modules/combinations and final assurance remain unfinished;
no deployment, server restart or saved-room/database operation belongs to this
batch.

## Ecaz shared Duke alternative — 24 October 2026

The original Tleilaxu Ambassador now offers Ecaz its dead shared Duke as the
one-leader free alternative. The previous selector searched only the ordinary
native roster and separate KH, so it omitted the real disc in `Game.dukeVidal`.
Both a native Tleilaxu token and the original Bene Gesserit copy use the same
beneficiary-specific selection. Ecaz's ally cannot inherit this permission.

The [publisher's E3 rules, printed pages 8–9](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/EcazMoritani-Rulebook-LOWRES.pdf#page=8)
provide the free own-leader grant and Ecaz's independent Duke revival permission,
with Duke revival restricted to Ecaz. A bounded official-domain indexed check
corroborated the grant and independent revival paragraph this checkpoint. This
is their composition with the existing [selected living/set-aside custody](ECAZ_REVIVAL_RULES.md#selected-product-interpretation-28-september-2026),
not a new publisher worked example or numerical ruling. Reuse the canonical
dead-Duke resolver, including its preserved repeated-death histories and existing
custody/profile limits. The ordinary Ambassador first-death and KH limits remain;
they do not add a new death-count cap to Duke's independent permission.

Commit against the original shared disc: record any satisfied native Ecaz cohort
opening **before** clearing Duke's death, preserve his ID, strength6 and death
count, clear obsolete use/concealment, and release control/source/acquisition
through the existing shared-disc return. The result is alive and unclaimed in
the shared area, never appended to Ecaz's five native leaders. A separate legal
acquisition is required before battle use. Persistent owner-only guidance states
that result before the free-return button is pressed.

The return costs0, creates no paid Revival request, spends no Ghola and grants no
skill. The Ambassador's existing provisional independence from ordinary leader
allowance and income is preserved. Force and leader alternatives remain
exclusive. The original Ambassador finishes once and the committed entrant
retains its remaining movement. Generic ordinary repeated-leader eligibility,
Tleilaxu income policy, wider captured/module envelopes and full acceptance stay
separate. Earlier shared-Duke absence/destination notes below are superseded only
for this route; they remain historical source analysis.

### Focused proof and remaining scope

`game/tleilaxu-ambassador-leaders.ts` delegates shared identity/custody validation
to `resolveEcazDukeRevival` and projects a canonical set-aside choice. Pure
`tests/tleilaxu-ambassador-leaders.test.ts` cases keep old sparse ordinary/KH
callers working and distinguish valid independent Duke histories from malformed,
unseated, living or unsupported sources without exposing custody details.
`tests/duke-ambassador-engine.test.ts` separately checks actual native entry
consumption, the Ecaz-only beneficiary, copied effects, unchanged resources and
ordinary allowance, prior cohort opening, event/exclusive-choice guards, native
movement continuation and a subsequent separate original acquisition. Original
source and final integrated results are recorded below.

Frozen owner integration passes **5 files, 42/42 tests**, types/lint and production
build. `tests/fixture-duke-ambassador.ts` supplies two genuine public Basic
Ecaz/Harkonnen/Guild programmes with original E3 components. Four unopened deal
positions select two real poisons; two unopened ordinary Spice positions and
original scalar/packet lotteries are recorded. Actual paid1+2 placements, reserve
shipments and an Ecaz-token acquisition precede both real poison plans. Duke
dies at deaths1. Ecaz wins the zero-dial attacker tie without losing its force or
a native leader, naturally leaving Duke as its sole revival alternative.

Native and BG-copy sources use **72/73 accepted actions**. On turn2 an actual
Guild shipment costs1 and triggers the already placed token. Each human branch
uses two more actions: free Duke return, then explicit completion of the same
entrant's movement turn. All four existing profiles in both original positions
submit that same legal alternative and finish the entrant turn: **8 policy
continuations**, without strategy refinement. Wallets, force pools, hands and
ordinary allowances are unchanged by the return; Duke remains strength6,
deaths1, alive/set-aside and outside the five-disc roster.

