Media Recommendations for Your Convention Travel

You’ve donned your straw hat and cape, saddled your riding pony, packed your lucky talisman, and ensured your traveling papers are properly stamped. The horizon and the rest of the Emerald Empire awaits. Should your traveling party lack a renowned Asahina storyteller or Ikoma bard, you need not worry, for there are myriad short stories, novels, and podcasts available to entertain you during your convention-season journeys. Below you can find our media recommendations depending on your favorite clans, genres, and aspects of Rokugan. 

The clan that knows best how to pass the days and nights of a long journey is the Unicorn Clan, famous as they are for their far-ranging cavalry and Sand Road caravans. The free Tales of the Unicorn short stories spotlight the uniqueness of the clan’s five families, and the tales all deliver the gallant adventure, supernatural mystery, and bittersweet emotions that Legend of the Five Rings is known for. If you are just starting your foray into the world of L5R, this is a great place to begin. You can find the full playlist to listen to on YouTube or Spotify, or else read the illustrated PDFs here on L5R.com or at DriveThruFiction. 

If you prefer to spend your evenings bewitched by strange tales of lingering spirits, cunning yōkai, and deadly horrors, we have several offerings for you. 

If your loyalty is pledged to the Scorpion Clan, or if you’re looking forward to the upcoming Scorpion Clan–focused RPG sourcebook, Hand of Secrets, we suggest you listen to last year’s Halloween fiction. The free story “Kabukimono” by Robert Denton III transports you up the River of Gold to the infamous Scorpion Clan stronghold of the “City of Lies,” where things are rarely as they seem. The chilling tale can be found on YouTube and Spotify. 

If it’s the Crab Clan that you owe allegiance to, or you’re a veteran at playing the “Game of One Hundred Ghost Stories,” you’ll want to study The Record of Eihi. In this free, five-part series by David Annandale, you’ll glimpse the terrors of the Shadowlands as recorded by an enigmatic samurai who bravely—or perhaps foolishly—ventured beyond the Carpenter Wall. The episodes are on YouTube and Spotify, or you can read the illustrated PDFs here on L5R.com or at DriveThruFiction. 

If you appreciate the Crab as well as Scorpion clans, or if your bookshelves are full of occult detective and folk horror fiction, White Feathers, Crimson Leaves by Josh Reynolds features witch hunter Kuni Tansho and wardmaster Yogo Shuko as they uncover forgotten curses in the dark corners of Rokugan. The book is available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook—your preferred format can be purchased from your retailer of choice. We also offer a spoiler-free glimpse behind the scenes in this interview with the author, available as a special episode of the Aconyte Fiction Podcast on YouTube or Spotify. 

Finally, if you’ve always preferred the more grounded accounts of historians and archivists, or if you want to relive the excitement of convention tournaments past, we invite you to check out our 30 Years of Legend of the Five Rings anniversary series featuring designers, players, and writers from L5R’s past and present. Find the series on the Play to Win podcast on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, or else listen on YouTube. 

We hope you manage to avoid bandits, mountain goblins, and restless weather spirits alike during your travels. If you are participating in the Battle of the Clans for Gunsen: The Battle for Toshi Ranbo at Gen Con this year, we wish you and your clan good luck!