since we're nearing the 1000 post limit on the first one ^_^

 Then I guess we should start using this one... while we wait for you to post ICly. ^_-

sorry about that, 5th grade camp really wiped me out

 Heh, it happens. Post when you can and when you feel like it for best effect. Nothing worse for sapping enthusiasm than having to force yourself to post.

Hey all,

We've reached the end of events for the day, does anyone have any last minute things they want to accomplish?  What do people want to start on the next day?

I'm good.

Well, that kinda depends on what Sakura finds out from the garrison and if her little speech works ...

 Well, I for one would like to see Sakuras reaction to finding out just why our Daidoji friend went a-wandering... If only so's I know why I'm getting fireballed later on. ^_^

 For my own part, my vague hope of going to see a smith has been mildly derailed by my being recruited to form part of a pack of bold youngsters who look set to cause all kinds of trouble, but since I'd likely have trouble talking to Crane smiths until I have a bit of reputation under my belt anyway, that's likely no bad thing.

 I'll probably hope to start off with a chance to visit my new friends dad though - ex-crab smiths working in crane cities are bound to know something about steel and might just be more sympathetic to a student than most.

I'm ready to begin a new day :)

Those of you who are ready to move on (except for Kedo, since he's got an appointment with a man regarding steel ^_^) tell me where you'd like to start out and where you'd like to go (you may not end up there--as Kedo and Sakura can tell you) but then I'll have an idea about how to get you where we're going ^_^

Am i goiung to be some sort of voice of the Imoperial families or something???  I dunno where, but im sure Momoko has more of an idea :)

Depending on the answer from the Commander, Sakura needs to look over the new scrolls ... and some plotting.

*bows*

Well, assuming that it's alright with Miya-Sama, Shinobu-Chan and myself would like to escort her to visit the Crane tomorrow. That should give both of us enough time to prepare ...

prepare????

Oh dear...

Hello there.
I've adopted Daidoji Kumi, with a few changes, it must be said. I look forward to contributing to the general mayhem!

Welcome Kumi - im a nube to the game myself :)

good to meet you Miya-san.

In reply to Kaze no Kage (msg #10):

Kumi will pretty much be wherever Sakura is come morning.

Welcome!

xp tomorrow sometime

*poke*
Did this game die suddenly, or something?

 I hope not, but I think The Boss is having RL issues - he's been pretty reliable all these years though, so I'm sticking around to wait for 'im. ^_^

sorry about the silence guys :-( I've been meaning to post, but the trimester just ended and I had parent teacher conferences and progress reports to get done :-( I just haven't had much time

no problem - just been letting my words hang out, lol

good to hear that you've not forgotten us.
Sorry for the lack of faith.

Daidoji  Kumi... how mean :(

lol

Well, she is heartless. And war is considered Glorious in Rokugan. And if the heimin and the hinin disagree, well, by the celestial hierarchy they don't even count as real people, so who cares?

Life is cheap in Rokugan, since so long as you behave appropriately to your station you'll just be reincarnated anyway. The cycle of rebirth is only ended if you do something so terrible you end up in Jigoku, or something so great that you wind up in Yomi.

Disputes are commonly settled by fighting, with victory being interpreted as bestowing the mandate of Tengoku. The extension of this into war is what makes the Crane so formidable in combat are the duelists who challenge the leaders of enemy units, winning easily, thus neutralising the whole unit, who have been shown that the Heavens support the Crane.

Perversely, Momoku's desire for peace, while a fine example of Jin (compassion), could readily be interpreted as a fear of death (and thus insufficient Yu, courage), and indeed has by Kumi, who has little interest in Jin. Worse yet, it might be interpreted as a lack of faith in the teachings of the Kakita school, a grave insult to the school that has been so gracious as to train an outsider. Kumi is pretty much expecting the other Kakita duelists to challenge Momoku, and if they don't she might do so herself (probably suicidal, considering Kumi is a soldier, not a duelist), or at the very least consider them as dishonourable as Momoku herself.

ahhhh

correct - save for the fact that she is a Miya, part of a family dedicated to peace.  They are bloodless, and popular, and hold a small amount of sway.  Had Momoko been an Otomo, things might be different, but as a Miya, and with her ancestors watching her, she feels she has to endevour to save lives.

I refer you to the second paragraph on p71 detailing the Miya family... where the principles of mercy and peace hold more sway than the other tenets of bushido.

But I do like it when you make those posts - you make her seem almost angelic! lol

I quite understand where Momoko is coming from. But Kumi is a Daidoji, and a particularly merciless one at that. So far as she is concerned Jin is the least worthy of the tenets of Bushido, and so far as she has any interest in Bushido at all, Chugo trumps all others.
My OOC posts have been from that point of view. I hope I haven't caused any offence.

no offense has been taken - please, its just a game :)

so Momoko, what do you want to do now that you've launched away from my plot? ^_^

don't feel bad though, everyone has turned my plot to hash at least once...some of you more than once (not naming any names, Sakura and Kedo ^_^)

 Hey, I've just been acted upon not acting... It was Sakura who grabbed the wrong plot thread and tugged real hard! ^_^

::ahem:: I beg to differ, I point to:  a) the Daidoji meeting, b) suggesting Kakita Tsutomu as a yojimbo, and (most recently) c) Daidoji Ryu.  I'll grant that your ridiculously high combat rolls aren't entirely your fault ^_^

 Well yes, but those were all moving with the flow of things, not against them... I'm innocent I tell you. ^_^

I'm thinking that riding directly into the path of the Lion army, Miya heraldry flying, and smiling alot.  Then saying that if any side were to begin spilling blood while ...I... am in the process of negotiating peace, then the Imperial Court will hear a rather detailed account of duplicitous and dishonerable samurai.

And if that doesn't work, offer to have Bayushi Kenshin kill them all, one by one. (joking)

*smiles behind a fan*

Who me? No, I just follow the clues ... even if the small saltwater fish happen to be red ... ;p

As you wish, m'lady ... ;p

Heh ... wanna bet that the Lion General has a Crane trained Duelist?

The Kakita school do seem uncharacteristically generous with their training. I'm just glad there are no Scorpion Harriers, since that would be really weird!

*waves to someone unseen*

Quick, Kenji! Hide before she sees you!

*grin*

prolly should have asked before, but what ought Kumi know about what has gone on to date?

Sorry, you'll have to PM the GM for that. Quite a bit of backstory ... and very little that we did together.

I'm going to be visiting family for the next five days or so, I may have a chance to use the internet, but I may not

I imagine most people will be busy with family over the holidays.
Have a good time.

yeah - holidays either make players more active or dms inactive, lol.

Where should Sakura and I go next?

sorry, I wanted to give you and Sakura the chance to talk if you wanted, I've got a post all ready for you ^_^

Kenshin - any ideas????

Err, yeah -- but I was thrown off a bit by Momoko's reaction.

poo - well, we can try this and if it doesn't work ,we can challenge variuos people to duels :)

I had something planned, but when Momoko got up to leave it went out the window. Too much talking ... so I had to figure something else out, "and quick".

okay... um, alrigh.. pants :)

...you guys can go back and revise in the case of a miscommunication or accidental assumptions (that's why I sent Momoko that PM) ^_^

shall I do a post edit kenshin, and then see if your plan works?

