David Williams was the lead designer on the L5R project. He provided many of the mechanics of the game, was the chief playtester and number cruncher, and kept potential game breakers (such as the original Geisha Assassin) out of the world of Rokugan. He is a master deck builder, constructing decks for himself and fine tuning the decks of others into pure poetry. In this column, Dave will be discussing his thoughts on each of the Clans, giving little hints here and there on how he sees the game, and giving you a perspective on a Clan that you may not have considered before.

Welcome, students. You have learned much on your own, but there are things you have not seen because they are beyond your vision. What I will show you is a new way to view the ways of the five elements that you think you know so well.

In this lesson we will look at the Clans. You think you know them - the power of Crab, the politics of Crane, the balance of Dragon, the ferocity of Lion, the wisdom of Phoenix, and the speed of Unicorn. But you need to see beyond these simplest of descriptions and look further, into the possibilities. While each clan has its strength, they are not limited to a single path. There is no limit to the number of paths a man can take but how many he will allow himself to see.

Crab

Yes, this clan has great and powerful warriors and is adept at the quick strike with overwhelming force However, the Crab has a strong armored shell and this clan's value in defense should not be overlooked. In fact, while their lack of honor makes a military victory the overwhelming favorite for a Crab deck, keep in mind that lack of defense is the biggest weakness in a political deck. When attempting an honor victory, the most common way to lose is having your provinces destroyed - and even the simplest peasant knows that the Crab fortress has never been taken by force of arms. Consider the benefits of not needing to be concerned about losing your provinces because of your very strong defenses. With an equal mix of powerful warriors and honor-producing holdings, you can stay alive and bluff your way to the throne. If you do this, however, you must watch for a clan that is quicker to gain honor than you; you may need to use your warriors for offense instead of defense.

The Crane

Yes the Crane can gain honor more quickly and with greater ease than any of the other Clans but they are, perhaps, not as fragile as you may think. With Ports and Trade Routes, the Crane's financial fortunes are assured to be solid, and this monetary advantage can be used to afford greater and more powerful troops for your samurai. The use of Fires of Purity and Strength of Purity can give an instant boost to your more honorable samurai. Finally, no house can more easily afford the loss of honor that recruiting the less expensive Shadowlands cards brings. With your diplomacy and the judicious use of the Imperial Favor, Tea Ceremony, or Orator, you can keep your honor high, disguising your use of the more powerful dark forces. While the Imperial Favor is often used to send an attacking unit home, remember that you can use it as the attacker to remove the unit that keeps you from destroying a province...

The Dragon

The mysterious Dragon has perhaps the most paths to choose from. Being the most balanced of the six Clans allows the Dragon to walk in nearly any direction. The strong Chi of the Dragons along with the abilities of Togashi Yoshi and the Justicator make them nearly without peer in a duel (although the Cranes are quite admirable as well). A firebreathing Tattooed Man is deadly in a duet as are the Man-Beast and the Champion Togashi Yokuni Duels are good way to gain a quick Honor victory, since a couple of duel victories can also give you a victory in combat which can add up to quite a few points. Using Biting Steel before a duel can give you a quick boost to nearly guarantee victory. An Honor victory is certainly a viable option for the Dragon, as your Provinces become increasingly more difficult to destroy, and you are powerful enough to protect yourself. One final thought for you to consider, grasshopper: Togashi Yokuni is the only samurai in the game who will listen to a Spirit Guide.

Lion

You have honor. You have might Remember both. It is a subtle trap to look to only one of the two paths to victory when you are the Lion. Lion Clan is honorable and has the samurai necessary for defense, but it would be foolhardy to ignore the fact that the Lion samurai is born to attack. Also, as powerful as the Lion armies are when charging towards their foes, it is a Daimyo just as blind who does not use the glory of battle to his advantage in the Imperial courts. The dual nature of the Lion can keep your opponents unsure of your motives if you can keep equally focused on battle and honor. If you are attacking every turn, make sure you are gaining a couple of points of honor with Ancestral Temples or Famous Poets. Your opponent won't be able to throw sacrificial lambs in front of your armies, as that will only speed your way to a political victory. Likewise, if you have a Counterattack in your hand, then you should never fear being attacked - lose a province and destroy all of your attacker's.

Phoenix

The Masters of the Elements are often used to give the samurai of Phoenix enough force to stave off attacking armies so that the Phoenix can achieve a political victory. Keep in mind that the powerful elemental forces can be used to attack as well as defend. Because you do not have as much gold in the beginning, and because you must put many cards into play to achieve your aims (Shugenja with spells, and a Samurai whom the spells will make powerful), your family often plays from a position of weakness in the battle for the Empire: It is with careful play of your fate cards that you can surprise your more aggressive opponents. A Counterattack can be used to significant effect: you don't need much force to destroy a nearly undefended province. The Master of Water is a deadly force on the field of battle because he can move either your units or your opponent's units into positions that suit you better. The Master of Fire can be used turn after turn to soften up your opponent's armies for your eventual onslaught. Also, you have some of the more powerful samurai, considering that you are known for your Shugenja Tsukune and Katsuda each have a Force of 3, which is very solid for a cheap samurai.

Unicorn

Of course the Cavalry advantage is significant. It will almost always be one of your keys to victory. But most Unicorn Daimyo use this advantage one-dimensionally. They declare their attack, see where the defender is situated, and attack an undefended province. This is certainly a solid tactic, and can be successful, but why not attack one of your opponent's armies? If you can establish a solid advantage, you can roll over a bunch of your opponent's infantry. You gain two things: honor for destroying his cards, and next turn you~ opponent will have fewer cards to defend with. Don't always assume that destroying an undefended province will yield the greatest advantage.

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com