/l5rg/ /JohnWickHateGeneral/

>mfw I can't find the four winds saga anywhere in ebook formats

Hows the l5r online going?

Does anyone have a pdf of the 3e (not 4e) Emerald Empire book?

I like this game but no one wanted to play the card game with me because they were obsessed with MTG, and my RPG friends were all too autistic to roleplay like an actual part of Rokugan culture so we couldn't play the RPG either.

Life is suffering.

Hi, as someone who played l5r for the first time a few weeks ago, why do you say it's a dead game?

The IP was sold to Fantasy Flight Games last year.

The CCG is over, AEG made Spider win and conquer the empire as the last storylines of their canon.

FFG is rereleasing the card game as a LCG with different mechanics and most certainly some kind of story retcon.

The RPG is up in the air, with no confirmation if FFG will relaunch it and if they do how it will function.

All we know is that the LCG launches at Gencon and a few months later the game gets a world championship event. Nothing else is known.

I wish I was still looking for the 4e one, cause back then all I could find was 3e. Now I have no idea. You could probably ask on 7chan, they've always come through for me, even if it takes a day or two.

it was an okay movie but it wasn't that great man calm down

your only chance of ever playing the RPG successfully is to know weeaboo history majors who hate anime but love how fucked up Edo Japan was. That is literally your only shot at an enjoyable L5R game.

Thanks for the tip!

If it's FFG you don't want them making the RPG. It would be a bad knock off of other systems using stupid custom dice.

FFG is mostly a tabletop companie.

They don´t want to release games that can be easily pirated. They like custom dice and cool props, all of which are horrible to play with.

The custom dice can be good. They work well in Star Wars. They're just prohibitively expensive.

As I understand it there's a design flaw with Star Wars' dice where something that should be an upgrade is sometimes actually worse, but that's an implementation issue you solve with the benefit of hindsight and some more testing next time-- the core concept is still functional.

In any case, I'm not concerned. FFG has the rights to Roll and Keep, and I think they're smart enough not to rock the boat about it. 4e is still perfectly playable, and the Dnd 4e vs. Pathfinder debacle was an object lesson to everyone in the industry that you don't want your new version of a game to be direct competition with the old version.

I think you're probably right. Star Wars was their own thing, and whenever they get someone else's license they tend to continue the same system. They did it with Warhammer after stumbling with WFRP 3e but went back with Dark Heresy. There will probably be a Roll and Keep game.

This

All they need to do is rerelease 4th with a few tweaks, some new art arranged around whatever stylistic choice they choose to take for L5R and adapt the setting to the story basis they are taking when they release the LCG.

They tend not to do that with properties they acquire (as opposed to games they make from the ground up like the Star Wars games). Dark Heresy kept the same basic mechanics even after a new edition.

Tell me more about this wonderful oc land.

What's a good L5R campaign to introduce a group of players to the world of Rokugan with?

The Topaz Championship is the traditional entry to the setting.
And then Emerald Magistrates (Or working for an Emerald Magistrate NPC) is the "normal" basic campaign type.

And they tend to lead right into each other. Any participant from the Topaz Championship who passes will be more highly considered for special assignments, such as EM.

I second, do you have a wiki or something where we can read more about your oc setting?

Alt history for consideration, things that I’m still actively flip-flopping about marked with an asterisk.

In wind-down of the Great Famine, Hantei XX's wife dies, and he ends up marrying a young, beautiful Otomo wife. He dies at age 92* in the aftermath of the war against the People's Legion after declaring his youngest son from his second wife as his heir. The (different from canon) family tree:

Hantei Katsuro: The former heir apparent, first born from Hantei's first marriage. On bad terms with his father due to his incompetence at dealing with court rituals and etiquette (and general reputation as an oaf), he married a member of the *Scorpion Clan rather than the Crane Bride that was expected of him. He went through the Great Famine mostly confused, trying to help his married family at the court but mostly failing. He has four children of his own, two of whom were twins that fought in the war against the People's Legion, gaining some renown on the battlefield. At the time of his father's death, he is 70 and already bedridden and senile, preferring to let his oldest son and daughter manage his affairs.

Hantei Sakurako: The second child of Hantei XX's first marriage, a graceful darling of the court who married a high-ranking member of the Doji family. Considered the good child equivalent to her brusque and rude older brother, it was rumored that the Emperor might designate her as successor rather than her older brother. Before Hantei’s surprise wedding to the young Otomo, this seemed virtually guaranteed* given the dominance of the Crane within the court and Katsuro’s lack of suitability for the position. She has two surviving children, one of 30 years of age, and one of 26. At 55 years old she is a healthy and shrewd manipulator.

1/2
.....

