So, hey. I, like many of the other L5R fans out there, got hooked on this game from how awesome the story was. Even when the story was not awesome, it still is what keeps me coming back to the game, year after year. The story of L5R is the story of our community, of our 20 years of history in the fantasy world of Rokugan.

There has always been a Story Team in L5R, interpreting our tournament wins and our community pushes. L5R needs a Story Team to be great.

When FFG bought L5R, they bought 20 years of community, history, and STORY. The current Story Team, Shawn Carman, Fred Wan, Robert Denton, Chris Hand, Max Lemaire, Brian Yoon, and Mari Murdock, they are who helped us make this game what we love.

So, let's take a moment and give back to them.

Let us, the community of L5R players, speak with a single voice and ask FFG to keep the Story Team as we transition to this brave, new world.

And to do that? Post a link in this thread with your favorite piece of L5R fiction, properly attributed as such:

Title

Link

Author(s)

For example, let me start with mine:

I completely agree.

L5R is not the same game without the intense and meaningful story. To that end, the people who have been making the story awesome should be either remembered or brought back on a semi permanent position.

I agree. While faction balance and gameplay were in question, the current storyteam was producing an engaging storyline. In fact, at least for me, storytime (and artwork) were the only things that kept me in the game for the last few years. Please keep the storyteam and savage as much as you can on their work leading to Onyx Edition.

Even though I heard from friends the stories had become recently a little bit better again (I stopped reading somewhat through the destroyer war, it was just too bad), I am not so sure if the story team as is should be kept (see to many names there that made some of the really terrible stories and worse handled the community not that well). So, yes, let L5R keep an ongoing story, but I don't mind getting completely new people to work on it (hope that will be good for the Star Wars films too), or maybe get some of the old people back, like John Wick or Ree Soesbee, who gave the game some of the best stories it had!

I'm mostly interested in what will become of the novel that was in the process of being written.

I'm mostly interested in what will become of the novel that was in the process of being written.

Oh man...I forgot about that.

Crap

Said it on Shinden Fu Leng, will say it here:

Let's go with these two:

The War of Dark Fire, Part 12
http://www.kazenoshiro.com/2009/06/20/the-war-of-dark-fire-part-12/
By Shawn Carman & Lucas Twyman
Edited by Fred Wan

and of more recent vintage:

Spring Kotei Fictions 2015
http://imperialassembly.com/news.php?news=121 and http://imperialassembly.com/news.php?news=122
Act 3: Complications
By Chris Hand, Maxime Lemaire, Mari Murdock, Fred Wan, and Robert Denton
Edited by Fred Wan

Problems during the Destroyer War came from higher, not the story team. The arc had to expand to accomodate a different release, so that period of time had to go on an on, basically rehashing the same plot. When they are allowed, like in the stories leading the Onyx, then can tell a ****-good story!

But will these people be willing to wait two years? I'd bet most, if not all, will have moved on to other employment by then.

To be honest I loved the Buddy Cop story. Others may have been more powerful and jaw dropping but watching an angry Kakita, a mysterious Kitsuki and their wacky Scorpion mentor solving a crime was just FUN! Thanks for the story guys, I hope they keep you on.

Sins of the Father by Robert "Spooky" Denton

http://www.l5r.com/2012/07/21/sins-of-the-father/

Is my hope their skills are precisely used in the meantime. Perhaps they can keep telling the story of the rise of the Spider leading to Onyx, even if we don't get the actual cards. It would be a great way to keep the current players interested... resolving old and new storyline prices, including those of the next koteis. And cleaning the slate for the Basic Set, which could be based more or less on Onyx Edition.

Wonderful idea!

But will these people be willing to wait two years? I'd bet most, if not all, will have moved on to other employment by then.

They don't have to. Written fiction can be a good way to keep the player base interested. And without all those pesky tournament results, they can write the stories as they see fit.

