Monday 28 March 2011

Imperial Herald Issue #8

I said I would read Wind of War next, but I've got the heralds around and, them being short and I not being a masochist, I'm doing issue 8 now.

This is the second Herald with RPG content, and I'm not sure if it came out before or after the firts book of the Shadowlands, but it was close enough that I feel confortable reading it now.

Comparing it with the previous issue, there is more content, including the adventure Hand of Fuhinko, which is based on the House of the Plum Blossom material from City of Lies. It's a very competent action/horror romp that it is a shame it wasm't included with the boxed set as it is superior to Yemon's Legacy in my opinion.

The solution for the Hare clan riddle was also published in this herald, as well as another round of the RPG FAQ.

There is an interesting tidbit about True Ronin taking the different school advantage as a way to have a normal school progression. I'm not sure if it is something I'd ever allow in my games, but is something I never even thought about and it has me intrigued.

The column Veterans of the Shadow is introduced detailing Moto Nimthat and the Blade of Mol-Ghan. Serviceable but nothing spectacular. However it is something that, again, could have been printed in a standard book, lets say instead of the CCG decks.

As a sidenote, the CCG decks from the books don't seem to be reprinted in or from the herald, which makes it somewhat less galling.

Finally there is what I think is supposed to be a preview of the first book of the Shadowlands.

However, unless I'm completely blind, Oni no Jimen was not in Kuni Mokuna's guide. I'm going to take extra care when checking that book to make sure.

As you can see this is an interesting issue, altough so far my feeling being more that it is a shame this content wasn't published in the standard books where it would fit perfectly.

Sunday 27 March 2011

Wind of Honor

Insert standard boilerplate to describe mass-market fantasy paperback novels here.

The above phrase sums up my view of Wind of Honor nicely. in a word it's bland. Incredibly bland.
I kept reading to find out if there was a reason why I should care, but at the end of the book the only feeling I was left with was "Well, there's a few hours I'm neer going to get back..."

It's that bland, there is a narrative in there somewhere, but basically you just go meh.

In a way, much as I hate Wind of War, I don't know if this isn't worse. At least I can mock Wind of War endlessly. Wind of Honor is just as big a waste of paper, but doesn't even manages to increase my blood pressure.

My doctor might be happier with that, but it is definitely less cathartic.

I guess The Unicorn needed company.

Speaking of Wind of War, it will be the next book I'm going to review. Expect a lot of wailing and snark...

Saturday 26 March 2011

Updates

Ok, I've got Total War: Shogun 2 so my updates will slow down a bit for a while while I try to unite Japan under my iron sandals.

However I also got Wind of Honor, which is being a very fast read so I might review it in a few hours.

The teaser word however is uninspiring...

Way of the Unicorn

"We are the people of the wind."

The second splat book for L5R, Way of the Unicorn deal, surprisingly enough, with the Unicorn clan.

Again, my own copy is a second printing, so it may not apply to other printings.

The book, as usual in this series, starts off with a piece of fiction.

It's not bad, but, for some reason, it bothered me. I think the crux of it was the fact that Kamoko seems to think feminine women are man-pleasing doormats.

Maybe it's a particularity of Ree Soesbee's writing I didn't recall.

Maybe it's Kamoko's opinion, and L5R has Kachiko, and, to a lesser extent, Doji Domotai, to prove the opposite is true, but considering how frequently I've come across this posture in works of fiction and fandom as of late it starts to weigh on me.

So after this little misstart we get to the first chapter which provides us with points of view on the Unicorn writen as in-setting letters. Comparing with the similar section on the Dragon book it felt shorter, and not nearly as accomplished. While the shortness is probably only a result of the fact that Unicorn history is completely covered in the second chapter, while in Way of the Dragon it wasn't the case, the quality of letters is clearly inferior. The first two cover much the same ground, while the third doesn't add much at at all.

At this point I must admit I remember liking this book, and I became worried that my remembrance might have been the result of rose tainted glasses.

So onward to the second chapter, on Unicorn history.As usual in this series there's a series of sidebars with many random trivia like a series of travel poems or further explanations on the Unicorn mindset.

Unicorn history itself is told in a mix of fictional and factual tone. There is a clear undertone of selflessnes, devotion, and sacrifice in Shijo's depiction which is pretty much at odds with the current depiction of the Unicorn to my pity.

