I played Scorpion in the CCG, but the Iron Crane won me over to the Crane, and I began going Crane. then the CCG was sold. I was thinking of picking up Scorpion again, but the beautiful art of the Asahine Cards and the Clan Champ card completely won me over. Unlike others it seems the Dueling system is actually really growing on me. I have found good ways of baiting high bids from my opponents with Kakita Kaezin, to then leave the battle stealing their honor, or having Kakita so buffed that he needs to bid very little to win. I have also found synergy with both Good Omens and Contingency plan to rig and benefit from the duels as well. The dueling mechanic has some support but its potential to grow is great.
Clan Loyalty...
I'm stuck currently between the clan I've always been loyal to, and the clan I enjoy playing the most. Thankfully, there will be more cards released by the time I play in the next event.
Worst case is I play my fun clan for fun and stick to dragon for events, or I decide to change my loyalty with this new iteration of the game and jump in with both feet.
Either way, it's fun.
2 hours ago, Ide Yoshiya said:It was a private discussion between the Clan Champion and his wife. While there is certainly motive behind the affair (not sure precisely what that is yet), to this reader's eyes at least, it is clearly an indication of intent as well, which we all know Kachiko can follow through with given her position of influence over Doji Hotaru.
But as Unicorn, shouldn't you want to go through with the Cranicorn Alliance tm, to stick it to the Scorpion?
Just now, Ishi Tonu said:But as Unicorn, shouldn't you want to go through with the Cranicorn Alliance tm, to stick it to the Scorpion?
I would never do something to "stick it to" someone. That kind of behavior only breeds conflict.
9 minutes ago, Ide Yoshiya said:I would never do something to "stick it to" someone. That kind of behavior only breeds conflict.
But they started it, Dad!
Seriously though, Altansarnai does not seem to take to kindly to being taken advantage of. She was all cool with the whole Lion marriage until she got the 411 on what she was giving up by marrying someone of lower rank, and she didn't waste anytime going strait to "Oh so it's like that then? Kamoko, get me my curved blade, Alty's gonna set this $h!t straight"
Edited by Ishi Tonu
27 minutes ago, Ishi Tonu said:Seriously though, Altansarnai does not seem to take to kindly to being taken advantage of. She was all cool with the whole Lion marriage until she got the 411 on what she was giving up by marrying someone of lower rank, and she didn't waste anytime going strait to "Oh so it's like that then? Kamoko, get me my curved blade, Alty's gonna set this $h!t straight"
That conflict is on the Lion's hands. They dealt our Champion a grave insult, and she has responded in kind. Thus, now is the time for us to rekindle old friendships, not inspire new foes.
9 minutes ago, Ide Yoshiya said:That conflict is on the Lion's hands. They dealt our Champion a grave insult, and she has responded in kind. Thus, now is the time for us to rekindle old friendships, not inspire new foes.
That's what I'm getting at. Unicorn is not the ones trying to pick a fight by allying with the Crane. It's the Scorpion that are muddling in the Unicorn/Crane affairs. If Altsy finds the Scorpion's interference insulting, I don't think she is going to just sit on her hands and allow it to happen. The Scorpion are the ones that could be making the Unicorn their foes, if their plots are discovered. It's not like the Scorpion got an Imperial decree saying the alliance couldn't go forward and put the Crane and Unicorn on notice. The Scorpion is manipulating the situation.
I get the idea that for story purposes you are denying yourself the ability to play a Crane splash, which represents that the Scorpion were successful in their efforts to manipulate the Crane and stop the Unicorn alliance with them. I wouldn't be on board with the idea of essentially admitting that the Scorpion bested you and the Crane. If it were my clan, I wouldn't stand for that, and given Altsy's propensity for reprisal, I'd suspect that the interaction would be more like this:
Crane Courtier - "Sorry, Hotaru has changed her mind about the alliance"
Kamoko - whispers in Altsy's ear - "Shoju's wife is manipulating their champion"
Altsy - "This alliance is sound and will go forward as agreed upon, or has the Crane clans ability to lead as terrible, as your ability to make our clan aware of important customs, like marriage?"
