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2015/09/11 20:41:10
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce that it has entered into an agreement to purchase the Legend of the Five Rings intellectual property from Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)!
Legend of the Five Rings is a legacy brand and a collectible card game (CCG) with a dedicated, passionate community and a story that spans the last two decades. Legions of players have traveled to the land of Rokugan and the Colonies, joined the noble samurai and shugenja of their favorite clan, and taken an important hand in shaping the story. Now, as Legend of the Five Rings moves over to Fantasy Flight Games, certain changes are coming to the realm of Rokugan. To learn the initial details of these upcoming changes, read below.
For twenty years, Legend of the Five Rings has held a unique place among Collectible Card Games (CCGs) and Role Playing Games (RPGs). It is not only one of the oldest around, it stands out by being driven by its story…a story that has, in turn, been driven by legions of devoted fans over the past two decades. We at AEG are thankful beyond words to all of the awesome players of our games for making these past twenty years so special.
The time comes, however, when any healthy enterprise has to take a step back and look hard and critically at itself. We’ve now reached that time in the life of the L5R Brand. The focus of AEG has progressively shifted toward other types of games over recent years, so, after some hard and detailed analysis (and, yes, some deep soul-searching), we’ve concluded that it’s time to start a new chapter in the story of L5R. Accordingly, the upcoming Evil Portents expansion for the CCG, and the “Atlas of Rokugan” for the RPG, will be the final products for L5R produced by AEG. The L5R Brand will continue under a new owner, Fantasy Flight Games (FFG). We believe that the good folks at FFG, some of whom have themselves been involved with the L5R Brand for many years, will do an excellent job of carrying the L5R Brand and the story of Rokugan on into its next twenty years. Fantasy Flight Games anticipates that its first L5R product will be a relaunch of the card game as a Living Card Game (LCG), with a debut event at Gen Con 2017.
One major implication of all this is that our staffing will be dramatically changed. Many of our current members of the L5R Brand Team will be leaving us either immediately, or in the near future. We want to express our most sincere gratitude to these awesome people, who have helped bring L5R to where it is today.
Of course, many questions will almost certainly occur to you as you read this. Foremost among them, you are probably wondering what will happen to our upcoming events, including the Fall Kotei Season and the European Championships. All of these events currently scheduled will go on as planned, as CCG events. We’ll continue collecting the results, and will add those to our list of all currently outstanding tournament and event results. All of this will be provided to FFG, who will do their best to incorporate it into L5R and its setting once they’ve relaunched the Brand.
You will also have noted that Evil Portents will be the last CCG product, and would reasonably ask, why would I want to spend money on a product that’s essentially obsolete the moment it hits store shelves? Why would any retailer even bother carrying it? Well, we’re going to be making Evil Portents available to retailers and players through a pretty remarkable deal–essentially, we’ll be virtually giving it away for free. Details of this will be forthcoming shortly.
We realize that these are probably only a few of your questions. We will be sharing more information with you about the transition of the Brand in the coming days. In the meantime, you can direct your enquiries to L5RBrandLead@alderac.com and we’ll do our best to answer them. Again, all of us at AEG want to thank all of YOU for your dedication to the L5R CCG, the RPG, and the story of Rokugan for the past twenty years. We can’t wait to see how L5R evolves under the stewardship of its new owners at Fantasy Flight Games!
For enquiries regarding the above, please contact: Cynthia Hornbeck, Fantasy Flight Games (chornbeck@fantasyflightgames.com) or Dave Laderoute, Alderac Entertainment Group (L5RBrandLead@alderac.com.)
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/09/11 20:41:24
I don't think I can express just how pleased I am by this news. I never thought I would play a LCG, even with properties like LotR and SW being made into LCGs by FFG, but I am certain I will play a L5R LCG ... And just think of the RPG ...
feeder wrote: Frazz's mind is like a wiener dog in a rabbit warren. Dark, twisting tunnels, and full of the certainty that just around the next bend will be the quarry he seeks.
