The Inside Scoop on Gaming

'City of Lies' isn't a new product – its all of a year old now – but it deserves reviewing because it is one of that rarest of finds: a real master work. Set in the faction-riven, opium-trading, crime-ridden city of Ryoko Owari – 'Rokugan's most elegant cesspit' – this gives you everything you need to run a long-running campaign, from ready-made adventures to deep background on the people, places and plots of 'Journey's End City.' Lots of people have tried this, since the days of the first 'City State of the Invincible Overlord', but what makes 'City of Lies' outstanding is the richness of the texture and the thought and care behind the whole product.

In the box, you get a map of Rokugan (my only gripe: the pretty, full-colour side has no place names or similar, those are on the uglier black-grey-white hex-grid version on the back), an authentic-looking map of the city (it is like a genuine Japanese map, not the neat board for a skirmish game), a short introductory guide, the Journal of Ashidaka Naritoki (the private journal of the city's previous magistrate – an excellent brefing aid or a prop to give out during play) and fully three substantial main books. The Player's Guide, 'City of Stories', has commonly-known background information on people and places, and even a guide to city slang and how long it takes to get from one location to the next. The Location Guide, 'City of Green Walls', is a more detailed guide to the city, full of short adventure ideas. Then the largest book (almost 100 pages) is the GM's Guide, 'City of Lies', full of the *real* low-down, as well as a major adventure cycle and guidelines for running different kinds of campaign in the city. These range from honest magistrates trying to clean up the city to corrupt upstarts looking to cut themselves a piece of the action.

This is a living, breathing city. You get to know how the city's sewage is dealt with (and yes, there is a point to knowing that!), why opium is so important and who runs it. There is also the essential depth: some characters are exactly how they appear on the surface, some very different, some just squeezed and stretched in unexpected directions. The cross-referencing means that you get a sense of the all-important inter-connections between people, places and factions, and in some ways folliwing these various links is as engrossing as a piece of fiction.

After all, it is beautifully written, clear, elegant and often wry and witty. At their best, AEG's products are at the very top of the RPG evolutionary scale, and this is the best of the best. Enough of my over the top enthusiasm: just go and buy it.

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

City of Lies
Author: Greg Stolze Category: game Company/Publisher: AEG Line: L5R RPG Cost: $29.95 Page count: n/a ISBN: 29220 300416 Playtest Review by Mark Galeotti on 07/03/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Conspiracy Asian/Far_East	'City of Lies' isn't a new product – its all of a year old now – but it deserves reviewing because it is one of that rarest of finds: a real master work. Set in the faction-riven, opium-trading, crime-ridden city of Ryoko Owari – 'Rokugan's most elegant cesspit' – this gives you everything you need to run a long-running campaign, from ready-made adventures to deep background on the people, places and plots of 'Journey's End City.' Lots of people have tried this, since the days of the first 'City State of the Invincible Overlord', but what makes 'City of Lies' outstanding is the richness of the texture and the thought and care behind the whole product. In the box, you get a map of Rokugan (my only gripe: the pretty, full-colour side has no place names or similar, those are on the uglier black-grey-white hex-grid version on the back), an authentic-looking map of the city (it is like a genuine Japanese map, not the neat board for a skirmish game), a short introductory guide, the Journal of Ashidaka Naritoki (the private journal of the city's previous magistrate – an excellent brefing aid or a prop to give out during play) and fully three substantial main books. The Player's Guide, 'City of Stories', has commonly-known background information on people and places, and even a guide to city slang and how long it takes to get from one location to the next. The Location Guide, 'City of Green Walls', is a more detailed guide to the city, full of short adventure ideas. Then the largest book (almost 100 pages) is the GM's Guide, 'City of Lies', full of the real low-down, as well as a major adventure cycle and guidelines for running different kinds of campaign in the city. These range from honest magistrates trying to clean up the city to corrupt upstarts looking to cut themselves a piece of the action. This is a living, breathing city. You get to know how the city's sewage is dealt with (and yes, there is a point to knowing that!), why opium is so important and who runs it. There is also the essential depth: some characters are exactly how they appear on the surface, some very different, some just squeezed and stretched in unexpected directions. The cross-referencing means that you get a sense of the all-important inter-connections between people, places and factions, and in some ways folliwing these various links is as engrossing as a piece of fiction. After all, it is beautifully written, clear, elegant and often wry and witty. At their best, AEG's products are at the very top of the RPG evolutionary scale, and this is the best of the best. Enough of my over the top enthusiasm: just go and buy it. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)