In another thread over in the LCG subforum, the question was asked, which Minor clan was expected alongside the Lion. I thought that my answer might be of interest here, with further speculation on the other Clans.

What we know so far is this:

• Shadowlands - Crab Clan and Falcon Clan
• Courts of Stone - Crane Clan and Deer Clan

My Speculation

• Enlightenment or Monk-based book - Dragon Clan and Dragonfly Clan [This is possibly the strongest link between a Great Clan and Minor Clan. It would be really odd to do someone else.
• Warfare-based book - Lion Clan and Hare Clan [Emerald Empire says only 4 Minor Clans have armies worth talking about: Mantis, Falcon, Dragonfly and Hare. The other 3 are all accounted for already, leaving the Hare who are already quite close by]
• Religion-based book - Phoenix Clan and Centipede Clan [They're next door, they're Shugenja-ish and they're religious]
• Crime-based book -Scorpion Clan and Wasp Clan [Again, they're nearby, and the Wasp Bounty Hunters are a kind of the opposite way of dealing with organised crime compared to the Scorpion.]
• Borders and beyond book - Unicorn Clan and Badger Clan [Quite near, and also responsible for guarding the borders in some way.]

Anyone else have ideas or thoughts?

the CATs

I think there will also be a book about commerce, covering the Isles of Silk and Spice with a focus on the Mantis clan. There is a short story about the Yasuki Daimyo and the Mantis Daimyo making a deal about the Crab clan backing the Mantis clan's attampt at great Clan status.

Mantis already have a web-only (free) supplement which gives them some history, and stats (including two whole schools) and some specially themed gear.

1 hour ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

• Enlightenment or Monk-based book - Dragon Clan and Dragonfly Clan [This is possibly the strongest link between a Great Clan and Minor Clan. It would be really odd to do someone else.
• Warfare-based book - Lion Clan and Hare Clan [Emerald Empire says only 4 Minor Clans have armies worth talking about: Mantis, Falcon, Dragonfly and Hare. The other 3 are all accounted for already, leaving the Hare who are already quite close by]
• Religion-based book - Phoenix Clan and Centipede Clan [They're next door, they're Shugenja-ish and they're religious]
• Crime-based book -Scorpion Clan and Wasp Clan [Again, they're nearby, and the Wasp Bounty Hunters are a kind of the opposite way of dealing with organised crime compared to the Scorpion.]
• Borders and beyond book - Unicorn Clan and Badger Clan [Quite near, and also responsible for guarding the borders in some way.]

Anyone else have ideas or thoughts?

I'm gonna bet there'll be more new Minors instead. Phoenix and Moth; Scorpion and Cat.

Or maybe, like the Deer, another brand-new, not-even-named-yet Minor.

And I'd rather see Fox with the Unicorn Clan book, but the argument for Badger is pretty strong as well.

They will 100% do the Cat clan. C'mon, its like totally anime l5r 2019.

I hope Unicorn will come with Fox clan

I have decided to refrain from any predictions on minor clans since I’ve seen the Deer clan (or something) announcement.

18 minutes ago, Franwax said:

I have decided to refrain from any predictions on minor clans since I’ve seen the Deer clan (or something) announcement.

Indeed. The Deer Clan are completely new as of Courts of Stone .

Worth noting is that the shadowlands sourcebook includes the following:

• Shadowlands and undead monsters
• One new school for every Great Clan
• The Falcon Minor Clan
• A whole host of NPCs
• New equipment (both weapons and weapon patterns)
• New techniques and lineages
• A big focus on the Crab Clan
• A big focus on one Bushido Virtue (Yu, or Courage)

So....assuming we're expecting a series of sourcebooks in a similar fashion, we're obviously looking at 7 books. 7 Great Clans to focus on, 7 tenets of Bushido.

I'd agree with @Tonbo Karasu for the minor clan layout, but I agree that not seeing the Fox Clan in a major sourcebook would seem odd, especially since they've just had a fiction centring on their lands (Tactical Manouvres) and Doji Kunuzobu is an ex-fox, and he's not only a major Crane character but a statted NPC you can interact with in Wedding At Kyotei Castle.

• Crab/Falcon - Courage - (Shadowlands)
• Crane/Deer - [Courtesy?] - (Courts of Stone)
• Lion - [Honour?]
• Scorpion - [Duty?]
• Unicorn - [Compassion?]
• Phoenix - [Righteousness?]
• Dragon - [Sincerity?]

Other minor clans may well come in accompanying adventures (like Dark Tides featuring the Tortoise), so if they keep up 'setting book + adventure book' pairings, that's six or so more books we might have minor clans in, and that's even assuming there aren't supplementaries like Knotted Tails.

For minors, we musn't forget that we may have similar DLC like the Mantis.

For Unicorn, I wouldn't be surprised if instead of a minor clan, we'd have gaijin character creation? If not, I'd be quite ok with an LBS supplement!

