I feel like this bodes poorly for the game while it's still so young. I got busy around the holidays last year and dropped out of the game a bit and tried to get back in with the new cycle and it seems like the community has died down a lot.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I feel like this bodes poorly for the game while it's still so young. I got busy around the holidays last year and dropped out of the game a bit and tried to get back in with the new cycle and it seems like the community has died down a lot.
I definitely think the game has died down a lot, but I wouldn't necessarily chalk this up to anything more than a clearance sale. Initially there was a TON of hype, like only a 2 year hiatus could generate. Then people got ahold of the game itself and decided whether or not it was for them. And lo and behold, it wasn't for everyone! Which is fine.
No... I'd be worried if the Elemental cycle was on discount.
I could see it as a way to get good will from the community so they buy future packs from them. Getting the triple-cores and Imperial for like a hundo? Well, while I'm here, might as well get some Elemental while I'm here... And it's not the only game they're doing this sale for, there's a bunch of other games as well.
I mean, I used to get all my LCG stuff through them until I shifted over to Team Covenant for my subscriptions.
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How fucked would I be getting into this game with no background in LCGs?
What are the prospects for this game in the near future?
I don't think you need LCG specific experience. I think it's a fun as hell game and FFG fully owns the property so they have a vested interest in trying to make it work since nobody is going to pull the rug out from under them.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Well, no one within FFG. We'll see what the investment firms say.
LCGs are really nice from a collectability standpoint: In theory, every pack has everything you need for 1 legal playset. However, there is a glaring exception to this: The starter boxes. For L5R, there is 1 copy of each clan card in the core box, when a full playset is 3. There are not enough cards to field a true legal setup out of the core... so you need 2. What's worse, 1 core just isn't representative of the full game. If you can, try it out with a friend.
Total products at this time, and investment:
L5R Core Box: $40 (currently $20 on Cool Stuff Inc, or 3 for $55).
Imperial Cycle: $15 a pack, 6 packs - severely discounted at CSI right now.
Elemental Cycle: $5 a pack, 4 packs released (with 5 hitting tomorrow and 6 next Thursday).
Clan packs: $20 each. So far, Phoenix is out and Scorpion has been announced.
So assuming all of Elemental is out, the full priced, non-discounted full buy-in would be $320.
There's also a novel for $15, but that contains 2 alt-art cards for the Phoenix (6 cards total, full playsets again).
I've had 3 LCGs I've bought into end -- Netrunner, Conquest, and Star Wars. I refuse to sell any of them, because they are still 100% playable games and I have full collections. In fact, while typing this up I almost talked myself into buying another 3 cores of L5R...
KasynI'm not saying I don't like our chances.She called me the master.Registered Userregular
I realize that there are layers of strategy/counterplay based on so many of the elements of hidden information in the game, but how out of control does it get with that sort of stuff? I usually don't enjoy games with too many parts of the gameplay being like that, at least without information to make decent inferences without having to 400 IQ hard reads. Is there enough context and feedback to generally understand what someone might be capable of, or do I always have to worry about an utter shitstorm of traps and counters when I make attacks?
Article up talking about the upcoming finale of the Toshi Ranbo series. Has breakdowns on Favor points, Elemental points (including the top three that each clan voted for), and Glory so far.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I realize that there are layers of strategy/counterplay based on so many of the elements of hidden information in the game, but how out of control does it get with that sort of stuff? I usually don't enjoy games with too many parts of the gameplay being like that, at least without information to make decent inferences without having to 400 IQ hard reads. Is there enough context and feedback to generally understand what someone might be capable of, or do I always have to worry about an utter shitstorm of traps and counters when I make attacks?
There are 3 main elements of hidden information in this game.
1. The contents of the decks. Naturally, with 2 decks, you never know exactly which each may contain (other than the card types).. but because you can only add cards from one other faction into one of the decks, and the influence count is stated, there's only so many permutations of hidden traps they can get from there.
2. The honor dials. Every turn (and at other points), you bid against your opponent for card draw. This influences honor, and a few other things. It is a bit of a game, figuring out what your opponent will run - especially scorpion.
3. The facedown provinces. There are 5 of these, which can be one of a handful of cards (by deckbuilding, you need 1 province of each ring, with some wrinkles thrown in there). You don't know which province is which until you arrive (representing the fact that you need to actually send armies or scouts to discover that information), and there are definitely traps there... Some are one time uses, others are every turn. But you can plan for it.