Otomo Shiori: Hantei XX’s second wife, an incredible beauty groomed by the Imperial family for an important role in the court. Hantei’s infatuation with his third cousin was not an intentional plan of the Otomo, but many within the family see the marriage as an opportunity to weaken the power of the Crane Clan over the Emperor and the Great Clans in general. XX’s declaration of the two year old son of the union as his heir sent great stirring throughout the court, and his death leaves Otomo Shiori as *queen regent for her infant son, Hantei Masaru.

The lines I see things separating with are the following:

Crane pushes for Sakurako for Empress, saying the Shiori essentially tricked an ailing Hantei XX into his declaration and it’s not binding, and denying Katsuro’s legitimacy on the grounds that he’s both not involved in the court and currently incapable of ruling.

The Scorpion (or whoever he ends up having married) push for Katsuro, saying that the traditional form of succession demands the eldest son take XX’s place as Hantei XXI.

Everyone else forms coalitions around the three different contenders based off of their conception of what’s honorable, politicking, and pre-existing rivalries (Crab probably wants to stick it to the Crane, Lion may believe their duty as the Emperor’s right hand is to enforce his decree and back Masaru, and so on).

First, any suggestions for how to make the succession even more vague? Second, who do you think the different clans would back in this succession? Timeframe is post-Great Famine, well before the Maw’s attack. No Unicorn, Mantis is still a minor clan, and so on.

But john had very little to do with the roll and keep mechanics he was the story guy.

... you realise that's a good thing, right?

So, I have an issue. My players often end up in Kingmaker scenarios - they take over a castle, a business, what have you.

So I looked at Houses of the Blooded, and I mostly liked it, other than a) the stupid limitation on armies, b) and the entire cultural thing.

Does anyone have any stories playing Houses of the Blooded? We're gonna try it, but I'd like to hear from the resident fa/tg/uys.

>most certainly some kind of story retcon
FFG have mentioned the colonies, which makes it more likely they're continuing the storyline.

They could be continuing it from the Age of Exploration era, since Obsidian isn't a complete arc. Picking up at the end of an arc to lead into a brand new one is a lot easier than picking up in the middle of an arc.

naga is love, naga is life...

shit, no mara art....fuck.

>Roleplaying in the Emerald Empire
>Written by John Wick
>Rule System by John Wick & David Williams
John Zinser was pushing for HP. Wick was the guy (by his own admission) who relented on HP, but kept it low enough that 1-2 hits was often lethal anyway.

That would be nice.

Maybe they can retcon the Toturi empire to last longer and not get wiped out with zero heirs a single generation in. Or keep Hitomi in her intended villain role, eventually running the show with the Hidden Emperor arc.

Quick question, and I'm sure it's a noob question but...

When the book says "+1k1 plus your School Rank to the total of all attack
and Focus rolls", assuming a skill rank of 1...Do they mean:

>a) +2k1
>b) +2k2
>c) +1k1 +1

??

the last

C.

Arigato gosaimas

So, as a point for discussion, what would you want out of a Banner Saga conversion for L5R?

Yes I know the third game has yet to be released and could ruin all the fluff I'm using.

That was after they fucked Warhammer Fantasy. Maybe they learned their lesson, but maybe not.

I'm not sure who would be on the Otomo kid's side. The late word of a geriatric and frankly unpopular empire, vs. hundreds of years of tradition and the backing of the court?

Frankly I think that Katsuro might need more wrong with him to avoid all of the Great Clans minus Crane hopping on his "original heir apparent" bandwagon.

*frankly unpopular emperor

I can agree with this. Katsuro being inept isn't a big downside considering he's already basically vacated the throne to his heir, which... honestly doesn't strike me as a shaky proposition. If you want to make Katsuro a risky candidate, have him insist on running things despite his failing mental health.

...

...

>John Wick hate.

So jokes aside what why do people dislike him so much?

I mean I understand why people find an aggravating but I like his writing and design personally.

He's kind of a dick and often makes weird mechanical choices which other authors have to step him back from.

See also 7th Sea 1e and 2e

Fair enough it's just people act like he killed a puppy or something.

I don't have an issue with his mechanics but I'm listening.

>I don't have an issue with his mechanics but I'm listening.

He's also a dick interpersonally. He used to show up to 7th Sea LARPs and basically punish people for playing it wrong. Apparently that's basically emblematic of how he does anything. He's is (or was) very much my way or the highway. The neckbeardiest of the neckbeards.

Apparently he isn't like that all the time, but he has a dick gamer mode that sometimes crops up which leads to years of weird stories.

There's a story floating around about a character in one of his games who had complete immunity to disease from a positive quality or somesuch.
So Wick decided that this entirely positive feature that the player actually invested XP into meant that he could get a disease anyway, but was entirely resistant to any cure or treatment.

