So, it seems that, for whatever reasons, we missed the Lion fiction last week. Does this mean that everything is moved one week back, or we will have a double dose (fiction plus full Lion gameplay write-up) this coming week?

FFG gave a response on their Facebook saying that for the time being they are pushing everything back a week. They said they wanted each clan to have their chance on the spotlight.

Since that would put the last set of previews the week after Gencon (if they continue at the one clan every two weeks pace) I think it's possible they'll change up the schedule at some point, but that's just conjecture.

1 hour ago, Suzume Tomonori said:

FFG gave a response on their Facebook saying that for the time being they are pushing everything back a week. They said they wanted each clan to have their chance on the spotlight.

Since that would put the last set of previews the week after Gencon (if they continue at the one clan every two weeks pace) I think it's possible they'll change up the schedule at some point, but that's just conjecture.

If they don't, whichever clan is previewed last will be nicknamed "the Shaft Clan."

2 minutes ago, Ide Yoshiya said:

If they don't, whichever clan is previewed last will be nicknamed "the Shaft Clan."

Let's be fair, that'd happen regardless of schedule changes...

4 minutes ago, Ide Yoshiya said:

If they don't, whichever clan is previewed last will be nicknamed "the Shaft Clan."

I would say whichever clan has everything wrapped up in one week instead of two is the shaft clan.

1 minute ago, Yandia said:

I would say whichever clan has everything wrapped up in one week instead of two is the shaft clan.

See, I'd be thrilled to get all my info at once instead of spread out. Being last would kinda suck though.

Need more l5r information... World going dark... Need fictions ... Or spoilers... Anything! Need more of my precious. More of the 5 rings!

Shaft Clan!

I'm expecting Unicorn to be last. But now I'm kind of wanting next week's article to lead off with, "This week was supposed to be the Lion's turn, but the Unicorn player played Way of the Unicorn, and kept the first player token instead of passing it. So have some Unicorn fiction instead."

Just now, Mon no Oni said:

Shaft Clan!

Watch yo' mouth.

To be perfectly frank, I would prefer they just skip past the lore, if necessary, and get us the previews as quickly as possible. The more cards we see, the faster we can determine how the game is going to be played, the more excited people will be.

Fiction is great but, if it is indeed just fiction this week, that will end up being a 3 week gap since the last preview before we learn anything substantial and new about the actual game.

That feels like a bad way to build hype for the game, since the game is the signature feature of...the game.

I'm hoping for both the fiction and a preview this week.

40 minutes ago, Joe From Cincinnati said:

That feels like a bad way to build hype for the game, since the game is the signature feature of...the game.

Because of no articles last week I was beginning to worry that the signature feature to the game was discussing lack of non-Asian/female representation in the fantasy setting. Eek!

46 minutes ago, Joe From Cincinnati said:

To be perfectly frank, I would prefer they just skip past the lore, if necessary, and get us the previews as quickly as possible. The more cards we see, the faster we can determine how the game is going to be played, the more excited people will be.

No. The sooner we know everything about the game, the longer we have to sustain our anticipation, versus being spoon-fed information from week to week. This is spread out deliberately to keep us salivating. Don't worry: they're a marketing team. They got this.

49 minutes ago, Joe From Cincinnati said:

Fiction is great but, if it is indeed just fiction this week, that will end up being a 3 week gap since the last preview before we learn anything substantial and new about the actual game.

That feels like a bad way to build hype for the game, since the game is the signature feature of...the game.

The game, while important, is not the whole of Legend of the Five Rings. L5R is as much a setting, a story, and an RPG if I may be so bold as to forecast future announcements, as it is an LCG. You say the game is its own signature feature. I would counter that L5R is defined among CCGs especially by its playerbase, whose dedication to specific clans even despite the newfound ability to dabble in all of them without breaking the bank, is informed just as much if not moreso by the lore of the game than its mechanics.

As much as I would like to have all of the information now, like Lord Ide mentioned above, the pacing of information is likely being carefully controlled to keep us in anticipation until the release date. I don't necessarily like it, but I get it.

Now, there are a lot of different kinds of people interested in the game. While some are interested in the story and world in equal or greater parts than the game, I'm in the same camp as Joe in that I'm much more interested in the game itself. I'm familiar with most of the lore, and while some of it may change, if it changes on a large scale away from the original premise (unlikely) my interest will shift solely to the game anyway, making fiction weeks "off weeks" for me. I'd much prefer to have card previews split into smaller chunks and done weekly, but FFG has decided their course and I expect them to stick to it.

At this point the piece of information that I most want is the card distribution of the core set (so I can figure out how many cores to buy) and I have a feeling that is precisely the piece of information that FFG is the most reticent to reveal.

46 minutes ago, Suzume Tomonori said:

At this point the piece of information that I most want is the card distribution of the core set (so I can figure out how many cores to buy) and I have a feeling that is precisely the piece of information that FFG is the most reticent to reveal.

I'm not sure quite how you get that. They've up and out said you'll need three cores to get a complete playset of all the cards. Which isn't a surprise to anyone who has picked up any of their LCGs in the past.

