Easy e
2023-08-31, 10:36 AM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0gMrB8FjskFrLojDbunDIIalbl0jAgyxPF6i8i_sN8 3_QNoHhpEy3Yat5T9VOXtTVElgzCZldZucq5Rtpvha4Bheie9G 9kLMKhanYz-GKtfVtvIPqN7XmynuwO3rEk4f2fAs__8_GqlW75Hmiqr34-FMnPQKomzcS7cY3sZ5jD-UIV1HH68H_yGf/w309-h400/IMG_3279.HEIC
I am a relative newcomer to Legend of the 5 Rings. I have been familiar with it as an Intellectual Property for a long, long time but never really spent much time with it. However, I listened to an actual play of one edition or another on the Happy Jacks Podcast, and was intrigue by what I had heard. I listened to a few more podcasts and was even more interested. Then, one day I was at the Half-Price Bookstore and saw a copy of the Third Edition rulebook. I bought it.
Since then, I have managed to design a short campaign called "One Year in Rokugan" that was edition and stat block agnostic but based on my 3rd Edition knowledge. After all, there are 5 editions of the game! If you are part of my Patreon, you can find this campaign available there for free as a PDF. I have managed to play through the campaign using 3rd edition rules, and we all had a lot of fun. It was a huge difference from our normal D&D 5E games, and I enjoyed introducing the world of Rokugan to my players.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJj6UDwRENpWuOLtSOu9l4rrVhSyXYZxo-wCApLG3F0yESLPlXz1kWa99jqDUkIIAO87jT94q7DOVFqBJvxT eXz4iV4zvT77sw0Hh-RFjkcrOWiF5F_JNdyC5U4-a0qrQAEgVP5ryybTiE4r-6b7K-P6Led0MjrEmWlei6-PAS9I-HuxKyEekY7AJ/w300-h400/IMG_3280.HEIC
After that enjoyable campaign, there was an interest in updating from 3rd edition to 5th edition. I myself was curious about the differences, but had put off buying it. I all ready had 3rd edition, and figured there was no great need to update to the "newest". However, as I learned more about the new edition the core mechanics seemed markedly different than the AEG versions of the game I owned.
Therefore, with some hesitation; I acquired a copy for myself. Keep in mind Legend of the 5 Rings: 5th edition is NOT the same as Adventures in Rokugan; also by Edge Studios. Adventures is a skin for using Rokugan in D&D 5E. Legend of the 5 Rings: 5th Edition using its own system based on the Fantast Flight Games Genesys system. Genesys is used with games like Edge of Empire. It will be interesting to see where this game maintains and differs from the L5R I am familiar with.
If you are so inclined, you can read more details of the review on my blog:
http://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2023/08/rpg-review-legend-of-5-rings-5th.html
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OQQk8RmqcVMT6fsTpmgqDwVFBfsx7VmqsC6cijZZ5d Ej-MvinyXvO-sFjobFCd8VJFJNbXhqhVsrukTHUpAtIy9ks2Q0950KRW6HZJFZ qQjdzDFdh6JQ6n6Ct-wILoLK_Os4W1IacvnOkcz8XQyjkRqI9ZF_WDZ_gf2qpKJ4BfUQ K4McovHWhs9g/w300-h400/IMG_3282.HEIC
However, here is some high level details:
- Great world to play in, but very different than your standard D&D world. This is not a lawless frontier setting.... at all.
- Because of the high level of structure, this world can be constraining for players coming from other systems.
- This game is for experienced players.
- They have leaned more into narrative play. Players can choose the Ring (attribute) they are using for tests, and depending on which Ring it can change the difficulty and potential outcomes. That is a lot of heavy lifting for the GM to think about.
- The game does a good job breaking down scenes into types and how to resolve the types of challenges in various types of scenes, such as intrigue, combat, social, etc. However, there is not much for "exploration" in the geographic sense. Exploration is much more "social".
- Proprietary dice! Ugh!
- Stronger mechanics of dealing with Honor, Glory, and "Face" than 3rd edition.
There is a lot to unpack with this game, but those are some high level details.
I am a relative newcomer to Legend of the 5 Rings. I have been familiar with it as an Intellectual Property for a long, long time but never really spent much time with it. However, I listened to an actual play of one edition or another on the Happy Jacks Podcast, and was intrigue by what I had heard. I listened to a few more podcasts and was even more interested. Then, one day I was at the Half-Price Bookstore and saw a copy of the Third Edition rulebook. I bought it.
Since then, I have managed to design a short campaign called "One Year in Rokugan" that was edition and stat block agnostic but based on my 3rd Edition knowledge. After all, there are 5 editions of the game! If you are part of my Patreon, you can find this campaign available there for free as a PDF. I have managed to play through the campaign using 3rd edition rules, and we all had a lot of fun. It was a huge difference from our normal D&D 5E games, and I enjoyed introducing the world of Rokugan to my players.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJj6UDwRENpWuOLtSOu9l4rrVhSyXYZxo-wCApLG3F0yESLPlXz1kWa99jqDUkIIAO87jT94q7DOVFqBJvxT eXz4iV4zvT77sw0Hh-RFjkcrOWiF5F_JNdyC5U4-a0qrQAEgVP5ryybTiE4r-6b7K-P6Led0MjrEmWlei6-PAS9I-HuxKyEekY7AJ/w300-h400/IMG_3280.HEIC
After that enjoyable campaign, there was an interest in updating from 3rd edition to 5th edition. I myself was curious about the differences, but had put off buying it. I all ready had 3rd edition, and figured there was no great need to update to the "newest". However, as I learned more about the new edition the core mechanics seemed markedly different than the AEG versions of the game I owned.
Therefore, with some hesitation; I acquired a copy for myself. Keep in mind Legend of the 5 Rings: 5th edition is NOT the same as Adventures in Rokugan; also by Edge Studios. Adventures is a skin for using Rokugan in D&D 5E. Legend of the 5 Rings: 5th Edition using its own system based on the Fantast Flight Games Genesys system. Genesys is used with games like Edge of Empire. It will be interesting to see where this game maintains and differs from the L5R I am familiar with.
If you are so inclined, you can read more details of the review on my blog:
http://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2023/08/rpg-review-legend-of-5-rings-5th.html
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OQQk8RmqcVMT6fsTpmgqDwVFBfsx7VmqsC6cijZZ5d Ej-MvinyXvO-sFjobFCd8VJFJNbXhqhVsrukTHUpAtIy9ks2Q0950KRW6HZJFZ qQjdzDFdh6JQ6n6Ct-wILoLK_Os4W1IacvnOkcz8XQyjkRqI9ZF_WDZ_gf2qpKJ4BfUQ K4McovHWhs9g/w300-h400/IMG_3282.HEIC
However, here is some high level details:
- Great world to play in, but very different than your standard D&D world. This is not a lawless frontier setting.... at all.
- Because of the high level of structure, this world can be constraining for players coming from other systems.
- This game is for experienced players.
- They have leaned more into narrative play. Players can choose the Ring (attribute) they are using for tests, and depending on which Ring it can change the difficulty and potential outcomes. That is a lot of heavy lifting for the GM to think about.
- The game does a good job breaking down scenes into types and how to resolve the types of challenges in various types of scenes, such as intrigue, combat, social, etc. However, there is not much for "exploration" in the geographic sense. Exploration is much more "social".
- Proprietary dice! Ugh!
- Stronger mechanics of dealing with Honor, Glory, and "Face" than 3rd edition.
There is a lot to unpack with this game, but those are some high level details.