City of Lies- Overview

"In many ways, a reliable criminal is preferable to an unpredictable hero"

I come to the read through of City of Lies with two vivid memories:

1. City of Lies was the best L5R supplement ever.
2. City of Lies is one of the best RPG products ever.

The last time I picked it up was some 4-5 years ago, so it will be interesting to see how this changes things, if at all.

First of all, this is a boxed set, it come in a nicebox, altough a bit too small. The contents don't swim around in the box, but it is a tight fit.

The contents are the following:

• An introductory booklet.
• A black and white map of Ryoko Owari.
• A poster map of Rokugan. On one side in color with clan borders, but nothing else, and on the other side black and white, with location names and an hex grid.
• A player's Book.
• A GM Guide.
• A Location Guide.
• The Journal of Ashidaka Noritoki.

The  introductory booklet perfectly executs what it sets out to do. It gives an overview of the Box's content as well as of the design objectives behind it, gives an overview of the city, including the power-players, gives a summary of the included adventures, and suggest alternate campaigns. I'd be hard-pressed to find a better introduction to any product.

The map of Ryoko Owari is also a nice poster.

Finally we have the map of Rokugan. As far as poster map gos it's the prettiest map of Rokugan. I would like to see locations marked in the color section, or that it was a direct copy of the rulebook map, but it is my only quibble with it.

On the back of the color map is the black and white version with the hex grid. This one does have the locations marked.

Recently I've considered using it as a basis for a wargaming campaign, and I think it is certainly workable in that role.

The next few posts I'll make will detail the main books, with Noritoki's Journal being read along the most appropriate book.