We have begun our journey this year down the Road to 10,000, and we want you, the L5R community, to join us!

This year, we are excited to be reaching a massive milestone for L5R – our 10,000th individual card! Throughout the year we will be focusing on this and it will lead up to an event no one wants to miss!

To start with, we are giving away Emperor Edition Starter Decks through a special Facebook contest early to you, our faithful customers! From now, February 1st until February 9th (that includes weekends!), we are holding a daily Facebook giveaway. For the next 9 days, you will have a chance to win an EE Starter for free, and possibly more! How do you participate? It’s really quite easy:

Go to the L5R Facebook page

Click the ‘Like’ button at the top of the page. Every single one counts!

Then leave a comment on the daily question.

What is the daily question? Each day, there will be a post asking you a question – what is your favorite clan, favorite card, what’s the best flavor text. All you have to do, is leave an answer in that post, and then we will select one lucky winner each day who has answered the daily question at random. Then, all that person has to do is send their Name, Address and Imperial Assembly membership number (if applicable) to events@alderac.com and they will be mailed their FREE Emperor Edition Starter Deck.

But that’s not all. We are celebrating our 10,000th card, and we are beyond excited for this – so we’re going to up the ante for this contest.

As of this posting, the Facebook page is at 7,259 ‘Likes’. We want 10,000. Or even more! So here’s what we’re going to do:

For each denomination of 100 that we hit (so 7,300, and then 7,400, etc.) during this contest, we will be giving away one additional starter to another winner who has left a comment on the daily question on the day we reach that milestone.

And to give you all a little extra incentive to join in – if, by February 9th, at 11:5p PM PST, we reach 8,000 or more  ’Likes’ on the L5R Facebook page, one lucky winner will receive an entire box of Starter Decks. That’s 1 of each Clan, shipped to you free of charge, for joining us on the Road to 10,000!

This contest is only from February 1st, 2012 until February 9th, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST. So get over to our Facebook page, tell your friends, and show the world the love you have for this game that brings us all together!

Daniel Briscoe
L5R Events Manager

That’s why, when we discovered a network of RPG bloggers doing a monthly review of boardgames, we knew Thunderstone would be a perfect fit.

January is Thunderstone month! Check out the monster group of reviews at these fine RPG blogs:

Roving Band of Misfits

RPG Musings

The Dread Gazebo

Wombat’s Gaming Den of Iniquity

Going Last

The Learning DM

Glimm’s Workshop

Geek Ken

Undergopher Central

Ihe Id DM

… but before we do that, let’s look back to one of the big changes we made to the starting cards – namely, the Thunderstone shards.

Thunderstone Shards can have a dramatic impact on the early game. Basically, they encourage you to set foot in the dungeon before your deck has been “optimized,” or to attack low-level monsters you might otherwise avoid.

XP is one thing that sets Thunderstone apart from some other games in the field, and part of our goal was to shine a bigger spotlight on it in this set. As a result of Thunderstone shards, you will find that XP  is more available in the game. To match this, we wanted to give you a few new options that interact with your XP pool.

XP BFF

One of these is your new best friend, your familiar.

Many Talans are already linked with familiars when you arrive. (Keep an eye out for them on the hero art!) Familiars don’t simply attach themselves to new adventurers automatically, however. First, you have to earn their respect.

Familiars start the game in a face-down pile, placed to the side of the dungeon at the game’s start.

After defeating your first monster, you may randomly choose a familiar from the stack to join you on your quest. Remember–familiars choose you, not the other way around! You never know which one you’ll end up with. (Mind you, there are variants available for those not willing to brave a random draw.) Each player can only partner with one familiar, so once you’ve drawn your familiar, you can’t get another one.

A New Experience

Your familiar stays face up in front of you until you decide to use its power. You don’t automatically discard it at the end of your turn. See the 0 XP, 3 XP, and 6 XP?  You don’t have to spend this XP to use your familiar’s abilities either. You just have to possess it. So, if you had 3 XP on you, you could use the Dire Wolf to gain Physical Attack +1. If you had 6 XP, you could use it to switch the position of any two monsters. In either case, you KEEP the experience.