Actual GameTable and isolated entry rendering verify persistent destination
guidance and enabled/busy Duke buttons. Framework aliases/CSS stubs make this
rendering evidence, not browser/visual/deployed acceptance. The controlled
Advanced source (without Harkonnen), repeated Duke/cohort opening, non-Ecaz,
event/exclusivity, decline and separate reacquisition probes remain distinct
from the two genuine Basic sources. Full modes, other custody/module envelopes,
generic ordinary repeats/income and final assurance remain open.

Source identity: base `c95e2948908a853289a0c9b0c09143fb41e37fa8`, frozen tree
`9848951790a5e3a314934cc32613fe2feb84716ffe56c61fd345571f9147253c`,
2,606 tracked/nonignored files. Private logs, HTML, source manifest and original
failed checks are retained outside Git under `20261024-duke-ambassador/`.
Feedback repaired only fixture/control expectations after the consumer was
connected: use the original legal first/later Storm choices, retain actual source
sector/token bindings, and finish Advanced Guild permission before awaiting the
Ambassador. The private render assertion then needed an attribute-only check
instead of matching the CSS `disabled:` utility. That runtime alone reran on the
identical source; the final aggregate links original passing tests/types/lint/
build and the repaired runtime. Checkpoint prose/reference overlays are separately
reviewed. No saved-room/database/reset/restart/deployment operation occurred.

## First-death own Kwisatz Haderach — 11 October 2026

The source-supported separate KH identity below now appears in Atreides'
private native or Bene Gesserit-copied Tleilaxu grant. Its original advanced
activation and first-kill cycle1 record are required. It is not appended to
the five ordinary native leaders and does not inherit foreign/shared custody.

The return clears its dead/battle-use state and advances the same cycle
marker used by original Ghola and ordinary KH returns. Battle losses,
ordinary roster identities, wallets, force pools and ordinary leader usage
remain unchanged; quota independence retains the existing first-version
qualification. A prior return marker stays guarded by the pending repeat-death
interpretation rather than gaining a new exception.

Two native before programs recorded real seven-loss combat followed by a
KH Lasgun/Shield death, real worm alliance and Ambassador placement/arrival,
but offered no KH and rejected its choice. Four native/copied human/Easy
programs now return the same token and source entrant once. Six consumer
cases include both paths, owner/stale/exclusive errors, living/prior-return
exclusion and all four minimal legal bot profiles. Styled390px humans use
the native button, inspect awakened10-loss status, and explicitly select the
legal copied Tleilaxu effect before returning KH; original Guild Movement
still finishes. This does not settle the three policy questions below.

## First-version leader alternative — 8 October 2026

The beneficiary may now revive one first-death own leader for free instead of
returning forces. Its identity and death count remain unchanged; the original
entrant resumes after the choice. The private leader selector and minimal legal
AI path are connected. The independent grant does not spend the ordinary leader
allowance provisionally, matching the existing independent force path; this is
an implementation choice for the user-requested first version, not a settled
quota ruling. Dead-twice, shared Duke/KH and revival-income interactions remain
refinement boundaries. A direct Basic arrival-and-bot smoke passes.

## Printed grant and immediate consequences

E3 p.8 says: **“Revive one of your leaders or up to 4 of your forces for free.”** Ecaz can assign an Ambassador benefit to its ally. This is one alternative for the beneficiary, not four forces plus a leader, a five-force Ghola card, or permission to revive another faction's leader. [GF9 Ecaz & Moritani, pp.7–8](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/EcazMoritani-Rulebook-LOWRES.pdf#page=8)

The effect acts when the Ambassador resolves; it does not instruct players to wait for the next Revival phase. Its explicit amount and zero price override the ordinary three-force amount and paid additional-force price for this effect. Physical returns go from Tanks to reserves; they neither ship onto the board nor resume an ordinary Revival turn. A chosen force is a physical counter, irrespective of combat strength. The recipient cannot revive nonexistent pieces. The numerical phrase permits selecting zero forces; that reading supplies a no-benefit resolution without adding a separate, unprinted leader-decline alternative. Ecaz's optional trigger remains separate from the beneficiary's selection.

The strongest straightforward reading is an independent event granting up to four, including when Ecaz benefits Fremen or CHOAM. Neither the Fremen restriction on buying additional normal revival nor CHOAM's normal free rate of zero cancels another effect's explicit free grant. However, the printed sentence does **not** specify which ordinary usage ledgers this event changes; independence of its immediate amount does not by itself settle every later ordinary-quota question.