I describe the game as having not a ton of moving parts (well, relatively speaking), but a LOT of levers. It is a game of small changes leading up to the end result. You can get in those big shocker moves, but you can stop those if you prepare for them.
Have you watched any learn to play videos or intro videos yet?
I realize that there are layers of strategy/counterplay based on so many of the elements of hidden information in the game, but how out of control does it get with that sort of stuff? I usually don't enjoy games with too many parts of the gameplay being like that, at least without information to make decent inferences without having to 400 IQ hard reads. Is there enough context and feedback to generally understand what someone might be capable of, or do I always have to worry about an utter shitstorm of traps and counters when I make attacks?
There are 3 main elements of hidden information in this game.
1. The contents of the decks. Naturally, with 2 decks, you never know exactly which each may contain (other than the card types).. but because you can only add cards from one other faction into one of the decks, and the influence count is stated, there's only so many permutations of hidden traps they can get from there.
2. The honor dials. Every turn (and at other points), you bid against your opponent for card draw. This influences honor, and a few other things. It is a bit of a game, figuring out what your opponent will run - especially scorpion.
3. The facedown provinces. There are 5 of these, which can be one of a handful of cards (by deckbuilding, you need 1 province of each ring, with some wrinkles thrown in there). You don't know which province is which until you arrive (representing the fact that you need to actually send armies or scouts to discover that information), and there are definitely traps there... Some are one time uses, others are every turn. But you can plan for it.
I describe the game as having not a ton of moving parts (well, relatively speaking), but a LOT of levers. It is a game of small changes leading up to the end result. You can get in those big shocker moves, but you can stop those if you prepare for them.
Have you watched any learn to play videos or intro videos yet?
I have! The concept of facedown provinces were what gave me a bit of pause. It seems to me like there is enough information to make some good decisions though, I'm just fearful of never being satisfied with the gameplay because of perpetual fear. I do not mind the kind of depth and counterplay and mindgames this sort of thing leads to, I just wasn't sure if there were so many traps and so much variety that things just stayed so uncertain all the time and that it diminished anything.
I've ordered the 3x core set on sale and will be dipping my toe in the water on this one when I get the chance.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Perpetual fear is a thing any card game has. The trick is to learn when to be aggressive and when not to be - which takes a while with L5R.
Variety... the biggest thing is knowing that all the clans feature fairly different playstyles and approaches to the core game. Like, my clan (Unicorn) just plays with movement rules on a level no one else can match, and I throw in a bunch of spells to help me control my opponent. That's completely different than my friend who plays Scorpion, whose only goal is to make me dishonor myself and paint me into a corner.
So I read a post about Crane honor gain a few weeks ago and decided to give it a shot. This is my current take on the build. It's surprisingly not terrible. But I still feel I'm taking a good ammount of wrong lines, and am trying to still get used to the meta. So far it has a positive W/L ration with a a few turn 2 kills.
Conflict Deck (40)
Attachment (2)
1 Formal Invitation (Breath of the Kami)
Character (9)
3 Steward of Law (Core)
3 Kami Unleashed (Disciples of the Void)
3 Seeker of Knowledge (Core)
Event (29)
3 Contingency Plan (Core)
3 Court Games (Core)
3 Policy Debate (For Honor and Glory)
3 The Perfect Gift (Core)
3 Voice of Honor (Core)
3 Way of the Crane (Core)
1 Winds of Change (Breath of the Kami)
3 Soul Beyond Reproach (The Ebb and Flow)
3 Waning Hostilities (Fate Has No Secrets)
2 Display of Power (Core)
3 Way of the Chrysanthemum (The Chrysanthemum Throne)
Province Deck (5)
1 Before the Throne (The Chrysanthemum Throne)
1 Manicured Garden (Core)
1 Rally to the Cause (Core)
1 Shameful Display (Core)
1 Upholding Authority (Tainted Lands)
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KasynI'm not saying I don't like our chances.She called me the master.Registered Userregular
edited July 2018
A few general questions as my first sets ship...
How well balanced are the clans? Are there any that are relatively competitive/viable against everyone, and are there some that are extraordinarily vulnerable in some matchups but quite advantaged in others? As far as difficulty scale goes, what's the picture there with the clans? What about level of investment for each - are there any with a particularly high or low barrier to entry?
I realize it will vary depending on clan, but across the entire game, what's the breakdown on the different win conditions? Are honor/dishonor wins usually relegated to the specific factions that have that theme?
