It's really the game with the coolest accessories isn't it? Totally! And you've only seen the tip of the iceberg--L5R has lots of places for accessorizing. There's the Imperial Favor, which can be represented by a special card or a salt shaker or key chair or a specially-made knick-knack. And honor counters, which also take a wide variety of forms. Style won't win a tournament, but it can get you talked about. ;-)
Is it hard to learn? Well, kinda. L5R is a very strategic game with multiple factions and more than one victory condition. The good news is that you don't have to learn everything at once; it's possible to learn the basic rules and pick up the more complex stuff as you go on. Right now AEG has available a learn-to-play set called Training Grounds II which comes with two premade decks (Crane and Dragon) and a rulebook that walks you through part of a game. Also, I'm pretty sure you can download the rulebook as a PDF off of the AEG site.
> Is it something my 15 yo and I might enjoy together? YES! (Ok, so I'm biased.) L5R is a fun game of strategy, but it is also a continuing story set in a fansasty empire strongly based on feudal Japan. This means that in addition to playing the game you get to argue...err, discuss whether the Crane or the Dragon have the superior sword schools, whether Kaneka really is a land-grabbing [censored], what the Jade Champion was smoking when he decided to let Daigotsu Rekai live, and whether Shinjo Shono should rebel against the Khan and take back the leadership of the Unicorn Clan for the Shinjo family. Never a dull moment!
Of course, if you are philosophically deeply opposed to violence in any form this might not be your cup of tea. Samurai tend to lead short lives, you know.
Can I resist bezeling the tokens in beads to make nifty pieces of jewelry with? Probably not. But you know, I've been thinking of laminating some old cards, punching holes in the edges and then making a hat like those old crocheted beer can hats. You know the kind I'm talking about?
My storyline brings all the boys to the cards...
Totally! And you've only seen the tip of the iceberg--L5R has lots of places for accessorizing. There's the Imperial Favor, which can be represented by a special card or a salt shaker or key chair or a specially-made knick-knack. And honor counters, which also take a wide variety of forms. Style won't win a tournament, but it can get you talked about. ;-)
Is it hard to learn?
Well, kinda. L5R is a very strategic game with multiple factions and more than one victory condition. The good news is that you don't have to learn everything at once; it's possible to learn the basic rules and pick up the more complex stuff as you go on. Right now AEG has available a learn-to-play set called Training Grounds II which comes with two premade decks (Crane and Dragon) and a rulebook that walks you through part of a game. Also, I'm pretty sure you can download the rulebook as a PDF off of the AEG site.
> Is it something my 15 yo and I might enjoy together?
YES! (Ok, so I'm biased.) L5R is a fun game of strategy, but it is also a continuing story set in a fansasty empire strongly based on feudal Japan. This means that in addition to playing the game you get to argue...err, discuss whether the Crane or the Dragon have the superior sword schools, whether Kaneka really is a land-grabbing [censored], what the Jade Champion was smoking when he decided to let Daigotsu Rekai live, and whether Shinjo Shono should rebel against the Khan and take back the leadership of the Unicorn Clan for the Shinjo family. Never a dull moment!
Of course, if you are philosophically deeply opposed to violence in any form this might not be your cup of tea. Samurai tend to lead short lives, you know.
Can I resist bezeling the tokens in beads to make nifty pieces of jewelry with?
Probably not. But you know, I've been thinking of laminating some old cards, punching holes in the edges and then making a hat like those old crocheted beer can hats. You know the kind I'm talking about?