I started playing CCGs in 1994, when I was just starting 8th Grade. That is ten years of my life devoted to this hobby. Now don't get me wrong- my dream is to be a successful filmmaker. But, if I had to do something else, it would probably be CCG design.
Well, I can't think of another feasible way of actually getting work as a CCG designer without putting out work samples. So here it is.
Card games have qualities that distinguish them from all other forms of gaming.
Any card game would do well to take advantage of these strengths.
a. Randomness
One major difference between a card game and other strategy games such as Chess or Go is a random opening hand and random card draws.
Randomness creates excitement and makes a card game test different skills than traditional strategy games.
Whereas all forms of strategy games test foresight, knowledge and experience, in a card game the player is also tested on his ability to make the best of the hand he is dealt.
Although CCGs also utilize randomness in the form of probability, it is a different skill than most miniature games in which strategy is based almost entirely on probability.
Dice and coin games utilize a mathematical skill which is different from the randomness found in card games.
In a sense, the randomness utilized by card games is the same randomness found in the computer game Tetris, particularly the height option which is similar to a random opening hand.
What are the ways for a card game to take advantage of randomness? First, limited set up.
Although it is good for card games to have some consistency in openings, such as balanced mulligan rules and the L5R card Gifts and Favors,
when a card game's set up is too consistent, not only is there potential abuse but more importantly the gameplay becomes boring and stagnant.
An example of this is Alderac's 7th Sea CCG.
Second, a card game should limit search and card manipulation.
Search and card manipulation are very powerful because they negate randomness.
They give the player so much control that the player is no longer tested on his ability to adapt and exploit.
Search and card manipulation are fun concepts, but they need to be heavily costed.
b. Incomplete Information
The other major difference between a card game and other strategy games is that players have limited and incomplete information about the current game state.
In Chess or Go, everything is on the board, so calculations are less difficult. Cards, however, can be hidden.
One card game which takes full advantage of this is Netrunner.
Everytime the runner successfully completes a run, even if he doesn't steal any agendas, he still gains advantage that he didn't have previously.
Even early information about the ice the Corporation has in hand let's the runner know what types of Ice Breakers he will need to install.
Because there is unknown, every decision in a card game contains potential risk.
A card game should always contain two unknowns- what is in the opponent's hand, and what will each player draw in the upcoming turns.
Just as card games test a player's ability to make the best of the resources he has available, a card game must also test the player's ability to deal with incomplete information.
Perhaps the classic example of this is just simple, Texas Holdem Poker.
Texas Holdem has clearly defined knowns (The Flop), and unknowns (The Hand, The Turn and The River).
All the drama of Holdem occurs as the Turn and The River changes from unknown to known.
Several methods for a card game to maintain unknown information.
First, keep the hand sacred.
Information about your opponent's hand becomes incrementally valuable.
An effect which let's a player look at his opponent's complete hand is terrible.
However, consider an effect that let's a player look at all but one card, and his opponent chooses which card to keep hidden.
Is he concealing his best card, or is he bluffing?
That mystery is essential.
Second, give players a lot of response options.
To create risk in action, players need to be able to respond to plays with concealed cards.
Third, take advantage of concealing cards in play.
This way, even when a player has emptied his hand, he still might have a potential "ace in the hole."
c. Transportability and Convenience
Richard Garfield initially designed Magic: The Gathering to be played in between RPG sessions at major conventions.
One of the key points of having a card game is that it is portable and convenient to carry.
So, although this isn't as important a point as the other two, designers should try to maintain the portability of their games.
Playmats, hundreds of counters and whatever else are inconvenient and should be kept to a minimum.
Introduced in the Hidden City set, Formations are one of the most original and intuitive new concepts in L5R. Unfortunately, there is an ironic problem... almost all the Formations designed in the five sets since Hidden City have sucked. Most of them are horrible conceptually (Invincible Legions anyone?) and the only one that sees extensive play that I would consider a "staple" is Forward Sentries.
Which is a shame because Formations truly revolutionize the game.
Formations should be the basic actions of battles. Battles should consist of each army playing a formation, then a counter formation, etc... In fact, this is how I tried to design Way of the Minor Clans. There are very few battle action cards in Way of the Minor Clans, besides Terrains, Formations and Politics (the Imperial Cards) and the cards that play off of them. However, in designing Way of the Minor Clans I ran across a problem... The Formations I was coming up with also sucked. It's too hard to capture the spirit of Formations in card form, so it would seem.
Well, I had a breakthrough last night. I've realized that, for the most part, Formations, whether designed by AEG or designed by me, have been mostly top- down. That's my strength as a card designer. Well... guess what... Formations ought to be designed bottom- up. After all, these are supposed to be the basic actions in battle. Kind of makes sense.
There are four types of formations: Center, Flanking, Reserve and Unorthodox. These traits didn't meet anything originally. I designed Teyino and Chujo to make them meaningful. Well, here is where bottom- up meets top- down.
