LEGEND OF THE FIVE RINGS
Publisher: Wizards Of The Coast
Starter Price: £6.99
Booster Price: £2.20
Players: 2+
Background
Collect all the oriental myths and legends you can, stick in a few fantastic creatures and you have the magical land of Rokugan, where honourable Samurai do battle with loathsome Demons and Snake-like Naga hurl spears at cunning Ninjas. Legend of the Five Rings has one of the best storylines ever, telling of the rise to power of the Emperor Torturi and his battle against the evil of the Shadowlands Horde.
Each player takes a Stronghold card of thier choice, ranging from armoured Crab clan warriors, to powerful Phoenix clan magicians (Shugenja’s) or lethal Scorpion Clan Ninjas, each with their own special skills gold production and abilities.
Players each have two decks a Dynasty Deck containing Gold producing Holdings, Heroes, Events and Regions, and a Fate deck containing Followers, Weapons, Actions, Spells and the all important Rings. Four Dynasty cards are placed on the table to denote the provinces they control. These are the main target of attacks, as their destruction results in the loss of a card draw. They are refilled automatically at the end of the turn, unless destroyed. Holdings and strongholds are bowed to produce the Gold needed to bring Dynasty cards into play. Honour is also important as many personalities require a minimum honour score before they’ll join you side. Some personalities add to your family honour when they are paid for. Followers, Items and spells from the fate deck are also paid for in this manner. But are drawn from your five card fate hand, which is replenish at the rate of one card a turn.
Once you have your warriors tooled up with weapons and followers, it’s time to kick some ass. All four enemy provinces need to be destroyed to remove them from the game. They will of course defend themselves, this is where actions cards come in handy. Terrain cards can stop cavalry, protect your troops from attack or send them home. Trick is to get the terrain you need before the defender, to get the bonuses you want. Spells and Powers also contribute to your war-plan, but once all the cards have been played it’s down to sheer force of arms to win the day. The player with the most force in their army, wipes out the entire enemy army. An early victory like this can lead to the winner getting an unassailable advantage for the rest of the game. Luckily there are two other ways to achieve victory. Amassing forty honour points, by bringing personalities into play, beating enemies in duels, or committing certain honourable acts, scores an Honour victory. By putting into play all five Elemental Rings, by completing certain tasks, whilst having them in your hand, wins an Enlightenment victory.
Plays****
It starts off slow at first, as players build their armies and wait for the right moment to attack. Once the weapons are drawn it becomes a huge hack-fest, giving no quarter and asking none. Each of the three victory conditions ensure a lot of variety and diversity amongst decks and in play. Card flow is sometimes a problem with only one fate card drawn each turn. The two player game can be a bit one sided, once one player takes the lead. Overall it works better with four players, allowing for alliances and double dealing across the table.
Looks*****
Be it noble samurai or depraved demons, both are rendered in great colours and clear backgrounds. The Ring cards also look superb, with Kanji characters depicting the five elemental powers.
Difficulty ***
Buy the Siege Of Sleeping Mountain, two player set and you should have no problem learning the ropes. Once you are familiar with the rules, upgrade to the full game. Starters are marked Beginner and Expert, so pick your own level.
Collectability*
Collecting all the cards is no mean feat. Five Rings has almost as many expansion sets as Magic, many of them are very rare and expensive. Plus there are tons of fan club only promos. Recently the backs of the cards have also changed, due to a legal wrangle about having five interconnecting rings, THAT LOOK NOTHING LIKE THE OLYMPIC SYMBOL, so be warned.
Overall****
A fantastic game, with a superbly atmospheric setting. It’s a pity the Olympic games exist. This game is as deep as a Katana cut and twice as sharp!