Are there any themes/clans that are just kind of fundamentally problematic in terms of playstyle? Do crab games last forever and annoy people? Does everyone hate playing against scorpion players? Is there anything about the game that just fundamentally makes it more problematic to win via lots of small units as opposed to well-equipped big units, or vice versa?
Any particularly useful or relevant resources and sites/podcasts/whatever for this game?
The meta right now is high fate with Scorpion pretty solidly top of Tier 1. But we're also in the middle of a cycle. On the other hand most people don't expect the meta to change.
While racing light mechs, your Urbanmech comes in second place, but only because it ran out of ammo.
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KasynI'm not saying I don't like our chances.She called me the master.Registered Userregular
edited July 2018
How swingy is the meta? Do the monthly packs ever substantially change things? Are they pretty good about power creep in this game?
Edit - Wait, is the six packs in six weeks cycle thing their permanent release model? Is there a gap in between?
In regards to the release model, no one really knows. I assume we'll probably be hearing some things about the plans going forward at the In-Flight Report at GenCon. There was a long, multi-month gap between the first and second cycle, and we don't know if they're going to do that again so there's a bit of downtime between cycles, or move back towards a more traditional one-pack-per-month release style.
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... ugh, I should probably figure out what exactly my deck for Friday is going to be. I’m thinking Unicorn/Crab splash, to recycle Yurts to keep Yoritomo high.
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
Yeah, or other RPGs. There's a big market for just general minis, that are compatible with other games. I'm willing to bet the Naga Hunter is going to be popular.
Oh nice, I was wondering what was going on. One of my local stores was quiet on events for a while, and I havn’t been out there so i didn’t know why. It’s because they moved, and their new location is only a 20-minute drive for me instead of 35+. And they’re going to be starting up doing L5R events again, so double bonus.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Ignore the mismatch of the name. That's gonna be a hell of a book.
Also, there was a bit in the Q&A about L5R's release schedule. Originally they were planning on doing it like a traditional LCG -- cycle, deluxe/clan, cycle, deluxe/clan, cycle, etc. However, they are re-evaluating and are planning on getting the clan packs out much faster.
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I feel like this bodes poorly for the game while it's still so young. I got busy around the holidays last year and dropped out of the game a bit and tried to get back in with the new cycle and it seems like the community has died down a lot.
I definitely think the game has died down a lot, but I wouldn't necessarily chalk this up to anything more than a clearance sale. Initially there was a TON of hype, like only a 2 year hiatus could generate. Then people got ahold of the game itself and decided whether or not it was for them. And lo and behold, it wasn't for everyone! Which is fine.
No... I'd be worried if the Elemental cycle was on discount.
I mean, I used to get all my LCG stuff through them until I shifted over to Team Covenant for my subscriptions.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
The L5R wiki doesn't have much about Hantei Daisetsu from the old fiction. So this is exciting.
Well, yes. It wouldn't, under that name. *coughs*
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Yeah, that's what everyone is saying.
What are the prospects for this game in the near future?
I don't think you need LCG specific experience. I think it's a fun as hell game and FFG fully owns the property so they have a vested interest in trying to make it work since nobody is going to pull the rug out from under them.
LCGs are really nice from a collectability standpoint: In theory, every pack has everything you need for 1 legal playset. However, there is a glaring exception to this: The starter boxes. For L5R, there is 1 copy of each clan card in the core box, when a full playset is 3. There are not enough cards to field a true legal setup out of the core... so you need 2. What's worse, 1 core just isn't representative of the full game. If you can, try it out with a friend.
Total products at this time, and investment:
L5R Core Box: $40 (currently $20 on Cool Stuff Inc, or 3 for $55).
Imperial Cycle: $15 a pack, 6 packs - severely discounted at CSI right now.
Elemental Cycle: $5 a pack, 4 packs released (with 5 hitting tomorrow and 6 next Thursday).
Clan packs: $20 each. So far, Phoenix is out and Scorpion has been announced.
So assuming all of Elemental is out, the full priced, non-discounted full buy-in would be $320.
There's also a novel for $15, but that contains 2 alt-art cards for the Phoenix (6 cards total, full playsets again).
I've had 3 LCGs I've bought into end -- Netrunner, Conquest, and Star Wars. I refuse to sell any of them, because they are still 100% playable games and I have full collections. In fact, while typing this up I almost talked myself into buying another 3 cores of L5R...
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
There are 3 main elements of hidden information in this game.
1. The contents of the decks. Naturally, with 2 decks, you never know exactly which each may contain (other than the card types).. but because you can only add cards from one other faction into one of the decks, and the influence count is stated, there's only so many permutations of hidden traps they can get from there.
