Hi all. Unlike most of you--based on what I've seen of the discussion here so far--I don't have any experience with the L5R CCG. But I will definitely be trying out the LCG, because I am a huge fan of FFG's model. With the exception of Warhammer: Invasion, I've played them all to some extent (have dabbled in CoC, LotR, and Netrunner, used to play Star Wars and AGOT 1E seriously, currently play WH40K Conquest and will play AGOT 2E), so I know that, at the very least, I'll be trying out the L5R core when it comes out in two years.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on good ways to get caught up and introduced to L5R, both in terms of the game itself and the lore. I've read a bit of the wiki so far, but if there are any particularly good ways to introduce myself to the franchise, I'd love some pointers.

www.kazenoshiro.com - a repository of fictions. This is the best place to start for the story.

Most of what springs to mind for me would cost money (The old Way of books, Emerald Empire, Imperial Histories, The Great Clans)... the Wiki isn't perfect, but it's decent for a good overview. And as my Dragony colleague notes, Kazenoshiro has all of the story in order.

There are starter decks, one for each of the nine clans which come with three booster packs. The most recent being Ivory and Twenty Festivals for starter decks. ($20, give or take a few $$$. Older starters from older editions are actually cheaper on the wallet.) There is also the "A Matter of Honor" ($25) which contains a Crab and Lion starter deck (Ivory Edition) and four Ivory Booster packs.

If you want to read up on the game there are short stories. You can also visit here for a summary of what went down throughout Rokugan's history: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/188068-a-tldr-of-the-l5r-storyline/

EDIT: I would be happy to provide more information if you need it.

Kaze no shiro is the way I'd go. It has all the stories, as already pointed out. You have 2 years catch up haha.

If you are okay spending money, I would get the rpg. I can;t possibly recommend buying cards at this point for obvious reasons. But Rokugan is an excellent place to be,

Hi all. Unlike most of you--based on what I've seen of the discussion here so far--I don't have any experience with the L5R CCG. But I will definitely be trying out the LCG, because I am a huge fan of FFG's model. With the exception of Warhammer: Invasion, I've played them all to some extent (have dabbled in CoC, LotR, and Netrunner, used to play Star Wars and AGOT 1E seriously, currently play WH40K Conquest and will play AGOT 2E), so I know that, at the very least, I'll be trying out the L5R core when it comes out in two years.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on good ways to get caught up and introduced to L5R, both in terms of the game itself and the lore. I've read a bit of the wiki so far, but if there are any particularly good ways to introduce myself to the franchise, I'd love some pointers.

I'm excited to see new players already. Welcome to Rokugan, and I hope you make a home here. A great way to start is to figure out which clan or clans you identify the most with, and start reading their stories first. As they make contact with other clans in the stories you can decide which other clans you like, and which you aren't drawn to. I think that picking your clan is the first step to being part of the game, and no matter what you pick, many of us are dying at the chance to fill you in on the details of your clan of choice.

A long time back there were some books you can try to find

I have only read "The Crab" but others have liked the other novels also if you got a local game shop and they carry the RPG, each of the Clans have a "Way of" book where you'll find some insights.

l5r wiki is also pretty good (l5r.wikia.com).

It's possible to purchase old L5R RPG publications for reasonable prices - check out DriveThruRPG store. Be warned though - they're LOADS of reading (but also loads of fun)

There are starter decks, one for each of the nine clans which come with three booster packs. The most recent being Ivory and Twenty Festivals for starter decks. ($20, give or take a few $$$. Older starters from older editions are actually cheaper on the wallet.) There is also the "A Matter of Honor" ($25) which contains a Crab and Lion starter deck (Ivory Edition) and four Ivory Booster packs.

If you want to read up on the game there are short stories. You can also visit here for a summary of what went down throughout Rokugan's history: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/188068-a-tldr-of-the-l5r-storyline/

EDIT: I would be happy to provide more information if you need it.

Do you know anything more about the blackest storm? I know it's something bad and the Mantis are gonna get hammered, but is there an outcome yet? Hope you Mantis will be allright.

