Kotei Application is up

Ever want to run your own Kotei? Well guess what now you can apply to do just that. The application for the 2009 Kotei season can be found here. Meanwhile if you have any questions please visit this thread.

TCG Heavens Will Previews

TCG Players is now featuring Ronin!!!!! You can view the previewed cards here. Ooooh Tamago you sly dog.

Winners Choice v 2.0

And now we have a new format for the Winners Choice events. You can check it out here. So which clan will nab the Villain trait? Who will become the Wrym Rider? Only time will tell.

Leg 7 and the Global Events

So if you are like me you've been wondering how Leg 7 will work out. How can you earn points for your clan. More importantly ... what can I do with all this clan stuff I have left lying around!!

Well AEG answers that when they discuss the Global Storyline event on their main page. Click here

Lots to do and plenty of time to get started.

TCG Heavens Will Previews

Much like last time TCG has gotten previews for The Heaven's Will. So check out the first two articles here and here

New Level 10 Events

Four new events are up that are for level 10 stores. These events all look pretty awesome so check them out.

Heaven's Wills Previews

They started yesterday but are out in full force today. The main page has three cards up as well as the Lion previews going up today. Preview schedule is as follows.

Lion	8/22
Mantis	8/25
Dragon	8/27
Crane	8/29
Scorpion	9/1
Phoenix	9/3
Unicorn	9/5
Spider	9/8
Crab	9/10

Race Points Updated

Ok Race points have been updated.

Also Todd has made mention of The Heaven's Wills previews coming soon as well as more Art of War!!!

Gen Con Dairy

So Todd kept a Gen Con Diary that should catch most people up on the major things that happen. Later I'll hunt down all the tournament stuff and tell you who won what.

Post Gen Con Reports

They will be coming. Now that I've had some time to just rest a bit. I'll probably do it in bits through out the day but I will report on what I remember or what info I can find from Gen Con.

The biggest news I want to mention however ..... the Spider were able to get the Tao of Fu Leng. The 50,000 koku was raised and delivered late Friday night to Salman and the exchange was made.

More news to follow.

Gen Con

Ok as an FYI I've been doing alot of shifts to prepare for Gen Con. Thus why no new updates. Furthermore well I leave for Gen Con in ooooh six or so hours. But I should update sometime next week after I get home and get some rest.

To those that are going ... see you there!!!

Legend of the Burning Sands Preview

And it continues!!!!!

The Ra’Shari
The Ashalan
The Assassin

Enjoy and remember, we are about a week and half away from getting the book!!!

Heaven's WIll Pre Release

And it's up. The Pre Release information for Heaven's Will is up. You can find it here. Don't forget to get your local store to order it.

Art of War Preview

And previews for Art of War continues. This time around we have strongholds. Check it out.

Gen Con Jade Hand List

And it's up. Go check out who may receive the Jade Hand at this years Gen Con.

Tempatation Update

Voting closed Friday. Results came in with the swiftness.

Lion - Accept - 51% - Reject - 49%
Mantis - Accept - 63% - Reject - 37%
Scorpion - Accept - 54% - Reject - 46%

Unexpected that all of them would be accepted but it shall lead to interesting things!

Scorpion Tempatation Stronghold

The new Scorpion stronghold, Seven Stings Keep, will be tournament legal as of August 1st.

Gen Con (US) Storyline Update

The side events have now been updated with what their storyline prizes are. Check it out.

Legend of the Burning Sands

More updates for the Legend of the Burning Sands book. Check out the Khadja and the Ra’Shari

Art of War Previews

New previews are up for it. Check out the Archer and Bushi. Oh ... yeah ... link :)

Temptation Updates

Temptation have been announced. IA members of the Lion, Scorpion and Mantis clans have until next Friday to vote. Just log into your IA account to place your vote.

Speaking of Temptations the Scorpion SH is now being previewed. Go here to check it out.

Legend of the Burning Sands update

It's been a while since we visited our cousins in the hot hot Burning Sands (it's kinda like a Texas summer only minus the steers.) So whats new? Well how about I link you to whats been posted recently.

We have

Curses
Houses of Dahab
The Ebonites
The Qabal
The Jackals

And of course there is the product itself .... Legend of the Burning Sands.

Level 10 Events

We have about three level 10 events coming up for the month of August.

Create a Champion (Minor Clans) - July 26th Santiago Chile
Masterpiece - July 19th Kalamazoo MI
Lost Legends - July 26th

Hehe I think I've covered most of the updates for this week but if I missed anything drop me a PM and I'll get it updated.

Masters of Magic and Art of War

The RPG newest book Masters of Magic is slated for a November release. Also Art of War (previously titled Emperor) is the L5R board game. This set is slated for a September release.

Gen Con Oz Results

Gen Con Oz was won by Richard Chan for the Mantis. Moshi Amika will hear the last words of the dying Sun. The Imperial Yojimbo side event was also won by Richard Chan. Tsuruchi Mochisa will be Seppun Kiharu's Yojimbo.

The top 4 for this event should be advance to the Samurai Championship finals in November.

Richard Chan - Mantis

Carl Harris - Unicorn

Shane Pheeney - Crab

Martie van der Leest - Scorpion

Dan Juleff (Scorpion) was fifth place and should be the alternate for this event.

July 4th Weekend Events

Abit late but here are the story results from last weekend. In Greece the The Mouzaka Championship: A Fork in the Road was won by Panos Georgopoulos for the Crab. Panos chose Kaiu Taru to be approached by Muzaka and will receive a vision of impending disaster.

Oh and for the story portion of that prize ....

The Fortunes are fickle, mysterious creatures.

Every year, the Fortune of Enigmas, Muzaka, takes human form and walks among the people of Rokugan, never revealing his presence until he finds the one person he seeks. When he finally selects the one person that he wishes to speak to, Muzaka challenges them to a friendly game of riddles, or perhaps a puzzle. The nature of the contest varies every year, but it is always some manner of enigma. If the individuals declines, the Fortune moves on to find another, and the subject never realizes that he has had a brush with divinity. Few refuse, however, for something about Muzaka compels others to participate in his games, no matter how dire the circumstances otherwise. For those who defeat the Fortune in a simple game, the truth is revealed, and Muzaka offers a prize to the victor: a chance to glimpse events that have not yet taken place.

Sometimes the vision is of great things yet to come, and the responsibility for ensuring that this comes to pass falls upon the winner of the duel.

Sometimes the vision is of terrible things that will befall a family, or a clan, or the entire Empire, and the only one who can prevent these things is the winner.

The vision is a burden, and has destroyed more than one winner in the centuries since Muzaka began his strange games. What the ultimate purpose is, none can say, but the simple fact of the matter is that no one who encounters the Fortune is ever the same again.

The winner of this tournament may select any one living, non-unique personality currently affiliated with his faction. That character will be challenged to a duel of games by Muzaka, the Fortune of Enigmas. The winner may choose whether the personality sees a vision of great things to come, or of impending disaster. Either way, it will be the duty of that personality to try and steer the course toward or away from the events of the vision.

Contest for Leg Six

They are up and can be found here. Also Race points for the past weekend were updated and you can view those here. I will be getting in updates about this weekends tournaments and an update about future level 10 events by the end of the week so bear with me. :)

Leg 5 Results

Well Leg 5 is over and we are moving into Leg 6. Events for Leg 6 will be posted this week as well as a break down for how the final points were gained. In the meantime this is how things turned out.

Military
Lion 27
Unicorn 26 (meaning +1 for the sphere total I guess)
Mantis 14
Scorpion 14
Crane 13
Crab 12
Draong 11
Phoenix 11
Scorpion 8

Economics
Mantis 30
Scorpion 28
Dragon 11
Crab 6
Spider 6
Crane 4
Lion 3
Unciorn 2
Phoenix 1

Politics
Scorpion 21
Dragon 17
Lion 15
Crane 9
Unicorn 7
Phoenix 3
Spider 2
Mantis 2
Crab 1

Knowledge
Scorpion 19
Dragon 15
Lion 6
Crab 6
Phoenix 5
Crane 5
Spider 3
Mantis 2
Unicorn 1

Spirit
Dragon 30
Scorpion 22
Unicorn 8
Lion 8
Mantis 6
Crab 5
Crane 5
Phoenix 2
Spider 2

This means the Mantis, Scorpion and Lion get another round of temptations. The Unicorn fall victim to the Spiders temptation. Also heres the current break down for the Imperial positions.

