hi. i've now also stepped into the Legend of the Five Rings RPG and went ahead and purchased a hardcover of the core rules. is that a mistake?

is that what a beginner should buy first? the core rulebook? or the beginner's box?

also, some people dislike the custom dice required for this RPG. i's also wondering, can i use normal RPG dice for this game? and if so how can i translate those rolls to the system explained in the core book?

Hi Alisa,

no, the Core Rulebook should be a fine starting point. Legend of the Five Rings isn't the simplest RPG, I admit, but in my opinion it is very well designed and worth the efford of understanding it.

You do need the special dice, and no, right now they are not helpful for any other RPG. But those are not just vanity purchases, they are central to the game mechanics, as were the ones in Satr Wars RPG and Genesys RPG.

14 hours ago, alisa231 said:

is that what a beginner should buy first? the core rulebook? or the beginner's box?

As far as I can tell, the beginners' box is an abbreviated, simplified version of the actual game.

I may be wrong though - either way, I'd suggest going straight for the core rulebook.

As a new player you have a distinct advantage of looking at the game without prior edition biases (for better or worse). L5R is very much a cooperate narrative game, with dice that reflect complex outcomes that cannot be easily translated numerically, because a single roll can result in one or more outcomes *per die*, but can result in rich roleplaying opportunities.

The beginner game isn't essential, but it might be helpful for new GMs setting up scenarios and challenges in their own campaigns. That said, the beta version has an adventure at the end and other adventures are available for free download on FFG to similar effect (but without pretty cardboard art and dice)

cool