Skye Lansing's Blog

This place isn’t dead. On the contrary, I have often thought over the past couple years that I have let it go too long without putting anything here. The same goes for the newsletter, but that is another matter entirely. Since it has been nearly two whole years, there is a lot of ground to cover. I’m going to keep this brief for now though.

I have been preoccupied with the mess that is life for the past few years. Never stopped working on the book (not entirely at least), but progress was going much slower than I would have liked. The scope of the project also ballooned significantly. There is a lot of guilt there, though I rationally know that I was dealing with a lot. Of course, I knew I should post here, but because I was feeling so down I felt like I needed to have some big update to justify my going quiet. A silly impulse in retrospect, driven by guilt over my lack of progress more than anything.

I recently finished the rough draft and have begun reviewing the whole book. There is a LOT of work to be done. The scope of the book grew and grew until the final word count is just north of three hundred thousand words. That is, clearly, absurd, but I know there is a lot of room to make cuts. The story evolved a lot in the process of writing it, and there is a bunch of cruft to be removed. This, unfortunately, means a lot of rewriting at some points. My hope is that after the review I shall have a much clearer image of what the final product, which should make the rewriting easier. Hopefully, I will also get the book’s length down to something more manageable as well.

Officially? Yes. Realistically? Nothing has gone out in so long, however, that the answer may as well be no. I have yet to decide if I’m going to revive it or not. If I do, I at least want to have content lined up for it.

Now, I keep focusing on book #3. As you can see, I’m making a lot of progress in the “review” these days. Already at about 20% after a week. Try not to read too much into this, however, as it is mostly me reading what I have with a red pen and crossing stuff out. Hope to get blog posts going up regularly as well. Or semi-regularly at least. Yes, I realize that is something I’ve spoken about before. Hopefully my next update will have more substance, but for now I just wanted to get something out to reverse my longstanding trend of letting the place languish.

As those subscribed to my newsletter know, my maternal grandfather recently passed after electing to stop treatment for an ongoing condition. This was not much of a surprise as he has been in poor health for several years now, though there really isn’t any way to fully prepare for these sorts of things. My mother has been busy helping to settle his estate, and starting on the 29th I shall be heading over to help her do so.

I know book 3 is already running quite late (and while I am tempted to blame the pandemic, it is only partly the cause). A lot of progress has been made recently, but I am not sure how much this trip will impact things. Certainly, preparing to go away for a month or two has made writing difficult (traveling always has some stress associated with it, and doing so during a pandemic only increases that). Although I am keeping the newsletter up-to-date on things behind the scenes, I figured I might as well do so here as well considering the pending trip.

My current “goal” is to have the rough draft of the book finished sometime around December…which is nearly a year late I realize. Realistically, it may happen before then but that depends on how busy I end up during this trip and how long I am away. If I was confident in my ability to keep writing at the pace I have been keeping, I would say that it should be done by October, but with how the year has been going and my own inability to meet my goals, I want to give plenty of leeway. This seems especially important as I’m not really sure how I will be affected when I’m going through my grandparents’ house and getting it ready to be sold considering the memories I have there.

In any case, this felt important to share. I will be trying to continue writing during the trip, and just hope for some understanding if things continue to take longer than I would like.

“Just a simple mission,” they’d said, like what they wanted wasn’t at all unusual.

Another chance to serve my country by removing an obstacle to social progress. Despite the euphemisms, I knew exactly what they really wanted. They called it an execution. Told me it had been approved by the courts after a proper trial and everything.

But what court doesn’t even tell someone they’re on trial? What execution involves slithering into someone’s house while they sleep?

I shouldn’t have listened. Should have known better. About the guilt. About how from then on I would always see the blood on my hands no matter how often I washed them. If that was it, perhaps I could have gotten over it. Found a way to live with myself.

Only it wasn’t.

Now, barely a day goes by without that familiar prickle running down my spine when I least expect it. Sometimes its in the mirror. Sometimes out of the corner of my eye. Once, even at my daughter’s school.

I’ll be minding my own business only to look over, and there he’ll be. Standing there. Watching. Smiling at me like he doesn’t mind the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

Just a short little update. Am on travel, watching my aunt’s dogs. All of them are dears in their own way (although the middle child has more energy than I know how to handle). One was sick yesterday, however, which has derailed things. Poor girl tries so very hard to be good too. Thankfully she seems to be doing better now, but the complication is forcing me to reevaluate how to approach their care which in turn impacts my writing.

On another note, this is NaNoWriMo. I will not be participating, but wish everyone who is good luck!

Writing this has been a long time coming; almost from the moment I decided that since my Honor’s Path series takes place in a Feudal Japan-like setting that I should use largely Japanese religious traditions and ideas within the story. A quick disclaimer, I am not a follower of Shinto and cannot claim to be an expert on the religion. I have, at best, a lay understanding of the material. With that addressed, let us continue.

