The Inside Scoop on Gaming

An Overview of the Legend of the Five Rings game line.

INTRODUCTION

RPG.net's (and other sources) reviews tend to suffer from one problem that is rarely noticed. The reviews concern themselves with only a single item or book and commonly only compare it with other books from that line. Should a person wonder if a new game system is worth investing in (and these days, few games will consist solely of a main rulebook with no need for supplements) then they have to read a variety of reviews for the main rules and try to piece together an idea of the supplements worth and quality from a myriad of other reviewers conflicting opinions. Even then, they will little idea of how that game line stacks up against ones they may already be familiar with,

This Overview is designed to correct this problem by addressing both the quality of the game line relative to other games and to highlight the more valuable supplements or paraphernalia for that game. In other words I'm attempting to review the entire L5R game line, taking almost all of its currently published books into account. Naturally I hope other reviewers will do the same so to provide readers with the benefit of alternate viewpoints. I know this review style is somewhat unprecedented, but given that I belong to that school of gamer who collects many different game systems and supplements (including trying to have complete collections for the best games), I think that I can share the benefit of my knowledge and game library. Given that I possess or have read over 80% of the published L5R RPG output, I hope that I can give a reasonably fair and accurate assessment.

LEGEND OF THE FIVE RINGS (L5R)

As is traditional, I may as well start with a system that I broadly liked and has been recognised generally as a superior system- the Japanese/Samurai fantasy game of L5R.

I should also note that this RPG was based on a collectible card game of the same name and has in turn spawned a wargame ('Clan War') and a fiction series. However, I'll just discuss the RPG, as I don't play either the CCG or wargame.

The game sets itself in the large land empire of Rokugan, a place ruled over by the wisdom of the Emperor Hantei, under whom the Seven Great Clans (named after creatures both mythical and mundane) serve their appointed role. Namely we have the dour Crab Clan who guard against the evil of their supernatural neighbours on the south-western border, the rich Crane whose courtiers toady to the Emperor, the monkish Dragons who keep themselves to themselves, the soldiering Lions with their military superiority, the mystical Phoenix who are masters of magic and theology, the shadowy Scorpion who are just bastards and the horse-riding Unicorn who have travelled beyond Rokugans insular borders. A host of ronin and minor clans complete the Samurais pyramid of power, and beneath them are the priests, monks and scholars followed by the peasant classes (farmers, merchants, geisha, craftsmen etc.)

Rokugan is a rich, vibrant land that has existed for a thousand years, ever since the 9 Kami (children of the Heavens, veritable demigods) fell to earth, and led the primitive human race. Eight of the kami spirits were largely beneficial creatures who set up the Imperial Line and seven Great Clans. Everyone can trace their descent from these divine founders, and even though they don't have the abilities of gods, this relationship brings respect from the spirit world. The 9th kami was the evil Fu Leng who created the evil Shadowlands and demons (termed 'Oni') who are forever trying to destroy the Emerald empire of Rokugan.

Players can choose between 'bushi' -traditional style katana swinging samurai and shugenja (sorceror/priest types) in the main rulebook. The various clanbooks and 'Winter courts' add a wide variety of other character class options, such as courtiers, artists, magistrates, merchants, alchemists, monks, mystics and even ninja! By combining these 'occupations' with the rich heritage and family basis of the clans you get the best mix of AD&D style character classes with White Wolf 'splats' or groups. In a way this makes L5R superior to those games as it provides characters with both a history, sense of belonging and ready made attitudes with a job and skills that shape their future. Nicely enough, the rules are solid enough to prevent uber-characters such as bushi-shugenja. Instead samurai are brought up from a young age with intensive training in their occupation and can never really acquire the abilities of another. The brilliance of the game is that it doesn't make this an arbitrary rule, but one rooted in the caste-driven empire where every one has their place and must fulfil it for society to work. Yet within those classes, specialisation is still possible, leading to some very competent characters. The other advantage that this brings is that characters must co-operate in their respective fields of excellence, leading to strong parties and a game where every one can contribute to the groups success without competing with each other.

THE RULES

L5R uses the 'roll-and-keep' system that Wick later copied to '7th Sea.' To briefly explain, the game only uses d10's and players roll a number of dice equal to their skill level plus their attribute or trait level. They then keep (and add up) their choice of results equal to their attribute. If their final total exceeds the target number set by the GM then they succeed. Confident players may also try to control the success of their action by asking for a Raise (literally raising the stake), increasing their target number by 5. Given that attributes and skills usually range between 1-5, this can be quite risky, especially for when multiple raises are required.

For example, should my mighty bushi (with an agility of 3 and Kenjutsu (swordsmaship) skill of 2) want to hit some one, I would roll 5 dice and keep the highest 3. Should their combined total exceed a typical difficulty level of 15, then I hit.