Total (Emperor)

1.) Scorpion: 28+39+45+43+45 = 200
2.) Dragon: 36+36+40+33+ 39 = 184 (currently up for elimination)
3.) Mantis: 33+43+24+32+29 = 161
4.) Lion: 33+29+22+32+36 = 152 (up one spot)
5.) Crab: 35+32+33+28+23 = 151
6.) Crane: 30+26+25+25+27 = 133
7.) Unicorn: 28+23+25+29+26 = 131
8.) Spider: 15+23+26+24+16 = 104
9.) Phoenix:19+12+20+16+16 = 83


Military (Shogun)

1.) Lion: 7+9+8+10+10 = 44
2.) Mantis: 10+10+6+3+7 = 36
2.) Scorpion: 4+8+8+9+7 = 36
4.) Crab: 6+4+10+7+5 = 32 (moved up 1 spot)
5.) Dragon: 9+7+7+5+3 = 31
6.) Crane: 7+5+4+8+6 = 30
7.) Unicorn: 4+6+4+6+9 = 29
8.) Phoenix: 2+2+3+4+3 = 14
9.) Spider: 2+2+1+1+1 = 7

Economy (Treasurer)

1.) Mantis: 10+9+9+10+10 = 48
2.) Dragon: 9+10+8+8+8 = 43
3.) Scorpion: 2+7+10+6+9 = 34 (moved up one spot)
4.) Unicorn: 7+6+7+9+3 = 32
5.) Crab: 5+8+5+2+6 = 26
5.) Crane: 5+4+5+6+5 = 25
7.) Lion: 8+3+2+6+4 = 23
8.) Spider: 2+4+2+4+6 = 18
9) Phoenix: 2+1+5+2+1 = 11

Politics (Chancellor)

1.) Scorpion: 10+10+10+9+10 = 49
2.) Dragon: 8+5+8+6+9 = 36
3.) Unicorn: 6+4+5+8+6 = 29 (up 2 spots)
3.) Lion: 6+2+3+10+8 = 29 (up 2 spots)
5.) Crab: 4+8+9+6+1 = 28
5.) Crane: 9+6+3+3+7 = 28
7.) Spider: 6+7+7+4+3 = 27
8.) Mantis: 1+8+6+4+3 = 22
9.) Phoenix: 3+2+1+1+5 = 12

Knowledge (Advisor)

1.) Scorpion: 4+6+8+9+10 = 37 (up one spot)
2.) Spider: 4+8+10+10+4 = 36
3.) Crab: 10+10+2+5+7 = 34
4.) Phoenix: 8+3+8+5+5 = 29
4.) Lion: 6+9+6+1+7 = 29 (up two spots)
6.) Mantis: 6+7+2+8+3 = 26
6.) Dragon: 1+4+7+5+9 = 26 (up three spots)
8.) Crane: 4+5+5+5+5 = 24
9.) Unicorn: 8+1+4+5+1 = 18

Spirit: (Voice)

1.) Dragon: 9+10+10+9+10 = 48
2.) Scorpion: 8+8+9+10+9 = 44
3.) Crab: 10+2+7+8+4 = 31
4.) Mantis: 6+9+1+7+6 = 29
5.) Crane: 5+6+8+3+4 = 26
6.) Lion: 6+6+3+5+7 = 27
7.) Unicorn: 3+6+5+1+7 = 22
8.) Phoenix: 4+4+3+4+2 = 17
9.) Spider: 1+2+6+5+2 = 16

Gen Con Oz

Just a reminder but the fun in the land down under starts July 3. This is the first event in the battle of the Celestial Heavens.

6/21 Level 10 Event's Results

And the results of Test of the Obsidian Champion: Brothers in Arms are in. Congulations go out to Benjamin Pattou for winning it for the Phoenix. Isawa Fosuta will be the first Onyx Champion.

Matt Butterfield wins Blessings of P`an Ku for the Unicorn this weekend. He choose to to keep P`an Ku's disciple in the Unicorn clan.

The Tale of a Hero

Just a reminder the Tale of a Hero level 10 event is this Saturday in Dublin Ca. So if you have a chance to make it out there then show up and support your clan.

Legend of the Burning Sands: Take 2

And for those who are eagerly watching for Legend of the Burning Sands check out the main page. A preview of the books cover is up. And boy does it look sweet. Also on the LBS page is a preview for the Houses of Dahab.

Card Legality: Clan of the Month

Previously it had been announced that while the Ultimate Clan Pack cards would be legal as of May 1 or whenever they were release, this was not the case for the Clan of the Month packs available from local stores.

As of today this has been changed, and all Clan of the Month pack cards are immediately legal upon their release as well, so they will be tournament-legal for GenCon (presuming they get shipped between now and then)

Scrye Awards

And L5R cleans up on the Players Choice awards for Scrye Magazine. Well ok maybe not clean up but the only game to get more awards than L5R is Halo, and well consider how good Halo is I think we did very well for ourselves.

Check it out.

Legend of the Burning Sands Update

The Legend of the Burning Sands web page has been updated with Senpet information. Included in this update is a preview for the Senpet Legionnaire from the Legend of the Burning Sands RPG book due out at Gen Con. Enjoy!!!

Level 10 Events for Leg 5

With one last Kotei left this weekend we still have three remaining level 10 tournaments.

Blessings of P`an Ku 6/21
Test of the Obsidian Champion: Brothers in Arm 6/21
The Tale of a Hero 6/28

Points for these events are as follows

MILITARY: (8 Points) 1st through 4th place - 4/2/1/1
ECONOMY: (4 Points) Farthest Traveled - 3/1
POLITICS: (4 Points) Best L5R Costume - 3/1
KNOWLEDGE:(4 Points) Best Theme Deck - 3/1
SPIRIT: (4 Points) Best Sportsman - 3/1

Samurai Championship Kit

Also now up is the information on ordering your very own Samurai Championship Kit. These kits are available at the Samurai Championships this year. For more details on what you get in your kit and for ordering information go here.

Gen Con Oz Update

The Gen Con Oz page has been updated. Included now are the way points are being distrubted and can be earned. You can see the HoR events that are there and there is now a new side storyline event.

Otomo Hoketuhime, Lady of the Otomo and the unquestioned, ultimate authority of the assembled Imperial families, is dead, murdered by an assassin even as she resumed power over the Imperial Court in the city of Toshi Ranbo. Months before her death, Hoketuhime had taken as her yojimbo Hiruma Todori, daimyo of the Hiruma family and one of the students of the lost Hiruma techniques. Many among the Imperial families had hoped perhaps that this would be an opportunity to establish a closer bond between them and the Great Clans, but sadly that was not to be; Todori’s resentment over being compelled to serve was clear, and Hoketuhime took no steps to conceal her enjoyment over his consternation.

Now, in the wake of her death, the Imperials realize more than ever that they must build bridges with the Great Clans if they are to have any hope of surviving. Seppun Kiharu, the aged daimyo of the Seppun family and the master of the Brotherhood of Shinsei’s Order of Ten Thousand Temples, now seeks a yojimbo among the ranks of the Great Clans. Unlike Hoketuhime, however, Kiharu seeks someone with whom he can establish a rapport, perhaps even friendship, and to whom he can pass on some measure of his wisdom before his impending retirement. If he is successful, he reasons, then perhaps he can ensure that his family will continue to prosper even if a new dynasty takes the throne in the coming months.

The winner of this tournament may select any one currently legal, non-experienced personality to receive the invitation to serve as the chief yojimbo for Seppun Kiharu. Clan Champions are not eligible to be selected. Family daimyo will be considered if the winner requests it, but may be declined.

Gen Con Oz

Legend of the Burning Sands

Is it back? Who knows but check out their official web page.

Level 10 Storyline Events

There are three Level 10 events coming up. With more on the way.

Blessings of P'an Ku

The Blessings of P’an Ku
A Storyline Event for the L5R CCG

Somewhere in the Empire, a madman sits in the darkness and laughs. His name is Hidekazu, or perhaps it is not. He is not certain, nor does he care. Hidekazu professes to be a disciple of P’an Ku, although no one can say for certain if that is true because no one knows exactly what P’an Ku is. Some believe it was a ruse used by Fu Leng during his first war against the Empire. Others believe it was a dragon that unmade itself rather than fall to corruption. There are as many myths as there are men who care to spin stories of the creature and its fate, whatever that may be. Most dismiss Hidekazu as a fool and a madman. Others agree that he is a madman, but not a fool, and they wisely keep away.

Divine or insane, Hidekazu has abilities that no one can comprehend. In the name of his possibly dead god, he will infiltrate the ranks of a Great Clan and spread his particular brand of insanity.

