The Spider clan solution: Forget honor, aquire PDFs .You can track down pdf scans online.

Also note that the "bushido virtues" of Rokugan do not actually correspond to "real" Bushido directly. 'Cause, you know, they were hastily ported over for a game played by people with a primarily movie/anime/manga understanding of bushido.

That is an excelent point that I keep forgetting.

When I got started in L5R it was with the rpg. And the Phoenix are the most like me in mindset, so they were a natural draw. Ironically, given that in the first two editions of the rpg their mechanics were aweful, I chose Unicorn as my ccg clan. At first it was a purely mechanically based choice, as cavalry could be quite powerful, but in time I read more of their lore and fell more and more in love with my new purple bretheren. Now I play them exclusively. At least until my final kotei this fall.

When I got started in L5R it was with the rpg. And the Phoenix are the most like me in mindset, so they were a natural draw. Ironically, given that in the first two editions of the rpg their mechanics were aweful, I chose Unicorn as my ccg clan. At first it was a purely mechanically based choice, as cavalry could be quite powerful, but in time I read more of their lore and fell more and more in love with my new purple bretheren. Now I play them exclusively. At least until my final kotei this fall.

I have heard some horror stories at the last koteis. Some people are showing up and just playing whatever. like not legal cards and such.

I hope your Kotei is not like this. Good luck!

Utz!

I really hope they bring the Naga back. I liked playing them over the other clans. Maybe the Naga will get added as one of the expansion packs.

Until then I will be playing Scorpion. I'm really looking forward to the LCG. I just got to hard to keep up with when whole decks and abilities were removed with a new edition. One of my favorite decks to play was my Scorpion ninjutsu deck.

When I started, I was not playing the CCG but the RPG. So I chose Crane based on the idea that awesome sword fighters with a soul for art was a great concept. I never looked back. Honor is stronger than steel. So when I started the CCG (back in Samurai) and wanted to pick a starter, I bought a Crane one. I fell in love with the honor running, control and duelling mechanics.

When I was playing, I was a diehard Crane. What attracted me was the artistry, elegance, politics and dueling. I really loved the honor-based win mechanic and I like defensive/controlly decks anyway. Plus my favorite color is blue ;-)

Each clan has their own unofficial website. I advise checking out some of their forums to get a feel for what each clan is about.

FYI, most of those "unofficial" websites were approved by AEG to be clan websites.

That's actually a question that's up in the air right now for FFG.

I play Crane because dueling is my favorite thing ever and I'm a colossal fanboy of a minor faction in the lore known as the Sparrow Clan which is descended from the Crane. Since the Sparrow were not playable except for a few followers and personalities, I went with the closest thing I could.

Bit of a drawn out narrative but here goes:

I was conscripted to play both the game and my original Clan at the beginning of Gold Edition by a rabidly enthusiastic friend who played the game back before the hiatus. He and his brother had split a starter box and by the time they had got to me agree to play, Phoenix was all that was left. I don't much care for sorcery, puritanical snobbery, and least of all, pacifism. So I started out with military and was thoroughly stomped by every one of my friends. Rather than abandon my bloodlust or change clans, I began to explore less... orthodox ways of gaining a fighting edge. I also began reading the fictions, particularly the old ones. The fall of the Elemental Council to corruption, the tragedy the Asako/Yogo families. Isawa's Last Wish, Isawa's Tribe and the corruption of blood magic.

I liked the narrative of the choice that comes with great power and the cost some will pay to arrive at that choice. Rather than become one of those tragic heroes who succumbs to darkness on the path to power/knowledge, I chose to embrace it readily and immediately. I corrupted all my decks and employed whatever twisted tactics the card mechanics would allow. I had already aligned myself to the Asako, as I found the Isawa to be pretentious and rigid, so when I learned of Asako Kinuye and her cult of maho-tsukai I became a loyal student. I subsequently became an avid fan of Yajinden and followed Kinuye into the service of Daigotsu. I've served the Spider in mind, body and spirit, but my heart will always belong to the (corrupt) Phoenix.

