A Beautiful L5R CCG Boxed Set: Forgotten Legacy Reviewed
Game Name: Legend of the Five Rings: Forgotten Legacy Boxed Edition
Publisher: AEG
Designer: Multiple Designers
Year: 2011
Players: 2-6
Ages: 12+
Playing Time: 60 Minutes to Two Hours
Retail Price: $99.99
Category: Collectible Card Game
Components:
- 90 new cards (playsets of each)
- A fully illustrated card carrying box that can hold up to 6 sleeved L5R decks.
- 6 full color deck dividers, featuring great art from the set.
- A 64-page fully illustrated story book that tells the story of Forgotten Legacy.
- A special Scroll that unveils the first secrets of the Emperor Edition storyline.
- A certificate of Authenticity including a personalized proof of purchase number that opens access to future rewards.
From AEG:
For millennia, the serpent race known as the Naga resided in the Great Sleep. Upon the return of Fu Leng, or “The Foul” as he was known to them, the Naga awoke to find a world populated by the warm blooded “humans.” Despite eventually forging an alliance and later returning to the Great Sleep, the Naga race was forever changed by this contact. Most notably the birth of Akasha from the Golden Pearl.
Yet that was not the only pearl that would birth a child of the Naga. The Black Pearl has opened, and it has brought destruction with it.
Forgotten Legacy returns the great race of the Naga to the stage of Legend of the Five Rings. Yet it is a darker side, a side bent on domination of the world it sees as its own. The previously banished Naga abominations rally behind the new force, and as the Clans spread the banner of the Emerald Empire outside the borders of Rokugan, conflict is unavoidable.
I have to say that Forgotten Legacy from AEG is the first time I’ve ever had my hands on a complete packaged set of any sort of release for a collectable card game.
For those out there who listen to the podcast, you might remember that Elliott and I have spoken about playing Magic right after it came out and spending quite a bit of time and money picking up boosters and new releases. I have to say, it was actually a pretty lucrative endeavor as we normally would turn around and sell the extremely rare cards to various comic book/MTG shops around Chicago in order to fund even more booster purchases (and pocket some cash) in order to continue the cycle.
In my opinion, the drop off in the secondary market for individual singles – and the outrageous prices for many ultra rare cards – for any collectable card game has actually been beneficial to the genre. Whereas new players would find getting into a particular game of say Legend of the Five Rings or MTG to be fairly cost prohibitive back in the day, today the playing field is fairly level for all. Not to say there still aren’t plenty of folks out there who take their CCGs extremely serious and are willing to pay top dollar for hard to find cards.
Still, you have to give it up to Alderac Entertainment Group for providing the opportunity for L5R players to pick up and entire release in one boxed set at a reasonable price. Forgotten Legacy not only continues the trend of introducing a complete set to the public but also offers some nifty extras into the mix. I even understand that the upcoming Emperor Edition will reduce the rarity of many cards to make introducing the game to new players even more affordable!
How about that? Making it more affordable to play a CCG? Pretty nice, eh?
I’ll provide full disclosure and point out that I have only had an opportunity to play the L5R CCG a few times – and not very well I might add. The rules are bit more complex than what one might find in other CCGs but that’s one of the things that draws me further into the game. I enjoy a meatier game experience and if that means that I have to get my butt whooped a few times until I wrap my head around certain mechanics or nuances of building a deck, so be it. L5R also appeals to a more mature gamer as well, so that’s also up my alley.
For the seasoned L5R fan, the direct-to-player Forgotten Legacy set is a must have. It reintroduces the evil snake people, the Naga, back into the game which is something I understand many players were clamoring for. It also not only includes full playsets of ninety new cards but also comes with a beautifully illustrated carrying case, a full color story that introduces the new Emperor Edition storyline, a certificate of authenticity, and a pretty sweet scroll. The artwork on the cards is top notch as well.
One of the main selling points of the whole L5R CCG in my book is not only its extremely dedicated fan base but also the way these fans help determine the direction of future expansions. Tournaments aren’t simply a means to crown the best (or luckiest) player around but actually have real storylines and consequences in the game world. I don’t know of any other collectible card game that can make the same claim.
AEG has been one of our favorite game companies since the start of TGG and one of the main reasons is the tangible sense that the company gives a damn about gamers and looks to make their games more enjoyable and accessible for the masses. Forgotten Legacy is another example of what no doubt a mission statement: Give players what they want without forcing them to empty their pockets…
Obviously, I’m not the best suited to tell you the great combinations some of the new cards will provide you since I’m a fairly terrible players but the two L5R people that I game with on occasion, and enjoy the game a lot, were pretty impressed with the new selections.
Forgotten Legacy may not be tailored to a brand new player but it certainly is well within the budget for people who are long time L5R players or who have recently caught the bug and want to dive in – at an affordable price!
Pros: Great direct-to-player edition; Very nice extras; Price point is very attractive for the set
Cons: Not tailored for someone just getting into L5R
Score: 8.75 (out of ten)
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