The winner of this tournament may choose to have Hidekazu become a member of his clan, replacing a low level member of the clan and hiding himself among their ranks. The winner may also choose what manner of role the madman will play within the clan, and gain an additional point for the Race for the Throne in the process. If Hidekazu is a samurai, the clan gains one additional Military point. If he is a courtier, they gain a Political point. Monk gains a Spirit point, merchant an Economic point, and Shugenja a Knowledge point. Hidekazu will receive an experienced personality aligned to the winner’s clan that will have the keyword in question.

However, the winner may instead choose to have Hidekaze join the ranks of a different clan. If this happens, he may still choose what type of personality Hidekazu will be, and the clan that he joins will lose one point in that Sphere. Hidekazu will still receive an experienced version that will be aligned to the clan of the winner’s choice.

What effect will Hidekazu have on the ranks of the clan he joins?

No one knows.

Yet.

Test of the Obsidian Champion: Brothers in Darkness
A Storyline Tournament for the L5R CCG

At the head of the dark lord Daigotsu’s sinister Spider Clan armies stands a single figure: the Obsidian Champion. Ruthless beyond all comprehension and completely devoid of mercy or compassion, the Obsidian Champion is the ultimate fulfillment of the true Spider philosophy: rule of the strong by domination of the weak. The current Champion, Daigotsu Hotako, formerly known as Yoritomo Hotako, has proven time and time again that the position is hers by strength of arms. Of the many who have challenged her for the position, none have survived. The only man who might possess the skill necessary to unseat Hotako sits at her right hand, utterly loyal to her. He is Daigotsu Fumiaki, the Chief Shireikan of the Spider armies.
But who shall sit at the Obsidian Champion’s left hand?

Daigotsu has commanded that military domination is not sufficient for the Spider’s ultimate plan to succeed. If victory is truly to be theirs, then the Spider must not only hold the Empire, but transform it as well. Toward that end, the Obsidian Champion has commanded all who seek to serve her as chief shugenja to participate in a grand tournament. The victor shall be responsible not only for the corruption of the Empire, but for converting the weak-willed fools of Rokugan to the worship of the Dark Kami, Fu Leng. This individual, this Onyx Champion, shall be the mouthpiece of a god in a hostile Empire, a voice of reason that leads the sheep of Rokugan to the true light of Fu Leng’s grace.

The winner of this tournament may select any one living, non-experienced personality of their faction who is no longer legal in the current environment. Champions and family daimyo are not eligible to be selected for this prize. The chosen individual will be revealed to have converted to the Spider Clan, and will rise to the position of Onyx Champion, serving the Obsidian Champion and the dark lord Daigotsu as one of the Spider Clan’s most powerful individuals.
Winning this tournament with a pure deck will not have an impact on the result. Regardless of the status of your deck, by winning with your chosen faction you are condemning a member of that clan to service among the Lost.
Choose carefully.

The Tale of a Hero
A Level 10 Dojo Days Event for the L5R CCG

The Empire of Rokugan is a land filled with stories. The men and women who dwell there entertain one another, and their children, with stories of heroes long since passed on. It is not only a means of entertainment, but a demonstration of respect and reverence for one’s ancestors. It is as much a part of life as breathing or eating. Some tales have become so common, so well-known, that they are the stuff of legend. Heroes from the dawn of the Empire, or the Clan War, are known to virtually everyone in the Empire. Others are less well-known. And other still have yet to be told.
Now is the time for a new tale.

The winner of this tournament will have the opportunity participate in designing a new personality in an upcoming expansion for the L5R CCG. The winner will be able to choose the name of the new character, write an art description, choose one profession for the character (courtier, samurai, or shugenja), and select a flavor trait for them if they wish (such as “Master of Pain” or “Fist of the Khan,” to use two previous examples of a flavor trait). Some restrictions will be imposed upon family/occupation combinations. For instance, there are very few Hida courtiers and no Hida shugenja.

Ultimate Clan and Clan of the Month

New clans are up. For Ultimate Clan Packs we have Lion, Unicorn and Crane. You can see them all here. For Clan of the Month we have Unicorn, Crane and Lion. Note the difference ;)

L5R RPG Revised Edition

Thats right, revised. It's new and improved. Updated even!!! Horse stats, Spider information, and an update of the timeline to bring it closer in line with current events. Also due out soon is Masters of the Courts.

Check out the RPG Products page for more info.

Gen Con Story Prize Updates

The story line prizes for Gen Con have been announced.

Rise of the Sun & Moon
A Tournament Series for the L5R CCG

The Heavens are in turmoil.
For too long, the rightful and divine entities of the Celestial Heavens have tolerated the interlopers who walk among them. Although the spirits of past Emperors and those human souls elevated to the status of Fortunes are welcome among them, too many former mortals have overstepped their boundaries and made their home in the Celestial Heavens. Tengoku is the seat of gods, dragons, and Fortunes, and without the acceptance of their betters, mankind has no place there.
This insult will be borne no longer.
The Jade and Obsidian dragons, unique creatures born of destiny and possessing an unprecedented power shared between two realms, have ascended to the Heavens and challenged Hitomi and Yakamo. The rightful will be restored. The truly divine will reign in the Heavens once more, or the current will prove they are truly the divine. And yet, even if the Obsidian and Jade dragons should succeed, the judgment of the Heavens will not yet be finished with mankind.
There will be a reckoning.
This is only the beginning.

Whispers of the Dying Sun – GenCon Australia, July 2008
Lord Sun has been challenged for his position by the Jade Dragon, and one shall be cast down from the sky by the victor of this titanic struggle. One fights for the right of the conqueror, the other for celestial balance. Even as the power of the defeated fades, one shall fall to earth and shatter the mountains. Broken and dying, their divinity will dissipate even as mortality rushes in for their last moments. Regardless of who falls, however, the defeated entity will have knowledge beyond the ken of mortals, and knows secrets that can scarcely be contained by the mortal mind. Those who find the fallen in their final moments shall hear these secrets, and be the recipient of a final blessing.
The winner of this tournament may select any one living personality currently aligned to his faction. This individual shall be at the side of the defeated as he dies, and shall be privy to secrets never before heard by mortal ears as the former celestial entity utters his final words.

Light of the Sun – GenCon US, August 2008
Even as the Heavens pass judgment on the folly of man, the victorious Sun gazes down and finds that there are those among the wicked and the disobedient who are truly faithful. From among these few, from the ranks of those who revere the Celestial Order and the Mandates of Heaven, the victorious Sun shall choose one to bear its blessing: the new Jade Hand.
The winner of this tournament will select from a list one personality of his faction who shall be selected by the Sun to bear the new Jade Hand. Powerful almost beyond comprehension, the Jade Hand will prove to be an incredible asset for the clan whose hero carries it onto the field of battle.

Whispers of the Dying Moon – South American Championships, September 2008
Lady Moon, ever an enigmatic and wrathful entity, has been challenged for her position atop the Celestial Order by the Obsidian Dragon, a truly divine entity. Only one can hold the position of Moon, however, and the struggle between the two will leave one the victor, and one the defeated. The defeated will fall to earth, shattered and broken, and be discovered there in their last moments by a single mortal, who shall hear secrets unlike any ever heard by mortals, and receive a final blessing.
The winner of this tournament may select any one living personality currently aligned to his faction. This individual will be present at the side of the defeated as they breathe their final breath, and learn the secrets they has to impart before they passes on, as well as receiving their final blessing.

Light of the Moon – European Championships, October 2008
Just as the Sun chooses a hero to receive its blessings, so too does the victorious Moon seek those worth of its favor. Although it too seeks a recipient who demonstrates the proper respect for the Celestial Order, the Moon has no little use for conventional heroes, and instead seeks one who can walk the fine line between reverence for the Order and the wicked ways over which the Moon hold sway.
The winner of this tournament will select from a list one personality of his faction who shall be chosen by the Moon to bear the new Obsidian Hand. The dark powers commanded by this artifact will elevate its bearer to new levels of influence throughout the seedy underbelly of Rokugan.

Check out the main site for all your Samurai Championship needs.

Lack of Updates

Ok so I went from upwards to 30 hours a week to about 50 to 60 a week. Thus I haven't had time to really look around for new info to post. There seems to be a lot of new stuff though and I hope to get to most of it by the end of the weekend.

Masters of Court Preview

A preview for Masters of Court has been released. The table of contents and the introduction are all up on AEG's site. You can go here to see it.

Masters of Court Announced

The next book in the L5R RPG line has been announced. Masters of Court, due out in July, follows Prayers and Treasures as the next book in the L5R RPG. For full details go here.

Clan of the Month Update

Clan of the Month has been updated. Now you can see the Dragon cards for Clan of the Month.

Next Expansion

Heaven's Will is the next exciting expansion for the L5R CCG. This set is due out in September. For full details go here.

