Legend of the 5 Rings - 3rd Edition: Tell me About It

[Donovan Morningfire]

Is it a class-based system, point-based, or something else?

I'd call it a mix of point-based and class-based, in that order of emphasis.

The class-based portion comes from your character's insight rank, which determines what school techniques they know, be it martial-based for the bushi schools or how potent and how effectively the spells a shugenja casts are.

But other than that, it's all point-based, with the XP gained being spent directly to improve your ability scores and skill ranks as well as pick up other incidentials such as kiho (monk-type stuff that's hard to qualify for if you're not a monk) or katas.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I've just recently bought L5R and I must agree with the above posters: it's a lovely system that works very well with the mood and style of the campaign world. I'd also agree that the book could be set out in a better way and the rules could be more elegantly explained. (clearly the editor is a Crab, not a Crane.) But if you take the time to read and re-read them they do become clear. It helped that I played a few adventures with an experienced GM just before buying it. But then you're waiting for the new printing so that should solve the problems there.

I didn't realise the meta plot was derived from the card game. That could explain why it, um, kinda sucks. Don't get me wrong: the basic setting is good. Very good. But after reading the history of recent events (clearly stuff that's happened since 1e when I last played the game) I did wonder why the hell some of these events happened in the way they happened. Or happened at all. Still, that stuff is all easily ignored. In fact ignore the last century of the time line and that'll put everything back into the original setting and should work fine. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

I didn't realise the meta plot was derived from the card game. That could explain why it, um, kinda sucks. Don't get me wrong: the basic setting is good. Very good. But after reading the history of recent events (clearly stuff that's happened since 1e when I last played the game) I did wonder why the hell some of these events happened in the way they happened. Or happened at all. Still, that stuff is all easily ignored. In fact ignore the last century of the time line and that'll put everything back into the original setting and should work fine. Just my opinion of course.

Seems to be an opinion shared by more than a few of the L5R RPG old guard from what I've seen, especially those that never got into the card game. Some of the L5R GMs in that camp that I've talked with have either set their games before the Clan Wars took place or retcon'd huge swaths of stuff after the Clan Wars so that the overall setting isn't disturbed by all the CCG wackiness.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Stupid continuity: one of the problems with living campaigns I guess. Not that I let that worry me. I too cheerfully retcon stuff I don't like.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Stupid continuity: one of the problems with living campaigns I guess. Not that I let that worry me. I too cheerfully retcon stuff I don't like.

Maybe not so much living campaigns, but a meta-plot whose direction is decided by something as fickle and subject to whimsy as a collectible card game, as the players of those games are generally more interested in winning than in creating a story that makes any kind of rational sense.

 

[arcanaman]

this also a link to a Rokugan website can't wait

 

[chromeraven]

add +1 vouch for L5R 3rd Edition.

L5R and it's cousin 7th Sea (and I'm guessing the upcoming Burning Sands) are by far my favorite rpg systems. Combat is quick and deadly, intrigue is far reaching, good for everyone, and just as deadly, and the settings are superb. I do have to agree with the meta-plot wackiness but like most, I set my story out of continuity.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Any new word on the Revised release? The L5R site still says Summer 08, and I haven't been able to turn it up on Amazon.

 

[Atlatl Jones]

Any new word on the Revised release? The L5R site still says Summer 08, and I haven't been able to turn it up on Amazon.

It came out at Gen Con.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Picked up a copy at the FLGS. Have only glanced at a couple bits here and there (Hare Bushi, Ronin Duelist, a few skills), so can't really give any kind of update on quality, though I did notice what looks like a goof under the Defense skill (says you add twice your Defense while in Full Attack posture; pretty sure it should read "add twice your Defense rank except when in Full Defense posture).

- Hare look to have taken their fighting queues from Yoda of the prequels
- Ronin Duelist "taking the measure" has been nerfed, and the old Rank 5 "insta-KO" tech is gone entirely. Guess all the whining on the AEG boards by the Ronin-haters paid off.
- Defense now provides twice its bonus to Defense at all levels, and has emphasis.
- Know the School is now by Clan or Group, with emphasis for specific schools.
- Kyujutsu reduces the range penalties at various levels (don't remember that one being in the original version)
- Great Potential flat out says unlimited raises