Anyone who looks into Shinto will run into the concept of kami very quickly. They are a source of worship in the Shinto religion. If you’ve read the appendix of my book, you’ve likely seen that the word “kami” is often translated several different ways in English (Spirit, Ghost, and God), but that none of these are quite correct because of connotations that may or may not apply to any given kami. In a way, the uncertainty behind what kami means is necessary, as kami themselves are rather ambiguous by nature. While it’s true that many notable kami (such as Amaterasu) could be considered Gods in the Greek understanding of the word, there are problems with doing so.

This is because kami are, essentially, mystic phenomena. It is entirely possible for a kami to be something that would be recognized as a god (again, see Amaterasu), but they might also be the spirits of a venerated individual, an element of the local geography, forces of nature, or even an ancient tree. To further clarify how treating a kami as a ghost, spirit, or god may not be correct, kami aren’t required to be either sentient or sapient.

What does this mean?

Lets take a step back to the root of what kami are: mystical phenomena. You will notice that I used the word “Mystical” and not “Supernatural.” This is deliberate. According to Shinto, kami are a part of nature. As best I can explain it, they are the embodiment of something, be that something easily identified like a mountain or a more abstract concept like honor. They are, in a sense, something given form (although it should be noted that a kami may well not have a physical form at all!). Because they are the quintessential existence of something, they possess all of its characteristics; positive and negative, good and evil (although labels such as good or evil may not apply, as that tends to imply motivation). Because of this, it is entirely possible a kami may not even have a will as such. A fire cannot decide to not burn something exposed to its flame and spread to flammable materials, thus a fire kami cannot either as those are intrinsic characteristics of a fire.

So if kami are entirely natural (if mystical) phenomena which may not even have the capacity to appreciate being worshiped, why does Shinto show them such respect?

One key aspect to understand about kami is that they are hidden from the world we live in, inhabiting a complementary existence that mirrors our own (the world of the kami). Again, notice I used the word “hidden” from our world instead of “separated”. Although they live in a complementary existence, their world is not separate from ours. They are, in a sense, the same world and we just happen to inhabit different aspects of it. Thus, actions we take can have an impact on the realm the kami inhabit. By the same token, they have an effect on our world.

The goal of revering a kami is not necessarily to have it intercede on our behalf, but to avoid unnatural strife by existing in harmony with the inherent natural energy of the universe. Worshiping a volcano kami will not prevent the volcano from erupting because erupting is what volcanoes do. The kami can’t prevent an eruption any more than a human can stop breathing. However, disrespecting the volcano kami and acting without regard for it will cause discord between our realm and the one the kami inhabit which will unavoidably lead to even worse disasters and hardship, often far beyond what may be expected although the end result will inevitably appear only natural.

Let’s use this to frame a modern issue, Global Warming, through a lens Shinto might use. In this case, it might be said that the carbon-dioxide released year after year by our addiction to fossil fuels has been slowly but steadily poisoning the delicate balance maintained in our air and that we are destined to suffer horrible disasters unless we can bring ourselves to begin acting in harmony with the realm of the kami once more. Granted, we have natural explanations for what is happening and terrible predictions, but even so have been caught by surprise by how swiftly glaciers appear to be melting and the unusually hot summers experienced this year.

One thing I’ve noticed when writing, there are numerous sources about how to cope with and move past writer’s block. Not surprising. Anyone who’s sat down to write a story has reached a point where they simply do not know how to proceed. This doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t know what happens next (although that is common). It could be also be they are unsure of how to proceed, or simply lack the necessary motivation to continue.

While I could give advice on how to overcome writer’s block, my experience has been that what works for one person very rarely works for another. This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Everyone’s creative process is different. Same for our strengths and weaknesses. Thus, I suspect, the exact problems every writer must contend with when facing writer’s block are also likely to be completely different.

So instead of giving some advice that might be partly useful to one or two people in the world, I figured I would instead tackle the larger issue of how to avoid writer’s block entirely. In all honesty, I believe this can be applied to any endeavor where people feel like they are getting stuck, however my application has to do exclusively with writing. Also, as with overcoming writer’s block, I do not expect that works for me will also work for you. Instead, it is my hope that reading this will make you think about how you go about doing your own work, and identify the habits you have that ultimately sabotage you from making progress.

I’m also going to give a shout out to the book The War of Art, which helped me immeasurably. I probably bring this up every time I talk about writer’s block or productivity. There is a reason for that.

Tip #1: Schedule Time To Write Every Day

I put this first, because I think it is the biggest thing you can do to ensure you avoid writer’s block. It certainly helps me more than anything else I’ve tried.

Personally, I don’t think that how much time you schedule matters, so long as it is the same amount every day. I’m personally doing at least 2 hours on my book every day, with more time allocated after for things like my newsletter and blog. That is a lot, and depending on your situation you may not be able to dedicate that much all the time. That is fine. Can you manage 1 hour? 30 minutes? 15? 10?

