Ah, that wasn't the impression I had from your earlier posts. I could see pushing story more to novels, yes.

Seeing how the thread develops and thinking some more about it, I start to wonder do we really need a story team? Or at least how urgent would that be to have?

Look, it is two years til the game sees the relaunch, that means the earliest point for a truely new ongoing story is then, but to be honest they could delay even that fora few years. I mean, if they would focus at first on making a good card game that pulls new people in just by the merit of being a good game, we have a rich history for that game new players can delve in. And just notice how many here already say they want to go back to clan war and all those old stories, so FFG could simply give us new LCG card sets that deal with all those old story arcs, without having to have a story team.

So, do we really need a story team right away? Do we the old story team with which so many people are fed up? Would it be so bad if they take it slow and give us first a good game that is immersive in itself? Am I really the only one who would love to have all the great characters we had over the years again in the game, instead of continueing with a story that felt often too much pushed and not well thought through (and no, not just because they have been incoorperated tournament wins, but because the authors to often just had no idea how to make it really work). Sure, eventually I want more stories, but I want them at a higher quality then they have been for so long now. Meanwhile assume Rokugan gets some years of peace, it really needs some!

I would argue that we need the story team now more than we actually would later- how do you keep people engaged in the brand when it'slying fallow?

Keep the setting alive and in gear.

I would argue that we need the story team now more than we actually would later- how do you keep people engaged in the brand when it'slying fallow?

Keep the setting alive and in gear.

Recognizing that part of the reason for the break is simply because FFG couldn't commit too many resources until they had secured the rights (which for all we know, happened months ago behind the scenes), I do think letting the brand lay fallow for a bit is actually a benefit in the long run.

Judging from a post some one is circulating from Dave Laderoute (which might be apocryphal since I cannot find the source and won't post it verbatim as such), they have yet to do the final meet and "hand over the keys" completely yet. That will probably be in the following weeks once AEG hands over all the intellectual property, notes, standings, to-do lists, guidelines and a few cents of "You should probably do X"s. After that, FFG has to sift through all the mountains of Data.

For those curious, Atlas of Rokugan was supposedly the last 4th edition book anyway (and will be put out for sale) and a 5th edition was going to be worked out. So looks like FFG will be piloting that. Also, there is mention that the game was going to be shifted away from CCG regardless of whether it was AEG or not. The novel is in the above "things that need to be discussed".

Judging from a post some one is circulating from Dave Laderoute (which might be apocryphal since I cannot find the source and won't post it verbatim as such), they have yet to do the final meet and "hand over the keys" completely yet. That will probably be in the following weeks once AEG hands over all the intellectual property, notes, standings, to-do lists, guidelines and a few cents of "You should probably do X"s. After that, FFG has to sift through all the mountains of Data.

For those curious, Atlas of Rokugan was supposedly the last 4th edition book anyway (and will be put out for sale) and a 5th edition was going to be worked out. So looks like FFG will be piloting that. Also, there is mention that the game was going to be shifted away from CCG regardless of whether it was AEG or not. The novel is in the above "things that need to be discussed".

Regarding the post from Dave Laderoute, he made that in a L5R Group on Facebook.

Ok, thanks for that. Was trying to find the group but no luck.

I hear stories about this crazy old dude who writes stories and designs games down in southern Arizona somewhere ... ;-)

Admit it, people. John Wick's Rokugan made this brand. It'd give 20 goblin skulls to get him to write another arc of L5R.

Marty Lund

Monkey Clan

We hope, but we do not expect.

I hear stories about this crazy old dude who writes stories and designs games down in southern Arizona somewhere ... ;-)

Admit it, people. John Wick's Rokugan made this brand. It'd give 20 goblin skulls to get him to write another arc of L5R.

Marty Lund

Monkey Clan

Wick has already addressed that on his Facebook:

John Wick

September 11 at 2:22pm ·

All my social networks exploded during lunch, so let me say:

1) Yes, I know about L5R going to FFG.

