L5R Fifth Edition

My son has recently fallen in love with Rokugan after playing a few sessions of the second edition game that I ran for a game store. But he wanted the latest edition, and finally whittled us down to pay for the new Beginner's Box Set I, myself, was always stuck running the games since I started playing in 2001 and made a condition be that he ran the game and let me play as a character only helping a little with the rules. (He's just turned 14)

So our usual gaming group got together this past weekend and picked our characters, with me picking Isawa Aki. At first I thought it strange the Shugenja didnt have access to any spells, but was intrigued with the role-playing aspects of the character as we entered the town. I decided to play her as overly talkative, very arrogant, sweetly condescending, and superior in every way. As the other characters scrambled to help this poor peasant upright his cart, I stood to the side and questioned him and examined the road for what must have done this terrible thing that would inconvenience us in such a way. To learn this was a servant to the house of the recently deceased Emerald Champion was very concerning.

Next, we watched as a Mantis attempted to bully the local innkeeper into renting him a room. While he may have been Samurai, he was merely a minor Clan representative. Doji-san, however, had a personal stake in the matter. He truly did not wish to share a roof with such a man. There may have been some personal malice involved, not that Isawa Aki would have been interested in such petty matters. But we were later visited by an honored spirit who tasked us with watching out for the young mantis, and perhaps even protecting his life. Such is the way of things I suppose. I was grateful for the opportunity myself.

Then came the trials themselves, and of course the first would be a display of physical skill and intense personal combat. We were given advice from our judges, but when Aki stood across from the well-fed monster that stood across the ring she understood she could either lose gracefully or give her all and try to shock her opponent into a misstep. So she charged with all she was worth, screaming "BANZAI!!!" in a very unseemly manner... truly, it caused her much embarrassment but did succeed in unnerving her opponent who staggered back at the sight of the frail shugenja charging toward him. Though she gave her best during the trials that relied on her skill and superior approach, she fell back on pure moxie to overcome her perceived weakness.

Emotionally drained after the contests, Aki and her companions found themselves in a nearby Sake House where the charming Phoenix toasted to the lasting friendships that would be born through these trials and struggles. Unfortunately some ill mannered Ronin approached their table, and after a series of personal insults the proud Phoenix could no longer bear the strain of the days activities. Falling silent, tears spilling from her features, Aki was the first to lash out violently and smashed her staff into the teeth of the offending Ronin. With nothing but pure pluck and a distinct lack of true skill, she next sent her staff into a crippling blow that took out another Ronin's knee. The rest threw down their weapons at the command of the Lion, and the Samurai were able to retire for the evening. 
:::
 
I truly enjoyed the new system and found a lot of potential in it. I guess finding additional dice sets for the other players will be difficult as we had to share the single set among five players and a GM. None of us took damage so we're a little confused regarding how that will work when it happens, but it feels mostly straightforward. While Aki seemed to be focused on casting spells, she had no spells to cast until we were told to level up our characters. My son, who has struggled to run a few previous game systems found this one fun and easy to maintain pacing on. So we're looking forward to later sessions.

MECHANICS: Utilizing a "roll and keep" engine, the latest L5R changes things up by relying on unique custom dice to determine results. No longer using numbers, the results vary between "Success", "Opportunity", "Strife", and "Explosive Success" randomly distributed between Ring Dice (6 sided)and Skill (12 sided) dice. Characters roll a number of dice equal to their rating in the given Ring or Skill, keeping a number of those dice equal to the Ring number. The results are less "Success vs failure" but precisely HOW one succeeds and fails. Some results are a combination of both success and "Strife". 

Strife is the most interesting element of the game. In keeping with the tradition of Samurai drama, it is very important for them to maintain their dignity and stoicism. Often the greatest struggle is the one within the Samurai- watch Yojimbo, 7 Samurai, or even Lone Wolf and Cub to see the way th Samurai maintain their "face" and what happens when the emotions are too much to contain- whether good or bad. Strife accumulates, building stress until the characters are forced to react in an emotional manner that reveals the Samurai's true Face to the world. An embarrassing loss of glory and honor can result. 

Opportunity is another interesting aspect that allows the players to add a few narrative pieces and gain non-successful advantages that will do little to affect a task but will result in some interesting moments. We struggled with this element a slight bit, but did try to explore the possibilities. (In the above, I had rolled two explosive successes and an opportunity with strife, allowing me to add the shocked and somewhat impressed reactions of the judges during the wrestling scene.)