Every familiar comes with three abilities: a 0 XP village ability, as well as a 3 XP and 6 XP dungeon ability. Even if you don’t want to focus on the dungeon right away, getting one kill with some starting regulars and picking up a familiar will help you manage the village more effectively.

At the end of a turn in which you use a familiar’s ability, it goes to the discard pile and (eventually) get shuffled back into your deck. Once a familiar appears in your hand, you can automatically put it back in play at the start of your turn, where it will stay until you call on it once more.

You’ll note that the familiar’s abilities are less powerful than many village cards. They’re intended to be a minor boon; to help you through a battle where you fall a bit short, or to give your starting village turns a boost. They can be a little bit much to keep up with! In fact, we recommend new players avoid using familiars for their first few games until you have the rest of the game down.

For experienced players though, you might find that familiars give you that little edge you need at just the right time.

Plus, you just can’t help but become attached to the little guys. Once they choose you, they just keep coming back.

Check back on Friday for a peek at more familiars!

In today’s Focus on Emperor Edition, I am going to talk to you about the contents of the starter decks.

As discussed in previous articles, every starter will come with a fully functioning 40/40 deck, so I won’t bother you with that information again. Instead, let’s talk about everything else besides the 40/40 deck, four random rares, and three booster packs you will get in every starter. Some of this has been mentioned before, but will also be discussed here for completeness’ sake.

As you are probably aware, we are focusing on making Emperor Edition a premium product in where we overload you with cool components to give you a truly amazing product. Every aspect has been improved, including the packaging. Every individual starter deck will be covered with your favorite clan’s colors and artwork. Sized to hold a deck comfortably, this will be a great way to carry your deck around.

• Bio cards – When you open the box, you will notice several cards beyond those included in the deck. First we have the Bio cards, a brief description of each of the characters found in the deck. Now you can instantly find out about the characters that you are playing with.

• Koku – Each starter deck will contain a card worth 5 koku, instead of the standard 4.

• Experienced your favorite personality – Just for buying a starter deck, you can impact the story! Each starter deck will contain a card titled “Experience a Personality”. Upon purchase of your starter deck, you will have the option to mail this card, along with your favorite of the 8 non-Champion bio cards found in your starter deck to AEG. The personality whose bio card is most sent in, once for each clan, will receive an experienced version in a future expansion. All envelopes must be postmarked by April 30^th, 2012 to be counted.

• Collect Glory for your clan – As mentioned in a previous article, we spoke of collectible cards that can be traded in for full bleed versions of Clan Champions, Strongholds, and Rings. These cards come in two forms: “Glory of the X Clan” cards and “Ring” cards, which is simply titled as one of the five elements. You can collect three “Glory” cards of a particular clan and trade them in for one fullbleed stronghold of that clan (i.e. you may trade in three Glory of the Crab cards for any one of the Crab strongholds). Or, if you collect one of each clan, you can trade all nine in for any one Clan Champion you choose. If you collect three of any particular “Ring” collectible card, you can trade them in for a fullbleed version of that ring (i.e. you may trade in three Air cards for a fullbleed Ring of Air). If you collect one of each of the “Ring” collectible cards, you may trade them in for any one of the kanji rings of your choice. Each starter deck comes with two of the Glory cards, appropriate to that starter deck, to get you started towards getting your exclusive fullbleed cards. In tournaments, in order to use any of these cards, you must have access to the correct text for your opponent to read, if they so choose.

For all Redemption Cards, please include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope along with your cards.

• Tokens – Each starter deck is also going to come with six token sheets, generally themed to that clan. Each of these sheets have six punch out tokens that can be used to track various permanent changes in the game. Force bonuses, Wealth tokens, Sake tokens, Poison tokens (you will notice that Poison tokens are –1F/–1C), and other various tokens. These should be helpful in differentiating the different types of tokens various decks can access.

That is all for this article. We hope you will enjoy these extra features we have added. It is only one of the many ways we have upgraded our product to give you the best experience we possibly can.

Small Charms

By Yoon Ha Lee

Edited by Fred Wan

         It was another sweltering day in Journey’s End City.  The monsoon season was winding down, but the air was still humid and heavy with the smells of the local flowers.  The ronin Uesuko had already had two of the cool ginger drinks that were so popular here.  She wished for another, but she had work to do.  Even if the work came in the form of a recalcitrant booth.  She wished she had thought this through better: she had traveled here thinking that she might be able to use her knowledge of small charms and prayers to comfort the lower classes, even if she was a failure as a shugenja.  So far, she had managed to fall victim to gastrointestinal distress from eating fresh fruit, and a pair of heimin children had taken turns bringing her water and lentil soup until she recovered.  It was a humbling start.

         Now that she was better, she had hoped to set up her stall on this quiet street.  She had obtained all the necessary permits; her father had always impressed upon her the importance of doing things through proper channels.  All the minor prayers she had carefully written out and tied up in small cloth pouches were neatly arranged and weighted down with attractive pebbles.  Now if only she could figure out how to get her banner to stay up.  But every time she tried to nail it in, the nail bent, or went in sideways, or the banner fluttered out of the way as a breeze swept by.  If she hadn’t known better, she would have said the kami were playing games with her.  She knew better than to think they had any attention to spare for her, even for this.  She had spent more time talking to people than at her studies as a child, and she was paying the price for it now.

         “Goodness, that banner really doesn’t want to stay there, does it?” said a bright, cultured woman’s voice.

         Uesuko startled in spite of herself.  She was about to address the woman very politely–she had not been a ronin for very long, and she was still getting used to all the day-to-day implications–when the woman’s appearance sank in.  She wore her hair elaborately coiffed, with a red-black lacquered hairpin set with two small ovals of iridescent abalone shell, and her face was flawlessly made up.  There was a dark red beauty mark applied on her cheek; it looked charming rather than ridiculous.  Her outer kimono was very traditional in cut, unusual for Journey’s End City, but made of sheer cotton gauze over a heavier mauve-and-pink inner layer of sheer silk.

         “Forgive me for staring,” Uesuko said, aware of her own rudeness.  She might not owe a geisha any particular courtesy, but the woman had done her no wrong, and there was every chance she was some dignitary’s favorite.  “I haven’t seen such exquisite taste in hairpins since I arrived here.”

         “You probably don’t look very hard, either,” the geisha said teasingly, “but that’s no matter.  Shall I give you a hand?  Nobody ever thinks I can do anything strenuous without breaking all my nails, but honestly, sometimes I long to just do something simple and straightforward.”

         Uesuko looked ruefully at the banner, then at the hammer in her hand.  She had borrowed it from a neighbor.  The carpenter who had originally put the stall together had assured her that she should have no problem with the banner, and that he would come back later if she had any problems.  He had never come back, naturally.

         “Let me try,” the geisha said.  “You’d never guess it to look at my hands now, but my father is a carpenter.  I know the basics of the trade.”

         “Would you give me the courtesy of your name?” Uesuko said as she handed the hammer over.

         The geisha’s eyes were shrewd and not unkind.  “That’s a Phoenix accent, isn’t it?  You haven’t been a ronin long.  No, don’t answer that, you have all sorts of reasons for your secrets, I’m sure.  I’m Kanako.”

         “I’m Uesuko,” Uesuko said.  “Thank you.”

         “Don’t thank me yet, Uesuko-san.”  Still, the geisha got up on the rickety footstool with surprising agility, and when she hammered the banner in place it actually stay put.

         Kanako got down and passed the hammer back.  ”See, didn’t I tell you?”

         “Thank you,” Uesuko said again.

         “Don’t worry about it.”  Kanako tilted her head back to study the banner.  “Lovely calligraphy.  Your hand?”

         “Yes,” Uesuko said.  “It’s one of the few skills I have.”

         “‘Helping the Desperate,’” Kanako read aloud.  “‘Charms and Prayers.’  What sorts of charms and prayers?”

         Uesuko reminded herself that she was no longer living on her father’s largesse and that, in fact, the funds that she had brought with her from Phoenix lands were running uncomfortably low.  “Good luck, warding away ill-wishers or overly importunate suitors, that sort of thing,” she said, trying to sound confident and mostly succeeding in sounding awkward.  “But I don’t suppose you have a need for such things.”

         She felt like a charlatan.  Her father had intended greater things for her, but her affinity with the kami had never been strong enough, and that was that.

         “I can see that we’re going to have to work on how you persuade your customers, Uesuko-san,” Kanako said, not sounding in the least deferential.  Uesuko found that she didn’t mind.  “You can start practicing with me.  I have to provide entertainment at a party tonight, and I’m nervous that I’ll cause offense to a particular Lion dignitary, very traditional in outlook.  You know how the Lion are.  Is there anything you can offer me?”

         Uesuko personally doubted that the geisha was feeling any such attack of nerves, but she recognized the gesture for the kindness that it was and bent over the cloth satchels.  “This one,” she said, picking up one that was fortuitously in a shade of subdued lilac that harmonized with Kanako’s outfit.  “It’s a copy of a prayer to Benten that a famous Kakita poet wrote a hundred years ago.  The Kakita needed a favor from the Lion and she needed to charm a particular emissary.  Hold the prayer in your thoughts and you’re certain to succeed in your endeavors, whatever they are.”  That last part came out rushed, but she had made it through her prepared speech.

         Kanako was smiling lazily at her.  “That sounds excellent, yes.”  She dug around for her purse, a brocade silk affair with jade beads that was easily worth more than all of Uesuko’s possessions.  After a moment’s thought, she dropped some coins into Uesuko’s hand.

         Uesuko’s mouth went dry.  That was a considerable sum for a geisha to be carrying around casually, let alone paying for a simple prayer.  She sent the kami an earnest entreaty to send some genuine scrap of good luck Kanako’s way.

         “I know it’s not what such a charm is worth,” Kanako said, a little warningly, “but then to help the desperate we have to start by helping ourselves, don’t we?  And I’m sure you’ll see me for repeat business.  I really must find out the name of whoever you got to make these bags.  They would be utterly charming in this particular bolt of silk I got my hands on recently and one can never be too diligent about fashion accessories.  In any case, I had better get going.”

         “Carry the Fortunes,” Uesuko said.

         “Carry the Fortunes,” the geisha echoed, and smiled warmly before she hurried off.

         Business the rest of the day was slower, but with the coins safely tucked away, Uesuko found that she was able to relax a little.  A woodworker came asking for help for his sick daughter.  From the description of the symptoms, Uesuko suspected that the simple prayer to Jurojin was not going to be adequate, although the man insisted on buying the charm anyway, but she gave him the name of a local healer she had heard good things of.  Not long after that, a young man sought a charm to catch the eye of a carter’s daughter.  She ended up persuading him to save the money–Kanako would have been disappointed in her merchant skills, she couldn’t help thinking–and advising him to spend time listening to what the woman actually enjoyed rather than resorting to magical means.  A minor Crane functionary came by, burst into laughter, and bought five prayers on the spot.  He refused to explain why, but Uesuko assumed that it was for a prank of some sort.  Just a few hours ago she would have been mortified or offended or both.  Now, she supposed that the kami had a sense of humor and that at least someone was getting some use out of the trifles she had to offer.

         More than those who came to buy prayers, however, Uesuko was struck by the people who stopped to chat with her as they ambled down the street.  When people in Phoenix lands had talked to her in her past life, it was usually to discuss incantations or rituals or celestial alignments.  Here, people talked to her about grouchy overseers, bent needles, and cantankerous horses.  At first she was bewildered, barely able to stammer out responses, but then she realized that she was enjoying herself.  She didn’t live as a recluse high in the mountains anymore; she was part of the city, too.  She had to be careful what she revealed about herself–the accent was probably a lost cause, although at least she didn’t have to explain what private shame had brought her here–but she could tell vague stories about living in a lord’s household, and rock gardens, and maple trees.  A lot of people were homesick for Rokugan, and appreciated even a haltingly told story about good landscaping.

         Uesuko didn’t see Kanako again for the next week, but she told herself that a geisha of such poise and grace undoubtedly had many demands on her time.  Still, she couldn’t help wondering how Kanako’s party had gone, and whether the charm had had any effect whatsoever.  So she was preoccupied that evening when the wind picked up in one of the sudden bursts that she had yet to grow used to.

         The problem was that the pebbles she had picked out were entirely inadequate for holding down the satchels–themselves not very heavy, even though she had taken the additional precaution of putting a polished river stone in each one–in the face of any significant wind.  Uesuko was hurriedly snatching them up and putting them in her rucksack when she heard someone cry out.

         A little distance away, an armored woman in drab colors was looming over a harried-looking peasant man with a new bruise.  “You said you’d have the payment today,” the woman said very distinctly.  “I am capable of infinite patience, but my masters feel differently.”

         The other merchants in the street were carefully attending to their own business, and a group of children who had been playing with a rope had scampered behind a fruit-seller’s stall.  Uesuko caught herself looking for a magistrate, but magistrates usually had better places to be, and she was well aware that some of them were corrupt anyway.

         Some of her pouches had tumbled away and onto the street, but it couldn’t be helped.  Uesuko gathered up her courage and walked toward the armored woman.  A Spider, probably: once she got closer she could see the mon worked into the chestplate.

         “It never ceases to amaze me that you can find idealists in every crevice of the world,” the Spider said dryly.  “What’s your interest?”

         “Excuse me, honorable samurai,” Uesuko said, “but I was wondering how much this man owed.  I thought perhaps an accommodation could be reached.”

         She made the mistake of looking into the other woman’s eyes.  The Spider was taller than she was, and built like a Crab, and there was an unmistakable shadow of torment in those eyes.  She couldn’t help wonder what story the Spider had and what had brought her to the colonies.

         “You sell those trinkets over there, don’t you?” the Spider said.  “Charms and prayers.  I can’t imagine you make much from them, even in a place like this.  Save your koku, little shugenja.”  To the peasant, she said, “Two more hours.  You know where to bring the money.  And don’t bring her money, you don’t want to compound the miseries of this world.  Take responsibility for your own fecklessness.”  She shoved the peasant, not as hard as she could have, but hard enough, and strode off.

         “I can–” Uesuko said to the man as soon as the Spider was out of earshot.  She wished she could have cowed the Spider, but it wasn’t as though she could call down the wrath of Osano-Wo.

         But the man was shaking his head vehemently.  “No, no.  It’s bad enough that I’m tangled up in this.  She’s right.”

         They argued back and forth for a little while, but it was clear that he wouldn’t be swayed, and Uesuko had to admire his steadfastness, even though she thought it foolhardy.

         “At least take a charm for your troubles?” Uesuko said, feeling wretched.

         The man grinned crookedly at her.  “If it makes you feel better.”  He set about helping her retrieve most of the fallen charms.  Some of them were missing, but all in all Uesuko was surprised that thieves hadn’t made off with more of them.  At her insistence, the man took a charm in a red satchel, although she didn’t think he needed more courage than he already had.

         “Don’t you fret,” the man said, “you’ll see me here tomorrow.  It was a kind thought, and I should have known better than to take that loan.”

         There was something mortifying about being comforted by someone you had tried, however gauchely, to help.  But Uesuko smiled at him.  “Carry the fortunes,” she said, a little wanly.

         “Carry the fortunes,” he called back over his shoulder.

         Watching him, Uesuko couldn’t help but remember Kanako’s words.  To help the desperate, we have to start by helping ourselves.  She wouldn’t have thought of it, but it was true.  She had to become stronger–even if it wasn’t strength measured in swords or scrolls–so that she could do what she had come here to do.