Any amount of time is sufficient so long as you do it every day and are willing to honestly push your self to write during that entire span of time. Also, you want to make sure you don’t dedicate too much time early one. I suggest just sitting down for a week with the goal of writing for as long as you are comfortable, then looking at how long that is. Then promise yourself you will write at least that much ever day. As you get used to this, you may decide to give yourself even longer. That is entirely up to you.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but it works wonders. You would think that writing every day would make you more likely to run out of ideas (as you are writing them all down so quickly). While it is true that you will be getting your ideas out faster, I have found that it also makes it much easier to develop new ideas. Your brain gets used to thinking about your writing regularly when you write every day, and this makes it easier to come up with new ideas.

One word of caution: do not be afraid to start with smaller projects. Especially when you are just starting, it is fine to stick to short stories or jump to a completely new project when you lose interest in what you are doing. Your initial goal should simply to get in the habit of writing every day. Learning to focus on a single project can come later.

Tip #2: Have a Process

By this I mean you will want to have a dedicated space where you write, and that you should approach your writing in the same manner every day. What this ultimately means is going to be very specific based on the individual and their circumstances, but having a set environment where you do your work is very helpful. My first book (and much of the second) was written on a couch with my laptop on a coffee table. Since then, I’ve moved to writing at a desk in my room. For me, the location isn’t as important as the feeling that I have control over it.

Location is important, but building up a consistent set of behaviors you run through immediately prior to writing is also helpful. Again, this will be personal to the specific individual and I don’t think the exact things done matter so long as they are consistent.

Mine goes like this: I wake up, shower, brush my teeth, and eat breakfast. I then go outside to read for 30 minutes. During this time, I may also read the news or surf the Internet. After that, I hop online for a brief time to chat with some friends before I get to work. Immediately prior to work, I do a short workout that lasts 10 minutes. I then select a specific playlist of ambient music on my phone, close all chat programs, open up a thesaurus site (and ONLY a thesaurus site), launch Scrivener, and begin writing.

None of these hold any special meaning to me, and I can skip certain parts if necessary (such as reading). The important thing is to remain as faithful to the process as possible so that by the time I start the playlist my mind has already shifted into work mode because I have already done all the things that tell myself it is now time to work.

Tip #3: Track Your Productivity

I am a big believer in the ability of metrics being a useful tool to help improve the way we work. Not all metrics, obviously, but picking the right ones can do a lot of good. Personally, I would go for one or two easy to track ones. For example, a log of how many words you got written during a day and how long you wrote. This can be accompanied by simple notes on when you wrote or anything else you think may be relevant. This is the sort of thing you can easily make into a spreadsheet.

The key thing to remember is that you want to keep this up-to-date without fretting about it constantly. Do not look to this as something that measures how good you are or how good of a worker you are. Ultimately, that stuff is unimportant. This isn’t something that some nebulous boss will look at to judge your worth. If there times you end up only being able to write 10 words, you shouldn’t feel ashamed to enter that into the log. Remember: this is a tool, and it will only be as useful as the accuracy of the data you enter into it allows it to be.

Your goal in tracking your productivity is two fold. First, over time you will get a clear picture of any working habits you have and how quickly you are able to make progress on projects. This becomes invaluable when it comes to planning new projects. Family always visits around the holidays and your productivity takes a dive, so you know to expect this and not get down on yourself for having a bad week. By the same token, you may begin to notice a trend where you are able to get more done during certain times of the day. Maybe it is worth considering moving all your writing sessions to those times. But you are unlikely to notice these patterns without tracking the data.

The second reason to track productivity, is because it allows you to recognize your progress and notice if there is a problem. I guarantee that if you write every day you will see the number of words you write every day go up. Seeing this happen is a wonderful feeling. It also lets you see if your numbers go down, and there will be days where that happens. A lot of times, low numbers don’t necessarily mean much(You were sick. There was an emergency. You were traveling.), but sometimes they will uncover problems that you wouldn’t otherwise notice. If there is a death in your family and suddenly your productivity plummets, you might be depressed. It is something you should look into for your own wellbeing.

Tip #4: Goals, not Quotas

This is where I usually see someone put down “Have Goals” and then launch into the usual spiel. That advice is good, but I’ve found that it has a tendency to lead me astray so I’m choosing to frame it in this way to avoid the pitfalls I personally experienced. I doubt I’m the only one who has read the advice about having a goal, failed to meet one, and then felt terrible because that signaled to me that I am a failure. It certainly doesn’t help that when a school or job assigns certain “goals” to you that there is an unspoken understanding that meeting these goals is something of a requirement, and failing to do so will have negative repercussions.