I just gotta read all the fiction for any game I'm currently playing. I endured the Clan War, might as well get the Four Winds Saga.

Wick is the kind of GM who will always, without fail, kill off your character's entire family alongside other classical dickery. He's a mascot for orphan characters with no friends, mentors, distant relatives, or allies.

Bumping because I want someting to read at work tomorrow.

It's just he seems to act like someone killed his puppy at times.

Hmmm... so Katsuro needs a nerf, and Masaru needs a buff.

How about this: Katsuro was born with the temperament of a warrior and the body of a poorly manipulated marionette puppet. Filled with the urge to perform great battlefield deeds and righteous violence but barely able to drink a glass of water without help, he became known early on as an incredibly frustrated man. He would punish perceived slights with disproportionate force, utilizing his untouchable status as part of the royal family and his highly skilled yojimbo to attack his enemies in the court. When he spurned an arranged marriage with a Crane courtier, despite his status there were murmurs in the court that she was relieved. He eventually took up with a Scorpion who understood how he thought. Rather than trying to coddle and hide him, she fed his appetite for the martial, organizing mock battles for him to command in and building him a special saddle to ride a horse on. The two married, and the court relaxed as he took to spending most of his time away from Otosan Uchi. Katsuro found great satisfaction in commanding a small regiment of the Imperial Legion in actions against bandits and even small forces of Yobanjin, and body notwithstanding became known among the legionaries as a passably competent commander. His firstborn children were twins, who would inherit his passion for war but not his ailment, he would have two more as the years passed. His condition worsened with age, and with his reluctant retirement from the Legion came dark moods and rages.

Openly contemptuous of the ways of the courts and resentful of shugenja who had failed to improve his illness, some whispered that they saw in him the makings of a vicious tyrant, as bad as the Steel Chrysanthemum.

1/2

The Twins followed in his footsteps, pushed by a desire to excel and in some sense redeem the father that their peers found shameful. In the Great Famine, they worked within the Imperial Legion putting down the peasant revolts of the era, and they were feared for their harsh and merciless tactics. At the time of his father’s death Katsuro is immobile, but still cognizant (a fact that is obscured by gossip around the court and the general detestation of deformity in Rokugan), and moves quickly from Otosan Uchi to the stronghold of an Imperial Legion he knows is loyal to him and his children.

TL;DR: He’s a bitter, violent cripple with children who are viewed as dishonorable and maybe even dangerous.

Masaru will be a bit older, maybe five, and will be exhibiting gifts from the kamis, mystical powers that can be seen as holy. This may be seen as indicative of the Mandate of the Celestial Order, which may draw more people to his side. His mother will be known as a very kind woman, who made generous contributions to the starving in the Great Famine, selling familial treasures to help the heimin.

Does this new arrangement leave things a bit more open to choices from the Great clans? Sakurako needs a bit more fleshing out, but she might attract more supporters when her brother is more unattractive.

>First, any suggestions for how to make the succession even more vague?

You could make Katsuro illegitimate. I'm looking at The Anarchy for inspiration. Henry Beauclerc died without a clear succession, and there were three potential claimants to the English throne, each with a different hurdle: Robert of Gloucester was a bastard, the Empress Matilda was a woman, and Stephen of Blois was the son of Henry's sister.

So what Clans do you think would side with which contender for the throne?

Katsuro, the killer cripple!

Sakurako, the cunning, canny courtier!

Masaru, the clever kid with the kind, caring queen-regent!

What I think

Team Cripple: Scorpion because of his wife and him liking them, Crab because he hates court bullshit and likes soldiers and whatnot.

Team Proper Lady: Crane obviously, maybe Mantis off of Famine-era alliances.

Team Regent: The Imperial families will rally around one of their own, and the kindness and magic elements may get the Phoenix and Mantis on their side potentially.

Lion could either go Cripple or Regent, it's a bit of a tossup there on how they interpret honor... although with Crab and Lion warring together, that'd be a bit overpowered...

Feel free to tell me how my ideas are shit, and how they could be better.

Two of the contenders have adult children, so you should probably flesh them out more. The more far-sighted players will pick a contender not only on their attributes, but on those of their potential heirs as well. That can serve to further muddy the waters into the bargain.

I don't think the Mantis are relevant given the time period.

That's a great idea. That would cut him out of the running for support from the Lion, giving his sister some much needed strength if they backed her. Thanks for the input.

Will do, good point.

They've still got the best navy at that point, and coming off the famine they're downright rich from all of the trading they were able to monopolize. But yeah, still only a minor clan.

there's also the 'he walked down an alleyway and I quietly took his character sheet' blurb in (I think) l5r 3e. But this is in 7th sea 2e

>plus your School Rank
For this to mean "your school rank in kept (and/or) rolled dice" ... well, they would have to say that. Otherwise it's a static bonus.