Center Formations are basic actions. You commit to a battle based on the strength of the Center Formation they can play.
Flanking Formations are reactionary. They adjust to the tricks that your opponent has revealed. They are contingency plans.
After Center and Flanking Formations have done their damage, Reserve Formations clean up the battle. As such, Reserve Formations have a variety of effects, but also have lighter fullfillment restrictions than the other two. They are perfect when your primary formation gets broken.
I think L5R is dying. Here is the lesson designers should learn.
Always push the game towards new players.
Every base set, every expansion, make getting new players into the game the primary focus after making the expansion expand gameplay.
Make sure every expansion provides an entry point for new players.
Make sure you constantly create new factions to support new players.
Make sure the gameplay is not so complex that it would alienate new players.
It should be intuitive to a new player which cards he should be acquiring.
Card games never stay static. If you aren't moving forward, you are inevitably moving backward.
Way of the Minor Clans is an expansion for L5R designed for sealed and draft play. It is intended to be sold as starter boxes, one for each of the minor clans featured in this set- Sparrow, Hare, Monkey, Fox, Snake, Ox, Dragonfly and Tortoise- and booster boxes. TO�s are encouraged to run sealed and draft tournaments as well as draft league with this set. This set can also be used for 2 player Rochester draft.
Interested in playtesting Way of the Minor Clans? Download the cards as printable proxies!
UPDATE: The card lists are pretty outdated now. I've been working to move everything to full proxies. Everything is almost finalized for the Minor Clans set. When its all done, I'll have a downloadable zip file available. If you'd like to discuss either Minor Clans or Winter Edition, please visit The Village of Tsuma, the message board for Minor Clans, Opal Edition and Winter Edition.
The Peninsula of Dawn
Kasuga Taigen
Kasuga Opeko
Kasuga Yumi
Kasuga Jen
Kasuga Kiro
Kasuga Konkurito
Kasuga Nagura
Kasuga Reiko
Kitsune Mori
Kitsune Ryukan
Lady of the Forest
Kitsune Katsume
Kitsune Futsu
Kitsune Akemasu
Kitsune Marichiko
Kitsune Sachiko
Kitsune Hyosuke
Shiro Usagi
Usagi Ozaki
Usagi Taneo
Usagi Yobi
Usagi Oda
Usagi Sumika
Usagi Kaagi
Usagi Tatsuka
Ujina Kie
Shiro Morito
Morito
Morito Chiharu
Morito Shiori
Morito Takehide
Morito Katsumi
Morito Denide
Morito Seiko
Morito Kitei
Dragon Heart Plain
Chuda Mishime
Maho- Kanrei
Chuda Ekusuji
Chuda Aayano
Shinda Akemi
Chuda Chiyori
Chuda Ridwan
Chuda Jirishi
New Kyuden Tonbo
Tonbo Dayu
Sezaru's Guardian
Tonbo Yoshimi
Tonbo Karasu
Tonbo Eizo
Tonbo Raijin
Tonbo Suzue
Tonbo Akashi
Toku Torid-e
Toturi Miyako
Toku Huang
Katsutoshi
Toku Kazue
Toku Sumie
Toku Mujaki
Toku Chujo
Toku Kunie
Kyuden Suzume
Suzume Yugoki
Suzume Juzo
Suzume Tanika
Suzume Hotada
Suzume Yoshiko
Suzume Meshiro
Suzume Heiji
Suzume Jima
Imperial Harbor
Mystic River
Rabbit Hole
Kolat Saboteur
Blood Nexus
Tonbo Library
Toturi War Academy
Shrine of Poverty
Open City
Fishing Village
Village Market
Lonely Farm
Citadel
Tortoise Outpost
Fox Outpost
Hare Outpost
Ox Outpost
Snake Outpost
Dragonfly Outpost
Monkey Outpost
Sparrow Outpost
Blizzard
Campaign
Early Spring
Invasion
Kolat Coup
Lead the Minor Clans
Monsoon
Remember the Past
Three Man Alliance
Kenno
Mai Chong
Twin Parangu
Kusari- Gama
Lajatang
Inherited Armor
Walking Horror of Fu Leng
Conscripted Army
Ashigaru Militia
Emerald Garrison
Disguised Bowmen
Ashigaru Bandits
Ashigaru Defenders
Veteran Bandits
Loyal Buke
Stand by Me
Arrow's Reach
Crow's Vision
Flames of the Goddess
Water's Sweet Clarity
Flight of the Dragonfly
Hidden Footsteps
Return to Nature
Summon Squirrels
Conjure Weather
Humorous Kami
Profit of the Tao
Blood Bomb
Imitation of Life
Phantom Menace
Rejuvenated Blood
Wasted Breath
Kolat Kidnapper
Kolat Mastermind
Kolat Warfare
Questioned
Ignored
Kolat Gift
Attrition
Collateral Damage
Diverted Engagement
Extended Engagement
Ninja Lesson
Rout
Superior Coordination
Crushing Tactics
Decoy Distraction
Harmonious Attack
Harrow
Bamboo Ambush
Obvious Ambush
Wolf Trap
Blessed by the Forest
Blindside Charge
Dead of Night
Encircling Tactics
Superior Withdrawal
City of Crows
Deadly Crossing
Forbidden Ground
Ice Storm
Wretched Weather
Open Melee
Treacherous Slope
Waterfall Grave
Counter Raid
Hasted
Mocked
Outmaneuver
Prepared
Favored
Shapeshifting
Touch of Fu Leng
Dark Divination
A Terrible Oath
The 12th Black Scroll
Way of the Minor Clans Full Card List
NEW Download the complete images set as a ZIP file!
