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May 27, 2000
The official Strike at Midnight Tournament tournament results are available on the Wizard's L5R site.
Soul of the Empire is due in early July, with the pre-release tournaments being held on July 1st and 2nd, 2000.
The Links page (Road to Rokugan) and the Mirumoto Library were updated.
Empire League - Season 2
The second season of the Empire League has started (May 15, 2000). It's an open 40/40 format and lasts for 6 weeks. During each league session, 3 clans are highlighted.
Season 2 features the Naga who "... awaken to battle the horrors of the Shadowlands and must find acceptance in the Emerald Empire. Togashi Yokuni, Dragon Clan Daimyo, recruits Toturi the Black to lead the Empire against its greatest threat in nearly a thousand years. The Phoenix Clan must discover the secrets of the Black Scrolls while paying the terrible price that comes with that knowledge."
ref: Imperial Herald #15, Mike Liesik, pg.4.Deck Construction in Season 2:
- Naga: The Naga Awaken
All personalities must be Naga. There can be only one copy of any Naga card in the Dynasty deck.
- Phoenix: Tadaka's Quest
There can be no Action cards, Followers or Kihos in the Fate deck.
- Dragon: Daini's Mission
Mirumoto Daini must be assigned to every attack that destroys a Province and win by a Military Victory.
- 10 play points earn a Seasonal button.
- Faction mon pins are awarded for highest total points after completing all clan objectives.
- Winners of matches get 2 points and the losers get 1 point. First win of the season is 5 points.
May 23, 2000
Overview of Imperial Herald Issue #15 (Legends of the Five Rings section)
Well the Imperial Herald made its quarterly appearance in southeastern Pennsylvania this past Tuesday. The cover was done by Brian Snoddy and it depicts a samurai in the "en garde" position armed with a yari. A jade green background complements the samurai's reddish brown armour. There are 54 pages of articles and together with the front and back covers bringing the total up to 56 pages.
A large 2 page advertisement for Race to Volturnum graces the inside front cover. If the Shadow wins at Volturnum and seals the gates to Jigoku, then all will be turned to Nothingness. The Clan that wins the tournament will go first at Gen Con 2000.
The "Awakening of the Naga" kicks off the second season of the Empire League. This time the 3 clans featured are the Naga, Phoenix and the Dragon.
Edward Bolme (L5R Brand Manager) unveils The Heroes of Rokugan, a limited edition 27 card premium set. It's of course limited to Imperial Assembly members (you need to send in the cover letter with your order). This is destined to be a hot collectable - the print run will probably be smaller than the Imperial Edition. On the other hand, with my L5R DCI number in the Hundreds of Millions, maybe not. Statistics - it appears that 25% of L5R players are new to the game, having less than 6 months of experience. Because of this, more "back story" will be included in future Heralds to help bring them "up to speed". Storms over Matsu Palace is the next introductory starter set. Advanced game rules will be placed in brackets on the cards so that beginners can focus on the basics.
The second installment of Legends of the Five Rings History covers the card sets Crimson & Jade, Time of the Void and Jade Edition.
Erik Jason Yaple is spotlighted in this month's Who's Who. A graduate of California State University at San Bernando (B.A. in English & creative writing), he now is Assistant Designer for Legends of the Five Rings. He started at Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG ) as Dave William's assistant/intern and presently works full time as a game designer. Doomtown was his first assignment, but he quickly migrated over to L5R starting with Hidden Emperor Episode 1. Other expansions that he's worked on include Pearl Edition Starter decks [spinners on the Stronghold card was a Bad idea], Siege of Sleeping Mountain decks, Legends of the Burning Sands, 7th Sea and continued work on Doomtown. He is a proponent of the team approach to game development at AEG.
And now for the long delayed results of the Strike at Midnight tournament ....
