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Way of the Scorpion is the fifth in the series of "Way of the X" books that have been put out for the Legend of the Five Rings RPG. Each details a specific clan (sound familiar?) in depth, giving extra history, stories, details, character options, sample characters, and extra stuff appropriate to each clan (in this book, it's poisons and ninja).

Way of the Scorpion is written by the game's designer and former story editor John Wick. It's no big secret that he's a fan of the Scorpions - after all, his own character is one (Bayushi Yojiro, and yes, he's in the book). So we have a book done by the game's designer on one of his favorite topics... so it should be one of the best clanbooks. Right? Right?

Unfortunately, not quite. While Way of the Scorpion is a good book, it has large flaws which place it in the bottom of the stack of my "Way of the X" books.

First off: fluff. While it's no Clanbook: Gangrel (a book composed entirely of fluff), Way of the Scorpion's got it. Much of the history is in story format (lookit all that italacized text! ;) - all well and good, save for the fact that it cuts down space that could be used for more relevant bits in playing a Scorpion. While it's undoubtedly nice to get some neat little details, very little of it will help in actually sitting down and playing a Scorpion. Some parts of the history have little to do with the Scorpion at all - there are sections on Togashi (the Dragon Champion) and Iuchiban (the evilest sorcerer of them all) that only involve the Scorpion clan peripherally. There are long sections on specific battles, too... which might be handy for a more military clan, but here they're just amusing anecdotes.

The character section is nice, as it typically has been. Though one of the advantages, Ear of the Emperor, seems like it belongs in the Crane book instead, most of the new character types, like the Yogo shugenja (basically, ward wizards) and the Bayushi Courtier and Shosuro acting group help expand the normal Legend of the Five Rings "am I samurai or shugenja?" character limitations.

The who's who is fairly good, though I'm annoyed at the amount of space Bayushi Kachiko (the Champion's wife) gets compared to the actual champion (about twice as much). This is undoubtedly due to her popularity and John Wick's like of her, but still, one would think being the Champion of a clan gets you a little more detail. Many fans of the collectable card game I know have lamented that Bayushi Goshiu (a notable courtier) didn't make it into the book. Oh, yes, and Bayushi Yojiro (the designer's character) gets his own little section, as well as the opening story.

There's a long section on how to play a Scorpion. It's something that was sorely needed, but I'm not sure it needed to be quite so long (I mean, ten pages?). There's a short section on ninja. The rules given for playing one seem to be nothing more than a way for the gamemaster to ward away people from playing them, as beginning ninja are outclassed by just about anything. That being said, the rules left after that are nice. There's a short section on poisons. They're presented as being very deadly. Cinematic campaigns may want to tone them down. There's a bit on notable locations in Scorpion provinces, geisha, and gambling as well, each very short.

So, what's missing? Well, there's no section on each of the families like in the other "Way of the X" books... a real dissapointment, as that leaves a the total of the four Scorpion families bereft of any detail, which I've found to be a great aid in using any of the other "Way of the X" books. Also missing is any detail on the actual Scorpion provinces... how do the Scorpions treat their peasants? What's it like going through Scorpion lands? Such questions are, unfortunately, unanswered.

Also, four times throughout the book, there are sections giving opinions or insults regarding the other clans (once in the introductory story, in the sidebars, in the history section, and in the "Treachery 101" section. Once is nice, twice might be good... but four times? One might think the Scorpion rarely have a positive opinion about /anything/ after reading all of them.

Despite its flaws, the writing is rather good, and there are some real zingers in there (like the excerpt from "Winter" in the opening section). Everything is consistent, and there's a lot of helpful bits on playing a Scorpion in here.

Unfortunately, the big gaps of missing info just beg for a Way of the Scorpion II.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Way of the Scorpion
Author: John Wick Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Cost: 14.95 Page count: 115 Capsule Review by Julian J. Kuleck on 12/11/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Espionage Asian/Far_East	Way of the Scorpion is the fifth in the series of "Way of the X" books that have been put out for the Legend of the Five Rings RPG. Each details a specific clan (sound familiar?) in depth, giving extra history, stories, details, character options, sample characters, and extra stuff appropriate to each clan (in this book, it's poisons and ninja). Way of the Scorpion is written by the game's designer and former story editor John Wick. It's no big secret that he's a fan of the Scorpions - after all, his own character is one (Bayushi Yojiro, and yes, he's in the book). So we have a book done by the game's designer on one of his favorite topics... so it should be one of the best clanbooks. Right? Right? Unfortunately, not quite. While Way of the Scorpion is a good book, it has large flaws which place it in the bottom of the stack of my "Way of the X" books. First off: fluff. While it's no Clanbook: Gangrel (a book composed entirely of fluff), Way of the Scorpion's got it. Much of the history is in story format (lookit all that italacized text! ;) - all well and good, save for the fact that it cuts down space that could be used for more relevant bits in playing a Scorpion. While it's undoubtedly nice to get some neat little details, very little of it will help in actually sitting down and playing a Scorpion. Some parts of the history have little to do with the Scorpion at all - there are sections on Togashi (the Dragon Champion) and Iuchiban (the evilest sorcerer of them all) that only involve the Scorpion clan peripherally. There are long sections on specific battles, too... which might be handy for a more military clan, but here they're just amusing anecdotes. The character section is nice, as it typically has been. Though one of the advantages, Ear of the Emperor, seems like it belongs in the Crane book instead, most of the new character types, like the Yogo shugenja (basically, ward wizards) and the Bayushi Courtier and Shosuro acting group help expand the normal Legend of the Five Rings "am I samurai or shugenja?" character limitations. The who's who is fairly good, though I'm annoyed at the amount of space Bayushi Kachiko (the Champion's wife) gets compared to the actual champion (about twice as much). This is undoubtedly due to her popularity and John Wick's like of her, but still, one would think being the Champion of a clan gets you a little more detail. Many fans of the collectable card game I know have lamented that Bayushi Goshiu (a notable courtier) didn't make it into the book. Oh, yes, and Bayushi Yojiro (the designer's character) gets his own little section, as well as the opening story. There's a long section on how to play a Scorpion. It's something that was sorely needed, but I'm not sure it needed to be quite so long (I mean, ten pages?). There's a short section on ninja. The rules given for playing one seem to be nothing more than a way for the gamemaster to ward away people from playing them, as beginning ninja are outclassed by just about anything. That being said, the rules left after that are nice. There's a short section on poisons. They're presented as being very deadly. Cinematic campaigns may want to tone them down. There's a bit on notable locations in Scorpion provinces, geisha, and gambling as well, each very short. So, what's missing? Well, there's no section on each of the families like in the other "Way of the X" books... a real dissapointment, as that leaves a the total of the four Scorpion families bereft of any detail, which I've found to be a great aid in using any of the other "Way of the X" books. Also missing is any detail on the actual Scorpion provinces... how do the Scorpions treat their peasants? What's it like going through Scorpion lands? Such questions are, unfortunately, unanswered. Also, four times throughout the book, there are sections giving opinions or insults regarding the other clans (once in the introductory story, in the sidebars, in the history section, and in the "Treachery 101" section. Once is nice, twice might be good... but four times? One might think the Scorpion rarely have a positive opinion about /anything/ after reading all of them. Despite its flaws, the writing is rather good, and there are some real zingers in there (like the excerpt from "Winter" in the opening section). Everything is consistent, and there's a lot of helpful bits on playing a Scorpion in here. Unfortunately, the big gaps of missing info just beg for a Way of the Scorpion II. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 3 (Average)