“It is the nature of man to walk the path. It is the nature of man to turn from the path. This is the nature of man.”
   –Shinsei’s Gift, apocryphal

The second phase of the 2019 Elemental Championships for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game has now concluded. The top performers at these high-level tournaments cast their votes for new elemental roles, and those votes have been tallied. Now, lead developer Tyler Parrott reveals and evaluates these new elemental roles for the seven Great Clans. Discover your clan’s new role and how it may affect your clan’s potential for glory at the upcoming 2019 Winter Court World Championships and the conflicts that lie beyond!

Tyler Parrott on the New Elemental Roles

Honorable samurai,

Though summer is only beginning to wane, winter will soon descend upon us as our glorious hosts prepare for Winter Court in November. As the seasons change, so must we, and so I come with news regarding the next season of roles for the seven Great Clans of Rokugan.

Before I go into the new roles for each of the clans, I would like to discuss a minor schedule change regarding the roles in 2020. As the tournament season for next year standardizes around the new model of Store, Prime, Grand, and Continental Championships, the current Elemental Championships will be going away. This does not mean that role voting will be eliminated, however. We have yet to announce how role votes will be earned for 2020, but I want to make it clear that there will be a tournament series where players can earn vote cards as prizes. These tournaments will not be tied to a voting period in the way that Elemental Championships were—players who earn a vote card can save their vote for whatever period they deem it to be most valuable.

What are the role rotation periods, then? I’m glad you asked!

Each voting period will last three full calendar months, and the results will go into effect after a one month break (for tabulation and announcement). As with previous role rotations, a clan cannot vote for (or select) a role that they currently have, and each clan will continue to have two roles: one that they just acquired and one from the season before. Players who earn vote cards can choose when to use them, but can use them exactly once—after that, the vote is logged and any future attempts to vote using that vote card will be ignored.

In addition, the vote cards earned during 2020 will be tied to a specific clan. Rather than earning a vote card and inputting which clan you are casting your vote for, the unique code on your card will determine which clan you are voting for. When you win vote cards at events, you will be earning votes for the clan that you are currently playing, so I encourage you to work with your player community to figure out which role you want your clan to have!

But what you really came for was to know what your clan will be playing in a month and a half at the Winter Court World Championship. Here are the new roles!
 

The Crab Clan knew what they wanted, and they weren’t going to let anyone stop them. Keeper of Air gives them lots of flexibility in terms of splashes, whether it’s to bolster their own honor (Crane), hammer at their opponent’s honor (Scorpion), or resurrect characters in military conflicts (Lion). What’s more, their in-clan Air role character,

Guardian of Virtue

(Children of the Empire, 49), can be a potent and frustrating defender if the Crab are willing to bid lower than their opponent and activate composure. By selecting Keeper of Air, the clan maintains a balance that continues to give them access to both Keeper and Seeker cards, depending on which cards prove more important at any given time.
 

While there was a notable contingent of players who voted for Keeper of Earth to give Crane access to Phoenix’s

Earth Becomes Sky

(Bonds of Blood, 41), the votes for Keeper of Air ultimately won out by a large margin. Air is a very potent role for the Crane Clan, as it cares a great deal about honoring its own characters with

Soul Beyond Reproach

(The Ebb and Flow, 74) and dishonoring opponents’ characters with

Mark of Shame

(All and Nothing, 97). I anticipate a number of players will begin exploring the potentially deadly potency of

Noble Sacrifice

(Core Set, 148) and/or

Duel to the Death

(Bonds of Blood, 36) when their ability to control status tokens improves with the Keeper of Air role.
 

The Dragon Clan already had an excellent role for duelist strategies in Keeper of Water, which gives them

Fight On

(The Ebb and Flow, 72) and

Keeper Initiate

(Core Set, 124). This voting period saw them focus on acquiring a more generally valuable role, as there are compelling Air-role cards in many of the other clans, and the Dragon’s

Solitary Strength

(Children of the Empire, 57) can be effective. Sensing a pattern?
 