Strike at Midnight: Everything Dies
... But only the Phoenix know the path to return. - Shiba's koan
That's right, the rumours were true - the Phoenix Clan won yet another storyline tournament. Ree Soesbee's story focuses on Odoshi, who is used as a vehicle to explain Shiba's koan. The scene begins with a confused Odoshi reporting to Captain Shiba Atano who explains that the Mantis are at the forest's edge, the Crane are to the west and the Scorpion are to the east. In short, the Phoenix Fallen Pedal legion was at war with everyone. The Mantis attack the Phoenix position but eventually are forced to retreat. After the battle, Odoshi find that all is not what it appears to be - he's dead! They are at Toshigoku, "the realm of spirits killed in honorable combat. ... the Legacy of the Forge, the lost souls who cannot complete [their] ... quest for Jigoku." Each of the dead must discover his own cause of death. Sensing that his fate and that of Mantis Yoritomo Kanbe were intertwined, Odoshi travels to the Mantis camp where he convinces Kanbe to give him an honorable death. Using his wakizashi, Odoshi commits seppuku with Kanbe as his second. The path to return is this: "to die by the hand of the one who killed you, in honor and in remorse." Awakened from the darkness, Odoshi finds himself by Hitomi once again, this time before the Oni reaches Hitomi. He manages to kill the Oni and help Hitomi honorably ascend to the Heavens as the New Moon.
Strike at Midnight: Tournament Statistics by Mindy Sherman-Lewis
Interesting Little Unimportant Facts gleaned from the participation graph on page 14:
- Dragon Clan has the most registered Imperial Assembly members.
- The Dragon Clan had the second most participants at Strike at Midnight, trailing only the Shadowlands in representation.
- Bandwagoners were the Shadowlands and Toturi's Army, as they had more players in the tournament than registered with the Imperial Assembly.
The Crane Clan get the Ed (Bolme) and Ree (Soesbee) treatment - history and two deck lists. In the Crane Top Ten are Wolfgang Baur and Terry Madden.
Storyline Tournaments are used to help guide the writers of Legends of the Five Rings and to proved special benefits to the winning clan. Examples given come from Kitsu Sei's (Neil Laughlin) Lion Clan website.
Mark Wooten describes the L5R scene in the British Isle.
The DCI Point System is explained by Andy Heckt. This is different from the system that AEG used to have.
________________________________________________________________________________________ The center fold has a 4 page advertisement for The Heroes of Rokugan. The promotional cards from this set have a very dark brown border with ~5 mm caramel colored dots. Ree Soesbee helped pick the events and people to chronicle in this set. An illustrated binder is included along with "The Herald's Tale", telling of the stories and history behind each card. The most anticipated card is the Ratling Stronghold Warrens of the Nezumi with a starting Province strength of 12 (but only 3 Provinces!). Zen Faulkes describes the stronghold in his card Focus article on page 33.
The Official Heroes of Rokugan Card List Action
Revealing the Ancient WisdomEvent
Cherry Blossom FestivalFollower
Spirit LegionHolding
Anvil of DespairItems
Atarasi's Armor
JudgmentKiho
Shinsei's RiddlePersonalities
Celestial Dragon
The First Oni
Goju Yume
Gusai
Hida Osano-Wo
Isawa Ijime
Kakita Rensei
Matsu Hitomi
Mirumoto Tokeru
Miya Mashigai
Otaku Shiko
Qatol
Rezan
Seppun Murayasu
Shosuro Furuyari
Someisa
Yasuki KanekoRegion
Land of the DeadSpell
One Virtue and Seventy FaultsStronghold
The Warrens of the Nezumi
PS 12
GP ?
SH ?
You begin the game with 3 provinces. All your Ratling cards cost X less
gold. Ratlings cannot gain the Shadowlands trait and are immune to fear.
All Ratling cards gain the ability: Battle: Bow and destroy this card to
destroy an opposing follower.
The Dragon Clan is the next to get the Ed (Bolme) and Ree (Soesbee) treatment - history and one deck list concentrating on dueling using the Iron Mountain Stronghold. Gregory Osborn is the new Dragon Warlord, having by far the most DCI points.
A Clan War scenario focuses on recovering the Prophecies of Asako Yurito. Yurito had been charged by the Phoenix Clan to deliver the Anvil of Despair to Amaterasu's Furnace deep into the Shadowlands. He was unsuccessful but did manage to write down prophesies which contain terrible secrets. Now the Phoenix scramble to recover the prophesies before the secrets fall into the wrong hands ....
Legend of the Burning Sands will no longer be supported by Wizards of the Coast. No New cards will be printed and Imperial Herald #16 will be the last to carry LBS material. The DCI will no longer be supporting LBS tournaments after May 31st, 2000.