The above posters have provided most of the important links. I would add, though, that the single most valuable resource for people getting into the game and the setting is people who already know them. We are, as you have probably noticed, an extremely passionate community, and most of us love nothing more than introducing new people to L5R and Rokugan. If you ever have any questions, or just want to start a discussion on something, kick it off, and watch everyone jump on it. Welcome to the game!

The main AEG site still has the basic information on the clans as they currently are, and provides links to the individual clan sites.

Rallying Cry

Counter Attack

The Race Beings

The Third Yasuki War

Oh wait ...

Marty Lund

Monkey Clan * Random * Grognard

There are starter decks, one for each of the nine clans which come with three booster packs. The most recent being Ivory and Twenty Festivals for starter decks. ($20, give or take a few $$$. Older starters from older editions are actually cheaper on the wallet.) There is also the "A Matter of Honor" ($25) which contains a Crab and Lion starter deck (Ivory Edition) and four Ivory Booster packs.

If you want to read up on the game there are short stories. You can also visit here for a summary of what went down throughout Rokugan's history: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/188068-a-tldr-of-the-l5r-storyline/

EDIT: I would be happy to provide more information if you need it.

Do you know anything more about the blackest storm? I know it's something bad and the Mantis are gonna get hammered, but is there an outcome yet? Hope you Mantis will be allright.

Aside from the voting, and tidbits of information that went on when regarding how each clan will go into Onyx Edition...not really. We mantis will be fine with whichever way the winds will blow. We are all in a ship, not just Mantis, that drifts in uncertain waters and no winds come for our sails. The journey will take us two years to reach our destination of isles uncharted. It remains to be seen if after all this drifting at sea if we encounter The Blackest Storm or something else entirely.

Ah good, because this http://www.l5r.com/2015/05/15/storms-path/ didn't make for comforting reading. Well except for the "great Alliance" I'd pîck, Tortoise, Wasp, Bat and Dragonfly clans to join with.

The recommendations here are all the right ones, but i will try and summarize as i had to do this a few weeks ago for a buddy (poor guy bought a bunch of cards, he's a bit salty with me).

RPG books : these are probably the most efficient way to get caught up, but also probably the most expensive. 4th Edition Core Book, Great Clans, and Imperial Histories will crash course you very quickly. its not EVERY detail, and you'll miss the character moments that make people love the game, but you'll get the highlights. Theres a bunch of other great books, mostly the 3rd edition stuff, thats worth looking into as well. I didn't play as much of the third ed so others can chime in on whats worth getting if this is an avenue you want to go down.

The Wiki : as others have stated, the wiki is a mixed bag. Its a good short order resource when you need a quick reference, and can often be a good "where can i find more info about X, oh, okay, way of the scorpion, cool, off to ebay". But you can't trust the actual INFO in the wiki sometimes.

The Novels: There are 11 total. 7 clan war novels (one for each of the clans during the clan war) and 4 winds (one for each of the winds), these are of generally good but variable quality and canonicity. I seem to recall a list that outlined certain novels as being more canon than others but i can't find it. The first clan war novel, about the Scorpion, is particularly good. The winds novels have a distinct lack of Daigotsu. these can be found for varying degrees of affordability second hand on ebay and on amazon.

Kaze no Shiro: The Motherload, and arguably the richest source. Also, unfortunately, the least accessible, in the sense that the fictions often don't follow an entirely coherent narrative. Theres a lot of assumed knowledge, theres things like card flavor text mixed in with fictions mixed in with clan letters, etc. It makes for some very scattered reading. But in that scattered reading is some AMAZING stuff. there's a reason people love this game, and arguably its those fictions as much as it is the cards. Kaze no Shiro demands a certain amount of perseverance and patience. Theres also stuff you can skip. KYD for example, can be done after you've read other stuff.

The recommendations here are all the right ones, but i will try and summarize as i had to do this a few weeks ago for a buddy (poor guy bought a bunch of cards, he's a bit salty with me).

RPG books : these are probably the most efficient way to get caught up, but also probably the most expensive. 4th Edition Core Book, Great Clans, and Imperial Histories will crash course you very quickly. its not EVERY detail, and you'll miss the character moments that make people love the game, but you'll get the highlights. Theres a bunch of other great books, mostly the 3rd edition stuff, thats worth looking into as well. I didn't play as much of the third ed so others can chime in on whats worth getting if this is an avenue you want to go down.

