A version of this post is also available at our site here: http://winter-court.com/wc5/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3

I'd been vaguely aware of online Winter Court stuff before, though never particularly tuned in. I'm interested in participating as a first time player. Is that possible? What's my first homework assignment? (besides reading the year docs)

Your first assignment will be to subscribe to our facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1496836293961609/?ref=bookmarks and prepare to get hype will the rest of our player base. When the player applications release, you can fill the form out and turn it in. If we can find a place for you, then the real fun begins. Organize, elaborate and conspire with the fellow samurai of your clan and see just what transpires. You can also catch up on the lore of our setting by going to our forum on the FFG site. weekly" style="text-decoration:none;"> http://www.winter-court.com/wc5/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1]weekly

How do the clans hold court with the darkness all around them?

The usual Winter Court way. Getting snowed in means everything else is snowed out. Short of Unicorn Teleport Magic ™, not a lot can happen in the Winter. That said, the mountains of the Dragon Clan are doubly secure due to their reduced accessibility by large forces, even if those forces are slavering hordes of zombies.

How present and active are the Crane in these courts?

As active and present as the players can make them (probably a lot, there has never to my knowledge been a Winter Court without a huge Crane delegation from day 1).

What happened to the Imperial Bride?

Not much. She has yet to appear, but she is still married to Seiken. Can’t imagine she’s too happy about that right now either.

What exactly are your plans for the Spider? Or better yet, what are your expectations?

What kind of Spider would be proper for the game?

Due to the Path chosen by the Spider Clan, their situation is an interesting one, as there will be parts to be played by both Spider Clan members loyal to Kanpeki and those loyal to Shibatsu.

Our expectations of the Spider Clan during Winter Court 5 are that the Spider Clan players will give both other players and the staff wonderful and amazing samurai drama to remember for times to come. Whether that spells doom or glory for the Spider Clan, none but their players during Court will decide that.

We also have a very special surprise in store for them.

What factions will be attending the court? I suppose more importantly for my question, what factions will applications be open for? ...will any minor clans or anyone else be open for applications?

All nine Great Clans plus whichever Minor Clan, Imperial and Brotherhood applicants can pass the screening process. There may be room for less conventional characters if we like your suggestion.

I may have missed it, but where will this Winter Court be held?

Some savvy players have already discerned it through some sleuthing, but we may as well tell you that the court will be hosted by the Dragon Clan at Shiro Mirumoto.

Who is the host in this time of great despair and desperation?

This Winter Court will be hosted by the Dragon, as noted above.

Who's hat is the fanciest, and who's hat is the silliest?

Metaphorically, Sean’s is the silliest hat. The Writer hat involves somehow writing 10k+ words of fiction while working 53 hour weeks. Literally, Sean wears goggles, so that’s a pretty silly hat too. Tom owns a beret which carries many fancy points if you’re an artist class(he is). Tom also owns al a black knit cap with many politically charged buttons, which is only half silly.

Will you be having Delegation Heads? Secondly, will they be PCs?

Since Delegation Heads have been a thing of the past Winter Courts, by all means, yes they’ll exist and will be determined internally by the player at the beginning of Court.

Will people be being given canon characters (and/or established characters unique to your timeline) to play?

As in previous Winter Courts, a portion of the characters at Court will be canon (also sometimes known as “carded Personalities”). These characters are characters already part of the canon story as it was when AEG handed the game over to FFG in September 2015, and their backstories and lore will remain unchanged for our game during the timeframe that canon L5R covers.

Our game does cover seventeen (17) years of time past the latest events of canon L5R, and these years may have some Personalities doing things that affect them -- either mechanically or otherwise -- but we’ll leave that up to players to decide in most cases.

Characters specifically designed for Winter Court 5 with no prior involvement in the lore will be homebrew characters.

Will everyone be at the same insight rank?

Not necessarily. Although characters will have the same amount of starting experience points we are considering not reaching a certain insight rank with said experience points.

Will previous Winter Court staff be involved in the decision-making process for choosing AGMs and/or players? In that same vein, is there a pre-established banned list carried over from those games?

The only prior staff experience so far is Tom, who was an AGM in Winter Court 2. The core staff (Jeffrey Meyer, Sean Fisk, Tom Ramirez) will be those determining acceptance of AGM applications, so the answer there for the moment is no, However, such former staff are welcome to apply for positions once the AGM applications are released.

As for other AEG-era resources, we are in the process of reaching out to former WC Staffers.

How many AGMs are you looking to recruit? What will their responsibilities be?

We would prefer to have at least 12 good assistant game masters for this project. As for responsibilities, they will be similar to past courts: NPCing, Faction leadership, Conflict resolution, etc.

How many players are you looking to invite?

Total player count has always been fairly flexible in the past, but we’re aiming for a count a bit lower than Winter Courts of the past for Winter Court 5. Right now, the target player count is approximately 110 players, but this is a total of all players, both active and inactive, and may move up or down slightly depending upon player applications submitted to us.

