This is super exciting. I only skimmed the rules but the length and complexity of the base game is one of the reasons I haven't even tried to really teach it to anyone. This looks to make it faster and more simple, but also can act as a gateway to the full game.
Things of note:
City of the Open Hand: Errata rolled back, now on Restricted.
Kuroi Mori: Unrestricted, errata'd so that it can't be a Stronghold province. (Will be getting a updated version in a OP kit.)
Secret Cache: Unrestricted.
Duty: Restricted
Void Fist: Unrestricted
Spyglass: Banned (in a attempt to curb tower decks)
Those Who Serve: Cannot reduce a character's cost below 1.
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ChaosHatHop, hop, hop, HA!Trick of the lightRegistered Userregular
Is skirmish fun? I looked into it a bit and stripping out the strongholds and provinces seemed like losing some fun, but vastly shorter game time does seem interesting to me.
Although, the other problem is that the scene totally died out here and buying back in would mean like, two cycles at least.
It sounds fun, although I havn’t had a chance to actually get it to the table yet. Mostly waiting on Jigoku to update supporting it without it crashing the server due to no stronghold.
Speaking of hell freezing over, the Hall of Heroes updated.
Yeah, this whole cycle is all about the maho. Lots of interesting ways to use a character's fate!
I do like the themes of temptations. Like the Dragon dealing with ordinary characters, representing the heretical sect. Or the lion getting benefits for having high honor. Haven't figured out all the temptation themes, but it's a wild cycle.
IMO it... just wasn't good enough for competitive play. It was a little bit too complex with a little bit too much priority passing. I went hard to my first Grand Kotei and then... burned out completely realizing a tournament couldn't reasonably be completed in a two day commitment. That killed my interest in sticking.
I never enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed the old one.
Ultimately I guess I agree with the article. It was rich and complex which can be good... but if you can't finish a Grand Kotei in two full days then you've got a real problem. Gotta get that time to commit down.
I never enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed the old one.
It's kind of funny, given that the most common complaints about the old game were that it was too complicated and games took too long. I suspect that a streamlined version of the CCG that wasn't hamstrung by decisions made 20 years earlier could have been really successful.
Out of curiosity, how far did the new storyline get? Did the Coup (or Coup equivalent) happen?
When I bowed out, it seemed to be moving really slowly and, somehow, FFG was releasing a lot less fiction than AEG did despite having greater resources.
I never enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed the old one.
It's kind of funny, given that the most common complaints about the old game were that it was too complicated and games took too long. I suspect that a streamlined version of the CCG that wasn't hamstrung by decisions made 20 years earlier could have been really successful.
I doubt I'd enjoy the old game as much now as I did then. There's the reality that hundreds of card games have come out since then, too.
I never enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed the old one.
It's kind of funny, given that the most common complaints about the old game were that it was too complicated and games took too long. I suspect that a streamlined version of the CCG that wasn't hamstrung by decisions made 20 years earlier could have been really successful.
I doubt I'd enjoy the old game as much now as I did then. There's the reality that hundreds of card games have come out since then, too.
What period did you play in? I played off and on for the entire run of the game and (not counting the final arc) it continually improved over that time.
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Clan Wars period but it would definitely be pretty unplayable now.
I never enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed the old one.
It's kind of funny, given that the most common complaints about the old game were that it was too complicated and games took too long. I suspect that a streamlined version of the CCG that wasn't hamstrung by decisions made 20 years earlier could have been really successful.
I doubt I'd enjoy the old game as much now as I did then. There's the reality that hundreds of card games have come out since then, too.
What period did you play in? I played off and on for the entire run of the game and (not counting the final arc) it continually improved over that time.
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Clan Wars period but it would definitely be pretty unplayable now.
I played for awhile at the very original launch before the backs were redone, dropped out for a long while, then came back sometime in the very late 90's into the oughts.
I never enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed the old one.
It's kind of funny, given that the most common complaints about the old game were that it was too complicated and games took too long. I suspect that a streamlined version of the CCG that wasn't hamstrung by decisions made 20 years earlier could have been really successful.
I doubt I'd enjoy the old game as much now as I did then. There's the reality that hundreds of card games have come out since then, too.
What period did you play in? I played off and on for the entire run of the game and (not counting the final arc) it continually improved over that time.
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Clan Wars period but it would definitely be pretty unplayable now.
