Is there any limitation in the beginner game that would prevent me from running it with 5 or 6 PCs utilizing the downloadable character portfolios for the extra players?
Beginner Game
I'm disappointed in the editing of the starter set and hope the quality improves in the core book.
Some examples of the poor editing is in each of the character folios that come in the starter set it says increasing rings is twice the value of the new ring, but the example increases are three times. This is correct in the downloadable characters.
Speaking of downloadable characters, when they went live the Unicorn character has an air ring of 2 but only a single air skill die. I haven't checked to see if this has been corrected yet.
Am I disappointed in the beginner box? No. It is a good introduction to the game in that it conveys the mechanics of the new system and the feel of the setting. It very much is a railroad but I find for what it is doing it needs to be. The additional adventure expands on the first and opens up some more.
I couldn't care less about a couple of editing errors. Never met a game that didn't have them. Point them out move on. Ask for clarification if need be.
2 hours ago, RexGator said:Is there any limitation in the beginner game that would prevent me from running it with 5 or 6 PCs utilizing the downloadable character portfolios for the extra players?
None that I can see right now.
a couple of silly questions about the extra PC
1) Is Bayushi kyo a male or female character? (it feels like it is kept purposefully ambiguous in the description)
2) what happened to his face? it certaintly sticks like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the art
Can't remember where, but I was sure I read that all the characters were specifically designed to be played in whatever gender the player would like.
1) If they decline to say, they decline to say. Pressing questions of identity to Scorpions is a great way to get some delightful almond flavouring added to your tea.
2) Unicorn stick out in a lot of ways. Far more importantly, though, can we talk about how his inventory list describes his horse as 'the only one you can trust?'
6 minutes ago, Lindhrive said:2) Unicorn stick out in a lot of ways. Far more importantly, though, can we talk about how his inventory list describes his horse as 'the only one you can trust?'
1
His ability to use his horse to lower the TN of, say, an Aesthetics or Sentiment Skill Check is a lot funnier in my opinion
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Any Unicorn will tell you, the aesthetics of any setting can be improved by adding horse!
They will tell you this even if you don't ask.
I guess the Unicorn's features are to show the mixed heritage they have because of their time spent in gaijin lands.
15 hours ago, mirrorcat said:a couple of silly questions about the extra PC
1) Is Bayushi kyo a male or female character?
Based on the response from Katrina Ostrander on Facebook and Twitter? The answer to this question is either “No,” or “Player’s Choice”.
As written, Bayushi Kyo is never given a gendered pronoun, and has at times impersonated their brother and their sister flawlessly.
It was the writer’s intent for Bayushi Kyo to be a gender fluid or non binary gender option for players.
Because representation matters, and is awesome.
I hadn’t heard there was a statement on Kyo. That’s awesome!
23 hours ago, sndwurks said:As written , Bayushi Kyo is never given a gendered pronoun, and has at times impersonated their brother and their sister flawless ly .
I noticed that for most of Kyo's backstory, the writers were able to avoid even using "they" as a pronoun. I was rather hoping that this trend would continue, and that most people wouldn't even notice until they realized they had made a different assumption than someone else at the game table.
Which is exactly how the Scorpion would like it.
If you want a closer look at the contents here is a video.
I just got my copy this afternoon. and it looks quite nice. One question from the Map. The Castle of the Cat. Was that Always there and I did not notice? I'm not remembering it
52 minutes ago, TheWanderingJewels said:I just got my copy this afternoon. and it looks quite nice. One question from the Map. The Castle of the Cat. Was that Always there and I did not notice? I'm not remembering it
The Island did not exist in the old lore. The location is where in later events from the old lore Kaigen's Island was created. Since they kept the existence of a island there they had to create new lore.
okay. That works for me. I was wondering and figured I'd ask
Having finally gotten down to reading the adventures (both the one in the Beginner Game and the downloadable one on the website), I would say that I wouldn't run the Beginner Game adventure unless I were planning to continue on to at least run the followup adventure. It works as a basic system and setting primer to kick off a larger campaign, but as a one-shot it's a little thin as written. I mean, yes, it's the Topaz Championship, and it fits with precedent that, as the characters take their various tests, players are going to be making lists of skill checks with little context other than an infodump of what those checks mean, with the occasional interrupting shenanigans. Complaining about that is like complaining about how often the monsters on Scooby-Doo are guys in masks pulling real estate swindles.
But then the characters are, early on, given a task that's treated as a huge deal (trying to avoid specific spoilers as much as possible here), and at no point does that task actually come up other than to bring the players' attention to drama between NPCs -- which they can entirely stand back and ignore (or even just walk away from) without changing the fundamental outcome of the adventure. "Your characters learn a thing and you, as players, are made aware that this culture would react differently than the one you're from" is not a plot resolution. The encounter establishing the task becomes relevant in the followup adventure, but the task itself does not on its own.