## Force accounting: resolved limits and remaining policy

Base p.9 sets the ordinary turn maximum at three. It separately gives each faction its normal free allowance and places revived forces in reserves. This cannot be applied mechanically to reduce the Ambassador's printed maximum to three. It also cannot establish that an earlier Ambassador consumes, or does not consume, subsequent ordinary allowance. [GF9 base rules, p.9](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/Dune-Rulebook.pdf#page=9)

**The elite restriction is stronger and is resolved.** Base pp.16 and 19 permit only one Fedaykin or Sardaukar revival per turn. November FAQ p.2 expressly preserves that restriction through Ghola, Emperor extra revival and Tleilaxu revival. Thus the Ambassador must share the actual turn's elite usage: an earlier elite return can exhaust its elite option, and its elite return can exhaust a later option. It must not reset that counter when ordinary Revival begins after a Spice Blow Ambassador. This is a concrete cross-phase bookkeeping obligation, independent of the still-unresolved ordinary force ledger. [November FAQ, p.2](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Dune-FAQ-Nov-2020.pdf#page=2)

Ixian Cyborgs are not Sardaukar or Fedaykin. No corresponding one-Cyborg-per-turn rule appears in E1. Preserve selected Cyborg/Suboid custody and count each selected counter once; do not import a base elite limit merely because runtime groups these pieces under an `elite` property. [GF9 Ixians & Tleilaxu, p.9](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IxianAndTleilaxuRulebook.pdf#page=9)

The remaining ordinary-ledger question has observable cases: normal three followed by Ambassador four; Ambassador four in Spice Blow followed by ordinary Revival; and Ambassador one followed by an ordinary free request. No retrieved publisher answer specifies the debit to `revived` or `freeForcesRevived`. Do not silently choose a counter convention by borrowing Ghola or normal revival. Faction privileges raising the normal maximum likewise do not enlarge this fixed four-force grant.

## Leaders, identity and repeat deaths

The base normal process opens when a faction's leaders are unavailable, then permits one leader per turn through the eligible cohort. A revived leader killed again is face down and has a further cycle restriction. E1's negotiated early revival expressly mentions face-up **or face-down** leaders; the Ambassador's short grant does not. These are different permissions. [Base p.9](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/Dune-Rulebook.pdf#page=9), [E1 p.7](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IxianAndTleilaxuRulebook.pdf#page=7)

The unqualified one-leader grant strongly supports reviving a first-death own leader without waiting for all five; otherwise the special effect acquires an unstated prerequisite. Nevertheless, it does not expressly waive the distinct dead-twice restriction or say whether it spends the ordinary one-leader slot. Those consequential extensions remain a policy boundary. Do not claim that an existing Ghola implementation establishes them for the Ambassador. November FAQ p.6 limits the Tleilaxu early-revival service for another faction to one leader per Revival turn; that service is not this Ambassador. [November FAQ, p.6](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Dune-FAQ-Nov-2020.pdf#page=6)

Specific identities compose as follows:

- **Kwisatz Haderach:** base p.17 says a killed KH is revived like a leader, without affecting the ordinary Atreides roster threshold. This supports an Atreides KH choice under the one-leader alternative. Preserve its own activation/death record; it is not another native leader disc or a free force. [Base p.17](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/Dune-Rulebook.pdf#page=17)
- **Auditor:** it is a CHOAM leader, so the own-leader alternative can include a dead CHOAM Auditor. Its normal early-return permission expressly consumes the ordinary leader slot, while the Ambassador's accounting is still unresolved. The published exclusions prohibit Tleilaxu foreign-ghola acquisition and Harkonnen capture. They do not prohibit CHOAM receiving its own free return. Existing repeat-death and sixth-disc cycle questions remain; this grant does not answer them. [GF9 CHOAM & Richese, p.8](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CHOAM-Rulebook-low-res.pdf#page=8)
- **Duke Vidal:** E3 p.9 expressly restricts revival to Ecaz, including Ghola. An allied beneficiary does not inherit an exception. If the beneficiary is Ecaz, the revival is free under this effect, rather than charging Duke's normal five. The 24 October route above applies the existing selected set-aside destination and independent Duke permission; generic cohort/repeat/income interpretations remain separately recorded in [Ecaz revival rules](ECAZ_REVIVAL_RULES.md). [E3 pp.8–9](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/EcazMoritani-Rulebook-LOWRES.pdf#page=9)
- **Captured or foreign-ghola leaders:** a living unavailable captive is not a dead piece in Tanks. The Ambassador does not grant a capture release or acquisition of an opponent's disc. A leader's temporary controller must not substitute for its legitimate revival owner. Exceptional concealed custody needs the existing generic unavailable projection, not an opponent-visible identity probe.

