RotS - CRABS!!!

[Yasuki Sheol]

Crabs, rally!!

First, the personalities:







Next, the followers:



Lastly, one holding and one action:



And to finish us off, here's Mark's letter to us:

"Rise of the Shogun Previews: Crab
August 9, 2006

So, I'm in the shower this morning?

?and I'm in a very "thinky" mood since I had just spent the past hour
reading another chapter of the novel Black Swan Green. Written by an
Englishman about the same age as myself, the book is full of words
that don't get a lot of use here in the states, such as "flash",
"proper", or "fancy that". Just reading the same language in a British
voice puts me in a completely different state of mind? as if the word
"right" can be used to substitute a period for the end of a sentence.

The very rhythm of thought has a completely distinct cadence, and led
me down another path?

"What am I going to say about the Crab Clan in the write-up today?"
Hopefully something intelligent.

As I was still comparing the differences between British and American
uses of the English language, I started thinking about how to compare
the Crab cards to other clans in Rise of the Shogun. Yes, I was on a
very strange train of thought this morning while getting ready for
work, wasn't I?

So I'm standing there, trying to grok why I liked the one of the Crab
cards, Kuni Fumitake, and then it hit me. It's because his card is
Tactician? in reverse. As we all know, Tacticians can turn otherwise
"dead cards" in a hand (or a card that has less use for one of its
printed abilities at that point in time) into a Force bonus. The thing
that had been tugging in the back of my mind about Fumitake's ability
was that he turns the Tactician concept on its head: he turns a Heroic
card in hand (where the primary focus of most Heroic cards is bestow a
Force bonus) back into something useful? fuel for an ability printed
on his card.

I know that was a bit messy in mental translation, so let's see if I
can't simply it a bit:

Lion Personality ?> Discards a Fate card with an ability = Force bonus
(Focus Value)

Crab Personality ?> Discards a Fate card with a Force bonus = An
ability (printed on the Personality)

That to me is pretty cool. Fumitake can convert otherwise
one-dimensional cards into an ability that is very handy during
battles. When the coast is clear, those Heroic Action cards can be
used for their printed ability instead (Force bonus) to take a
Province. This isn't any great revelation, of course, but if more
cards were designed in that framework, it certainly becomes an
intriguing scenario.

Scenario: For many clans and decks, the majority of the Dynasty side
is a constant, and the greatest amount of variation / individuality /
flexibility lies in the Fate deck. What if the situation is reversed
for Crab? The Fate deck is by-and-large the same (10 Shouts + 6 2nd
and 3rd Shouts? + more Heroic Actions = 50-75% of Heroic decks are
monogeonously similar), but there could be many Personality designs
that make Heroic Actions usable for different deck archetypes. It
won't happen, but it's a fun scenario to consider.

I realize that there's a couple cards like that use this mechanic
already, but I think that is a great direction and solution to making
Heroic cards more utilitarian for the clan that they were initially
designed to be used by.

The coolness of Crab cards in Rise of the Shogun doesn't lie with just
one card, however. ROTS offers Crab two excellent boxables: Hida Wakou
and Kaiu Sado. Wakou has a printed 4F, something that I can't remember
ever seeing in a boxable Personality design.) I'm sure someone can do
a quick search to point out another design from long-ago, but he seems
to stick out.) Yu 3 is an added bonus, and his Reaction ability is
great for what it does.

Sadao, while only having a printed Force of 3, really can be
considered a 4 as well, since his Reaction (proactive use here) allows
him to count himself when on the attack? effectively making him a "4"
for calculating whether or not he is helping to destroy a Province.
Just add a 4F Crab Detachment and we suddenly have a more aggressive
early-game for 2nd-starter Crab. Interesting, huh? These two
Personalities effectively accelerate Crab's military game, which is a
good thing.

Sakimi is also boxable ? and a Scout like Sadao ? and might be the
best thing for Crab since? well, forever. Those who remember the
effectiveness of Utaku Tarako's original wording will more likely do a
double-take here. She bows anyone, anywhere, as long as it's during a
battle and at a battlefield. Big boon for early game defense.

And then there's One-Sided Melee. She still hasn't called me. Do you
think she will? I would love to be that Scorpion. There, I said it.