Analysis: It was a Major Mistake to make Legends of the Burning Sands incompatible with Legends of the Five Rings. With narrower thematic possibilities LBS could not afford to ignore the large installed base of L5R players. Imagine if Arabian Nights (the first expansion to Magic:The Gathering) continued on it's original marketing plans of having Pink card backs instead of the more familiar brown color. Magic would have remained a fringe game with limited appeal - interchangeability was the key to Magic's early success.
The Art of War highlights some of the more favorable card combinations including the infamous
Come One at a Time + Nunchaku.A Standard Disclosure Form and explanations on its use are described by Andy Heckt and Mindy Sherwood-Lewis.
Basically if you have a really great idea that you want included in Legends of the Five Rings card or role playing game, use the form to release WotC from any obligation to you for your work. In other words, you are giving WotC a gift so don't expect anything in return such as seeing your name in print. The reason for the form is that WotC doesn't want to waste time, effort or money defending itself from lawsuits claiming that they "stole" someone else's work without paying for it. It's a sad part of todays world when a nice company has to protect itself from a few greedy people.
A Strict Jade List is shown on pages 48 and 49. All cards with the "Jade Bug" are legal, even the two personalities from the Demo set (Isawa Sze and Hida Tampako). This is updated from what is actually printed in the Herald.
Legends of the Five Rings novels are on their way. The first is The Scorpion by Stephen Sullivan.
A preview of Storms over Matsu Palace finishes this issue of the Imperial Herald. It was stressed that these starter decks are meant to get people interested in playing the game. When demonstrating L5R, keep in mind that you are trying to make their experience fun and enjoyable. More advanced card rules are set in {brackets} to allow beginners to concentrate on the basics. It comes in a single box which contains enough cards to make both a Unicorn and a Lion deck. So go out and teach people the fun of Legends of the Five Rings!
Imperial Herald 15 clan letters - earliest posting date is June 16, 2000.
Legends of the Five Rings Promotional Cards in Imperial Herald #15
War in the Heavens (Event)
The Monk in play with the highest Chi permanently gains +1F, +1C, and +2
Personal Honor. In the case of a tie, each tied Monk gains those bonuses.
"You are only a mortal," Onnotengu snarled. "I may be born of mortal
man," the monk said grimly, "but I choose my own destiny."
May 14, 2000
Redemption for Ikoma Andy? True Conversion or Hoax - You Decide!
In a startling admission, Ikoma Andy from The Shadowlands Refuge of the Lion Clan has declared that he was wrong to follow the path of the Shadowlands. To seek redemption, he "... will fight against the Shadowlands as a Deathseeker, hoping to redeem my family's honor with a glorious death in defeat over the Shadowlands and their Ninja allies. " In light of his recent conversion, he has even changed the name of his site to The Writings of Deathseeker Ikoma Andy.
Race to Volturnum Today!
The winning clan will be awarded the advantage of going first at the Battle at Oblivion's Gate, to be held at Gen Con. this year.
May 8, 2000
Last Days For Kokujin?
On Day 11 in the Race to Volturnum, Hitomi Kobai finally gets permission from Togashi Hoshi to hunt down Kokujin and to recover Togashi Yokuni's daisho.
May 1, 2000
The Race to Volturnum Begins!
In Race to Volturnum, each clan in the Jade Empire has sent a pre-emptive strike force to prevent Goju and his minions from destroying the spirit realm of Jigoku. Goju has been around as long as the kami. He was originally a human but followed the shadow instead of the kami when they first came to Rokugan. His power comes from absorbing the form and the memories of his victims. If Jigoku is absorbed by the Shadow, then the ancestral spirits will be erased forever..
Here's a quote from Wizard's of the Coasts promotional advertisement:
"The armies of the Empire are on the move. Their quest: to slaughter Goju and his minions before they can control the passage to the spirit realm of Jigoku. If they fail, the Shadow will destroy the Empire's future as well as its past
But between the armies of Rokugan and the City of Shadows, a massive horde of Oni, goblins, ogre, and all manner of foul Shadowlands creatures await. Assaulted from all sides by terrible beasts of Fu Leng, the legions of the Empire grind to a halt.