By and large this system is relatively easy to work and is quite quick. Combat slows down a bit as people must go through a sequence of testing to see if they hit, how much damage they generate, and then change dice totals dependent on wounds received. Manoeuvres, bushi secret school training and spells are possible but do complicate the process. Comparing it to other games, I'd say its slower and harder than D&D3, but less complicated and quicker than the Shadowrun and Storyteller systems.

In closing I'll just mention a few other rules orientated things. Firstly, the major traits are called or represented as elemental rings. These elements are further subdivided into a physical and mental attributes. (For example the Fire ring is made up of physical Agility and mental Intelligence) and so gives the game 5 elements of Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Void (the perfection of elemental harmony). Despite giving the game its name, and representing an unique viewpoint on the structure of the world, this has little game significance. Reference to the 5 elements tends to be either in terms of magic, as minor background notes, or in the rules section. Next, we have the important traits of Glory and Honour. Glory as you'd expect is a measure of reputation that a samurais actions (and his family's actions) possess. Honour is more interesting in that it describes the samurais adherence to the code of bushido in both letter and spirit. Whilst similar to D&D alignment or Vampires Humanity in that it restricts a persons typical actions, unlike those two example, it has a great benefit too. When forced to do something against bushido (and the players wish) Then the player can call for a test of honour to resist. For example, if frightened by a supernatural evil, or having failed a roll against seduction, the player gets a second chance to resist by calling upon his honour. This little mechanic means that apart from the moral and social advantages of behaving honourably, there are definite, lifesaving game effects.

MAGIC

I believe there are two important things with magic in a game system. Firstly, does it make sense in terms of the setting, and secondly how complicated are the game rules governing it. For example, I've found AD&D magic to have been something of an oddity, whilst the vast majority of people are peasants on subsistence levels, mages can afford to create thousands of hugely expensive magical items (given you use the standard treasure generation system), sacrificing their life force in the process. Furthermore, despite 'Continual Light' spells that last thousands of years, most castles, towns and villages still rely on candles and lanterns. Seemingly society has no effect on mages, yet neither do wizards affect society.

But I digress. Having just described the wrong way to approach magic, L5R does it far better. Magic users are largely not the western style wizard who speak words of power and memorise temporary spells. Instead its based in the division of all things into the 5 elements. Rokugani wizards are called 'Shugenja' and they are normal people taught since childhood to listen to the animist spirits and Fortunes all around them. These elemental spirits that personify local trees, lakes, clouds and fire all have distinct (but fortunately simple) personalities and abilities. Shugenja respectfully ask these spirits to assist them or summon the raw essence of the element itself, and once entreated enough (by a dice roll success) the spirits perform the magic.

Shugenja also perform the role of priests, mystics and interpreters of the words of Shinsei, a little bald monk who brought enlightenment to the empire a thousand years ago. This means that whilst it is perfectly possible to have scheming, foolish or selfish shugenja, they are at least collectively a group of responsible, honourable sages. Because their magic stems from the respect of spirits for their position and wisdom, they operate as a relatively humble part of society, and so the people trust and welcome them. In return shugenja appease spirits, perform ceremonial rituals, bless crops and protect against the supernatural. Daft things such as continual light spells don't exist precisely because Fire as an element is short-lived and needs feeding.

Of course evil magic users are possible, but they do not draw up local elementals, but the power of the evil God Fu Leng (arch enemy of the Empire). Such 'maho' users can easily be represented as shugenja, but are covered in greater detail in the two Books of the Shadowlands.

SUPPLEMENTS Vs. MAIN BOOK

I'll note at the beginning that this assessment relates to the existing unified L5R rulebook which covers information for both players and GM. However, Alderac games have announced they are revising the rules to form a separate Players guide and GM's Guide which will include information from certain of these supplements.

Now, the L5R has enough details, adventure ideas, rules and characters to create a perfectly serviceable campaign. On its own, GM's can recreate their favourite samurai movies, or even their own versions of 'Shogun'.

However L5R is partly based on the storyline of the card game of the same name. As such there is an ongoing metaplot that involves the death of the last Hantei emperor, the Scorpion Clan coup, rise of Fu Leng and war with the Shadowlands. And while I normally detest these metaplots that keep secrets from the GM such is not the case with L5R. The storyline is available in FAQ form on the Internet (try a search for 'L5R' and 'History' or 'Story'). The details of the storyline, including the statistics of the major NPC's are to be found in the various sourcebooks. Indeed you can even read it in their fiction line, which while giving the plot away to players at least has everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.