Download boosters1 and boosters 2
I. Imperial Cards
A Minor Clan player does not begin the game with a Wind. The Minor Clans exist beneath the notice of the Imperial Court. Although a Minor Clan player may lobby and gain the Imperial Favor normally, in order to effectively use the Imperial Favor a Minor Clan player must rely on a group of cards known as Imperial cards. An Imperial card typically has two actions, one of which requires discarding the Imperial Favor as a cost. In addition, most Imperial cards allow you to take both actions, creating a single, powerful effect-
Hasted
Action
0 Gold Cost
Reaction: After your Attack Phase ends, target one of your units: Straighten all cards in the targeted unit. Then you may take the next action on this card.
Imperial Reaction: After your Attack Phase ends, discard the Imperial Favor: You may take another Attack Phase.
2 Focus Value
Ignored
Action
0 Gold Cost
Political Reaction: Before a player gains or loses honor: The gain or loss is reduced by 3. As your next Open action, you may take the next action on this card.
Imperial Open: Discard the Imperial Favor: Gain 3 honor.
3 Focus Value
There are two game design purposes for this rule. First, it allows me to balance this set without having to consider whatever changes are made at a later date to the existing Winds. Second, it makes the Minor Clans weaker than the Major Factions in constructed play.
In addition a number of other effects become stronger for a player controlling the Imperial Favor.
II. Seasons
The Minor Clans have lesser military assets than the Major Factions. Therefore, terrain and weather become much more important considerations in Minor Clan warfare tactics.
There are four season traits- Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
There is no current season when the game begins. When an Event with a season trait resolves, the current season changes to that season.
Harvest Stores
0 Gold Cost
Farm.
Bow to produce 1 Gold if you control another Farm.
If the current season is Summer, bow to produce 1 Gold for each other Farm you control.
The game design purposes for this rule are to give Events more of an impact on the game and to make them more viable picks in Draft, as well as to simulate the seasons and thus creating a new area of card designs to explore. It allows more experienced Drafters to exploit the Season theme and be rewarded in gameplay.
III. Outposts
Each Minor Clan has an associated Outpost Region card. These Regions, which are singular, provide an �alliance�Eeffect when in play. In addition, they can be destroyed to generate a useful effect. Each starter comes with a set of these Outposts, and they are also found in booster packs as Uncommon cards.
Snake Outpost
Region
Singular. Shadowlands.
If you are not a Snake player, bow to produce 2 Gold when paying for a Snake Clan Personality.
Maho Limited: Destroy this card and target a Personality in any Province: The target permanently gains the Shadowlands trait and has a �EHonor Requirement.
Tortoise Outpost
Region
Singular. Port.
If you are not a Tortoise player, bow to produce 2 gold when paying for a Tortoise Clan personality.
Reaction: When paying the cost of an action that requires discarding the Imperial Favor, destroy this card and discard a card from your Fate hand: Satisfy the cost of discarding the Imperial Favor.
Effective and reliable �Alliance�Eeffects give players more options when drafting personalities. These Regions themselves are also valuable cards to draft and reward players for committing to an �Alliance�Edrafting strategy. In addition these Regions make a set of important effects available and playable for every player. I believe this to be an effective use of the Region card type. Multiple copies of an Outpost Region can be drafted and played, which makes the �Alliance�Eeffect more reliable and effective early game, but also gives a Military player the opportunity to end the effect through destroying the province.
IV. Expanded Raiding
Raiding is one of my favorite mechanics from Diamond Edition. I think it is brilliant and perfect for the game on both mechanical and conceptual levels. One of the goals of the expansion is to focus on Raiding and flesh it out as an integral aspect of the game same as dueling or magic. The expansion features many cards that support Raiding. One of the best examples is Counter- Raid:
Counter- Raid
Action
0 Gold Cost
Raid Reaction: After the Attack Phase, if you were the Defender, declare an additional Attack Phase. This is a Raid attack. Battles are considered Raid battles and battle resolution does not destroy armies or provinces. During each battle resolution, if you are unopposed, you may bow a Holding or destroy a bowed Holding controlled by the Defender.
4 Focus Value
Commander, were you actually surprised by this development?
