Grab your daisho, it's time to try Legend of the Five Rings!
I have a long history with L5R. I was introduced to the card game by friends back in high school, and I fell in love with the game and the world. I played the card game competitively for many years, taking part in tournaments in which players could influence the epic ongoing storyline. I remember trying to create my own L5R role-playing game, then being overjoyed when it became a setting for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. But finally I found the actual L5R RPG, and I was in love.
This is one of those games, like HeroQuest last time, where you're here for the setting more than the rules. So let's talk about that for a bit. L5R is set in a world inspired by Japanese and other Asian history and mythology. The Emerald Empire is made up of seven Great Clans, each named after a different animal. Each has different philosophies, specialisations and interests. The Clans jostle for power - military, spiritual or political - while the otherworldly demonic forces of the Shadowlands spreads its tendrils in the shadows. Players are part of a rich and complex world, and have to negotiate its sometimes harsh values.
Ten years ago, AEG (the company who created L5R) sold the world off to Fantasy Flight Games. They rebooted the world, with a new card game and role-playing game. I tried the card game, but I didn't find it as enjoyable as the old one. I also picked up the new role-playing game, but all I've done with it is try out the starter set. So this is my first try making a character for the new game!
Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying uses five Rings and a handful of skills. Each Ring represents a different philosophical approach. Players roll dice pools of custom dice based on the relevant skill and the ring that best represents how they are trying to solve a problem. For instance, a sword fight definitely uses the Melee skill, but you could use your Fire ring for aggression as you try to overwhelm your opponent, your Earth ring to be solid and defensive, your Air ring to be mobile and swift, your Water ring to be fluid and adaptable, or your Void ring to be centred and instinctive. Different rings have different bonuses or penalties in different circumstances. In addition, there's more of a focus on the tropes of samurai drama than I remember from previous editions. Characters are torn between their desires and their duty, and there's a mental stress track that might make them crack under societal pressures. I like these sorts of mechanics!
Character Creation: When I sat down to make this character, my five-year old was nearby, and he came over and asked what I was doing. Character creation in this game consists of answering twenty questions, so I asked him the questions and filled in the sheet based on his answers! So Mirumoto Ara belongs to the enigmatic and meditative Dragon Clan. He's a Bushi (warrior) who has learnt the Way of the Dragon, which lets him use two swords at once. He is straight-forward and direct, but also adaptable (high fire and water rings). He's not very subtle or inward-looking (low Air and Void rings). He's a skilled warrior, whose duty is to protect the Dragon Clan, but he's a bit of a hedonist and just wants to have fun. (He is inspired by my five year old, remember!) He's a Daredevil, and unlike the ascetics of his clan he's a Materialist. This is a pretty well fleshed out character with a lot of personality!
Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed making this character. It was just really nice being back in a favourite old world. But I also really appreciated the Twenty Questions character creation, where I was constantly finding out more about the character, his strengths and his weaknesses. I really like games where you're part of a world, where you create a person with flaws and virtues, and where the rules are set up to tell a certain type of story, and that shone through here. Very cool!
No comments:
Post a Comment