Version 2.10 - July 2000
This completely unofficial intro is intended for people who've thought about trying Legend of the Five Rings (L5R), or who have just bought their first starter deck. All you experts, go 'way!
Q: What's Legend of the Five Rings about?
A: The short answer: L5R is a collectable card game (Magic: the Gathering and Pokémon are other famous examples of the genre). You play a warlord in a mythical country called Rokugan, and you are trying to become the Emperor. Rokugan has a striking resemblance to feudal Japan, with a liberal dose of Asian mythology. In flavour and style, L5R owes a lot to the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa (particularly The Seven Samurai). But L5R is less staid, with some elements that could come from Hong Kong fantasy adventure movies. L5R has some of the aesthetics of Chinese fantasy, such as the wuxia genre made popular by Jin Yong (an English translation of one of his novels is can be found here.)
What makes things more complicated is that L5R is also a story. Each new expansion acts sort of like the chapter of a book.
A: The first story, called "The Clan Wars," started with Imperial Edition (the first printing of the basic game; reprinted as Emerald and Obsidian Edition). Each expansion set acted like a chapter in a book, and the last expansion finished the story. The sets, in order, were "Shadowlands," "Forbidden Knowledge," "Anvil of Despair," "Crimson & Jade," "Time of the Void".
This was followed by "Scorpion Clan Coup," set before The Clan Wars.
The current story arc began with Jade Edition (reprinted as Pearl Edition). The first half, The Hidden Emperor, was released as one small set per month through 1998, and concluded with "The Dark Journey Home." The second half runs through "Honor Bound," "Ambition's Debt," "Fire & Shadow," and comes to a big finale in "Soul of the Empire."
Next up "Spirit Wars" (October release). When this expansion is set in the timeline is unknown.
Next year, a new storyline will begin, and along with it will be a new basic set: Gold Edition. The scuttlebutt is that this set will mark many major changes for the game, and will be set many years after Soul of the Empire.
A: There will be three L5R novels published this year: The Scorpion, The Unicorn, and The Crane. The first, by Steven Sullivan, details the Scorpion Clan Cloup -- the earliest part of the Rokugan's history covered by the card game. There are currently plans for seven novels, one focused on each of the Great Clans, and the series will tell the story of the Clan Wars.
But in all likelihood, the novels will only scratch the surface.
The L5R story defies easy summary. Learning what's going on, especially in the current story, requires you do a bit of gaming archeaology. You have to scrape together pieces here and there and try to assemble the thing into a coherent whole. It's told on the flavour text of the cards, in the card art, in snippets at the start of each new rulebook, on "clan letters" given out only to fan club members, in the role-playing game and miniature wargame, spontaneously by the design team at major cons (typically not recorded except by the ears of players), in discussion on the 'Net, and, in a very real way, by the players themselves.
This approach to storytelling has given L5R an unexpected richness, and freedom of interpretation not unlike historical legends. There are many stories that fit the observed facts. (How many versions of Robin Hood have you seen?) In an excellent article in Salon magazine, Robert Rossney wrote, "Although -- or, more likely, because -- the story of L5R is so hard to pin down, it lives in the minds of its audience like no other," adding, "I realized that I was doing more than just playing a card game: I was participating in a tradition of oral folklore."
If you want a short cut while you wait for the first book, there's a short summary of the first story line on Jeff Alexander's page. Compilation of other official pieces can be found here and here.
A: One of the nice things about L5R is that you've got several ways of winning: Honor, Military, and Enlightenment. You can win by accumulating Family Honor, becoming so popular that you are acclaimed to the Imperial throne. You can win by eliminating your foes through battle, or shaming them, becoming the only person who is able to claim the throne. Finally, you can demonstrate your mastery of the five elements (which involves playing cards -- the "five Rings" of the game's title -- after you accomplish certain tasks) and achieve Enlightenment. Be warned, though: although it's easier than it used to be, Enlightenment is still pretty hard for new players! (You can win by being popular, powerful, or recognised as a spiritual master. Which do you think is the most likely way to win the throne of an empire, eh?)
There are other cards that give you new victory conditions, too. You'll know 'em when you see 'em.
A: You play with two decks: Dynasty and Fate. Your Dynasty cards contain cards that produce gold, which is your main resource in the game. There's also personalities like samurai and magicians (called "shugenja" in L5R) that you can hire with said gold. There are other types of cards that can be found in the Dynasty deck, but gold and personalities are the two biggies.
Your Dynasty cards show up in one of four provinces, which are where battles occur. Because there are four places where you can win or lose a battle, a major part of the game's strategy lies in figuring out how you'll spread your military forces among those provinces.