Goals, not quotas! It is important to keep the distinction in mind. Goals are things you hope to achieve. Quotas are things you must do. Meeting and exceeding both feels good. You set out to do something, and then you did it. The difference is that a quota is a minimum. It is what you MUST do in order to meet with acceptability. Failing to reach a goal sucks, but it just means you fell short this one time. You can try again tomorrow.

Which brings us to the importance of having goals of all sorts. Having a big goal like “finishing the novel by November” is great, but it is also really difficult to get hold of. How many chapters will you need to write every month? How many pages a week? How many words in a day? All of these are important goals to have, but when you break it down that far the chunks become more manageable. By focusing on and achieving the smaller goals, you will naturally reach the larger ones as well.

And by making sure you don’t view your goals as a minimum that must be reached, you will shift your entire outlook to be not only healthier but also one that is more productive. A quota is a minimum that must be reached, and consequently you stop upon reaching it. The negative consequence is now gone, so there is no reason to continue.

A goal doesn’t have this flaw. Maybe you set a goal of writing one page a day. Excellent! That is a great goal! And most days that is all you can write. That is fine. Occasionally you fall short, which feels bad but since a goal isn’t a quota you know that it is okay and you can begin again tomorrow. Then there are some days where things are just firing off really easy. You complete two, three, four, five pages; and you have a great time while doing it. You feel great, where if you had the mindset of quotas your thoughts would turn toward making up for either past or future shortfalls, and thus linger on your failures instead.

Tip #5: Minimize Distractions

This is my final piece of advice, and probably going to be the most personalized one of everything. Many sites will suggest disconnecting from the Internet entirely, and while I do believe this will help most people it is not something I personally need. For me, simply putting my phone into “Do Not Disturb” mode and closing all messaging programs is enough, although this is in part because I have never felt the allure of social media. I also do not feel tempted to surf the net, so keeping a browser open in case I need to perform a quick search for research isn’t a big deal.

But that said, most of the noises that people make (walking, talking, moving things around) are guaranteed to distract me, so I intentionally structure my day so that I can write when nobody else is around. Other things that bother me include anything with an LED display, especially if it blinks or keeps time. Clocks especially cause problems. I frequently find myself glancing at them, taking note of how much time has past and worrying about that instead of the work I should be doing.

In fact, my playlist is specifically intended to help in this department. I have collected a number of ambient music tracks that are great for me. Music is great because it can cover up other noises which might distract me, but I find that anything with vocals or a beat that is too bouncy is just as much of a distraction. My mind focuses on the music instead of the writing. The ambient tracks I have collected are idea because they still cover over other sounds without being as intrusive to my thoughts. As an added bonus, it is much more difficult to figure out how far along I am in one of the ambient tracks, which makes judging time by the music impossible. It simply exists as a backdrop that I can ignore, allowing me to devote all my attention to writing.

So whenever you sit down to write, try to take note of what things frequently distract you. Many of these might be one-off problems, but if you keep noticing the same things then it is definitely worth the effort to figure out a way to eliminate the distraction (or at least mitigate it).

I brought this up in my newsletter, but the fallout I have witnessed from the final season of Game of Thrones has been fairly interesting. This isn’t a show that I watched at all (I do not watch much television and my interest in the series had already been lost as a result of the slow release of the books), so I got to see this as a mostly peripheral observer. As I write stories myself, it should come as no surprise that what I see had given me quite a bit to think about.

There is a LOT of ground to cover, and more I will leave uncovered, because this is already too long. I sort of rolled up most of the questions I ended up thinking about (concerning GoT) into a single post to keep this contained. Also decided to focus on the show in particular as much as possible.

Woah boy. Better get started.

One thing I think we need to address straight off is that Fan Backlash like this always comes from somewhere; it cannot happen in a vacuum. People do not go from loving something to being upset and hating it for no reason. That isn’t the way things work, there needs to be a catalyst. We can argue if the catalyst is a valid reason for being upset all you want, but it does exist. Not only does it exist, the people involved in the backlash feel strongly enough about it that they are having the reaction seen.

The next vital thing to understand is that fan backlash happens because the people involved care. I’ve often heard it said that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it is indifference. Both loving and hating something require a certain level of passion. Passion can be either positive or negative, but regardless of which happens to be the case, a person who loves or hates something cares about it.

So, when you have someone that likes something enough to be a fan of it, and then that thing changes in ways they dislike it is very difficult (I would say practically impossible) for them to simply shrug it off. Remember, they loved it. They care. That they end up reacting negatively is only logical, anything else would mean they didn’t care to begin with.

This is something I feel the backlash against Game of Thrones embodies very clearly. It is important to remember what the series meant to people who were fans of it. Every single time the story killed off a main character that fans loved, even if it did so in an ignominious manner, it was making a statement. The show was telling fans that in its story a character’s decisions and actions have logical consequences and that they would not be protected from those consequences regardless of who they are.

