8 hours ago, TheItsyBitsySpider said:

They mention that the wall has been hit earlier and is still in repairs, spreading the Kaiu thin and making a siege less viable due to needed repairs, as such the crab hold the forces in place while the siege engines ready a bombardment.

The wall wasn't secure enough for a siege, so they engaged them on the field rather then risk the wall, trading lives for time.

In the old fluff, breaching the outer wall was just the start of the pain. The intricacy and extensiveness of the traps within made safe travel through require a Kaiu guide.

Also, all the lady daimyos: you go girls! Who needs battle maidens when your samurai-kos are combat engineers and sniper scouts? Hope we get some cards of them in our dynasty packs!

9 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

No more Thousand Years of Peace. FFG is A Thousand Years of Conflict.

What better place to be a Crab?

Loved the story but I may be biased. Loved that Kisada-sama was not portrayed as a belligerent, pig headed, brute (I still loved the old you too, oh mighty Fortune of Persistence). O-Ushi gets my vote for next champion. Sukune finally got some loving and respect from dear old dad I feel, which if he does get sacrificed again will make it all the more tragic. Yakamo... sadly, he's the bad stereotype that makes the rest of the clans think the Crab are a bunch of lunatics that have been staring off the edge of the world too long.

Wondering if the Crab will be the first ones to get access to Nezumi. Blue Fur Tribe maybe?

So if each Champion's weakness is being exposed in these introduction fictions my feeling is that Kisada's "weakness" is his age.

Hotaru = inexperience

Toturi= indecisiveness

Yokuni= unrelatable to his people.

Don't forget.

Shoju = ugly

Shinjo Altarboy (or whatever) = ?????

Ujimitsu = probably dead as fried chicken

I think they used the Wall just fine. Remember that they had to build it because their enemy attacks them constantly, from all over and at different strengths. Their entire army doesn't just sit around on the wall all day, probably not even the bulk of their army needs to. The wall is 100'x30' so there's only so much space for their soldiers, archers and siege crews. That's perfect when they're attacked by a small horde that they didn't see coming because a few squads of samurai can do the work of dozens in that situation. All the while signals that can be seen and heard for miles summon more reinforcements.

But against a huge swarm that they know is coming? The wall almost becomes a crutch. The Shadowlands could attack their siege engines, overwhelm the soldiers and make the archers useless just by swarming up the wall. Using the cleared out sections in front of the wall let them bring a larger number of samurai to the fight, and left the archers and siege engines free to fire indiscriminately. Now the horde has to break Kisada's group, scale the wall (giving that group time to rally and regroup) and break Sukune's group and then face the reserves of O-Ushi's forces.

18 minutes ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Don't forget.

Shoju = ugly

Shinjo Altarboy (or whatever) = ?????

Ujimitsu = probably dead as fried chicken

Shinjo Altarboy= man hands, how else would she manage that huge bow? (Other than magic)

The smug courtiers smirk every time she breaks her chop sticks and brings out that gaijin eating utensil... or is it a long handled comb? What did she call it a frok? Fork?

3 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

Shinjo Altarboy= man hands, how else would she manage that huge bow? (Other than magic)

Like a creature from greek mythology

From a brand new player's perspective, the Wall is impressive and large, sure. But it has weak points. There aren't enough soldiers to properly defend the whole thing...it may be 30' wide and 100' tall, but just how many miles does it stretch out? The Crab are running out of jade and other supplies. There is damage to the wall from previous attacks. To me, it feels like Kisada (and likely Sukune) worries the wall is vulnerable. They are both concerned about the ogres O-Ushi fought scaling the wall, and the potential incursion of the taint on their land. The feeling I get from this is that the wall is really a last line of defense against the spread of corruption, rather than the main line/front line. Kisada chooses to use the one resource he has in relative plenty - armored soldiers - to protect that last line of defense, and to force his opponent to meet him on the battlefield of his choosing.

Personally, I like this portrayal of the wall, because rather than being a big pile of blocks for monsters to bash against, it takes on a sort of metaphorical purpose representing Rokugan as a whole. It potentially makes you more invested in caring about the wall's safety, not just whether the wall holds up under enemy attack. And the story shows us how much the Crab care about the wall, the quasi-symbiotic relationship that they share - the Crab protect the wall, and the wall protects their people and lands.

Maybe Ujimitsu could die in every Phoenix fiction the way Nerishima gets ambushed every Crane fiction: " Oh my Kami! They killed Ujimitsu!" "...I got better."

38 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

Maybe Ujimitsu could die in every Phoenix fiction they Nerishima gets ambushed every Crane fiction: " Oh my Kami! They killed Ujimitsu!" "...I got better."

Well.....it would be sort of phoenix-like wouldn't it?

1 hour ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Where does the 500 year figure come from?

Toshi Ranbo has been contested between Lion and Crane for 500 years. The clan most known for their tactical ability and military prowess can't secure a single city... in 500 years... This isn't due to Crane politics either.

