Rokugan is facing its first Empire-wide threat since the Divine Empress took the throne. In the south, strange four-armed beings known as the Destroyers have joined with familiar Shadowlands threats to tear down the Great Wall of Kaiu and pour into the breach. The Army of Dark Fire continues to harass the northern clans, bringing deadly new tactics after its previous failure to reach Toshi Ranbo. All over the Empire, tainted air carries the plague, creating mindless zombies who carry the disease to new victims. Already, whole provinces have been put to the torch in an effort to combat the plague, with the loss of the entire Horiuchi family one of the first casualties. At the heart of all of this, Kali-Ma stretches her arms to blot out the Empire.
In such times of darkness, the soul of bushido burns brightest.
As we begin 2010, AEG presents a new megagame — The Plague War — in which individual clans and Rokugan as a whole both face daunting challenges. During the course of the megagame, the clans will have opportunities to win Glory and Honor. Glory can be won in card tournaments such as GenCon, the European Championships, and the Kotei events. Honor can be won in side events and non-card contests, such as Winter Court, costume contests, charity events, and koku drives.
Danger for the Clans
Each clan faces a major military threat from one of Jigoku’s minions, such as the Ebon Daughter or the Dark Oracle of Fire. Also, each clan faces the problem of plague in their lands. At the end of the year, the megagame will come to its conclusion, and the points each clan has accumulated will be compared to the total possible points of that type available. If a clan has enough of the total Glory points, it will defeat its challenge. Similarly, if the clan has enough of the total Honor points, it will wipe out the plague in its lands. Every clan has a target it must reach. If a clan falls significantly below its target, the effects of losing will be especially devastating. On the other hand, if a clan is significantly higher than its target, there will be extra rewards for that clan within the story, putting it in a strong position at the start of the next story arc. The targets for each clan winning are based on the current membership within the Imperial Assembly, and will be posted on the website shortly before the first Kotei. At certain times, clans will receive the opportunity to aid other clans — so be on the lookout for the chance to aid your fellow samurai!
Danger for the Empire
Not only do the clans face individual dangers and challenges, Rokugan as a whole also faces great threats. Many times when a clan earns Glory or Honor points, the clan will face a decision: keep those points or devote them to the greater good of the Empire? At the end of the megagame, Rokugan as a whole must have enough Glory points to defeat Kali-Ma. Likewise, Rokugan must have enough of all Honor points to find a cure for the plague. If the players in the various clans do not give enough to the Empire, Jigoku will win!
When Rokugan’s fate has been determined, the Divine Empress will give special recognition to the clans who sacrificed the most for the Empire. To the clan who donates the most Glory points, the Empress will grant a regiment of her most highly trained imperial troops, who will now serve in their traditional duties as vassals of the clan. Similarly, the clan who donates the most Honor points will foster an imperial heir, raising the child in their lands and teaching him or her their special skills and traditions.
The Spider’s Poison
The Spider clan faces a special choice during the megagame. The minions of Jigoku have never been united, but like the recognized great clans they face the dual threats of plague and military conquest. However, even with the setback of the Empress’s knowledge of their true nature, the Spider stand at a critical point in their plans. They will either succeed in their plot to infiltrate the Empire, or they will be cast out and abandon the experiment of the “Spider clan” altogether.
When a Spider player wins Glory or Honor points for the clan and has the opportunity to devote those points to the Empire, the player may instead devote those points to Jigoku. When determining the final percentages to find out who won or lost, the clans and the Empire will sorely regret the loss of those points!
If the Spider clan as a whole devotes more Glory and Honor points (combined) to Jigoku than they do to Rokugan, then the Spider clan will cease to exist, and future arcs will see the forces of darkness return to their old strategies as the Shadowlands Horde. If, instead, the Spider clan as a whole devotes more combined points to Rokugan than Jigoku, they will force the Empress to recognize them as a great clan with official standing, lands, and duties — putting them in a position to cause a great deal of harm to the Empire in the future. Thus, the Spider’s choice is simple: attack the Empire from the outside, or poison it from within?
No matter what the result of that choice is, the Spider still face the same challenges and potential prizes as the other clans — even if this leads to the Spider fostering the future heir!
The Kotei Season
Beginning with the start of the Kotei season, players will have another means of affecting the course of the Plague War. On the website, there will be a map showing the provinces of Rokugan, two special units per clan, and various threats and challenges facing the Empire. Every week, all Assembly members will be able to log in to the Imperial Assembly and vote on the actions of the clan’s units. These actions can include a wide range of possibilities: fighting Destroyers at the remnants of the Kaiu Wall, containing the plague in a home province, assisting another clan against the Army of Dark Fire, saving one of the Empress’s councilors, or simply gathering resources for future fights. Each possible choice comes with its own costs and rewards, shown on the map and in the options. Every week each clan will gain Strategic points, and every choice will have a cost in Strategic points. Some threats will be minor, requiring few Strategic points to conquer but yielding few Glory or Honor points in return. Others will be more substantial, requiring a lot of resources but yielding great rewards in Glory or Honor for your clan or the Empire. When left unchecked, some will grow over time, as plague spreads and Rokugan’s enemies ravage the land. Others will disappear, with the opportunities for Glory and Honor lost and the desolation adding to Jigoku’s victories!
At the Kotei events, clans will be awarded additional Strategic points based on participation. Glory will be awarded to the top four players in the tournament, and Honor will be awarded to the top four winners of whatever side event that Kotei is hosting. The tournament winner will have the opportunity to choose a character from the clan who will appear in a story telling how the glory was won. Both the top tournament winner and the top side event winner will face a choice: keep the Honor or Glory for the clan, give the Honor or Glory to one of two clans revealed at the start of the Kotei, or give it to Rokugan. (Or, if Spider wins, possibly give it to Jigoku instead.) If the players keep the Glory or Honor, the full points are counted for the clan they represented. If they choose to give the points away — whether to one of the two clans named at the start of the Kotei, or to the Empire (or Jigoku) — then the clan will receive half the value in Strategic points. Due to the fog of war, points won at a Kotei will be available for the winning clan to use one week later. After the Kotei season is over, the votes will become monthly rather than weekly, until the final resolution of the megagame.
As darkness looms, the fate of the Empire is on your shoulders. Will you serve?