Firstly the umpteen Way of "XYZ" clanbooks which cover the history, psychology, secrets, homes, special abilities and unique character classes of the Clan or group in question e.g. Way of the Lion or Way of the Phoenix . I found that the first Clanbook, Way of the Dragon to be genuinely interesting. The book was packed with info on the mysterious Dragons, exploring their psychologies, traditions, clan leaders, their unique form of justice (they follow evidence based trials over testimony) and their monks with tattoos and martial arts. A great secret is revealed about their Clan Lord and the existence of dragons in Rokugan is discussed. And all throughout, we have sidebars packed with cryptic wisdom, ancestral spirits and discussions on the proper use of swordplay. I also particularly like the ancestral heritage tables which can really flesh out a PC's family history and make his position come alive. Unlike the rest of character generation, this process uses random dice rolls giving some interesting effects.. e.g.. one samurai I created turned out to have more Glory than his family daimyo because he was a minor cousin to the Emperor himself and lived on lands granted to his ancestor after a terrible battle. One Dragon PC came out having been impoverished by his grandfathers foolishness and thus had to dishonour himself by learning craft skills. However, he was now haunted by the irascible spirit of granddad who demands that he make things right in return for extra Void.

The rest of these 'Way of' books tend to be good, with commendations for the Scorpion and Crab clans. These books can be used by both players and GM's as they provide new character classes and families for players and NPC daimyos and secrets for the GM. The Way of the Naga allows non-human characters but these guys are pretty peripheral overall and have trouble interacting with Rokugani. I've yet to read the Way of Shinsei and Wolf (covering monks and ronin respectively) but feel that these slightly take attention away from the main focus of the game- samurai.

Compared to other games, these clanbooks can be quite expensive (averaging £10 in the UK), but unlike systems such as Vampire or Werewolf, they are actually worth it. The sourcebooks are engrossing reads, littered with history, examples of honourable (and dishonourable) behaviour along with information on the vital role each clan plays in the Empire. Players will actually find day-to-day use in these books, for example debating sword technique styles and they can often be used as adventure inspiration. The other great thing is that you don't have to buy many of them, as you need only get one or two and let the players create characters only for those clans. There are enough ideas, plots and clan rivalries for the PCs to wander just around the clan homelands and never go anywhere else again.

The Winter Court books tend to be published every year or so and contain plot updates, Imperial history, character classes for the families of the Imperial household, information on courtly manners and life and the latest politics and NPC's. They lack a precise focus being something of a mix of ideas, yet I did like them. Definitely recommended but nonessential.

Way of the Shadow, Merchants Guide to Rokugan, and the Books of the Shadowlands are GM only books and describe a variety of antagonists for the PCs to fight, respectively the ninja and Living Shadow, the Kolat conspiracy, and Fu Leng and his mortal and Oni minions. Out of these three, the Book of Shadowlands is the best buy as it resonates with Japanese culture and the entire thrust of the game as the Empire prepares for the final battle with the evil brother of the Gods. Unfortunately the first book of Shadowlands is out of print, but parts may be included in the new GM's guide. The second is less coherent but can establish an effective horror style campaign. Way of the Shadow is possibly a higher quality work and creates a terrible new opponent for all life. This Shadow is a genuinely horrific and scary concept that steals other peoples faces and memories until they lose all identity. This concept is bad enough that I'm considering using it for a Cthulhu/DG campaign. However, it is such a devastating opponent that PC's have little hope of defeating it and may only confuse the issue for samurai intent on defending Rokugan from the physical horrors of the Shadowlands. The Kolat book is the weakest of the three and can safely be ignored. they are nowhere as near a interesting and the conspiracy's continued existence doesn't make too much sense given the existence of the Scorpion clan conspiracy snifffers for one thousand years.

The GMs survival guide is more a cultural overview of Rokugani customs and life which can be safely ignored by experienced GM's and a Japanese history book. Unexpected Allies gives stats and write-ups for a variety of NPCs. Whilst this book has some interesting minor NPCs, none are essential as most clan or imperial luminaries are given in the Clan and Winter Court books. these are the bit part actors on the great stage of Rokugan.

Next on the GM's list is the three boxed sets produced. Two ('City of Lies' and 'Otosan Uchi') are city sourceboxes and the third (Tomb of Iuciban) is an adventure set around the evil maho sorcerer and zombie lord Iuchiban. City of Lies is one of the best city write-ups I've ever seen, on par with Chaosiums and FASA's best works. (e.g. Arkham, Innsmouth and Seattle), except that it concentrates best on the cities traditions and the interplay between the samurai inhabitants. It even has a inspired campaign where the PC's become Imperial magistrates, forced to impose law and order on the den of villainy and corruption that is the opium capital of Rokugan, Ryoko Owari Toshi. I recommend it as a great buy. Otosan Uchi is more expensive and slightly harder to get. It describes the Imperial capital, but lacks the style, panache and excitement of 'City of Lies.' This is because its too big, forcing the writers to describe it in terms of districts and factions. Its more involved with the bricks and mortar than the people that inhabit the city. The box also includes a booklet describing the Scorpion Clan Coup as the Scorpions kill the Emperor and raze the city to the ground. Unfortunately, despite the subject matter, it is written in a very dry tone and lacks any sense of urgency or drama. It also struck me as a mistake to have an adventure that makes the rest of the boxed set nearly unplayable as the battles kill half the citys' populace. Finally we have Tomb of Iuchiban. As a lengthy adventure (that ties in to 'City of Lies' and 'Night of a 100 Screams' but isn't locked to them) or short campaign it is fiendishly difficult and lethal. Overall quite good, reminiscent in parts of Cthulhus 'Masks of Nyarlathotep' but without the longevity or evenness of quality.