Please.

Edited the post... which means that those people following on will have to do the same...

sorry :)

I'll get to that later today.

m_O_m

Done.

This is really hard with absolutly no social skills what so ever... lol

ah, I was wondering what you were doing ^_^ this'll teach me to keep better track of what the PCs can and can't do ^_^ kudos for good role playing ^_^

lol - kudos = extra xp, right? lol

 Well, Kedo has managed fairly well with minimal social skills beyond good manners so far, but that's because people expect convoluted insight from a blatent Dragon and seem to be cutting him some slack. ^_^

:P <-- at kedo lol

Kenshin, did you order an earthquake, a ninja assault or the assistance of the kami?

T'wasn't me! I would have rather concluded our conversation first!

*frowns*

Wasn't me either ...

Wonders is Kedo had beans and a curry last night...

hehehe...strangely enough, Kedo's actually to blame for this one, if only indirectly, but on two counts ^_^

Momoko and Kenshin:  you're really not going to go find out what's going on?
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:46, Wed 13 Jan 2010.

I was debating whether or not we could honorably get away with it ... ;D

you absolutely can get away with it, honorably ^_^ I just thought that you'd be thinking:  "really big, earthshaking boom, the governor's residence might be next" (it may or may not be, I'm not telling, but you might have been worried about it)

I totally worried about it - but moving about without swords in the governors' house, when things are exploding and Lions are getting cranky???

hmmm

im not convinced, lol.

Oh, Kenshin isn't leaving without his swords.

So, are we going or should I sit back down? ;D

no one is expecting you to go anywhere without your swords ^_^ but are you sitting back down or are you going out to investigate?  either choice will have options and consequences ^_^

Well, i think Miya knows enough to stay put - its a lion matter, and going out to look might put them in a difficult position - id say we sit still and hope.

Well, you're in charge. :D

please welcome Hida Zenko, a Daidoji Yojimbo who is about to receive a very unusual assignment ^_^

Walking confidently into the room, Zenko surveys the assembled and bows deeply and wordlessly stands his hand lightly resting on the pommel of his katana.

 Kedo looks up from delicately lowering the pickaxe onto the saddle of his buckaroo set, nods in a grave and serious fashion...

 ...then picks up the rope.

TWINS!

Fixed! :)

 Awwwwh, that would really have weirded people out when you were wandering around at my back. A strange enough concept at the best of times. ^_^

and would have driven Sakura through the roof ^_^

*grins*

And how would that have been different?

 It would have been in stereo? ^_^

Heh I didn't think that Kedo would want a lookalike, so I changed it :)

But if you looked alike it would really mess up any Assassins, ne?

Oh agreed, it would indeed but I assumed that Kedo's player would want me to change.

See, now I have a hankerin' to play twins with someone ...

*laughs*

 Incidentally Zenko, since you're a Crab and actually appreciate these things, you might want to see the original plan they're discussing. It's back on Page 1 of the game in 'Daidoji Plans'... and because the dice roller has an irrational but much appreciated fondness for this character, the roll that went with formulating it was... really rather good. ^_^

yes, Kedo has a way of disrupting my plans with insanely good dice rolls--I thought the plan incident was a fluke, then you wiped out 5 ninjas in a single round, cut arrows out of the air, and crafted a legendary quality weapon.  If you didn't have some normal rolls, the Crane could just send you against the Lion army and that would be the end of it ^_^

 Except that that would be a betrayal of fate and he'd be killed by a fumble in the first round. Kedo is good at some things and fate in the form of the dice roller has been kind enough to shine blessings upon me in addition - but I suspect strongly that if I should ever take it for granted that fortune would swiftly desert me. ^_^

I let kenshin take the lead... i cant think how to word it in a post, so it can remain implied in his. :)

*bows*

Thank you, m'Lady.

sorry about the silence guys, it's been busy at work and I've had a cold.  I'll try to get something up tonight.

no need to apologise. I've been crazy busy this week too! Even put in 12 hours over the weekend. Still, gotta do something to warrant our stipends, huh?

Sorry for my silence too. I was unable to post for a while and then once I was, I honestly forgot that things were over to me in my thread.

Hope you are okay Kaze no Kage... are you still here?

yup, just a series of crises at work (plus Valentine's Day coming up ;p)

cool - thats okay then... and valy what?

blech, I hate it when I take too long between posts, it's always tough to get back into the groove...

I know that feeling. There are times when I come back after a busy spurt at work and find it so hard to get back into character.

I imagine many of us here understand that feeling completely. I know I do.

Oh, trust me -- I know that feeling all too well. Half the time I can't remember anything ...

BTW, I think I'm going to have to play a Hare Clan Bodyguard one day ... yes, I went there: An Usagi Yojimbo.

;p

You went where? I don't get it, what's with a Usagi yojimbo?

Sumi:  Usagi Yojimbo is a comic that started in the mid-eighties featuring a rabbit swordsman in feudal Japan.  It was one of the early furry influences as well as one of the early non-child or humor oriented comics.

Sakura:  I'm glad it occurred to someone else too ^_^

A rabbit swordsman? Okay, so it didn't really matter that you went there, the L5R people went there first naming a family of the Hare Clan Usagi.

*nods*

My most obvious experience with this: in one game I'm in, I had to take over a previous player's character. So I took several days to pour over the story, absorbed lots of information, and came to some rather dramatic conclusions.

Fast forward to today: now I don't have a clue what's going on.

Things slowed down, and it's been so long since the original "burst" ... the writing's clear, I've just lost context for some reason.

Hello everyone. I'm a new player in the game, and also I'm a fairly new player to L5R so I'm sry if I make any mistakes. I hope to have fun role playing with everyone.

Oh and I'm sorry about the introduction of my character in the game. I'm not very good at introducing characters yet.

 That's alright... if you get on and sort yourself a picture and a description on your character, I can find out who and what you are, and we can come up with a reason you'd be where you are talking to me. Off-hand though, I do remember that the NPC's I'm with had a few friends that might well come along on our wild and whacky adventures.

 That might help.

 Otherwise, welcome aboard. ^_^

actually, Daidoji Tomoe just introduced you two--if in a rather roundabout and awkward way.

Tomoe and her brother Yukito are a couple of Daidoji samurai who (along with a few other samurai) are looking to make a name for themselves (or die trying) in the upcoming battle.  I figured they'd be a good group to hook Michio up with before the fun starts ^_^

 Okay, then as soon as Michio gets enough of a description up that I can work out whether I should bow, nod or kowtow... and perhaps even work out what they might be by it, I'll reply like a shot. ^_^

 Ahhhh, I see what you mean, now that I go back to look at the thread!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:14, Tue 09 Mar 2010.

