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This is the sixth clan books for Legend of the Five Rings and the first to disappoint me. The individual parts range from adequate to excellent, but they do not quite add up to a comprehensive picture of the clan as a whole.

Way of the Lion follows the usual format of five chapters and five appendices. The vignettes telling the stories of the Lion clan are excellent, and these began to give me a sense of what it means to be a Lion.

The major families of the Lion clan are described, and the authors also describe important members of the clan. In addition, there are the usual character templates and descriptions of new families, backgrounds, skills, and schools, including schools for characters who are neither bushi nor shugenja.

But the individual parts do not seem to work as well together as they did in the other clanbooks. It is very important for a Lion to serve the emperor, yet, according to the heritage tables, becoming an Imperial Magistrate is worthy of gaining the Bad Reputation disadvantage. There is no explanation of why this should be the case. The Ikoma family are historians and courtiers, but this does not intuitively follow from the story of how Ikoma joined Akodo.

According to the main rulebook for Legend of the Five Rings, the Lion book was supposed to be the place we learned the story behind the Kolat. This is not the case. I do not mind this, since a game setting will develop and change over time. However, one of the major NPCs is a member of the Kolat, and there should be some explanation of what this means. There should be, but there is not. This is as annoying as the lack of mechanics for the Shadowland taint in both the main rulebook and The Way of the Crab.

Since the Lion clan has the largest army, it is no surprise that a lot of space is devoted to a consideration of warfare, as well as to advice for the GM who wants to run a military campaign. There is also a discussion of the supernatural world that the Kitsu can travel to, along with rules for Ancestor Magic. This magic is different from the usual shugenja magic, and has the right mystical feel to it. There is also a description of the Lion lands and details of the code of Bushi (something which should have been in the main rulebook), as well as a map of Shiro Akodo and a section on creating Lion decks for the L5R CCG.

As usual, there is no index nor any map of the clan lands. As usual, the art is excellent, with bushi of both genders dressed appropriately to the situation.

The Lion clan is probably the soul of Rokugan. It is hard to show what makes it unique, and the authors have succeeded in giving some idea of this. The bravery of the Lion and the troubled relationship between the Matsu and Akodo families come through well. However, the Lion clanbook is less unified than the other clanbooks, making it hard to get a sense of the clan as a whole.

***

Since writing this review, I received email from Ree Soesbee explaining that the authors intended to show that the Lion clan has lost its way. I stand by what I wrote, for I would never have guessed this. Nevertheless, while the presentation could and should have been better, the authors of The Way of the Lion were not writing at cross purposes from each other. They made a deliberate decision to show a fragmented clan.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

The Way of the Lion
Author: by Patrick Kapera, Ree Soesbee, and John Wick with additional material by Marcelo Figuroa, Raymond Lau, Jennifer Mahr, Jim Pintro, Rob Vaux, and David Williams Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Cost: $14.95 Page count: 120 pgs, perfect bound Capsule Review by Lisa Padol on 12/21/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Asian/Far_East	This is the sixth clan books for Legend of the Five Rings and the first to disappoint me. The individual parts range from adequate to excellent, but they do not quite add up to a comprehensive picture of the clan as a whole. Way of the Lion follows the usual format of five chapters and five appendices. The vignettes telling the stories of the Lion clan are excellent, and these began to give me a sense of what it means to be a Lion. The major families of the Lion clan are described, and the authors also describe important members of the clan. In addition, there are the usual character templates and descriptions of new families, backgrounds, skills, and schools, including schools for characters who are neither bushi nor shugenja. But the individual parts do not seem to work as well together as they did in the other clanbooks. It is very important for a Lion to serve the emperor, yet, according to the heritage tables, becoming an Imperial Magistrate is worthy of gaining the Bad Reputation disadvantage. There is no explanation of why this should be the case. The Ikoma family are historians and courtiers, but this does not intuitively follow from the story of how Ikoma joined Akodo. According to the main rulebook for Legend of the Five Rings, the Lion book was supposed to be the place we learned the story behind the Kolat. This is not the case. I do not mind this, since a game setting will develop and change over time. However, one of the major NPCs is a member of the Kolat, and there should be some explanation of what this means. There should be, but there is not. This is as annoying as the lack of mechanics for the Shadowland taint in both the main rulebook and The Way of the Crab. Since the Lion clan has the largest army, it is no surprise that a lot of space is devoted to a consideration of warfare, as well as to advice for the GM who wants to run a military campaign. There is also a discussion of the supernatural world that the Kitsu can travel to, along with rules for Ancestor Magic. This magic is different from the usual shugenja magic, and has the right mystical feel to it. There is also a description of the Lion lands and details of the code of Bushi (something which should have been in the main rulebook), as well as a map of Shiro Akodo and a section on creating Lion decks for the L5R CCG. As usual, there is no index nor any map of the clan lands. As usual, the art is excellent, with bushi of both genders dressed appropriately to the situation. The Lion clan is probably the soul of Rokugan. It is hard to show what makes it unique, and the authors have succeeded in giving some idea of this. The bravery of the Lion and the troubled relationship between the Matsu and Akodo families come through well. However, the Lion clanbook is less unified than the other clanbooks, making it hard to get a sense of the clan as a whole. *** Since writing this review, I received email from Ree Soesbee explaining that the authors intended to show that the Lion clan has lost its way. I stand by what I wrote, for I would never have guessed this. Nevertheless, while the presentation could and should have been better, the authors of The Way of the Lion were not writing at cross purposes from each other. They made a deliberate decision to show a fragmented clan. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)