Hearts of Steel and Stone

"What need have I of glory to defend this Wall?"
   –Hida Kisada

While clans like the Lion and Phoenix embrace honor and glory, others clans can’t afford such luxuries. The Scorpion put duty above all else, and find honor in serving the Emperor in their own way. The Crab have no need for glory at the Kaiu Wall—there is no room for such distractions in the face of the overwhelming Shadowlands horde.

Join us for today's preview of Children of the Empire as we look to the Scorpion and Crab—two clans who understand the true meaning of their duty to the Emerald Empire.

Children of the Empire is Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game's first Premium Expansion, featuring a massive influx of 234 cards (three copies each of 76 cards and one copy each of six cards) spread across all seven Great Clans, making Children of the Empire the perfect next-step for new players and veterans alike.

Stone Will

The Crab are diligent in their duty, putting the safety of Rokugan above all else. This stalwart defense has produced some of the most skilled bushi and courtiers in the Emerald Empire. For example, the Daring Challenger (Children of the Empire, 6) is a Duelist who shines when the Crab have their backs to the wall. While you're less honorable than an opponent, the Challenger gets an additional military skill… which is sure to come in handy during the military duel the Daring Challenger can initiate, placing additional fate on the victorious character. With careful duels, the Daring Challenger can be a threat throughout the entire game, giving his life for the Crab Clan.

As a Bushi, the Daring Challenger can be equipped with the Honed Nodachi (Children of the Empire, 50) to further boost his military skill. Not only is this a massive skill boost, but after you win a military conflict, you may remove one fate from the attached character to force your opponent to discard a participating character! Battlefields are a deadly place, and the Honed Nodachi can guarantee that your opponent will suffer casualties in the conflicts to come.

Two fate is a lot to invest in an attachment, despite the power of the Honed Nodachi. Luckily, the Crab Clan hones far more than bushi. The Yasuki are bold negotiators, and can help ease the fate cost of your characters and attachments. The Yasuki Procurer (Children of the Empire, 7), for example, is a two-fate Courtier with two military and two political skill, but his real strength lies in his ability to bargain. As an Action, you may dishonor the Yasuki Procurer to reduce the cost of the next attachment or character you play by one. This can, of course, make attachments like the Honed Nadachi easier to play, but can also save fate on expensive characters like Hida Kisada (Core Set, 37). With zero glory, the dishonor will only affect you when the Yasuki Procurer leaves the field—and honor is a small price to pay for more soldiers and weapons at the wall.

Steel Resolve

While the Crab find no need for glory in their work, the Scorpion have carved out their own definition of honor. Though they serve the Emperor with the other six Great Clans, their methods are often seen as unsavory… but their unpredictable nature makes them all the more effective.

When the Scorpion need to manipulate the very veins of their foes, there is one Shinobi they know they can count on. Shosuro Hametsu (Children of the Empire, 35 ) is not only the Shosuro family Daimyō and brother to Bayushi Kachiko, but a master of the poison arts. As an Action, you may lose one honor to search your deck for a Poison card and add it to your hand. Deck searching is rare in Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game, and being able to fetch a card like Stolen Breath (Underhand of the Emperor, 21) on demand makes Shosuro Hametsu a valuable ally.

Currently Shosuro Hametsu can swiftly concoct Stolen Breath, Fiery Madness (Core Set, 183), and Tainted Koku (Tainted Lands, 38). Each of these are powerful in their own right, but Children of the Empire gives crafty Scorpion an additional Poison option. While the above poisons immediately affect their targets, other toxins take a more subtle approach. Kirei-Ko (Children of the Empire, 70) is an event that bows one of your opponent’s characters after it triggers an ability, hampering your foes and crippling an essential character across the field. With Shosuro Hametsu on your side, this assurance is never far away.

The Scorpion have other ways to negate their powerful foes as well. The Loyal Challenger (Children of the Empire, 31) ) is the Scorpion’s politically focused Duelist, and whenever she wins a conflict, you may gain an honor. However, after this character loses a conflict, you lose one honor. This can make the Loyal Challenger a risky participant in conflicts, but you may also use her to manipulate your exact number of honor, activating some of the Scorpion's most powerful effects. Loyal Challenger can also initiate a political duel, blanking the loser's text box until the end of the conflict! Like Kirei-Ko, this can easily be used to neutralize a threat, provided you have the skill to win the duel.

Duty Above All

Honor and glory mean little in the face of duty to the Emerald Empire. The Scorpion and the Crab learned this lesson long ago, and it is ingrained in every samurai these clans produce. Will you fulfill your duty when Children of the Empire releases in the first quarter of 2019? Join us on January 16th as we preview dueling through the lens of the Crane and Dragon, and again on January 23rd for a look at the neutral cards found in the box!

Celebrate Rokugan and pre-order Children of the Empire (L5C16) from your local retailer or our website!