Hi all,

first of all, I would like to apologize for my lack of posting for the last few weeks.  I'm a teacher and we just finished conference week (the less said about that, the better), meaning that my free time (which had been taken up by writing reports) has now increased.  So thank you all for bearing with me and my hectic work schedule.  I'll get something up for everyone by tomorrow.

thanks for your patience,
Trystero

I'm sensing a lack of enthusiasm for this portion of the plot ^_^ which is okay, I was using it sort of as a transition into the combat heavy battle for Toshi Ranbo

so our options are:
1) continue as we are with the preparations for the battle
2) shift straight to the battle (with some OOC discussion regarding what roles you'll each be playing)
3) skip entirely to the next storyline (I'll only consider this option if Kedo and Sakura are in agreement, since they're the ones who've been involved in this since the beginning)

 I can't speak for the others of course, but I'm enjoying myself - then, with Kedo's positively unnatural good luck, I would be. ^_^

 Kedo needs two more days to visit two more swordsmiths and then he's about ready for the big battle, but that can as readily be done in an aside as on-screen, but I would like to at least handle a little of the skirmishing and the like, since we've been building up to it.

 I have no idea what the next storyline actually is of course, but Kedo will be involved if it takes him somewhere noted for good iron ore or unusually pure charcoal or hell, almost any other suitable source of swordsmithing inspiration. At some point I might even have him go looking for a Tengu, just to round it all out.
 After all, when(if) he actually forges a katana to the standards he needs to meet, he'll be out of the campaign, so I'd best put it off for as long as possible. ^_^

I've been pretty much enjoying myself too, though I've been off by myself so much that I wasn't sure of the overall plot outside the tournament and wasn't really certain about that.

Life is kinda busy right now, so the slow pace has rather suited me, but I'm in your hands, and will keep up with whatever storyline you want to pursue as much as I am able.

*grins* Actually, Kedo is a latecomer ... He only joined us as we were sneaking through Lion lands.

I expect Sakura to be rather bored during the upcoming battle, but I'm good with whatever.

So, I take it that the peace mission failed.

I still need to see what happens in my thread -- We walk on a razor's edge -- but it can be done OOC easily enough.

Kenshin:  it didn't fail, it just didn't succeed in its entirety.  Part of the result depends on what happens next in your thread.  The problem is that an army is like a machine, even if some parts stop moving, other parts will keep moving--and there are two armies.  The one at your location may or may not attack--depending on how things go (things are leaning towards not, for the moment) but the other one is still going to move at the prearranged time.

Now, assuming the Scorpion and Mantis arrive before they hit the walls of Toshi Ranbo (and you're successful with the Lion), you may have enough numbers to convince them to turn around without a fight.

Even if they don't arrive before the Lion, you'll still have enough numbers once they arrive to defeat them either in a traditional siege (if they haven't breached the walls) or in urban fighting (if they have but haven't yet secured the city).

Things will get dicey if you can't convince the unnamed Lion commander not to go, but victory will still be possible if the urban fighting goes well.

Everyone:  well, if everyone is good, then we'll continue ^_^
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:09, Tue 23 Mar 2010.

 And though I do say so myself, the Crane do have a stonker of a battle-plan for the defence of the city, which is basically going to be an early mid-fantasy Stalingrad.

 How well that pans out against one of the finest military forces in the world however... Well, we'll see. ^_^

I'm holding off on Kedo's thread (sorry Kedo, you get no love ^_^) because I've got a couple of PCs who'd like to be introduced and Kedo's the the most accessible for them

 Kaze. The last two P.C.'s you introduced into my thread vanished without a trace in two posts each... When are you going to learn that I'm just cursed. ^_^

O ye of little faith. ;)

(I do sympathize, and I'll try not to vanish on you. :) )

Also, hello, everyone!

I'd try not to vanish either if we got in the same thread. I have a nasty tendency recently to get isolated off on my own in games anyway.

 Hello Reiko!

 And I hope not Tsuruchi - but so far the only person with any staying power around Kedo has been Sakura. Poor girl. ^_^

I look at that the other way around -- the only one of Sakura's companions to stick around is Kedo, and even he left her! (Kumi is still here, of course, but she hasn't been around long enough for the curse to take effect.)

;p

I'm sorry, I'm still here...lost, but here. The Curse of the Nameless Shadow has not affected me...yet.

 I sure hope Michio's staring at the main bunch and not watching Kedo bathe... That would be kind of creepy. Try talking to them Mr Monk, I've prodded the GM into giving them characterful things to say before now. ^_^

 As I understand it from context Moshi, there's a small bathing room that's an adjunct to the Dojo the scene we're in is taking place at. Earlier in the week Kedo found an old friend in the city who now teaches Crane youths swordsmanship, and it's at his school that Kedo and some of the teachers students are talking - plus one monk and one Shugenja.

Ah--I thought we were outside, on the street, just by the entrance of the baths. Is there anything I've said that's off, or wrong, aside from wondering where the Daidoji is? I tried reading back a few posts before jumping in, but didn't want to spoiler myself too much. :)

 Nah, you're great - that just struck me because I had one image in my head and you had another. ^_^

Who's up on the Imperial Business thread, me or the GM?

Daidoji Kumi actually ^_^;;;

Heh. Got it.

Ohh. Sorry.

no worries ^_^ it usually is me ^_^

Im gonna be absent a few days - sorry
family funeral

My condolences, Momoko!

ALSO: My dial tone at home is gone, because the phone company could not get rid of the static on the line interrupting my DSL service. It might be that they'll have to get my townhouse management company to tear up the driveway in order to get to phone lines that shouldn't have been paved over in the first place.

In other words, I may have very limited connectivity for the foreseeable future. I don't know when this might get resolved. I work 3 days a week, so I'd have to go to a net cafe to do any non-work-work day surfing, which isn't always an option. I'll post as often as I can.

Thank you :)

Ah heck. Sorry to hear about that Momoko

Hi, folks. The problem is not solved. The telco's got to rip up 200 feet of cable and replace it; they say they can do it by Friday, but I'm not optimistic. I can only access the net from work, and I only work 3 days a week. I'll be able to post for the next three days (workload allowing), but after that, it'll be radio silence for 5 days.

no worries ^_^ we're all in this to have fun, so don't feel bad if RL makes it tough for you to post ^_^

 Hey boss, where's our update? ^_^

it's coming...I had work, then class ^_^ I'll try to have something up tonight ^_^;;;

Should we leave then KAze no Kage?

that's up to you, though you've pretty much accomplished everything you can with those two ^_^ the question is what do you want to do after wards?  Are you going to try to get to the other city?  Look into the Phoenix attack?  Try to meet up with the Scorpion army?  Something completely out of left field that I haven't planned for?

What do you think Kenshin???

Me? yeah, we leave ... question is "where to"? Give me a few minutes ...

you could also take Gendo up on his offer and head for Shiro Akodo (that probably wouldn't be good for your health, but it's an option ^_^)

Na - I think im ready to head back to the crane lands now...

In reply to Miya Momoko (msg #150):

Well, we have to head to the second Lion army at some point, but I do think we should report in first.

So to Crane lands then!