While the armies fight, the Shadow works to continue its mission. The Empire's only hope is to send small groups through the Shadowlands, small pockets of samurai desperately searching for the swiftest route to Volturnum. One group, and one alone, will reach the city first. It is the last hope of a dying Empire, the opening strike against the darkness, and the first duty of all those who fight for honor, glory, and the Jade Empire of Rokugan.
Will you find the path to victory?
Before the tournament, join us for a special chat on the Race to Volturnum!
Monday, May 8 [2000], at 6 p.m. PST, in the "Wizards Presents..." room
Featuring Mindy Sherwood-Lewis, L5R Premiere Event Coordinator"The Race to Volturnum global storyline tournament will take place May 12 to 14 at your local Stronghold store.
Daily accounts of the Race to Volturnum with commentary.
Roads to Rokugan updated (links page)
Web links were "rotated" based on update activity and general content. This week the featured site is the Tao of the Wolf - a new Toturi's Army site by Mirumoto Tenryuu and Kitsuki Xinjin.
It's one of the few sites to use music to good effect. Graphics are nicely done. The "Basecamp" showcases people who have served under Toturi and includes the collectable card game statistics. Under "Resources" there's a Toturi's Army Discussion Board - relatively quiet because it's new but a direct link from the front page may help it get more traffic.
April 18, 2000
Matsu Gohei Memorial Found!
Revered by the Lion and despised by the Scorpion, Matsu Gohei was a controversial samurai. His last assignment was to escort the disgraced Scorpion Clan out of Rokugan to the Burning Sands by way of Exiles Road in Unicorn territory. Unaccustomed to the pervasive heat and gaijin customs, he was captured and unceremoniously executed. A website shrine has been erected in his honor.
Imperial Herald 14 clan letters posted.
April 11, 2000
Legend of the Burning Sands Canceled?
Save the Ogres has Ryan Miller's post saying that The Awakening hasn't sold well and that Wizards is sitting on top of a mountain of product. Because of slow sales no further expansions are planned. Vote with your wallet - if you want Legend of the Burning Sands to continue, buy it!
April 9, 2000
Fire and Shadow rulebook story is now available.
Dragon Clan Letter from Imperial Herald 14 is now allowed on the net.
April 7, 2000
Going on vacation or on a business trip? Uncertain if there will be L5R players to pass the time? Well wonder no more - Wobbly has been maintaining a worldwide L5R player database with several hundred members.
April 6, 2000
Zen Faulkes has listed John Wicks's comments about Legends of the Five Rings. These quotes came from John's card descriptions on the Imperial Auction Block to support his new venture, Orkworld. Arranged chronologically.
Gencon 2000 Bounty
The Tao of the Unicorn web site has put up a page on GenCon 2000 bounties. See the Rumours section for more coverage.
Speaking of Hitomi Gofumin, he apparently is in the rumoured top 5 of the Dragon Clan in tournament rankings. The rest of the list includes:
Dragon Tournament Ranking
1. Gregory Osborn 1179
2. Matt Loomis 760
3. Matt Rynearson 694
4. Jeremy M. Nagorny 628
5. Josh Timmers 549This information comes from Andrew Heckt in an email to L5RINFO.
It was a good try but .... the Mirumoto War College will not be done "in-house" anymore. I'll be referring to other sites better qualified for card analysis. Special one time or guest articles are still possible in the future.
April 4, 2000
April 1, 2000
April Fools Day!
Beware Dragons in Black ! The Shadowlands Refuge of the Lion Clan has returned! Thought by many to have been lost to the taint, Ikoma Andy has shown us that he is more resilient than than we thought, able to bounce back from that nemesis of web pages ---> a real job! ;)
March 28, 2000
New Imperial Assembly cards were mailed. They are credit card sized, and come with your name, Clan, DCI number and expiration date stamped in raised gold lettering. The current picture has"Imperial Assembly" on the left upper corner with 3 samurai on the right. The background is aquamarine colored. Another cool benefit of belonging to the Imperial Assembly.
If you lose or damage the card, you can call Consumer Service at 1-800-324-6496 for a replacement. There is a $5.00 processing fee for card replacement.
March 25, 2000
Strike at Midnight Update
The ascension of Hitomi was said to be honorable but there has not been any official word on the winning clan at Strike at Midnight. Popular rumour has the Phoenix Clan in the lead.