Another thing that jumps to my eye is that, like Togashi, Shinjo's true form is said to be a Ki-Rin. In my opinion this probably meant that at the time there were thoughts of making the kami spirits with their clan's namesake form. Of course the fact that the next clan was on the Crab might have put a damper on those plans...

This chapter also includes the family details, with the Moto and Ide getting their first description and the Otaku being expanded. One thing that surprised is that at no point are the Moto hinted as being direct descendants from the Ujik-Hai. Not even a little bit. The closest I could find was the Moto Soro ancestor in the Who's Who chapter.

On the sidebars, as usual in this series, there are the fmily mon, of which the I must admit the Unicorn ones are my favourite along with the Doji and Kakita.

All in all this section dispelled the fears that were growing on me that I remembered this book merely on nostalgia colored glasses.

The third chapter is that of character mechanics.

Four skills are introduced: Horse Archery, Animal Husbandry, Yomanri, and Lance. The same comments I made on the skills introduced on the Dragon book could be repeated here.

Horse Archery as an independent skill is redundant, Animal Husbandry (Horses) while not redundant is also a bit limiting. Yomanri flat out contradicts the rulebook and Lance also adds nothing new.

Basically, Yomanry, Lance and Horse Archery should have been maneuvers like those of Kaze-do in WotD or from 3rd Edition, not new skills. This is particularly grating because the advanced horsemanship rules make this perfectly logic and no further rules were needed. I have to wonder if this was the case of two different writer not working in communication with each other.

Two new advantages are also introduced, Gaijin Gear and Irreproachable.

Gaijin Gear is a bit redundant with Inheritance, but Irreproachable is ok.

The total of disadvantages introduced is seven; Adopted Blood, Gaijin Name, Greed, Lechery, the Moto Curse, Never Sat on a Horse and Overconfident.

I dislike the Moto Curse, both because it is mandatory without benefit, and basically because it's a redundant bad reputation outside the Unicorn clan. I wouldn't mind if, while being mandatory, the PCs weren't hit with the double whammy. I suppose it might be because the Moto family bonus is Void, but still...

I've said it before and I will say it again, why does a player need to be penalized for assuming a roleplaying challenge. If anything this actually increases character optimization if the player feels the need to synergize options to make up for shortcoming that the system imposed upon him.

Never sat on a Horse is also problematic. I see no reason why it should be limited to Unicorn, but frankly, depending on the way the GM interprets the reading it can actually be far more damaging to a Unicorn PC than its 1 point cost would suggest. After all, all Unicorn schools start with ranks in horsemanship, how does that work in conjuction with this disadvantage?

Following that there are advanced Horsemanship rules which I discussed above with skills.

Then come the mechanics of the new Unicorn families and schools. I've already discussed the Moto above with the Moto Curse, altough their school depending on the reading might be very powerful. The Otaku definitely are powerful at this point but mostly due to a godly fourth rank technique.

Finally we have the Heritage tables, which, frankly are all over the place in terms of both getting great stuff or getting royaly screwed over. Often at the same time...

The fourth chapter is the Who's Who of the Unicorn clan. We immediatelly start off with Shinjo Yokatsu, who Can't Lie...

Stupid CCG. Stupid Kolat. Must hold rage...

Other than that there isn't much that stand out. Most NPCs are interesting and have ready hooks with other clans, with Tadaji and Hanari being the ones that do stand out

This chapter also as ancestors in the sidebars. The ancestor mechanics is one I always had some trouble evaluating and this is no exception.

Chapter five has a series of pre-generated characters. Much like those in the Dragon book I see these as more of a source for plot hooks rather than good PC options altough they will do in a pinch. Unlike in the Dragon book none are clearly unsuited for a PC party.

Finally we enter the appendices.

The first appendix is on strategy and tactics of the Unicorn. I liked that it had quite a bit of emphasis on horse archery which I didn't remember, but then I'm reminded tht Unicorn schools aren't that archery based as they could be. More importantly though there are a few weird things like frontal charges with cavalry as the tactical doctrine... It's not terrible, but it is bogling. The difference between an offensive and defensive strategy is also puzzling as horse archer armies were notorious for not really needing such adjustment. In fact that is what puzzles me, at no point is the Unicorn army told to deny engagement. There are no feigned retreat tactics, no supply line harrassment. It's basically a set piece affair, but with cavalry.

