1 hour ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

Now, the Lion letter- MAN is poor Toturi getting edged out of his Clan's affairs hard and fast. Ikoma are Not Nice People. Ujiaki knows how to cut a guy's legs out from under him with seeming praise.

My favorite part was the first mis-posted version where he promoted himself to Ikoma Daimyo and for a few minutes no one really batted an eye at it.

15 hours ago, Kani Kantai said:

Some people can enjoy disappointing a cultural enemy a little too much, and miss the opportunity to direct their frustration in a different direction, instead of into the arms of another enemy.

Crane seems pretty wary of Mantis. Well, great job Yoshi, they now may have just gotten a great clan to offer unprecedented support to their ambitions.

Not treating Yasuki Taka with such open disdain might have given the opportunity to (perhaps completely insincerely) make it appear like Yoshi or the Crane might be sympathetic to the plight of the Crab, and then, based on that potential for Crane support made them less likely to risk siding with another rival.

I think it’s a little silly to take the view that because Yoshi is a competent and experienced courtier that he can’t get too comfortable and make a mistake now and again.

Honestly, I would be willing to give Yoshi way more slack if he'd been shown making even a token attempt to pass the blame bucket to the Scorpion Clan for the lack of jade shipments - it'd even technically be true, since Kachiko is the one who told the Emperor they don't have any jade to ship (which is also true, but besides the point).

Wow, Ujiaki's really got a bit of the Mark Anthony going there.

"Toturi is an appropriately neutral man..."

7 hours ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

Wow, Ujiaki's really got a bit of the Mark Anthony going there.

"Toturi is an appropriately neutral man..."

He throws shade like a Doji being overlooked by matchmakers.

13 hours ago, Mangod said:

Honestly, I would be willing to give Yoshi way more slack if he'd been shown making even a token attempt to pass the blame bucket to the Scorpion Clan for the lack of jade shipments - it'd even technically be true, since Kachiko is the one who told the Emperor they don't have any jade to ship (which is also true, but besides the point).

****, I'd give him more slack if he'd... been shown doing anything other than throwing Status around in his various courtly threads.

But his track record to date has included nothing but arrogant contempt preventing him from making the most of an opportunity, getting completely blindsided by the actions of others, failing to understand the emotional states of those he deals with, and getting hung up on minor details which blind him to what's going on on the macro-level. Honestly, I'd welcome a display of competence from the guy at this point, because the people arguing his case against those of us who regard him as a fool deserve something for all of their hard work. Yoshi has zero "wins" under his belt in this continuity- he has consistently been backfooted.

On 5/25/2019 at 11:19 PM, Shiba Gunichi said:

****, I'd give him more slack if he'd... been shown doing anything other than throwing Status around in his various courtly threads.

But his track record to date has included nothing but arrogant contempt preventing him from making the most of an opportunity, getting completely blindsided by the actions of others, failing to understand the emotional states of those he deals with, and getting hung up on minor details which blind him to what's going on on the macro-level. Honestly, I'd welcome a display of competence from the guy at this point, because the people arguing his case against those of us who regard him as a fool deserve something for all of their hard work. Yoshi has zero "wins" under his belt in this continuity- he has consistently been backfooted.

While I agree that not helping the Crab is stupid, here are a few notions that people often forget to consider:

-It was Kachiko's idea. While Yoshi played along, he was only following her plan. Where is #BayushiKachikoisafool?

-He actually offered troops to Taka on the condition that they would not be subject to Crab control, yet the latter refused. Where is #YasukiTakaisafool?

-Meanwhile, Altansarnai caused a conflict with the most militarily powerful clan because otherwise a sweet couple will be broken up. Where is #ShinjoAltansarnaiisafool?

And know that if those arguments don't work, you should prepare to face my ultimate weapon.

1 hour ago, 987654321 said:

-It was Kachiko's idea. While Yoshi played along, he was only following her plan. Where is #BayushiKachikoisafool?

