Damage Caused by the Other Minion

After reading the Rotschreck + Domain of Evernight + Outside the Hourglass thread... I have a question for the Rules Team as a group.

Could there be a global and game-wide definition for "Damage dealt by the opposing minion"?

There seems to be no significant text-based difference between the following two situations to explain why they would be treated differently.

At the moment, Rotschreck will count damage from Carrion Crows (combined with Domain of Evernight or Dawn Operation) as "damage from the opposing minion".
Street Cred will NOT count damage from Carrion Crows as "damage from the opposing minion".

IMNF, but Carrion Crows is never considered damage from the opposing minion.
It does not allow the use of Rötschreck (even assuming it is aggravated damage).

There is a difference in wording (at least I found one).

Outside the Hourglass:
"Inflict 2 damage on the opposing minion." - damage done by the opposing minion.

VS.

Carrion Crows:
"The opposing minion takes 1R damage..."
Weather Control:
"Both combatants and each of their retainers take 1 unpreventable damage..."
Groaning Corpse:
"The opposing minion takes 1 damage..."


"Inflict X damage" - Minion inflicting damage on opposite minion. Counts for Street Cred. If aggravated counts for Rötschreck.

"The opposing minion takes X damage" - Environmental. No source. Doesn't count for either Street Cred of Rötschreck.

I don't belong to the rules team (that's Floppy), but I found this pattern in the wordings and I think it is consistent with other cards too.

Juggernaut1981 wrote:

After reading the Rotschreck + Domain of Evernight + Outside the Hourglass thread... I have a question for the Rules Team as a group.

Could there be a global and game-wide definition for "Damage dealt by the opposing minion"?

There seems to be no significant text-based difference between the following two situations to explain why they would be treated differently.

At the moment, Rotschreck will count damage from Carrion Crows (combined with Domain of Evernight or Dawn Operation) as "damage from the opposing minion".
Street Cred will NOT count damage from Carrion Crows as "damage from the opposing minion".

(I am not in any way part of the rules team, but)

Environmental damage is not considered to have been "caused" by a minion.

LSJ again , actually in a reply to you oddly enough.
The point being made (mostly by me I think) in the other thread is that Outside the Hourglass does not do environmental damage, damage from it is "damage from the opposing minion". Damage from Carrion Crows is not.
Sorry if that was unclear.

I know that, but after reading that thread, I'd honestly like a "General Ruling" about what exactly constitutes "Damage from the Opposing Minion". It would be best if Pascal could either directly rule on it, or take it to the Rules Team for consideration.

One of the things I would like is that cards should have as close to a 'plain English' interpretation as possible. Keywords are good, and important, but when two phrases have very little distinction and neither really has a 'keyword' then I don't really see why they should function differently.

Because in 'plain English' the phrase "Inflict 2 damage" and "the opposing minion takes 1R damage" doesn't seem to explain why they should be different.

So using just these below as a sample list, why and which are 'from the opposing minion' for the purposes of cards like Street Cred and/or Rotschreck?

Carrion Crows
Type: Combat
Requires: Animalism
Only usable before range is chosen.
[ani] The opposing minion takes 1R damage each round of combat during strike resolution. A vampire can play only one Carrion Crows each combat.
[ANI] As above, but for 2R damage.

Outside the Hourglass
Type: Combat
Requires: Temporis / Obfuscate
[obf] Strike: dodge.
[tem] Maneuver, or strike: dodge, with an optional maneuver.
[TEM] Only usable before range is determined. Inflict 2 damage on the opposing minion. A vampire can play only one Outside the Hourglass at superior each round.

Groaning Corpse
Type: Combat
Requires: Thanatosis
Cost: X blood
Only usable before range is determined.
[thn] X is the number of Groaning Corpses already played this combat. The opposing minion takes 1 damage each round of combat during strike resolution if the range is close.
[THN] As above, but for 2 damage. A vampire may play only one Groaning Corpse at superior each combat.

Drawing Out the Beast
Type: Combat
Requires: Animalism
Only usable before range is determined on the first round. Frenzy.
[ani] During this combat, opposing vampire gets +1 strength, but he or she cannot use maneuvers to maneuver to long range, cannot use presses to end combat and cannot use equipment. A vampire may play only one Drawing Out the Beast each combat.
[ANI] As above, and the opposing vampire takes 1 unpreventable damage during the press step each round.

Bestial Vengeance
Type: Combat
Requires: laibon Animalism
Requires a Laibon.
[ani] Only usable before range is determined. Choose a retainer on this Laibon. This combat, this Laibon is immune to frenzy cards and the opposing minion takes 1 damage during strike resolution if the retainer is ready. A vampire can play only one Bestial Vengeance each combat.
[ANI] As above, but for 2 damage.

Blood of Acid
Type: Combat
Requires: Vicissitude
Cost: 2 blood
[vic] Only usable at close range before strikes are chosen. During each strike resolution this round, the opposing minion takes an amount of damage equal to the damage he or she successfully inflicts. A vampire may play only one Blood of Acid each round.
[VIC] As above, but the damage is aggravated.

Well, in plain English a sentence must have a subject. If no subject is grammatically within the sentence than the subject is implied. An imperative sentence (which covers the matter that is being referred to now) implies the subject 'you':

Wash the car
Go to the store
Inflict 2 damage

All the other examples from the cards you cite have the subject 'the opposing minion' which, since the subject is not 'you' does not come directly from the other minion. In this game that translates to environmental damage, not damage from the minion. An exception can occur:

'You' make a hand strike, if it is successful the opposing minion takes an additional 2 damage.

But, as can be seen, the subject is still implied as the 'other minion', hence not environmental.