For inexperienced roleplayers in general (maybe folks coming over from the LCG side of things) and/or players new to the setting, the Beginning Game adventure serves as a workable intro to the game, but I'd have a second adventure (like the downloadable one) ready to go immediately after. That said, I expect many experienced gamers, whether new to the setting or not, will likely find swaths of it bland unless you customize it with your own plot hooks and/or the optional extra encounters in the back of the adventure book. (Also, oddly enough, one of those extra encounters goes out of its way to link itself to the followup adventure but at no point would it be relevant as written unless someone forced its relevance as a roleplaying thing.) Yes, I'm aware that some of that is the nature of the beast, YMMV, all gaming groups are different, but I just feel the need to strongly encourage any GMs to be ready to customize this to your group.
(Edit: I should point out that the downloadable followup adventure is a lot more promising. Some of the material is arranged oddly, with a handful of "If the characters have done X, then this NPC can do Y" moments with no explanation as to what 'X' is until further along in the adventure, but that's a minor gripe. As long as you've read the whole thing first and you're not running it 'cold' you should be fine.)
Edited by MythicFoxOkay, I was going to pick this up at my FLGS last night. It’s $10 more than the SW beginner boxes (for a property they own instead of license) and has fewer dice. I knew that going in but expected the box to be sturdier. It doesn’t seem to be so I told the manager to shelve it and I’ll wait for the Core book. For those who have both this and the SW boxes: does it seem worth the extra Hamilton?
1 hour ago, ObiWanBilbo said:Okay, I was going to pick this up at my FLGS last night. It’s $10 more than the SW beginner boxes (for a property they own instead of license) and has fewer dice. I knew that going in but expected the box to be sturdier. It doesn’t seem to be so I told the manager to shelve it and I’ll wait for the Core book. For those who have both this and the SW boxes: does it seem worth the extra Hamilton?
It would have been nice to at least have the other three characters in the box, since that's about what it will cost me to get them printed out if I decide to go that route, but I don't regret buying it.
Setting up for trying this on Sunday. Half of the group are veteran L5R rpgers, so I want to let them know where we stand historically. It appears that we are less than a year away from the old Scorpion coup if Wiki is accurate. Originally Satsume perished during or after that I think, so this seems to be a diverging point from the "original" timeline...
Anything else you think I should share?
1 hour ago, bsmith23 said:Setting up for trying this on Sunday. Half of the group are veteran L5R rpgers, so I want to let them know where we stand historically. It appears that we are less than a year away from the old Scorpion coup if Wiki is accurate. Originally Satsume perished during or after that I think, so this seems to be a diverging point from the "original" timeline...
Anything else you think I should share?
There are a lot of diverging points. And for all we know there might no be a Scorpion Coup. Nothing point towards it.
1 hour ago, bsmith23 said:Setting up for trying this on Sunday. Half of the group are veteran L5R rpgers, so I want to let them know where we stand historically. It appears that we are less than a year away from the old Scorpion coup if Wiki is accurate. Originally Satsume perished during or after that I think, so this seems to be a diverging point from the "original" timeline...
Anything else you think I should share?
The new fiction, Tiger Stalks His Prey, sets up some pretty dramatic events. After this, FFG is going on a short break for fictions but check it out.
Played the first half of the beginner box adventure tonight with our group. Had some fun, but some issues too.
People have mentioned editing needed some work. That’s true but didn’t slow us down. A reprint will address those issues in months to come.
Noticed the online pregens seem to have more skill points than the beginner box pregens. Minors frustration from some players there but nothing overwhelming.
Found the dice mechanics to benefit greatly from the use of the app. With physical dice, we were finding we had to make notes as we rolled exploding successes. App resolved this nicely, but I’m finding it a little frustrating. Dice rolls should be quick and it slowed the pace of the game.
Found olayers frustrated by their inability to change events or make a meaningful difference in the first half of the game other than to pursue their own success in the championship. I feel this is a misstep, and could be fixed by allowing players to aid others in the contest, etc.
Nice layout, maps, and general feel. Hoping the playthrough following the interlude gets better.
Here is a slightly more irreverent video if anyone is interested
11 hours ago, Seventhson77 said:Found the dice mechanics to benefit greatly from the use of the app. With physical dice, we were finding we had to make notes as we rolled exploding successes. App resolved this nicely, but I’m finding it a little frustrating. Dice rolls should be quick and it slowed the pace of the game.
Really? At most you should be rolling three ring dice and three skill dice, that should leave you with a couple of each for explosions, help, etc? I get that the ten dice means sharing them around the table, which is awkward (especially for initiative rolls or any time several players are rolling at once), but it should be enough for most rolls with the characters provided?
My biggest gripe with the dice is the decision to make the ring dice red-on-black, the skill dice are easy to read across the table, not so much the ring dice.
It staggers me that so many dice are seemingly designed with camoflaged numbers...
Edited by gareth_lazelle