TCG Player Exclusive

And here's another one from TCG Player. This exclusive features more weapons and actions that work well with the new Kensai theme we'll soon be seeing. Check it out

Ultimate Clan Pack's

And now you can view the Spiders Ultimate Clan Pack. The cards are previewed here.

W&D Mantis

The Mantis Clan previews from Words and Deeds are up at Kyuden Mantis. Go check them out - several story results are resolved. (Two Winner's Choice honorifics and the Master Artificer from Kotei 2007)

Temptation Cards

Crab and Dragon players rejoice. These cards, now posted on AEG's main page will be shipped to you directly. These cards look wonderful and start going out in may. They become legal when Words and Deeds becomes legal.

Makes one wonder what the Scorpion or Mantis would have gotten.

2008 World Championships

As many know the 2008 World Championships for L5R is being held in Germany this year. And now they have a web page up to help you find out what is going on, when, where, and how much beer will it require you to drink. Check it out.

Week 10 Kotei's

Well week 9 was pretty awesome. The NE Kotei garned over 100+ people. Spider won their first military victory. Fun to be had by all. So this is where we are at for Week 10.

Capital Federal, Argentina
Brussels, Belgium
Athens, Greece

After Week 10 we have a short break. Kotei's won't pick up again till the weekend of the 17th.

Rockville, MD
Selangor, MALAYSIA.
Fort Worth, TX
Chilliwack BC
Paris, France

Kotei Results: 4/26

The Kotei results from this weekend are in:

In Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Chris Pepe took the Book of Fire for the Dragon, defeating Scorpion Paul Merchant. Other points went to Dan Merchant playing Dragon (Spirit and Knowledge), Jacob Claussen playing Unicorn (Politics) and Michael Brown playing Scorpion (Economics).

In Moscow, Danila Hmyl takes the first ever victory for the Spider, claiming a warning missive from Asahina Sekawa from Anton Tamarov playing Mantis. Other points go to Natasha Abramova (Spirit, Politics) playing Phoenix; although she wanted to give her points to the Scorpion, it's highly likely that that won't be allowed; Nikolay Roganov playing Crane (Knowledge); and Dmitry Chizhevsky playing Lion (Economics).

And in Nebraska, Chris Fuchs playing Lion has beaten the AEG forum's Domotai, also playing Lion, although there's no word yet on what Chris has chosen. The points went to Scorpion (Knowledge), Lion (Politics) and Crab (Economics), with the Spirit point going to... Hare. The point received by the Hare will not go to any of the great clans, and be lost to the ether.

L5R Card Strategy

And here we have it. Chris Russell has started a new blog (mayhaps our sister blog? ;) ). This blog called In Time of War is a CCG Strategy blog. It's whole intent and purpose is to help you the player become a better player. I've read it, I like it. I endorse it. It gets my two thumbs up. So check it out sometime if you're looking for card help.

Gen Con Events Update

The Gen Con Events page has been updated to now include the RPG events that will be run by Hero's of Rokugan. You can check it out here.

Spider Clan of the Month

The Spider Clan of the Month cards are up. You can check out what .... undead .... things they get here.

Phoenix Ultimate Clan Packs

Thats right the Phoenix Ultimate Clan Packs are up. At least the cards are ;). View them here. You can also see their poster here.

Dace's How To Guide on Destorying a Clan

Chapter 1

Play the Race for the Throne

Chapter 2

Win

Chapter 3

Gloat

Index

Crab: Lowest Military
Crane: Lowest Politics
Dragon: Lowest Sprit
Lion: Lowest Total Points
Mantis: Lowest Economy
Phoenix: Lowest Knowledge
Scorpion: 2nd place Clan
Spider: Crab.
Unicorn: Lowest (Military + Knowledge)

This message brought to you by Shinjo Jon and Imperial Herald #24

Unicorn Previews

Unicorn previews are up and can be found at Seiketsu Pass

Spider Clan of the Month Poster

While the cards are not up yet, you can view the poster for the Spider for their clan of the month kits. Check it out

Gen Con 2008

And now detials are up about Gen Con 2008. Nothing storyline related but the events scheduel is up. You can view it here.

TCG Player Exclusive

And once again we have another TCG Player exclusive for Words and Deeds. This weeks article focus on courtiers. For more fun check them out here. Also a new event was previewed this afternoon on the main site.

Personality Send In

So who is your clan sending in for Leg 5? Look no further!!

Crab: Hiruma Shotoku and Jikagun
Crane: Doji Hitomaro
Dragon: Mirumoto Taishuu
Lion: Kafu :)
Mantis: Tsuruchi Mochisa and Yoritomo Chimori
Phoenix: Isawa Kyoko and Asako Juro
Scorpion: Bayushi Iyona and Bayushi Kosaku
Spider: Daigotsu Usharo and Daigotsu Meguro
Unicorn: Moto Akikazu

You can send your personalties to

Alderac Entertainment Group
ATTN: L5R Spirit Personalities
4045 E Guasti Rd. Ste. 210
Ontario, CA 91761
USA

Or check with your local clan site to find a personality hub to mail them to.

Race Points Updated

Thats right the points have been updated. It's almost a weekly thing you know. The current leaders are as follow

Military: Unicorn
Economy: Mantis
Politics: Lion
Knowledge: Spider
Spirit: Scorpion

To see where your clan is overall go here.

Week 9 Kotei's

And with week 8 out of the way heres what we have to look forward to for Week 9. If you can attend I highly recommend the South Sioux City Kotei :).

South Sioux City, NE
Rio Rancho, NM
Moscow, Russia


Week 10 Kotei's

Capital Federal, Argentina
Brussels, Belgium
Athens, Greece

Kotei Results: April 19

There were two koteis this weekend - Lyon, France and Wellington, NZ - and the results from both are in. In New Zealand, an unknown Lion decided to kill an enemy general (preferably a Unicorn), beating out the second place Unicorn player, with points going to Lion (Spirit), Dragon (Knowledge), Scorpion (Politics) and Crab (Economy). The identities of the points winners are still unknown.

Meanwhile, in France, Laurent Simon chose to recapture scrolls thought lost to the Lying Darkness for the Scorpion, with Pierre-Emmanuel Bureau taking second for the Crane. Points went to Baptiste Jouaneton for the Crab (Spirit), Oliver Rivera for the Spider (Knowledge), and Benjamin Pattou for the Unicorn (both Politics and Economy).

Crab Previews

The new Crab SH can be viewed here. You can see the rest of the Crab Previews on C3

Tempation Results

Ok the Spider and Lion temptation results are in. The Lion Clan has voted to reject their Temptation (56% No - 44% Yes) and the Spider Clan has voted to accept their Temptation (88% Yes - 12% No).

Lion Temptation

For years before the onset of the Clan War, the Ancestral Blade of the Lion Clan was kept within the Imperial Palace in Otosan Uchi. After the fall of the Hantei Dynasty, it was eventually gathered together with the other ancestral blades and scattered across the sky by the wrathful Lady Shinjo, who believed that the Great Clans had disgraced their founders and the first Emperor. Since that time the Lion have made great use of other blades, including the Celestial Sword of the Lion, forged by the Fortune of Steel, and the blades Chukandomo and Daitan, powerful blades in their own right. None, however, has truly equaled the power of the Ancestral Blade of the Lion Clan.

If this Temptation is accepted, then one among those who dwell within the Celestial Heavens shall recognize the valor and honor of the Lion Clan, and return their blade to them. It will be borne by a powerful messenger chosen by the Heavens, one who shall stand shoulder to shoulder with the Lion, and strengthen their ranks in the process. Lion Clan players in the Imperial Assembly will receive a new personality card of this messenger, as well as their returned Sword.

Spider Temptation

Daigotsu's master deception, creating the Spider Clan from the ranks of the Lost, is an unprecedented success. Although there are those who suspect, thus far none can prove any relation between the two groups. By the time the Empire realizes what the true scope of the Spider�s threat is, it will be too late. The final stage of the plan is known only to Daigotsu, but already his preparations cause whispers among his followers, whispers of a deathblow dealt to an already flagging Empire. And the final stage, the step necessary to bring the Spider�s plan to its most gruesome fruition, is the acceptance of others.

If this Temptation is accepted, one Great Clan will accept the Spider and recognize them before the Empire as a fellow Great Clan. They will present a blade, forged by Rokugan�s greatest smiths, to serve as an ancestral blade for the Spider, and one among their number shall be accepted as a high-ranking member of the Spider Clan.

If the Temptation is accepted, the Spider players will receive a personality card of the character that joins them, as well as their new blade. The Clan that chooses to recognize the Spider will be the non-Spider Clan with the lowest Knowledge score in Leg 5. Ties will be broken by lowest Spirit score.