Hi all,

Sorry about the long silence, but school (both the one I teach and the one I attend) is wrapping up around this time and I've got a lot of last minute tasks to complete (finals to grade and take, last minute assessments, meetings, paperwork, etc.).  Hopefully, I'll be back to a more regular posting schedule after next week (or at least have a little bit more free time to play).

Thanks for your patience, I'll be back ASAP ^_^

 I think by this point only something similarly serious in RL will actually kick me out of this game, so take the time you need boss. Just remember that when you get back, you need to provide us something at least as awesome as naked Kedo fighting ninjas in a bath-house. Nakedly.

Question: are the ninjas naked as well? A girl's gotta know.

the ninjas weren't naked...or at least those ninjas weren't ^_^;;;

just checking, who's still here (and is anyone waiting for a post from me?)
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:13, Fri 04 June 2010.

I'm not sure who I'm waiting for ... you or Miya-Sama. But, as I do not lead I must follow.

There was a naked ninja, but you probably didn't see her ... ;p

I'm just along for the ride for now. When you and Kumi-San are done, let me know.

In reply to Kaze no Kage (msg #155):

I'm still here, just a little at a loss of what to do, but I think I'm actually waiting for a thread or at least a direction of which to post in.

I'm kinda sitting by the sidelines since Sayuri is completely out of her depth in the discussion for now.

okay, so Sayuri and Sakura need something to do, any suggestions?

Oh, I'm fine with my Yojimbo driving for the moment. I took quite a bit of the spotlight earlier, and it's not like I don't pipe in ... :)

So Sakura and Kumi are moving on, are you going to go with them Sayuri?

next question, do you want to keep on with the city defense stuff or do a montage and move on to something different?  suggestions?

Don't let us hold you up, a montage is fine with me.

Bring on the rousing power chords!

Oh! Do I get to do some spell casting?

ummm, if you'd like, what are you casting and why?

I'll just kind of follow Sakura and watch her cast her spells...

...which aren't quite being cast in the Asahina style, are they? ::evil grin::

*strikes a pose*

Well, for those truly sticky tactical situations, we have

*displays scroll*

Wisdom of the Kami. When combined with Sympathetic Energies it can turn a Tactical Expert into a Tactical Genius.

Plus three to your Battle rank! ... but this offer is for a limited time ...

 We should have kept you around to boost Kedo's rolls... it would put his battle skill up into the level of being downright uncanny, although it might offend the Dice Gods somehow. ^_^

You a high Battle character too then Kedo?

 Kedo was Sakura's Ronin when the two of them went along to a meeting of the Daidoji commanders for the defence... He was asked his opinion on the plans for the defence and after rolling a hundred and two on his Intelligence+Battle roll, became the man responsible for developing the plan to defend the city from the Lion forces.

 So yeah, he's got a bit of battle skill. ^_^

Or a more than reasonable amount of luck.

Alas my fortunes with RPOL's dice roller tend to go poorly. Dice explosions are always enjoyable though.

 An absolutely insane amount of luck... On Kedo's behalf I should start burning incense for the Dice Roller - he also dropped by the forge of a mastersmith in town and, while she was being scornful, was fortunate enough to bash out a blade worthy of being Named, then put on display in her forge.

 I think the GM is begining to despair of the characters absolutely ridiculous good luck. I of course, am merely grateful for it. ^_^
This message was last edited by the player at 13:01, Sun 13 June 2010.

My luck with the RPOL diceroller seems to be inversly proportional to my luck with dice in the real world. The worse I roll in real life , the better my rolls on RPOL. When my RL group goes on hiatus, my RPOL rolls get worse. My RL rolls are always distressing, although amusing for my players when I GM.

My dice are horrifyingly tempermental, both in real world and RPOL. One of the more awkward moments in an L5R game was due to them turning on me by rolling high. I spent most the day failing miserably on dice rolls then the GM started spring magical effect of wibble. Players had to make steadily more difficult Willpower rolls to avoid randomly teleporting away. Mainly it was it nended to get us to the next bit of plot and also let us roleplay with those left around who we might normally not interact with as much (all Phoenix group. Lots of yojimbo and shugenja interplay, not much outside of the pairs).

If memory serves correctly the first two to vanish were our tempermental Fire shugenja and the Asako Henshin. We proceeded to wig extensively looking for the two of them, at which point another yojimbo and my shugenja went awol.

Last two players. One shugenja, one yojimbo. Stare across at each other. Long awkward silence.

And then there was one lonely yojimbo, in the woods, wondering where his shugenja who can barely get on his horse without help has gone. Oh and everyone else too It was a less than pleasent experience for him, though he had to admit the silence was sort of soothing. Think I made another two Willpower rolls before being popped away.

That was a fun but somwhat weird game.

I had a friend who had dice trouble like that, he would trade off on roll high and roll low systems--we started having him run the games instead ^_^

heading out for Father's Day weekend, I'll have something by Monday for everyone

Morning, folks. I will joining you very shortly, just looking/waiting for an opening :)

okay, so I flaked today, sorry ;_;
I've actually got everything written up, I just need to type it in.  Hopefully by tomorrow ^_^;;;

Ready and waiting, sir :)

 In your own time man... we've waited for you this long, you're not going to lose us easily. ^_^

I am truly sorry for any inconvenience, but I will only be able to post regularly on weekends for awhile.

no worries, RL always comes first ^_^

My life is really crunched for time these days. I'm still working on periods that allow me to post. Hopefully I can find time tomorrow.

Things have gone quiet... too quiet.

I blame the Scorpion.

Shhhh...

Hello there everyone!

Konichiwa!

Greetings and well met.

*bows* Hello there, Shosuro san!

Greetings, fellow Scorpion!

 Hey there.

 Your picture does promptly cause me to wonder two things however - where can I get a hat that cool and what the hell happened to your eyes? ^_^

Who needs a hat?

With a hat this stylin' nobody has to pay attention on my freaky eyes.

Sounds like something a Scorpion would say.

<rolls his un-freaky eyes>

Greetings Kagehisa-san.

Hey guys, i'm going to take a trip July 17 and only come back in day 31. Saying that in advance because i won't be able to post during those two weeks.

in the middle of moving, and the phone company messed up our transfer date.  may not have internet access for about a week

sorry about the inconvenience

I'm back after a little hiatus. Funny how things pile up in the office after a week off.

 Ain't it just... fortunately things have been a bit sluggish here - even my usual lightning responses have been delayed by the need for a bit of back-and-forth with Kaze. ^_^

fixed things up for the Something About Steel thread

 Almost...!





 But really getting closer, thanks boss. ^_^

::thunk::

Errr, do we still have Miya-San with us? This is something that I think the assembled need to know ...

I sent her a PM, but haven't heard back, I think you're on your own Kenshin ^_^

Hello everyone. New player just getting started. Looking forward to gaming with you all.

Hey all, I need to apologize for flaking lately.  I'm in the middle of moving into a new house (closing title, repainting, redoing the yard, and all that jazz) so my free time has been eaten up rather quickly.  I'm still here, I just may be a bit posting.

sorry and thanks for your patience ^_^

 Understood - sorry I've been a bit slow myself, the pace is sort of infectious.