Compared to the rest of the L5R adventures (Night of 1000 Screams, Code of Bushido, Honours Veil, Lesser of Two Evils etc.) Tomb is by far the best. Unfortunately I can comment the least on the adventures as I only own one (Night of Screams) and have only skimmed the rest. By and large I didn't feel they were anything too special.

To summarise, the game is perfectly playable with the rulebook alone, and the introductory adventure is a beaut that will start off the players on the right track. If you want the supplements, then the best choice in my opinion is to get City of Lies (it also has a large map of Rokugan!) for a wonderful on-going campaign and base of operations. I would also recommend getting the clanbooks that they players are interested in using. To my mind, the best of the bunch are the Scorpion and Dragon books, both of which are written by John Wick and represent his vision best. For beating up monsters, get the first Shadowlands book. For terror get the second book. And for creeping, Cthulhu-type reality defying horror get 'Way of the Shadow'. Imperial intrigue campaign ideas are in the 'Winter Court' books, but don't bother wasting your money on 'Otosan Uchi'. For a stylish dungeon bash then get 'Tomb of Iuchiban'. Insecure GM's (or those without a scoobie of Rokugani culture and peoples) should get the GM's Survival Guide. The non-boxed set adventures, 'Unexpected Allies' and 'Walking the Way' are OK but nonessential.

CONCLUSIONS

L5R is a wonderfully intricate and culturally rich game. By and large the separations of the Clans and society, whilst initially appearing artificial and 'splat-like' do in fact flow from the history and needs of the Empire. Unfortunately it requires a degree of dedication is required to learn all the language, customs, rights and etiquette of this society. Japanese or Oriental students will have a definite advantage. Its similar to the complexity of WW's Werewolf culture and politics, but its simultaneously more realistic and exotic. However, the time investment this requires is well worth it.

The other notable aspect of L5R is the multiplicity of genres that can played within the setting. It includes mystery, law enforcement, battle campaigns, dungeon hacks, black comedy and horror. Unlike Vampire it can be a fun game, silly accents included. Unlike AD&D it can have moments of moral quandary as samurai decide whether love or obedience to ones lord is more important. Unlike things such as Star Wars it has a well thought out background. In short there is space for every type of game whether political, cinematic, philosophical or pulp. Normally this adaptability leads to unfocused, multi-genre kludges, but the strong Japanese fantasy element focuses and unifies the game. So what is wrong with it? Firstly the setting is slightly obscure for us Westerners. Though not historically accurate, it does bear a close resemblance to both mediaeval Japanese society and mythology. This means you may have to trust your players with reading the sourcebooks in order to get an idea of the subtleties of the culture. The GM too will have to memorise reams of information and possibly do some research (I recommend reading James Clavells 'Shogun' and 'Gaijin' novels) The rules systems isn't immediately intuitive, and magic combined with Void allows some very powerful shugenja. This is bad as it can occasionally overshadow bushi in combat. Finally, the supplements deal with a widely known, set plot-line, so unless you radically change events, canny players will know what to expect. (e.g. don't generate a Scorpion)

Finally to compare the line with other systems. Naturally its similar to AEG's 7th Sea, but the rules appears to work better and the setting is more distinctive. I'd prefer it to the WoD system because it is more coherent and varied in tone and atmosphere. Its certainly got better writing to AD&D and is slightly more realistic. I think it meets its equal with Deadlands and Aberrant and possibly DG/Cthulhu. I think, that currently, despite its flaws it should be in any top 10 of RPGs and I would have it around 4th or 5th place.

Overall, I would recommend L5R to a friend as a superior game system. I enjoy its unique setting, detailed history, varied characters and the quality of the writing. Summing across the various books, I'd give the setting a Style rating of 4 as its filled with appropriate art, exemplar fictions and fancy ideas, let down only by unevenness of presentation and writing. For substance, the detailed, coherent society and history presented and the ability to play any style of game within the genre give a high rating. Unfortunate niggles over the rules system (which is good, but not perfect) bring it down to a 4 as well.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Legend of the 5 Rings game line