V. Reaction Terrains
Well, I had an idea of reactions that stayed in play as terrains. In essence you get two powerful effects in one card, but they also have the limitations of each card type. Like terrains, they cannot be played if there is already a terrain in play, and like reactions, they can only be played under specific conditions. Generally, terrains do not get played unless they are grossly overpowered. In a sense, these are useful reactions that also force an opponent to have an answer for terrains.
Treacherous Hillside
Action
0 Gold Cost
Reaction: Negate an effect that allows a player to perform an additional action during a battle, including additional actions from playing a formation.
Delayed Terrain
You may perform one Battle or Open action.
1 Focus Value
VI. Themes of Each Minor Clan
Sparrow-
Themes- Action- based honor gain; Enlightenment; Monks; Dueling
Strategy- Honor/ Enlighten out by playing defensive and light PK through Fire ring dueling
Hare-
Themes- Raiding; Anti Ninja, Kolat and Bloodspeakers; Metagame effects;
Strategy- Attack recklessly to disrupt opponent�s resources while conserving your own, then win through attrition
Monkey-
Themes- Battle action recursion; Dueling; Imperial Favor;
Strategy- Blow through hand with dueling/ force bonuses for early advantage, then recur those actions in the mid/ late game.
Fox-
Themes- Defensive Honor run/ switch; Spell- based honor run/ switch; Token Personalities;
Strategy- Build up economy to buy honor and defend/ switch with expendable personalities and spells
Snake-
Themes- Follower recursion and efficiency; Maho corruption and PK; Fear;
Strategy- Defend and disrupt with Maho PK; Attack weakened defenders with Follower- based Units.
Ox-
Themes- Cavalry; Infantry supported by Cavalry; Kolat; Disruption;
Strategy- Disrupt key elements of opponent�s strategy with Kolat actions while exploiting Cavalry to destroy your opponent�s provinces.
Dragonfly-
Themes- Disruption/ Metagame effects; Effective spell casting; Fate deck manipulation;
Strategy- Survive the early game while building spells and resources, becoming unstoppable mid/ late game.
Tortoise-
Themes- Naval; Courtier;
Strategy- Attack/ take provinces with Naval, then honor out relying on the Imperial Favor for defense.
L5R can't be drafted straight out of the boosters.
Decks, especially the Dynasty deck, needs roughly x and y proportion of cards in order to work. Also, you'd have to draft around 8 or 9 boosters in order to make 40/40 decks. There's rules you can use to get around this: for instance, perhaps Dynasty cards can be brought into play face- down as a 2 for 2 holding. But overall, L5R Limited works better as semi- constructed: your booster drafted cards supplemented by some standard cards. Starter decks haven't been designed to be suited for this. However, here is the idea:
Create a list of the most basic cards in L5R containing no Rare cards. Players bring to the draft 20 Dynasty cards and 20 Fate cards of their choice from the list. However, there are two lists: a 1 copy maximum list and a 2 copy maximum list.
Then, draft 5 booster packs of any set to make 40/40 minimum decks. I recommend Rochester draft to discourage hate drafting and making sure people are well informed of the consequences of their picks. Rochester is draft in which everyone sees what everyone else is drafting.
Finally, players choose a stronghold and a wind.
Everything plays as normal (Lotus rules are actually better for draft than Diamond rules were). Ignore construction rules.
I recommend players using this format to try out Way of the Minor Clans or using the standard decks that I provided.
As far as the lists go, you could do something very simple like 1 copy of any uncommon from Diamond Edition base set and 2 copies of any common from Diamond Edition base set, or you can do something more limited and concise. Here is what I would have legal for WotMC semi- constructed draft.
Coming soon!
At long last, the Kolat have achieved victory over the celestial heavens. Mankind is no longer subjugate to his ties to the spirit world. The tie between man and kami has been sundered and a new world order reigns in Rokugan.
The original idea for Winter Edition came from a conversation I had with my friend Ash Thomason. We were, like we often do, discussing the state of L5R, and all of the sudden he says to the effect:
"I wish AEG would do something really crazy to shake things up. Like get rid of the clans."
This was the beginning of Winter Edition, a block of L5R where clan ties are no more and players are free to chose their own destiny and forge their own clan out of the pieces left behind by Winter. The basic idea is that players will be able to create their own clan by uniting three families. They could seek to rebuild their old clan, or they had the freedom to try a new path. This fit with an idea I've had a long time that each family should be tied to a sub- strategy that was integral to the strategy of a clan as a whole. For instance, the advantage of the Unicorn is cavalry, but each family should exploit cavalry in different ways. The Moto could represent using completely cavalry units to take undefended provinces and punish poor defensive assignment. The Shinjo could represent the synergy of using cavalry to support infantry. Finally, The Utaku could represent using cavalry to get an early advantage and provinces, and push that advantage to an honor victory.