Appendix II describes Horses and Unicorn specific gear. In relation to the horses I'll overlook the fact that they should have been in the corebook.

As a sidenote they go trough a lot of trouble in this book to tell there was no cavalry in Rokugan before the return of the Ki-Rin, but this kind of contradicts the City of Lies information on the leatherworkers.

Returning to the horses, three breeds are described, the Rokugani pony which is a very small pony, the Gaijin rididng steed, which is clearly a heavy horse, altough in the lighter side of those, and the Otaku warhorse which is clearly a scaled up Arabian or, maybe, a Barb.

After the horses we have the gear. Or as I like to call it, the land of the forty pound longsword. There are also rules for different quality equipment. This appendix also includes the Unicorn secret spells and Nemuranai.

These days the idea of secret spells is problematic for me, because, as prayers to animistic spirits the idea of a secret spell doesn't really make sense but that's a personal quirk of mine, and it is an extensive and interesting list of spells.

Appendix III is a miscellany including a few adventure ideas, a short description of Unicorn provinces and Meishodo.

Frankly, Meishodo rules add very little to the game, particularly as they make standard spellcasting more difficult remove the basic spells from the player's reportoire. As I'm of the opinion that Commune is one of the most important spells in the game this make meishodo a very unatractive option even when speeding spellcasting greatly.

There is also a map of Shinjo Castle, and, like I've said before, this is something which I would like to see done again.

Appendix IV is the blasted CCG deck section. I'm still not convinced of it's utility, and after seeing the Imperial heralds this could have been used to print some of that content instead.

Doubly so if these CCG decks weren't original and were being reprinted from somewhere else.

In the end I have to admit I enjoyed this book altough it's clear that AEG was still testing where it wanted to go with the line. I think Way of the Dragon is better but I much prefer the flavour the Unicorn had at this point than the one it now has.

I also have to reiterate that the Lion and Crane clan books should have been the first published, as a way to establish a baseline for Rokugan.

Saturday 5 March 2011

Imperial Herald Vol. 2 Nº 3

I've decided to get the Imperial Heralds that I know to have RPG content (and Clan War content as well, actually). I've just received the first one from eBay and while it confirmed that it wasn't worth a subscription it's actually quite ok.

The first Imperial Herald with RPG content which is I believe the seventh published, which is a small FAQ Errata, including movement rules, and a complete adventure called alone in the Dark.

Alone in the Dark is in fact a rather competent horror romp. It lack a bit in that doesn't suggest how to involve the players, nor does it give any advice on running it, but I suppose it is understandable considering it's published in a periodic newsletter with limited page count and mostly devoted to a CCG.

Taking that into account I suppose it's greater flaw is that, as one of the first published L5R adventures, the Horror genre in an awkward choice. At this point in the line there wasn't much advice on running horror L5R and as stated above, there is no advice in the adventure for it, making it less useful for a GM with good grasp on horror gaming.

City of Lies- Musings

So here are the thoughts that didn't really fall on any specific post or that only clicked after finishing the whole thing:

  • Again Stolze introduces hitherto unknown families. The Jitsuyoteki, Shosuro vassals, whose sole representant feels quite interesting and could hae been developed further in my opinion. Were I to run City of Lies today I would place him in the place of Gate/Kado, and relegate a ronin to a bouncer role in one of the teahouses. The Hoji, Mantis vassals are also introduced and forgotten until I pointed out their existence and one of the notable L5R fans, Okuma, took a special liking to them, and managed to play one in the first AEG official Winter Court PbP. It goes without saying the Ashidaka were also introduced here.
  • There are a lot of hints and tidbits. I disliked the handling of the Kolat, but we have Lord Moon's cult introduced and a Naga cult. Iwill be coming back to Asako Kinto when reading Way of the Naga.
  • The rumor mill is an interesting tool from the location guide, and it can probably be used with little modification in any city setting.

All in all, this box set as passed the test of time well. It's an incrediby useful tool for the GM and one of the examples of how an adventure module should be done.