Your Fate deck contains items, followers and spells to give to your personalities. It also includes various actions that you take as a daimyo, generally military or political ones.
A: In L5R, you play a member of a particular clan, each of which has particular strengths. The starter decks used to show a particular clan stronghold; the box was actually used in the game.
A: There are 13 Clans, and all but one of these clans have variant strongholds (listed below). They are:
Crab: Masters of defense, who protect the Empire's borders from the Shadowlands.
A: The best advice I can give is: play the clan that appeals to you the most, for whatever reason. Read the boxes, see what each of them is all about. Look at a few singles in other player's decks or in binders.
If you still can't make up your mind, I'd suggest starting with one of these if you're starting with Pearl Edition: Crab, Crane, Dragon, Lion, Unicorn, or Yoritomo's Alliance.
Monks are probably not the best choice for a new player, as they generally require very well balanced play to work. If you buy a Pearl Edition Monk starter deck, however, it contains all five elemental Ring cards, which you need for an Enlightenment victory.
For beginners, The Hidden Temples of the Naga and Shadowlands strongholds are more challenging to play because they can't win by Honor, which is the easiest and most common way of winning, particularly in multi-player games.
A few more things to warn you about if you're interested in playing Shadowlands. Shadowlands decks often can't use many of the personalities you'll get in your starter and first few boosters, because most of the personalities in the game won't work for someone at negative honor. Further, Shadowlands is so different from the other clans that there are big chunks of the game that you don't get exposed to when you play them. On the other hand, Shadowlands make for pure combat decks that allow you to concentrate on learning how to fight. It simplifies the game, and the decisions you have to make. That makes things easier.
Phoenix and Scorpion have few personalities in Jade or Pearl Edition starters, and are tricky for a newbie. Both require a bit of finesse to really rock.
Toturi's Army personalities are mostly rares or uncommons in Pearl Edition. There's a grand total of one common Toturi's Army guy. Luckily, many common Toturi's Army personalities came out in subsequent expansions, but be prepared to trade if you like this clan.
Ninja -- the only faction not represented in Pearl Edition -- isn't for newbies, either. Unless you know the combat rules well, you stand to get tripped up when playing Ninja, because the Ninja stronghold ability ignores the rules for battle in so many ways. Ninja also have a hard time pursuing honor and military victories. If you dig the men in black, get a Ninja starter and something else. Play the other clan to start with, then come back and play Ninja when you've got a clue what you're doing.
A: Yes. L5R makes a very smooth transition between two player and multi-player games. None of this "Light Side vs. Dark Side" or "Runner vs. Corp" rigidity!
A: Yes. No need to carry around multiple decks to ensure you can have a game!
A: Pretty much. I say "pretty much" because there are oddball instances where if you buy only a single deck, you'll get cards you can't use. Most of the cards in Pearl Edition are fixed, however, so that shouldn't happen very often. Sealed deck play with Pearl Edition is very good.
A: The most recent printing of the basic game. Those really are the core cards you need to make a workable deck.
A: Three "learn to play" sets have been released.
The latest, "Storms over Matsu Palace," features trimmed down decks (50 cards each) for Lion and Unicorn. It has a few good rares reprinted in it. There are, unfortunately, a couple of errors that mess up the sample game. But otherwise, it's agood, albeit somewhat dry, introduction to L5R.
If you see the second, "Seige of Sleeping Mountain," there are a couple of things you should know. First, there are two different paired starter decks: Naga versus Dragon, and Monk versus Toturi's Army. Second, some cards in "Seige of Sleeping Mountain" are worded differently than their original versions, and the versions printed elsewhere take precedence. Third, the rules are simplified (or "dumbed down," depending on your point of view), so there are some aspects of the game that you won't learn. Neverthless, there are some very good cards in there, including some reprinted rares (more than "Matsu Palace"), and some cards not available anywhere else. Bottom line: It's good for getting your toes wet, but if you enjoy competitive play, and think you might want to try your hand at tournaments, you're better off with a Pearl Edition starter.
The first, "Battle of Beiden Pass," is long out of print. It arguably had the best selection of cards, with a Crab and a Dragon deck that includes all five Rings between them. And there's a Crab Ancestral Sword in there, too.
A: The Ancestral Swords. Each of the original "six great Clans" has an Ancestral Sword, and you can get one by opening up an Imperial Edition starter deck for that Clan. In absolute numbers, the Ancestral Swords are more rare than Magic's legendary Black Lotus. (Scorpion got an Ancestral Sword in Scorpion Clan Coup, but it's less powerful than the other six.) There's also a Crab sword in "Battle for Beiden Pass."