Despite being a good, honorable person who many considered the main character, Ned Stark dies. Robb Stark, who largely filled the role his father did, makes similar mistakes and likewise ends up dead in short order, reinforcing the message. A lot of people talk about how they love this because it is gritty and realistic, but I think what they really mean is that the story is brutally honest. Some have mistakenly said this handling subverts expectations, which is only true because stories so often have outcomes that go against the odds. Game of Thrones, by contrast, nearly always went with what seemed fairly likely. Characters are forced to live with the consequences of their decisions, regardless of if that means having a hand cut off, getting thrown from a balcony, or being burned alive.

And because of this, characters are put under tremendous pressure that ends ultimately reveals who they really are. Some are cold and calculating. Some are breathtakingly intelligent. Some are painfully naive. The thing is, fans got to know every single one by watching their trials and how they coped with them. Then, at the very end of the series, the show turned around and began to ignore all of this.

Actions no longer seemed to lead to logical consequences. Maybe this was done in a mistaken attempt to recapture the initial sense of subverted expectations, or maybe there was another reason. It didn’t matter, it signaled to fans that the show had changed. Characters started behaving in ways that seemed contrary to their established traits, clashing with what the fans knew about the individuals they were watching. Important characters became immune to death unless in a confrontation with other important characters.

In effect, the series went against everything it originally stood for. The reason why this happened doesn’t particularly matter. Regardless of if the writers weren’t up to the task of continuing the story without GRR’s writing to fall back on or if they simply rushed through to the end, the result is the same. Fans saw a show they love discard everything they loved about it in the span of a few episodes.

They cared deeply about it.

So they hated it.

Thus the reality is that the Game of Thrones writers failed to measure up to their fans’ expectations. If they managed to meet those expectations, the backlash would not have happened (or would at least be contained to a smaller subset of the fandom). So that means that this is all very simple, right? An artist is under the burden to meet the expectations that they build their fans up to. Easy!

Well, maybe not.

This is where things get more tricky. Let me lay out a few different theoretical situations:

One. An artist is doing good work and then gets into a horrible accident in the middle of a larger project. Everyone agrees the work they do after the accident is of lesser quality (be it due to the lingering trauma of having lived through the accident, or because they were injured in some way that has compromised their talent).

Two. An artist is adapting some work from one form of media to another but they are not as innately skilled as the individual who created the source material. They are, however, very good at adaptations and by falling back on the original artist’s source material can create something wonderful. Then they reach the end of what has been created and find that what they produce on their own is far inferior.

Three. An artist is doing a lot of work to produce something that everyone agrees is amazing. Over time, they lose interest in the project for one reason or another and begin to devote less and less time to it, ultimately resulting in an inferior product (or something that is left unfinished).

Four. An artist is producing a work that becomes critically acclaimed. As a result of success, they become lazy and begin working on it less often. This results in things being released more slowly, possibly to the point that progress stops entirely, and the quality as a whole takes a dive.

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons that an artist’s quality may go down. I think few would argue that you could blame the artist in example 1, and would likely also forgive the artist in example 2. After all, you can hardly blame someone for things that happen to them outside their control, and it is likewise unfair to get angry at someone who is doing their best and simply cannot measure up (assuming, of course, that they are not trying to convince everyone of the opposite and actively building hype).

Personally, I even have a problem with blaming the artist in example 3. There is an argument to be made that if you are no longer invested in a project, then perhaps the best thing to do is hand it off to someone else (although this also often comes with a measure of fan backlash and predictions of doom). I don’t think people understand how difficult that step is for an artist to take, however. Big projects end up becoming something akin to a child. Trusting someone else enough to hand that child off to them is not easy. I would say that, so long as the artist is still making a genuine effort and being honest with their audience, there is no problem here. Disappointment is understandable, but to expect more is akin to saying that the artist is a slave to their audience. I’m very uncomfortable taking things that far, and not just because I write books.

Example four is the only one that I feel puts the artist in the wrong. The deciding factor, in my mind, is that examples 1-3 always have the artist trying. Trying and failing perhaps, but they are putting forth a genuine effort. You cannot really get angry at them if they fail any more than you might get angry at them for being unable to stop a bullet by standing in front of a gun. Everyone has limitations, and occasionally those make us stumble and fall. Trying to push those limits is perhaps the most admirable thing a human can do, provided they are not doing so in a way that isn’t actively reckless.

By contrast, the artist in example four is capable of doing good work. They have proved it. However they have gotten comfortable in their success, maybe made enough money that they no longer feel the same drive they once did, and no longer put forth an honest effort. This isn’t to say that artists need to suffer to produce good art. Maybe they just got bored and stopped trying. Or maybe there is another reason. The key here is they are capable of doing good work but do not apply themselves to see it through.

So there is a sticking point: what was the ultimate cause. Sometimes this is obvious, but usually, the situation is less clear. I have no clue what triggered the drop in quality that was seen in Game of Thrones. I wasn’t present as it was being worked on. That said, I have some suspicions.