I played for awhile at the very original launch before the backs were redone, dropped out for a long while, then came back sometime in the very late 90's into the oughts.
Sounds like the first two arcs. Yeah, cards from that period were pretty much considered unplayable later on (either because they were terrible or just completely broken).
Out of curiosity, how far did the new storyline get? Did the Coup (or Coup equivalent) happen?
When I bowed out, it seemed to be moving really slowly and, somehow, FFG was releasing a lot less fiction than AEG did despite having greater resources.
I’d like to sit down and read it all from start to finish. It’s a little difficult though to figure out what’s happening in chronological order. Shame about the card game; I tried getting into it but I didn’t really have a talent for it and there’s not really an avenue to play out here in Japan ironically. I do still like the RPG though and it sounds like that’s going to continue.
I tried getting into it but I didn’t really have a talent for it and there’s not really an avenue to play out here in Japan ironically. I do still like the RPG though and it sounds like that’s going to continue.
I know AEG attempted to get the CCG released in Japan but essentially just got laughed at.
The LCG had a better shot, as Arclight has localized a bunch of FFG's products such as Descent and Netrunner, but I guess they passed.
Out of curiosity, how far did the new storyline get? Did the Coup (or Coup equivalent) happen?
When I bowed out, it seemed to be moving really slowly and, somehow, FFG was releasing a lot less fiction than AEG did despite having greater resources.
It's still going. There *may* be a Coup starting...
It's more of a excuse for Shoju to go "heel" to try to give everyone a target to come together and fight against. Since there's a *lot* of bad shit going down involving the Shadowlands, and the massive dipshittery involved in the Emperor's death...
The last fiction that's gone up so far seems to have been the end of the arc involving the Crab trip to figure out what happened to that Watchtower. Huh, boy these goblins and creatures are acting way too organized OH SHIT IT'S AKUMA GTFO
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tzeentchlingDoctor of RocksOaklandRegistered Userregular
edited February 2021
The storyline has been kind of crazy, but here's a quick summary of the last year or so:
Unrest brews across the Empire. There's a tournament to see who gets to take care of Kunshu, the Ancestral Blade of the Hantei, which the Scorpion (due to real-life tournament results) win. Jodan, the current Emperor, decides to retire. He sets it up so Shoju will be regent, his elder son Sotorii will retire along with him to a monastery, and his younger son Daisetsu will be Emperor when he comes of age. He makes Akodo Totori, the current Emerald Champion, write this in an edict. That night, Jodan makes the mistake of blindsiding Sotorii with his plans while in the room with Kunshu, thinking that Sotorii will be mature enough to accept his father's wisdom. Surprise, the spoiled and impetuous Sotorii does not and in a moment of madness draws Kunshu and kills Jodan. Bayushi Kachiko finds Sotorii crying over his father's dead body, and tries to basically blackmail the Scorpion into a position of power, not knowing that Shoju already had them there with the edict. She then sends her brother Bayushi Aramoro to kill Totori, and he almost does - the Scorpion believe him dead, and Totori's wife Kaede only manages to save his life thanks to void magic. They flee the city with the help of Seppun Ishikawa.
Daisetsu finds Sotorii, and after his girlfriend Iuchi Shahai gives Daisetsu some of Sotorii's poorly written poetry/confession, Daisetsu realizes what his brother has done to their father and they come to blows. Shahai tries to stop Sotorii and draws blood with a small knife, essentially drawing a death sentence for harming a prince. She and Daisetsu flee, partially to protect her and partially because he's just DONE with everything. Meanwhile, a small Dragon army has arrived in the capital, sent by Clan Champion Togashi Yokuni's cryptic warnings. Mirumoto Hitomi meets up with Agasha Sumiko, the current Ruby Champion, and in a meeting with Shoju, Sumiko decides to side with him in the interest of stability. Togashi Mitsu, the firebreathing monk, originally sent with the Dragon army, intercepts Daisetsu and Shahai outside the city by himself and, unable to convince them to return, agrees to accompany them. Ultimately, they end up in the company of some Perfect Land sect, and Daisetsu is dangerously drawn to their egalitarian philosophy, given his teenage "everyone is a FAKE" beliefs. Mitsu worries but Shahai convinces Daisetsu to stay, so they all do with Mitsu growing more upset by the minute.