After that, titles to watch out for are "Inheritance" (all editions), "Wedge" (Time of the Void), and "Shinsei's Shrine" (Crimson & Jade).
Finally, there are cards that are only available to Imperial Assembly members (the game's fan club). These are tough to find, though not all are in heavy demand.
A: You don't have to take out a mortgage to make a good deck. A lot of "most wanted" cards are still in print (with the notable exception of the Ancestral Swords). Few of the out of print cards, even powerful ones, command double digit prices (the ones mentioned in the last question are exceptions). Compare that to prices for the top tier cards for other card games.
There are many rare cards that are powerful, highly sought after, and -- this is the Most Important Bit -- dang fun to play with. Nonethless, you can make some extremely good decks using only common and uncommon cards and use it thump a deck juiced up with a lot of rare cards, especially if you're a good strategist.
A: Here's a few common newbie complaints.
A: Here's a couple to get going. In your Dynasty deck, gold-producing holdings should make up between a third and a half of your cards, and you should be able to bring out most those using only your Stronghold.
The composition of your Fate deck varies wildly depending on what you want your deck to do, but probably around half of your Fate cards should be Actions. You'll want to keep your Fate deck as close to the minimum deck size as you can. Managing your Fate hand is vitally important in this game, so choose your Fate cards carefully.
A: Here's a couple of points I often see players missing.
A: You're talking about tournaments here, right? It's not like the CCG police are going to come knocking on your door with a ticket for playing with an old card! That said, there are a few common tournament formats.
"Open" means all cards allowed. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.
"Strict Jade" or "Hidden Emperor simulation" uses The Hidden Emperor simulation rules in the back of the Pearl Edition rulebook. Tip: any card with a little black and green circle in the lower left corner is Jade legal.
"Extended Jade" is a hybrid format. You can use any card except strongholds, events, spells, and personalities; these must be in Jade Edition or later (or, in the case of personalities, be another experience level of cards in those sets).
"Open" and "Extended" are the two most popular formats. Talk to your local store or tournament organiser, and ask him what to expect.
A: Yes. L5R tournaments are sanctioned by the DCI, an organisation you may have heard about once or twice in regards to Magic: the Gathering, and probably not in a positive light. Fact is, L5R tournaments are very different than Magic tournaments. The Magic tournament scene is intended to create extreme (some say "cutthroat") competition. L5R tournaments are not; they're much more laid back and friendly.
There's also a fan club called the Imperial Assembly. The address can be found on Wizards of the Coast's page and is currently, "Imperial Assembly / PO Box 707 / Renton, WA 98057-0707 / U.S.A.". Joining gets you a magazine called the Imperial Herald, which is published quarterly. You also get an "Assembly members only" card in most issues.
A: By my count, there are 2,356 cards (excluding variations in artwork, flavour text, etc.) and 39 strongholds.
Other "specials" include Seikua (given out at GenCon '96, later released in Forbidden Knowledge), a foil version of Legion of the Two Thousand (given out at a con called "Y2C Party," also released in Ambition's Debt), stronghold cards with clan symbols printed on the back (given out to Imperial Assembly members and as tournament prizes), foil "chase cards" in Honor Bound, Ambition's Debt, and Fire & Shadow (reprinting cards from Imperial Edition to Time of the Void), a chromium Lion stronghold to celebrate the Lion victory at the Day of Thunder, published in InQuest Gamer, and an Imperial Favor card was included in InQuest Gamer #48 (though the Imperial Favor isn't a card, in game terms).
A: The borders.
A: The official, corporate web pages are here: http://www.wizards.com/l5r. The main L5R page is a bit slow to load, and interface is not exactly intuitive. They've been good about updating it lately, and there is some decent content if you look. There's also a pretty nifty Shockwave demo introducing the game. (Bet you can't win the second battle in one try!)
If you bookmark only one page, make it Jeff Alexander's page. It contains the Official FAQ, and, maybe even more important, the justly famous and much quoted "Accumulated Rulings page." If you've got a rules question, you'll find the answer here 95% of the time: http://www.zdi.net/jwa/l5r/
Right now, a second Accumulated Rulings page has started until such
time that the rulings there can be incorporated into Jeff's page. It's
at: http://www.planet.net.au/~zfaulkes/rulings.html
A: There is a listserver called "l5rinfo". Before I tell you how to sign up, be WARNED that "l5rinfo" is a very busy place. Getting 100+ messages a day is not out of the question. You can, however, get a daily "digest" from the list instead of lots of separate messages. I highly recommend getting the digest. You get just one message a day, and it helps reduce repetition on the list. As it is, you often find a series of similar messages answering simple questions.
To sign up for the list, send e-mail to "listserv@oracle.wizards.com", with this lines and nothing else (