RPGnet : The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Bearers of Jade: The Second Book of the Shadowlands

for Legend of the Five Rings

by Chris Hepler and Jennifer Brandes

Alderac Entertainment Group

152 pages, perfect bound

$24.95

Grade: A-

Reviewed by: Lisa Padol

"Charming" is not the adjective one usually thinks of in conjunction with the horrors of the Shadowlands, but it sums up my feelings towards Bearers of Jade. I have no idea what was in the first Book of the Shadowlands, but the second meets my standards for the ideal supplement: It is not necessary, but it is so good that you will want it anyway.

The book is divided into sections on life on the Kaiu Wall, the Shadowlands proper, relics which may have become tainted, monsters, evil magic, and a glimpse of some of the horrific events that occur daily in the Shadowlands. Each of these sections contains narratives in the form of documents written by many different Rokugani. All documents were compiled by Seikansha, a ronin who apparently used to be a samurai too good at his job of discovering evidence of the taint. The narratives are supplemented by sidebars and material at the end of the first five sections and in the appendices. An excerpt from a Crab's play and an introduction by Seikansha round out the book.

The layout is clean, although inevitably, it wasn't possible to match sidebars perfectly with the text every time. The art is up to the usual high standards for L5R. But the narratives are what make Bearers of Jade stand out. They take what would otherwise be a grab bag of rules, items, and monsters of the Shadowlands and show how to -use- them. The narratives show the stories behind cursed items and hideous monsters, demonstrating by example the sort of storytelling other gaming products have tried to demonstrate with long, preachy passages that either annoy or bore me. The stories are well supplemented by the sidebars translating all that narrative coolness into mechanics. So, your PC has been tainted. Now what? The narratives explain what this means to your character while sidebars explain what it means in game terms. The two halves of the book work well together.

The odds are that you won't be able to use all of the material in this book, but you will be able to use some even if you never plan to use the Shadowlands. Naturally, there are plenty of good suggestions for Shadowlands campaigns. For example, don't make your PCs subordinate grunts at the Kaiu Wall. Put them in charge, and they will find that their troubles are just beginning. Your players will appreciate their PCs giving the orders for a change, and having more evidence that their actions really do affect the game world.

I will probably not run a Shadowlands game, but parts of this book will find a place in my campaigns, and not just my L5R games either. The final three pages should be required reading for GMs planning to run games with horror elements. These pages discuss what horror is, how it is distinct from adventure, and, most importantly, how to run horror games without boring or unduly disturbing your players. It's far from the last word in horror, but it's an excellent place to begin.

The only thing preventing me from suggesting that every GM running an L5R, horror, or general fantasy campaign should rush out right now and buy it is the cost. More precisely, it is the combination of the cost and the probability that much of the material will remain unused. Yes, the price is in line with other products of similar length, and, yes, it is an excellent product, but I recognize that not everyone can spare the extra cash to buy something they will only use part of. If money is not an issue, buy this. If it is, flip through it in the store to see if there is $25 worth of material you will use. For L5R GMs and those interested in running games with elements of horror, the answer is likely to be "yes".

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

Bearers of Jade: The Second Book of the Shadowlands
Author: by Chris Hepler and Jennifer Brandes Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Line: Legend of the Five Rings Cost: $24.95 Page count: 152 pages, perfect bound Capsule Review by Lisa Padol on 11/19/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Asian/Far_East	Bearers of Jade: The Second Book of the Shadowlands for Legend of the Five Rings by Chris Hepler and Jennifer Brandes Alderac Entertainment Group 152 pages, perfect bound $24.95 Grade: A- Reviewed by: Lisa Padol "Charming" is not the adjective one usually thinks of in conjunction with the horrors of the Shadowlands, but it sums up my feelings towards Bearers of Jade. I have no idea what was in the first Book of the Shadowlands, but the second meets my standards for the ideal supplement: It is not necessary, but it is so good that you will want it anyway. The book is divided into sections on life on the Kaiu Wall, the Shadowlands proper, relics which may have become tainted, monsters, evil magic, and a glimpse of some of the horrific events that occur daily in the Shadowlands. Each of these sections contains narratives in the form of documents written by many different Rokugani. All documents were compiled by Seikansha, a ronin who apparently used to be a samurai too good at his job of discovering evidence of the taint. The narratives are supplemented by sidebars and material at the end of the first five sections and in the appendices. An excerpt from a Crab's play and an introduction by Seikansha round out the book. The layout is clean, although inevitably, it wasn't possible to match sidebars perfectly with the text every time. The art is up to the usual high standards for L5R. But the narratives are what make Bearers of Jade stand out. They take what would otherwise be a grab bag of rules, items, and monsters of the Shadowlands and show how to -use- them. The narratives show the stories behind cursed items and hideous monsters, demonstrating by example the sort of storytelling other gaming products have tried to demonstrate with long, preachy passages that either annoy or bore me. The stories are well supplemented by the sidebars translating all that narrative coolness into mechanics. So, your PC has been tainted. Now what? The narratives explain what this means to your character while sidebars explain what it means in game terms. The two halves of the book work well together. The odds are that you won't be able to use all of the material in this book, but you will be able to use some even if you never plan to use the Shadowlands. Naturally, there are plenty of good suggestions for Shadowlands campaigns. For example, don't make your PCs subordinate grunts at the Kaiu Wall. Put them in charge, and they will find that their troubles are just beginning. Your players will appreciate their PCs giving the orders for a change, and having more evidence that their actions really do affect the game world. I will probably not run a Shadowlands game, but parts of this book will find a place in my campaigns, and not just my L5R games either. The final three pages should be required reading for GMs planning to run games with horror elements. These pages discuss what horror is, how it is distinct from adventure, and, most importantly, how to run horror games without boring or unduly disturbing your players. It's far from the last word in horror, but it's an excellent place to begin. The only thing preventing me from suggesting that every GM running an L5R, horror, or general fantasy campaign should rush out right now and buy it is the cost. More precisely, it is the combination of the cost and the probability that much of the material will remain unused. Yes, the price is in line with other products of similar length, and, yes, it is an excellent product, but I recognize that not everyone can spare the extra cash to buy something they will only use part of. If money is not an issue, buy this. If it is, flip through it in the store to see if there is $25 worth of material you will use. For L5R GMs and those interested in running games with elements of horror, the answer is likely to be "yes". Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)