 And don't worry Toyozo, we'll talk to you in due course, but it's not Kedo's Dojo and he's not about to speak befor either Crane does. ^_^
This message was last edited by the player at 11:24, Wed 29 Sept 2010.

ah no worries at all. Toyozo may not always be patient but his other self more than understands the ways of RL.

I see I'm neither active nor defunct.

Which is fitting; Sayuri's just stuck standing patiently in a meeting which has gone on for RL months, so she'll speak if spoken to.

augh!  sorry Sayuri ;_; I'm trying to get things back in gear as quickly as possible by making quick posts that respond directly to the one just before it.  The list was just something quick that Kedo wrote up a year and a half ago and I copied and pasted, so it's out of date and woefully incomplete.  It's really there so that everyone (mostly me) has a cheat sheet for all the names of NPCs, who they are and how they're related.  Sorry again.

So, huh, where am i on the list?

EDIT: I am going to post on a few moments before i go out on a trip.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:15, Fri 08 Oct 2010.

Well, now I'm confused -- I thought the negotiations were completed already. By yours truly.

ummm, as I recall there was no firm agreement as to what the Crane would give for Scorpion help (Shosuro Shinobu was quite perturbed about that point)  there were some vague promises of support in the Winter Court but not much beyond that.

Of course, I could be wrong--it has been a long time since that happened ^_^;;;

 Damn, I had forgotten that list! - I'll get my ass back in gear sometime and work on it.

barring anyone's objections, we're going to jump forward to the battle:

Kedo, Idun, Doji Toyozo, Hida Zenko, Moshi Reiko, and Tsuruchi Sumi will be in one group (on the front lines)

Daidoji Sakura, Bayushi Kenshin, Daidoji Sayuri, Daidoji Kumi, and Shosuro Kagehisa will be in a second group (in a support position)

if there are any preferences for locations/positions, I'll change things up

*Wild Scorpion appears*

Yo.

EDIT: and now that I look at it, since we are fighting Lion, Takashi would want to get up on the front lines if it is at all possible.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:52, Fri 22 Oct 2010.

Aagh! I'm an archer and scout primarily. What nut put me on the front lines?

*shrugs*

Just tell me how my meetings went and let me spend a bit of XP first ...

 Well, there are just two observations there... Kedo was going to visit that other smith at some point, but I think that'll get delayed if there's a Lion assault anyhow, as long as he's had the chance to wash up and meditate some first. Secondly, if they're actually using Kedo's improbably good plan, there aren't any front lines as such, but rather a mad, whirling, Stalingrad-like swirl of urban warfare designed to drive the Lion officers to absolute distraction and break up their exquisitely well-crafted C&C systems.

 In other words, a plan designed around lots of small sequential skirmishes in obstruction-heavy, stunt-friendly urban areas practically designed from the ground up for Player Characters to make good use of. Clever huh?

visiting another smith won't be a problem, we could do that concurrently with the battle or wait until afterwards--though it would be ironic if one of the smiths got killed in the battle ^_^

as for the front line / support position thing, that's just how I'm keeping it organized in my head.  Front line being the people who engaging directly with the enemy, support being the people who are trying to keep the fall back positions organized--which is not to say that they won't see combat, more that their victory conditions may not involve killing the Lion ^_^

Okay, I'm back in the saddle, sorry for the unannounced abduction. (This game seems to have a curse on it...)

Support position's acceptable for Sayuri.

Sorry all, been really sick this week.  Will try to have something up by Monday.  Off to collapse now.

Not dead yet ^_^

Kedo, Idun, Doji Toyozo, Hida Zenko, Moshi Reiko, and Bayushi Takeshi (Group 6)

Daidoji Sakura, Bayushi Kenshin, Daidoji Sayuri, Daidoji Kumi, Tsuruchi Sumi, and Shosuro Kagehisa (Group 7)

Prior to the battle, everyone needs to roll Perception/Battle TN 25, to see if you spot any critical flaws in the planned execution of the battle plan (like using gaijin powder on their own walls).

 28 with a free raise. A nice, normal roll. ^_^

 And don't worry boss, I think we're with you for the duration now!

Sayuri rolls a 20 with her magic boost.

Got a... nine! Nothing wrong here!

19:59, Today: Doji Toyozo rolled 14 using 2d10, rerolling max with rolls of 8,6. battle/percep.

Everything looks good to me.

Rolled what ends up being a 30 after accounting the unskilled no explosions penalty.

can everyone see the thread titled the Lion March?  everyone should be able to see at least one

I can see one.

 I can see it, but I had no idea what to do about it, it just appeared and two folks started posting to it. Are we supposed to be there?

Well, i do see it, but i thought i was already on the Scorpion Plans thread.

yes, everyone's supposed to be there.  Sorry about not making that clear :-(

I kept getting bogged down in the other threads (starting and not finishing posts) so I got something going that everyone can focus on and we can continue in the other threads simultaneously (since they won't affect the outcome or setup of the actual battle) if that works for everyone.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Mon 06 Dec 2010.

Hey gang, sorry for the delay! I got caught up in some personal issues, but I'm back now.

But ... where am I? Lion attacks thread?

Since the Scorpion are, for the most part, outside the city, where do you want Kenshin? I can think of at least three places ... but "sneaking" isn't one of them.

inside the city with the non-combatants.  One of the consequences of not completing objectives within a certain number of rounds is having to fight off Lion troops while still working on it.  Without at least one bushi, they'd be screwed.

 Don't stab the Ronin, stab the lion Ashigaru, the Ronin is on your side!

 _{And apparently, very very dangerous... eep.}

oops. Sorry.

Changed who I am trying to kill.

Someone seems to have ranks in Mirumoto Bushi...

Hmm... maybe I should have gone the cheesier route with this character... he wouldn't have gotten hit that first time :P

 Oh, just one or two... or four actually, and verging on five after some of the things Kedo has achieved. I have to admit I'm sort of excited about the very real possibility of getting to qualify for and play with the higher rank school abilities... which is not the least reason I'm fingers crossed the game goes on after the siege!

I, meanwhile, have been here longer than Kedo -- longer than anyone save the GM actually -- and I'm still stuck on Rank 3.

*sighs*

If I had gone the crazyawesome route with my character, I'm pretty sure Takashi would never lose a duel ever... but a stiff breeze would likely be his death >.>

*LOL*

You called? Sorry, I was delayed by a light breeze ...

Happy Holidays everyone!

I am going to be away for a while, one or two weeks roughly, without internet access. So I will be out of things for that time, but I should be back and will try to catch up when I do.

Happy New Year everyone.