An Empire in Ashes
In Winter Edition, the tie which binded families into clans, their shared relationship with one of the celestial kami, has been sundered by the endgame of the Kolat. The families seek familiar and strange alliances to take advantage of the power vaccuum created by an Empire in chaos. There are 8 major families that seek to re- establish their clan: Hida, Doji, Matsu, Togashi, Isawa, Bayushi, Moto and Otomo. They have more resources than the other families, but they wil not work for each other and by playing them, your goal is to resurrect the old clan. If a player using a major family should win Gen Con he will resurrect the original clan: although perhaps not with the same families as before. On the other hand, should a player not using any of the major families, he will create his own major clan formed by the families of his allies and claim the Emerald Throne. Once a clan has been formed or reformed by an alliance of 3 families, that clan would start receiving their own support, and that family's card will no longer be usable to "alliance" players.
And what of the Mantis? They were not bonded by a tie to a Kami. Instead those bonds were forged by the Son of Storms. They are the only great clan remaining in Rokugan in Winter Edition.
Ambitious daimyos will seek power to fulfill their ambitions. Power offered by the Shadowlands. The Chuda proved that one man can damn the destiny of a family... The Shadowlands look to add fresh blood to their dark brotherhood.
The Fall Before Winter
Before the release of Winter Edition there would be a promotional event called Fall of the Empire. Each week for 7 consecutive weeks, stores would hold a tournament for each fallen clan and find out, through stories, not exactly why the Kolat endgame came to be, but how each clan faced the destruction of the old traditions. Participants would receive the last stronghold of each clan:
Last Fortress of the Crab
Last Home of the Lion
Last House of the
Crane
Last Keep of the Dragon
Last Temple of the Phoenix
Last Ruins of
the Scorpion
Last Estate of the Unicorn
These strongholds would be legal in Winter Edition but realistically not viable and not supported. They're keepsakes. The winner receives a foil version of the stronghold. The TO would also receive a special foil promo to give out at his discretion. This is the last stronghold, done in the original L5R style border and on the back would be the last story of that clan. This is for the player who has stuck with that clan and L5R all those years ago.
Winter Edition would be released concurrently with Summer Edition, which represents Rokugan at it's most ideal. Summer seems like it occurs before The Fall and Winter, but who can say... after all, after Winter comes Spring and then it is Summer forever more.
Summer Edition would be L5R at it's ideal. It's the ideal base set. It's the culmination of L5R's history. It's perfect. It's unreachable.
I've long felt that L5R should be split into two tournament circuits: a journeyman circuit and a daimyo circuit. One for players just starting out and one for players who have been around for far too long and only truly enjoy each other's company, with equal storyline prizes for both. Thus at major conventions at tournaments, two tournaments would be run simultaneously. And you guessed it, how this all fits: one tournament would be for Winter Edition, and one for Summer Edition. Right now L5R only heats up during Kotei Season, which is at best half a year. Magic is able to be sustained all year long because the format changes from Limited to Constructed. Players would enjoy L5R all year round if it had two formats at the same time.
The Journeyman Circuit would have Winter Edition as standard from Gen Con to Gen Con SoCal and Summer Edition from So Cal to Gen Con. The Daimyo Circuit would be the opposite, with Winter Edition starting after Gen Con So Cal and Summer Edition beginning at Gen Con. You'd run four tournaments at Gen Con Indy: Two Circuit Championships for each Edition, and two Circuit Kickoffs for each Edition.
L5R would release 3 or 4 sets every year, alternating between Summer and Winter and the occasional "other." However, separate design teams would be working on Summer and Winter. L5R would have the same number of releases, but more time and work would be done on each of them and there would be less tire pressure on the designers.
As a player, you'd be able to play L5R all year round. If you don't like Winter, you can play Summer all year round, and on the circuit for half of the year. If you don't like Summer, you can play it vice versa. If you like the circuit, you can play circuit all year round. If you'd rather play casual, you can play casual all year round.
So, bottom line: Winter is L5R without Great Clans and Summer is L5R with all the Great Clans at their ideal. Not sure if there will be any crossover from a design perspective. Would it be a good idea if some or most of the cards for each release is legal for either environment? However, the storylines will affect each other.
I'm starting work on it and have a lot of the family cards done already. After that I'll move onto personalities. In the meanwhile, you can preview Winter Edition as an alternative format. Just use cards from your format of choice (Diamond, Lotus) but instead of using the normal strongholds, use the Winter Edition ones. It should be fairly intuitive which family each personality would be a member of. Of course it's not going to be balanced without the personalities, but you can try it out and, I hope, give me some feedback on what's working and what needs to be reworked.
Okay. Here is a personality sneak peak. I can't resist.
Mechanical Dragon
7 Force. 4 Chi. 0 Personal Honor
. 11 Gold
Cost. �EHonor Requirement.
Kaiu Seige Engine. Nonhuman.
Cannot be
targeted by Actions or Events as if it were a Personality. Cannot attach
cards.