Temptation Results

The results are in. Lion Declined their temptation 56: 44 while Spider overwhelming accepted, 88 vs Shingen, JWalsh, and one or two others :)

TCG Player Previews Exclusive Previews

TCG Player will also be featuring previews for Words and Deeds. The first set up are 4 cards that illustrate ronin's and well feeding ronin's. :) Next week they'll take a look at the Imperial Court.

Spider Previews

And their up. You can check out the new Spider SH and their EXP personality here. To see the rest choose head on over to the Spider forums.

Race Points Update

The Race for the Throne points have been updated. The prizes that have been chosen so far has also been updated. This update however does not include Aaron Boyan choice.

Words and Deeds Previews

Previews for Words and Deeds starts on April 15. To see a full list of what clans will be previewed and when go here.

New Kotei Story Choices

This just in!!!! New Kotei story choices are up. Check them out here Looks like we have some good stuff to take .... mmmmmm island paradise.

Kotei Week 8

We have only two events this week.

Lyon, France
Wellington, New Zealand

Which is ok because next week we have

South Sioux City, NE
Rio Rancho, NM
Moscow, Russia

4/12-13 Kotei Results

Some of the Kotei results are beginning to trickle in. In Gatineau, Quebec, Steve Collins took the South Hub Village silk works for the Mantis, while Craig Hopkins found a lost bloodsword for the phoenix in San Diego, California, with that kotei's race points going to Dragon (Sportsmanship), Spider (Theme deck and Attire) and Crane (furthest traveled). Word has come in that the Crab have won the Colorado kotei, but there's no confirmation on that yet.

Clan of the Month/Ulitimate Clan Pack Update

The Crab clan cards for Clan of the Month are up in Dojo Days. Also up this week is the preview for Mantis Ultimate Clan Pack. Next to be released will be the Spider.

Words and Deeds prereleases

AEG is now taking applications for prereleases for Words and Deeds, which will run May 16 to 26. Participants will get a copy of the promo holding Deeds and Words:

2G
Bow this card: Produce 2 Gold
Reaction: Before a player gains or losses honor during the action phase, destroy this card: Reduce the loss or gain to 0.
There is no shame no matter how vile, that one of Imperial birth can not simple make disappear.

Leg 5 Events

The contest for Leg 5 have been posted. You can review them and their due dates here.

Week 7 Kotei's

And now we move onto Week 7. You can get your L5R on at

Gatineau, QC, Canada
São Paulo, Brazil
Colorado Springs, CO
Sheffield, UK
San Diego, CA

Week 8 sneak peek!!!

Lyon, France
Wellington, New Zealand

Clan of the Month - Scorpion

The Scorpion cards for Clan of the Month are up. You can view them here.

This weekend Kotei Updates

Winners of this weekends Koteis:

Manhattan, KS - Dragon 1st, Unicorn 2nd
Manila, Philippines - Unicorn 1st & 2nd
Pretoria, South Africa - Dragon 1st, Mantis 2nd
Tacoma, WA -Still awaiting results
Valencia, Spain - Phoenix 1st, Unicorn 2nd


so far thats 4 Military pts for Dragon, 1 for Mantis, 2 for Phoenix, and 5 for Unicorn!

Will post other spheres + WA later today :)

Knowledge Sphere for Leg 4 locked up, IA updates

Well the Results for the Knowledge Sphere for Leg 4 (and subsequently the Treatise competition) have been posted. Looks like Spider got 1st & 2nd in the Treatise, with Dragon taking 3rd. This firmly cements Spider as top dog in Knowledge second leg in a row, netting them a temptation this go round. Good job guys!

Also Politics is now finished with the winners of the Design-A-School being announced:
1. Ikoma Brawler School - Lion
2. Baraunghar Ghost Guard School - Unicorn
3. Kitsu Ryukenzin - Lion
4. Aotora Poison Master Advanced School - Scorpion

This gives Lion a surprise upset and nets them both the Politics Sphere this leg AND the rights to a temptation for winning 2 spheres in one leg. Congrats Lion!

Following up with more Race news, the Contests for the Fifth Leg of the Race have been announced! Big new stuff is the Design-A-Castle, How to Play Video, and Best Charity Event for Politics, Knowledge, & Spirit points respectively.

In IA News, John Zinser has stated on the forums that the Herald goes out next week and has also announced that all IA members have received a $15 off any purchase (including Clan of the Month Packs) from the AEG store good thru the end of July! One per IA Member, yada yada yada.

End of the Fourth Leg, more updates

Hey all, Todd has released the results from IA Drive for March:
1st Place - Crab
2nd Place - Dragon
3rd Place - Scorpion

This gives a 5/3/1 spread finalizing the spirit sphere for leg 4. Congrats to Scorpion on winning Spirit.

They've also locked up the results for Military, going to Lion, and Economy, going to Mantis. 'Grats to all the clans on the toughest leg to date!

Race Points Update

The Race points have been updated. This update only includes this weekends point gains. It doesn't include the 3 outstanding contest. Those should be posted later this week.

Link

Week 6 Kotei's

This week starts the first Kotei's for Leg 5. Anyone who is anyone will be at one of these events. Hell even I'm going to be at one of these events. I'll give you a clue ..... it's named after some place in New York ;)

Tacoma, WA
Manhattan, KS
Valencia, Spain
Manila, Philippines
Pretoria, South Africa

Week 7 will see those who are willing to fight the good fight at

Gatineau, QC, Canada
São Paulo, Brazil
Colorado Springs, CO
Sheffield, UK
San Diego, CA

The Kotei's with out links don't have a thread on the AEG forums that I could find. But if anyone knows of a thread or a forum that these event TO's or players might post too let me know and I'll link it.

Words & Deeds Pre-Release events

It has been announced to retailers today that the pre-release window for Words & Deeds will be May 16th through the 26th, putting the release date of the set as May 26th.

Given this information and the standard 30-day window before legality, no Kotei should be Words & Deeds legal as the legality date for the set will be June 25th, and the final Kotei is June 21st.

Make sure you talk to your local Dojo-Days store about getting in your pre-release kits!

More Kotei results

With the fourth leg ending, it looks like Lion has officially locked up the military sphere. Results from the last two weekends' koteis are in:

In Calgary, Canada, Jonas Solberg takes the Legion of Two Thousand for the Lion over Jerrod Moore's Cranes. Spirit points go to the Lion, Knowledge to the Scorpion, Politics to the Crab and Economy to the Crane.

In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, an unknown Crane begs a favor from Bayushi Sunetra after defeating the Lion. Spirit points go to the Scorpion, Knowledge and Politics to the Phoenix and Economy to the Lion.

In Sasketoon, Canada, Case Kiyonaga invents a new martial arts style for the Crab while beating Jerrod Moore of the Crane. Spirit points go to the Lion, Knowledge to the Mantis, Politics to the Crab and Economy to the Crane.

In Budapest, Hungary, Ysarion Deichl claims Shiro Usagi for the Crane after defeating Michael Verdefiore of the Lion. Spirit points go to the Unicorn, Knowledge and Politics to the Scorpion, and Economy to the Mantis.

While complete results from Santiago, Chile are not yet in, we can say that Walbert Ibarra won the tourney for the Scorpion. Spirit, Knowledge and Politics points go to the Scorpion and Economy to the Spider.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, Chris Finger of the Lion beat Jason Aken of the Dragon. No word yet on what his final choice was. Spirit and Knowledge points go to the Mantis, Politics to the Scorpion and Economy to the Lion.

Todd and the Ulitimate Clan Kits

Well there has been some talk about them. Some good, some bad. AEG however has been listening to your concerns. Todd lays out the real deal and how AEG intends to make it all kinds of magical samurai.

Check out his comments and John Z's here

Dojo Days Update

So what crazy new thing is Dojo Days doing this week?

If you said Clan of the Month then you would be ...... CORRECT. Mantis seems to be the first ones up and there is a preview of the cards they will be getting

Also Clan Level Ups will be rolling out soon. Whats Clan Level Ups? Well it's like in Final Fantasy when you kill enough creatures you collect enough EXP to be more bad ass. No really I'm serious.

Ok ok, it's a reward for having 3 or more IA players assigned to your Dojo Days store. They start shipping in May.

For the full details check here.

Race Points Update

Todd has updated the Race points. You can see the results here

Kotei's Week 5

In case you were wondering where you should be this weekend :)

Budapest, Hungary
Santiago, Chile
Cincinnati, Ohio

Week 6 will see us in

Tacoma, WA
Manhattan, KS
Valencia, Spain
Manila, Philippines
Pretoria, South Africa

Update on the results of last weekends Kotei's will be posted as soon as the information is made available.