It is no secret that HBO effectively gave the writers behind the TV Series a blank check to have as many seasons as they wanted. There has also been word about them getting a spot to work on a new Star Wars film. Since the final books of the series have run out as well, I suspect that some combination of example 2 and 3 (possibly with a touch of example 4) were the cause. The exact breakdown is not something I feel competent to determine, but that is ultimately my read.

So did the writers behind GoT owe something to their fans? Perhaps a little, but who can say how much?

Originally, I wrote a (quite long) post about the story of Rokugan. After I finished, and was looking at the 2000 words I had put down, I realized something: It read like a wiki post. Greatly informative if it is about a topic you are already interested in, but otherwise I expect it is quite dry.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to do. On the one hand, I had spent a few weeks working on it. Shouldn’t I just post it, since it represented two weeks worth of working on content for my blog? On the other, everything I wrote about was easily available from different sources. As such, I really wasn’t bringing any additional value to the table. I was merely regurgitating information that is readily available.

After some deliberation, I’ve decided to hold back on everything I wrote for now. If it seems relevant later, I can always post it then. Instead, I have decided to explain exactly what I loved about the story Legend of the Five Rings created.

One thing that I must convey is the state of the story at the time I became interested in it. One thing that probably isn’t immediately apparent is just how little of the story had been revealed. Players knew about some events, mostly those taking place during the game’s immediate time line, quite well. There were also a number of events that were known to have occurred due to references in card flavor text or other stories, but which very little was known about.

A prime example of this is the Scorpion Clan Coup. Early on, players knew that there had been a coup in the empire’s recent history which had largely set the stage for the current state of Rokugan. There were references to it in some flavor text, the former wife of the Scorpion Clan Champion had been married by the current Emperor, and some clans were identified as members of the Scorpion Clan despite that faction not being playable (and indeed, having officially been destroyed following the coup).

As such, players knew that there was a Scorpion Clan at one point, that the clan had been scattered after a failed attempt to overthrow the empire, and that despite officially being destroyed it still had active members (likely led by the current emperor’s wife). What wasn’t know is why the coup had occurred, why the Scorpion Clan had lost, and what their goals were now. In a sense, they mostly existed as the designated “bad guys” manipulating events behind the scenes.

Later on, they became a playable faction and more was learned about their current motivations (revenge, unsurprisingly). Then an entire set came out that focused on the Scorpion Clan Coup, and we learned the motive behind the coup (preventing a prophecy from coming true) as well as why they were defeated.

Now, add to this that the story team did something very clever. Room was left in some of the details players were given to allow for uncertainty. Often times, this is done as a way to hedge against future story conflicts (something L5R is not completely innocent of). Many things were left open-ended, however. In most cases there was an in-universe explanation that was generally accepted, however no definitive answer was given. Did that person who was never seen again accomplish their goal? Is this weird place in the corrupted lands really there because of them?

Add to this the way player actions during tournaments (by altering events depending on which clan the winner played or giving the winner a chance to pick which direction the story would take) and the end result was quite enticing. You feel as if you are in the middle of the story, learning more about things that happened or will happen as time goes on. However, because players have some amount of agency you also don’t feel like you are just an observer. On some level you know that player input can only have so much of an impact on the story, but that is still an empowering feeling.

This lead to the concept of bounties, where players who wanted to help steer the story would offer their own prizes to tournament winners if they could fulfill certain conditions. The winner might be required to pick a particular outcome, or win with a certain clan, or pursue specific victory conditions. It was even possible for a bounty to require that a deck include certain cards.

It was a brilliant result where everyone won. Bounties allowed people without the skill or time to compete to still feel like they were having an impact on the story. Tournament participants were given opportunities to win larger prizes by opting for carefully chosen outcomes. The company benefited as the bounties made the player base more excited and invested in the game’s world. And game play in general benefited as the bounties gave players a reason to experiment with styles of play that would otherwise be considered sub-optimal, helping combat the usual problem of an established meta from becoming too entrenched.

I’ve already addressed several of the Great Clans, and in this post I shall cover the remaining three. As before, everything written here is my personal view of the clans, and so focus on the aspects I find most interesting. (For part one, CLICK HERE.)

The Phoenix Clan is arguably the most religious of the empire. Where most typically only pay their respects to their ancestors and the various gods that have a hand in their various endeavors, the Phoenix revere every spirit in the world around them. Shrines and temples to the Kami are especially common within Phoenix lands. And the respect the Phoenix show to the Kami is clearly returned, for they are blessed with the most Shugenja (magic users) in the empire.

