3 hours ago, TheHobgoblyn said:

Well, it looks like my guess was completely backwards. I guess FFG doesn't want to thrust the Shadowlands so central into the story so early.

Still, I do think that the idea of introducing Shadowlands cards for every faction the way they made the Crab Shadowlands Berserker would be a good way to bring them into the picture. A card that has a lot of upfront power, but with a significant cost or trade-off.

The box might actually have some Mantis, but it looks like it will be a primarily Imperial-themed box. I am very surprised. There are so fewer of us Imperial fans than there are Mantis or Shadowlands fans. And I am guessing there will only be one box like this each year, so it may not be until 2020 or 2021 until Mantis Clan gets its chance to shine.

New players would probably be far more interested in the current Imperials than past life, parallel universe Mantis or Shadowlands.

I would be putting money on Crab absorbing the Mantis, bringing the Mantis back home. Who do I need to pay off to make this happen? New world, new stories, new destinies.

I guess overall I'm a bit surprised we're in essence getting an imperial theme so soon after having the imperial cycle. It almost feels like they wanted a do over since so much of the cycle was spent fleshing out the core decks.

8 hours ago, DarkHorse said:

New players would probably be far more interested in the current Imperials than past life, parallel universe Mantis or Shadowlands.

I would be putting money on Crab absorbing the Mantis, bringing the Mantis back home. Who do I need to pay off to make this happen? New world, new stories, new destinies.

Because that will go over so well for the fan base of those clans.

21 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:

Because that will go over so well for the fan base of those clans.

I mean, the Crab absorbed the Falcon clan is the previous timeline. We could always welcome our disloyal, defector kin back to us, especially with the help they've been giving us in supply shipments!

12 hours ago, TheHobgoblyn said:

The box might actually have some Mantis, but it looks like it will be a primarily Imperial-themed box. I am very surprised. There are so fewer of us Imperial fans than there are Mantis or Shadowlands fans.

About that... As a new fan of L5R with no experience (nor any interest...) in the old game, what FFG is doing feels pretty good. They seem to have a clear path ahead and they are proceeding methodically (Unicorn adjustments notwithstanding). I understand the nostalgia and the interest in all those themes from the old game, but to be completely honest, as a new fan, seeing you all dreaming and constantly predicting things that strike your fancy is a bit grating. The seven clans are not developed enough to expand the game with Mantis and Shadowlands that soon. As a new player with no stakes in the past, if there was a Mantis- or Shadowland-only box right now, I'd be pissed.

I'll go hide a bit now, I have no cancels against assassination... ?

13 minutes ago, Ascarel said:

About that... As a new fan of L5R with no experience (nor any interest...) in the old game, what FFG is doing feels pretty good. They seem to have a clear path ahead and they are proceeding methodically (Unicorn adjustments notwithstanding). I understand the nostalgia and the interest in all those themes from the old game, but to be completely honest, as a new fan, seeing you all dreaming and constantly predicting things that strike your fancy is a bit grating. The seven clans are not developed enough to expand the game with Mantis and Shadowlands that soon. As a new player with no stakes in the past, if there was a Mantis- or Shadowland-only box right now, I'd be pissed.

I'll go hide a bit now, I have no cancels against assassination... ?

I would agree with you if the Mantis and Shadowlands players hadn't been a supported faction for the majority of the games 20 year history prior to the FFG purchase. In a game where an effort is made to build up clan loyalty like this one than you have to consider those elements of the fan base who are being equally turned off by our factions being "cut" because they don't fit the narrative they are telling, especially since its been implied by various sources (and we've seen evidence in other games) that they will add additional factions via deluxe kits. The question will be how long do you leave them before they get added as the longer you wait the further behind the card pool they are and the harder it is to catch them up when they do get released.

18 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:

I would agree with you if the Mantis and Shadowlands players hadn't been a supported faction for the majority of the games 20 year history prior to the FFG purchase.

I hear you. I didn't know that, and the clan loyalty thing is a good point. Managing newness and expectations is not easy.

Still, I'm not sure you can get so far "behind the card pool" with a new faction. Let's say you introduce a new mechanic, then many important cards are already Neutral, and furthermore you can still splash any clan in its current state at release time. This doesn't seem that bad to me.

2 minutes ago, Ascarel said:

I hear you. I didn't know that, and the clan loyalty thing is a good point. Managing newness and expectations is not easy.

Still, I'm not sure you can get so far "behind the card pool" with a new faction. Let's say you introduce a new mechanic, then many important cards are already Neutral, and furthermore you can still splash any clan in its current state at release time. This doesn't seem that bad to me.

Trust me having lived through the late introduction and cancellation of my faction twice (yes they've killed the Mantis twice which is why so many of us get triggered by this topic) it is a very real thing with your faction having less options and thus ending up less competitive. Its the same problem that the game as a whole is having now with not enough diversity within factions leading to only having one or two deck types that really "work" making planning against those clans easier. As the card pool becomes more fleshed out and we start seeing more diverse options for deck building from the other clans the late comer factions are left behind while they build their pool up to match. Splash only goes so far as it's limited to conflict and at most normally 10-13 cards and more realistically 4-8 when you account for Influence effects, and doesn't help the Dynasty side where the most help will be needed.