I don’t know much about the original Legend of the Five Rings collectible card game. It was originally released in 1995, which is long before I got into my current tabletop obsession. The only tenuous connection I have to the original is a Legend of the Five Rings theme of Love Letter, which other, more in-touch gamers have enthused over. So I know the art is gorgeous and people love it, but that’s about it.
Thankfully, Fantasy Flight Games have come to my rescue! To introduce the unique world of Rokugan to newer gamers and expand the experience for older gamers alike, Fantasy Flight Games will be releasing a new card game: Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Core Set.
[quotes quotes_style=”bquotes” quotes_pos=”center”]The Emerald Empire of Rokugan. It is a land upheld by honour, guided by fate, ruled by destiny. The Great Clans each support the Emperor, but the inter-clan conflict is inevitable—both in the Emperor’s courts and on the battlefield. In the midst of danger and turmoil, honour must be your sword and your armour.[/quotes]
As a player-influenced Living Card Game (in the same vein as Netrunner), Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game will have two players take on the role of one of the seven Great Clans of Rokugan. Players will vie for military and political control of the land while maintaining Rokugan society’s strict code of honour.
Players command their forces with two different decks: A Dynasty Deck provides their provinces with characters and holdings, and a Conflict Deck gives tactics, manoeuvres, followers and attachments that can be used to turn the tide in a struggle for supremacy. During a game, players engage in both military and political conflicts, with the end-goal of breaking their opponent’s stronghold and winning the game. But, the rules of society are absolute, and even in the fire of battle and heat of Rokugan’s courts, clans must remember the tenets of Bushidō, lest they lose everything in their single-minded pursuit of glory.
The Core Set comes with everything you need to explore the seven great clans of Rokugan. It also has the tokens, cards, and rule sheets you need to get started. Though you technically only need one core set, more competitive players might need to buy additional sets for extra copies of some individual cards.
Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game will have a pre-release showing at Gen-Con 2017, with a worldwide release in the fourth quarter of 2017.