Because of how pious the typical Phoenix is, it might be tempting to assume the clan is known for tranquility. While this is something the Phoenix strive for, they are an admittedly passionate and insightful people. When they believe they are in the right, the pursue it with fervor and devotion, and often come off as arrogant. When angered, their wrath is terrible as the magics they unleash have the ability to rend the very world asunder. Nobody is more aware of the devastation the Phoenix Clan could cause than the Phoenix themselves, and as such they often espouse pacifism and diplomatic solutions over martial conflict.

This is reflected in the clan leadership itself. Unlike the other clans, which are led by their clan’s champion, the Phoenix are ruled by a council of five elemental masters. It is they who set the clan’s course, with the Phoenix Champion serving to enact their will and guard the clan against its enemies. Even lower nobles within the clan often hold to traditions specifically intended to allow their advisers and subordinates to debate a course of action freely without having to worry about angering their lord should they disagree.

The Scorpion Clan hold a unique place in the empire. They are neither the Emperor’s right hand, nor his left. They are his underhand. An unexpected dagger in the back, removing the empire’s secret foes before they can do harm. Even an empire founded on honor has criminals, liars, and traitors. It is the Scorpion Clan’s duty to find these unsavory elements, watch them, and take whatever action is necessary to serve the Empire’s interests.

That they pursue this duty regardless of where it takes them, or who becomes the focus of their interest, has given them a reputation as untrustworthy villains. One might think this would be a hindrance in their duty, but the Scorpion Clan is a master of subtlety, manipulation, and misdirection. Many play a role in the Scorpion Clan’s plots without ever realizing who they truly serve, and many more are forced to do so against their will or risk having their less savory actions made public. Blackmail, threats, and even assassination are all tools the clan applies freely when needed.

In light of this unsavory work, many Scorpion samurai privately scoff at the notion of honor, however there is one tenant of Bushido they uphold beyond any other clan: Loyalty. Members of the clan are taught the importance of loyalty their entire lives, for without it they would become tools of the very threats they are supposed to keep in check. This isn’t to say that Scorpion samurai have never strayed from their path. At times, the Scorpion have found traitors within their number, but all have been punished terribly by having their souls bound to the Traitor’s Grove, where they shall suffer for eternity.

Although one of the seven original Great Clans, the Unicorn (formerly the Ki-Rin) are outsiders in their own home. Tasked by the first Emperor with exploring the lands beyond the empire’s borders, the Unicorn departed and traveled the continent for hundreds of years. Their return has been relatively recent, and with no small amount of misunderstanding as they were originally mistaken for an invading Shadowlands-tainted barbarian horde. Although they were ultimately able to prove their identity, many within the empire look upon them, and the strange customs they have adopted, with disdain.

But despite the sneering of the other clans, the Unicorn remain proud of their heritage. While their customs may seem strange to other samurai, they ensured the clan’s survival in the harsh world beyond the Empire’s boarders. And customs are not all the Unicorn returned with. To this day, their experience with foreign cultures and their knowledge of the nations that exist beyond, have allowed them to maintain contact and trade with the lands beyond. Although Imperial law forbids such relations, demand for exotic goods remains. As the only great clan willing to skirt these laws, such trade flows almost exclusively through Unicorn lands (filling their coffers in the process).

Trade is not the only thing the Unicorn returned to the empire with. Their greatest pride are their horses, which enable them to field the largest cavalry force in the empire. Though their armies may not be as large as those of the Lion, they are decidedly more mobile and the mere shock of their cavalry charges has won them many battles. Some consider them little better than barbarians, but nobody can doubt their strength when it rivals even the mighty Lion Clan.

A good place to start explaining my love for L5R is the factions that exist within the setting. Originally, there were 7 Great Clans (although when the game first launched one of these had been “destroyed” and was reintroduced later in the story). Every clan tends to revolve around particular themes, although individuals within that clan may deviate from the norm.

Obviously, this was done mostly for gameplay reasons. By having every clan wear a unique hat (so to speak), it makes it easier for prospective players to understand what mechanics each clan is most interested in interacting with. It is actually something I do like. For one, this means that every clan ends up representing different aspects of Asian cultures. Also, while the game does take this specialization to an unrealistic extreme, it isn’t entirely unheard of (the English and Longbows, French and Knights, Swiss and Pikes, etc).

For the time being, I am going to focus on a few of the 7 Great Clans, and cover the others in Part 2. I may also go over some of the other factions (three or four in particular), but do not want to get bogged down. These background posts are supposed to be an overview, not a setting sourcebook. Also, these clan summaries obviously give my perspective of the different clans. As such, they highlight the things I find most interesting about them.

(For those who are curious, the cards shown here are from the new Living Card Game by Fantasy Flight Games).

One of several military-focused clans, the Crab Clan are best known for their defensive prowess. Charged with defending the empire from a corrupted region (the Shadowlands) to the south that is overrun with the undead and literal demons, the defenses built by the Crab Clan are the most formidable in the empire. Because the threat posed by the Shadowlands is ever present, the Crab Clan exists in a constant state of war. Knowing that they are all that stands between Rokugan and the tainted horrors beyond, they have gained a reputation for pragmatism and coarseness with little tolerance for the frivolities of the court.