And what of our alliance with the Scorpion? What did happen at Yogo Sothotho's Subterranean Scroll Cave and his "new attitude"? Well, apparently it was "A clever ruse by ... Bayushi Murai and Hitomi Pukku to weaken the attempt of those clowns out there that would play the Shadow to spite the Honorable Dragon Movement." (quote by Yogo Sothotho)
Storyline Update
Apparently there's a Tenth Kami. Not all of Lady Sun's children survived being swallowed by Lord Moon. Nine Kami lived through being swallowed alive but Ryoshun "died" and has been doing guard duty at the gates of Jigoku for the last 1000 years. Talk about overtime wages ---> he must have more Koku than the entire empire combined!. His only contact with the outside world has been through the samurai that have passed through the gates of Jigoku. Ryoshun is a bit upset that he can't find Togashi -
Where have you gone, Togashi, my eldest brother? Why did you leave no wisdom for me?"
- (quote from "Shrine of the Dragon Champion")
Flattery?
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Honorable Dragon Movement (HDM) should be flattered. Shosuro Mashita has has taken it upon himself to start the Gay Dragon Movement for those of you who are ...ummmm... less inhibited.
March 17, 2000 Saint Patrick's Day!
An Overview of Imperial Herald Issue #14 (Legends of the Five Rings section)
Brian Snoddy's shugenja casting a kiho graces the cover of Imperial Herald #14. The color scheme corresponds to the upcoming set, Fire and Shadow. The red background represents fire while the blue-black clothing represents shadow. There is a moon, stars and cloud design on the clothing. The shugenja's hands are white, no doubt to signify the energy inherent in his spell casting.
The new brand manager for the L5R trading card game is Ed Bolme. He makes his introduction on page 3. Interesting tid bits of information include:
- Luke Peterschmidt was promoted to Brand Director and will now supervise Legends of the Five Rings, WCW Nitro, Marvel Super Heroes and other trading card games.
- Doomtown TCG was transferred from Ed Bolme to Pinnacle and AEG.
- Fire and Shadow will be the nest big expansion.
- Since Honor Bound and Ambition's Debt sold out within 2 weeks of release, the print run for Fire and Shadow will be increased.
- L5R novels will be forthcoming.
- A new introductory set will replace Siege of Sleeping Mountain.
- L5R is hot in Europe - 45% more Fire and Shadow was ordered as compared to Ambition's Debt. Apparently France is the leading country for L5R at this time. The game will be printed in French, German, Spanish and other languages.
- Kotei tournaments will be better run, with 3 global storyline tournaments planned.
- No new basic edition is planned for 2000. The current Pearl edition is it until next year (whew - one less set to collect).
- Imperial Assembly Members will get fringe benefits available nowhere else (except at the Imperial Auction Block for bidding on the secondary market).
Luke Peterschmidt's last big L5R project is the Heroes of Rokugan set (unknown if it is for the card game, the role playing game or miniatures game). Little unimportant fact (LUF)* - he plays a Mantis deck in the internal office league. He leave us with a short poem:
Luke Peterschmidt
March 2000
On page 5 there are FAQ about the Imperial Assembly Membership.
France is starting to be a powerhouse in Europe. On page 6, Jean-Marie Baveaux wrote "Ronin Upon the Lands" describing recent French victories at Gen Con Belgium, the Luxembourg convention, Gen Con UK and Gen Con US. No French Dragon players among their Top Ten - (yet) :)
In the first of 3 parts, a short "Official" History of Rokugan is found on pages 8 to 10. Time frames mentioned were:
- Pre history
- Scorpion Clan Coup (Scrolls 1-3)
- Interlude
- Imperial Edition
- Shadowlands
- Forbidden Knowledge
- Anvil of Despair.
Of interest to the Dragon Clan members, the current "official" history has Hitomi losing the use of her hand at Biden Pass due to Hida Yakamo crushing it with his claw, not because it was severed by a blade or hit with a tetsubo. Bayushi Kachiko tended to Hitomi, giving her the Obsidian Hand. The rest, as they say, is history. Hopefully Wizards will include the full text of the current history on their web site as a way for newer payers to learn about Rokugan.