2) No, I'm not involved.

3) I love L5R and would like to tell one more story in that world, but probably not at the level they'd be interested in.

As for this:

Do we the old story team with which so many people are fed up?

I assume you mean the New Story Team (that started like... 6 months ago or so?), with which so many people are happy and praising...

I assume you mean the New Story Team (that started like... 6 months ago or so?), with which so many people are happy and praising...

Yes and no. I heard that some of the new folks there made it better, but that doesn't mean I would want the whole team. And if you would not just cherry pick a sentence out of my whole text, then you would have noticed that this is not my sole issue there. So, I guess you tried just to feel clever instead of actually providing anything meaningful to a conversation, well that is a great way to end up on ignore lists, if thats you goal, then by all means, don't let me stop you!

And that is why I did not name names. It's calling out those who worked hard, even though we didn't like the result. The ones I wish would get a pass should, but the rest..well...

Can't please all the people, all of the time with all of the story. But there are just some royal stinkers you never want to give the chance to appear.

I really want to see story in 2016. I love the current direction. But anything.

Personally, this is what I would like to see in terms of Story in L5R the LCG.

1) Story-Driven Chapter Packs / Arcs - Have the Chapter Packs of L5R be centered around telling a single, cohesive narrative that moves the world of Rokugan forward. Have cards with flavor text and art which reflect that story, and put fiction into each Chapter pack. Make the story follow the game you are creating, and to do that? You need a team of writers. Probably 2 to 3, honestly. Use the game to tell the story of L5R.

2) Limited Interactivity with the Narrative through Tournaments - FFG already did this with the NetRunner series of tournaments over a summer, determining which faction would get a new Runner Identity. Set a clear, definitive story prize that can be won by the Faction who wins the most Kotei tournaments, or by the Faction with the most presence at Kotei tournaments. Similar to how AEG handled the Legacy of the Naga, but have that be the entire Kotei season. Make it clear that this is to impact the fiction of the setting, not the mechanics of the game.

3) Story Prize at GenCon and the European Championship - So, in your average year with one release per month of a Chapter Pack, we can created two solid story arcs per year. So, make the winner of each Story Arc be reflected by the winner of the GenCon tournament and the winner of the European Championship. If they get mechanical benefits in the game? Keep it small. But reflect the victory in the storyline of Rokugan.

Legend of the Five Rings has TWENTY YEARS of history in the community. Some of us have been here the entire time. The mechanics of the game do not have to suffer to make the Story work in a meaningful, interactive manner. L5R is more than just a game of magical samurai in the land of Rokugan. It is a game where the players have built the world they play in. FFG knows that, and if they did not want that? They would not have bought it. I have faith that FFG knows what they bought, warts and all, and they will work hard to make L5R the LCG a game that keeps those fans while bringing new ones to the fold.

Another thing I would like is for less massive realm shaking conflicts. It makes the setting seem smaller than it is.

I assume you mean the New Story Team (that started like... 6 months ago or so?), with which so many people are happy and praising...

Yes and no. I heard that some of the new folks there made it better, but that doesn't mean I would want the whole team. And if you would not just cherry pick a sentence out of my whole text, then you would have noticed that this is not my sole issue there. So, I guess you tried just to feel clever instead of actually providing anything meaningful to a conversation, well that is a great way to end up on ignore lists, if thats you goal, then by all means, don't let me stop you!

Not a matter of issues, but a matter of that sentence being misleading - while there was no universal acclaim or parades in their honor, the general reaction to their work (from AEG's forums) was positive, not negative as you claimed.

Besides, by your own words, you "heard some of the new folks made it better"... so it stands to reason you haven't read or followed the fictions in recent months. Without doing so, how can you claim enough knowledge to be able to judge their merits? Hearsay and second-hand information are poor substitutes in these things.

As for the ignore lists threat... yay? *shrug* Don't really care about it.

