post for 24 April 2002

Where is Design going? (Was Re: [L5R-CCG] post for 27 March

It seems now that the one clan whose design specifications was released will now constantly be compared to those design specifications and is open to debate and comparison (and further disapproval, if the players do not believe the new characters this clan receives meets their design specifications),

I find no cause for alarm. Players have heretofore proven themselves to be eminently capable of complaining in the complete absence of such a document.

I find it disturbing when the players that complain are put aside by the company that they are the customers of. When it is the company that should be listening. So many that complain are the ones that don't live in the big important cities of the tournaments that deside the design for the story. I fight for those people that know they cannot make there say because they cannot even come close to those that spend thousands to get the cards needed. My idea of a story twist maybe small, but I like the idea of Isawa Nakamuro and Tamori Shaitung getting married. That would be a great plot twist. What is happening with Aikune is so strange I got confused.

I think you missed my point. Our customers already voice their opinions when they find something they don't like about our game. They don't feel the need to verify first that what we've done breaks some rules on an ink-and-paper list sitting in my desk drawer before they view their observations as valid (nor should they, but that's another matter).

Your concerns about suddenly being less able to impact the storyline now that this file has been written are entirely misplaced, since game mechanics are about all that it covers.

I would like to see the pros at AEG come up with a design for Enlightenment for each clan, even shadowlands. If they cannot, then I say they must make it a little easier,

We just did, by putting Enlightenment and the Armor of Osano-Wo into the Gold environment. Let's give the environment time to absorb them before adding more, so we can be sure we don't need to do more and don't accidentally overcompensate.

naga tattoo

Friend of mine wanted me to ask this. Naga Tattoo, he feels that it only works for a personality in the battle being resolved moving out, not moving someone into the battle being resolved. I said the tattoo satisifed presence (which he agreed with) and relevance, it creates or moves something in the battle, but he disaggreed on that point. Example below, in case I muddied the waters. Tattooed guy with Naga tattoo attacking provine A. Currently resolving province B. I said Naga tattoo lets me move him into this province with its action, it satisifies presence and relevance. Friend feels I can only move tattooed guy if we're resolving A and I use his abilty to move him out of A (say, to D).

You made the correct call. Your friend is mistaken. Moving one of your own units into the current battle satisfies both Presence and Relevance [p. 53] -- it's just like using Superior Tactics to move in from elsewhere. And the Naga Tattoo doesn't say anything that would restrict the movement to just one direction in or out, like "move into this battle from an adjacent one".

Kolat Master questions

Qu 1. came up in play. Qu 2. is just for curiosity.

1.Shiba Tsukune Exp3 states that she will only join a phoenix player. As such, should her chi be reduced below 4 could she be kolat mastered by a non phoenix player.

Kolat Master would not take control of her. However, it is still legal to play it, and both its other effects -- the destruction of all Followers with an Honor Requirement above 0 and the loss of 4 Honor -- would still happen.

2.If Goblins, Ogres or Oni are kolat mastered away for a spawning grounds player would they keep their +1/+1.

By the latest printing, the bonus applies to all appropriate cards the Spawning Grounds player "owns". The Glossary, on page 75 of the rulebook, tells us that the owner of a card is the player whose deck it was in at the start of the game. Since the owner of a card can't change during the course of a game, taking control of an Oni, Troll, etc. will not turn off the Stronghold bonus.

l5r Question. Omen

Question is about the personality Omen Text reads: Crab Clan Shugenja * Shadowlands * Lose 2 honor. Maho Limited: Once per turn, give a corruption token to any personality in play. Lose 1 honor. Maho Limited: Bow omen and remove corruption tokens from a personality equal to his or her chi to permanently give the personality the shadowlands trait.

Question is are corruption tokens equal to -1 Chi?

No.