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The range of L5R adventure series spawns yet another: the 'M' or High Magic range of 'adventures concerning curses, ghosts and dangerous magic.' Potentially good stuff: holding the line against hordes of Shadowlands creatures on the Kaiu Wall can be fun, but after a certain point becomes hack and slash tactical combat rather than real engagement in the mystical and mysterious world of Rokugan.

One of the adventures in this shows up the potential to this series, even if a lack of space is sometimes a problem. John Phythyon's 'The Last Sword of Doji Yasurugi' is set in the Spice Isles of the Mantis Clan – or, as often as not, in the seas around them, a daunting prospect for the generally land-locked samurai of the main clans. Ships plying the trade routes between Mantis and Crane are disappearing, and the result is a growing economic and thus political crisis. No mere case of piracy, this is the introduction into a tale of vengeful ghosts (and a vengeful but all-too-living schemer), an ancestral sword, and why you might want to throw rice over the side of your ship while crossing the Bay of Dark Water.

There are twists, turns, and numerous hooks on which the GM can hang extra elements to personalise and bulk the adventure out. It is also interesting to see an adventure set in the Spice Isles, although more background information would have been both helpful and useful. A cynic might spy a subtle marketing exercise for the forthcoming 'Way of the Minor Clans'.

Unfortunately, all this conspires to underline just how paltry an offering the other adventure, Jim Moore's 'Plague Upon Your Lands', turns out to be. The setting is promising: a magical plague is sweeping the Phoenix lands, people are fleeing, the roads are clogged with refugees, the cities are closing their gates to potential carriers. When it comes down to it, though, underneath a lot of sometimes well-written but essentially redundant prose, this scenario has depressingly little to it. It is a straight dot-to-dot exercise: the characters are charged with ending the plague; they must go to the city of Kyuden Isawa; they must find a hidden scroll in the Great Library, which tells them where to go; on the way they find a magic sword (for which they don't even have to fight or think or roleplay; they reach a cursed manor house; in the only room with anything in it, they find a demon; they kill the demon (helped by the convenient sword). That's it. There are no alternative ways to find out the cause of the Darkfever; no different responses; no subtleties, twists or novelties. Nor is there lost of useful background information useful later for local colour: most of the background is adventure-specific and of no real relevance. In short, this is a three-line adventure outline which somehow is occupying 18 pages. Sure, a good GM can add all that is needed – but that good GM could come up with a better basic storyline anyway, and not have to pay for the privilege.

'Plague' should never have been published, and those pages could have been used to develop 'Lost Sword'. Or something: those trees shouldn't have been chopped down in vain.

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

Midnight's Blood
Author: Jim Moore & John R Phythyon Jr Category: game Company/Publisher: AEG Line: L5R RPG Cost: $9.95 Page count: 47 ISBN: 29220 40053 Playtest Review by Mark Galeotti on 06/25/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Asian/Far_East	The range of L5R adventure series spawns yet another: the 'M' or High Magic range of 'adventures concerning curses, ghosts and dangerous magic.' Potentially good stuff: holding the line against hordes of Shadowlands creatures on the Kaiu Wall can be fun, but after a certain point becomes hack and slash tactical combat rather than real engagement in the mystical and mysterious world of Rokugan. One of the adventures in this shows up the potential to this series, even if a lack of space is sometimes a problem. John Phythyon's 'The Last Sword of Doji Yasurugi' is set in the Spice Isles of the Mantis Clan – or, as often as not, in the seas around them, a daunting prospect for the generally land-locked samurai of the main clans. Ships plying the trade routes between Mantis and Crane are disappearing, and the result is a growing economic and thus political crisis. No mere case of piracy, this is the introduction into a tale of vengeful ghosts (and a vengeful but all-too-living schemer), an ancestral sword, and why you might want to throw rice over the side of your ship while crossing the Bay of Dark Water. There are twists, turns, and numerous hooks on which the GM can hang extra elements to personalise and bulk the adventure out. It is also interesting to see an adventure set in the Spice Isles, although more background information would have been both helpful and useful. A cynic might spy a subtle marketing exercise for the forthcoming 'Way of the Minor Clans'. Unfortunately, all this conspires to underline just how paltry an offering the other adventure, Jim Moore's 'Plague Upon Your Lands', turns out to be. The setting is promising: a magical plague is sweeping the Phoenix lands, people are fleeing, the roads are clogged with refugees, the cities are closing their gates to potential carriers. When it comes down to it, though, underneath a lot of sometimes well-written but essentially redundant prose, this scenario has depressingly little to it. It is a straight dot-to-dot exercise: the characters are charged with ending the plague; they must go to the city of Kyuden Isawa; they must find a hidden scroll in the Great Library, which tells them where to go; on the way they find a magic sword (for which they don't even have to fight or think or roleplay; they reach a cursed manor house; in the only room with anything in it, they find a demon; they kill the demon (helped by the convenient sword). That's it. There are no alternative ways to find out the cause of the Darkfever; no different responses; no subtleties, twists or novelties. Nor is there lost of useful background information useful later for local colour: most of the background is adventure-specific and of no real relevance. In short, this is a three-line adventure outline which somehow is occupying 18 pages. Sure, a good GM can add all that is needed – but that good GM could come up with a better basic storyline anyway, and not have to pay for the privilege. 'Plague' should never have been published, and those pages could have been used to develop 'Lost Sword'. Or something: those trees shouldn't have been chopped down in vain. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)

Midnight's Blood