Shoju has already offered to kill Sotorii to keep everything chill in the Empire once already. It seems to me very easy for him to decide to enact Joden's will by killing Sotorii himself, leaving the throne for Daisetsu, and himself taking the fall for the attempted coup.

This is true. And if the actual events need to be slightly rewritten for the official histories...well, it's not the first time something like that has happened.

On 4/21/2019 at 4:43 AM, Suzume Chikahisa said:

That story arc made as much sense as a bag of bricks and the pay-off was a steaming pile of horse manure. I mean it was probably better than Hidden Emperor, but that's a low bar to clear...

Okay, I've heard a lot of things about how bad the post-Clan War fiction was, but isn't it a bit exaggerated? What was exactly so bad about the arcs you mentioned.

On 4/20/2019 at 10:18 PM, HirumaShigure said:

Emperor Toturi III just wandered off on his own without telling anyone and wound up in the Shadowlands no less!

I know that doesn't matter anymore of course but this is a fictional world after all.

I miss the thermonuclear and satellite laser era..

Naseru: I'm going to break this mask, BOOOM!

Isawa last wish: oh! Mirabu is dead, BOOOM!

Phoenix clan: we summon the fire dragon to stop the war in the capital

Iweko I: yeah Kuon -san you can do crab seppuku , with black jack, and hookers, BOOOM!(I love this story)

7 hours ago, 987654321 said:

Okay, I've heard a lot of things about how bad the post-Clan War fiction was, but isn't it a bit exaggerated? What was exactly so bad about the arcs you mentioned.

The main issue was that the story team was in transition during that period where one lead would start the ark and their set up and focus characters would be throughout then midway through the story lead would change and the tail end of the arc would often see many left field changes as they new lead started inserting their own preferred ideas and characters (often as set up for their next arc).

The fact that this happened for both the Hidden Emperor and Four Winds arcs was seen as one of the main issues.

There was also the problem of too many story line tourney results and trying to cram some nonsensical things into stories that really took away from the overall narrative.

On 4/23/2019 at 4:04 PM, Magnus Grendel said:

It's hinted that had it been anyone other than another Hantei trying it, the place would have been swarming with Hidden Guard immediately. That still seems a foolish exception from the alarm system, but we can assume that (like Hantei Jodan) the Hidden Guard haven't seen Gladiator .

I'm actually worried that the Hidden Guard is operating with passive wards rather than active surveillance. They have ONE job. ONE. It is at least worrisome that they aren't committing 100% to it.

By the way, do anyone wonders about what the possible implications are of Kunshu cutting up the ruling Emperor without a glitch? It is maybe the most powerful awakened nemuranai in the Empire, after all, the personal heirloom and ancestral sword of the Hantei, yet Sotorii just kinda butchered the Emperor (his very own father) with it. So how could he do that without Kunshu or the Heavens themselves intervening? Was Jodan on Kunshu's/Tengoku's kill list or something? Why so?

I think it would be hysterical if Kachiko's plan to kill Toturi succeeds but Shoju has Sotorii killed without telling Kachiko and they do one of those cute Rom-com reveals about what they did.......

Kachiko and Shoju at the same time: How was your day dear?

Kachiko: You go first

Shoju: no you go first

Kachiko: ok same time on 3, 2, 1,

Kachiko: I had Toturi killed / Shoju: I had Sotorii killed

Kachiko and Shoju at the same time: you what?

Daigotsu enters: "hey guys I'm gonna go hang with my new friend.....what did you say your name was? Lu-Feng?

Fu-Leng: twirls moustache "sure kid"

/laughtrack

8 hours ago, Daigotsu Arashi said:

I miss the thermonuclear and satellite laser era..

Naseru: I'm going to break this mask, BOOOM!

Isawa last wish: oh! Mirabu is dead, BOOOM!

Phoenix clan: we summon the fire dragon to stop the war in the capital

Iweko I: yeah Kuon -san you can do crab seppuku , with black jack, and hookers, BOOOM!(I love this story)

Isawa's Last Wish: Aikune's dead? Boom. Mirabu's dead? Boom. Sezaru's gone crazy? Boom! That friggin' plot device self-destructed so many times it's actually funny.

