I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the new Phoenix Clan vassal family and their cool origin story yet. I would guess that the Shrine Maiden is actually a Kaito as well.

I'm just jazzed to see a vassal family get one confirmed card, and, as you say, the possibility of representation with an unnamed one.

Mind you, I think part of that is the fact that Phoenix have a whopping three "major" families total... but who knows, maybe all of the Clan packs will show off a vassal family?

In The Rising Wave appeared Kobori Sozan , the clerk of the Mirumoto Daimyo Mirumoto Masashige, which seemed another vassal family of the Dragon, not yet properly confirmed.

16 minutes ago, Oni no Pikachu said:

In The Rising Wave appeared Kobori Sozan , the clerk of the Mirumoto Daimyo Mirumoto Masashige, which seemed another vassal family of the Dragon, not yet properly confirmed.

Yes, that's a vassal family.

21 hours ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

Mind you, I think part of that is the fact that Phoenix have a whopping three "major" families total... but who knows, maybe all of the Clan packs will show off a vassal family?

God, I hope so.

In the CCG there were a few personalities, that, as it turned out, were from vassal families, but you wouldn't know it from the cards.

I like the idea of them leaning into the vassal families because:

1.) It's adds a bit more realism into the setting if we can see less homogeneity in each of the great clans.

2.) It fixes a naming issue where you don't get tons of Isawa this guy or Isawa that girl in the card pool.

50 minutes ago, phillos said:

I like the idea of them leaning into the vassal families because:

1.) It's adds a bit more realism into the setting if we can see less homogeneity in each of the great clans.

2.) It fixes a naming issue where you don't get tons of Isawa this guy or Isawa that girl in the card pool.

Yup -- both of these reasons are why I made much greater use of vassal families in my campaign.

On 18/12/2017 at 5:19 PM, Kinzen said:

Yup -- both of these reasons are why I made much greater use of vassal families in my campaign.

Amen. Just take a look at the PC and NPC name list of my current, just barely initiated, campaign:

Quote

Hiroshige Katsuyoshi - Lord of the Kasugai province;

Ude Tsuyoi - Cassiane / Hida Bushi / Last survivor of the Ude family, vassals to the Tachibana;

Nobu - Lauro / Akodo Bushi (Ronin) / Became a vassal to Lord Yukimura after they fought side by side during Yukimura's Musha Shugyo;

Kiyoishi Nakajima - Vitor / Arashi Bushi / Monk of the Order of the Thousand Fortunes;

Senzo Hien - GMPC / Bayushi Bushi / Dark Sword of Bitter Lies Bushi / Mandril mask;

Tachibana Yukimura - Leader of the Tachibana clan, Lord to the PCs;

Harumi - Onmyoji, former Kuni vassal, turned from them after Kisada's Rebellion;

Kansuke Ranmaru - Akodo Bushi / Kansuke's family lord; vassal to the Tachibana;

¬Kansuke Senshumaru - Kakita Bushi / Ranmaru's youngest son;

¬Kansuke Rikimaru - Akodo Bushi / Ranmaru's eldest son;

Kansuke Tatsumaru - Akodo Bushi / Ranmaru's youger brother, leader of the famed Kansuke's Cavalry;

¬Kansuke Aioko - Matsu Spearmen / Tatsumaru's eldest daughter, engaged to Ogata Junsuke;

Ogata Motozane - Hida Bushi / Ranmaru's brother-in-law, leader of the Ogata family, vassal to the Tachibana;

¬Ogata Junsuke - Hiruma Bushi / Motozane's eldest son, engaged to Kansuke Aioko;

I think they should be an official family instead of a vessel familythey could be like a Kuni but go into the study of spirits and demons

I think they were cool enough certainly but the end of the novella seems to mean we'll see a lot more of them, vassals or not. Which is awesome. And shrine maiden probably is a Kaito, but is certainly Kaito trained if not according to the novella.

The Moshibaru vassal family of the Hida was confirmed in the RPG Beta as part of "A Ronin's Journey". If the RPG adventure of "Wedding at Kyotei Castle" is a rewrite of the classic 1st Edition module that also took place at Kyotei Castle, then it will feature the Tsume vassal family of the Daidoji.

Vassal families were a big part of L5R in 1st edition, and it is looking like the RPG and lore is moving back in that direction. To which I say good.