2015/09/12 00:22:35
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
Wonder what they'll do with it. I like L5R well enough, nad I trust FFG to make good products...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/09/12 02:16:36
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
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2015/09/12 20:01:50
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
I have never seen anyone play LoFR card game but when I go to conventions there are tournaments and/or big game set ups for it. I don't know where these people exist, but it isn't around here. Perhaps this news may change that.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
2015/09/13 06:10:40
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
Man, memories. Got into it in Imperial when it first came out and played it for years. Gave up around the time the Ninja Clan came out and felt the game and story were getting to silly. Got back in During Emerald and finished around Diamond when it too started to get silly again. Last I checked, story was still pretty ridiculous.
Will have to see how FFG treats it.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/09/13 06:10:52
2015/09/14 18:31:14
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
I have only played 4E once, at GenCon 2014 at an official event and while it was a good RP session (great setting!) the mechanics did not turn out to be as much fun as I hoped from studying them. I am fine with FFG doing their own thing, including proprietary dice. Heck, who am I kidding, I am looking forward to sweet, sweet L5R-stylized proprietary dice!
Great news! ...I guess. I've been playing 'retro' L5R RPG (2nd edition setting) and really loving it. Big problem with the RPG's has been rather, eh, lacking playtesting and I'm not really sure FFG is the company to fix this...but then, what we have to lose? I'm not too familiar with the background beyond what it was during 3rd edition but what I've heard it has got gradually more and more outrageous.
I'm actually hoping for a big reboot. Start over again, go back to basics with bushi, shugenja, court plotting and maho-tsukai.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/09/15 09:34:40
Mr Vetock, give back my Multi-tracker!
2015/09/15 17:30:59
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
Manchu wrote: I have only played 4E once, at GenCon 2014 at an official event and while it was a good RP session (great setting!) the mechanics did not turn out to be as much fun as I hoped from studying them. I am fine with FFG doing their own thing, including proprietary dice. Heck, who am I kidding, I am looking forward to sweet, sweet L5R-stylized proprietary dice!
I hate proprietary dice.
I know, I know. Everyone point at the grognard neckbeard!
As for the mechanics, the dueling mechanics work okay to model the idea of a Samurai duel, and the idea behind the stances are cool. However, it really needs some mechanics to let you do more than just hit or get hit, you know stuff like dodging, parrying, etc. I am going from dim memories so I could be WAY off.
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2015/09/15 17:43:25
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
I hate(d) proprietary dice too, but, as someone who has been designing his own games, I have recently come to find that proprietary dice, when used correctly, are actually a huge tool for designing a simple & streamlined game.
CoALabaer wrote: Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
2015/09/15 17:57:05
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
In the game we played, we were attacked by ninja at an inn in the middle of the night. I would have expected swift, cinematic combat. What I got was wading through molasses.
I played the 1st edition of the RPG. Out of the box it was crazy lethal. Once swords came out, people died, and died quick. We were looking for a more heroic level of play, so tweaked the heck out of it to make it more survivable.
I did quite like the roll/keep mechanic they used. Made both stats and skills relevant, which is something a lot of games fail to do.
I love the idea of violence = severe maiming/death. I think that is really important in a game about samurai culture, where etiquette is as important if not more important than combat prowess. That said, I would guess FFG will go with something more (as Nevlon put it) "heroic" because that seems to be what most people like.
Manchu wrote: I love the idea of violence = severe maiming/death. I think that is really important in a game about samurai culture, where etiquette is as important if not more important than combat prowess. That said, I would guess FFG will go with something more (as Nevlon put it) "heroic" because that seems to be what most people like.
What don't people like about proprietary dice?
One of my problems is they are a barrier to entry. You can always share books, but everyone needs dice. If I wanted to convince my gaming group to try out a new system, at least one or two people would probably pick up the rulebook. But getting everyone to pony up for dice could be rough. Especially if the game flops, or is not a good fit for our group. Sure, it’s not that much per system, but you can end up with a lot of useless chunks of plastic from systems that have fallen by the wayside.