Meanwhile, Shoju is announced as Regent, despite Jodan's death (played off as naturally occuring rather than stabbed), the missing heir, and a missing Emerald Champion Totori. Kakita Yoshi, the Imperial Speaker, is 100% blindsided by this and goes mildly insane/paranoid that it's the most Scorpion of plots, considering it also meant that the Crane lost a huge amount of political power in a single fell swoop. He begins immediately subtly/politely treating Shoju as illegitimate and making power arrangements with the Unicorn who had been otherwise ignored in court. Meanwhile, Shoju confronts Kachiko, and forces her at knifepoint to tell him what she did. Realizing that her plans, reasonable as they would be if gaining power was all they were interested in, actually went against what he considered the ultimate Duty of the Scorpion clan to the Empire, Shoju banishes her from the city and "exiles" her to Toshi Ranbo. He also tries to send Sotorii off to the temple, accompanied by Seppun and Dragon guards, but the caravan is attacked by Doji Kuwannan and some Crane, who is attempting to subvert control of the clan from his sister Doji Hotaru and is being championed on in this regard by Yoshi. They currently believe that Sotorii is the true Emperor and the Scorpion are to blame for him not being there. Kuwannan's attack fails because he's skilled but also a wanker (and Hitomi hands him his ass), and Sotorii escapes and runs off. Sotorii eventually gets patched up by a cranky but kind ronin in the middle of nowhere, who Sotorii then gets killed when he tries to run away into the arms of another ronin band of brigands. His fate is currently unknown beyond being in dangerous hands.
Matsu Tsuko, yearning for revenge against the Crane for killing her husband/the previous Lion Clan Champion, convinces a bunch of Lion generals to take Kyuden Kakita, which they actually succeed in doing, and rebuff an initial attempt to recapture the castle. She also declares herself the new Clan Champion and dares anyone to defy her. The Crane attempt to take the castle back again, this time with Daidoji Uji and Kuwannan helping out, but realize the only way they can get back at the fortified Lion is with Daidoji trickery. Uji and a hand-picked group of Harriers secretly use black powder explosives and blow up the castle. Meanwhile, Hotaru is still unconfident in her leadership and ends up going to Toshi Ranbo in the winter, basically trying to coup the city and claim it for the Crane anyway. She finds a miserable and repentant Kachiko there, and they rekindle their relationship while resolving to do the right thing.
Totori is still healthy and eventually figures out what's going on to some degree. He wants to barge in and right wrongs, but Kaede and Ishikawa convince him to do so a bit quieter, gaining knowledge about what happened more clandestinely. Meanwhile, a Kitsuki sneaks into the room where Kunshu was held, uses her deduction skills to figure out that the blade was used as a murder weapon, and gets a massive shockwave of evil psychic residue from the blade itself. She tells of her findings to Sumiko and, in classic fashion, deduce that the murderer was actually a Scorpion and possibly Shoju himself. Kunshu is sent for safe keeping to Yogo Castle. Eventually, Totori and Sumiko meet up in private, compare notes, and then publicly appear together in Court. They all but accuse Shoju of killing Jodan and trying to kill Totori and usurping the throne, and Sumiko dramatically quits, both walking out as ronin. Yoshi is THRILLED by all this and essentially deposes Shoju, imprisoning him for his crimes and taking the regency for himself. Shoju remains silent, despite knowing the truth, because he believes if it comes out that a son of the emperor killed the emperor that the royal line, and the idea of the Emperorship itself, may be lost, and it's his Duty to play the villain to keep that secret from coming out.
That said, Shoju realizes that the Empire is falling apart, clan set against clan, and thinks well, if I couldn't hold it together as its noble but flawed leader publicly doing his duty, maybe I can unite the clans by giving them a common enemy. He opens one of the lesser Black Scrolls and learns some secrets about Ikoma Ujiaki, the Lion's premier courtier, who anyway managed to insult Yoshi and get the Lion delegation kicked out of court, so that kinda says something about how good the Lion are at being courtiers in the first place. Ujiaki suggests a partnership with the Scorpion to fight against the Crane with some clumsy coded language, and Shoju accepts but also manages to manipulate him anyway into doing what Shoju wants. Lion and Scorpion bushi ambush the Dragon army still in the capitol and essentially take control of the city. This likely marks the true start of the Scorpion Clan Coup. Back in Kyuden Yogo, the daimyo shugenja Yogo Junzo is trying his best to purify or at least contain the evil seeping out of Kunshu (because apparently being used by a Hantei to kill a Hantei Emperor made it SUPER MEGA TAINTED). Unfortunately, he fails, and a large horde of tainted beings led by a hag/oni/monster sack the castle, breach its wards, and kill just about everyone including Junzo. Not great for the horde of other tainted artefacts the Scorpion were guarding there for safekeeping, though some are smuggled out of the castle in the end by the Scorpion Black Watch.
