If there is any note I can give FFG it's don't make such black and white villain narratives. So far I feel like they are giving us that in the fictions. Everyone appears to be doing what they think is right even if it means they are at odds with other protagonists. I hope they keep it up. that's the perfect type of narrative for this game IMO.

7 minutes ago, phillos said:

If there is any note I can give FFG it's don't make such black and white villain narratives. So far I feel like they are giving us that in the fictions. Everyone appears to be doing what they think is right even if it means they are at odds with other protagonists. I hope they keep it up. that's the perfect type of narrative for this game IMO.

Yeah I'd like to see this too. More "good for my clan, bad for yours" story, and less just bad guys being bad.

10 minutes ago, phillos said:

If there is any note I can give FFG it's don't make such black and white villain narratives. So far I feel like they are giving us that in the fictions. Everyone appears to be doing what they think is right even if it means they are at odds with other protagonists. I hope they keep it up. that's the perfect type of narrative for this game IMO.

Agreed.

I think at least 70%+ of the story problems were the direct result of trying to shoehorn 7+ factions under one 'umbrella' plot.

They couldn't even get it quite right with the 'Clan War' arc (Unicorn anyone?)

Better to not repeat that misstep.

3 hours ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

I don't really expect ANY kind of 'story arc' villain at this point.

Hopefully never, but maybe later

I hope that Yakumo stands as a Dragon villain. And that Hitomi is a Crab villain. And that every clan has a villain for every other clan.

You don't need to March with the shadowlands to burn down a village or kill someone's family.

All the while we can say. Sure they're a jerk, but they are our jerk.

3 hours ago, shosuko said:

Yeah I'd like to see this too. More "good for my clan, bad for yours" story, and less just bad guys being bad.

Even when one of your over zealous clan members goes a little nuts and goes a little too far.

Sure he murders the occasional peasant but he is just too effective. We'll punish him After the war. Once we don't need him any more.

2 minutes ago, Devin-the-Poet said:

Even when one of your over zealous clan members goes a little nuts and goes a little too far.

Sure he murders the occasional peasant but he is just too effective. We'll punish him After the war. Once we don't need him any more.

Bah. If I was to rid my court of every man who has a vice I would have no one under my banner!

33 minutes ago, Shu2jack said:

Bah. If I was to rid my court of every man who has a vice I would have no one under my banner!

You would have plenty of samurai-ko left... maybe you should play Unicorn?

Given the Unicorn/Phoenix setup, I think they're going to try their damndest to have at least a scrap of nuance in all of the conflicts.

*Blissfully unaware that the Phoenix fiction depicts the Council sacrificing Unicorn children to prolong their lives while the rest of the clan takes turns beating helpless peasants for no reason whatsoever*

11 minutes ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

*Blissfully unaware that the Phoenix fiction depicts the Council sacrificing Unicorn children to prolong their lives while the rest of the clan takes turns beating helpless peasants for no reason whatsoever*

Well the Dragon claimed the widows, so someone needed to deal with the orphans...might as well be the Phoenix. For the "compassionate" clan the Unicorn sure seem to be shirking their responsibilities towards their own.

And if the new fiction is any indication, those helpless peasants probably had it coming. I'm sure this Perfect Land Sect is all kinds of evil just waiting to break out in rebellion.

1 minute ago, Zesu Shadaban said:

so someone needed to deal with the orphans...might as well be the Phoenix

LOL!!! And they keep saying that Crab EAT people!

That would explain how those Hida got so big!

On 7/12/2017 at 6:41 PM, Devin-the-Poet said:

I hope that Yakumo stands as a Dragon villain. And that Hitomi is a Crab villain. And that every clan has a villain for every other clan.

You don't need to March with the shadowlands to burn down a village or kill someone's family.

All the while we can say. Sure they're a jerk, but they are our jerk.

On 7/12/2017 at 6:49 PM, Shu2jack said:

Bah. If I was to rid my court of every man who has a vice I would have no one under my banner!

When we were talking in another thread about how the Lion haven't taken over the empire if they are so great in war - we also went into a talk about whether we are in a sengoku jidai war era or a tokugawa peace era. We have the "1000 years of peace" in the empire, but how real is that?

I think can't be that real, and that fighting needs to happen, and the fiction really needs to fight against the "good" vs "bad." If there is anything the Lion fiction did well, it's that Hotaru unapologetically killed Arasou. We need more of that. Besides - the game is a representation of the war between the clans. I think it would be better if they embraced the sengoku jidai elements where the clans had no fault in attacking each other, and really play on the balance of enemies.

Imagine the Scorpion, so nicely sandwiched between the Lion and Crab... If those two forces allied the Scorpion would be annihilated. The politicking of the Scorpion should be focused on keeping that alliance from forming, by keeping the Lion at war with the Crane, and the Crab well stocked with supplies on the wall (and feeling great about themselves for being there)

37 minutes ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

Given the Unicorn/Phoenix setup, I think they're going to try their damndest to have at least a scrap of nuance in all of the conflicts.

