Opinions on Legend of the Five Rings 4th Edition

[DisgruntledDM]

I'm very interested in trying it out. I've not played any previous editions before, though I have a PDF copy of the 7th Sea core rules.

So, anyone who has played it, what did you like/not like/absolutely love/hate?

[The Big Dice]

I'm more of a fan of 3ed/3rd revised L5R. I found 4th to be a bit bland, but that said it's a perfect time to jump into all things L5R. There's a new edition with only two books, including the core rules, in print.

What I like is that Rokugan is a detailed world, where there's always more to learn, more subtlety to things and more depth than most game setting allow for.

I love that a starting character has a chance (an outside one, but still very real) to one shot even the most experienced of characters.

I really like that casters and melee types are fairly balanced against each other and that every faction has a role for people who are more interested in social interactions than in hitting things and taking their stuff.

Be advised, though. The game is VERY different from D&D. There's no nonhumans in the core book, and those that are in Enemies of the Empire aren't likely to be well relieved by most people.

All that said, I heartily reccomend that anyone with an interst in Japanese culture and history, or samurai flavoured manga and anime, should check the game out.

It's fun, it's different and it's got something uniquely it's own.

[Swordguy]

I'm generally a fan of L5R, although I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with the esteemed Mr. Dice on the merits of 3rd edition. There are few games more fundamentally broken, mechanically, than D&D 3.x...but L5R3e (and to a slightly lesser extent, L5R3eR) is very clearly one of them. I can go into it at length if desired, but suffice to say that it was Rocket Tag of a like not seen since actual Doom-inspired Rocket Tag.

Thus, 4th edition was a breath of fresh air. They've removed a LARGE number of the difficult-to-track-and-balance static bonuses from the system, cleaned up and vastly simplified the Raise/Free Raise mechanic, removed a goodly number of both totally useless and totally overpowered Techniques from the game (*looks pointedly at the Bayushi Violator and the entire Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter school*). Doing so, they managed to wrestle the game back to it's rules-light, narrative-heavy, high-lethality roots that made the 1st edition of L5R such a hit with gamers.

I can't decide which one I like more - 1st or 4th edition...but the fact that I'm even contemplating it means that 4th edition is a solid, solid game. And like The Big Dice , now's a great time to get invested in the game, before too many splats have come out.

[DisgruntledDM]

Thanks for the input, guys.

I've heard horror stories about previous editions. I read somewhere that the (I believe) 2nd ed. Core book was basically an advertisement for the splat books.

One of my players has every 3.x L5R book, so I've glanced through them. I like the setting and all that, but it appears that AEG's system works better for it than D20.

[The Big Dice]

I'm generally a fan of L5R, although I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with the esteemed Mr. Dice on the merits of 3rd edition. There are few games more fundamentally broken, mechanically, than D&D 3.x...but L5R3e (and to a slightly lesser extent, L5R3eR) is very clearly one of them. I can go into it at length if desired, but suffice to say that it was Rocket Tag of a like not seen since actual Doom-inspired Rocket Tag.
3rd isn't that bad. If you ignore Mirumoto bushi, Asako courtiers, Bayushi Violators, Hojatsu's Legacy and a few other things...

To be fair, Revised did fix things like the Shinjo bushi being able to punch the world to death. And the Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter school isn't anywhere near as powerful as it's reputation would have you believe.

Thus, 4th edition was a breath of fresh air. They've removed a LARGE number of the difficult-to-track-and-balance static bonuses from the system, cleaned up and vastly simplified the Raise/Free Raise mechanic, removed a goodly number of both totally useless and totally overpowered Techniques from the game (*looks pointedly at the Bayushi Violator and the entire Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter school*). Doing so, they managed to wrestle the game back to it's rules-light, narrative-heavy, high-lethality roots that made the 1st edition of L5R such a hit with gamers.
4th did cleanthings up, but at the expense of that feeling of a starting character being buff. And they didn't fix everything. I'm talking to you, Mr Akodo bushi-san...

And the 'L5RYour Way' thing seems to be used as an excuse for lazy game design and a lack of willingness from AEG to issue rulings. Though after the disaster that was the Jourei Begoushi, I don't blame them for the knee-jerk reaction.

I can't decide which one I like more - 1st or 4th edition...but the fact that I'm even contemplating it means that 4th edition is a solid, solid game. And like The Big Dice , now's a great time to get invested in the game, before too many splats have come out.
If I had to vote for the greatest RPG of all time, I'd definetly put L5R 1st edition as my nomination. It's the game that manages to combine old and new school style in one package. Rules light, narrative driven, very flexible and the only fantasy RPG I ever read that reads like a fantasy novel. And it has some of the best splatbooks I've ever seen. For any game system.

I really wanted to like 4th edition, and the presentation is first class. So are the sidebars suggesting ways to tinker with the game so you can fine tune it to what you and your group want. But I do like the rocket tag of 3rd edition, even if the sheer weight of static bonuses and free raises can be a
little daunting.

Ok, ridiculously dauntingand easy to forget.