Ultimate Showdown of Ultimae Clandom

No Chuck Norris jokes please :). At any rate AEG is releasing new clan binders, new clan boxes and new clan posters in the Ultimate Clan Kit. We know it rocks because of the Ultimate!!!! This goes on sale soonish and will be legal by May 1st.

Previews for the set can be found here in addition to details. If you want to talk about it with your friends try here.

Edit: Correction the Scorpion and Crab sets are on sale now!!!!!!

New Rules Team

This is a little late but it is worth mention. The new rules team is as follows

Doruk Özaydın
Alexander Lewis Jones
Brook Cunningham
Loïc Hervier

Departing the rules team is

Chris Fuchs

The official announcement can be found here.

Race Points Update

Points have been updated for the Race.

Current Leaders
Military - Scorpion
Economy - Mantis
Politics - Scorpion
Knowledge - Spider
Spirit - Scorpion

With two weeks left there are still the possibility of an upset.

Rules change that affects Soul Jar

A little bit late on catching this, but there's been an official rules change:

Attachments with triggered traits or actions referring to "this Personality" refer to the Personality the card was attached to at the time when the trait was triggered or the action taken. Ongoing effects of such traits or actions do not change their reference if the attachment is later transferred.

The biggest card that this affects is Soul Jar, which could be used to resurrect multiple personalities by transferring it from the original bowed personality to an unbowed personality. The official announcement is here.

Results from Race contests

Todd has posted the results from several of the Race contests that were recently completed:

Koku Submissions

Most Total Koku
Mantis - 25330
Unicorn - 18580
Dragon - 13485

Largest Single Submission
Unicorn - 18000 - Ben Raisher

3000 Koku Bonus Points
Mantis - 8 pts
Unicorn - 6pts
Dragon - 4pts
Crane - 1pt

Personality Send In
Scorpion - 5 pts - Soshi Idaurin
Dragon - 3pts - Mirumoto Chojiro
Spider - 1 pt - Daigotsu Iemitsu

Poster Contest!

Notes on the Contest:
The AEG judges were given the files with no identifying marks on the filename, no Clan listed, no submitter name, etc. Since I was dealing with the files, I did not take part in the voting. After all were voted on the winners broke down as follows. I don't have time right now to post up the posters, but if the winners want to link theirs in this thread that's cool.

SERIOUS
5pts - Adventure –James Freeman-Hargis – Scorpion
4pts - Achievement - Tom Sarachan - Phoenix
3pts - Balance - Nick Grebneff – Scorpion
2pts - L5R Stronghold Store – Matt Tyler - Dragon
1pt - Iaijutsu – Kevin Blake - Crab

HUMOROUS
5pts - Deck Construction - Justin Breugger – Crab
4pts - Ashigaru - Mason Crawford – Spider
3pts - Pinnacle – Julie Ratliff – Mantis
2pts - Dueling – Daniel Bezerra – Dragon
1pt - Daimyo - Jean Phillipe-Davignon – Crane

Honorable Mentions

Knowledge (humorous) – Justin Breugger
We Play Serious L5R Here - Matt Tyler
Gaijin - Kevin Blake

Shosuro Adeiko Errata

The card Shosuro Adeiko has official been errated. Her ability should now read

Reaction: After a battle resolution or another player's trait or action resolves, if its effects destroyed one of your Personalities at Adeiko's location (including Adeiko): Give a target Personality a -3F/-1C token, and an additional -1C token if he is dishonorable.

This becomes effective March 31st. You can find the discussion on the errata here.

Kotei Week 4

And so week 4 is upon us. This weeks line up is

Mount Royal College Calgary, Canada
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Maguire’s Irish Pub and Brewery Saskatoon, Canada

Keep in mind the Canada Kotei's are test of stamina!!!!

For week 5 we have

Budapest, Hungary
Santiago, Chile
Cincinnati, Ohio

Kotei Week 3 Results

Drum roll please .........

Feeding Hills, MA

Military - Danny Schwartz - Unicorn
Farthest Traveled - James Matthews - Phoenix
Best Clan Attire - Benjamin Pattou - Unicorn
Theme Deck - Art Tebbel - Spider
Sportsmanship - Jason Mitchell - Dragon

Also at this event was the soon to be famous Kotei Coterie: Clan Cookie/Cake Contest. The winner of this event would be featured in a future story that was food centric. The winner of this event was Brian Corbin of the Unicorn clan. I am told the cake was fantastic and was made with real horses.

They should have saved me a piece.

2009 Euro Championships

For those of us who like to plan in advance AEG is proud to announce that the 2009 European Championships for L5R will be in Athen's Greece.

Details can be found here.

Kotei Week 3

Anyone who is anyone will be at this Kotei for this weekend

Feeding Hills, Ma

This is the only Kotei for week three!!!! Leave it to Eric to hog an entire weekend to himself :)

For week four we will have

Mount Royal College Calgary, Canada
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Maguire’s Irish Pub and Brewery Saskatoon, Canada

It should be noted that the Calgary Kotei is part 1 of 2. And well the Saskatoon is part 2 of 2. A real test of stamina.

Samurai Championships Update

The Samurai Championship page has been updated with dates for all the events.

To see when each one is occuring try here

Race Points Updated

The Race for the Throne points have been updated to include this weekends events. This however does not yet include any of the contest winners.

Check it out

Kotei: Week 2 results

It looks like Scorpion are drawing ahead this kotei season, taking four out of five of this weekend's koteis. The final results, with some missing names, are below:

Douglasville, GA:
Winner: Chris Stevenson (Dragon) - find a shrine to a forgotten fortune. Chris has asked that the fortune be Mirumoto Satsu.
Best Sportsman: Craig Yoshihara (Unicorn)
Theme Deck: Thao Nguyen (Scorpion)
Costume: Erin Ross (Scorpion)
Furthest Traveled: Brandon Bauer (Dragon)

Karlsruhe, Germany:
Winner: Marcus Finger (Scorpion) - Zakyo Toshi "pleasure city"
Best Sportsman: Scorpion
Theme Deck: René Daszenies (Crab)
Costume: Robert Almgren (Dragon)
Furthest Traveled: Robert Almgren (Dragon)

Wroclaw, Poland:
Winner: Michael Rapacz (Scorpion) - Secrets of the Black Lotus cartel
Best Sportsman: Lion
Theme Deck: Crane
Costume: Spider
Furthest Traveled: Unicorn

Brisbane, Australia:
Winner: Martie van der Leest (Scorpion) - host the new emperor's first Winter Court
Best Sportsman: Wayne Dyvestyn (Scorpion)
Theme Deck: Rachel Jackson (Scorpion)
Costume: Jason Paravicini (Crab)
Furthest Traveled: Damien Hennesy (Spider)

Sebastopol, CA:
Winner: Tristan Muntsinger (Scorpion) - Chief magistrate of Toshi Ranbo. Tristan has asked that Bayushi Adeiko be named to the post.
Best Sportsman: Josh Howard (Lion)
Theme Deck: Bryan Reese (Unicorn)
Costume: Amanda Lau (Crane)
Furthest Traveled: Matt Lienau (Phoenix)

March Race Deadlines

And it seems that we are comming up on some deadlines for Race activities for the 4th leg. The following are all due in by March 15

Most Personalties sent into AEG - Can arrive no latter than the 20th but must be postmarked the 15th.
Clan with the most total Koku for Leg 4
Largest Single Koku order for Leg 4
Koku Pledge

Kotei Week 2

Ok folks week 2 is upon us. For those still undecided on where to be this weekend well .... these are the places I'm told the hip kids are hanging out at these days.

Douglasville, GA
Karlsruhe, Germany
Wroclaw, Poland
Brisbane, Australia
Sebastopol, CA

And of course Week 3 for those of us who plan ahead.

Feeding Hills, Ma

I hear he has a BBQ mmmmmm BBQ

Kotei Week 1 Results

An amazing weekend with some pretty good upsets. We have a Phoenix victory and a near Spider victory. I hope this weekend proves to be just as exciting!!