After Mechanical Dragon bows, it cannot straighten until after your
next Event phase.
Battle: Target an opposing personality: If it is the only
personality in the opposing Army, destroy it.
Family cards modify your stronghold�s numbers but are not considered written on the stronghold. Hence, abilities on Family cards may be used even when your stronghold is bowed.
Personalities who are members of a Family you revealed may, as normal, be purchased at a 2 Gold cost reduction, and the first time you pay for one of them for full each turn you gain honor equal to their personal honor.
Mirumoto and Hitomi
If you use Hitomi�s alternative method of forming the focus pool while you have Mirumoto revealed:
If your personality has no weapons attached, your opponent cannot choose any cards to form his focus pool and the second clause on Mirumoto will not take effect.
If your personality has one or more weapons attached, your opponent can choose as many from the remainder as your personality has weapons attached. The second clause on Mirumoto will not take effect automatically if your opponent cannot add as many cards as you have weapons attached, since you�ve overridden the most number of cards he could add to his focus pool. However, if he does not choose the most number of cards possible from the remainder, the second clause will take effect.
Mirumoto vs. Hitomi
Hitomi�s alternative method of forming focus pool overrides Mirumoto�s restriction. However, choosing the alternative method counts as a possible choice with respect to the second clause on Mirumoto. The second clause on Mirumoto will take effect if the Mirumoto player�s personality has no weapons attached and Hitomi�s alternative method is not chosen, or if the Mirumoto player�s personality has more than one weapon attached and Hitomi�s alternative method is chosen. Also keep in mind that the second clause on Mirumoto takes into account game state such as, in particular, the number of cards in each player�s hand.
Hida
In the notation +xF/+xC, �E�Eis shorthand for �and.�ETherefore a card with text such as: �Battle: Target a personality: If the personality has at least 3PH, he gains a +3F/+3C bonus�Ecan be changed to �Battle: Target a personality: If the personality has at least 3 Force, he gains a +3 Force and [another] +3 Force bonus.�EThe ability can be used even if it makes your personality an illegal target- the restriction only cares that the effect still makes sense.
Strongholds
Last Hope of the Empire 5 Province Strength 3 Gold Production 2 Starting Honor After revealing this stronghold, reveal 3 different Family cards. You may not reveal more than 1 Major Family card. The Durance of Damnation 7 Province Strength 3 Gold Production 0 Starting Honor After revealing this stronghold, reveal 1 Family card. Shadowlands (All general rules that apply to Shadowlands strongholds apply to this one). Your personalities with the Shadowlands trait gain a +1F/+1C bonus. The Storm Throne 7 Province Strength 5 Gold Production 4 Starting Honor Limited: Once per turn, target a Family card and three dead Personalities who are members of that Family: Remove the dead Personalities from the game. You permanently gain control of the Family card. ???
The Major Families
Hida +1 PS +1 GP +1 SH Reaction: Once per phase, as one of your Personalities is targeted by an action: You may replace any instances of the words Chi or Personal Honor with Force, as long as the action would still create a legal effect (�C�Ewhen used as an abbreviation for the word Chi may be replaced with Force). Matsu +2 PS +2 SH If you destroyed an opposing Army during battle resolution, your attacking Units do not bow and may be moved into Attacking armies with effects. Doji +1 GP +2 SH While you control the Imperial Favor, other players lose 2 Honor after performing a Reaction. Togashi +1 PS +1 GP +1 SH Reaction: Once per turn, after a Fate card is added to your focus pool or discarded from your hand: Draw a card from your Fate deck. Isawa +1 GP +2 SH Your Kihos are also Spells and may be either cast as normal Kiho or attached as a Spell. You must discard a Fate card from your hand as an additional cost of casting Kihos attached as Spells to your Shugenja. Bayushi +1 PS +1 GP +1 SH Reaction: Once per turn, after performing or negating a political action: Lose 2 Honor. Take the Imperial Favor. Moto +1 PS +1 GP +1 SH Reaction: Once per battle, after the first time you assign a Unit to that battle: If there are any opposing Units with no attached Followers, the opposing player must choose and bow one of them. Otomo +1 PS +3 SH Other players cannot reduce the Gold Cost of their cards more than once each turn.