Crane Courtier - "But........."
Altsy - "Nevermind, I will speak to Hotaru personally..........I'm sure she will want to hear what I have to say. in fact I expect her to be quite the Captive Audience"
1 hour ago, Ishi Tonu said:I get the idea that for story purposes you are denying yourself the ability to play a Crane splash, which represents that the Scorpion were successful in their efforts to manipulate the Crane and stop the Unicorn alliance with them. I wouldn't be on board with the idea of essentially admitting that the Scorpion bested you and the Crane. If it were my clan, I wouldn't stand for that, and given Altsy's propensity for reprisal, I'd suspect that the interaction would be more like this:
Crane Courtier - "Sorry, Hotaru has changed her mind about the alliance"
Kamoko - whispers in Altsy's ear - "Shoju's wife is manipulating their champion"
Altsy - "This alliance is sound and will go forward as agreed upon, or has the Crane clans ability to lead as terrible, as your ability to make our clan aware of important customs, like marriage?"
Crane Courtier - "But........."
Altsy - "Nevermind, I will speak to Hotaru personally..........I'm sure she will want to hear what I have to say. in fact I expect her to be quite the Captive Audience"
Your argument is compelling. I was already considering a Lion influence for synergy, and that's a far greater stretch. Currently I'm experimenting with Dragon, which makes the most thematic sense, but until there are more Courtiers in the Unicorn card pool, a Crane splash might offer a boost in the clan's political side.
13 minutes ago, Ide Yoshiya said:Your argument is compelling. I was already considering a Lion influence for synergy, and that's a far greater stretch. Currently I'm experimenting with Dragon, which makes the most thematic sense, but until there are more Courtiers in the Unicorn card pool, a Crane splash might offer a boost in the clan's political side.
Crab is a good splash and based on the recent fiction they seem to respect each other.
4 hours ago, Ide Yoshiya said:I would never do something to "stick it to" someone. That kind of behavior only breeds conflict.
I love conflict in the story - it's what makes things interesting! Also, are you going to let some silly Scorpion tell you what to do?
38 minutes ago, BCumming said:Also, are you going to let some silly Scorpion tell you what to do?
What bad can come of listening to a scorpion?
10 hours ago, TheItsyBitsySpider said:This has nothing to do with clan loyalty, this has everything to do with AEG not being transparent and screwing over the, at the time, front runner clans, both of which formed an Alliance that AEG was forcing apart because they decided to change the megagame half way through.
Players left the game because they felt lied to about the company, and that their contributions were being openly muddled with to get the result AEG wanted, not what the players felt they were actually working to earn. **** that entire Megagame ONLY worked because clan loyalty exists.
I was a Spider player from Emperor on, I know exactly how it feels to have design screw up your faction EVERY time, but Clan Loyalty only enhanced my experience.
No they literally believed AEG changed tournament result reports in an effort to screw them over. That was the controversy. There was some hurt over the scorpions win condition screwing over second place instead of last place, but it isn't as though it was an out of character move for the clan. The ragequitting came because they believed AEG literally altered results.
Trust me, i know, i was there, mocking them for how stupid and paranoid it sounded.
Throughout the years I've won prizes for Lion / Crane / Spider
When I started in Diamond Edition I played Lion-Crane-Scorpion-Shadowlands
In the end I am a Lion Player, I started with them and they will always be my #1 Clan. Crane a close second.
34 minutes ago, McDermott said:No they literally believed AEG changed tournament result reports in an effort to screw them over. That was the controversy. There was some hurt over the scorpions win condition screwing over second place instead of last place, but it isn't as though it was an out of character move for the clan. The ragequitting came because they believed AEG literally altered results.