Dublin Ireland
Military Phoenix - Michael Verditiore - Doji Tears
Farthest Traveled - Luke Fleeman - Spider
Best Clan Attire - Mary Burke - Scorpion
Theme Deck - Justin Walsh (Spider Ashigaru)
Sportsmanship - Salman - Crab

Dublin California
Military - Crab - Karl Prince - Imo Hana Mura Sake Works
Farthest Traveled Scorpion
Best Clan Attire Amanda Lau - Crane
Theme Deck Spider
Sportsmanship - Kellen Walker - Crab

Green Bay aka Bay of Green Corals
Military - Evan Hickson - Dragon - Political Hostage
Farthest Traveled - Jazz Sutto - Lion
Best Clan Attire - Dave Laderoute - Scorpion
Theme Deck - Rick Heinz - Scorpion (Ninja Burger Theme)
Sportsmanship - Sam Osborn - Dragon

Madrid Spain
Military - Victor Diaz - Unicorn - Kill a General
Farthest Traveled - Borja Collantes - Crab
Best Clan Attire - Hector SAlgado - Scorpion
Theme Deck - Spider
Sportsmanship - Alberto Vazquez - Dragon

Toulouse France
Military - Lion - Kyuden Miya
Farthest Traveled - Guyot Matthieu - Crab
Best Clan Attire - Cahuzac Jean-Christophe - Crab
Theme Deck - Goyheneche Benoit - Spider
Sportsmanship - Corbier Jean-Baptiste - Lion

Up next, this weekends Kotei's.

Musha Shugyo

A new L5R RPG fanzine is up and running. We shall call it Musha Shugyo. Or thats what they call it anyway :). First issue is out and thus far looks real good. You can find the link for the download here. Check it out and enjoy!!!

Fantasy L5R Kotei season

Ling has begun this year's Fantasy L5R, where players accrue points for picking the top 4 players at each kotei. The winner of Fantasy L5R this year will be able to choose the name and bearer of one of Kokujin's shameswords.

Previews

The Jade Champion has been previewed, as well as two legacy promo MRPs.

TCG Player has a preview of Kuni Daigo, from Words & Deeds. He is beefy.

Meanwhile, AEG has released a special Legacy event kit, including MRPs of two old-school cards: Hida Yakamo the oni and Deadly Ground.

Kotei Season Week .... 1

The Cruise has come and gone. The opening shots have been made. This weekend will feature the first set of Kotei weekends that will devour our time and interest until the summer. We'll post updates to the events as we get the information. In the meantime here's that list again of events for the weekend of March 1st.

Dublin Ireland
Toulouse France
Madrid Spain
Green Bay, WI
Dublin, CA

Risen from the Undead - Argyle is Back

Thats right, Steve Argyle site is back. Check it out. The new layout is sweet. Navigating his gallery is now ten times better!!!!! For those that need it .... link. Oh and yeah he has some new art up too ;)

An intro to L5R

TCG Player does a very nice intro to L5R article which you can read here. Included in the article is a sneak peak at the new Jade Champion which will be available in the upcoming set Words and Deeds. You can discuss the card on the L5R forums here.

Masters of Wars Dojo's

Due to a printing error a few of the Dojo's for Masters of War went missing :(. But fear not!!!! Shawn went into overtime and got them put out for you. You can find them here.

Dragon Clan of the Month

The Dragon Clan of the month art is up. The picture is done by Jason Engle and can be found here

L5R Floor Rules

A new set of Floor Rules has been posted on the main site. You can find them here. These rules are effective as of March 1st 2008.

Kotei Cruise

Details are sketchy at best but this much is known. The Lion drew first blood this season by winning on the cruise. I guess Otemi and his naval trait does come in handy ;). The winner choose to take Kudo as his story pick. More details later.

Samurai Edition: Banzai Cont.

AEG has now put up an FAQ answering some of the anticipated questions about the Samurai Edition Banzai set. Included in the FAQ is a list of rares they'll be reprinting. You can find the FAQ here. The FAQ will be updated as needed.

Samurai Edition: Banzai announced

AEG has announced a new release of Samurai Edition, to be titled Samurai Edition: Banzai.

Unlike prior re-release of base sets, this one will include additional cards. These cards, selected rares from Khan's Defiance, the Truest Test, Stronger than Steel and Honor's Veil (including Doomed Intentions and Famous Bazaar) will be available as a separate rares.

Each booster pack will thus contain 2 rares (and one less common), one from the Samurai base set, and one from these selected KD, TTT, STS and HV rares ; starters will similarly contain two Samurai and two expansion rares.

Samurai Edition: Banzai is set to release in April.

More details on the L5R product page http://www.l5r.com/products/

Race Deadlines

We have some deadlines coming up in the following weeks. As a reminder the following Race for the Throne contest will end on the 28th of February.

Design An School RPG Contest
Treatise on Politics
Motivational Poster Contest

2008 Kotei Season

The 2008 Kotei season is offical under way. The cruise left this weekend and it's Kotei event will happen Monday. More news on that when more is known. After that the first weekend of events will occur in March.

March 1st
Dublin Ireland
Toulouse France
Madrid Spain
Green Bay, WI
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Gen Con News

While this isn't related directly to L5R, since Gen Con will go on this year as planned it is news worthy in my opinion to those who play L5R.

Gen Con Files for Chapter 11

SEATTLE (February 15, 2008) Gen Con LLC announced today that it has filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the State of Washington. This action became necessary as a result of significant unforeseen expenses associated with attempts to expand its core business to encompass externally licensed events. Gen Con’s flagship show, Gen Con Indy, remains a vibrant, profitable event. Gen Con Indy will take place as scheduled August 14–17, 2008, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The protections afforded by Chapter 11 will allow Gen Con to further its efforts to address its liquidity needs, preserve value for its creditors and explore strategic alternatives for the business. “Because the fundamentals of our business are strong; and because our debt problems are challenges mostly linked to one-time events, we feel confident that the profile of our company will benefit under Chapter 11 and come out strong in the end,” said Peter D. Adkison, CEO of Gen Con.

Chapter 11 refers to the section of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that provides for court-supervised restructuring of companies as they continue to operate normally. This proceeding is intended to help companies to become stronger financially.

Gen Con LLC will continue to operate without interruption during this process and looks forward to an expeditious resolution to the short-term challenges and the ability to focus entirely on producing Gen Con Indy, The Best Four Days in Gaming. International Gen Con events are unaffected by this situation and will continue to operate as scheduled.

About Gen Con

Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer fantasy, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America. Itts operations include Gen Con Indy and licensees for European and Asia Pacific Gen Con shows. It was acquired in 2002 by former CEO and founder of Wizards of the Coast Peter Adkison, who solely owns the company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. For more information visit the website at www.gencon.com.

Crane win Starplayer tournament

Congratulations to the Crane, who took first place at the Starplayer tournament this weekend. Although we don't have the names of most of those who earned points, we do know the following points were handed out:

Military :
Crane 4
Unicorn 2
Crab 1 and Scorpion 1

Economy :
Mantis 3
Lion 1

Politics :
Mantis 3
Scorpion 1

Knowledge :
Spider 3
Scorpion 1

Spirit :
Mantis 3
Lion 1

Phoenix win Long Island winner's choice

Congratulations to Benjamin Pattou, winner of the Winner's Choice tournament in Long Island. The Phoenix Clan will now have the opportunity to choose from one of the tournament awards. We have no word on Ben's choice yet.

Blood of Champions

Congrulations are in order for Brian Yoon for winning Blood of Champions!!! The Lion will be blessed with a new Akodo in the near future. Second place goes to Craig Hopkins with a great finish for Phoenix.

Other Race results

2 Military for Lion
1 Military for Phoenix
1 Economy for Crane
1 Knowledge, Spirit, and Politics for Spider.

New L5R Tokens

Gale Force Nine has released a set of new tokens for the L5R CCG. This set features the nine great major factions and you can find them here!

Samurai Championships

The Samurai Championships and how you can attend and be apart of it has been anounced. Check it out here. :)

Ordering the Ruby Champion

IA members can now log in to print up the new koku pdf which will have a place for them to order Yasuki Miliko, the new Ruby Champion. This is an IA member exclusive card. The cost of the new Ruby Champion is 100 koku.

Masters of War

The rumors are true. Masters of War for the L5R RPG has hit the streets. You can find it in your local RPG shops for your viewing pleasures.

Fiction: At the Heart of the Empire

A new fiction, At the Heart of the Empire by Brian Yoon, has been posted to the Alderac page. It features the Dragon, Phoenix and Lion.

Next set: Words and Deeds

The next set, Words and Deeds, has been announced. It will contain strongholds for Crab, Unicorn and Spider, and will release in April. Also check out some cool artwork of the Oracles of Obsidian and Jade, Shosuro Maru and Omen.

Tournament Google Map

Ok Jed has made a google map of the 2008 tournament season. If you have an event you want on the map go here. Otherwise take a look at the map to see what is close to you!!!!!