Will you guys be instituting any homebrew rulings?

Eventually. We are eagerly looking forward to your submissions.

Unless you mean homebrewing the rules. Then: as little as possible to make the game function.

Will a wait-list be established/used to replace people that become inactive without warning, or folks that leave the game?

Unfortunately, the Winter Court 5 staff does not know the full success of the wait-list system that was implemented during Winter Court 3. It will be a consideration, but no hard decision has been made at this juncture.

Will there be a tiered conflict-resolution system (IE: If a player feels an AGM has made a questionable ruling, will they be able to escalate the matter to a GM, or simply told the AGM rulings are final)?

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: While we hope that this sort of thing won’t become necessary, we are a little more realistically-minded than that. That being said, this can open up a can of worms involving what people consider a “questionable” ruling. While a complaint can be escalated, the AGMs and the GMs will be trying to work on the same level communication-wise throughout the whole process. Therefore, if an AGM makes a ruling, chances are good the GM’s will agree with it. It doesn’t mean that we are against you or you are being picked on. In the case of Winter Court, we do not operate under the assumption that the Customer is Always Right. There may be cases where the AGM in question does indeed step out of line, but for most scenarios we hope that the AGM’s will have been in the right. That’s kinda why they’d get selected as AGMs in the first place.

Will characters that have been played in previous forum games (with stats adjusted to suit this game's rules) be allowed?

I’m going to go with no. The setting extension that we are doing here is unique enough that we want characters without extra history baggage. Backstory? Yes. Previous game’s worth of interactions and story? No.

What exactly is going on with the "Imperial" families now that the imperial bureaucracy was dissolved. Didn't that leave almost the entire Otomo and Miya families without anything left to do? After years of having their posts, positions and responsibilities either seized by the clans or made redundant through new posts without ever putting up any struggle or participating in the contests to win them, are we looking at demotion to the level of a clan, simply coasting through life without any remaining duties to perform or vanish into the nether by all marrying out of their families?

The Imperials as they are known are practically extinct. The Otomo were put out of a job, and with the Shibatsu-brand Spider occupying Otosan Uchi, there isn’t anywhere for them to go. Many of them have died in the dark years as well, and those who survive have to live with the fact that their days of Status-bullying are over, as the Throne no longer backs them. And, hey, they may have done their job too well. The Clans are too divided to overthrow the Throne, sure, and also too divided to unite and defend it.

The Seppun are, by-and-large, dead. There might be some who bear the name, but the Miharu are defunct, having perished getting Seiken out of Toshi Ranbo.

The Miya exist. Basically what they always have done. The least Imperial Imperials are out of a home, as Miya lands kinda got roflstomped along with the Unicorn provinces, and there isn’t much in the way of Imperial edicts to be carried to the Empire. Plus, the roads haven’t been safe for a while now. If the beasties don’t get you, there’s always the chance of running across some desperate characters who couldn’t give a single care about the Emperor’s protection.

It should also be noted that Winter Court 5 is focused on the Great Clans, and therefore, our histories, fictions, and player selections will reflect that focus. While we are not outright forbidding Imperial player characters to show up, a player proposing one will have to show significant effort in their pitch for that to be approved.

What is known about the Phoenix and their doings, both externally and internally? (this could really be asked for any clan) Do most Phoenix know about the amulets? Only the Isawa? Only a small group of "ryu-binders" or whatever they're called? Etc.

The Phoenix are lying to their own, but with minimal effectiveness. Those producing the collars and amulets are kept away from the knowledge of their purpose. Mostly Agasha, so it’s not that hard to isolate them. The Shiba have, by now, figured it out on the frontlines, and the Isawa and Asako are the driving force behind it. There will always be dissenters though.

The other Clans know based on location. Any that might come into contact with the Phoenix armies, certainly, but beyond that, communication has fallen apart. Rumour rules the information game, rather than facts or declarations.

What has happened to the Dragon Channelers in your canon?

How might the Phoenix lure a dragon in the first place, I wonder...

What, if anything, is Naka Mahatsu doing?

Poor fellow kicked the bucket. Nothing big or supernatural, just the spiritual backlash caused by the Seals breaking was too much for his heart.

What, if anything, is the Phoenix Clan Champion doing? (presumably Shiba Tsukimi)

Interestingly, nothing has been heard from Tsukimi in a while…

Has the Council of Five changed members at all since your divergence from canon?

The Master of Earth died at the Battle of the First Seal. The Master of Void is trapped in the Colonies. Other than that, membership has been consistent. They have not replaced the Master of Earth (yet), as the world is kinda ending.

Which Minor Clan survived? Will they be invited? Are they any newcomers?

That’s really for their respective player bases to determine. If they don’t get rep, there is a chance that Clan did not survive the Age of Ruin .

There are a few that we have touched on in the fictions/histories, such as the Boar sanctuary, the Hare lands being destroyed, and the Bat being trapped in Meido, but that does not mean that those we have not covered are necessarily dead.

