[RPG]: Legend of the Five Rings 3rd. edition, reviewed by Jamie Herbert (5/5)

[RPGnet Reviews]

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11363.phtml

Jamie Herbert's Summary:

the latest version of this Asian fantasy classic does not disappoint!

Go to the full review (http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11363.phtml) for more information.

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by Robert at 2005-06-27 13:14:20
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a) How much info is included about the Minor Clans in the core book?

b) I have heard there is a terrifying amount of typos and omits in this book. Should we all wait for a 2nd printing so AEG learns to edit better?

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by squideye at 2005-06-27 13:30:49
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Re: the typos? The typos jarred, to my nitpicky eye. RPG standards? No worse than "Exalted" tends to get. Ultimately they won't stop you from playing the game and the errata are fervently caught and updated on the alderac site: http://www.l5r.com

It's a really nice book. And the writing, in general, is excellent in ways that typos don't undermine.

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by A.E. Troubio at 2005-06-27 14:04:42
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Really, waiting for an AEG book that's free of typos is like waiting for a day where water flows uphill. Most of them have already been ferreted out and argued over over on the Alderac forums.

As for the minor clans, most of the families are detailed, and then there are four schools connected to the minor clans:

Usagi bushi, Kitsune shugenja, Kasuga Courtier, and Toku bushi.

They also give space to the Imperial familes and a bit more love for the ronin as well.

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by Spike at 2005-06-28 04:55:07
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I wanted to do this review!!! Waaaah...
;-0
I forgive you. Nice review though. I could have used a few details in general.

I'm curious, I had read on AEG's website about how they were going back to keeping the Stat, and they mentioned some of the changes to skills, I hadn't heard that you could keep 'enhancement' skill dice. Seems kinda powerful. As in I swing my sword at you, a 6k6 roll. (assuming say, a 3 agility and a three skill for grins...) which would make any other weapon (or failure to take an enhancement in your favorite facet of a skill) rather pointless and silly. I would think keeping one extra die, regardless of the skill level, would keep skills, and enhancements important, without unbalancing.
Also, what exactly is 'more love' in regards to ronin? Is it easier for them to gain sword schools, do they have their own informal school (skool of hard knocks?), or is it something completely different?

Oops, went rather long.

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by A.E. Troubio at 2005-06-28 08:40:41
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I hear ya. Stupid job that pays me for writing....

At any rate, it works more like this.

Samurai A has Agility of 3 and Kenjutsu of 3.
He rolls 6k3 when he swings his Katana.

Samurai B has Agility of 3 and Kenjutsu of 3 with an Emphasis in Katana.

She rolls 6k3 and then adds 3 to the end total, or (6k3) +3.

As for the ronin, they actually get their own techniques which they can mix-n-match as they go up in Rank (or go hardcore and take no techniques)

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by Nilus at 2005-06-28 08:50:44
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That AEG has dropped there D20 support for L5R. Or is everything still going to be dual statted.

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by A.E. Troubio at 2005-06-28 09:15:14
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The Hidden Emperor was the last dual-statted l5r book. Since WotC is putting Oriental Adventures out of print, this gave AEG a chance to go back to its original system full time on l5r.

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by Kadyx at 2005-06-28 09:16:30
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oh that D20 is loooonnnngggg gone, no more D20 for L5R. Hurray the wicked witch is dead!!! I mean dont get me wrong, D20 is fine for D&D but it should stay there. I really messed up the feel and flavor of L5R. And I for one am glad that L5R will no longer Dual Stat.

Kadyx

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by Nokura at 2005-06-28 16:36:03
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Additionally to the emphasis mentioned above, skills also have mastery abilities. For example, when you reach a skill rank of 5 in any weapon skill, you subtract your skill ranks from any Target Number penalties due to wounds. When you get to a skill rank of 10 in any weapon skill both your 9s and 10s on dice rolled explode (where you roll another dice and add it to the first, rather than just exploding on the normal 10).

These vary from skill to skill and basically reward you for getting to those higher levels of mastery.

Nokura

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by Spike at 2005-06-29 03:46:11
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yeah, I got the bit about mastery from AEG's website, but I don't recall them talking about emphasis.
Thanks.

One thing I'm curious is if they opened up the sword school thing a bit, like 7th sea, where (after a bunch of books) you had four or five extra schools to chose from for each nation, or in this case, clan. Obviously a core book won't have that many options, for space reasons if nothing else, but if there is anything there I'd like to know.
Also: This was unclear from both the website, and the review, but are Nezumi, and the minor clans given any space at all? I understand that the Mantis clan is now a major clan as well...

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by A.E. Troubio at 2005-06-29 07:24:32
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Most of the clans have alternate/advanced school detailed in previous supplements. Rumor has it that there is going to be a web supplement that will "update" said previous schools but for now you can port them into 3rd with little fuss.

Each Clan gets 4 schools in the book: bushi, shugenja, courtier, and a 'flavor' school. The minor clans do get some space and the bigger ones get schools. The Nezumi get a few mentions here and there, but no rules for playing one.

[RPGnet Reviews]

Post originally by Dan Davenport at 2005-06-29 12:46:03
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A friend of mine used to push to run an L5R game. Now I wish he had, but using this edition.

--
Dan Davenport

[Calculon]

A friend of mine used to push to run an L5R game. Now I wish he had, but using this edition.We had an L5R 2e campaign that was a lot of fun but splintered when a bunch of relationships did.

A 3e campaign is about to get started and it's got a neat, episodic structure, basically going to be "Law and Order: Rokugan" -- a bunch of Emerald Magistrates under Bayushi Norachai's watchful eye.

We have an L5R Gencon winner as GM, which is sorta cool, 'cause he's basically responsible for one of the game's wackier metaplot arcs, though he doesn't get obnoxious about it.