Edward Bolme writes a short autobiography in this issue's "Who's Who: Edward Bolme". (page 11)
Homage is paid to the Brotherhood of Shinsei on pages 12 - 14. Ed Bolme and Ree Soesbee tell of the history of the Brotherhood along with listing 3 sample Monk decks with Military, Hybrid and Tattooed paths to victory. The House of Tao is the stronghold used in all 3 decks, probably because it's the best one for the Monks.
In "A Talk with Taka", the wily trader reveals that he likes his koku bundles in the form of 20 wrappers tied off with rubber bands. Deck boxes can be loose, thought it's easier if they're organized in rows on paper. (page 15)
The Fox Clan gets the Ree Soesbee historical perspective this month. (pages 16 - 19, 40 - 43)
Fire and Shadow Worldwide pre-release event was held March 11th & 12th, 2000.
Zen's Card Focus: Come One at a Time
Zen Faulkes has another strategy article, this time highlighting the card "Come One at a Time". This terrain allows a single defender to repeatedly challenge an attacking army. Obviously this favors a large, high Chi personality. Blood Sword (boo - hiss!) or Ancestral Sword anyone? (page 21)
Empire League
A new in store league is being started. Called the Empire League, it is an open 40/40 format and lasts for 6 weeks. Play is like the old Magic the Gathering Arena league - you can't challenge the same person twice, but can change your deck during the season. Time wise, the Empire League is set in the past - the settings are in chronological order from the earliest days of the Emerald Empire to the present.
During each league session, 3 clans are featured. Season 1 is about "The War to Defeat Fu Leng". Each of the featured clans has a different weekly objective to achieve. Examples include putting a certain number of holdings in play or by getting out all of the personalities in the Dynasty deck. (pages 22 - 23)
Prizes include a season button when 10 play points are earned and clan pins for overall point totals. Winners of matches get 2 points and the losers get 1 point. This is an excellent feature of the league because you don't even have to be very good to have a chance of getting a prize - just keep on playing. So in Magic the Gathering parlance, even a "total scrub" can get a season pin. :)
Taka's Treasures
Members Only Benefit (just for items in Imperial Herald #14)
- each booster wrapper Koku coupon is worth 3 Koku
- each starter box Koku coupon is worth 10 Koku
- this special limited time offer is good only for merchandise and not for card redemption
This month's special Imperial Assembly Members-Only offer is the Y2C Button Men (item 14-1). You receive both the Mirumoto and Kakita buttons with special artwork done by April Lee. That's right, now you can own the very same set of Button Men that was involved in the Y2C storyline tournament that was won by Mirumoto Uso! "In the end, the extra advantage of the second blade overcame the ability to strike faster. The Mirumoto won the day with a three to two advantage." ("Know the School" Imperial Herald #13). Note: members need to send the original cover letter that came with the Herald.
New in this issue is the War Banner (item 14-96). The banner features your clan's mon printed on cloth in the appropriate color. Made by Kamweid. It's usually 1000 Koku but Imperial Assembly members can get it for 750 Koku (plus S&H) for orders received before May 1, 2000.
The Mantis Clan and Yoritomo's Alliance is the next features article. Ree Soesbee and Ed Bolme provide background information on the rise of the minor clans under Yoritomo. Three sample decks are listed - for single play, multiplayer and dual purpose. (pages 29 - 31)
Ken Carpenter provides a Clan War Scenario between the Crab and Lion armies. (pages 32 - 33)
And finally, a Fire & Shadow Card List is on page 34.
Promotional Cards in Imperial Herald #14
Legend of the Burning Sands
Illus 1998 Randy Asplund Faith
Legends of the Five Rings (Mon Backed Stronghold Cards)
Illus 1998 Bryon Wackwitz
Illus 1998 Eric Anderson
Illus 1998 Chris Arneson
* original term from a Lower Moreland High School biology teacher - Mr. Robert Rapson. See, i didn't always fall asleep in his class :)
March 9, 2000
Fire and Shadow
"The Shadow begins to destroy Jigoku, the land of the afterlife--destroying the Empire's past, and with it, its future. As the clans realize their peril, they head to the place where the Empire ends and Jigoku begins: Volturnum, a troll city deep in Shadowlands territory." (from advertisement)
Fire and Shadow is the next expansion. A full listing of the cards can be found in Top Deck magazine, volume 2, issue 4. It used to be called Duelist magazine but the name was changed at the end of last year. For a short time Wizards of the Coast considered dropping the magazine altogether in favor of on on line format.