Trust me, i know, i was there, mocking them for how stupid and paranoid it sounded.
It was a horrible move perpetuated to break an alliance we worked hard for because there was no hope for anyone else to win, thus no reason to continue the race for the throne.
That single event actually cost people real friendships, as dumb as that sounds, because Dragon refused to lose their great clan status. We had no desire to win the throne, but because of that change we were faced with winning or losing our clan status. It was ugly.
Edited by SideshowLucifer11 minutes ago, SideshowLucifer said:
That single event actually cost people real friendships, as dumb as that sounds, because Dragon refused to lose their great clan status. We had no desire to win the throne, but because of that change we were faced with winning or losing our clan status. It was ugly.
"You're right McDermott, getting too vested in clan loyalty DOES have a history of all kinds of ridiculous problems"
35 minutes ago, McDermott said:"You're right McDermott, getting too vested in clan loyalty DOES have a history of all kinds of ridiculous problems"
Clan loyalty didnt cause that. AEG caused that, that was 100% on AEG's fault for changing the rules to a game midway through purposely to try to add drama and tension because they didnt expect a runaway winner to appear. Trying to blame people being upset for playing a faction based megagame, in a faction based game, because (GASP) they LIKED the team they chose to support in that mega game, on their preferences that made the mega game work in the first place is just poor idiocy.
Just now, TheItsyBitsySpider said:Clan loyalty didnt cause that. AEG caused that, that was 100% on AEG's fault for changing the rules to a game midway through purposely to try to add drama and tension because they didnt expect a runaway winner to appear.
Yeah, im sure thats it and not peoples irrational overattachment to their clan
Just now, McDermott said:Yeah, im sure thats it and not peoples irrational overattachment to their clan
"Hey, lets do a team based game"
"Oh look, the judges are changing the rules out of nowhere to mess up the red team right when they are about to win"
"Oh look the red team is mad, clearly its THEIR fault that they are mad, they should have not picked red team, not the judges who changed the games rules"
I mean, you clearly dont get how games work so yeah, that pretty much was it. Setting up a mega game, explaining the rules, and then purposely screwing over the winning team IS a fantastic way to get players to leave the game. 
2 minutes ago, TheItsyBitsySpider said:
"Hey, lets do a team based game"
"Oh look, the judges are changing the rules out of nowhere to mess up the red team right when they are about to win"
"Oh look the red team is mad, clearly its THEIR fault that they are mad, they should have not picked red team, not the judges who changed the games rules"
I mean, you clearly dont get how games work so yeah, that pretty much was it. Setting up a mega game, explaining the rules, and then purposely screwing over the winning team IS a fantastic way to get players to leave the game.
id honest to god like to thank you for proving my point
Just now, McDermott said:id honest to god like to thank you for proving my point
Which point? The part where you said to have a favorite clan, but not to have a favorite clan?
7 minutes ago, TheItsyBitsySpider said:Which point? The part where you said to have a favorite clan, but not to have a favorite clan?
If you don't understand "Have a favorite clan but don't be clan loyal" I cant help you friendo.
It wasn't clan loyalty that caused the problem. It was changing the rules near the end that caused it.
Clan loyalty has been a staple of L5R for as long as it has been competitive. It's what drives the game and the story forward.
Not everyone stays loyal all the time. I had a Phoenix character made for me even though I was always Dragon clan.
Like anything else, it's as good or bad as a person makes it.
Just now, McDermott said:If you don't understand "Have a favorite clan but don't be clan loyal" I cant help you friendo.
Having a favorite clan IS being clan loyal friendo! I'm sorry you dont get that bud! 
Always hope that your clan never sits on the throne. It seems to make anyone there incredibly stupid. ??
8 hours ago, BCumming said:I love conflict in the story - it's what makes things interesting! Also, are you going to let some silly Scorpion tell you what to do?
TBF it was more what it seems she's going to tell a silly Crane to do.