What a nail-biter! With no less than a single vote difference, the Lions of this season voted to select Seeker of Earth (over Keeper of Air). On the one hand, the brand-new

Forebearer’s Echoes

(Bonds of Blood, 39) is a very strong in-clan reward for staying with an Air role. On the other hand, Lion already has an Air role and has benefited greatly from splashing

Earth Becomes Sky

(Bonds of Blood, 41) out of Phoenix. By diversifying their elements, they have retained more options in how they want to build for the next six months.
 

Like Lion, Phoenix was an unbelievably close vote between Seeker of Earth and Seeker of Air. After seeing wild success at Gen Con and Sydney with a Keeper of Air deck built around

Forebearer’s Echoes

(Bonds of Blood, 39) and

Fushichō

(Disciples of the Void, 11), many people wanted to retain their Air role to continue playing the deck. Others disagreed, pointing out that the loss of the Keeper aspect made the deck noticeably weaker, and that they would be better off pursuing powerful in-clan cards such as

Earth Becomes Sky

(Bonds of Blood, 41). Ultimately, Earth beat out Air (by two votes) and, for the World Championship, the Firebird will not be making a prominent appearance. However, now that they don’t have the Keeper of Air role anymore, I hear it’s one role that Phoenix players may be pursuing in November…
 

Surprisingly, the Scorpion role vote was also shockingly close. Scorpion players found themselves split evenly between four camps, not entirely sure whether they wanted a Keeper or Seeker role, and whether they wanted an Earth or Void role. Ultimately Keeper of Earth won the most votes—as it opens up fun Shinobi decks featuring

Discourage Pursuit

(All and Nothing, 98) as well as powering up control decks that want to splash Phoenix for

Earth Becomes Sky

(Bonds of Blood, 41). Seeker of Earth lost out by a single vote, and Seeker of Void lost out by two, so it’s clear that the other roles are just as appealing to Scorpion players. Perhaps one of these roles will be the next one they choose, if they do well enough at the upcoming World Championship!
 

Like their Crab, Crane, and Dragon siblings, the Unicorn Clan knew what they wanted and voted overwhelmingly for Keeper of Earth. This makes sense, considering they have just received a powerful in-clan card in the form of

Unfulfilled Duty

(Bonds of Blood, 44) and because the Phoenix splash that offers

Earth Becomes Sky

(Bonds of Blood, 41) is already a popular one among many Unicorns. As Unicorn decks gain more tools—including powerful new cards tied to specific roles—I look forward to seeing seeing more success from the followers of Shinjo and the Khan.

The Road to Awe

Clearly this season was dominated by the Air and Earth roles, as every single clan selected one of those two elements for their role, often at the expense of having a Keeper/Seeker split. This was largely fueled by Lion’s Forebearer’s Echoes and Phoenix’s Earth Becomes Sky. These are powerful events, so it only makes sense, but will a Water role return in popularity when all the clans lose access to Fight On? And what about the Void role that three of the clans are losing in November?

Deckbuilding must change as the previous season’s roles fade away. As the rest of the Inheritance cycle and clan packs release, look forward to even more changes in the game… until we begin everything again in the new year!

“Mystery hung about it as clouds about a fabulous unvisited mountain; and as Carter stood breathless and expectant on that balustraded parapet there swept up to him the poignancy and suspense of almost-vanished memory, the pain of lost things, and the maddening need to place again what once had an awesome and momentous place.”
  —H. P. Lovecraft, “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”

In The Dream-Eaters, the fifth deluxe expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game, you step beyond the world of the waking to enter a realm of wonders and nightmares. After occult author Virgil Gray writes about his adventures in these “Dreamlands,” you decide to set forth and learn the truth for yourself. But the longer you investigate claims of this world and its horrors, the more difficult you find it to determine what is real, and what is only fiction.

This expansion draws 1–4 players into the roles of Arkham’s bravest investigators and then divides them. You may either be a group of investigators venturing into the Dreamlands, or their companions left in the waking world, each with their own unique first scenario for what may either be a four- or eight-part campaign. With your forces divided and your allies relying on you, you will need to rely on new versatile investigators if you wish to ever solve this mystery and reunite with your friends.

Today, we’re pleased to offer you a closer look at Mandy Thompson and Tony Morgan, two of the new investigators that you can add to your team in The Dream-Eaters—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website with free shipping within the continental United States!