Personality Send in For Leg 4

Ok folks for those wishing to help (or hinder another clan) their clan here is the list of personalties to be sent in for Leg 4

CRAB: Hiruma Tama
CRANE: Doji Domotai
DRAGON: Mirumoto Chojiro
LION:Matsu Hyun
MANTIS: Tsuruchi Mochisa
PHOENIX: Asako Meisuru
SCORPION: Soshi Idaurin
SPIDER: Daigotsu Iemitsu *or* Ogre Bushi (Not yet settled.)
UNICORN: Iuchi Umeka

Dragon Temptation

Since the death of Agasha Tamori and the ascension of Tamori Chosai as the Dark Oracle of Fire, the Dragon have narrowly avoided his wrath thanks to the boon demanded by a Phoenix, that Chosai leave the Empire and never return. However, the Dark Oracle has not been idle, and has plagued his former clan with intermittent attacks through his minions, requiring the Dragon to construct a line of Watchtowers for no reason other than to guard against the Dark Oracle’s incursions. With such incredible power at his disposal, there seemed little way to combat the Dark Oracle directly.

Now, however, a chance has presented itself. Sympathetic yobanjin nomads, working together with the last remaining warriors of the Broken Shinbone tribe, have located the Dark Oracle’s lair. If this temptation is accepted, the Dragon will expand their borders for the first time in their clan’s history, seizing land left empty by the Dark Oracle’s machinations, and destroying him in his lair, once and for all. The Dragon will gain vital new land that can be used for farmlands, and the threat to the Empire’s northern border will be destroyed forever.

If this temptation is accepted, you will also be eligible to receive a new Dragon Clan Stronghold to be designed and printed with an upcoming L5R set.

Scorpion Temptation

For those curious heres the Scorpion Temptation

Among the greatest heroes in the Scorpion Clan’s history is Bayushi Shoju, the maligned genius who attempted to save the Empire and instead is reviled as a traitor and a failure. Indeed, the Scorpion must revere their fallen Champion in secret, for even today his name is uttered as a curse among the other Great Clans. Shoju was even denied entry into the Realm of Blessed Ancestors, as the circumstances of his death prior to the Clan War damned him to the Realm of the Hungry Dead.

Now, however, a hero among the Scorpion will have the opportunity to aid Shoju in re-entering the cycle of rebirth. If this temptation is accepted, the fallen Champion will be born again among the Scorpion, and in time he will rise to greatness and restore the name of his ancestor in the eyes of the entire Empire.

If this temptation is accepted, you will also be eligible to receive a newly design Scorpion Stronghold to be designed and printed with an L5R set in the near future.

Before you choose, weigh the cost. For if you accept this temptation, the points you earn in Leg 4 in Politics will be reduced by half at the conclusion of Leg 4.

So choose now.

What say you?

Ruby Champion Offer

There is a Special Promo for the Ruby Champion for all IA Crab members. Check out the offer here.

Imperial Assembly Promo: Yasuki Miliko

Yasuki Miliko, the new Ruby Champion, has been previewed at the L5R homepages. She will be sent automatically to all assembly members aligned with the Crab Clan as of January 15, and will be available for 100 koku to all others at a future date.

Motivation Poster race contest split

As per Todd on the AEG forums, the motivational poster contest has now been split into two contests: one for humerous posters and one for serious posters. Both contests will be worth equal points.

Leg 3 Temptation results

The results for the leg three temptations are in:

Dragon
Yes - 47% No - 53%
Scorpion
Yes - 58% No - 42%


So it looks like the Dragon will go forward with extra points in the spirit sphere, while the Scorpion sacrificed their politics points next leg to get a reincarnated Bayushi Shoju. Interesting times.

Honor's Veil prereleases have begun

Honor's Veil prereleases have begun, and ahalavais has posted some of the cards that weren't previewed at the AEG preview forums.

UC/Irvine Event aka SoCal Baby!!!!!

Thats right boys and girls SoCal gets it's own event. It's being run by L5R's Marty Lund and Josh Fohrman. Special guest artist will be Steve Argyle, the man who made corruption and taint sexy!!!!
The event will be Saturday, February 9th, 2009 at the UCI Student Center, Irvine, CA. More details can be found at their web page or at the AEG Forums.

Starplayer and UC/Irving Story Picks

Starplayer, a level 10 store and the UC/Irving event (SoCal region) story choices are now up. Both events look to be great and their story choices intriguing. Don't miss out. Find them here. You can discuss it here

2008 Kotei Season and Story Prizes

The 2008 Kotei season is upon us. To find out where you can join in the fun, the mayhem and the awesomeness this year click here. To find out what you'll be fighting for click here.

Leg 4 Events Posted

The Events for Leg 4 have been posted. For full details on what you can do to further your clans attempts to take the throne or an imperial position just click here.

New Tao of Fu Leng Challenge

The challenge for the Spider Clan to take back the Tao of Fu Leng has been changed. The Spider Clan can now win it via military or by gathering 100k of koku by Gen Con 08. Full details on this and where you can send your koku if you wish to help can be found here.

The End of Leg Three

And Leg 3 comes to a close. Temptations went out to both the Dragon and the Scorpion this time around. The Scorpion held Politics for the third time in a row and also took Economics. The Dragon earned another temptation by holding their lead in Spirit. The Crab finished with a lead in Military and the Spider with a lead in Knowledge.

Final Race tally for the End of the 3rd Leg:

Total (Emperor):
1. Scorpion: 32+39+47 = 118
2. Dragon: 36+36+40 = 112
3. Crab: 36+34+35 = 105
4. Mantis: 35+44+24 = 103
5. Lion: 37+31+26 = 94
6. Crane: 33+28+28 = 89
7. Unicorn: 31+24+26 = 81
8. Spider: 20+26+27 = 73
9. Phoenix: 23+14+23 = 60


Military (Shogun)
1. Mantis: 10+10+6 = 26
1. Lion: 8+9+9 = 26
3. Dragon: 9+7+7 = 23
4. Scorpion: 5+8+9 = 22
5. Crab: 6+4+10 = 20
6. Crane: 8+5+5 = 18
7. Unicorn: 5+6+5 = 16
8. Phoenix: 3+3+3 = 9
9. Spider: 3+3+1 = 7


Economy (Imperial Treasurer)
1. Mantis: 10+9+9 = 28
2. Dragon: 9+10+8 = 27
3. Scorpion: 4+7+10 = 21
4. Unicorn: 7+6+7 = 20
5. Crab: 6+8+6 = 20
6. Crane: 6+5+6 = 17
7. Lion: 8+3+3 = 14
8. Spider: 4+5+3 = 12
9. Phoenix: 4+1+6 = 11


Politics (Imperial Chancellor)
1. Scorpion: 10+10+10 = 30
2. Crab: 4+9+9 = 22
3. Spider: 7+7+7 = 21
3. Dragon: 8+5+8 = 21
5. Crane: 9+6+4 = 19
6. Mantis: 1+9+7 = 17
7. Unicorn: 7+4+5 = 16
8. Lion: 7+3+4 = 14
9. Phoenix: 3+3+1 = 7


Knowledge (Imperial Advisor)
1. Spider: 5+8+10 = 23
1. Crab: 10+10+3 = 23
3. Lion: 7+9+6 = 22
4. Phoenix: 9+3+9 = 21
5. Scorpion: 5+6+9 = 20
6. Crane: 5+5+5 = 15
6. Mantis: 7+7+1 = 15
8. Unicorn: 9+1+4 = 14
9. Dragon: 1+4+7 = 12


Spirit (Voice of the Emperor)
1. Dragon: 9+10+10 = 29
2. Scorpion: 8+8+9 = 25
3. Crab: 10+3+7 = 20
3. Crane: 5+7+8 = 20
5. Mantis: 7+9+1 = 17
6. Unicorn: 3+7+5 = 15
7. Lion: 7+7+4 = 14
8. Phoenix: 4+4+4 = 12
9. Spider: 1+3+6 = 10

Remember at this point it's still anyones game :)

Topaz - The Late Edition

Congrulations to Andy Tate for winning Topaz with Unicorn. Shinjo Ts'ao will be the new Topaz Champion. Best Attire went to the Lion. The Phoenix walked away with Best Theme Deck and the Dragon got Best Sportsman and Furthest Traveled.

We're Back

The month of December seemed to be an odd one. With the close of the Race and everything. I think we kinda of dropped the ball and got lost in the holiday shuffle. But we are back. I plan on doing updates and hope to cover everything that has recently happened by this time next week. So expect to see something new starting tomorrow.

Some of it may be old news for some of you, but just to play it safe I'll cover the close of the Race, Topaz and then the start of Leg 4 and anything in between that has come up.

On behalf of CSI Rokugan I'd like to apologize for our silence. And remember if I miss anything just drop me a PM on the AEG forums.