City of Lies- City of Green Walls

"Rokugan's most elegant cesspit; a monster of beauty, a seductive lie cast in limestone and gold,l atreacherous maiden whose loveliness is exceeded only by her brutality- that is my home. Ryoko Owari is a grand tombstone for dead honor, where decadent childrencaper and rejoice in their unholy freedom. I could live nowhere else."

This is the companion to the GM guide. If the GM Guide is the meat of the set than this is the skeleton.

Or maybe it's the other way around...

Anyhow, this is the location guide for Ryoko Owari.

It's divided in six chapters corresponding to each quarter, Fisherman's, Leatherworker's, Merchant, Temple, Licensed and Noble Quarter.

This is pretty much the continuation of the GM guide, and the only failing I found is one that will be repeated in later AEG books.

The included adventure Yemon's Legacy is divided thoughout the different chapters, und unlike in the later books it's not in order, ie part 1 is followed by part 2. It's not a serious flaw, but it is a needless burden placed on the GM.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

City of Lies- GM's Guide to Ryoko Owari

This is where the meat of the box set is.

It starts by detailing the city power groups, like the Thunder Guard, the Opium Cartels, including rules for addiction and overdose, the firemen gangs, and the assorted threats from the player's guide as well as a few new one's.

The inclusion of addiction and overdose rules surprised me because at the time I droped L5R AEG was on a strict PG policy, and even earlier there were a few such decisions like Mirror, Mirror, not being published. Frankly, while I can understand the reasons for such policy I think they rarely work as intended if at all.
Example of a PG appropriate picture.

The worst problem is the double standard and lack of transparency often contained in those kind of policies.

Apparently serious, responsible discussion of such things as drug addiction or sex are verboten, however graphic depiction of violence, like the picture on the leftt, used extensively in advertising material at the time are ok, as are titilating cheesecake illustration.

Join the specific problems of Rokugan as a PG setting, with its highlighted xenofobia, Evil is Good factions

And we probably shouldn't mention the possibility of using inclusive language in the face of it's lack in 3rd and 4th editions. By the way, Shosuro Gobei the only known homssexual character in Rokugan also make is sole appearence here.

We move on to the secrets of the characters from the player's guide. Extensive and detailed, with some shockers along the way. If the players play their cars right in dealing with the NPCs they may gain acess to Ashidaka Noritoki's journal, which is a handout booklet. Suffice to say it shows the deceased magistrate was not a very good person. I'm still scratching my head on who J. is though. It's clearly not Shosuro Jocho, but I guess it's not important.

Of note is many off-track mechanical tidbits are included. In Kitsuki Jotomon we find the prototype for advanced school. Ample with his Two-Way Throw and Fade's Bushido's a Joke are proto-paths or maybe kata. The first two techniques of the Otaku Battlenaidesn also make their first appearence. Clearly L5R was on an intensive schedule at this point, something that Yeamon's Legacy also illustrates.

After NPC secrets we have the GM advice section. Detailed and effective, I have taken an inordinate amount of like for the attitude chart. It's the kind of tool that should be a part of any campaign where PCs are supposed to have some kind of social weight. There are also extra CFS on of which is developed nearly into an adventure outline.

Finally we have one of the complete adventures included, in this case the Opium War. It is an excellent adventure, except for a tiny detail which can't be blamed upon the author, but rather on the line editor, and which illustrates a problem that often affected L5R in the 1st Edition.

The Kolat.

Or rather the fact that Greg Stolze was clearly told to include the Kolat in the adventure, but was refused detailed information on what the Kolat was. Naturally what he hints at is completely incompatible with what was later revealed.

This was something that was very present in 1st Edition, with metaplot information, particularly on the Kolat and Shadow, being strung along the supplements so that if someone was interested in some part of the metaplot having to buy multiple books, with the ocasional bait and switch thrown in for good measure. If the info wasn't incompatible it wouldn't be so bad, for instance the other adventure includes a prop that is tie in to The Tomb of Iuchiban, but at some point one has to wonder why bother if there isn't going to be some overarching continuity?

The Opium War is an egregious case, because it works perfectly without the Kolat. In fact I would say it works better without the Kolat.

Having said that I would like to find out if the Knots of the Lawgivers are triumphant was something Stolze came up with himself or was something indicated from above. I'll be keeping an eye out for it when reading The Merchant Guide to Rokugan.