Meanwhile, in the ominous B-plot, Yasuki Oguri teamed up with the Mantis shugenja Kudaka to sail down a river into the Shadowlands to find out what happened at a Hiruma outpost that stopped sending responses. They get there, clear out some Shadowlands creatures that wrecked the place, but have to wait for reinforcements. Said reinforcements do arrive, led by a overconfident Hida Etsuji, but they're still facing near daily attacks and morale is low, as are jade supplies and the temptations of Taint and kansen grow. Eventually Hida O-Ushi mounts a recon/rescue effort, and finds that whoops, Akuma no Oni is back and has amassed a gigantic shadowlands horde that's well organized and armed. Etsuji didn't know what he was up against and wouldn't have cared anyway, so he rode out to fight and gain glory and ended up getting turned into a standard (at least it's not Sukune this time!). Now O-Ushi and the Mantis are frantically retreating back to the Empire to try to warn anyone who will listen of what's coming. Odds are low that anyone will pay enough attention, as fractured as the clans are with their internecine conflicts and pride.
tzeentchling on
+1
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
My local store missed subscriptions, so I don't have the pack from last week yet.
I still feel like I'm to blame for this game dying locally, but... maybe it was more the lack of support and impossible to get in? I dunno.
Posts
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Also new fiction day:
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https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2020/3/20/legend-of-the-five-rings-skirmish-part-1/
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This is super exciting. I only skimmed the rules but the length and complexity of the base game is one of the reasons I haven't even tried to really teach it to anyone. This looks to make it faster and more simple, but also can act as a gateway to the full game.
New Altansarnai!
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And the second half of the Skirmish article, talking about the thoughts behind the rule changes:
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Things of note:
City of the Open Hand: Errata rolled back, now on Restricted.
Kuroi Mori: Unrestricted, errata'd so that it can't be a Stronghold province. (Will be getting a updated version in a OP kit.)
Secret Cache: Unrestricted.
Duty: Restricted
Void Fist: Unrestricted
Spyglass: Banned (in a attempt to curb tower decks)
Those Who Serve: Cannot reduce a character's cost below 1.
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Although, the other problem is that the scene totally died out here and buying back in would mean like, two cycles at least.
Speaking of hell freezing over, the Hall of Heroes updated.
There’s a indefinite freeze on Hatamoto titles due to the lack of events due to some jerk opening a Black Scroll.
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The latest pack, Honor in Flames?
It introduces Maho. I think there's 1 for each clan.
All of them have the same restriction - you pay for it using fate from your own characters. Which is INSANE and thematic.
I haven't been keeping up with the fiction, sadly. I really need to do that.
I do like the themes of temptations. Like the Dragon dealing with ordinary characters, representing the heretical sect. Or the lion getting benefits for having high honor. Haven't figured out all the temptation themes, but it's a wild cycle.
I miss playing this, even if I suck at it.
But I think the new one deserves a "Oh shit."
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The legend of the five rings living card game will conclude with the upcoming premium expansion.
I never enjoyed this game as much as I enjoyed the old one.
It's kind of funny, given that the most common complaints about the old game were that it was too complicated and games took too long. I suspect that a streamlined version of the CCG that wasn't hamstrung by decisions made 20 years earlier could have been really successful.
When I bowed out, it seemed to be moving really slowly and, somehow, FFG was releasing a lot less fiction than AEG did despite having greater resources.
I doubt I'd enjoy the old game as much now as I did then. There's the reality that hundreds of card games have come out since then, too.
What period did you play in? I played off and on for the entire run of the game and (not counting the final arc) it continually improved over that time.
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Clan Wars period but it would definitely be pretty unplayable now.
I played for awhile at the very original launch before the backs were redone, dropped out for a long while, then came back sometime in the very late 90's into the oughts.
Sounds like the first two arcs. Yeah, cards from that period were pretty much considered unplayable later on (either because they were terrible or just completely broken).
I’d like to sit down and read it all from start to finish. It’s a little difficult though to figure out what’s happening in chronological order. Shame about the card game; I tried getting into it but I didn’t really have a talent for it and there’s not really an avenue to play out here in Japan ironically. I do still like the RPG though and it sounds like that’s going to continue.