The Researcher

Ever since she was a child, Mandy Thompson would read whenever she could not sleep. And in the strange town of Arkham, such was the case on many nights. But her restlessness had its benefits, as her passion for the written word combined with her remarkable memory and ability to correlate facts soon landed her a highly valued job as a researcher for the prestigious Miskatonic University. Since beginning her career, Mandy has spent many hours poring over the profane pages of ancient, forbidden texts. In doing so, she has discovered a strange pattern, pointing to an impending cataclysm. Has paranoia finally caught up to her? Or is a disaster of beyond all imagining on the horizon?

As a Miskatonic researcher,

Mandy Thompson

(The Dream-Eaters, 2) has incredible control over her deck. When her investigator deck is first built, she may choose to either fill it with 30, 40, or 50 cards in addition to deciding between the Mystic, Rogue, or Survivor classes to complement her remarkable skills as a Seeker. Beyond the deck size itself, Mandy also has an unprecedented ability to go through her deck to find exactly the tool she needs for any challenge. When Mandy or another investigator at her location would search through their deck with cards like

Eureka!

(The Pallid Mask, 231) or

No Stone Unturned

(The Path to Carcosa, 26), or through the encounter deck, she may use her skills as a researcher to delve deeper into the arcane, allowing them to either search three additional cards or resolve one additional target of the search.

To increase this ability further, Mandy also has three copies of her signature asset,

Occult Evidence

(The Dream-Eaters, 8), that get added to her investigator deck depending on its size. As a nice boost to any seeker, if Mandy reveals this card while performing one of her search actions, she draws it to discover one clue at her location. But constantly exploring the arcane and the occult comes with great risks. Some things are better left unknown and if Mandy should happen to make a

Shocking Discovery

(The Dream-Eaters, 9) during a search, she must cancel all of the search’s effects and reshuffle the searched deck before drawing the top card of the encounter deck. To make matters worse, the researcher cannot simply dispose of this Blunder by drawing into it—it will always be waiting in her deck to trip up a search and force her to confront the true terrors of the Mythos. Still, Mandy has spent many sleepless nights investigating the secrets of the eldritch powers haunting Arkham. Perhaps the monsters are the ones who should be afraid.

The Bounty Hunter

Making his way as a bounty hunter at the height of the roaring ‘20’s, Tony Morgan has tracked down low-life scum in every lousy corner of the world, but nothing could have prepared him for the thing he killed in Innsmouth. It had the form of a man, more or less, but it was covered in loathsome scales and slime, like some horrid creature of the deep. It stank of salt water, rotten fish, and blood. He should’ve let it go when it dove into the river, but he’d never let a bounty escape before, and he wasn’t about to start then. Ever since, he’s found a new kind of dirtbag to hunt. Ordinary mobster or otherworldly monster, Tony will take it down…if someone is willing to pay him for it.

Truly dedicated to his profession,

Tony Morgan

(The Dream-Eaters, 3) always has his

Bounty Contracts

(The Dream-Eaters, 10) with him. After an enemy enters play, Tony can decide how valuable a target it is by placing up to three bounties on it, depending on its health. Once a bounty has been placed, Tony will not stop until he has completed the job, even using his investigator ability to take an extra action to engage or attack his chosen target. If he can successfully defeat the enemy and complete his contract, he’ll add the bounty placed on the enemy’s head to his own resource pool.

Like Mandy, Tony Morgan also has the ability to choose a secondary class during deck creation—either Guardian, Seeker, or Survivor— and he may include up to ten events and skills level 0-1 of that class in his deck. This adaptability may prove vital as Tony chases his bounties across Arkham and any other realm where they might lead. But of all the monsters he’s tracked in his career, the greatest bounty that this Rogue has ever set out to collect is by far the elusive

Tony’s Quarry

(The Dream-Eaters, 12). Whenever this enemy enters play, Tony has to chase it down to the farthest location from him and destroy the creature, despite its four combat and ability to target Tony’s five sanity. Until he does, it will carry one doom on it and push the agenda further to advancing. But if Tony is successful, he will gain a resource from its bounty and find peace in the knowledge that his tormentor is finally dead. At least, for now.