Bushi people:  don't be afraid to take the four raises for an extra attack!  The ashigaru only have a TNtbH of 15, four raises takes that up to 35 which all of you can hit with your eyes closed ^_^  Against the samurai that you might be facing, it's a different story, but the ashigaru are just mooks ^_^

I was going to ask about that: can the attacks be against different targets?

yes

It should be noted that the Bayushi Bushi techniques are not conducive to super adders to attack ;)

I will also guess that the 'sure, you can make extra attacks against other targets' is a house rule, since the rules as written do specify that you can only do that if you have two weapons ;)

 Yeah well, what can I say but that off the battlefield, Kakita rocks... but when things hit the fan, you want a Miromoto on your side. Albeit one less wounded than Kedo now is... Still, the dice roller giveth and the dice roller taketh away and love it still I must. ^_^

*nods*

The rules as currently written don't do a whole lot; that's why I asked. I mean, I can out-duel most but on the battlefield ... well, it's been nice knowing ya. ;D

Actually, ironically enough my character is likely a better duelist than most of the kakita trained people.  In 3rd ed, the Kakita bushi was built as an excellent speed skirmisher (ranks two and five are just about the most insane techniques ever), but their duelist bonuses just aren't that great.  Extra focuses and void points are fun and all, but in the end they just don't compete with raw static bonuses (especially when you're cool like me and are rocking a 9k3+16 focus roll on all cylanders... and if that sounds ridiculous, just remember that it could have been 10k4+18, which basically translates to "Takashi will be winning this duel kthxbai").

Also, if you can ever get trained by a kenku, do so.  I was in a 3rd ed game where we had someone who was Kakita bushi 3/Kenku bushi 3.  He only had two attacks, but had something like a 10k5+40 initiative, which meant he always went first and got a ridiculous amount of free raises from KB 2, as well as a rather sizable bonus from Kenku bushi.

KB2 ... oh yeah. Huh, looks like I forgot to use some of those free raises that I'll almost definitely get.

Thanks! :D

I don't think Kenku are in Kenshin's future, but we will definitely need to train together. :D (FWIW Kenshin is a "one-trick pony", built that way with GM's permission. Ironically enough, he's working better than most of my "balanced" characters.)

house rule update in the house rules section (second attack with raises can hit anyone and justification)

no Kenku, sorry, I'm trying to keep to the inter-Clan conflict spirit of L5R rather than supernatural myth aspect ^_^

 Can't say I was deeply excited by the notion of going lookig for Kenku either - I mean sure, as a Ronin on the mystic path of steel it'd fit Kedo's mojo down to the ground, but he's more likely to be concerning himself with the busienss of men.

 And believe it or not, he's actually a fairly balanced character, appearances in-game to the contrary. Well, I think he is. ^_^

Oh trust me, Kaze, I am not surprised.

Hmmm... I just realized that as far as second attacks go, I'm farther behind the curve than the standard Bayushi Bushi.

Being moved to a different room again so may be offline a few days. Not that'll hinder much since I haven't posted in a while anyway, but I was going to try and start.

okay, thanks for letting us know ^_^

I've gotten a bit lost. Is the area of the barricade where I under direct attack, or can I continue to work on it?

you can continue to work at it...in fact, Bayushi Kenshin just eliminated both of the ashigaru who would have attacked you while you were working ^_^;;;

update to group 7

Just wanted to verify something -- we're using 3E rules for Defense, not 3ER right? That is to say, someone with 3 ranks of Defense adds 3 to their TNtbH, not 6?

 That's what I've been using, I think.

You mean you've been using 3, ne?

 Well, my book is in The Cupboard, but when I look at my sheet it says my defence is:

 [5(Reflexes)+(5+School Rank)+2(Earth Ring)+Armour+(Defence Skill)]

 So I guess it must be.

since I don't actually own 3ER (couldn't afford the extra $50 for small mechanical changes) I think we're still using 3E.  However, I'd be willing to switch to the 3ER defense mechanics if you can come up with a convincing argument for them ^_^

Also, the ashigaru have 10 base TNtbH + 3 for their ashigaru armor, in case you were wondering ^_^

In addition, if anyone feels like I've messed up on the rules, please let me know.  I might have a good reason, but equally likely is that I just messed up ^_^

 Does anyone know if there's a workable summing-up of the differences between the original and revised editions lying around anywhere we can chew over?

I don't believe so. The changes are small and scattered, but they usually make a big difference.

In the case of Defense, it's become both more and less potent. You replace (if you want) your TNTbH with the roll under Full Defense (less powerful), but add 2x your rank at all levels and at ... Rank 7? Can add it when under Full Attack.

It would make Kedo even more unstoppable ... ;p

 Wouldn't it just, ouch... well, for now I'm content with the fortunes as manifested in the form of the dice roller without feeling the need to slant them further. ^_^

Um, every combat after this one or are the ashigaru about to get reinforcements?

What are VP?

every combat after this one

I'm keeping track of your progress in defeating the Lion with Victory Points, which you earn by meeting each challenge.  The harder the challenge, the more VP you earn.  You have some control over how tough the challenge is by whether you move forward or retreat.  At the end of each challenge, you can advance (and possibly earn more VP but less healing and more glory), stay put (earn the same number of VP and some healing), or retreat (earn fewer VP and more healing but lose glory)

Ack! -1 vp?!? That'll teach me to play an Honorable character!

 Hey, we got -1 VP too and we won our duel plus routed some Ashigaru... I guess something bad happened somewhere. ^_^

Right. So the Combat Monster gets a duel while the Duelist gets mass combat ... Sounds like L5R.

 Ahhhh, you assume too much!

 Our duel took place between our duellist and an enemy. Kedo stood it out politely - in order for him to actually get a duel there'd have to be no Clan Bushi around with precedence over him. ^_^

something bad happened somewhere ^_^ suffice to say it was not Kenshin's actions which created the difficulty--if you do something like that, you'll know ^_^

Kedo, you just admitted yourself as a Dragon in the main thread, i think that is the first time you ever came out and said that.

Also apologizes for misreading Kedo's intentions.

 I think by this point it's largely obvious what he is - the all-over tattoos, Miromoto training, philosophical bent and tendency to utterly scramble delicate machinations just by being near them all kind of blow his cover. But it wasn't said out loud!

 And don't be silly - Toyozo just jumped the gun some is all, Kedo was thinking rather more dynamically 'cause what I wanted to do was stuntage utilising the inevitable street furniture of a good city fight. 'I hit him, roll dice' is a hell of a lot less interesting than Jackie Channing it with the scenery. ^_^

I can try a cart kheel when I iai draw next time.

...because Kedo doing crazy stunts in combat is unusual...(thinks back to Kedo cutting a half dozen arrows out of the air, naked bathhouse mass ninja killings, and philosophy discussions while dueling) never mind ^_^

actually, that's not a bad idea, I'd be totally willing to hand out free raises to well considered, well described, and well done stunts.  7th Sea and Exalted have something similar--Dramatic Raises! ^_^

 I'm proudest of the naked bathhouse fight, just for themental image of a mad tattooed nutjob vaulting the dividing wall wearing nothing but some strategically placed soap suds before jumping into the middle of a pack of ninjas. ^_^

 But I like the idea of offering a benefit for good stuntage - particularly since it's all in the hands of the GM. A raise or two added after the fact can go towards making something look more impressive or upping the effect of an action without affecting the difficulty we roll against after all.