2. The honor dials. Every turn (and at other points), you bid against your opponent for card draw. This influences honor, and a few other things. It is a bit of a game, figuring out what your opponent will run - especially scorpion.
3. The facedown provinces. There are 5 of these, which can be one of a handful of cards (by deckbuilding, you need 1 province of each ring, with some wrinkles thrown in there). You don't know which province is which until you arrive (representing the fact that you need to actually send armies or scouts to discover that information), and there are definitely traps there... Some are one time uses, others are every turn. But you can plan for it.
I describe the game as having not a ton of moving parts (well, relatively speaking), but a LOT of levers. It is a game of small changes leading up to the end result. You can get in those big shocker moves, but you can stop those if you prepare for them.
Have you watched any learn to play videos or intro videos yet?
I have! The concept of facedown provinces were what gave me a bit of pause. It seems to me like there is enough information to make some good decisions though, I'm just fearful of never being satisfied with the gameplay because of perpetual fear. I do not mind the kind of depth and counterplay and mindgames this sort of thing leads to, I just wasn't sure if there were so many traps and so much variety that things just stayed so uncertain all the time and that it diminished anything.
I've ordered the 3x core set on sale and will be dipping my toe in the water on this one when I get the chance.
Variety... the biggest thing is knowing that all the clans feature fairly different playstyles and approaches to the core game. Like, my clan (Unicorn) just plays with movement rules on a level no one else can match, and I throw in a bunch of spells to help me control my opponent. That's completely different than my friend who plays Scorpion, whose only goal is to make me dishonor myself and paint me into a corner.
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So totally going to be at GenCon.
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Stronghold: Shizuka Toshi (Core)
Role: Seeker of Air
Dynasty Deck (40)
Character (31)
3 Doji Whisperer (Core)
3 Brash Samurai (Core)
3 Ikebana Artisan (The Ebb and Flow)
3 Savvy Politician (Core)
2 Maya Mystic (Core)
3 Doji Challenger (Core)
3 Doji Shigeru (Disciples of the Void)
3 Fū Sui Disciple (Breath of the Kami)
3 Kakita Asami (Core)
3 Guest of Honor (Core)
2 Kudaka (Breath of the Kami)
Holding (9)
3 Bonsai Garden (Tainted Lands)
2 Favorable Ground (Core)
3 Imperial Storehouse (Core)
1 The Imperial Palace (The Chrysanthemum Throne)
Conflict Deck (40)
Attachment (2)
1 Formal Invitation (Breath of the Kami)
Character (9)
3 Steward of Law (Core)
3 Kami Unleashed (Disciples of the Void)
3 Seeker of Knowledge (Core)
Event (29)
3 Contingency Plan (Core)
3 Court Games (Core)
3 Policy Debate (For Honor and Glory)
3 The Perfect Gift (Core)
3 Voice of Honor (Core)
3 Way of the Crane (Core)
1 Winds of Change (Breath of the Kami)
3 Soul Beyond Reproach (The Ebb and Flow)
3 Waning Hostilities (Fate Has No Secrets)
2 Display of Power (Core)
3 Way of the Chrysanthemum (The Chrysanthemum Throne)
Province Deck (5)
1 Before the Throne (The Chrysanthemum Throne)
1 Manicured Garden (Core)
1 Rally to the Cause (Core)
1 Shameful Display (Core)
1 Upholding Authority (Tainted Lands)
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May ask more as I think of it.
Edit - Wait, is the six packs in six weeks cycle thing their permanent release model? Is there a gap in between?
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... I like.
... ugh, I should probably figure out what exactly my deck for Friday is going to be. I’m thinking Unicorn/Crab splash, to recycle Yurts to keep Yoritomo high.
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...what?
http://www.mini-crate.com/L5R/
...oh, right, I forgot who was one of the heads at Privateer is. Yeah, that totally makes sense.
Togashi Yokuni was announced as the first mini, and the first VIP mini (where if you subscribe for six months at a time) is a Naga Hunter.
Also, new fiction day! Between the Lines.
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Yeah, or other RPGs. There's a big market for just general minis, that are compatible with other games. I'm willing to bet the Naga Hunter is going to be popular.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
Also, there was a bit in the Q&A about L5R's release schedule. Originally they were planning on doing it like a traditional LCG -- cycle, deluxe/clan, cycle, deluxe/clan, cycle, etc. However, they are re-evaluating and are planning on getting the clan packs out much faster.
I may have had Yoritomo and 10+ fate on the board at one time.
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