To help him with his quarry, the bounty hunter also has a second signature asset in the form of

Tony’s .38 Long Colt

(The Dream-Eaters, 11). Never one to be caught unprepared, Tony has two copies of this Firearm in his deck and if he has both copies in his hand, he can immediately bring the second into play for free. Once he is properly armed, Tony may fight with these weapons, gaining +1 combat value for each bounty on his opponent and dealing +1 damage for the attack. The more bounties that Tony collects, the more his reputation will grow, allowing him to gain more contracts and fuel his search for answers about what exactly is happening to this once sleepy town. One thing is for sure—if Tony is on the case, the only thing to do is run.

The Truth Is Out There

As your investigators are divided between the world of the waking and that of dreams, you will need to adapt and rely on your remaining comrades more than ever before. Discover the strength within yourself, hunt down the proof you seek, and reunite with your allies before it’s too late!

Pre-order your copy of The Dream-Eaters (AHC37) at your local retailer today or online through our website with free shipping in the continental United States here!

On a night like any other, Iuchi Shahai’s life is about to change forever. A “guest” in the Imperial Capital , Shahai has been teaching the mysterious art of Meishōdō to Shugenja

outside the Unicorn Clan. Feeling trapped in Otosan Uchi, Shahai has found solace in a friendship with Prince Daisetsu. But as Rokugan undergoes a monumental change, what role will Shahai play in the events to come? What does fate have in store for her?

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to present “ Red Petals Scatter” by Robert Denton III, a new short story set in the world of Legend of the Five Rings!  

“Red Petals Scatter”  follows up on events in “Heart of the Garden” and can be downloaded here (0.5 MB).

Iuchi Shahai has made a life for herself in the capital thanks to a choice by the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game community at the Kiku Matsuri celebration at GenCon 2017, now that choice will send reverberations throughout the Emerald Empire. As the most tumultuous night in Rokugan’s history continues to unfold, what role will Iuchi Shahai’s friendship with prince Daisetsu play in the events to come?

Keep an eye on the Fantasy Flight Games website for more Legend of the Five Rings fiction, coming soon!

If you’ve ever wanted to ask your questions directly to FFG’s Head of Studio, you’re about to have your chance! FFG Live is hosting a special AMA (Ask Me Anything) livestream with Andrew Navaro on Friday, August 30, beginning at 4:30 PM Central Time.

Wondering about the design philosophies behind your favorite game, or what might lie in store for the future? Curious about a certain part of the game design process? Maybe you just want to know what games Andrew enjoys playing? Or what’s his favorite Legend of the Five Rings clan (spoilers below)? Come watch our stream on YouTube and Twitch and grab the chance to ask your own questions!

Better yet, you don’t have to wait until Friday to get your questions in the queue. We’ve started a thread in our forums, where we’ll be collecting questions for the next week and a half in anticipation of the stream. Feel free to head over and post your own questions for Andrew in our forum thread now, and we’ll be drawing from questions posted in this thread during the AMA, as well as questions posted in the YouTube and Twitch chat rooms.

Whether you post your questions ahead of time in the forums, or you come prepared to post in the YouTube and Twitch chat rooms, this AMA is your chance to ask Andrew Navaro whatever you like. We hope to see you there!  

“You need an incredibly fast ship, and a brilliant pilot.”
“We’ve got the pilot.”
   —Dryden Vos and Han Solo, Solo: A Star Wars Story

Across the galaxy, The Galactic Civil War continues to throw local systems into chaos, nowhere more fiercely than the Mid and Outer Rim. As both the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance struggle to gather the resources and allies that will tip the scales of power to their favor, now is the time for newly promoted commanders to make a name for themselves. 

As these commanders lead their fleets to these vital systems, they gain ever-more experience and power as tensions in the Rim grow to a boiling point. Will the Rebellion be crushed under the fist of the Empire, or will the spark of hope spread throughout the galaxy to burn down the Empire and herald in a new age?

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to a closer look at the task force commanders who will lead your campaigns in Rebellion in the Rim, the second campaign expansion for Star Wars™: Armada—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website with free shipping within the continental United States!