Imperial histories and imperial histories 2 if you want to catch up to current events. Otherwise you'll miss about the destroyer war and the colnies and where that awesome Spider clan came from

From 1st edition I've Always liked "Winter Court- kyuden seppun" It has a ton of information about Rokugani culture.

My favourite bit is that you can insult a samurai by giving him a sword as a present. (Not cool because if a samurai needs something his lord will provide it for him, giving a sword implies his lord doesn't provide for his followers. burn ! )

The Novels: There are 11 total. 7 clan war novels (one for each of the clans during the clan war) and 4 winds (one for each of the winds), these are of generally good but variable quality and canonicity. I seem to recall a list that outlined certain novels as being more canon than others but i can't find it. The first clan war novel, about the Scorpion, is particularly good. The winds novels have a distinct lack of Daigotsu. these can be found for varying degrees of affordability second hand on ebay and on amazon.

The four winds saga is actually five novels, it starts with one book as prelude.

Hi all. Unlike most of you--based on what I've seen of the discussion here so far--I don't have any experience with the L5R CCG. But I will definitely be trying out the LCG, because I am a huge fan of FFG's model. With the exception of Warhammer: Invasion, I've played them all to some extent (have dabbled in CoC, LotR, and Netrunner, used to play Star Wars and AGOT 1E seriously, currently play WH40K Conquest and will play AGOT 2E), so I know that, at the very least, I'll be trying out the L5R core when it comes out in two years.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on good ways to get caught up and introduced to L5R, both in terms of the game itself and the lore. I've read a bit of the wiki so far, but if there are any particularly good ways to introduce myself to the franchise, I'd love some pointers.

I don't recommend Kaze no Shiro or get to know the CCG. The amount of story is, to put it simple, overwhelming. Story Team (short-called ST) did their best during a sustancial part of the 20-years to give life to Rokugan. As for the CCG, well, it will drop into a 2-year hiatus so I can't possible recommend it.

My first recommendation would be: focus small first, then get to know the rest. To get to the current L5R in lore I would recommend to check the profiles of the Great Clans: Crab, Crane, Dragon, Lion, Scorpion, Mantis, Phoenix, Unicorn and Spider. What they represent and the role they play has not changed since their inception so I would first check those up: The Great Clans .

With a somewhat of an idea of which Clans might interest you I would recommend the second step depending on what you want to get:

- CCG rules: The CCG had some great ideas to make each Clan/faction feel distintive from the rest. One problem with this approach, though, is that is really hard for starters to learn it from scratch so, now that you have some clan(s) to focus you can begin studying the general rules and the specific rules. For this, I would recommend heading to your local store and asking for help, L5R community is, almost to a fault, really nice and if you show some interest they would help you out. If that is not possible, this is the PDF with the rules and a couple of sites and resources to be able to build decks, for example: Oracle of the Void , L5RSeach.com or http://www.eggofpanku.net . My recommendation is to seek help in the flesh, the CCG was approaching the last expansion so the pool of possible cards and mechanics could be easily overwhelm you.

- RPG rules: The have been 4 editions of the game in the L5R life. The beloved Roll and Keep system (R&K) has accompanied all the editions (a system in which you roll X keep Y dices. Roll X d10 dices and only keep the result from Y), during second edition the IP was owned by WoTC so it also used d20 (as in: every clan has classes for its bushi...but also has 'schools' for the R&K system, really confusing). There is only one book missing print for the 4th Editon, Atlas of Rokugan, and 4th is regarded as one of the finest versions of the R&K so I would recommend starting with the 4th edition L5R Core, is a beatiful book, quick to read, with timeline and explanation of Rokugan and each clan, plus all that you need to play.

- Only lore: Well, for starters my first recommendation would be read the setting sections of 4th edition RPG core and First edition Core plus Way of 'The clan you liked' plus Secrets of 'The clan you liked'. Then move to the rest of the Way, and Secrets, then move to Clan forums (The links to the Home of each clan is at the end of the explanation of each Great Clan) and ask for nice stories in the fiction. THEN, go to Kaze no Shiro.