5 minutes ago, Gaffa said:

I'm not sure quite how you get that. They've up and out said you'll need three cores to get a complete playset of all the cards. Which isn't a surprise to anyone who has picked up any of their LCGs in the past.

Didn't say I wanted a playset.

33 minutes ago, Suzume Tomonori said:

Didn't say I wanted a playset.

I don't understand what you mean then. Either you want a full play set (or more) or you don't. So you either buy 3 cores or not. This is all the info you need in order to buy cores. FFG also said that if you only play with one core, there are 'special' rules in order to play. So Either you play with special rules (1 core), or play without special rules and not a play set (2 cores), or you play with a full play set (3 cores). What other info do you need? Seems like it's all there to me.

5 hours ago, Mon no Oni said:

Shaft Clan!

Shut yo mouth!

Am I really getting grief over having different purchashing habits than other people?

I apologize if I've offended you guys somehow, but I am honestly surprised at getting hostility about being undecided about how many cores I want.

56 minutes ago, Suzume Tomonori said:

Am I really getting grief over having different purchashing habits than other people?

I apologize if I've offended you guys somehow, but I am honestly surprised at getting hostility about being undecided about how many cores I want.

I don't think any offence or hostility were intended on either side. Those of us who've played other FFG LCGs know from experience that most of the clan/faction specific cards will tend to be one-ofs in Core Sets, so two sets is your absolute minimum (or three if you want to optimise).

As for the fiction, I'm in the same camp as you and Joe: I'd prefer to have weekly articles containing Clan card previews and strategy/gameplay, and maybe post the fiction articles simultaneously rather than interspersed between fortnightly card previews.

7 hours ago, Ide Yoshiya said:

No. The sooner we know everything about the game, the longer we have to sustain our anticipation, versus being spoon-fed information from week to week. This is spread out deliberately to keep us salivating. Don't worry: they're a marketing team. They got this.

The game, while important, is not the whole of Legend of the Five Rings. L5R is as much a setting, a story, and an RPG if I may be so bold as to forecast future announcements, as it is an LCG. You say the game is its own signature feature. I would counter that L5R is defined among CCGs especially by its playerbase, whose dedication to specific clans even despite the newfound ability to dabble in all of them without breaking the bank, is informed just as much if not moreso by the lore of the game than its mechanics.

I understand the stance on the matter, but I disagree. Because, as you may know, the game is still not going to be released for 2 to 3 months after GenCon.

So, if showing previews is the best way to hype the game, I don't envy the marketing team come September and October when they need to keep the hype train going once we know every card in the box.

The lore, like you said, is the bread and butter of this IP. But its context still lies within the playing of the game. I doubt they are trying to draw in anyone to follow the lore but not play the game. So the interest in the lore is contingent on the interest in the game. Would you agree?

I think, at the end of the day, their marketing strategy is fine if they stick to their schedule (which they fell off of last week).

I'm just saying I would prefer the card previews right now because, at this moment, I'm trying to discern my interest in this re-imagining of the game that I love. They got me on the hook. It's time to reel me in. Show me what my clans can do.

The lore can always be filled in at a later time. The card previews have an expiration date: August 17th. Once we hit Gencon, the previews mean absolutely nothing. So it makes sense, from a marketing standpoint, to front load those to ensure we get them all before Gen Con.

The current timeline right now has them not previewing one clan before Gencon. So, they either need to change their schedule, accelerate their schedule or risk just completely skipping over a clan, which will inevitably annoy the people who want to play that clan. And, like you said, this game is defined by clan loyalty. So skipping a whole clan will alienate a whole clan's playerbase (granted, not as much as cutting them from the game entirely...)

As someone who doesn't know the early lore, I'd rather the fictions than the spoils.

2 hours ago, Joe From Cincinnati said:

I'm just saying I would prefer the card previews right now because, at this moment, I'm trying to discern my interest in this re-imagining of the game that I love. They got me on the hook. It's time to reel me in. Show me what my clans can do.

An excellent point. I confess I'm a bit anxious to learn what the Unicorn Clan is going to be like in the game. Seeing a new version of L5R built from scratch with no cavalry placement step means that for the first time, the Unicorn can be costed as efficiently as other clans' characters. That has me pumped.

What has me hesitant is their stated unwillingness to discuss their plans for multiplayer, and as strange as it may sound (since I realize multiplayer is not for everyone and 1v1 will always be the default for competitive CCGs), not having a general idea what it's going to look like beyond a fair conjecture that it will happen given their response, is keeping me a fair distance away from investment in the game. A sufficient distance, anyway, that needing to know everything about it is not a present concern for me.

The story, however, I will follow regardless of whether or how heavily I buy into the LCG, so I like that they are unrolling both gameplay previews and short stories in equal measure.

About the "Shaft Clan" (I loved that! ), I bet the Scorpion will be the last one and their fiction will probably reveal they are behind the grander scheme of things within the setting recently, pulling everyone's strings at one level or another.