Keep physical identity and death history when returning a leader. A normal revived leader is usable, remains susceptible to its Traitor, and does not become a new disc. The base Ghola FAQ allows immediate reuse in a later battle, but that card-specific clarification does not authorize resetting unrelated histories or bypassing a still-pending Ambassador parent. [Base pp.9,22](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/Dune-Rulebook.pdf)

## Income, prevention and other revival effects

**Tleilaxu income.** E1 p.7 grants bank income for each faction using free revival or a Ghola card. The Ambassador is literally a free return but is not a Ghola card. A one-spice success payment is therefore a supported general-trigger interpretation; a per-card Ghola exception cannot be imported to decide repeated payments. The retrieved text does not expressly settle whether an Ambassador outside Revival shares the faction's ordinary free-income entitlement, creates a new phase entitlement, or pays for each successful Ambassador. Current `collectRevivalIncome` uses one free payment per faction/turn and a separate per-use Ghola path. That is an implementation distinction, not a newly verified Ambassador ruling. A zero-force resolution revives nothing and should not mint revival income. Any actual income cancellation suppresses the income, not the already-completed return. [E1 pp.7,12–13](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IxianAndTleilaxuRulebook.pdf)

**Axlotl is explicitly phase-scoped.** E1 p.5 states that token text identifies the phase in which a Tech Token works. Its general income rule pays at the end of the current phase. This is direct source support, beyond relying on the existing `TECH_TOKENS.axlotl.phase=4`: a Spice Blow or Shipment and Movement Ambassador must not accrue Axlotl income. The Tleilaxu-only exception remains independent. No artificial Revival phase, income reset, or phase-end payment should be introduced. [E1 p.5](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IxianAndTleilaxuRulebook.pdf#page=5)

**La La La and Recruits.** La La La expressly prevents free revival during Revival; it is not a lasting prohibition on a later Ambassador in Shipment and Movement or one in Spice Blow. Recruits is played in Revival and changes current free rates and the ordinary maximum; the Ambassador's fixed four does not become eight. Neither requires a new intervention at the current phase-1/5 Ambassador window. [E2 p.7](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CHOAM-Rulebook-low-res.pdf#page=7), [E3 pp.11,16](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/EcazMoritani-Rulebook-LOWRES.pdf#page=11)

**Special Tleilaxu Karama: timing verified.** E1 p.6's short description prevents a player's force and/or leader revival without a phase qualifier in that sentence. A later focused retrieval recovered the publisher's November FAQ p.3 Advanced Karama timing table, and root independently read the complete indexed page. The table expressly restricts Tleilaxu's special effect to Revival. Therefore it supplies no pre-revival intervention for a phase-1 or phase-5 Ambassador; this conclusion now rests on the Tleilaxu entry itself, not the existing dispatcher or Guild's separate timing. Ordinary revival-income cancellation remains a separate power. No runtime timing change is needed. [E1 p.6](https://www.gf9games.com/dunegame/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IxianAndTleilaxuRulebook.pdf#page=6), [November FAQ p.3](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Dune-FAQ-Nov-2020.pdf#page=3)

There is no generic post-trigger Ambassador Karama cancellation in E3's table: its Ecaz Ambassador row prevents placement. A separately applicable Tleilaxu income power may have its own response, but copying the normal revival queue would incorrectly add denied-cost, normal-limit and discount steps to an explicitly free effect. [E3 p.16](https://www.gf9games.com/dune/wp-content/uploads/EcazMoritani-Rulebook-LOWRES.pdf#page=16)

## Implementation decision boundary

The source-supported physical foundation can validate the beneficiary, one exclusive selection, Tanks custody, typed force count up to four, global elite usage, native/shared identity and safe zero-cost return. It can also keep movement, shipment and normal phase controllers unchanged. It must leave the following explicit until resolved:

1. Ordinary force/free/leader accounting before and after this independent grant.
2. Dead-twice eligibility and any extension beyond first-death own leaders; the existing Duke/Auditor cycle and Duke custody questions are not new questions to repeat.
3. Tleilaxu's free-income repeat scope for this distinct event.

