As someone who just started buying into A:NR the month before they cancelled it, I thought I'd look around for a game that might last a little longer.

My problem is this... my only opponent is my wife. I buy the cards. We play against each other.

Netrunner was perfect with its Corp vs Runner design. I buy a full set of cards and we choose a side each to play. Neither of us need to use any cards the other person needs. Even the neutral cards were dedicated to runner or corp.

Now... if I get into L5R and get a full set of cards, will my wife and I be in a position where there are cards that we both want in the same deck or if we choose different clans, will our card pools not crossover?

Thanks for any answers.

Each clan shares the set of neutral cards. If you get 3 core sets (to get a playset of each clan card), you'll get enough neutrals to cover both decks. The only crossover at that point will be 1) splash cards, if you want to splash a clan your wife is playing or if you both want to splash the same clan/cards, and 2) expansion packs, which only contain 3 of each card, even neutrals. There will be overlap in these cases, and you might need to get two sets of popular packs to get two playsets of stuff like Policy Debate.

If you buy 1 core set there is pre made decks you can use for every clan that don't cross over (7 clans so 21 different match up)

If you buy 3 core sets to have all the core set cards in 3 exemplars you will be able to build real decks with no cross over on the neutral cards. The only cross over might be the cards that you are buying with your influence to be able to play cards from other clans (allies). It's not something that is required to play, but if you want to use that mechanic make sure to use a different allied clan than you opponent.

After that, the more expansion you buy the more deck-building options you get obviously.

44 minutes ago, Gimgamgoo said:

As someone who just started buying into A:NR the month before they cancelled it, I thought I'd look around for a game that might last a little longer.

My problem is this... my only opponent is my wife. I buy the cards. We play against each other.

Netrunner was perfect with its Corp vs Runner design. I buy a full set of cards and we choose a side each to play. Neither of us need to use any cards the other person needs. Even the neutral cards were dedicated to runner or corp.

Now... if I get into L5R and get a full set of cards, will my wife and I be in a position where there are cards that we both want in the same deck or if we choose different clans, will our card pools not crossover?

Thanks for any answers.

I am actually in a very similar position. My partner and I both play L5R LCG, and we have a split collection. While I had played L5R back during the CCG days, she started with the LCG. And we have absolutely made it work.

With L5R LCG, there is less exclusivity of cards than there was in Netrunner. The hard split between Runner and Corp does not exist. As others explain above, you are going to want 3 Core Sets anyways to get a playset of each In-Clan card for each Faction. This will ALSO give you two playsets of every Neutral card in the Core Set. Your main challenge will come in when you want to splash the faction your partner plays, or your partner splashes.

For example, my partner is a Crab Clan player. She loves the Crab. As such, the really powerful, staple cards in Crab Clan (Reprieve, Rebuild) I cannot run in a deck without getting another playset of Crab Clan cards. Also, since I run Policy Debate (or used to), she has never run it. Likewise, she usually plays Keeper and I usually play Seeker, so we do not cross over in those cards.

So, long story short? You can do it. It will not always be ideal, but you can totally do it, and it will only matter if you are trying to build the very very best decks out there to play against each other.

1 hour ago, Gimgamgoo said:

As someone who just started buying into A:NR the month before they cancelled it, I thought I'd look around for a game that might last a little longer.

My problem is this... my only opponent is my wife. I buy the cards. We play against each other.

Netrunner was perfect with its Corp vs Runner design. I buy a full set of cards and we choose a side each to play. Neither of us need to use any cards the other person needs. Even the neutral cards were dedicated to runner or corp.

Now... if I get into L5R and get a full set of cards, will my wife and I be in a position where there are cards that we both want in the same deck or if we choose different clans, will our card pools not crossover?

Thanks for any answers.

My wife is my main opponent as well, so I can speak to this. It is not, generally, much of a problem - but it does come up on some occasions. We coordinate our main and splash clans so there's no overlap on those points. That eliminates a lot of possible problems right there. There was one point where we both wanted to do a Crab splash, which might or might not have worked out, but I just switched my splash to avoid any problems.

We do have to share the same pool of neutral cards. With just the three cores, we did occasionally have to argue over cards (and I almost always lost those arguments...) Even with just the Imperial cycle done, that happens a lot more rarely - a combination of more clan and neutral cards to deal with.

So, if you're buying in with everything, I suspect you'll be fine. If you decide to start with a few core sets to try out the game, you might have a few problems with your neutral cards, but it's still manageable. I would advise coordinating on your clans and trying not to have any overlap, though. Trying to build with the same splash clan probably would still cause some problems.

12 minutes ago, agarrett said:

My wife is my main opponent as well, so I can speak to this. It is not, generally, much of a problem - but it does come up on some occasions. We coordinate our main and splash clans so there's no overlap on those points. That eliminates a lot of possible problems right there. There was one point where we both wanted to do a Crab splash, which might or might not have worked out, but I just switched my splash to avoid any problems.

