Hello!

I want to start the game, and ordered the Beginner Game from the UK (and got the message the the Beginner Game is available again in Germany a couple of hours later 😞 ). Anyway, is there a very (!) short write-up what each clan stands for? My players know nothing about L5R (and I am just starting, too), and if every player reads the last side of the seven folios it will take hours, I guess. So, two or three sentences for each clan would be great.

Thanks!

From https://medium.com/@Bazleebub/legend-of-the-five-rings-an-introduction-to-the-background-for-new-players-1ca663b53c0b

• The Crab Clan are the defenders of The Wall. They protect the empire from the monsters in the Shadowlands who would seek to destroy Rokugan. Some see them as brutish, but they do not have time for bickering and intrigue in the courts. Their main colour is dark blue. The Crab Daimyo is Hida Kisada.
• The Crane Clan are the masters of court. If the Crab Clan protect the Empire, then the Crane Clan make the Empire worth protecting. They are the poets and the artists but also the master duelists who have perfected the art of the duel. Their main colour is light blue. The Crane Daimyo is Doji Hotaru.
• The Dragon Clan are the seekers of individual enlightenment. They are best known for their warrior monks who join with their samurai in battle. Dragon samurai are known for wielding two swords and duelling in battles, less artful than the Crane but no less deadly. Their main colour is green. The Dragon Daimyo is Togashi Yokuni.
• The Lion Clan are the military might of the Emperor. They are sometimes known as the Emperor’s Right Hand and have the largest army in Rokugan. They are an example of courage, honour, and duty for the rest of the Empire. Their main colour is yellow. The Lion Daimyo is Akodo Toturi .
• The Phoenix Clan are the masters of magic. Their Shugenja are the most powerful in the empire, and their mastery of the elements is unmatched. They are known for their belief in pacifism but also for their destructive power when roused. Their main colour is orange. The Phoenix Daimyo is Shiba Ujimitsu.
• The Scorpion Clan are the Clan of secrets. They are the Emperor’s most loyal villains who do what the Empire needs without having to be asked and without thought to their own personal honour. Their main colour is red. The Scorpion Daimyo is Bayushi Shoju
• The Unicorn Clan are masters of the horse. They spent 800 years exploring beyond the borders of Rokugan returning 300 years ago. They are still distrusted for their foreign ways but have gained much wisdom from outside the Empire. The Unicorn Damiyo is Shinjo Altansarnai.

Great, thank you!

There are also minor clan, if you want to check them out. Mantis are free to download too

4 hours ago, Victarion13 said:

There are also minor clan, if you want to check them out. Mantis are free to download too

The Mantis are a minor clan of totally-not-pirates whose territories are on islands off the coast. They're the single biggest minor clan and have a bit of a chip on their shoulder that they're not allowed to claim the respect, status and perks of a major clan, despite probably being in the same league. The clan champion is Yoritomo (they have single names because they use the names of their ships where others would use clan family names)

They're especially worth adding to your description, since a Mantis character, Hitoshi - and the problems of him being a minor clan, such as not featuring in the gift-giving ceremony - is a key element of the Topaz Championship story.