These three change meaningful legal choices or resources and require a supported interpretation, including an explicit user ruling if no primary clarification is available. Exact examples are useful tests, not a prerequisite for composing the clear elite, identity, phase and fixed-quantity rules above. Special-Tleilaxu timing is now resolved by the FAQ table.

Verification used publisher-authored local extracts `base.txt`, `ix-official-mirror.txt`, `choam-lelekan-mirror.txt`, and `ecaz-audit.txt` under `/tmp/dune-rules`, plus freshly indexed official GF9 E1/E2/E3 and November FAQ passages. Movie-game rules, tournament amendments and unofficial implementations were not used as authority. No runtime files, tests, live rooms or automation were changed.

## Engine wiring checkpoint, 7 October 2026

`game/tleilaxu-ambassador-forces.ts` is now wired into the Ambassador
resolution. When an eligible entrant triggers a placed Tleilaxu token, the
beneficiary — the Ecaz owner or its ally — receives the printed force
alternative as a private `ecazAmbassador` decision at stage `revival`:

- one to four physical counters return from the Tanks to reserves, at zero
  cost, in the printed amount and without touching ordinary revival prices;
- the shared Fedaykin/Sardaukar one-per-turn counter is spent and enforced
  through the same helper (Ixian cyborgs keep their distinct uncapped
  treatment);
- the player view projects the maximum, the Tanks and elite inventory and the
  current elite usage to the beneficiary only, and the entry control offers a
  per-count button plus an explicit "Return no forces" decline;
- all four AI profiles pick a legal return from the decision owner's own view,
  or decline when the Tanks are empty.

**Still gated, unchanged:** the printed leader alternative (the decision's
projection reports `leaderAlternative: false`), ordinary force/free/leader
allowance accounting before and after this independent grant, dead-twice
eligibility, and Tleilaxu free-income repeat scope. The three recorded policy
questions above are not answered here. No ordinary revival allowance, price,
phase or income path changes, and the Tleilaxu special Karama keeps its
FAQ-resolved Revival-only timing.

Focused evidence: `tests/tleilaxu-ambassador-engine.test.ts` drives a genuine
arrival into a placed token and asserts the projection, the typed return, the
shared elite limit, malformed and over-maximum rejections with immutability,
the ordinary-only return, the decline path and unchanged spice; the four-profile
`tests/ecaz-entry-bots.test.ts` loop now covers `tleilaxu`, and the former
"unsupported effect" pin was replaced by the supported offer/decline
expectation rather than re-pinned.



## Physical foundation checkpoint, 7 September 2026

The later `game/tleilaxu-ambassador-forces.ts` helper implements only the resolved physical force quotation. It accepts a beneficiary's faction, reserve/Tanks totals and typed elite inventory, and quotes one through four returned counters with detached before/after custody and the shared elite revival counter. It rejects malformed counts, unavailable ordinary/elite selections, unsupported elite factions and unsafe arithmetic. It uses the minimum necessary elite count when no explicit count is selected; zero returns remain a separate caller choice. Ixian cyborgs retain their distinct uncapped treatment.

Root reviewed the complete helper and its tests. All **11 focused tests pass**, covering all twelve ordinary faction pools, mixed custody conservation, cross-event elite limits, Ixian quantities, invalid selections, safe arithmetic, detached results and independence from private information and RNG. The tests are registered in `npm test`; formatting, lint and full TypeScript checks pass. Root's focused result is `/tmp/dune-tleilaxu-ambassador-forces-root.log`.

**Superseded 7 October 2026:** the helper is now wired into the Ambassador resolution — see the engine wiring checkpoint above. Ordinary revival allowances, leader eligibility and income still remain unchanged, and the three material accounting/leader/income questions above remain pending user interpretation. The prior Guild checkpoint remains 2,930 passing registered tests plus twenty completed Basic games; these eleven new helper tests are additional focused evidence, not another full-suite or full-expansion run.