         Uesuko reflected that she would never have thought to find enlightenment from the mouth of a geisha.  Clearly, she had much to learn about the ways of the world.

         Humming to herself, she continued putting everything away for the night.  Perhaps tomorrow she would see Kanako again, or the man, or even the Spider, who had shown such curious solicitude for a bystander, by Spider standards.  And tomorrow she could try again to bring comfort where she could.

         It was a tranquil evening in Isawa Nori’s house, but all he could think of was how quiet the place had become since his wife died.  They had had two children, neither of whom lived here anymore.  The older had a respectable position at a nearby temple, and despite his rambunctiousness as a child, had grown into a sober, thoughtful young scholar.

         As for the younger–

         Nori made his customary circuit of the rock garden.  He had raked it this morning, and there was poetry to be had in the simple undulating curves, the calm round pebbles, the soft sand.  Leaves had fallen during the day.  He picked two up, beautifully formed red maple leaves, crisp at the edges.  He would remove the rest tomorrow as he did his walking meditation, but for now he contemplated them as part of the arrangement, set there by the wind’s own hands.

         He found no peace here, but he had not expected to.  When he had been younger, he would have spent ever-longer hours of meditation seeking to suppress any thoughts about the hole in his family.  Now, he was wise enough to know that it was better to acknowledge his bitterness so that it didn’t grow to consume him.

         After the sun tipped over the horizon, he headed back inside and to the family shrine.  An old nemuranai resided there, in the shape of a wide bowl.  It was painted with summer flowers and cicadas; it had awakened to virtue in the hands of one of his revered ancestors.  Nori’s great-uncle had originally broken the nemuranai by betraying his lord.  Nori himself, knowing his limits, had regarded the silent nemuranai as a trust: someday someone from his line would be able to soothe the item’s spirit and reawaken its virtue.  It might even have happened in his lifetime if his daughter, desperate for his approval and disappointingly small of talent, had not made the attempt herself and offended the spirit.  The widened crack in the bowl’s center was a constant reminder of her.

         Nori kept portraits of his wife and son in the family shrine, along with those of his parents, but none of his daughter.  Uesuko had failed him, despite the prestigious life he had planned for her, and he would never forgive her for her shame.

         But he left the two maple leaves by the nemuranai’s side, because Uesuko had loved maples, and because he missed her.

Discuss the events of this fiction in our Story Forum!

With our recent expansion into the area formerly known as the Ivory Kingdoms, we are ushering in a new era of Rokugan. In these times of peace, the Samurai in the Colonies will need an outlet for their competitive nature, just as they do here in Rokugan. Therefore, the Divine Child, long may she reign, has decreed that there are to be tournaments held at the Governor’s Estate in the Second City, to find the Samurai most worthy of the task at hand. Throughout the year, there will be more tournaments held at the Governor’s Estate, just as there will be tournaments held here in Rokugan. The first of these tournaments shall be known as In the Shadow of Greatness.

It shall be the first of two tournaments held to celebrate this new era of prosperity. The second shall be held in Rokugan proper, and will discussed further on another day. All participants of the In the Shadow of Greatness tournament shall be given three stories of Folklore relating to the creatures you are having to fight in the wilderness of the colonies, which shall better prepare you for facing them in battle. Use this knowledge to destroy the enemies of the Empire and bring more glory to the Child of the Heavens. The winner of this tournament shall be awarded a new title, as described in the Imperial missive below.

Kakita Genshi
Crane Clan Master of Ceremonies

No man stands alone. Just as the Master Sensei of the Imperial Explorers makes decisions that impact the whole of the organization, he must depend upon skilled and loyal vassals to see his decisions implemented. For the Explorers to succeed in their mission and hold influence in such distant locations as the Second City and Kalani’s Landing, there must be strong leaders among their ranks.

The clan claiming the most victories in this Global Storyline Tournament will determine the clan affiliation of a prominent sensei working with the Imperial Explorers. Just as the Master Sensei holds sway over the group’s operations in the Second City and the surrounding environments, his vassal will coordinate their efforts along the southern coastline and in other such regions.