How is Kachiko using Yoshi as a cats-paw to further isolate the Crane and deny the Crab Imperial resources while minimizing the amount the Imperials are blamed for it a bad idea for Kachiko?

1 hour ago, 987654321 said:

-He actually offered troops to Taka on the condition that they would not be subject to Crab control, yet the latter refused. Where is #YasukiTakaisafool?

How is not allowing non-Crab troops to just wander around Crab territory unsupervised a bad idea for Taka? At best they'll get themselves killed and/or Tainted once they actually see combat.

1 hour ago, 987654321 said:

-Meanwhile, Altansarnai caused a conflict with the most militarily powerful clan because otherwise a sweet couple will be broken up. Where is #ShinjoAltansarnaiisafool?

How is not letting the Lion get away with their duplicity a bad idea for Atari-san?

Hey FFG it’s been 27/5 for, like, actually all day. Can we please have that Unicorn letter?

Ta lad.

11 hours ago, 987654321 said:

-It was Kachiko's idea. While Yoshi played along, he was only following her plan. Where is #BayushiKachikoisafool?

The Crane are skirmishing with the Lion in the field, and getting whopped so badly they've been forced to hire Ronin to shore up their forces. Meanwhile, their position as the Masters of the Court is being usurped... by the Scorpion.

And into this situation comes the Crab, who're requesting more jade and troops for their Wall. Now, Kachiko tells the Emperor there's no jade to be had, so Yoshi has to go and deliver the sad news to the Yasuki Daimyo. And rather than try and pin the blame for the lack of jade on the Scorpion, potentially weaking the Crane's strongest courtly rivals, or at least make sure the Crane don't make more overt enemies than they already have, he instead decides to insult the man, because Riesens.

So Kakita Yoshi has actually managed to make his Clans situation worse, because they now have to deal with Crab-funded Mantis privateers stealing whatever jade the Crane have on top of everything else. In no way is this a bad proposition for the Scorpion: in fact, this could only have worked out better for Kachiko if Yoshi had told Taka that the Scorpion wanted the Emperor to give them the Jade, but that Yoshi talked him out of it.

11 hours ago, 987654321 said:

-He actually offered troops to Taka on the condition that they would not be subject to Crab control, yet the latter refused. Where is #YasukiTakaisafool?

True... but troops that are expected to fight on the Carpenter Wall and yet remain completely autonomous from the Crab sounds like an invitation to disaster. Especially since the other Clan's have a history of not taking the threat from the Shadowlands seriously unless there's been a catastrophic invasion within the last few generations. Heck, the Emperor getting fed up with the Crane, Scorpion and Phoenix for not taking this stuff seriously is what created the Gozoku.

11 hours ago, 987654321 said:

-Meanwhile, Altansarnai caused a conflict with the most militarily powerful clan because otherwise a sweet couple will be broken up. Where is #ShinjoAltansarnaiisafool?

You must be new here: people have been giving Altansarnai crap over that decision ever since Curved Blades came out. It's even made its way into Canon, most recently in Across the Burning Sands .

Yeah, the difference between Altansarnai and Yoshi is that nobody actually tries to defend her actions...

5 hours ago, 987654321 said:

While I agree that not helping the Crab is stupid, here are a few notions that people often forget to consider:

It’s not the failure to help the Crab that’s stupid- it’s making active enemies of them through completely avoidable emotion/personality-based means-

“The Yasuki are traitors and Taka is a bumpkin” may be comprehensible, but to give into those feelings without regard for thinking over exactly who put you in that position and why they might have done that? Boy’s as smooth as sandpaper.

5 hours ago, 987654321 said:

-It was Kachiko's idea. While Yoshi played along, he was only following her plan. Where is #BayushiKachikoisafool?

Since the outcome suits Kachin fine, why would I accuse her of folly? She got what she wanted out of that easily-read, easily-led piece of work.

5 hours ago, 987654321 said:

-He actually offered troops to Taka on the condition that they would not be subject to Crab control, yet the latter refused. Where is #YasukiTakaisafool?