We do have to share the same pool of neutral cards. With just the three cores, we did occasionally have to argue over cards (and I almost always lost those arguments...) Even with just the Imperial cycle done, that happens a lot more rarely - a combination of more clan and neutral cards to deal with.

So, if you're buying in with everything, I suspect you'll be fine. If you decide to start with a few core sets to try out the game, you might have a few problems with your neutral cards, but it's still manageable. I would advise coordinating on your clans and trying not to have any overlap, though. Trying to build with the same splash clan probably would still cause some problems.

Yo do know that for casual play you can always proxy (say use the Unicorn and Crane cards for the Crab splash in your Lion and Dragon decks for example) and just have a set of jotted down notes of what each card counts as with a copy of the real version sitting beside you for reference.

With 1 copy of the core set, you'd have 1 of each card of every clan (both dynasty and conflict), neutral provinces, and role cards. You'd also have 2-3 copies of each neutral dynasty and conflict cards.

With 3 copies of the core, you'll have 1 playset of each clan card, and 2-3 playsets of each neutral dynasty & conflict card. You'll also have 3 copies of each province card, 3 copies of each stronghold, and three copies of each role card. I will break down that information in a moment, but for it to make sense let me walk you through deck construction.

Each player (hereafter referred to as you) has 2 decks, 1 stronghold, 5 provinces, and 1 role card.

• Your choose 1 role (for tournament play, there is one for each clan). You decide which of its 2 sides you want to play with. It gives you extra deckbuilding options by providing additional influence or province choices.
• You also choose 1 Stronghold. This is clan specific and provides a number of your baseline stats while deck building (influence) and playing (income & starting honor).
• You will also choose 5 different provinces. These are the locations your opponent will launch attacks at, so you will be choosing them to gain some advantage at them. Their actions, like the action on your Stronghold, can only be taken by you.
• You will build 1 Dynasty deck. This deck is where most of your characters come from. This deck can be comprised only from neutral and your clan's cards.
• You will build 1 Conflict deck. This deck is where your the cards in your hand come from. They are events, a few characters, and attachments. You will choose up to 1 other clan to splash cards from, by paying influence. This deck will be comprised of neutral cards, cards from your clan, and cards from the clan you splash (if any).

Because you have a finite pool of cards from each clan (ignoring additional strongholds and clan-specific province cards), let's call it impossible for the two of you to play the same clan. That's OK, there are 7.

You have enough neutral cards to each run a playset (3 cards each) for both your conflict and dynasty decks as well as a playset (1 card each) of provinces and roles out of 3 cores. What will be dicey (and I would attempt to avoid) is splashing what the other player is playing, or both splashing the same clan.

After the core set, you'll only have one playset of neutrals per pack for conflict and dynasty cards, but you will get 3 copies of each province card.

If you're playing casually, I suggest proxying the missing neutrals. I wouldn't suggest proxying a whole clan. Although, you're usually splashing at most 7 cards, so maybe it's negotiable with your splash.

I would also offer a reminder, if you're just getting into Netrunner, you can still collect and play that for as long as you desire. There just won't be new product for it again. By no means is that me saying 'don't get into L5R.' I love the game and its lore and always encourage more people to get into it.

step 1: scan cards

step 2: print scans, cut, put in clear sleeves with a unused card

step 3: ?

Step 4: profit

5 hours ago, Nitenman said:

step 1: scan cards

step 2: print scans, cut, put in clear sleeves with a unused card

step 3: ?

Step 4: profit play a game

Fixed it for you. Otherwise, it'd be EVEN MORE illegal.

A big thank you folks. You've answered my question(s) really clearly.

I've splashed the cash and put in orders for 2 of the Core game, 1 of the clan pack and the one each of the 6 Imperial cycles. With Netrunner ended, I'll be needing a regular fix of new cards to open and play with, but I can't stand random boosters anymore.

Hopefully, there aren't any obviously OP neutral cards that are must haves in decks. If there are, I guess we'll split them. ?

Thanks again!

34 minutes ago, Gimgamgoo said:

A big thank you folks. You've answered my question(s) really clearly.

I've splashed the cash and put in orders for 2 of the Core game, 1 of the clan pack and the one each of the 6 Imperial cycles. With Netrunner ended, I'll be needing a regular fix of new cards to open and play with, but I can't stand random boosters anymore.

Hopefully, there aren't any obviously OP neutral cards that are must haves in decks. If there are, I guess we'll split them. ?

Thanks again!