Second is encumbrance. My gaming group is a little odd. We have multiple GMs, and tend to rotate who is running any given night. So there might be four active campaigns. There have been times where I needed 2-5 of each polyhedron D&D dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) a brick of d6’s (for champions, where sometimes you needed to toss 15 for a big attack) 10+ d10s (World of Darkness, L5R, or other systems where you chuck a lot of them) and a handful of Fudge dice (propriety d6 w/ 2x ”+” 2x “-“, and 2 blank sides) My dice bag got a little unwieldy at times, not just for schlepping it around, but digging through it to find what I needed.
Third is superstition. My die of choice for roleplaying is black with red pips/numbers. I’m not going to say my luck depends on them, but at the very least being consistent helps me keep track of which ones are mine. Proprietary dice tend to have their own color scheme.
Fourth is ease of use. What do all the symbols mean again? Do I want to roll fists or swords? Just give me a target number. Much easier to keep track of, and teach to new players. It’s one more thing to keep track of when playing, which means the mechanics are getting in the way of roleplaying. I’m sure if we played a system long enough it would become second hat, but the way we shift games it take a while to build proficiency. And sometimes the frustration of not being comfortable with the system will doom it. There are some members of my group that do not take well to new things, and others with poor attention spans. Funky dice do not help here.
Everything he has said is truth. Thats why, for what I've been working on, you can use non-proprietary dice, as I've mapped each result to a chart which you could print out (or if I ever go to publish, would be provided as a laminated sheet). It makes aspects of the game somewhat clunky and cumbersome if you aren't using the proprietary dice, but thats a personal choice I leave to the player.
CoALabaer wrote: Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
2015/09/15 22:50:03
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
Manchu wrote: In the game we played, we were attacked by ninja at an inn in the middle of the night. I would have expected swift, cinematic combat. What I got was wading through molasses.
L5R system works great for small quick fights with no more than 3-4 participants on each side. Go beyond that and it starts getting clunky real fast - especially if the players and GM don't yet have every mechanic and modifier memorized. I haven't played later editions but what I gather they have more wacky mechanics and skills, so it's probably even worse.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/09/15 22:50:31
Mr Vetock, give back my Multi-tracker!
2015/09/15 23:57:05
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
I found one starter set plus one bonus set of proprietary dice to be enough for everyone to play the FFG Star Wars game. Those that didn't want to use the dice could use an app opn their phone/tablet that did the same thing. The rest I can see but it shouldn't be a hurdle to playing. Also, most of the dice are generally already proprietary, though d6 aren't, with the d20 and the d10 starting to spread out a bit. outside of RPGs not much uses d4, d8, and d12.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
2015/09/16 01:07:54
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
Ahtman wrote: I found one starter set plus one bonus set of proprietary dice to be enough for everyone to play the FFG Star Wars game. Those that didn't want to use the dice could use an app opn their phone/tablet that did the same thing. The rest I can see but it shouldn't be a hurdle to playing. Also, most of the dice are generally already proprietary, though d6 aren't, with the d20 and the d10 starting to spread out a bit. outside of RPGs not much uses d4, d8, and d12.
But many RPGs use some or all of the basic numbered polyhedrals. I can use my d4 in pathfinder one day, savage worlds the next, and use it to trap the floor of my game room on weekends. (safety tip: do not step on d4s). But I have things like the orders dice from BFG, the WHFB artillery die sitting around collecting dust, never to be rolled again. The fact that polyhedrals don't get much use outside of RPGs doesn't bother me. I'm a roleplayer, and own enough of them that my dice bag doubles as a deadly weapon.
And dice apps are the devil's work. If the dice aren't clattering off the table and makeing a run for under the couch, you aren't truely gaming!
(1) argue against proprietary dice check
(2) argue real gamers love dice check
(3) defend inconsistent position
go ahead
Well I can tell you as a real gamer that I love all manner of dice and so when FFG came out with Edge of the Empire I bought tons of the proprietary dice. In my imagination, I figured I'd be the only person in the group to buy any and that I would need enough for everyone to have some. I was mostly right about the first assumption but totally wrong about the second. People were passing dice back and forth even despite a big pile of them laying in the center.