?and so now my thoughts are degenerating rapidly, and I fear I haven't
said anything intelligent at all for these Crab previews. So it goes.
It should be no shocker that these cards are really good. Like others
presented in ROTS already, they are well-designed, to the point, and
there's not a ton of text on them to confuse anyone (especially Crab
players, they need all the help they can get after all).

Yet another clan with good cards in ROTS. This set is beginning to
make its predecessors look bad."
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-----//-----Join the Ranks of the Damned-----\\-----

[Doji_Whatevv]

yeah they are pretty much GOOD i mean FREAK'N AWESOME
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Crane Clan Courtier * Crab Clan * Shugenja * Duelist * Hero * Enlightened * Kolat * Tainted

~Chris Nicoll
i love myself

[hidachab]

hidachab likey. I can't think of a card in this set of crab I don't like.
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* Paid for by HIDA-SAKE. So strong oni's run from it.

[serrasin]

We need to marry Hiruma Sakimi into the Daidoji.
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Eagerly awaiting Doji Saori XP. Tainted
Eagerly awaiting Doji Ran XP. Dead
Eagerly awaiting Asahina Beniha XP.

[quote="Doji Saori"]Change destroys our preconceptions, but we grow stronger from it. [/quote]

[Hida Mafuni]

Oh yeah.
2 boxable scouts with very good abilities.
and 2 PH to boot. My "Bow Bitch" deck
might be back in action!!!!!!!
_________________
Mark Klein
Spider Clan ? Crab Clan ? Hero ? Kolat ? Shadowlands

[Moshi Batto]

Eye Heart Crabs.. those previews are amazing.

The Kaiu hammer makes me squeal with glee. I LOVE siege. and that Hiruma guy is awesome too. Also, hooray for more Crab shugenja!
_________________

[Doji_Whatevv]

wait till you see benjiro
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Crane Clan Courtier * Crab Clan * Shugenja * Duelist * Hero * Enlightened * Kolat * Tainted

~Chris Nicoll
i love myself

[Nai]

WOW. These crabbies are everything I hoped they would be. We're keeping the force, and dropping the gold cost. This is one flying leap for crab everywhere. The art is awesome, the abilities and stats of the cards are nice, and my mind is already racing with combolicious possibilities. I just hope these are the perps that carry over into the next arc... it would be a very cool environment running these out of crab. Reminds me of when i first started playing L5R about what...7 years ago or so.

and reading sadao, hes a scout an seige? thats crazy, i hate to hear a slight rustling in the bushes and out pops this guy with a kaiu hammer!!!

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[Hida Bancho]

ummmm what direction are they tring to take us?
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Crab Clan Puertorican Berserker*Samurai*Experienced2*Unique* Yu 4*Shadowlands*The Damned

[isawa jittai]

These are the best set of Crab previews I can remember in recent history. All the boxables are still really useful. Mr. "I take provinces" Siege/Scout is the awesome! One follower and he can go by himself. Take a couple other cheap Crabs and you don't even have to shout to take a province. More Scouts, more Shugenja, and that +5F for removing a SL peep, geez. Overall, very cool.
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Isawa Jittai*Phoenix Clan Void Shugenja*Experienced 2*Pure Maho-Tsukai*Unique
Top Phoenix C Springs Kotei 2007

[Yasuki_Coin]

[Hida Kenshiro]

im a little disappointed but they are still good over all
_________________

[isawa jittai]

Disappointed how? What about them is less than you wanted? (emphasis: curiosity)

Edit: Apparently I can't spell today
_________________
Isawa Jittai*Phoenix Clan Void Shugenja*Experienced 2*Pure Maho-Tsukai*Unique
Top Phoenix C Springs Kotei 2007

[Doji_Whatevv]

i like how sadao has a big hammer of kaiu behind him
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Crane Clan Courtier * Crab Clan * Shugenja * Duelist * Hero * Enlightened * Kolat * Tainted

~Chris Nicoll
i love myself

[Nai]

I hate to do this but i want to jump on it right away, design has one flaw in one sided melee....it says.... "attach 1F follower tokens to up to 5 opposed personalities you control at this battlefield." at first i didnt see anything wrong with it, but i read it again, and it doesnt say how many followers it attaches... I know they meant 1 follower per personality, but there are surely a lot of folks who would abuse that if they can...
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