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Reading this sourcebook is like opening Christmas presents from a really eclectic group of friends with a single common interest. It's a significantly cool stew of information that reads as if someone very enthusiastic had taken all the available material on Rokugan's Dragon Clan and stuffed it into a jam-packed sourcebook. Funny, that.

What do you get? Everything! You get a history of the Clan. You get details on all the families in the Clan, which serves as a springboard for some alternate character generation possibilities. No longer are PCs stuck being bushi or shugenja (warriors or sorceror priests); rules for the tattooed monks and the diplomats of the Dragon Clan are included. There're a few new skills and some new advantages and disadvantages to round off character generation.

Then it's back to the Clan itself, and a listing of major figures within the Clan with stats. Turns out we're not quite done with character creation yet, as rules for ancestors pop up in the sidebars. A few sample PCs close the main section of the book before we hit the appendices, which touch on the real dragons of Rokugan, add a spell or two plus some magical items, give a description of the Dragon lands, include martial arts rules, provide adventure seeds, and (for some reason) list a few Dragon Clan decks for the CCG. Wow.

The new rules and character types seem balanced, although I haven't tried them in play, and all the new options serve to broaden the possibilities during character generation. Legend of the Five Rings needed this, and I hope the trend continues. The histories make this mysterious clan much easier to play and gamemaster. Further, the entire book is clear and understandable. There's a praiseworthy minimum of in-character exposition.

The drawbacks: the sample characters are, I'm afraid, just not that useful. I don't think anyone actually uses these; it's a White Wolfism that should really be quashed. The CCG decks perplex me, as I doubt most GMs or players will be looking to their RPG sourcebooks for CCG tips. In other words, Way of the Dragon is padded here and there. It's a shame; those ten pages would have been useful for fleshing out the adventure seeds.

If you're into playing Dragon Clan characters, you already know you want this, but you can take heart in the knowledge that it's not only obligatory but useful. If you're a GM, you'll get not only a ton of Dragon Clan info but some really useful guidelines with regard to how big the average army is, what the smaller families in other clans might be like, and a lot of other details that shed light on Rokugan as a whole. If you're a player who hates the Dragon Clan, well, this sourcebook will probably not change your mind and the others will be out soon enough.

Otherwise, though, it's an excellent start to the series of Legend of the Five Rings clanbooks. I look forward to the others.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Way of the Dragon
Author: John Wick Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Cost: $14.95 Page count: 110 Capsule Review by Bryant Durrell on 10/22/97. Genre tags: none	Reading this sourcebook is like opening Christmas presents from a really eclectic group of friends with a single common interest. It's a significantly cool stew of information that reads as if someone very enthusiastic had taken all the available material on Rokugan's Dragon Clan and stuffed it into a jam-packed sourcebook. Funny, that. What do you get? Everything! You get a history of the Clan. You get details on all the families in the Clan, which serves as a springboard for some alternate character generation possibilities. No longer are PCs stuck being bushi or shugenja (warriors or sorceror priests); rules for the tattooed monks and the diplomats of the Dragon Clan are included. There're a few new skills and some new advantages and disadvantages to round off character generation. Then it's back to the Clan itself, and a listing of major figures within the Clan with stats. Turns out we're not quite done with character creation yet, as rules for ancestors pop up in the sidebars. A few sample PCs close the main section of the book before we hit the appendices, which touch on the real dragons of Rokugan, add a spell or two plus some magical items, give a description of the Dragon lands, include martial arts rules, provide adventure seeds, and (for some reason) list a few Dragon Clan decks for the CCG. Wow. The new rules and character types seem balanced, although I haven't tried them in play, and all the new options serve to broaden the possibilities during character generation. Legend of the Five Rings needed this, and I hope the trend continues. The histories make this mysterious clan much easier to play and gamemaster. Further, the entire book is clear and understandable. There's a praiseworthy minimum of in-character exposition. The drawbacks: the sample characters are, I'm afraid, just not that useful. I don't think anyone actually uses these; it's a White Wolfism that should really be quashed. The CCG decks perplex me, as I doubt most GMs or players will be looking to their RPG sourcebooks for CCG tips. In other words, Way of the Dragon is padded here and there. It's a shame; those ten pages would have been useful for fleshing out the adventure seeds. If you're into playing Dragon Clan characters, you already know you want this, but you can take heart in the knowledge that it's not only obligatory but useful. If you're a GM, you'll get not only a ton of Dragon Clan info but some really useful guidelines with regard to how big the average army is, what the smaller families in other clans might be like, and a lot of other details that shed light on Rokugan as a whole. If you're a player who hates the Dragon Clan, well, this sourcebook will probably not change your mind and the others will be out soon enough. Otherwise, though, it's an excellent start to the series of Legend of the Five Rings clanbooks. I look forward to the others. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Way of the Dragon