Legend Of The Five Rings

Legend Of The Five Rings Overview

The Legend of the Five Rings, or L5R as it is known by fans and other enthusiasts, is a setting which both a role playing game as well as a trading card game is based on. In the Dungeons & Dragons game, The Legend of the Five Rings was the setting for the Oriental Adventure expansion and while this expansion is no longer available for D&D, it is its own unique and interesting game based on feudal Japan.

The story itself is a very deep and constantly evolving legend that is affected by those who play the game. This can be seen through the participation of sanctioned tournaments; mostly with regards to the trading card game. The tournament winners actually make decisions which can determine the outcome of L5R for many years after they won.

In 2007 as well as in 2008 at the Race for the Throne event, the Legend of the Five Rings took on a whole new meaning. Both the trading cards and role playing versions were utilized during this mega-event in which the players were able to earn points and through these points, effective change the game forever.

The card game is able to be played with two or more players. However, in most tournaments, only two players at a time play. All players start off with a deck of 40 cards and the game continues until a preset victory condition has been met.

Throughout the tournament, the manner in which the players play their cards will ultimately affect the manner in which the game evolves. One can contribute to the life or death of a character which is often reflected in future expansions of the game.

In the role playing version, one player needs to play the game master. The remaining players will select from any one of the numerous possible characters. There is no real winner or loser in this game since the players are not actively competing against one another; but rather tend to work coherently in order to solve the problem that the game master has created using their character’s skills. As a result, one can very easily play a hack and slash type of role playing game, or even take on some form of adventure without ever entering into a battle.

L5R is now on its third version in which all three maintain the same rule set. This is to allow for a smooth transition between any of the three versions. Unlike the traditional d20 system employed by most RPG and trading card games, the Legend of the Five Rings is based on a d10 system which is known simply as the roll & keep.

There is definitely hours of fun to be had when you chose to enter into the world of the Legend of the Five Rings. Bring your friends along and have a number of great adventures together in the times of Feudal Japan; seek out a fortune or even hack each other to pieces.