For Dragon, I think they'd have religion as their focus. General shintoist stuff, the Perfect Land Sect, AND the yobanjin are in some ways religious dissenters. Badger would make sense in that case.

A collected book on minor clans might also work, looking at their history, their current status, perhaps an up and coming Minor clan alliance?

13 hours ago, Avatar111 said:

They will 100% do the Cat clan. C'mon, its like totally anime l5r 2019.

They are like an extra Shosuro family.

For when you want Shosuros but you have already used them all, a whole island full of spare extra-flexible Shosuros.

I am disappoint, tbh. I had hoped that any Cat clan would be a coven of infamous nekomancers.

5 minutes ago, Miwt said:

They are like an extra Shosuro family.

For when you want Shosuros but you have already used them all, a whole island full of spare extra-flexible Shosuros.

I am disappoint, tbh. I had hoped that any Cat clan would be a coven of infamous nekomancers.

we do not know yet the extent of their catabilties. But yeah, the "it is an acting group" was a bit... easy.

I still feel the big, popular minor clans like fox and hare will be in their own book with rules on making your own MC, a focus on smaller scale feudalism and probably some generic schools to give said minor clans.

On 5/2/2019 at 4:17 AM, Horvagab said:

For Unicorn, I wouldn't be surprised if instead of a minor clan, we'd have gaijin character creation? If not, I'd be quite ok with an LBS supplement!

SOmeone asked during the beta, and the response was that LBS was not part of the sale.

They've got a new LBS though, featured in the Unicorn Novella and it's pretty neat. I'd take a source book about it.

The novella also basically telegraphs "Oh hey these gaijin have the same conflict between human feelings and their code of conduct we do!" so there could easily be a modification to the rules.

I think the moth will be in an adventure. They have plot hooks already set up for them in some of the material. I really want to see them.

The phoenix are going to get the book that covers fortunes and kami more and probably get a bunch of shugenja stuff.

The lion will have mass combat and a bunch of cohort rules probably. Also some really nifty ancestor stuff. Maybe ancestor advantages will comeback.

The dragon will get the shinsei book. It will probably round out with a bunch of heresy.

The unicorn will get the beyond the borders stuff and probably some weird schools.

The scorpion will get the shinobi book that details all the things the clans do that is less honorable.

On the topic of minor clash, a reminder that we got the Tortoise in the GMs Kit. It is entirely possible that some of the more...well known minor clans may appear in other adventure modules.

On 5/8/2019 at 10:18 AM, Shadow070mni said:

On the topic of minor clash, a reminder that we got the Tortoise in the GMs Kit. It is entirely possible that some of the more...well known minor clans may appear in other adventure modules.

Mask of the Oni didn't come with any playerside rules, but then again the adventure was more a GM only supplement of Shadowlands.

With the latest preview from Courts of Stone it seems there is not a pattern of one Minor Clan school and one school for each of the Great Clans.

I think Courts of Stone will have three to five specific Shinobi schools ind addition to the two Deer Clan and Mercenary Ninja. My prediction is that there will be a Bayushi Saboteur and Shiba Ninja school and one of the Titles will be Spymaster.

Shouldnt there be announcements for the next book after Courts of Stone by now?

Maybe, give how fast they've been ticking, but we also don't know when they actually intend to release Courts of Stone either.

I would assume that it'll be out sometime next month, because it was announce in March and that's about the fourth month since then, it took about as long for Shadowlands to be announced and come out. Plus they're running out of Preview Articles - I'd assume like 1/2 more, Crane clan and maybe one for new Great Clan options. Depending on when in June CoS is actually slated to come out, I expect we'll maybe see the announcement sometime in that month, and then that's maybe looking for the next book in September? Assuming no perils of real life have altered publishing schedules.

Here is which schools I think will in the Clan books.

Courts of Stone: Daidoji Harrier, Ikoma Warden, Bayushi Saboteur

Dragon (Religion): Hida Sumai Wrestler, Togashi Transcendent Brotherhood, Asahina Zen Archer, Matsu Beastmaster, Asako Henshin, (Dragonfly) Tonbo Gatekeeper

Lion (Warfare): Hida Berserker, Doji Guard, Akodo Kensai, Shiba Armorsmith, Bayushi Bitter Lies Swordsman, Utaku Mounted Infantry, (Wasp) Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter

Phoenix (Magic & Minor Clans): (Cat) Nekoma Ninja, (Centipede) Moshi Sun Priestess, (Fox) Kitsune Summoner, Kitsune Ranger, (Sparrow) Suzume Storyteller, (Moth) Kaikoga Dreamweaver, (Bat) Batman?

Scorpion (Enemies of the Empire) Yasuki Enforcer, Doji Marine, Kitsuki Justicar, Shiba Sapphire Legion, Soshi Black Watch (Hare) Usagi Truthseeker

Unicorn (Borderlands): Daidoji Scout, Miromoto Mountaineer, Akodo Scout, Shinjo Scout