*Blissfully unaware that the Phoenix fiction depicts the Council sacrificing Unicorn children to prolong their lives while the rest of the clan takes turns beating helpless peasants for no reason whatsoever*

I will laugh long and loud, if you are right

7 minutes ago, shosuko said:

When we were talking in another thread about how the Lion haven't taken over the empire if they are so great in war - we also went into a talk about whether we are in a sengoku jidai war era or a tokugawa peace era. We have the "1000 years of peace" in the empire, but how real is that?

I think can't be that real, and that fighting needs to happen. Besides - the game is a representation of the war between the clans. I think it would be better if they embraced the sengoku jidai elements where the clans had no fault in attack each other, and really play on the balance of enemies.

Imagine the Scorpion, so nicely sandwiched between the Lion and Crab... If those two forces allied the Scorpion would be in a plight. The politicking of the Scorpion should be focused on keeping that alliance from forming, by keeping the Lion at war with the Crane, and the Crab well stocked with supplies on the wall (and feeling great about themselves for being there)

The 1000 years of peace was, and was always meant to be a misnomer

Lets not reopen the Lion thing just yet.

23 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

That would explain how those Hida got so big!

Nah, it is that creatine crap that makes them so large

BEEFCAKE!!!

21 hours ago, shosuko said:

If there is anything the Lion fiction did well, it's that Hoturi{sic} unapologetically killed Arasou.

Hotaru cried a (visible from across the battlefield) tear and then sent what sounded to me like a letter apologizing for the whole ordeal. She didn't come across as particularly ruthless to me.

On 07/12/2017 at 9:58 PM, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Nah, it is that creatine crap that makes them so large

BEEFCAKE!!!

You mean Crabcake?

1 hour ago, Shu2jack said:

You mean Crabcake?

Actually I had some pretty groovy crabcakes just last Saturday.

but otherwise..

BEEFCAKE!! BEEFCAKE!!

*FLEX*

3 hours ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Actually I had some pretty groovy crabcakes just last Saturday.

but otherwise..

BEEFCAKE!! BEEFCAKE!!

*FLEX*

Have you read Fullmetal Alchemist?

On July 6, 2017 at 11:48 AM, Zesu Shadaban said:

Plot twist - all of Kisada's children die fighting the Shadowlands horde. Kisada survives and goes darkside, blaming the emperor for his children's deaths and not providing the supplies needed to defend the wall. The Dragon are not marching to reinforce the Crab, but to stop darkside Kisada and his followers.

A variation of this idea is something I had cooked up for the RPG a long time ago:

- Kisada allies himself with the Unicorn, not the Shadowlands. The Unicorn help to reinforce the Crab against the Shadowlands, allowing the rest of the joint Crab-Unicorn army to march on Rokugan. (This always seemed like the way it should have happened, IMO)

- The Unicorn wish to conquer/usurp the Lion clan. This is a move that they believe helps them do exactly that.

- With the majority of the UniCrab army marching to dethrone the Emperor, they are met at Beiden Pass by the enigmatic Dragon, alone.

- This fight with the Dragon takes on a whole new meaning. No one knows why the Dragon are there as they are not fighting against obvious evil (Shadowlands Horde). (Yokuni wishes to prevent the Emperors death because he needs Fu Leng to take possession).

- No Toturi's Army because Toturi is still Lion Clan after the Coup. Lion are in the midst of a civil war between Akodo and Matsu forces.

But I digress...

Attack on Titan is Crabbiest non-Crab story out there, and probably outCrab some of the Crab storylines. I find a certain thing in it's plotline amusing.

And if someone here doesn't know what Attack on Titan is and why it's so Crab, I think just the openings are enough to deliver the message: https://youtu.be/CID-sYQNCew

english lyrics by https://www.littlejayneycakes.com/2017/04/20/shinzou-wo-sasageyo/

Try to read this and not feel "Crab", or at least "Hiruma"...

Quote

We prayed the hell we knew was waiting, wouldn't be so dark and unrelenting,

But the days ahead just left us wishing that tomorrow never came.

Our fate was cruel and gave no warning, the knocking at the door came calling,

Then the days we faced were here to stay and, like a nightmare they began!

You who wages war with us each passing day,

Give all that you are, and go destroy the enemy!

Recollect the faces of our past now once again,

what our eyes - our hearts would say

and run ahead!

What can men do in the face of devils with such little strength?

You can't do a thing if you won't let it go, your hope, your dreams, your life, your soul!

You heard the call, "Devote your all". Our freedom lies beyond the wall.

Everything that you've given up, the blood you've shed was for this one moment!

So heed the call, "Devote your all". Our freedom lies beyond the wall.

The future lies in front of you, shake off your chains and reach ahead!

1 hour ago, WHW said:

Attack on Titan is Crabbiest non-Crab story out there, and probably outCrab some of the Crab storylines. I find a certain thing in it's plotline amusing.

I kinda like the parallel here in a way that just as the "wall people" in Attack on Titan, the Crab is also the architects of their own misery and their fight ultimately serves no real purpose at all (quite the opposite, in fact).

8 hours ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

Have you read Fullmetal Alchemist?

No. Is that a recommendation?

30 minutes ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

No. Is that a recommendation?

Any time someone brings up Full Metal Alchemist it is a recommendation. ?

30 minutes ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

No. Is that a recommendation?

You sounded like you'd appreciate the Magnificent Armstrong: