A lot of L5R players will be asking us this question, so me decided to head the sucker off at the pass. Here are the surprises you can expect to find in Emerald.

The New Strongholds

The first thing experienced players are going to notice is the new art on the back of the Starter boxes. Except for the Phoenix, who have a new Stronghold ability to reflect their inaeasing research into the Shadowlands, none of the numbers have changed - but the art sure has. Also, new flavor text adorns the side of the boxes, telling the changes that each Clan has undergone, and giving hints as to changes that may be in their future.

The Ancestral Armors

That's right, the Swords are gone and the Armors have arrived. There's one for each of the Six Clans, and each one has a different special ability.

New Faces?

There are no really new faces, although one is certainly new to the set. The Naga Abomination has found his way into the set and he's got a brand new Trait: he's got a brand new Trait: he's Unique. And if you think that means all promo versions are now Unique, you'd be right.

You'll also find the Scorpion Poison Master and the Lion Tactician, both from Shadowlands, in Emerald The Poison Master, who was exclusive to the Scorpion Clan Decks, is now back, and since Toturi is no longer an Akodo (which means he's no longer a Lion) we decided to include the Tactician to fill out the missing slot.

New Art

Many cards have found new art. Ben Peck's art can be found on Break Morale, Brilliant Victory, Scout and Avoid Fate while Bryon Wackwitz gave Entrapping Terrain, Kharmic Strike,, Mercy, Occupied terrain, Traversible terrain and Unexpected Allies. and Sake Works.

New Rulebook

Oh, yeah. Did we mention that there's a new rulebook in Emerald? Those of you familiar with the changes we made in the Shadowlands rulebook will still find new stuff - a small amount in the Emerald version. Targeting has been clarified, the definition of a battle has been polished up, duels work slightly differently and (for the last time) ranged attacks are fixed.

And one last note for all you Kisada fans ...

Hida Kisada, the Great Bear of the Crab Clan, who used to have an Honor Requirement of 10 now has an Honor Requirement of 6. Just thought you might want to know.

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