Crab castles are imposing fortresses of stone without peer, however the crowning jewel of the clan’s engineers is the massive Kaiu Wall (also known as the Carpenter Wall) they’ve constructed along the empire’s southern border. Towering over 70 feet high (100 feet on the Shadowlands side), it has turned aside numerous assaults and remains under constant threat of raids or full-scale assaults. Although the wall is occasionally breached (and in one instance was even destroyed), there is no denying that this single construction usually allows the rest of the empire to exist as if it weren’t under constant threat.

However, the defenses alone would mean nothing without the men and women standing guard over them. Crab Clan samurai have a reputation for being physically imposing and favoring massive warhammers or clubs over the more traditional Katana, as many of the most fearsome beasts they face are protected by supernatural shells that must be cracked open if the creature is to be killed. More than any other clan, the warriors of the Crab Clan live under the shadow of death. Most accept this stoically as their duty and remain ever ready to sacrifice themselves to give others a chance at victory, thereby protecting their families and the empire as a whole.

At the dawn of the Empire, the Emperor tasked the Crane Clan’s founder with establishing customs and social norms that would serve as the cultural basis to hold the fledgling nation’s people together. Ever since, the Crane Clan has been the most refined clan with a reputation for creating fine works of art and an exquisite sense of style, often setting fashion trends throughout the rest of the empire. Although one might dismiss this as a frivolous matter, the reality is their keen understanding of social rules and culture also makes them a force to be reckoned with in the courts.

In fact, their diplomats are found in nearly every court and advise lords across the empire, while naturally reporting back home. Their matchmakers are in high demand, giving them a surprising amount of influence over the political marriages among the other clans. And their works of their most skilled artisans are prized throughout the empire, with few lords willing to turn down such gifts even knowing that strings will surely be attached.

This isn’t to say that they are without martial skill. Perhaps taking a cue from the clan’s artisans, Crane Clan samurai strive for perfection in all they do. Perhaps their military is not as large those fielded by the more militant clans, but there is no denying the skill of their soldiers. Although they may be outnumbered in the field, it is rare that this isn’t more than compensated for by the clan’s political dealings…and in the event that there is a dispute at court, their duelists have a fearsome reputation, being ever-ready to defend their clan’s honor.

Like their founder, Togashi, the Dragon Clan is the most enigmatic in the empire. They typically keep within their own lands, in the mountains at the empire’s northern border, with only the duty to watch the empire and record its history. Of all the clans, members of the Dragon Clan are seen the least often. As a result, they are thought to be aloof and reclusive, although they would instead point out the value of only acting when the time is right.

Samurai of the Dragon Clan are known for both their skill and their unorthodox methods. They are the origin of the Niten technique—wielding the Katana in one hand and the Wakizashi in the other—which is almost completely unknown outside their ranks. Likewise, their investigators have earned a reputation for being able to piece together events thanks to such strange concepts as “evidence” and “logic” rather than relying on testimony. Although outsiders may consider such things odd, it is difficult to argue with results.

But the Dragon Clan is not only known for its samurai, but for the Togashi order of monks. It is said that the members of the Togashi order are often reincarnations of previous members, and through meditation are able to unlock supernatural abilities. Many of these monks wear magical tattoos, further enhancing their abilities. Although abilities may not be as flashy as true spells, there is no shortage of samurai who have been dealt a surprising defeat  by an unarmed Togashi monk.

Although the Emperor maintains his own military force, the Lion Clan is the true source of the empire’s martial might. They maintain the largest standing army of any clan, and their founder literally wrote the book (with every champion of the Lion Clan adding their experiences to the book ever since). Being such a militarized clan, it should come as no surprise that they value martial prowess above all. By extension, they also have a reputation for being the most uncompromising in their adherence to the tenants of Bushido (if sometimes being found lacking in the tenant of compassion).

It has been said that an Akodo-trained general has never been defeated in the field. Although this isn’t strictly true, it is not very far from the mark and there is no denying that most of the best military minds in the empire are found within the Lion Clan. This acumen for tactics and strategy is only matched by the ferocity of its samurai. Warriors of the Lion Clan are most at home when on the attack. Between their unrelenting assaults and the sheer size of their military, there are few forces that can stand against a Lion Clan army.

As a result, members of the Lion Clan are known to be both hot-headed and sever, ever ready to serve as the emperor’s sword and to answer even a perceived slight with steel. However, those with the most fearsome reputation of all are the Deathseekers. These disgraced samurai serve as the clan’s shock troops, often leading the charge against terrible odds as they seek death in battle. For if there is one thing every Lion samurai knows, it is that the battlefield is the only place where honor and redemption can truly be found.