The Galaxy In Your Hands

The campaign of Rebellion in the Rim is an escalating struggle for supremacy as the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire fleets clash in the remote regions of the galaxy. Two players can go head-to-head, or four to six players can work as two competing teams. Each player commands a single fleet and gains new abilities as their ships do battle, but your ability to work together will ultimately determine whether your fleet ultimately succeeds or fails.

Unlike your usual game of Armada, campaign battles may contain fleets of unequal power, and they can range in size, consisting of skirmishes between small fleets—also called task forces—or encounters that include large team fleets. Players who have fought their way through The Corellian Conflict may be familiar with campaign play (which you can preview here) where you must attempt to gain campaign points over the course of several acts by participating in battles that can have permanent effects. In addition to earning campaign points, players also gain experience from these battles and earn rewards to upgrade their task forces’ capabilities. But unlike The Corellian Conflict, your fleet is not the only thing to evolve in Rebellion in the Rim. 

This campaign expansion introduces a brand-new element of gameplay with task force commanders. These commanders replace commander upgrade cards attached to your fleet’s flagship, instead allowing you to build your own unique character and have them evolve throughout the course of your campaign. This gives you the chance to become more immersed in your games than ever before, watching your chosen leader learn and develop until they can stand amongst the most prestigious starship commanders in the galaxy. If you can help your commander succeed in their battles in the Rim, you may be able to solidify their position in the fleet, set them on the course for further promotion through the ranks, and ultimately seal their place in the annals of history.

Evolving With the Battle

The Rim may be a lawless backwater compared to the glittering Core Worlds, but it is the largest region of the known galaxy and the perfect place for an aspiring commander to make their mark. At the beginning of your adventure in Rebellion in the Rim, you create your task force commander by choosing a tier-1 ability and then developing their skills as they gain more experience over the course of the campaign. The commander’s ability is written on their fleet roster which also records the name you have chosen for them. Through this roster, you can watch your commanders grow from novices to full masters in their fields. For example, if your commander devotes their studies to squadron tactics, they may begin the campaign specializing as a Master Coordinator or practicing Rapid Deployment. 

Some abilities, like Master Coordinator, are ranked, linked by an arrow to higher-tier abilities with the same name. A commander must have the lower-tier version of a ranked ability to purchase the next rank of that ability and replace their lower-tier version. Meanwhile others, like Rapid Deployment, simply offer their advantage without the possibility of growth. But you can always choose to replace one ability with another, provided you have the experience to purchase your new ability. You are not strictly bound by choices you make before the battle begins. A true commander is able to change course depending on the needs of their fleet.

Your commanders become more effective leaders in their specialized areas by spending experience from battles to either gain new abilities or replace current ones. Task force commanders that participated in the battle gain experience regardless of whether they win or lose. Defeat is often the best teacher, after all. But depending on the difference in score or total fleet value between the winner and the loser, commanders can gain additional experience. At the end of a battle, the winning team subtracts the losing team’s score from their score. For every 75 points difference, each commander from the winning team gains one additional experience. If one team’s total fleet point value is greater than the other, then the team with fewer total fleet points subtracts their fleet value from their opponent. For each full 25 points difference, the team with a lower fleet point value gains one additional experience. These points are precious, and you must spend them wisely. If you cannot adjust your course to the tide of your battles, doom is sure to await.

Once your commander is ready to embark on their mission, you must plan your advance across the Rim carefully and choose your missions well to gain the experience that will hone the skill of your fleet’s crews and sharpen your commander. Learn to work with your fellow commanders to not only divide and conquer, but also join forces against the enemy when necessary. Remember that initial setbacks may lead to later opportunities, and you must be at your best when the pivotal battle for the Rim begins!

Prepare for Hyperspace

The galaxy has fallen into chaos and the outcome of the entire Galactic Civil War may be determined by your actions in the Mid and Outer Rim. The eyes of your allies turn to you for leadership and hope—are you ready to take on this mission?

Pre-order your copy of Rebellion in the Rim (SWM31) at your local retailer or online through our website—with free shipping in the continental United States—here! This campaign expansion will arrive at retailers in Q3 of 2019!

“Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise.”
   —Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: A New Hope

Massive war machines such as the AT-ST and the TX-225 Occupier Combat Assault Tank do more than crush any resistance to total Imperial domination. They also project the Empire’s might across the planets they are stationed, quelling any resistance before it begins. The Empire takes a similar approach when acquiring local wildlife to support its operations throughout the galaxy.

When these operations take them to desert planets like Tatooine, mighty creatures like Dewbacks make excellent mounts for Imperial Sandtroopers, their imposing frames proving both intimidating to opposing forces and resiliant to blaster fire. Soon, you’ll be able to use these beasts to spread Imperial might across the battlefield with the Dewback Rider Unit Expansion for Star Wars™: Legion! 

This expansion brings another option for the support units that back up the bulk of your Imperial armies. Within it, you’ll find an unpainted and beautifully-detailed Dewback miniature with a Sandtrooper rider who can be assembled with four different weapon options: the standard shock prod, a T-21 blaster rifle, a RT-97C blaster rifle, or a CR-24 Flame Rifle. These weapons and their associated upgrade cards each give the Dewback Rider unique new ways to attack while three additional upgrade cards invite you to modify your Dewback Rider with more training and comms systems. 

Join us today as we take a closer look at the Dewback Rider Unit Expansion!

Adapted for Battle

Life on the brutally hot planet of Tatooine has made Dewbacks an extremely rugged species of reptiles able to survive at the most extreme temperatures. Fortunately for the Empire, these environmental adaptations also make them particularly useful in battle. Whether its patrolling a planet or charging headlong into a skirmish, Imperial commanders can use these hearty beasts in a number of ways.

No matter their purpose, Dewback and rider must work together to acheive maximum effectiveness in combat. For instance, while a Dewback’s claws can help them cross the difficult terrain of Tatooine with ease, it can only truly use this ability when it is spurred forward by its rider. Doing so helps these normally lumbering creatures cover a substantial amount of ground with surprising speed, allowing them to become a major part of any engagement. While these short bursts of speed may spook an untrained Dewback, the best display an uncanny 

Endurance

 that lets them push forward without adverse effects.

Once they do enter battle, both Dewback and rider can again come together to unleash a powerful attack. Combining the Dewback’s razor-sharp claws with the Sandtrooper’s shock prod creates a unique attack that is both deadly and sends panic running through the targeted unit. Such an attack requires engaging an enemy unit up close, of course, but luckily the Dewback’s thick and scaly hide create a natural layer of protective armor against incoming attacks.

Before a Dewback can unleash one of these powerful melee attacks, though, it first needs to engage with an enemy unit, which can be quite difficult for these lumbering lizards. With its rider carefully guiding its movements, the Dewback can reposition before or after moving, putting itself in position to march directly at an enemy unit. Better yet, the rider relentlessly drives the beast forward, allowing them to immediately perform an attack after moving. 

As powerful as its melee attack may be, it is only the most basic option available to a Dewback Rider. You can just as easily outfit the Sandtrooper with three other weapons that make them effective in a variety of situations. If you’d like a highly mobile trooper who can pick off targets from a distance, a

RT-97C Blaster Rifle

 extends the Sandtroopers range, making the unit effective both up close and from a distance. Those who want a better chance of hitting their targets regardless of cover or armor, on the other hand, can make use of a 

T-21 Blaster Rifle

 for the maximum amount of fire. Alternatively, your Dewback Rider can clear swathes of the battlefield with a 

CR-24 Flame Rifle,

 paving the way for the rest of your troops. 

Whether attacking from afar or bullying opposing units with their sizeable bulk, a Dewback Rider can support Imperial ground operations in a variety of ways, making them invaluable tools to any Imperial commander.

Show Your Might

Towering above all but the largest units, a Dewback is an initimidating symbol of the Empire’s strength. With one in your army, you can remind your enemies of this strengthe every time it takes the battlefield. 

Look for the Dewback Rider Unit Expansion (SWL42) and the Imperial Shoretroopers Unit Expansion (SWL41) at your local retailer in the third of 2019. Pre-order your copies at your local retailer or online through our website—with free shipping in the continental United States—here!