In The Garden of Lies - Part II
Nice story. Got to admit I preferred the first part, but there was nothing really wrong here. Oddly the second part felt more like a set-up for future stories, while the first part felt more like a story itself. But we do see for certain that the Scorpion are interested in the Perfect Land sect, and they don't know (yet) about the leadership. So this looks like one of the building plot points. I look forward to more.
The second part was so short, I'm not sure why it was broken up like that.
2 minutes ago, agarrett said:Nice story. Got to admit I preferred the first part, but there was nothing really wrong here. Oddly the second part felt more like a set-up for future stories, while the first part felt more like a story itself. But we do see for certain that the Scorpion are interested in the Perfect Land sect, and they don't know (yet) about the leadership. So this looks like one of the building plot points. I look forward to more.
I'll admit, this part kind of made me feel like part 1's ending was a fake-out, but this definitely strengthens my belief that this is leading into whatever storyline choice will be made by the Winter Court champion.
1 minute ago, Kakita Shiro said:The second part was so short, I'm not sure why it was broken up like that.
Probably for the hoped-for suspense of ending part 1 the way they did...and I suspect they have a set of stories with a timeline to lead into Worlds, this one just needed to be split to make things stretch that long. I'd like to hope that won't be the case for future fiction, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much.
Very underwhelming. I'm not quite sure why this wasn't part of the first fiction. You could say it was for suspense but the payoff was lacking.
At 9 pages total it's pretty much on par with the length of the other stories we've seen so far. While I would also have preferred the whole story at once it's not unreasonable for FFG to spread things out a bit or else they could end up setting the expectations a bit too high......and with this fan base I don't blame them.
They story could have been broken up by cutting it off right after the duel. But I kind of think the "what was that" pause was to have some fun.
It seems like the main goal was to give us a nice fiction that checked a lot of boxes. We haven't had a dueling fiction yet. We got a little more info about the perfect land sect. We got some intrigue and got to see the scorpion courtiers and shinobi. As a whole story it's just as good as any of the others so far.
21 minutes ago, Yogo Gohei said:
This would only make sense if the story had been written really as separate stories, and not as one and splitted (as it clearly is).
The idea that the noise was just a trick to gain her trust is not that bad in the end
Edited by franzvong1 hour ago, Kakita Shiro said:The second part was so short, I'm not sure why it was broken up like that.
If they want to give us fiction as often as they are, they'll have to give us a smaller quantity of it in each instalment.
I liked it.
Hope they continue with the emphasis on the "manipulating courtier" aspect of the Scorpion and less on the "pajama wearing peasant stories guys" .
19 minutes ago, Badilla said:I liked it.
Hope they continue with the emphasis on the "manipulating courtier" aspect of the Scorpion and less on the "pajama wearing peasant stories guys" .
I'm cool with stories about Kachiko wearing pajamas.......or half wearing pajamas as she seems to prefer.
I liked it.
Good interplay, good Scorpion admiring honorable sorts even as they cynically acknowledge that those guys have it rough. Good Dragon thinking she's found a trustworthy Scorpion... which, in a way, she has, to a point.
This one's quiet- it doesn't thunder at us with big bullet points, but it definitely adds some depth to the picture- especially for new fans hearing all of us talk about what jerkwads the Scorpion are...
I thought it was interesting. It didn't tell us much that was new, but it did show a lot about the operating style of the Scorpion, which is good for new players.
It's also noteworthy in what it reveals about the Scorpion's priorities: the Lion, their supposed allies, are about to get involved in a two-front war; the Crab are struggling against the Shadowlands; the Seppun are dabbling in gaijin magic... and what the Scorpion are worried about is the Perfect Land sect. It did a good job of piquing my interest in that sect, at the very least.
Edited by FumiParagraph breaks are our friend
I feel this one was short - but with bi-weekly fictions, and only monthly expansions... and the game not being out yet lol... I think this is a fine quantity.
The quality was good - meaning, the interactions between the characters was well reasoned. Nothing was done just to mess with people. While the Scorpion are obviously manipulative, they aren't necessarily ill-intended. I like the idea that Scorpion are discrete, and effective - secretive but not evil really, just less bound to a code of honor.
Great story. I think the break between parts I and II worked well narratively. I also like the depiction of the Scorpion. Also, I like ninja shinobi. There, I said it.
It will be interesting to see how the Promised Land Sect story weaves into the greater story arc. How, if at all, will this investigation be related to the coup and/or Fu Leng's return?
I enjoyed this a lot. Nice call back to the Ryoko Owari lore that used to exist.
Sneaky Scorpion ninja! Also, very excited to see what the investigation into the Promised Land Sect reveals.
On 9/21/2017 at 2:15 AM, shosuko said:I feel this one was short - but with bi-weekly fictions, and only monthly expansions... and the game not being out yet lol... I think this is a fine quantity.
The quality was good - meaning, the interactions between the characters was well reasoned. Nothing was done just to mess with people. While the Scorpion are obviously manipulative, they aren't necessarily ill-intended. I like the idea that Scorpion are discrete, and effective - secretive but not evil really, just less bound to a code of honor.
Honorable goals, dishonorable means, climbing the mountain of bodies to the end that justifies the journey? I hope this is the new Scorpion angle.
I will post some of my own thoughts about the fiction later, I have mixed feelings and need to properly reread it.
I quite liked the cliffhanger, actually. It felt like a very Scorpion move - set up expectations, then subvert them. Honestly, I would have been a bit disappointed if there actually had been someone there. Yes, it was annoying waiting two weeks for the payoff, but that will be a struggle no matter what. Compare to how MTG does their fiction (which I love) - a new story every week starting when a new set release for 6-8 weeks, a month or so of nothing, and then the new set releases. Different styles, but very different needs. In large part because L5R is far more story driven than MTG ever has been (or ever could be, really)