The restricted list (which just went into effect) limits you to 1 card (up to 3 copies of that card) from the list. The reasoning was that there were too strong of combos with them. This is the write up for its justification: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/5/21/maintaining-balance/

The new restricted list:

• Mirumoto’s Fury (Core Set, 159)
• For Greater Glory (Core Set, 168)
• Against the Waves (Core Set, 177)
• Forged Edict (Core Set, 184)
• Charge! (Core Set, 210)
• Pathfinder’s Blade (Imperial Cycle, 31)
• Policy Debate (Imperial Cycle, 40)
• Iron Mine (Imperial Cycle, 103)

I would say, after Policy Debate was added to the list, that the most useful neutral card in the first cycle (after the provinces, which you'll have 3 of and can only use 1 of in a deck) is Finger of Jade.

If you decide you need an extra playset of that, however, it has a full art promo card in the most recent OP (Organized Play) Kit. You should be able to pick up a playset of that for under 20$. Or, find someone who has the promos and buy their original copies off of them. Should be cheaper yet. https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/6/1/sharpen-your-blade/

The most universally useful neutrals out of the core are Fine Katana & Ornate Fan (ironically, also in the new batch of promos). However, those are the 2 neutral conflict cards that come as a complete playset per core, so you're set there.

Thanks all again for letting me know that it would work out ok for one collection and 2 players.

My wife and I had our first game from the tutorial core set tonight. Although the game took quite a while as we were (a) Learning the rules and (b) Reading lots of cards before playing them - it went down pretty well. At first my wife said that it looked way more complicated compared to Netrunner (which I thought was quite complex), she said by the 3rd time we got to a conflict round, it was pretty easy to play and she started pulling off the odd combo against me (and beat me in the end).

We now have 3 core sets, and 1 each of the other 7 packs. ?

I think we'll probably play a few more games trying out the different clans just using the core set to start with, then bring in all the expansions when we feel an urge to play a particular clan. The Crane vs Lion tutorial decks felt very much like they were chosen as mirrors to each other re: military/political. From a glance at the others, they don't seem quite so samey.

We hardly came across any problems infact only 3 rule questions, and 2 of those were answered in the larger pdf I downloaded afterwards. The only rule we have left unknown was if a reaction ability can be played if a character becomes bowed. I had a Deathseeker which after attacking, became bowed (from one of my wifes card effects), It was on the losing side in the conflict, but we still aren't sure if it could use it's reaction as it was bowed.

As a new player, I just wished they'd shown the "card play windows" in the L2P rulebook. My wife had a card that said couldn't be played in conflict, and we didn't know from the starter rules that there were other times cards could be played - as the dynasty phase specifically said, no card playing except the ones from provinces.

Thanks again folks!

Quote

The only rule we have left unknown was if a reaction ability can be played if a character becomes bowed. I had a Deathseeker which after attacking, became bowed (from one of my wifes card effects),

A character bowed can use his ability, unless the price of the action requires to bow the character (for example spiritcaller).

1 hour ago, Gimgamgoo said:

As a new player, I just wished they'd shown the "card play windows" in the L2P rulebook. My wife had a card that said couldn't be played in conflict, and we didn't know from the starter rules that there were other times cards could be played - as the dynasty phase specifically said, no card playing except the ones from provinces.

1) You can play cards from your hand during Dynasty phase, just no attachments and characters. But events are ok. Way of the Crab is an example of a card that is usually played during Dynasty (at least until you learn that lesson the hard way). You can also trigger actions from the cards you just played.

2) If your wife was Crane, I suppose you’re talking about Height of Fashion. That card states that cannot be played during a conflict. But it still can be played during Conflict Phase, just outside of a conflict. It also can be played during Draw phase, Fate phase, and regroup phase.

On ‎6‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 4:32 PM, Gimgamgoo said:

I think we'll probably play a few more games trying out the different clans just using the core set to start with, then bring in all the expansions when we feel an urge to play a particular clan. The Crane vs Lion tutorial decks felt very much like they were chosen as mirrors to each other re: military/political. From a glance at the others, they don't seem quite so samey.

As a new player, I just wished they'd shown the "card play windows" in the L2P rulebook. My wife had a card that said couldn't be played in conflict, and we didn't know from the starter rules that there were other times cards could be played - as the dynasty phase specifically said, no card playing except the ones from provinces.

I believe that Crane and Lion are the most similar clans in the game. Albeit they are split on the political/military line.

The reason the Gameplay & Timing framework is in the Rules Reference is that the RR is a living document - can and will be changed as needed - while the LtP is static. They expect the timing windows to change as new card mechanics or card types are introduced. For instance, the devs aren't particularly happy with the way that Duels operate (specifically, they feel it doesn't have enough interaction between players, so they're looking for some fix). If they find such a fix, they'll change its entry in Appendix I.

As an unorthodox way to view the clans, check out the L5R RPG Beta. The Clan breakdowns and the Family breakdowns in the character creation section give a good feel for how the factions and families act. It would be pretty neat fluff if the game were a stand-alone, but because it overlaps with the LCG it has really useful application for analysis.

Looking forward to finding out what clans you each identify with!