I love the setting for allowing someone like me to exist (despite how many Phoenix "loyalists" may despise such an existence). Your Life, Your Blood for the Phoenix Clan.

Also note that the "bushido virtues" of Rokugan do not actually correspond to "real" Bushido directly. 'Cause, you know, they were hastily ported over for a game played by people with a primarily movie/anime/manga understanding of bushido.

"Real" Bushido truly deserves the quote marks, because as I understand it, the whole concept was a construct of historical revision developed in the 20th century in order to promote national pride.

Also note that the "bushido virtues" of Rokugan do not actually correspond to "real" Bushido directly. 'Cause, you know, they were hastily ported over for a game played by people with a primarily movie/anime/manga understanding of bushido.

"Real" Bushido truly deserves the quote marks, because as I understand it, the whole concept was a construct of historical revision developed in the 20th century in order to promote national pride.

You maybe.

I acknowledge (read: denounce:) the Bushido Virtues set forth by Akodo Kami.

I don't mean to say I don't honor Bushido's role in L5R. I do. Just pointing out something that is often forgotten about the game's real-world sources of inspiration.

My Clan Loyalty story is simple, but somewhat layered. The friend who introduced me to the game did so by buying me a Unicorn Clan starter deck. Which you really shouldn't do, because the Cavalry mechanic at the time resulted in Unicorn being a very different playstyle from the rest of the Clans. But as they were the first Clan whose deck I had direct exposure to, they were what I learned first. I was able to join the friend's playgroup who pooled their cards together, and took some time to get to know each of the other Clans. But finally I came back to the Unicorn, because I was really into Sun Tzu's Art of War at the time, and one of that book's main messages is that the quickest road to victory is by taking the quickest path, the path of least resistance, to avoid losing morale due to a protracted campaign. Well, the Unicorn were all about that, being the Clan that could completely avoid defenders until the late-game. I pledged my loyalty to the Unicorn.

After a while, though, I began to dislike the Cavalry mechanic, because as many of its detractors claimed, it "cheapened" the experience of playing Military. At the same time, I found myself delving deeper into the lore of the setting, and the Unicorn's adherence to the virtue of Compassion struck a chord with me. The samurai may be born above the lower castes, but his duty is to serve and protect them, not exploit them. I also came to appreciate the Ide, the family whose duty to the Clan is to blend Unicorn customs with Rokugani customs, ultimately seeking to remove the image of the Unicorn as barbarians. They are also one of the few non-Phoenix families that seek peace. This strikes me as an odd trait for a warrior culture, but again, they've been out adventuring abroad for eight centuries, so I suppose they've picked up foreign ideals like pacifism.

In the end, though I was no longer playing the CCG, I nevertheless found myself rejoicing when the Cavalry mechanic was revised to be more "fair," and again when my beloved Ide Courtiers were given a long-awaited Economic Honor theme. Now that L5R is in its final chapter as a collectible game, I may have to buy that deck if I can afford it, just to have for nostalgia's sake.

Also note that the "bushido virtues" of Rokugan do not actually correspond to "real" Bushido directly. 'Cause, you know, they were hastily ported over for a game played by people with a primarily movie/anime/manga understanding of bushido.

"Real" Bushido truly deserves the quote marks, because as I understand it, the whole concept was a construct of historical revision developed in the 20th century in order to promote national pride.

This is historically accurate according to my college profs.

Isn;'t fast draw dueling (so, basically, Iaijutsu as we see it in L5R) also a thing that was inspired by western movies and their fast draw duels that got ported into Japanese movies and people now assume that was always part of it's culture?

Isn;'t fast draw dueling (so, basically, Iaijutsu as we see it in L5R) also a thing that was inspired by western movies and their fast draw duels that got ported into Japanese movies and people now assume that was always part of it's culture?