I'm nothing if not inconsistent. and might be in an odd mood, so take what I say in a tounge and cheek manner. Apologies for my last post if anyone took it as a slight against them and their style of play.
I enjoy dice. Gamers have some very interesting relationships with them. And superstitions, rituals, traditions, mores, taboos, and the like. Proprietary dice throw that all out of wack. How do we know if they are lucky? Do they roll true? Will keeping them in my dice bag affect the rest of my dice? Lets be honest here, think about your group. I'd be shocked if at least one of them didn't have some dice quirk/habit that makes you raise an eyebrow.
We have at least one person in my group vehemently against electronic dice rollers. Doesn't trust them. Of course, you can palm and fudge rolls the old fashioned way, so even if you are rolling the bones you are not guaranteed a true random result. Also it ignores the fact that not all dice roll true.
I'm a fan of the tactile feel of rolling, and the sounds it generates. So I'm not a fan of apps myself, for different reasons. It just feels wrong not to have dice. Obviously, my opinion, and your mileage may vary.
Dice, by their very nature are fickle agents of Chaos. Logic, order, and rationality can peddle their wares somplace else.
From a practical POV my group does not share dice well. Besides superstitions, of which we probably have more then our share, we game in a dispersed pattern, on couches and comfy chairs around the room, not at a table. Everyone rolls on a clipboard or in a box, and we trust people to be honest.
I've tried games with proprietary dice, both RPGs (warhammer roleplay?) and board games like king of Tokyo. Mechanically they can work, but from a system POV I'm just not a fan of them in RPGs. I'd be willing to give it a shot, but I know at least two of the players in my group would only try them reluctantly, for different reasons. And when a chunk of your group is "meh" on something before the game even starts, that does not bode well for the campaign surviving.
I think the only reason we played fudge for so long was the GM bought a pile of dice to hand out, and we had a differnet mix of people in the group back then.
Seems a bit circular but there is no accounting for taste.
As to what can be profitably discussed: All dice are covered in symbols. "Regular" dice (which are not regular to non-RPGers of course) have generic symbols while proprietary dice have theme-appropriate ones. One major aim of license-based gaming is to capture the underlying flavor. In that vein, proprietary dice are no different from a mechanic designed to emulate something particular to the license. Settings like the one of L5R are intensely vibrant. A lot of the fun of playing the L5R game lies in that aspect of the property. Tools that enhance the players' experience of the setting (e.g., the artwork on the CCG cards) help tremendously.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/09/16 02:38:46
I'm a skin flint and don't want to pay extra money to play a game for dice. It is a barrier of entry for me.
Second, if I lose them I have to go buy more. See point #1.
Third, what is an App?
Fourth, I have enough dice. I don't want more.
Fifth, the symbols wear off over time and I have to go buy more. Many Prop dice I have come across don't even carve them into the material! See point #1.
Sixth, I have no idea what all these little symbols mean because I keep changing games, and I have Alzheimer's because I am an old neck-bearded grognard!
Seventh, change scares me because I am old!
As for L5R, I had no problems with the combat system. When we used it, it went pretty fast with people dying left and right pretty quickly. Including PCs if you weren't careful. However, our games were actually pretty combat light with us going 3 or 4 sessions without so much as an honor duel as we tried to navigate the etiquette of it all!
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2015/09/17 22:12:47
Subject: FFG Buys Legend of Five Rings, LCG Incoming
Having never played any of the previous editions of the RPG or the CCG, I am still quite excited by this. The D20 version was interesting and good for someone like me who has never followed it but I could tell it was lacking depth of the setting.
I like FFG, while I don't have much experience with their RPGs I still think they are a solid company. I can see them making mechanics totally unique to the L5R setting.
Ultramarines, 3rd Co. and friends, 16k+ 
4k 
4k Points
Competition Index
3100+
and might be in an odd mood, so take what I say in a tounge and cheek manner. Apologies for my last post if anyone took it as a slight against them and their style of play.