People read Play Dirty - without the benefit of knowing the superheroes game in question was set up to see who could survive longest, with Wick trying to remove characters from play in a system that makes killing off PCs almost impossible.

He has a particular style that's only fun and friendly if you're forewarned and up for it. It's tense, and jumps on you for being unprepared or incautious. Wick has equated it to Die Hard, but Saw or some such is probably closer.

How would John Wick GM for you if you killed his dog?

Seriously, whose fucking genius idea was it to make the Spider of all people the winners!?

Wasn't the whole spider deal 'mock the clans by being a *clan*'?

What's wrong with that pic? Your written example is 4e, but it wouldn't matter if it were 3e; that's not Wick.

Sneks do not fit the setting. You can't even play a fucking Gwailo/Gaijin/Whatever. Why the fuck are you allowed to play snek? Remove Snek.

Monkey Clan Best Clan

>You can't even play a fucking Gwailo/Gaijin/Whatever
Sure you can.

SW is a prime example of a poorly designed game with specialty dice made by FFG. I played a full campaign (30+ sessions) and discovered everything after the initial sheen is shallow and wasn't playtested to shovel 4 core books out to fans. At least I hope it wasn't playtested.

hows the fro8 unicorn kolat doing?

nothing's wrong, it's the total opposite

You can?

There are rules for Ivory Kingdoms Kshatriya and gurus. You can't play a pseudo-European, though.

Naga, Kenku, Nezumi, and other native non-humans are actually respected in some eras and don't have the massive stigma of being considered literally blasphemous.
The Rokugani would rather hang out with something inhuman (That's proven it's not hostile and can at least comprehend that the Rokugani respect bushido) than something foreign. I imagine that inhuman foreigners are actually true kill on sight for them.

Different user here, but PLEASE tell me what book I need to pick up to be able to do that.

>I just gotta read all the fiction for any game I'm currently playing.

Don't. L5R novels are pretty shit.

Second City: The People

>He used to show up to 7th Sea LARPs and basically punish people for playing it wrong

He would show up dressed as Reis, and hits people with his cardboard alien scythe, 6k6 damage, 10's are automatic dramatic wounds, ignores dracheneisen armor, can't be defended with any kinda defense at all oh-look-at-that-your-dead you shoulda roleplayed right

Burning Sands RPG

please let this be true, sauce?

Thanks. Do you have the pdf? I've tried downloading the one in the trove, but it keeps telling me that it's corrupted.

Huh, I'll have to have another look at it. Also thanks.

Would post more fem-samurai as a reward, but am on iPad at the moment

>There are rules for Ivory Kingdoms Kshatriya and gurus
Also Yobanjin, Yodotai not-Romans, Medinaat Al Salaam not-Egyptians, etc.

>You can't play a pseudo-European, though
The Moto school with some refluffing would work, with no-dachi as claymore. Otherwise, technically true. There's just firearms for them.

>I just gotta read all the fiction for any game I'm currently playing
Fuck me dead. Read the fiction. Don't read the novels.

kazenoshiro.com/fictions/

Not just this. There's a 4e conversion file.

Cranky Killer Cripple (Bastard version, if youon that he should be a bit more competent to even out the illegitimacy): Scorpion, Crab, probably the Badger Clan too. Scorpion for intriguing and sabotaging, Crab for fighting (when they can leave the wall).

Boring Lady: The Crane and the Lion. Strong combo here even on their own, best courtiers and a fantastic land army. The people to beat, strongest starting position.

Regent and Kid: Phoenix and Dragon, maybe the Sparrow and Mantis off the strength of their pro-peasant credentials. The underdog of the three, with the Dragon being devastated by famine and the Phoenix being pacifists.

Undecided or ambivalent: Wasp, Fox, Falcon, Tortoise, the Imperial Legion (mixed loyalties to Katsuru and the Imperial families).

I don't think most monks would pick sides in a conflict like this, but that's something to think about. Some of the more militant temples might be convinced to fight on behalf of one of the prospective rulers.

What book? Enemies of the Empire?

Note: the carpenter wall hasn't been built yet, so the crab have even stronger manpower obligations down south.

Scorpion/Crab vs. Crane/Lion vs. Phoenix/Dragon isn't the worst clan-war set up I can imagine... though Crane/Lion seems a bit OP. I guess with their enemies on either side of them, the won't really have an opportunity to focus on either faction though, so geography will help with balance.

Thanks a ton anons.

Almost forgot. Thank you as well.

LBS, 4e conversion.