In the same shared grave as the Crab and Unicorn Champions the last time someone tried to lead an army against the Shadowlands without Crab leadership.

5 hours ago, 987654321 said:

-Meanwhile, Altansarnai caused a conflict with the most militarily powerful clan because otherwise a sweet couple will be broken up. Where is #ShinjoAltansarnaiisafool?

See previous post...

Kachiko is not a fool because she puts the best interest of the Scorpion above the best interests of the Emperor. Yoshi is a fool because he puts the best interests of the Emperor above the best interests of the Crane.

I wonder if the scorpion letter will be from kachiko. I do hope so. I would be fun to see how she describes recent events without actually having any solid details on it (can't have anything trace back to her or the crown prince)

Shouldnt the unicorn letter be out by now?

Also, theres something I dont understand: will kunshu be a neutral card and the choice affect only the story, or is it neutral as a preview and will be a clan card of the clan that wins?

3 hours ago, RafaelNN said:

Shouldnt the unicorn letter be out by now?

Also, theres something I dont understand: will kunshu be a neutral card and the choice affect only the story, or is it neutral as a preview and will be a clan card of the clan that wins?

I was assuming it would be like Toshi Ranbo, which was previewed as a neutral card but then changed to Scorpion.

[villain music building up]

Very well then. You have forced me to unleash my ultimate weapon. Prepare to be obliterated!

I invoke 987654321's law !

I'm starting to think the Unicorn courier was assassinated...

I bet it's Memorial Day holding up something or another.

7 hours ago, KakitaKaori said:

Kachiko is not a fool because she puts the best interest of the Scorpion above the best interests of the Emperor. Yoshi is a fool because he puts the best interests of the Emperor above the best interests of the Crane.

Kachiko is not a fool because she plays her game well and puts her pawn in place.

Yoshi is a fool- as I just said- because he dances to her tune like a friggin' marionette- moreover... if Yoshi's concern is the empire, why did he make excuses that make the Throne look weak?

2 hours ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

I bet it's Memorial Day holding up something or another.

Kachiko is not a fool because she plays her game well and puts her pawn in place.

Yoshi is a fool- as I just said- because he dances to her tune like a friggin' marionette- moreover... if Yoshi's concern is the empire, why did he make excuses that make the Throne look weak?

At this point I think we should all agree to disagree...and start worrying about what happened to the Unicorn Letter.

20 hours ago, 987654321 said:

-He actually offered troops to Taka on the condition that they would not be subject to Crab control, yet the latter refused. Where is #YasukiTakaisafool?

Actually Yoshi had nothing to do with this offer as it was made by the Lion prior to and independent of the current request. Also as others have pointed out, and Taka makes note of in the fiction, the Crab have learned what happens when they let the other clans operate independently on the wall without proper supervision which was why the offer was unacceptable to them.

Unicorn and Scorpion letters are up

As speculated Scorpion letter was written by Kachiko and is the only one to reference the death of the Emperor.

So at this point the current clan leads and support for claiming Kushu appear to be:

Scorpion being supported by the Dragon and Crab (although they seem more interested in making sure the Crane don't get it than anything else #kakitayoshiisafool);

Phoenix being supported by the Lion; and

Crane with the Support of the Unicorn.

So it's just a 3 clan race? Why can't I throw my pONI support for the Lion to try and mend the relationship, or give it to the Dragon so Sotorii will be kept in check by the Ruby champ.....or just use it as a bargaining tool to get Shahai back? Heck give it to Yoritomo just to piss Sotorii off.

I guess this is how FFG keeps the story in check so we don't end up with cavalry zombie dogs. Lol

Much love for Shahai though! I think getting a letter from home will go a long way towards helping her frame of mind.

Please ignore any references in the Scorpion letter to the movements of the Crane. Daidoji Uji is just going home for a rest. He's certainly not going to join Kuwanan in Otosan Uchi with a group of Harriers.

.

.

.

Look! A decoy!