*thinks about a Swashbuckling Kenshin*

Need to add athletics to my skill list ... ;)

I wonder what stunts you can do with a bow?

watch Lord of the Rings ^_^ anytime Legolas pulls out his bow is a stunt ^_^

 Unfortunately he's almost always desperately trying to stroke off the fanboys, which steals pretty much all the cool he might otherwise have managed.

And completely at the expense of poor Gimli.

In reply to Kaze no Kage (msg #285):

What, like stabbing someone with an arrow?

I figured the rest would just be called shots maybe, or are called shots actually stunts?

Well, there was the stairs surfing...

*shrugs*

I've always played that raises can be used for effect -- and that Iaijutsu raises can be used to minimize damage in the duel (e.g. First Blood looks great, and raises can be used to guarantee no more than 1 pt of damage).

But Daredevil (advantage) is kinda awkward the way it's defined anyway. Perhaps that should be considered?

I was thinking of free raises more for effect (and good description) rather than over the top action/athletics.  Kenshin's strike that took out two ashigaru, for example, wasn't athletic, but it was artistic and dramatic and would've earned a raise ^_^

Sorry about the silence guys, I'm still here.  Work's been hectic and I was in a car accident (no one was injured).  Sorry again.

Kaze-san. How much damage have these strieks been doing, I think I have been hit twice by the Lion but I can't find the damage... I may be out.

 Uh-oh... Then again, you have higher initiative than I do so hopefully you'd be able to tell me you're going down before I start on the battlefield first aid efforts.

whoops, sorry about that Toyozo, you've taken 31 wounds (10 from the first round, 8 from the second), you can spend void retroactively to lower those injuries (since I didn't post damage like I should have)

So... What are my options, Kaze:

...shoot, I knew I was forgetting someone ;_;
sorry about that, I'll have something up for you later tonight

Hey all, sorry for the silence, work's been a bit crazy.  I'll be back on Monday at the latest.

My whole life (if you could call it that) has been that way, so I understand completely. The silence has been a sort of break for me.

 Updates, huzzah!

 I've been trying to get a mid-battle chat going with Tomo, but it's been a hard sell I think. ^_^

HE HE.

Missed the your move part when I first read your post, Kedo, so I merely made that part of Toyozo's natural reaction.

 Nothing wrong with it at all Toyo, it's just the response was priceless... Kedo was only meant to be using psychological warfare on the poor Lion, not on you too. ^_^

Do we roll initiative again or are we still going off what we rolled before?

still going off what you rolled before

Don't forget -- you haven't taken damage yet, so there are bonuses and benefits ("Tides of Battle"). I forget the whole list since I've only used it to bump my own Init.

You can either bump your own initiative or subtract it from theirs. You have to have suffered no wounds since the last turn and can only use it against an enemy you made a successful attack or inflicted a wound.

I forgot about until I looked at your post and noticed you rolled it, so I did too. I got an 8 on it, which I will subtract from the one I shot, if I didn't kill him.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:37, Sun 05 June 2011.

Ahhhh .... ummmm ...

I need a bit of advice here (not used to playing someone this honorable). We're in the "bragging phase" of the duel challenge when one of us shot the opposing Samurai with an arrow.

Soooooo ...

What is an "Impossibly Honorable" Samurai expected to do in such a situation? No challenge had been laid -- yet. But now I just lost my best opportunity to Duel, etc.

Suggestions?

(I even had my response ready, dang it!)

make your declaration:  your initiative is higher than Sumi's so your declaration would have taken place seconds before she released her arrow and I'll work the timing out in my post; plus, your enemy might have the defense (yadomejutsu) emphasis ^_^

as for the 'honorable samurai' thing, Kenshin's not responsible for Sumi's actions (and won't take an honor penalty for not doing anything about her attack) and the Lion know that all actions are honorable in warfare (as per Akodo's Leadership), so they won't hold it against either of you...much ^_^

I would continue plugging away at her just to distract her if anything, but since it was Kanshin's challenge I'll hold my fire. Should I delete my post then?

It's up to you what your character does, I just wanted to make sure I was clear about what was going on ^_^  It is a formal challenge though, and you'll lose (more) honor if you don't respect it--not even the Wasp Code covers interfering with someone else's fight ^_^

Okay, edited.

Did I get hit? I don't know what my own target number is.

TNtbH = (Reflexes x 5) + Defense

Thanks.

The gonad did hit me!

I think I am either down or dead if I am reading damage correctly. Didn't I get hit for like 15 earlier and now 23?

you'd be in the crippled range, but didn't you ever get healed?  if not, I owe you, Sakura, and Kenshin 14 points of healing.  Plus ashigaru dice shouldn't be exploding, so you're only taking 14 damage (I'll edit the post)

Just so I understand: 14 this time, and the damage before was healed?

well, 14 points of it, so you're at a grand total of 15 wounds

@Kedo: did you want to wait for Toyozo or continue without him?  I've PMed him already, but no luck...

 I would love to continue with him... but sadly the Curse of Kedo seems to have struck again and I'm left bereft. If possible, could we have him fighting to one side, being fricking' awesome and generally kicking ass so's as I don't get deaded by the many, many Lions? ^_^

Please welcome Daidoji Akimitsu to the game ^_^
He'll be joining Kedo once I get my act together ^_^

Welcome Akimitsu!

 Raaaah, always good to have more people, it makes it less likely that the game will slide into the ranks of the forgotten, which we can't have happening! ^_^

Greetings one and all!

That is what I say Kedo. And I can not abide having good L5R games fall into the maw of darkness never to be seen again.

As a warning, this is my first Crane character so if it seems off or if its a wee over the top keep that in mind. Also feel free to send a PM with tips.

sorry for the long delay, Akimitsu, Kedo, Toyozo, you're up ^_^

Kaze, sorry for my own delay. What rolls shall I be making at this time as Kedo has been whirling his blades around me and I find myself a little behind in the times. (Apologies to you as well Kedo for being such a phantom poster this last month+). And greetings to you Akimitsu

 That's quite alright Doji... and no matter how good the Miromoto school is at multiple opponents (almost as good as the Kakita one is at single opponents) I'm vastly relieved to not be facing down a mob of archers on my own.

 I think I managed to take out the arrows coming your way - depends on how the GM wants to run it, but we're leapfrogging from cover to cover so this round I think we just need a 'moving' post.

@Toyozo:  not a whole lot has happened since your last post ^_^;;; you and Kedo are still running for bear against a fortified Lion barricade, you got some backup in the form of Daidoji Akimitsu (also of the Kakita Bushi school), and Kedo is cutting arrows out of the air like the Iron Chef cuts veggies ^_^

@Kedo:  you've been a yojimbo for most of the game, I'd be excessively rules lawyery and anti-role play if I didn't take that into account (besides, the image of Kedo flying down the street, cutting arrows out of the air like a whirling dervish is too impressive to pass up ^_^)

 I love the fact that my success rate for stunts goes up the more cinematic and cool I make them... That's exactly the sort of game I love to play.

Kedo-Kun, are you sure it's the "Curse of Kedo"? I mean, you're the only other Long-term player here, and I'm the only one of the "originals" left.