I know AEG attempted to get the CCG released in Japan but essentially just got laughed at.
The LCG had a better shot, as Arclight has localized a bunch of FFG's products such as Descent and Netrunner, but I guess they passed.
It's still going. There *may* be a Coup starting...
The last fiction that's gone up so far seems to have been the end of the arc involving the Crab trip to figure out what happened to that Watchtower. Huh, boy these goblins and creatures are acting way too organized OH SHIT IT'S AKUMA GTFO
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Unrest brews across the Empire. There's a tournament to see who gets to take care of Kunshu, the Ancestral Blade of the Hantei, which the Scorpion (due to real-life tournament results) win. Jodan, the current Emperor, decides to retire. He sets it up so Shoju will be regent, his elder son Sotorii will retire along with him to a monastery, and his younger son Daisetsu will be Emperor when he comes of age. He makes Akodo Totori, the current Emerald Champion, write this in an edict. That night, Jodan makes the mistake of blindsiding Sotorii with his plans while in the room with Kunshu, thinking that Sotorii will be mature enough to accept his father's wisdom. Surprise, the spoiled and impetuous Sotorii does not and in a moment of madness draws Kunshu and kills Jodan. Bayushi Kachiko finds Sotorii crying over his father's dead body, and tries to basically blackmail the Scorpion into a position of power, not knowing that Shoju already had them there with the edict. She then sends her brother Bayushi Aramoro to kill Totori, and he almost does - the Scorpion believe him dead, and Totori's wife Kaede only manages to save his life thanks to void magic. They flee the city with the help of Seppun Ishikawa.
Daisetsu finds Sotorii, and after his girlfriend Iuchi Shahai gives Daisetsu some of Sotorii's poorly written poetry/confession, Daisetsu realizes what his brother has done to their father and they come to blows. Shahai tries to stop Sotorii and draws blood with a small knife, essentially drawing a death sentence for harming a prince. She and Daisetsu flee, partially to protect her and partially because he's just DONE with everything. Meanwhile, a small Dragon army has arrived in the capital, sent by Clan Champion Togashi Yokuni's cryptic warnings. Mirumoto Hitomi meets up with Agasha Sumiko, the current Ruby Champion, and in a meeting with Shoju, Sumiko decides to side with him in the interest of stability. Togashi Mitsu, the firebreathing monk, originally sent with the Dragon army, intercepts Daisetsu and Shahai outside the city by himself and, unable to convince them to return, agrees to accompany them. Ultimately, they end up in the company of some Perfect Land sect, and Daisetsu is dangerously drawn to their egalitarian philosophy, given his teenage "everyone is a FAKE" beliefs. Mitsu worries but Shahai convinces Daisetsu to stay, so they all do with Mitsu growing more upset by the minute.
Meanwhile, Shoju is announced as Regent, despite Jodan's death (played off as naturally occuring rather than stabbed), the missing heir, and a missing Emerald Champion Totori. Kakita Yoshi, the Imperial Speaker, is 100% blindsided by this and goes mildly insane/paranoid that it's the most Scorpion of plots, considering it also meant that the Crane lost a huge amount of political power in a single fell swoop. He begins immediately subtly/politely treating Shoju as illegitimate and making power arrangements with the Unicorn who had been otherwise ignored in court. Meanwhile, Shoju confronts Kachiko, and forces her at knifepoint to tell him what she did. Realizing that her plans, reasonable as they would be if gaining power was all they were interested in, actually went against what he considered the ultimate Duty of the Scorpion clan to the Empire, Shoju banishes her from the city and "exiles" her to Toshi Ranbo. He also tries to send Sotorii off to the temple, accompanied by Seppun and Dragon guards, but the caravan is attacked by Doji Kuwannan and some Crane, who is attempting to subvert control of the clan from his sister Doji Hotaru and is being championed on in this regard by Yoshi. They currently believe that Sotorii is the true Emperor and the Scorpion are to blame for him not being there. Kuwannan's attack fails because he's skilled but also a wanker (and Hitomi hands him his ass), and Sotorii escapes and runs off. Sotorii eventually gets patched up by a cranky but kind ronin in the middle of nowhere, who Sotorii then gets killed when he tries to run away into the arms of another ronin band of brigands. His fate is currently unknown beyond being in dangerous hands.