The Minor Families
Hiruma +1 PS If you are the Attacker, before the Infantry Maneuvers segment, you may choose a Terrain card in your hand and immediately play it at a battle. If you are the Defender, after the Cavalry Maneuvers segment, you may choose a Terrain card from your Fate discard pile and add it to your hand. Kaiu +2 PS Once per turn, after the Event phase, search your Dynasty deck for a Fortification card and attach it to one of your provinces, paying all costs. Kuni +1 PS Reaction: Any number of times per turn, when a Shadowlands card is brought into play or a card gains the Shadowlands trait, target a card: Either straighten or bow the target. Toritaka +1 PS Reaction: Once per turn, after a personality is brought into play: If the personality has the same name as a card in any Dynasty discard pile, it permanently gains the ghost trait. Ghosts may not attach cards. Honor gains and losses involving ghost personalities are reduced to 0. Player cannot target their own ghost personalities. After a ghost personality leaves play, remove all cards with the same name from all discard piles and you gain honor equal to the number of cards that were removed. Yasuki -1 PS Reaction: Once per turn, as you are paying a Gold Cost: Produce 1 Gold. Daidoji +1 PS After a player declares an attack on your provinces, he may choose and discard a Battle action or formation from his hand. If he does not, at each battle during this Attack Phase, after he performs a Battle action or plays a formation, the battle is considered a Raid battle and battle resolution does not destroy Armies or provinces. Asahina +1 SH Before drawing your starting hand, choose any number of Unique Items from your Fate deck and place them on top of your Fate deck in any order. Kakita +1 SH Reaction: Once per turn, after one of your personalities performs an action that creates an honor gain, discard a Fate card from your hand: Gain honor equal to the personality�s printed personal honor. Mirumoto +1 SH Pre- Focus Pool: If a personality opposing one of your personalities strikes during a duel, you automatically win the duel unless he focused at least as many times as the number of weapons attached to your personality. Post- Focus Pool #1: When forming focus pools, instead of adding up to one card, players opposing your personalities in duels can add up to the number of weapons attached to your personality. If the opposing player could have added more cards to his focus pool but chose otherwise, you automatically win the duel. Post- Focus Pool #2: After you bring a personality into play, you may look at the top card of your Fate deck and attach it to him. If it is a Weapon, attach it face- up, ignoring costs; otherwise, attach it face- down as a +1C Weapon Item card. When creating a focus pool for this personality, you may add this card to the focus pool. Before this card would be discarded or destroyed, you may exchange it with a Fate card in your hand, face- down. Hoshi +1 SH Pre- Focus Pool: During duels, if your personality has no Items attached, you may choose to focus the top card of your Fate deck instead of focusing cards from your hand. Post- Focus Pool: ??? Hitomi +1 PS Pre- Focus Pool: During duels, if the opposing personality has equal or higher Personal Honor than your personality, cards focused by the opposing player are chosen randomly from the opposing player�s hand. During duels, if the opposing personality has equal or lower Personal Honor than your personality, you may choose to focus a random card from your opponent�s hand instead of choosing to focus a card from your hand. Post- Focus Pool: When forming focus pools, if the opposing player does not have the Hitomi family revealed, instead of players choosing cards to add from their hand, you may choose up to two cards randomly from your opponent�s hand. Choose up to one to add to your focus pool. Your opponent may then choose from any remaining to add to his focus pool. Return any cards not chosen to his hand. Kitsuki +1 SH Reaction: Once per turn, before an action which would create an Honor loss resolves, discard a Fate card from your hand: Negate the action. Tamori +1 PS Your provinces have +2 Province Strength for each token or card attached to it. After bringing a personality into play from one of your provinces, attach a Mountain token to the province. Akodo Skip your normal Attack Phase. Reaction: After a Phase ends: You declare an Attack Phase. This action may not be performed again until the start of your next turn. Ikoma +1 SH You gain 1 additional honor for each card destroyed during the resolution of a tied battle. Battle: Once per battle, if your army has less force than the opposing army, target one of your personalities: The opposing player chooses whether the target gains a force bonus equal to his personal honor or you gain honor equal to the target�s personal honor. Kitsu +1 SH You may attach honorable dead personalities from your Dynasty discard pile to your personalities as if they were ancestors from your hand. If the ancestor has no abilities, your personality gains a +1F/+1C bonus. If the ancestor has the printed tactician trait, your personality gains the tactician trait. Ancestors do not add to the Unit�s total force. Battle: Once per battle, choose one of your personalities with an ancestor attached and discard a Fate card from your hand: Your personality performs an action printed on one of his ancestors. You must pay all costs and satisfy all requirements. Asako ??? Agasha +1 SH Reaction: Once per turn, when paying the cost of casting a non- Ritual Spell, bow two of your Shugenja Personalities: You may ignore all other costs of casting the Spell. The effect of the Spell is considered to be a Ritual