Fortunately they changed their mind and brought it back under a different name.Race to Volturnum will be the next global storyline tournament, taking place on May 12 - 14 , 2000.
Nice L5R backgrounds are available at the Artisan's Quarter at Wizards of the Coast.
February 22, 2000
No more "official" clan pages due to a change in policy at Hasbro / Wizards of the Coast.
February 21, 2000
Mirumoto Ieyasu Defeats the Dragon Warlord at OrcCon
In a much anticipated duel, Mirumoto Ieyasu defeated the Dragon Warlord (1) in single combat yesterday at OrcCon. Mirumoto Ieyasu represented that portion of the Honorable Dragon Movement (HDM) who thought that Daini was a traitor to his clan for helping the Naga attack his homeland.
The Dragon Warlord represented that portion of the Dragon clan who thought that Daini was trying his best to help the Dragon and Rokugan by attacking a perceived evil influence in his homeland. In hindsight Daini wrong to help the Naga attack but decisions based on incomplete information were common in the early days of "The Hidden Emperor".
What does this mean? "The Daini" will now be known as Daini the Black and will continue to be regarded as a Naga (2). He will be treated as a dishonored ronin and cannot lobby for the Imperial Favor. Samurai can challenge him with impunity. Is there hope for Daini? What can he possibly do to resurrect his reputation? Stay tuned - for things are not always what they seem to be in Rokugan ....
"History is written by the victor, the loser merely tells the truth."
-- unknown
In other news, check this link for the most current European clan rankings after the Strike at Midnight tournaments: http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/geas/scorpion/articles/SM.html
February 20, 2000
The Twenty-Seven Days of Darkness has concluded, leading up to The Strike at Midnight Tournament this weekend (February 18 - 20, 2000). The identity of the second and the story line implications are pending.
New Legends of the Five Rings website found: The Stronghold is a new addition that aims to replace the Shadowlands Refuge of the Lion Clan as the most current L5R news source. The Shadowlands Refuge of the Lion Clan was once the dominant site but has dropped out of contention due to lack of recent updates. In actuality, The Stronghold will really be competing with the Pearl Herald which is currently the most frequently updated web site.
Mirumoto Daini - is he an honorable ronin or a dishonorable dog? Stripped of his family name for treason, he contemplates life as a ronin.
Today at OrcCon is the duel to defend his honor.
If the Honorable Dragon Movement Champion wins, then Daini will be forever dishonored for leading the Naga against his kin.
If the Dragon Warlord wins, then Daini will continue life as an honorable ronin (a la Dairya).
Either way, the experienced Daini will never again be part of the Dragon clan. "Mirumoto Daini" will continue to be a generic Dragon samurai from the Mirumoto family.
February 13, 2000
The Twenty-Seven Days of Darkness
Follow Hitomi's journey through the empire before her ascension as the new moon. See a quick summary of each day's episode. Click on the links for the official text and pictures. The entire story will be posted after the Strike at Midnight Tournament. Since the story isn't finished yet, there will be a delay as each day's journey is reviewed.
The Dragon Clan and Honorable Dragon mailing list have new addresses. So if you haven't been receiving any Dragon mail, you need to resubscribe to the list. (It took me 2 weeks to figure that one out :)
Something is happening in the Dragon-Scorpion Alliance. Check Yogo Sothotho's Subterranean Scroll Cave for a new attitude. Only the Crane used to get things like that written about them when they were playing rocket honor run. Is it bad omen for the Scorpion-Dragon alliance ? Why the change? "What evil lurks in the hearts of men? Only The Shadow knows...."
Want cool desk top screen savers? Then go to the L5R Artisan's quarters to see for yourself.
January 22, 2000
Finally incorporated the new Dragon mascot in these pages. What a learning experience it was to prepare the image for use. The artwork was commissioned just for this site and was done by Richard Stier. Now that that's over with, onward to news about Fire and Shadow.... The rumored strongholds include ones for the Dragon, Monk and Yoritomo (Fox Clan). No spoiler lists found yet but MIST is on the look out for it.
January 1, 2000 Happy New Year!
Overview of Imperial Herald Issue #13 (Legends of the Five Rings section)
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