Matsu Tsuko, yearning for revenge against the Crane for killing her husband/the previous Lion Clan Champion, convinces a bunch of Lion generals to take Kyuden Kakita, which they actually succeed in doing, and rebuff an initial attempt to recapture the castle. She also declares herself the new Clan Champion and dares anyone to defy her. The Crane attempt to take the castle back again, this time with Daidoji Uji and Kuwannan helping out, but realize the only way they can get back at the fortified Lion is with Daidoji trickery. Uji and a hand-picked group of Harriers secretly use black powder explosives and blow up the castle. Meanwhile, Hotaru is still unconfident in her leadership and ends up going to Toshi Ranbo in the winter, basically trying to coup the city and claim it for the Crane anyway. She finds a miserable and repentant Kachiko there, and they rekindle their relationship while resolving to do the right thing.
Totori is still healthy and eventually figures out what's going on to some degree. He wants to barge in and right wrongs, but Kaede and Ishikawa convince him to do so a bit quieter, gaining knowledge about what happened more clandestinely. Meanwhile, a Kitsuki sneaks into the room where Kunshu was held, uses her deduction skills to figure out that the blade was used as a murder weapon, and gets a massive shockwave of evil psychic residue from the blade itself. She tells of her findings to Sumiko and, in classic fashion, deduce that the murderer was actually a Scorpion and possibly Shoju himself. Kunshu is sent for safe keeping to Yogo Castle. Eventually, Totori and Sumiko meet up in private, compare notes, and then publicly appear together in Court. They all but accuse Shoju of killing Jodan and trying to kill Totori and usurping the throne, and Sumiko dramatically quits, both walking out as ronin. Yoshi is THRILLED by all this and essentially deposes Shoju, imprisoning him for his crimes and taking the regency for himself. Shoju remains silent, despite knowing the truth, because he believes if it comes out that a son of the emperor killed the emperor that the royal line, and the idea of the Emperorship itself, may be lost, and it's his Duty to play the villain to keep that secret from coming out.
That said, Shoju realizes that the Empire is falling apart, clan set against clan, and thinks well, if I couldn't hold it together as its noble but flawed leader publicly doing his duty, maybe I can unite the clans by giving them a common enemy. He opens one of the lesser Black Scrolls and learns some secrets about Ikoma Ujiaki, the Lion's premier courtier, who anyway managed to insult Yoshi and get the Lion delegation kicked out of court, so that kinda says something about how good the Lion are at being courtiers in the first place. Ujiaki suggests a partnership with the Scorpion to fight against the Crane with some clumsy coded language, and Shoju accepts but also manages to manipulate him anyway into doing what Shoju wants. Lion and Scorpion bushi ambush the Dragon army still in the capitol and essentially take control of the city. This likely marks the true start of the Scorpion Clan Coup. Back in Kyuden Yogo, the daimyo shugenja Yogo Junzo is trying his best to purify or at least contain the evil seeping out of Kunshu (because apparently being used by a Hantei to kill a Hantei Emperor made it SUPER MEGA TAINTED). Unfortunately, he fails, and a large horde of tainted beings led by a hag/oni/monster sack the castle, breach its wards, and kill just about everyone including Junzo. Not great for the horde of other tainted artefacts the Scorpion were guarding there for safekeeping, though some are smuggled out of the castle in the end by the Scorpion Black Watch.
Meanwhile, in the ominous B-plot, Yasuki Oguri teamed up with the Mantis shugenja Kudaka to sail down a river into the Shadowlands to find out what happened at a Hiruma outpost that stopped sending responses. They get there, clear out some Shadowlands creatures that wrecked the place, but have to wait for reinforcements. Said reinforcements do arrive, led by a overconfident Hida Etsuji, but they're still facing near daily attacks and morale is low, as are jade supplies and the temptations of Taint and kansen grow. Eventually Hida O-Ushi mounts a recon/rescue effort, and finds that whoops, Akuma no Oni is back and has amassed a gigantic shadowlands horde that's well organized and armed. Etsuji didn't know what he was up against and wouldn't have cared anyway, so he rode out to fight and gain glory and ended up getting turned into a standard (at least it's not Sukune this time!). Now O-Ushi and the Mantis are frantically retreating back to the Empire to try to warn anyone who will listen of what's coming. Odds are low that anyone will pay enough attention, as fractured as the clans are with their internecine conflicts and pride.
I still feel like I'm to blame for this game dying locally, but... maybe it was more the lack of support and impossible to get in? I dunno.