effect. Shiba ??? Shosuro +1 PS -1 SH Before your Straighten Phase, bow any number of your personalities. Name a Fate card. Randomly choose a Fate card from an opposing player�s hand and reveal it. If it is the card you named, it is discarded and if the opposing player has less than Fate cards in his hand than you have in your hand, he may draw a card from his Fate deck. You may repeat this once for each Ninja personality you bowed (naming a Fate card each time). Soshi +1 PS Units may not be assigned to attack your provinces that another Unit is being or has already been assigned to attack unless each of your Provinces has at least one Unit assigned to attack it. Yogo +1 PS -1 SH Once during your End Phase, instead of drawing a Fate card, you may cause an opposing player an Honor loss equal to the number of dishonored personalities they control plus the number of dishonorable dead personalities in their Dynasty discard pile. Shinjo +1 GP -1 SH Infantry Followers attached to your cavalry personalities gain the cavalry trait as long as your personality has no other card attached. Cavalry Followers attached to your infantry personalities gain a +2F bonus as long as your personality has no other card attached. Ide -1 PS +1 GP Increase the Gold Cost of Items, Followers and Spells that you do not own by 1. Your Items that have a Gold Cost greater than 4 have their Gold Cost reduced to 4. Utaku +1 SH Negate any card effect which would move one of your personalities with at least 3 Personal Honor from a battle he was assigned. Iuchi +1 PS Your personalities with Spells attached gain the cavalry trait. Battle: Destroy a spell attached to one of your personalities at this battle: Move the personality home. Then, you may move one of your personalities into this battle. Toturi +1 PS +1 SH You may ignore honor requirements when bringing Human Personalities and Followers into play. Limited: Once per turn, target one of your Human Personalities and choose Samurai, Tactician, Cavalry or Naval: The target gains the chosen trait. This is permanent if another player controls more Shadowlands cards than you. Seppun +1 SH Other players may not target your Unique Personalities with actions if one of your non- Unique Personalities could be targeted instead. Miya +1 SH Each time an Attack is declared, you may straighten one of your Units. Reaction: After an Attack is declared, discard the Imperial Favor: You may straighten all of your Units. Kaeru +1 PS Reaction: After another player pays costs but did not pay the entire printed cost, pay the printed cost: If the cost was to bring a card into play, you gain permanent control of the card. If the cost was to bring a Follower, Item or Spell into play, you may attach the card to a legal target you control. If the cost was for an action, you may choose new targets for the action as if you had played it. Yotsu +1 PS Your opponent�s maximum hand size is set to the number of Provinces remaining in the game. Daigotsu ???
Personalities
Hida
Design Philosophy: What does not kill me makes me stronger. And angrier.
The Hida family personifies persistence. Maybe your opponent is faster or trickier, but eventually you will outlast them and break them. I didn't want to design Hida who were unkillable, but your opponent will pay a heavy price. So I designed cheap personalities who gave bonuses when they died, and the other personalities who gained bonuses and resistances for the Player's dead personalities. This direction make the Hida some of the best military Units in Winter Edition, especially coupled with the Hida Family ability. They may lack trick and subtlety in battle, but they are arguably the best value investment and complement and enhance most military strategies.
Hida Masato
7 Force, 4 Chi
-HR, 9 Gold Cost, 2PH
Hida Samurai. Yu 5. Vanguard Leader.
Reaction:Once per turn, after Masato is targeted by an action: The Player targeting Masato discards 1 card from his hand for each dead Personality in your discard pile.
Hida Hotasu
6 Force, 3 Chi
-HR, 8 Gold Cost, 1PH
Hida Beserker.
Reaction: Once per turn, after Hotasu is targeted by an action, choose and remove a dead Personality in your discard pile from the game: Negate the action's effects. Hotasu gains a +2F bonus.
Hida Nene
4 Force, 2 Chi
-HR, 6 Gold Cost, 1PH
Hida Beserker. Yu 2.
Open: If Nene is Honorable Dead, target a Personality and remove Nene from the game: The Target gains a +4F/+2C bonus.
Hida Sora
3 Force, 2 Chi
- HR, 5 Gold Cost, 2 PH
Hida Samurai. Yu 3.
If Sora is Honorable Dead and your Army is destroyed during the resolution of a battle, Sora adds her printed Yu to your Army's total Yu as if she were in your Army.
Asahina
Asahina Marita
2 Force, 3 Chi
3HR, 6 Gold Cost, 3PH
Asahina Air Shugenja.
Reaction: Once per turn, after attaching an Item to a Personality you control: The Item permanently gains "Reaction: After a card at this battle is targeted by a Ranged Attack, destroy this card: Choose to either increase or decrease the strength of the Ranged Attack by 3."
Asahina Tuji
1 Force, 2 Chi
2HR, 5 Gold Cost, 2PH
Asahina Shugenja.
After Tuji enters play, choose a Personality you control. Attach a +0F/+1C Numerani Item token to the chosen Personality.
Limited:Once per turn, target a Personality you control and discard a Spell or Kiho from your hand: Attach a +0F/+1C Numerani Item token to the target.
Isawa
Isawa Sawaya
2 Force, 4 Chi
2HR, 6 Gold Cost, 2PH
Isawa Air Shugenja.
Whenever a Spell or Kiho Sawaya performs refers to a Player's Fate deck, you may choose to have it refer to that Player's Fate discard pile or hand instead.
The Governator
Conan, the Cimmerian(ADV)
Conan, the Cimmerian
Quaid
Hercules
Mr. Universe
The Terminator (bloodline)
Mr. Freeze (bloodline)