But will these people be willing to wait two years? I'd bet most, if not all, will have moved on to other employment by then.

They don't have to. Written fiction can be a good way to keep the player base interested. And without all those pesky tournament results, they can write the stories as they see fit.

I also don't think they will simply pick up the story right were AEG left if. There will most likely be a jump in time that allows FFG to respect the history of the game but also does not bind them to the direction the current story team is going.

One of the most important aspects of L5R is the story, and the fact that the players can directly impact that story during tourne-er-, let's say, organized play. Players can even have a direct impact on the games mechanics and flavor. A huge attraction is that a player can get their name immortalized on a card.

I would love to see this continued. There is a portion of the fan base who may the game competitively and do not follow one Clan or the story, but I would say they are definitely a very small minority. Most players follow the story and I hope FFG keeps that story going. It does not have to follow what AEG had planned, but at least continue the current story, and keep the previous story.

As a current member of the Story Team, I wholeheartedly endorse this message.

I would be happy to port over and help FFG create or update the L5R storyline and I can think of a dozen ways to work on fictions, plots, and even teasers to try and keep people interested in the near-2-year gap.

I know the rest of the Story Team would be wonderful as well.

You guys are wonderful.

Well, I woudn't be against buying novels or collections of stories of L5R. I think there is a market for that.

The L5R story has needed new blood for quite a while. While individual stories have occasionally been good, the long-form arcs have been mediocre at best for almost 10 years now.

Make way for the future. The story is important, but it doesn't have to be the same people.

It became overweighted and difficult to follow, not enough focus on core moments and key characters through the flavour text and mirrored in concise fictions. I always loved the story but turned away from the bloated and convoluted, and overly courtly (driven by seemingly a desire to make everything larp suitable) nature of fictions in recent years.

Clean, sharp, interesting tales of the clans please

"The L5R story has needed new blood for quite a while. While individual stories have occasionally been good, the long-form arcs have been mediocre at best for almost 10 years now."

This is exactly why we need to go back to the early days, clan wars or earlier. The lore for the original was so well thought out. Down the road had a much more tacked on feel to keep it going. The game started with emp death and bad guy came back to take revenge from the start. Being as that was rehashed many times with the blood speakers and the spirits returning we might as well go back to square 1.

"The L5R story has needed new blood for quite a while. While individual stories have occasionally been good, the long-form arcs have been mediocre at best for almost 10 years now."

This is exactly why we need to go back to the early days, clan wars or earlier. The lore for the original was so well thought out. Down the road had a much more tacked on feel to keep it going. The game started with emp death and bad guy came back to take revenge from the start. Being as that was rehashed many times with the blood speakers and the spirits returning we might as well go back to square 1.

And that would be not just another rehash? Sorry, but I disagree, going back would just be even more of a rehash.

I think just jumping to a fresh time period would be the way to go. Past or future, either would work.

The story has been better or worse at different times, for sure- Destroyer War was clearly a low point, though it wasn't entirely the ST's fault, as has been discussed- but the current Story Team has been producing good stuff, and I, for one, want to see the novel finished, and as many staff as possible retained.

Also, since the OP mentioned linking a favourite story:

A Lion's Honor

http://www.kazenoshiro.com/2008/11/01/a-lions-honor/

By Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf

The Legend of the Five Rings Story Team is a major component of the game. The loss of the Story Team in some form would be a harsh blow to the community especially since we are already being saddled with nearly two years hiatus. The fictions were a unique prize unto themselves and one heavily competed for. The idea that players have an impact on an ongoing fictional universe is quite a draw and one that it a strongly held tradition by this community. The writers are talented and generous with the playerbase which is often very critical. I am willing to give FFG a chance and buy in, but if the Story Team gets the axe and traditions are trampled upon (ie fiction prizes) I may reconsider.

While I haven't been playing the CCG, I have kept up with the story...and I really haven't been all that impressed. I would prefer to see some new people directing the story.