There are starter decks, one for each of the nine clans which come with three booster packs. The most recent being Ivory and Twenty Festivals for starter decks. ($20, give or take a few $$$. Older starters from older editions are actually cheaper on the wallet.) There is also the "A Matter of Honor" ($25) which contains a Crab and Lion starter deck (Ivory Edition) and four Ivory Booster packs.

If you want to read up on the game there are short stories. You can also visit here for a summary of what went down throughout Rokugan's history: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/188068-a-tldr-of-the-l5r-storyline/

EDIT: I would be happy to provide more information if you need it.

Do you know anything more about the blackest storm? I know it's something bad and the Mantis are gonna get hammered, but is there an outcome yet? Hope you Mantis will be allright.

Aside from the voting, and tidbits of information that went on when regarding how each clan will go into Onyx Edition...not really. We mantis will be fine with whichever way the winds will blow. We are all in a ship, not just Mantis, that drifts in uncertain waters and no winds come for our sails. The journey will take us two years to reach our destination of isles uncharted. It remains to be seen if after all this drifting at sea if we encounter The Blackest Storm or something else entirely.

We mantis actually asked and voted on this storyline direction for our clan. The majority went for the darkest storm.

Let the storm come. It may break us, but the story that it will leave for generations to come will be epic.

Aside from the voting, and tidbits of information that went on when regarding how each clan will go into Onyx Edition...not really. We mantis will be fine with whichever way the winds will blow. We are all in a ship, not just Mantis, that drifts in uncertain waters and no winds come for our sails. The journey will take us two years to reach our destination of isles uncharted. It remains to be seen if after all this drifting at sea if we encounter The Blackest Storm or something else entirely.

We mantis actually asked and voted on this storyline direction for our clan. The majority went for the darkest storm.

Let the storm come. It may break us, but the story that it will leave for generations to come will be epic.

Yep, that would be the voting process and tidbits of information.

Also... Hear Hear!

Wow, thank you to everyone who has replied. Wonderful suggestions, when I have a bit more time I'll try to dip into this material.

If I may ask a possibly naive question: are there any recommended resources that explain how the different clans play? (I'm assuming that the clans have at least somewhat consistent gameplay archetypes, but that might not be the case.) A lot of the sources I've looked at provide a wealth of information on the lore of the different clans, which looks fascinating and I'll be jumping into that. Personally, as a player, I tend to prefer control style decks, being able to confound my opponent's plans and turn their strength against them. Don't much care for choke, if that's an archetype that exists in L5R, as I usually find it a NPE for both me (it's just dull!) and my opponent (it's just frustrating!). Combat tricks and canceling, that's what I like.

Obviously the clan identities, in terms of how they manifest as gameplay, may be changing in FFG's iteration, but based on their other LCGs, they certainly like to provide some factions with particularly strong sets of control tools. What clans would you expect would excel at control in the LCG?

Honestly?

Clan playstyles wax and wane, and sometimes outright mutate, but historically, in the CCG, Crane and Scorpion have been the more control-y types (since they tend to shine in the political arena). Crab and Mantis picked up economic warfare in recent years, leading to resource denial strategies. Dragon had a kind of freeze out military defense deck that went for honor wins.

Honestly?

Clan playstyles wax and wane, and sometimes outright mutate, but historically, in the CCG, Crane and Scorpion have been the more control-y types (since they tend to shine in the political arena). Crab and Mantis picked up economic warfare in recent years, leading to resource denial strategies. Dragon had a kind of freeze out military defense deck that went for honor wins.

I would also say that plenty of Magistrate actions would lead to a control playstyle. Magistrates could often be found in Crane, Dragon and Mantis. But overall, I think I have seen control decks out of pretty much every clan, since people do the weirdest stuff with their decks, so knowing the box someone plays do not automatically reveal what kind of deck they are pulling off (so playing something that is especially unusual for a clan can be difficult, but it also blindside your opponent and thus can create an advantage).

Delve into the RPG. The current edition is the best one yet. The L5R wiki is alright. Work industriously. Pick a clan.

Then, go and read the Way of the Scorpion. And you 'll become a Scorpion aficionado. For life.