I'll post the detailed, nuanced, context-laden background in a spoiler tag below, for anyone who's curious. Here's the short version:
I've got some newbies that I'm hoping to run L5R for. They have RPG experience (D&D and Star Wars) and have expressed interest in the setting, but have no experience with it. I got started with 4th edition and have been keeping up with the recent fiction, but I've never actually run it myself. I want to run a campaign for them that introduces the world and its particular flavors, but doesn't overwhelm them and maybe stays focused on a particular clan or region.
No matter what, we're starting with the beginner game. If they like that, I'll also run "In the Palace of the Emerald Champion." But after that, I'm not sure how to proceed. I've got a few ideas:
- Keep the Emerald Magistrates storyline going with the adventure in the core book, followed by the adventure in the GM's kit. Between these and the beginner game, the players should have amassed enough drama that I could start spinning out consequences and build the campaign from there. Seems straightforward enough, and it gives them the excuse to visit all areas of the empire, but I'm worried I'm not well-versed enough in the lore to make it really fulfilling.
- A Crab clan-focused campaign that deals with serving on the Carpenter Wall. The PCs deal with fighting Shadowlands monsters and trying to find out how certain creatures are managing to infiltrate it and spread beyond the wall, as well as some light family drama that will likely crop up from character creation. A high-stakes combat, low-stakes intrigue game that's fairly similar to what I've done for them with Star Wars—maybe too similar.
- A Lion clan-focused campaign involving military service. The main conflict will likely be on the military action against the Crane around Toshi Ranbo, with the PCs starting on the front lines and then being called to Winter Court. This campaign would strive for a balance between combat and intrigue, with one "phase" influencing the next in meaningful ways. As time wears on, the PCs will probably win accolades and get involved with other duties, by which point I hope to be more fluent in the lore.
- A Crane clan-focused campaign that really dives into court. I don't have too many ideas here, such as setting or main conflict. My main goal would be to have high-stakes intrigue and very little combat, in order to give my players a much different experience than what they're used to in other systems. Any combat is likely to come from duels, of course, which would make them extremely meaningful. But I'm also worried about my players getting too wigged out by the PvP aspect that may come up.
Basically, I'd like help figuring out what would be appropriate for players new to both the system and the setting. I'm interested in any advice or anecdotes you can offer about introducing players to Rokugan, or any specific suggestions for campaign seeds.
My group will be wrapping up a three-year Star Wars campaign this month. We've talked about doing something with Genesys as well, and I'm sure we'll come back to Star Wars sooner or later, but I've been wanting to run the new L5R for a while now. Unfortunately, none of my players are familiar with it—the world, the lore, or the expectations.
Well, that's not entirely true. I played in a 4th edition generational game which was awesome, and my wife briefly joined the same game. She struggled with the roleplay requirements, though, so she's hesitant about trying again even with the new system. I've also played a single match of the LCG with another of my players, which got her hooked on the aesthetics of the world, but her characters always tend to be flippant and irreverent. I'm worried the social aspect will chafe her too much.
My other players I think will have an easier time, but none of them have any experience whatsoever with L5R. One has a tendency to always be a gadgeteer/hacker/mechanist, so he might struggle a bit—or I'll just suggest he play a Kaiu. Another loves anime and Japanese culture, so I don't think she'll have any difficulties; she also enjoys playing a wide range of character types. My brother is the last player and he enjoys playing cunning socialites, so I'll probably be handing him Bayushi Kyo's folio during the beginner game.
I'm hoping I can head off a lot of potential issues by going slow and being very open about the expectations of behavior in Rokugan. (I also hear the beginner game is good about setting these expectations, as well as the consequences of stepping out of line.) I'm already pretty forgiving about in-character vs. out-of-character speaking. My players don't have to act out their rolled results (but they can if they want to), they just need to give me some idea of how their characters manage it. I'm also okay about backing up a scene, provided we haven't done any rolls yet.
But I'm still worried about getting the right fit for the group, since I know that can make or break a campaign early on. I want to stay true to the setting while avoiding parts that might be too much, too soon—for example, I'm not looking to run an all-Scorpion, all-shinobi game just yet. The campaigns I dreamed up above are, I think, pretty approachable for novices while still showcasing how this game is different from what they've done before. Hopefully they'll enjoy it enough that we can have L5R be a regular addition to our rotation.