Maybe it's the "Curse of Sakura"? lol

I've been with it a long time.

True, but you joined after we reached the City, ne? IIRC, Kedo and myself are the only two that started out before the city walls; I'm the only one that started out with the Crane Clan Champion.

We were actually all Crane then ... LOL

I wasn't trying to claim I'd been with it as long as you guys, just that I've been here maybe long enough to be a long-term player.

...oh yeah, this was originally a Crane-only game...and there was an entire task force devoted making sure the Crane had allies in Toshi Ranbo before Winter Court happened...and then only three people arrived (Kedo, Daidoji Sakura, and Miya Shiko--and Shiko was an NPC).

There was even a whole subplot involving the Lying Darkness and the Emperor...

Yep. Our only "non-Crane" when we left was a Monk who was formerly Crane. We were also collectively given special authority (a sort of Crane Magistrate thing IIRC) from the Clan Champion which sorta had to dissipate when I was the only Crane left.

I was so proud of Doji Kuwanan picking Sakura specially for this mission, too. ;D

 ...which I at least have carefully ignored because I bloody hate the whole lying darkness plot arc and, truth be told most everything that comes in after the 'thousand years of peace' stuff.

 I sort of came into the L5R RPG before all the card game tournaments played 'monster of the week' with Rokugan and although I've enjoyed the later editions, I've never seen anything in any of them that made me even slightly interested in following the dreadful metaplot.

I mostly enjoyed the CCG before WOTC got their hands on it.

I had a problem with the Scorpion Corruption (you give them only one way to win and then you punish them for winning? WTF?!?), but overall I was okay with it.

But then WOTC came.

The whole "The Scorpion are back -- but, wait! They were exiled to the Burning Sands before the game even begins!" put a rather bitter taste in my mouth*, and when they gave us good Heros -- only to kill them off and/or corrupt nearly every darned decent card we had ... well, I had enough of their games. My last deck was the first Kitsune deck.

(We Scorpion do not like being betrayed.)

And don't even get me started with the "Mantis become a Great Clan" nonsense. (Becoming a Great Clan is one thing, but doing it by threatening the Emperor? Say what?)

The only good thing that came out that whole darned thing was when the Dragon Clan stood up for us. That was the result of Dragon Clan players going "WTF are you doing to the Scorpion Clan?!?" and, more or less en-masse, taking our side.

I personally prefer to play pre-clan war games, but they aren't even being run anymore.

::ducks flying chunks of meta-plot::

okay, I'll try to avoid Lying Darkness sub-plots (though given that we're entering Hidden Emperor territory in the timeline, that could be tough ^_^;;; -- I promise not to make it a central part of the plot though ^_^;;;) I started playing the L5R rpg during the Four Winds era so the Lying Darkness is just sort of part of the background for me.

On a related note, the end of the siege is coming soon (soon being a relative term for me ^_^;;;) so the question is where do people want to go from there?  I'm planning on it being court, though where, when, and who is still up in the air.

I'm just sitting here happily listening to the tales of all my extreme elders. There is much to learn from the aged. ^.^

Also, Doji, my character is a very social heavy Kakita so while the same school we probably have a fair amount of differences.

 I tend to feel that the metaplot is best dumped from a great height and instead used as a background for other things - Rokugan is crammed with sorcerors, warriors, courtiers, plots, schemes, murders, bandit chiefs, wandering ogres, supernatural beings... The massive 'we shall tell you where your story goes and you can watch our awesome GMPC's rule you all' metaplots are practically superfluous.

 I have to admit that after the siege, I'm, it might be interesting to visit the Lion just for completenesses sake, but on the other hand there's a Winter Court coming up, the Emperor is on his way and we happen to be in the city where he'll be appearing. Kedo would give his eye-teeth for a chance to sit at the feet of the Emperors smith for a few hours and I can't wait until he's sitting in front of a Dragon ambassador to the court and trying to explain the last week or two and why all the Crane are looking at anyone in a green kimono with even more disconcerted respect than usual. ^_^

please welcome back Bayushi Kenji after a long absence ^_^

plus, I archived four years of threads so everyone can see what's happened before ^_^
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:13, Wed 16 Nov 2011.

Howdy, guys and gals.  Now, to attend to a few of these enemies...

 Damn' but it's nice to see this game moving again after so long! ^_^

Well, I'd actually like Sakura to "go Ronin" with the "new-to-be" Emerald Champion, but Winter Court would work well ... especially if the Emperor & Empress are there.

Kenshin definitely needs to do Winter Court, but he'll mostly be trying to keep his mouth shut. LOL

all right, out numbered 5 to 1 and unable to respond offensively for 3 rounds, Kedo and Toyozo are totally uninjured and about to wreck complete and total havoc on the poor Lion Ashigaru...I'm going to have to send tougher enemies, since overwhelming numbers don't seem to work ^_^

oh, and Kedo, you can still post actions (besides cutting the 1 arrow that beat your TNtbH--which you demolished)

 I'd love to, but unfortunately arrow-cutting is a pretty taxing action all its own. And please, don't feel obligated to kick our asses on my account - after all, it would only take a couple of hits to put Kedo on his backside bleeding, same as anyone else and a couple of those came damn' close. If they'd been stood in two groups or firing from more than one place or had rolled slightly higher the cumulative volley bonuses would have feathered me like a pillow. ^_^

 Tired when you were posting then boss? ^_^

no, trying to type on a borrowed iPad...damn autocorrect ^_^

in case you missed it, small xp reward for everyone (with a larger one to come after the siege) plus a few new house rules in preparation for Winter Court.

And Kenji has re-entered the game.  Yay!

 Huzzah!

 Which reminds me. A little while back I created an epic 'who's who' post for the game, including everyone mentioned or met up to that point. The response was less than overwhelming, but since most of the commentary is (i) my own words and experiences (ii) snarky, anyone who wants a more accurate synopsis is invited to take a look and page me with the update so's I can keep it up to date. ^_^
This message was last edited by the player at 11:10, Thu 24 Nov 2011.

Hah! After all this time I'm finally closing in on Insight Rank 4!

insert maniacal laughter here

Yes! My plan to get to Insight Rank 6 might come to passsssss ...

(LOL!)

So, Kedo-Kun -- what are you now? Like, Rank 12? LOL

 Nope, Rank 4 and ruing the fact that as a Ronin I'll not be able to ascend to Rank 5 until such time as I put off the gray's and rejoin the Dragon. Although I might be able to sweet-talk the GM into having a training-capable Bushi with the Dragon envoys. ^_^

What are VP and do we roll the healing?

Vp are how I'm keeping track of the progress of the battle.  The more you have,the closer to the end you are.

Yes, you roll healing

 Incidentally, as a fairly competent battle-type, how do things seem to be going with the Mad Ronin's Plan? ^_^

you can tell from the degree of resistance that you've been encountering that the battle is probably going well from the Crane perspective.  The Lion seem less confused than you'd hope, but that's probably because you're closer to their chain of command than they'd like and orders flow smoothly when you're close to the top.