The Inside Scoop on Gaming

First, Legend of the Five Rings invades the collectable card-game world. And they things like "great game!" "The only game that might be better than Magic: the Gathering!" "A CCG where tactics matter more than card selection!" and so forth. Then comes the Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game. And the praise gets bigger. The gaming world is impressed.

Now, Alderac Entertainment Group releases Clan War, the miniatures battle game set in the world of the Legend of the Five Rings. The invasion has begun.

Inside the box for Clan War, you find two books - one for rules and one for army lists, several bundles of "tactics cards", several dice, and a pile of 58 metal miniatures. The figures are broken up into several types - samurai, archers, and personalities.

The Rulebook, weighing in at a mere 80 pages, is a breeze to read. The text is smooth flowing, and the sidebars are devoted to the "flavor" of the world of Rokugan, where Clan War is set. The Clan Book, also 80 pages, details the forces of the six major clans, and the weird forces of the Shadowlands - including dragons, goblins, and Ogres. (Oddly, you can't play a purely Shadowlands army at this point - I imagine this to arrive at a later time) You also get a number of personalities to choose from, both aligned to particular clans and unaligned characters as well.

Gameplay is simple, and mirrors that of the card game. Individual units get their own initiative roll, modified if they have special cards played upon them or if they have a gifted leader. Then, units move according to their initiative scores. Cavalry may then move again, making them twice as fast as their footslogging counterparts. Next comes ranged combat, followed by close combat.

Everything is done with the familiar d10, adding a little more spice than those based on the d6. Magic is present, in the form of spells cast by Shugenja. These spells are not be-all, end-all game winners - they are an added plus for your forces, but are certainly are no match for a finely crafted plan and a reasonable command of troops. Likewise, personalities are not unbalancing in the game; they supplement, not overpower.

One very different twist is created by the Tactical Cards. These cards let you create some special effects and special rules for the game. Again, the key is that they don't unbalance the game (balance is something that the designers obviously tried hard to preserve), they merely allow you to represent luck or special skills or the like. For instance, take the card "Turtle Shell". It allows a unit to "place their heaviest armor to face the [ranged] attack", giving their enemy a negative modifier to their ranged attack. Or, the card "Stout Heart", which allows a unit to automatically pass a Fear test. Through the use of these cards, you can add a whole new tactical angle to your games.

The game also provides for the neat feel of Rokugan. Honor and Duels are covered. The armies and troops of the Clans are sufficiently different enough to be interesting, but not so heavily that they are inhuman beasts. (That's what the Shadowlands are for!) Anyone familiar with the CCG or RPG will see a number of concepts ported over, and that really helps tie everything in the series together.

The miniatures, while impressive, have a few flaws. They are, almost to a figure, covered in flash (excess casting material) that requires some scraping with a craft knife to get off. Now, for a serious miniatures fan, this isn't really a problem - but it is excessive compared to most major miniature manufacturers. Secondly, the figures don't fix into their bases without major snipping of their metal tabs. Not a big deal, but coupled with all of the flash, this could be a major sticking point for players new to the world of miniatures.

The game seems to be missing a few things that will eventually be released, but aren't really even mentioned here. There is no indication as to what the Scorpion Clan is going to be like in Clan War, nor is there any way to play a pure Shadowlands force - they have to be allied with a Clan army. Certainly, these are coming - but their absence is felt. And, of course, the game lacks an index. The Table of Contents isn't strong enough to be without it.

Overall, however, I think that Clan War is a great addition to the field. I think that it can, given proper support by AEG, take its place alongside such the heavy hitters of the industry. And that is perhaps the highest rating to give a game.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Clan War
Author: Ken Carpenter, Marcelo Figuero, Jim Pinto, Steve Hough, Erik Yaple Category: Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Cost: 74.95 Capsule Review by Robert E. Allen III on 12/01/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Asian/Far_East	First, Legend of the Five Rings invades the collectable card-game world. And they things like "great game!" "The only game that might be better than Magic: the Gathering!" "A CCG where tactics matter more than card selection!" and so forth. Then comes the Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game. And the praise gets bigger. The gaming world is impressed. Now, Alderac Entertainment Group releases Clan War, the miniatures battle game set in the world of the Legend of the Five Rings. The invasion has begun. Inside the box for Clan War, you find two books - one for rules and one for army lists, several bundles of "tactics cards", several dice, and a pile of 58 metal miniatures. The figures are broken up into several types - samurai, archers, and personalities. The Rulebook, weighing in at a mere 80 pages, is a breeze to read. The text is smooth flowing, and the sidebars are devoted to the "flavor" of the world of Rokugan, where Clan War is set. The Clan Book, also 80 pages, details the forces of the six major clans, and the weird forces of the Shadowlands - including dragons, goblins, and Ogres. (Oddly, you can't play a purely Shadowlands army at this point - I imagine this to arrive at a later time) You also get a number of personalities to choose from, both aligned to particular clans and unaligned characters as well. Gameplay is simple, and mirrors that of the card game. Individual units get their own initiative roll, modified if they have special cards played upon them or if they have a gifted leader. Then, units move according to their initiative scores. Cavalry may then move again, making them twice as fast as their footslogging counterparts. Next comes ranged combat, followed by close combat. Everything is done with the familiar d10, adding a little more spice than those based on the d6. Magic is present, in the form of spells cast by Shugenja. These spells are not be-all, end-all game winners - they are an added plus for your forces, but are certainly are no match for a finely crafted plan and a reasonable command of troops. Likewise, personalities are not unbalancing in the game; they supplement, not overpower. One very different twist is created by the Tactical Cards. These cards let you create some special effects and special rules for the game. Again, the key is that they don't unbalance the game (balance is something that the designers obviously tried hard to preserve), they merely allow you to represent luck or special skills or the like. For instance, take the card "Turtle Shell". It allows a unit to "place their heaviest armor to face the [ranged] attack", giving their enemy a negative modifier to their ranged attack. Or, the card "Stout Heart", which allows a unit to automatically pass a Fear test. Through the use of these cards, you can add a whole new tactical angle to your games. The game also provides for the neat feel of Rokugan. Honor and Duels are covered. The armies and troops of the Clans are sufficiently different enough to be interesting, but not so heavily that they are inhuman beasts. (That's what the Shadowlands are for!) Anyone familiar with the CCG or RPG will see a number of concepts ported over, and that really helps tie everything in the series together. The miniatures, while impressive, have a few flaws. They are, almost to a figure, covered in flash (excess casting material) that requires some scraping with a craft knife to get off. Now, for a serious miniatures fan, this isn't really a problem - but it is excessive compared to most major miniature manufacturers. Secondly, the figures don't fix into their bases without major snipping of their metal tabs. Not a big deal, but coupled with all of the flash, this could be a major sticking point for players new to the world of miniatures. The game seems to be missing a few things that will eventually be released, but aren't really even mentioned here. There is no indication as to what the Scorpion Clan is going to be like in Clan War, nor is there any way to play a pure Shadowlands force - they have to be allied with a Clan army. Certainly, these are coming - but their absence is felt. And, of course, the game lacks an index. The Table of Contents isn't strong enough to be without it. Overall, however, I think that Clan War is a great addition to the field. I think that it can, given proper support by AEG, take its place alongside such the heavy hitters of the industry. And that is perhaps the highest rating to give a game. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)