L5R: Previewing The New ‘Children of the Empire’ Expansion
Lion, Phoenix, and Unicorn get the spotlight in the latest teaser from Fantasy Flight Games for Legend of the Five Rings: TCG. Behold the face of honor.
The next deluxe expansion for Legend of the Five Rings is the new “Children of the Empire” and it’s bringing a new, renewed focus on the mechanics of honor in the game. There are new ways to honor characters, a new composure mechanic, and additional benefits for remaining more honorable than your opponent.
Today, we’re getting a look at the expansion using just three of the clans – Lion, Phoenix and Unicorn. The perspective of these three clans is a bit more on the up-and-up comparatively than say Clan Scorpion. Let’s see some of the changes coming their way.
The Lion Clan
The Right Hand of the Emperor is the Lion Clan. They are know for their fierce military prowess and are very accustom to waging war. The good news is that as long as they remain honorable, they can get some boosts to the political side of things.
The Ikoma Orator for example is a great cheap character to get on the board. With 2 military and 1 political, he seems like he’s just more brute strength – but if you’re more honorable than your opponent, you’ll get +2 to your political score. That makes him a useful all-around card to have.
Matsu Tsuko is a strong asset for both military and political conflicts. And if you are more honorable than your opponent, you’ll be able to use her action to reduce the cost of the next card you play in a conflict by 2. There are quite a few cards that would be a great option to combo with her when she’s on the offensive.
Glorious Victory is fantastic for a momentum swing. Break your opponent’s province with a military victory and then honor all your characters! That’s perfect for the Lion Clan.
The Phoenix Clan
When it comes to high glory, the Phoenix Clan has that in abundance. So keeping those character honored or and on the board is very beneficial. In this new expansion, there are some new tools to help the Phoenix Clan with those goals.
Unmatched Expertise is an attachment that will add 1 to both military and political power. The real benefit is that it prevents the character it’s equipped to from becoming dishonored. Just don’t lose a conflict and you should be fine…
Isawa Ujina is a new character for the expansion that is a Master of the Void. His ability can be very powerful as it can remove characters from the game when the Void ring is claimed. Just remember that this is a Forced Reaction, meaning it has to remove a character if possible – that includes YOUR characters.
Gift of the Amaterasu is a card that rewards you for dominating a conflict by 5 or more. When you do, you can honor a character. As a 1 cost event, that makes it fairly cheap to get into play and to be effective.
The Unicorn Clan
Honor in the Unicorn Clan is paramount and unshakable. That is reflected in some new cards they are also getting access too. Characters like Utako Kamoko are going to be a valuable asset to Unicorn Players.
A good all-around character that doesn’t lose skill when dishonored is already scary. But couple that with her Reaction and she’s an army unto herself. Getting to ready and honor this character after you lose a province means you can counter-attack with a 6/6 character!
The Idle Negotiator allows you to manipulate your honor dial after a bid. That talent can be very useful for overcoming your opponent in an honor bid.
Challenge on the Fields is a great way to use your numbers to your advantage. The more characters you have in the conflict, the higher your military boost will be – and the loser gets sent back home.
Children of the Empire $39.95
A Premium Expansion is a new level of product for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game. Children of the Empire features a total of 234 new cards that celebrates the era of tranquility brought upon Rokugan by the Hantei Dynasty. Every Great Clan gets new tools, with themes of dueling and honor persistent throughout the expansion.
Children of the Empire also provides a snapshot of characters and events in the Legend of the Five Rings story as they are today. Look for cards that represent some of the biggest moments from Legend of the Five Rings fiction, and an updated version of an iconic character whose role in the celestial order has shifted.
With 234 new cards covering every clan and dedicated themes, Children of the Empire is the perfect companion to the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Core Set!
Show your Honor with the new expansion for Legend of the Five Rings!
