This article originally appeared in d20 Weekly

Pyramid Review: Rokugan (for D&D 3rd Ed/Oriental Adventures)

Rokugan

From Alderac Entertainment Group

Created by Rich Wulf, Shawn Carman, and Seth Mason

220 pg. HC; $29.95

Legend of the Five Rings has always seemed more a roleplaying game setting than one for a collectible card game. Unlike Magic, which had a very generic fantasy world, Legend of the Five Rings had a sense of place about it, drawing on elements and themes of feudal Japan to create its fictitious land of Rokugan. Those elements helped the CCG, as its strong setting, with its background and evolving stories, helped draw players in and keep them there. There was even a Salon story on it.

So it seems inevitable that it would turn into an RPG. The Legend of the Five Rings RPG has been out for four years and two editions now, and has produced a long series of supplements. This has included the "Way of the . . ." series (describing the Clans, or family groups, of Rokugan), various adventures, and some boxed sets.

Wizards of the Coast recently released a new version of Oriental Adventures; instead of the Kara-Tur setting used in the original Oriental Adventures, they decided to use Rokugan as the default campaign world. Now Rokugan d20 expands on every aspect of the world and information presented in that book. New spells and classes (both base and prestige) are provided, there are new skills and feats, and the setting is expanded on.

The crunchy bits are very crunchy.

The character generation section covers the various clans and factions of Rokugan. Since there will be next to no . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.



Article publication date: April 12, 2002

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