Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: The GM's Survival Guide (for L5R)

Pyramid Pick

Legend of the Five Rings GM's Survival Guide

Published by Alderac Entertainment Group

Written by Jim Pinto

$23.95
On the back cover of the GM's Survival Guide for the Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game, the promotional copy promises, "over 1001 tips, hints, answers, and options." No, I didn't count. But whatever the exact number, there's a tremendous amount of solid, meaty information for the L5R game.
The GM's Survival Guide is not just for the game masters of L5R -- there's plenty for players, too. There are some new rules, sure, but a good deal of the book is about better explaining the world of Rokugan, the feudal-Japan-plus-magic game world of Legend of the Five Rings. Many roleplaying games in extremely foreign settings (foreign, at least, to your typical American/West European, Tolkien-and-Arthur-raised high fantasy types) have the problem that the players don't adapt their characters to the new culture. It just becomes D&D-esque hack-and-slash with funny names for the equipment and the monsters. The GM's Survival Guide does a great job of giving GMs and players the information they need to make Rokugan come alive.
After a short but well-written introduction, the book is divided into five chapters, each one based on one of the Five Rings of Rokugan legend. The first, "The Book of Earth," is full of valuable information on day-to-day life in Rokugan. How much does equipment cost? It depends. Each clan mints its own coinage, and what something . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.

Article publication date: June 25, 1999

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