So...hi. It's been some time since I've had any kind of interaction with the L5R community or playerbase, but I felt the urge to pop back in and say thank you.
Thank you for remembering my friend.
It's been almost fifteen years since we lost him, and even that last Topaz Championship wasn't without its own struggle, drama, and loss among that circle of friends. I've spent a lot of time asking myself if it was all worth it. And when I found out that AEG was selling off L5R before being able to create Nerishma, my heart sank. So much loss, so much bitterness, so much struggle...It was months of correspondence with both AEG and FFG to get this resolved, and I am still grateful for FFG's decision to honor that last tournament. And while I may not have had any say in the art, my late buddy's character - the favorite of our party, by a landslide - is now immortalized, and I am forever humbled by that. I've seen all kinds of conversation around Nerishma, from cheers for following through on his creation to critiques of the mechanics, both positive and negative. And hey, no hard feelings about that. It's the nature of the game, right?
Fingers crossed for an Experienced version (are they still doing that these days?) but I know better than to reach beyond my grasp. I'm grateful for what we've been given already.
Anyway, yeah. I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks to FFG for the great story, thanks for the folks who have taken time on the wiki(s) to give a rundown of his character, and thanks to all the players who take an extra second when looking at that card to admire the way a legend really can live on.
The year after his passing, a handful of my favorite L5R artists at Gen Con were gracious enough to provide sketches of his character for me. My favorite was this one, by Jason Engle. I thought here would be as good a place as any to share it.
Thanks again, everyone. Tell someone what they mean to you today, would you? You don't have forever with them.