The fire dragon... I dunno, that was a bit less explodey (and I hate the fact that its presence overshadowed what the Phoenix armies actually did, but whatever)

The old story had plenty of factors stressing it- frankly it's a miracle it's as good as it was when it was- but FFG appears to have learned a fair bit from it. The slower pace helps. Having one sort of iron guide to who the focus characters for a given clan were (and my god, am I glad to see that, because actual characters were incredibly thin on the ground by AEG's run). Whether you love or hate characters, in FFG's story, odds are good you have at least one character you have a solid opinion about per clan. It's what makes things like Kachiko's slip-up here actually have some impact- as a development, it's no shock. The plot is a pretty simple one. But because by now we're somewhat invested in the people involved, it turns into "HAHA Kachiko! Outsmarted yourself that time, didn;t ya?!"

As a thought;

Things probably won't come to a head publically for a bit. Which may be bad for Akodo Toturi if we advance the plot in the capital any time soon.

This is a bit meta-plot-game-esque, but we need to resolve Imperial Gifts first. The Kunshu Kotei Season runs till at least August, at which point one of the Great Clans will be awarded guardianship of Kunshu. I doubt FFG would 'yoink' the various Kotei champion's prize. Which may be awkward if Kunshu is going to end up handed to either the Lion or Scorpion (anyone know the relative standings? We are about halfway through!)

Quote

"Before the Emperor’s coronation, the Seppun entrusts Kunshu into the care of a Great Clan, who guards the sword until the day of the Emperor’s ascension."

Well, we definitely have a coronation coming up now (if not necessarily the one Hantei XXXVIII was planning), but I can't imagine how the fiction could shake out if we have Shoju kicking off Scorpion Clan Coup II: This Time It's Personal before this point. Or, for that matter, if it's public knowledge in Rokugan - even as widely known rumour, believed or not - that the weapon in question is the murder weapon and the person you're guarding it for is the murderer.....

I kind of feel that whatever happens afterwards or in private with Sotorii, Aramoro, Toturi, Kachiko, Shoju, and Satoshi, in public it has to be 'business as usual' until someone gets handed the sword in the run-up to a perfectly normal coronation where the reigning Emperor died from old age and nothing else .

1 hour ago, Magnus Grendel said:

As a thought;

Things probably won't come to a head publically for a bit. Which may be bad for Akodo Toturi if we advance the plot in the capital any time soon.

This is a bit meta-plot-game-esque, but we need to resolve Imperial Gifts first. The Kunshu Kotei Season runs till at least August, at which point one of the Great Clans will be awarded guardianship of Kunshu. I doubt FFG would 'yoink' the various Kotei champion's prize. Which may be awkward if Kunshu is going to end up handed to either the Lion or Scorpion (anyone know the relative standings? We are about halfway through!)

Well, we definitely have a coronation coming up now (if not necessarily the one Hantei XXXVIII was planning), but I can't imagine how the fiction could shake out if we have Shoju kicking off Scorpion Clan Coup II: This Time It's Personal before this point. Or, for that matter, if it's public knowledge in Rokugan - even as widely known rumour, believed or not - that the weapon in question is the murder weapon and the person you're guarding it for is the murderer.....

I kind of feel that whatever happens afterwards or in private with Sotorii, Aramoro, Toturi, Kachiko, Shoju, and Satoshi, in public it has to be 'business as usual' until someone gets handed the sword in the run-up to a perfectly normal coronation where the reigning Emperor died from old age and nothing else .

Right now Scorpion are ahead with Crane not too far behind

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JHaElHm60linv3sVKOvkra2fkMrjneOIxkyGlWwohkA/htmlview#

That said I wouldn't be surprised if we get an official "mourning" period that last through at least the Inheritance cycle where we see the reactions around the Empire to the death of 38, followed by the culmination fiction being the Coronation with the new prince with whatever fall out to Shouju and Toturi that will result in.

On 4/25/2019 at 5:28 PM, Schmoozies said:

That said I wouldn't be surprised if we get an official "mourning" period that last through at least the Inheritance cycle where we see the reactions around the Empire to the death of 38, followed by the culmination fiction being the Coronation with the new prince with whatever fall out to Shouju and Toturi that will result in.

If the coronation results in Scorpion Clan Coup II: Scorpion Harder, the coronation scene could well feature Kunshu in place of Ambition.

44 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

If the coronation results in Scorpion Clan Coup II: Scorpion Harder, the coronation scene could well feature Kunshu in place of Ambition.

I was kind of hoping for Coup 2: Electric Boogaloo myself (because all sequels should be Electric Boogaloo)