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<blockquote data-quote="Akhenaten" data-source="post: 2008542"><p>Before I write anything else, I want to make it plain that I love this book. I'm reading it through, cover to cover, something that I didn't even do with the Player's Handbook. I own the first editon OA, and it seems that James Wyatt gave it more than adequate treatment. As a DM of a Japanesque campaign, this is <em>invaluable</em>. The money I paid for it I would gladly have doubled. I would have even bought it if it was bundled with AEG mini-adventures and the original Creature Collection. Probably.</p><p></p><p>But my surprise with this book is focused on more than its phenomenal writing. I am dumbfounded by the editorial lapses. I wonder, reading this book, if the editor/editors were even looking through the book for mistakes instead of surfing the net. That may be harsh, but any book where a ninja-to has a 19-29 critical is worthy of criticism. I also must question the editorial approval of all of those exotic weapons. Ninja-to as an exotic weapon? Not in my game. Any weapon where its sheath's extra powers makes it more complicated to use in combat confounds me. Some of the prestige classes and feats are overpowered or forgettable, and the monsters, while accurate, are almost entirely useless. The bakemono is far too strong, and far too stupid given their place in the L5R CCG. In fact, the only monsters I'll probably use are the Nagas, the incredibly cool Tsuno, and the Kappa. The Bog Hag is interesting, as are the Gaki, but everything else feels like <em>filler</em>. Many of those monsters deserve to be saved for an adventure, where the encounter is customized to how they appear. There are far too many creatures that either are good and won't even bother evil creatures that don't offend them, or lawful creatures that will hound even the most righteous Sohei for offending the most delicate sensitivity.</p><p></p><p>The coverage of Rokugan is surprisingly good, however, and the influence of the almighty FRCS (bow before its hugeness) is clearly shown. I don't see exactly why the Shadowlands are presented as a separate chapter, and I resent a little bit the overwhelmingly Rokugani focus of the book, but the information is (gasp!) useful, and better than one would expect. I have never played the AEG L5R RPG, but I played the card game off and on for some time and wouldn't mind playing a game set in Rokugan (if I weren't caught up in all my current games).</p><p></p><p>One last slight: the focus of the book seems overwhelmingly against the lower classes. This seems odd compared to the standard D&D approach that everyone is equal, regardless of class or background. A rogue can be the king's daugter, and a barbarian can be heir to the throne. But in OA, if you're not of a noble family, you're stuck with just a few options with regard to class, barring highly creative explanations. Of course, it's the DM's game, but the patterns laid out in a book guide the DM's mind. If you want to play a human samurai, you'd better either pick a clan or have to come up with something on the spot. Along with this goes my whole complaint against White Wolf games. Too many clans that dislike/distrust each other based on personal preference, forced to work together. A DM could mandate that all be of the same clan, but players, much like teenagers, usually resent any restriction placed upon them rather than exploring its meaning.</p><p></p><p>Again, though, this book is amazingly good. The tiny bits I've mentioned here are hairline cracks in the marble monolith that is OA--they're noticeble, but ultimately won't cause any long-term damage. All sections covering standard D&D core material and its equivalent in OA should be awarded. Seriously. If Origins has an award for "Best Presentation of a Good Idea in a Roleplaying Game," OA would win. Bottom line, buy the book, take what you want (it'll be a lot, almost definitely including the "extreme tumbling" section), and leave the tiny bit that's left. Don't complain about the $35 price tag, as you know you've paid much more for crap (or begged to be given such pricey crap) in the past. You won't be dissapointed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Akhenaten, post: 2008542"] Before I write anything else, I want to make it plain that I love this book. I'm reading it through, cover to cover, something that I didn't even do with the Player's Handbook. I own the first editon OA, and it seems that James Wyatt gave it more than adequate treatment. As a DM of a Japanesque campaign, this is [i]invaluable[/i]. The money I paid for it I would gladly have doubled. I would have even bought it if it was bundled with AEG mini-adventures and the original Creature Collection. Probably. But my surprise with this book is focused on more than its phenomenal writing. I am dumbfounded by the editorial lapses. I wonder, reading this book, if the editor/editors were even looking through the book for mistakes instead of surfing the net. That may be harsh, but any book where a ninja-to has a 19-29 critical is worthy of criticism. I also must question the editorial approval of all of those exotic weapons. Ninja-to as an exotic weapon? Not in my game. Any weapon where its sheath's extra powers makes it more complicated to use in combat confounds me. Some of the prestige classes and feats are overpowered or forgettable, and the monsters, while accurate, are almost entirely useless. The bakemono is far too strong, and far too stupid given their place in the L5R CCG. In fact, the only monsters I'll probably use are the Nagas, the incredibly cool Tsuno, and the Kappa. The Bog Hag is interesting, as are the Gaki, but everything else feels like [i]filler[/i]. Many of those monsters deserve to be saved for an adventure, where the encounter is customized to how they appear. There are far too many creatures that either are good and won't even bother evil creatures that don't offend them, or lawful creatures that will hound even the most righteous Sohei for offending the most delicate sensitivity. The coverage of Rokugan is surprisingly good, however, and the influence of the almighty FRCS (bow before its hugeness) is clearly shown. I don't see exactly why the Shadowlands are presented as a separate chapter, and I resent a little bit the overwhelmingly Rokugani focus of the book, but the information is (gasp!) useful, and better than one would expect. I have never played the AEG L5R RPG, but I played the card game off and on for some time and wouldn't mind playing a game set in Rokugan (if I weren't caught up in all my current games). One last slight: the focus of the book seems overwhelmingly against the lower classes. This seems odd compared to the standard D&D approach that everyone is equal, regardless of class or background. A rogue can be the king's daugter, and a barbarian can be heir to the throne. But in OA, if you're not of a noble family, you're stuck with just a few options with regard to class, barring highly creative explanations. Of course, it's the DM's game, but the patterns laid out in a book guide the DM's mind. If you want to play a human samurai, you'd better either pick a clan or have to come up with something on the spot. Along with this goes my whole complaint against White Wolf games. Too many clans that dislike/distrust each other based on personal preference, forced to work together. A DM could mandate that all be of the same clan, but players, much like teenagers, usually resent any restriction placed upon them rather than exploring its meaning. Again, though, this book is amazingly good. The tiny bits I've mentioned here are hairline cracks in the marble monolith that is OA--they're noticeble, but ultimately won't cause any long-term damage. All sections covering standard D&D core material and its equivalent in OA should be awarded. Seriously. If Origins has an award for "Best Presentation of a Good Idea in a Roleplaying Game," OA would win. Bottom line, buy the book, take what you want (it'll be a lot, almost definitely including the "extreme tumbling" section), and leave the tiny bit that's left. Don't complain about the $35 price tag, as you know you've paid much more for crap (or begged to be given such pricey crap) in the past. You won't be dissapointed. [/QUOTE]
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