11 minutes ago, Zesu Shadaban said:

From a brand new player's perspective, the Wall is impressive and large, sure. But it has weak points. There aren't enough soldiers to properly defend the whole thing...it may be 30' wide and 100' tall, but just how many miles does it stretch out? The Crab are running out of jade and other supplies. There is damage to the wall from previous attacks. To me, it feels like Kisada (and likely Sukune) worries the wall is vulnerable. They are both concerned about the ogres O-Ushi fought scaling the wall, and the potential incursion of the taint on their land. The feeling I get from this is that the wall is really a last line of defense against the spread of corruption, rather than the main line/front line. Kisada chooses to use the one resource he has in relative plenty - armored soldiers - to protect that last line of defense, and to force his opponent to meet him on the battlefield of his choosing.

Personally, I like this portrayal of the wall, because rather than being a big pile of blocks for monsters to bash against, it takes on a sort of metaphorical purpose representing Rokugan as a whole. It potentially makes you more invested in caring about the wall's safety, not just whether the wall holds up under enemy attack. And the story shows us how much the Crab care about the wall, the quasi-symbiotic relationship that they share - the Crab protect the wall, and the wall protects their people and lands.

Though an exact figure isn't given, the Wall is 100 + miles long

9 hours ago, Shu2jack said:

Having read both, I think Crab should have gone before Dragon.

I disagree. The Dragon story's "A samurai does not fear death..." was nicely mirrored and contrasted here with Kisada's take on that same concept. There's also been a nice alternating of action in all the stories so far. Crane's was calm, aside from the skirmish at the start. Lion's was a lot of warfare. Dragon's was contemplative, with no battling at all. And Crab's battle-centered story. Each story flows into the other quite nicely, IMHO.

Just now, shosuko said:

Toshi Ranbo has been contested between Lion and Crane for 500 years. The clan most known for their tactical ability and military prowess can't secure a single city... in 500 years... This isn't due to Crane politics either.

remember it's not just crane,

Scorpion, Phoenix, the Imperial Families, even the emperor himself, have a vested interest in containing Lion militarism at one time or another

2 hours ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

remember it's not just crane,

Scorpion, Phoenix, the Imperial Families, even the emperor himself, have a vested interest in containing Lion militarism at one time or another

I don't really want to get into it here again, since the discussion already happened elsewhere - I just thought the situation of being written as the great XXX of the empire paired with complete lack of evidence of this in the story / fiction was similar between the Lion and the Phoenix.

This isn't my perspective of the Lion, as I give them credit and believe the reality is a bit different, but the story doesn't show them fulfilling their role very well.

Just now, shosuko said:

I don't really want to get into it here again, since the discussion already happened elsewhere - I just thought the situation of being written as the great XXX of the empire compared to completely lack of evidence of this in the story / fiction was similar between the Lion and the Phoenix.

This isn't my perspective of the Lion, as I give them credit and believe the reality is a bit different, but the story doesn't show them fulfilling their role very well.

agreed

Anyone have an interpretation of the title: Dark Hands of Heaven?

2 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

Anyone have an interpretation of the title: Dark Hands of Heaven?

I think its a nod to Crab pragmatism,

4 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

Anyone have an interpretation of the title: Dark Hands of Heaven?

Quote

Hida Kisada’s eyes finally moved upward, following the plumes of dark smoke—on both sides of the Wall, fed by the bodies of enemy and ally alike—snaking like black fingers up into the sky

Possibly referencing this? Two "hands" of black pyre smoke stretching up to the heavens?

Just now, Zesu Shadaban said:

Possibly referencing this? Two "hands" of black pyre smoke stretching up to the heavens?

Could be, but it may simply be about some allusion to Fu Leng, the dark kami from the celestial heavens. Or maybe both.

2 hours ago, HirumaShigure said:

So if each Champion's weakness is being exposed in these introduction fictions my feeling is that Kisada's "weakness" is his age.

I feel like Kisada's weakness is "indifference". He just doesn't give a **** either way and he only does his stuff because he has to and/or because it has been done since forever.

I don't think he is indifferent, especially when learning the death of that young samurai.

2 hours ago, HirumaShigure said:

Anyone have an interpretation of the title: Dark Hands of Heaven?

Well the Emperor is the Son of Heaven and his hands are stained with blood for not giving the Crab the support they need.

56 minutes ago, AtoMaki said:

I feel like Kisada's weakness is "indifference". He just doesn't give a **** either way and he only does his stuff because he has to and/or because it has been done since forever.

He gives tons of ****. This whole fic was about him giving ****. Giving a **** is the only thing that can penetrate his armor. I'm expecting "giving enough **** to want to secure a foresable future beyond his oncoming demise" will be the main reason for his eventual move to make the Empire care.

While he spends most of the fiction being a game mastermind, he instantly recognizes a random samuraiko after seeing her face. To him, each single Crab is his child, and I imagine that he is growing very frustrated with the current Emperor who makes him throw away more children than absolutely needed.

3 hours ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Don't forget.

Shoju = ugly

Shinjo Altarboy (or whatever) = is a beautiful centaur

Ujimitsu = probably dead as fried chicken

Fixed