I'm all for there being -a- Story Team. But some folks involved in the AEG L5R Story Team need to go. Shawn Carman tops the list. Is he a good writer? Certainly. He has had some subpar work, but all writers do. However, the amount of disrespect he showed for the playerbase was bad for the community, and bad for business. When it came to the story itself, and to events (for instance the Winter Court forum games) he took the stance that people were taking the time to run these events, write these stories, etc. so it was wrong to criticize their work. If people were tossing hurtful insults around, it'd be one thing. However, this stance was tossed out there in response to peoples' attempts to offer constructive criticism.

I'd love to see the folks that want to listen to and interact with the playerbase jump to FFG. No question about it. But I, and others, backed off of involvement in the AEG Community, and the purchase of AEG products, because some people in it got into the habit of treating the players poorly. I would hate to see that sort of thing continue under FFG.

The one thing that the new additions made better is that they were willing to listen again when things like internal consistency of the setting and suspension of disbelief came up.

Edit: Might as well drop names. Robert Denton and C Thomas Hand.

Edit2: Maybe I'm treading too delicately here. There were some issues with story direction, which was largely out of the hands of the writers, but Shawn Carman always struck me as way too defensive. That came across as unwillingness to communicate, which is his right as an author, but at the time AEG also had nobody who would step in and talk to fans. That didn't help.

Robert Denton and C Thomas Hand.

Agreed, apart from that I don't want the old boys club back, not even John Wick...

In truth, most of the new blood has been nothing but engaged with the fanbase. Maxime Lemaire was a bit quieter about it, but he definitely kept his ear to the ground.

And considering the tongue-lashings they come in for sometimes, maintaining a low profile might just be a means of coping...

100% in agreement with Gunichi here.

Another thing I would like is for less massive realm shaking conflicts. It makes the setting seem smaller than it is.

The perfect example of what good stories are, are the one between Kakita Noritoshi and Shosuro Jimen. That's what I want to see ! Not big demon gods coming to destroy the empire (again, for the what ? 5th ? 6th ? 10th ? 20th time ?), clans being wiped out just to be reinstated 2 years after, just to see another clan wiped out again to be reinstated again 2 years later etc.

Stop this bullsh**, we want samurai family stories, we want shadows of grey everywhere, we want an intense look at samurai's dilemnas and histories.

Oh good. My three have been mentioned. Goddesses 3 is the crowning glory of time to move on.

I registered just for this thread. While I don't doubt other writers may be able to do just as good a job, the current story team truly understands the samurai drama and presumably no one else has better insight in to the lore. The monthly fictions really and truly kept me interested ever moreso than the game itself. If you need to have an earth-shattering event to 'reset' things that's fine, in fact they were about do that anyways. However, please don't un-canonize 20 years of history or neglect the community aspect of player-written decisions as best written by the current story team.

Another thing I would like is for less massive realm shaking conflicts. It makes the setting seem smaller than it is.

The perfect example of what good stories are, are the one between Kakita Noritoshi and Shosuro Jimen. That's what I want to see ! Not big demon gods coming to destroy the empire (again, for the what ? 5th ? 6th ? 10th ? 20th time ?), clans being wiped out just to be reinstated 2 years after, just to see another clan wiped out again to be reinstated again 2 years later etc.

Stop this bullsh**, we want samurai family stories, we want shadows of grey everywhere, we want an intense look at samurai's dilemnas and histories.

The story between Noritoshi and Jimen was one of the few that I read to the end even though I have given up reading pretty much everything else during the destroyer war. And even the arc between those two had it issues, like the death of Sunetra. Don't get me wrong, I am a total Crane fangirl, so of course I didn't wanted Noritoshi to be killed by her, but he dispatching her like a noob ninja felt also wrong. What was the story team thinking back then? Anyway, the final meeting between Noritoshi and Jimen was not bad, but not good enough to get me back into the stories overall again.

So, my opinion still stands, I would like an entirely new story team, with people who feel not obligated in any way, shape or form to anything that happened before, but with people who can give us a Rokugan that focus on these personal samurai drama stories.