Thunderstone Advance features a number of frequently-requested upgrades to the game we all know and love. One request we saw pretty often leading up to Advance was a full board for the game.

A Place for Everything

Long-time players have pretty much seen this coming. The original base set just had you laying the cards out on the table (which is still a fine way to play, BTW). When we introduced Dragonspire, we put in a dungeon board to explain light a little better.

When we put together Thunderstone Advance, we knew we wanted to give you the whole thing. Dungeon, village, and room for extras.

BAM!

The village and dungeon together, but clearly separated in function. A space for everything, and in the case of the village, a few more spaces than you strictly need.

Why, you might ask, are there more than 8 village spaces for cards? I call it semi-intelligent randomization. The village is still 8 cards. But this arrangement helps you avoid troubled village setups by placing maximums on any one card type. For instance, if the randomizers deal you more than three spells, then you ignore the fourth one and turn up the next randomizer instead. It all works together to ensure a balanced village experience every game.

Leaving You in the Dark

Also, take a look at the light penalty. Haha! Just kidding! There is no light penalty! We changed it to “Darkness” like pretty much everyone does anyway.

Renaming light penalty is one of my favorite subtleties of Thunderstone Advance. If you’re an experienced player, you’ve learned to deal with the mental twists you have to do to figure out the darkness penalty. We’ve taken one twist out by not making you use Light to counteract “light penalty”, which doesn’t really make any sense anyway.

Still confused by the idea of 1 point of Darkness equalling -2 to attack? Maybe you’d just like to play on the Wilderness side of the board then.

Because the new board is double-sided. The flip side is out of the dungeon, in a gloomy wilderness setting. It’s still called “the dungeon hall” so we have a common term for it, but now we have a whole new locale for adventures. (The village is the same on the wilderness side, BTW.)

Also, because you are quick that way, you have already noticed that the wilderness board has four ranks instead of the three. Each one only provides a -1 attack penalty instead of a -2. This makes the game a little easier to grasp for new players, and provides a different set of scenarios for more varied play.

There’s More?

You probably also noticed a couple of other differences. Familiars? We’ll tell you about that next week. Curses? You’ll learn more in due time.

And what happened to rank 0? We’ve left space for it so you can play with Guardians under an older rules set.  But for the revised rules, we decided to keep monsters in the dungeon. They’re dangerous enough there.

As promised, next time we’ll tell you about familiars, so keep checking back!

However, the deck creates a very Negative Play Experience, a term I do not use lightly, often times never allowing your opponent to buy a single personality. And even though the deck is not likely to ever win a tournament, when it is unleashed on the unsuspecting or the casual player, it is enough to make them possibly want to quit the game, which is bad for everyone. In other words, it may not make the cut at a tournament, and if it does it likely will not make it very far into the elimination rounds, but it can be very devastating to the experience of those at the middle and lower end tables. L5R has always been very concerned with the experience all players have at a tournament, not just those who make the elimination rounds.

So with this I have decided to issue erratum to Raido no Oni. Effective immediately, the following trait will be added to Raido.

Will only enter play from a province.

We hope this erratum will get Emperor back on course where we want it to be, and we look forward to having the most successful arc in L5R’s history!

Citizens of Rokugan and the Colonies,

We’ve been blessed with the honor of hosting the 2012 World Championship in Barcelona, Spain, from the 12th to the 14th of October. We’d like to thank AEG for this opportunity and will give our best to create an event that will be written in the Ikoma Histories in golden ink.

A union of the Kotei TOs of Spain has been assembled for the occasion to offer the knowledge and experience of some of the greatest Kotei of all Europe. We’re TO’s, but we’re also players who really love this game and we’ll give the Community what the Community wants in a huge quantity: fun, games, and party!

The Championship will be held at the Auditorium of “Cotxeres de Sants”, an amazing and really big place at the Sants neighborhood, and 5 minutes walking from the train station that communicates directly with the Airport and the main national and international train lines.

Be prepared to live the Legendary Barcelona WC’2012 Experience!

Together we are stronger!