What is the status of the Iweko Loyalist Spider? Can they attend?

The members of the Spider Clan loyal to Susumu nee-Iweko Shibatsu still exist and have are a significant factor in the current events of the story for Winter Court 5. They have succeeded in what most in the Empire thought impossible and have reclaimed Otosan Uchi from the clutches of ruin and it is there where they and others help the Empire in their attempts to defeat Kanpeki and his hordes.

To that extent, they most definitely will receive a number of invitations to attend Court. This means that there will be a number of players that will be able to play as part of this faction, just like the other Great Clan factions.

What would be the starting Insight Rank for pc submission?

See above to our answer concerning starting insight ranks.

I'm interested in all the questions already asked, but particularly this sub-part of fyrm's second question: "Who is the host in this time of great despair and desperation?" To add my own spin: What's the focus of the game going to be? I expect it isn't combat, just because that wouldn't be very court-y, but how different an experience will this be compared to other Winter Courts?

As we’ve stated in the answers to many questions above, the broad focus of Winter Court 5 will be on the Great Clans. The narrower focus will be on something that previous games have touched on, but not made a centerpiece: Identity. What that means, on a Clan and personal level, will be revealed more as the game draws nearer.

Will the Doji line survive the onslaught of Kanpeki or will the Daidoji take over the reigns of the Crane Clan?

The Doji family still exists indeed. However, with a much stronger military focus, Doji Makoto has deferred much power over to the Daidoji family.

How are the Crane able to defend their lands against Kanpeki when even the Lion lands burn?

They do what they must.

Read: A lot of gunpowder. Also, the Lion lands were overrun, yes, but by that point, Kanpeki’s army had chewed through all of the Unicorn territories, nibbled on the edges of Crab lands, and taken a hearty bite out of Imperial power with the death of the Legions. The Horde may be limitless, but they do take time to recoup their losses after breaking two of Rokugan’s military superpowers and the entire standing army of the Legions.

....Also, I am apparently hungry. I’m going to go get food.

Harriers... are they now the special forces of the Crane? Are they already absolved of any sins since the Iweko dynasty is basically over?

The Harriers were brought back, yes, and while we’ve yet to specify exactly what the Crane Clan is using them for in our histories and stories to this point, they may just be that special unit the Crane need to do what they must in these trying times.

Will the clans trust the Scorpion EVER again??

Did the Scorpion ever rely on their trust to begin with? And also, did the other Clans ever truly trust the Scorpion?

I may have missed it, but what caused Seiken's insanity?

Have you considered that he may be the only sane one left?

Also, he is in an open relationship with his wife and P’an Ku. That doesn’t tend to do good things for your noggin. Or your marriage.

IF the story will carry over, will Rokugan be the same or will the clans (what's left of them anyway) establish a new empire somewhere?

<I Robot>That, my friend, is the right question. </I Robot>

If we have PC delegation heads how do plan on deciding who it will be?

See above.

What happened to the Imperials and are they a playable faction in WCV?

What happened to them, see above. Playable? Sort of. The Court will be focused on the Great Clans, and the Imperials have taken such hits that they will not be a Faction in and of themselves. Individuals are possible, but they will not wield the same sort of power as they have in days past.

What do you plan to do in regards of the status Problem? Is there a chance that you instead of using status using another measurement system to prevent the status problem without needing to cap it for the players? (For example combining the 3 stats of glory, status and infamy to one mechanically relevant stat)

Well, we’ve already partially mitigated this “problem” by minimizing the appearance of IMperials in Winter Court 5. Obviously, if you’re speaking to an Iweko, or someone who obviously is of higher status, you should use the appropriate honorifc and appropriate words when speaking to them. Status, Glory, and Honor will still be separate mechanical objects, and all three won’t be “capped” at any lower value than the 4th Edition rules currently cap them at already.

However , stating that, we will be picking a selection of carded Personalities available and will be shaping the homebrew character creation rules in such a way so that this “problem” is mitigated to some extent.

Other than that, the status of a particular character will be listed in an index similar to that of past Winter Courts, and it should be consulted if any player has a question to another character’s status when writing a post where they will be speaking to that character. The GM team understands that mistakes may be made, but we also hope that those :”mistakes” will be used as opportunities for interesting samurai drama. Trying to micromanage the status of over 100 samurai on a day-by-day basis over a span of multiple real-world months is just something we cannot force the GMs or AGMs to do, as they will already have many other Winter Court-related duties, along with whatever they do in their personal lives.

My only question is how much previous canon have you changed and/or ignored for the sake of your story?

Plenty. To elaborate, we are trying to incorporate as many of the end-game tourney wins as we can (Fun game! Compare the kill/save lists with the characters that live/die in our fictions/histories.), but we can’t possibly include it all. Plus, some things we just didn’t like about the Onyx stuff. Way previous canon, we try to stay more true to.