I would say it was the other way around, that Kurosawa inspired Westerns, like his Seven Samurai got made into the Magnificient Seven. Also, reading about historical fights Musashi and other swordmasters had, reveal they usually ended very fast, often with one party not having even been able to draw the katana, so I guess that even with a somewhat romantisied view on the duels, it is clear that the fast drawing was an important factor.

I liked bows and arrows as well as well as the idea of underdog heroes.

So minor clans appealed a lot to me.

So a Mantis I am, 20 years running.

Still have those brown bordered cards and my nice old holdingless Meth deck.

It's like a circle with Kurosawa's work. Yojimbo was inspired by

Isn;'t fast draw dueling (so, basically, Iaijutsu as we see it in L5R) also a thing that was inspired by western movies and their fast draw duels that got ported into Japanese movies and people now assume that was always part of it's culture?

I would say it was the other way around, that Kurosawa inspired Westerns, like his Seven Samurai got made into the Magnificient Seven. Also, reading about historical fights Musashi and other swordmasters had, reveal they usually ended very fast, often with one party not having even been able to draw the katana, so I guess that even with a somewhat romantisied view on the duels, it is clear that the fast drawing was an important factor.

Depends on the movie. Yojimbo itself was inspired by western Film Noir. The Glass Key if I remember. It's all a big circle.

Yeah, Kurosawa heavily borrowed from western films and literature (especially Shakespeare), which in turn inspired western movies that became milestones for their genres, and they had really great relationship of inspiring each other in turns.

Yeah, Kurosawa heavily borrowed from western films and literature (especially Shakespeare), which in turn inspired western movies that became milestones for their genres, and they had really great relationship of inspiring each other in turns.

And of course Kurasawa didn't just inspired Westerns, but also Star Wars in a great deal. The lightsaber duels of the original trilogy had all the psychologcal aspects of duels one could find so often in Kurosawa. And honestly, I don't care how realistic the duals are, they are great, and that is what I what from my fiction, no matter if it happens on the silver screen or in a weekly story I get from a gaming company.

I never played the game, or the rpg.

But with the stories I have always liked the minor clans, the Nezumi, and liked and respected the brutally direct way the Mantis got their position.

But that respect came from the clan I always had a soft spot for, the Crab.

My home is my castle

I only ever played the RPG, and for me it came down to two things - the radical disowning of bushido by Tsuruchi and bully politics of the Yoritomo, and the Tao and tradition of the Dragon. I love them both for their progressive leanings mixed with equally passionate traditions. Each clan has their own appeals, but by far for me it is Dragon and Mantis.

So...wayyyyyyyy back in the day, before dinosaurs roamed the Earth and the first everythings were crawling out of the ocean to try this land-dwelling thing, I played a faction called Toturi's Army . Basically, they were a bunch of Ronin, thieves, drunks, and mercenaries that followed this fallen Lion Samurai named Toturi who, turns out, saved the Empire from Fu Leng (think the worst parts of Horus Lupercal meets Darth Vader...then make him immortal. And a God), founded his own Clan, and became Emperor.

I always tought of Fu Leng as more of Rokugans version of Sauron (well actually Melkor from The Simarillion.)

Fu Leng is the best.

Mostly.

Depending on what you're reading.

Basically just read Bearers of Jade.

I liked bows and arrows as well as well as the idea of underdog heroes.

So minor clans appealed a lot to me.

So a Mantis I am, 20 years running.

Still have those brown bordered cards and my nice old holdingless Meth deck.

Meth deck?

I liked bows and arrows as well as well as the idea of underdog heroes.

So minor clans appealed a lot to me.

So a Mantis I am, 20 years running.

Still have those brown bordered cards and my nice old holdingless Meth deck.

Meth deck?

Hahaha! It stood for Mantis Empty The Hand. You'd fetch the old Ring of Void early, and buy a cheap character who got force pumps for discarding cards. Then with Ring of Void in play you got a new hand every time you dumped your old one. Then you could buff the amount of force that you got per discard. It was just a fast reliable deck basically, but one that was tough to counter if you were unprepared.