The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I'm scared. Maybe I am getting old. I now understand why people still play 1st Edition AD&D. Or Shadowrun. People fear change and sometimes can't let go of the past. All the other games I've played came out with new editions and I took them in stride. Then I met L5R. She was mystical, wonderful, and everything I looked for in a game. When I heard her second edition was coming out in the now-back-in-vogue players guide/GM guide I was happy. But then I saw a preview of the changes and it scared me....

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Legend of the Five Rings, for those who might be curious, is a Samurai Fantasy RPG set in the same world as the Legend of the Five Rings CCG. It's set a few years behind the continuity of the CCG's storyline so the books have time to unfold everything. The world of L5R (as it's known in short hand) is best described as "Asia-lite" where most legends and history are conscripted together. Imagine Tolkien mashing around Eastern mythology like he did Western mythology and you have an idea of Rokugan. Players play samurai, either the sword-toting kind (bushi) or the spell-slinging kind (shugenja) and serve one of the Great Clans in their duty to the Empire. The Clans give L5R the political intrigue of Vampire and set the group up in the "We hate each other but we need to work together" vibe. These are the basics but any player will tell you there is oh so much more.

The Book: The Players Guide looks good. It was a map of Rokugan on the inside covers that at first looks like it was drawn by one of those HexMapMaster programs you can buy. But then I realised that's how feudal Japanese art looked and forgave it. Besides, one of the maps clearly defines the lands of each of the clans. That's something the old book needed. The inside is written in the font of the CCG to make players feel at home. Each clan gets four pages of full color that describes what they are about. The book itself is fairly well laid-out and easy to look at.

Content: Since they can put all the "how to be a GM" stuff in its own book, this one can concentrate on one of the strengths of the game: how to be a samurai. They take it seriously and the book contains a lot on how to behave, what to say, and how to do it right. It contains info on the life of a samurai, the tenets of Bushido, and how to make your character more believable than the "samurai baker" from SNL. This stuff is always fascinating and it's good to have a player's guide to let them digest.

The Old School: Most of the people tuning in are already L5R players who want to know what the changes are in the new edition and how they stand up. To wit:

The Good: The shugenja rules are a little crisper. No more flipping through the book looking for spell TNs since the TN is now the mastery level x 5. Shugenja also have an element they kick butt in and one they are deficient in. I'm a big fan of dualist advantages and this system works for me.
Each Clan now comes with four schools that can be played right out of the book. There are the basic bushi/shugenja schools, a brand spanking new school, and one reprinted from the Way books in a sort of teaser appendix in the back. Naga are also addressed in the book and starting players can make one right out of the box.

The Bad The story is now officially updated to the beginnings of the Clan War after the Scorpion coup. At the same time, they want to allow for Scorpions, Akodo and untainted Crab. A new player looking at this might feel like they're walking into a movie that started 20 minutes earlier.
The new rolling system. Roll skill, keep trait. I didn't se why the old one was broken and why this was fixed this way. I could probably go on and on why I don't like it but I will just say I don't.

Was it a good investment? Yes. I liked everything in the new edition except the new rolling system. I'll probably incorporate everything else into my game easily. Long-time players will enjoy the new info and also show loyalty to the game now that WotC has put the CCG up for sale. New players will get a chance to see why L5R is such a big deal. And maybe they'll tell me why the new system is better.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Legend of the Five Rings Player's Guide (Second Edition)
Author: Ree Soesbee, Rich Wulf, et al. Category: game Company/Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group Line: Legend of the Five Rings Cost: $29.99 Capsule Review by Rob Wieland on 12/22/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Asian/Far East	I'm scared. Maybe I am getting old. I now understand why people still play 1st Edition AD&D. Or Shadowrun. People fear change and sometimes can't let go of the past. All the other games I've played came out with new editions and I took them in stride. Then I met L5R. She was mystical, wonderful, and everything I looked for in a game. When I heard her second edition was coming out in the now-back-in-vogue players guide/GM guide I was happy. But then I saw a preview of the changes and it scared me.... But I'm getting ahead of myself. Legend of the Five Rings, for those who might be curious, is a Samurai Fantasy RPG set in the same world as the Legend of the Five Rings CCG. It's set a few years behind the continuity of the CCG's storyline so the books have time to unfold everything. The world of L5R (as it's known in short hand) is best described as "Asia-lite" where most legends and history are conscripted together. Imagine Tolkien mashing around Eastern mythology like he did Western mythology and you have an idea of Rokugan. Players play samurai, either the sword-toting kind (bushi) or the spell-slinging kind (shugenja) and serve one of the Great Clans in their duty to the Empire. The Clans give L5R the political intrigue of Vampire and set the group up in the "We hate each other but we need to work together" vibe. These are the basics but any player will tell you there is oh so much more. The Book: The Players Guide looks good. It was a map of Rokugan on the inside covers that at first looks like it was drawn by one of those HexMapMaster programs you can buy. But then I realised that's how feudal Japanese art looked and forgave it. Besides, one of the maps clearly defines the lands of each of the clans. That's something the old book needed. The inside is written in the font of the CCG to make players feel at home. Each clan gets four pages of full color that describes what they are about. The book itself is fairly well laid-out and easy to look at. Content: Since they can put all the "how to be a GM" stuff in its own book, this one can concentrate on one of the strengths of the game: how to be a samurai. They take it seriously and the book contains a lot on how to behave, what to say, and how to do it right. It contains info on the life of a samurai, the tenets of Bushido, and how to make your character more believable than the "samurai baker" from SNL. This stuff is always fascinating and it's good to have a player's guide to let them digest. The Old School: Most of the people tuning in are already L5R players who want to know what the changes are in the new edition and how they stand up. To wit: The Good: The shugenja rules are a little crisper. No more flipping through the book looking for spell TNs since the TN is now the mastery level x 5. Shugenja also have an element they kick butt in and one they are deficient in. I'm a big fan of dualist advantages and this system works for me. Each Clan now comes with four schools that can be played right out of the book. There are the basic bushi/shugenja schools, a brand spanking new school, and one reprinted from the Way books in a sort of teaser appendix in the back. Naga are also addressed in the book and starting players can make one right out of the box. The Bad The story is now officially updated to the beginnings of the Clan War after the Scorpion coup. At the same time, they want to allow for Scorpions, Akodo and untainted Crab. A new player looking at this might feel like they're walking into a movie that started 20 minutes earlier. The new rolling system. Roll skill, keep trait. I didn't se why the old one was broken and why this was fixed this way. I could probably go on and on why I don't like it but I will just say I don't. Was it a good investment? Yes. I liked everything in the new edition except the new rolling system. I'll probably incorporate everything else into my game easily. Long-time players will enjoy the new info and also show loyalty to the game now that WotC has put the CCG up for sale. New players will get a chance to see why L5R is such a big deal. And maybe they'll tell me why the new system is better. Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 3 (Average)

Legend of the Five Rings Player's Guide (Second Edition)