Howdy, all! Lots of things are going on right now, so let’s not mess around!

The Book of Earth

I think I mentioned last time that this one had gone to press, but in case I didn’t… well, it’s gone to press. So that’s good! I’ve been asked many times about its projected release date, and of course I can’t answer that with any real certainty because there are plenty of potential delays during the printing phase of the operation, but in theory, we’re looking at a release during December or perhaps January. I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone thinks the Ring series has changed after the initial release, Book of Air. The format is largely the same, and with roughly the same organization of the material, but we are constantly striving to improve the nature of the material itself, and I hope we were successful.

I know mechanics are a big part of this column for a lot of people, so let’s look at something from the book. Last time we examined the Crab Path that was necessarily cut from the Second City Boxed Set and which was redesigned for the Book of Earth. In addition to Great Clan mechanics, of course, these books have lots of options for other groups within the world of Rokugan. Let’s have a look!

Defender of the Brotherhood
Although the Brotherhood of Shinsei generally holds itself apart from the Empire’s politics, on some occasions they do send emissaries to the courts to make sure their own concerns – the protection of the common people and of the Brotherhood’s shrines and temples – are properly expressed. Over the centuries, those of the Brotherhood with an aptitude for patient diplomacy have devised a Technique which is now taught within several monastic orders. The Defenders of the Brotherhood are most commonly found among the more peaceful and contemplative sects, such as the Temple of Kaimetsu-Uo, but even the sohei of Osano-Wo have occasionally trained their monks in its simple but effective methods.

New Alternate Path: Defender of the Brotherhood [Monk/Courtier]
Rank: 2
Replaces: Any Brotherhood Monk 2 (may not be a Four Temples monk)
Requirements: Willpower 3, Courtier 3, Etiquette 4
Technique: Harmony in Chaos – The power of Earth grants infinite patience and endurance, strengthening the inherent tranquility of monastic reserve and thus allowing a Defender to deliver telling remarks within the courts. Any time you spend a Void Point on an Etiquette or Courtier Social Skill roll, you gain a bonus of +Xk1 to the roll (where X is your Willpower) instead of the normal +1k1.

As you can see, this is an attempt at reinforcing the idea that the monks of the Brotherhood are not simply warriors or even advisors, but instead the organization is vast and has a vested interest in the politics of Rokugan. It’s not something that comes up a lot in the fiction, because of course the game as a whole is focused on the Great Clans and their agendas, but there’s nothing that says your game has to be like that. For those who like to complicate the political landscape of their version of Rokugan, we want you to have the tools to do so. Enjoy!

Imperial Histories, Volume 2

This one is in post-production right now, with mechanics being written as we speak, chapters being edited and revised, and our valiant layout warrior is waiting in the wings to commence his particular brand of graphic kung-fu. For now, though, I want to give you some more information about what you can expect to see in the book itself. Last time I shared with you the ideas behind the three chapters that were written by our contest winners, and I think those are going to be some spectacular additions to the game. As you might have guessed from that small cross-section, volume two is going to include more alternate versions of Rokugan than the previous installment, but we’re certainly not going to abandon the idea of more canon periods. Far from it!

Canon periods you can expect in IH2 include:

• Rule of the Shining Prince
• Heresy of the Five Rings
• Reign of the Steel Chrysanthemum
• The Return of the Unicorn
• The Eighth Century Crisis
• The Four Winds
• The Destroyer War
• The Age of Exploration

And alternate versions you will be seeing include:

• Shattered Empire
• The Togashi Dynasty
• The Shadowed Throne
• Iron Rokugan
• [CLASSIFIED]

I’ll be sharing more information on these alternate versions in the next few installments so that you can have an idea of what to look forward to when the book releases at the end of the first quarter next year.

The Book of Fire

Assignments went out a short time ago for this book, and I think that you’ll see the lessons that we learn with each individual book in the Rings series makes each book a better installment. I hope that doesn’t mean that the latter books in the series will be so filled with awesomeness that the Book of Air’s awesomeness seems lackluster by comparison, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I know that mechanics are a huge draw for a lot of people, and statistically speaking they are what ensure sales for any given book, but they’re not the biggest draw for me personally.

(Speaking of which, I had some post-GenCon correspondence with my friend Tom Lapille, and he brought up something that’s been an issue raised off and on over the years. He was concerned, and not without good reason, about the number of mechanics introduced in the Book of Air. I will be the first to admit that we are adding a lot of options to the mix with these Ring series books, but I would also be the first to admit that I wouldn’t use all of those things in a game if I were running it. Like so much else with 4th Edition, we’re trying to add options for GMs, not cripple them with an excess. Please, by all means, feel free to decide what kind of things you want your campaign and pick and choose accordingly. Just because we present options does not mean you are in any way obligated to make use of them.)

(Also, just FYI, talking about game design with Tom Lapille is pretty freaking awesome.)

For me, the best part of the Ring series are the chapters that I refer to internally (or internally up until this point, at least) as the “campaign in a can”. As you are aware by this point, the Book of Air had a relatively obscure court setting famous in some circles for its funeral traditions. In the Book of Earth, it’s a remote fortress concealed in the mountains. The goal of these settings is to capture the essence and themes of the individual elements. For fire, obviously, it’s going to be a lot different than the other two. Fire is aggressive and combative first and foremost (but not exclusively, of course). Toward that end, I have given the writer responsible for this particular chapter, our resident French cyborg Max, a lot of leeway in terms of how to present it. Will it be a massive dojo in an urban setting? Will it be a battlefield encampment holding the line against an implacable foe? Will it be a Bond-esque volcano island base?

I can’t wait to find out.

See you guys next time!