Legend of the Five Rings

Legend of the Five Rings, also abbreviated as Lot5R or simply L5R, is both a tabletop RPG and a CCG set in the same universe. The setting, a land known as "Rokugan", is a sort of fantasy version of feudal-era Asia, mainly based on Japan, and players typically take on the roles of members of the samurai social class (which, despite the name, also includes noncombative diplomats, courtiers, and faux-Taoist sorcerors as well as the stereotypical samurai warriors). Despite all this, the game is not widely regarded as particularly weeaboo, and discussions about it are generally calm, albeit very infrequent. Its metaplot, based on the results of the CCG tournaments, is both praised and loathed by fans.

Setting

Over 9000 years ago, Lord Moon and Lady Sun appeared on the relatively shapeless world and gave it form. This world was created by Nothing (with a capital N), it all being very mystical and shit.

Lord Moon started chasing after Lady Sun's skirts until one day he caught her, and when one antropomorphical representation of a celestial body loves another antropomorphical representation of a celestial body very much... Nine sprogs she borne him: Hida, Doji, Togashi, Akodo, Shiba, Bayushi. Shinjo, Fu Leng, and Hantei.

As it tends to happen in these stories, Lord Moon decided that eating his own children was a very good idea. Lady Sun obliged, but got him to drink some poisoned sake after each child, thus making Lord Moon drunk as hell and letting one child (Hantei) escape. Hantei would train to become a badass and after another >9000 years, he called his old man out. Epic battle ensued in Heaven, and all of his siblings escaped except for Fu Leng, who ended up crashing into the Earth.

The children descended into the Earth, became mortal, and had a tournament to decide who should run the world: obviously, Hantei won and became the Emperor. The rest of his brothers formed Clans out of the scattered humans living in Earth, and Rokugan, the Emerald Empire was formed.

And Fu Leng? Obviously he got mightily pissed at his siblings forgetting about him, so he took over what would be later known as the Shadowlands, built zombies, trolls, oni, and other monsters and sent them to killfuck the Emerald Empire. For all of their combined badassery, Hantei and company couldn't put up a fight and when they were about to die, a monk called Shinsei showed up and promised Emperor Hantei that he could take out Fu Leng with no problem. Since the guy wrecked Hantei's bodyguards unarmed, he let him take seven warriors (one per clan) and go: these were the first samurai.

Fu Leng's armies crumbled before Hantei's forces not long after that, but only one of the party returned: the Scorpion samurai, who died of his wounds not long after. The Clans separated themselves after that, and a thousand years of peace (save the odd Clan war, cultist uprising and whatnot) followed.

Then the PCs showed up.

The Clans

Crab

The Crab, followers of Hida, are Rokugan's primary defense against the Shadowlands. They are rude, dirty bullies that care little for Rokugan's etiquette, but they are tough as nuts and honest about things.

Dragon

The Dragon are the most reserved of the Clans. They mostly keep to themselves in their mountain retreats, and most strangers never quite know what to make of Togashi's Clan. They have crazy tattooed monks that breathe fire and piss heroin (one of these may be a lie)

Scorpion

The Scorpion's gimmick is knowing stuff. Stuff that should remain unknown, and since Rokugan puts a lot of importance in public perception, honor and shame, this gives them a great edge and the silent hatred of most other Clans. Woe to the players that have Bayushi fanboys for GMs.

Phoenix

Shiba's crew are devout followers of Rokugan's two religions - the oldschool Fortune worship and Shinsei's "New Path". Their shugenja (the aforementioned Taoist sorcerers) are some of the most powerful of Rokugan, but they don't like warring so they are not as powerful as one would think.

Crane

All Emperors have had Crane girls for wives, so Doji's Clan has had heavy political influence in Rokugan since times immemorial. They are very wealthy, very proud, and they also dig the white-haired pretty boy look.

Lion

Soldiers and generals per excellence, the Lion are a very powerful Clan. Though not as politically savvy as the Crane, they nonetheless have the Emperor's ear when it comes to military matters. Akodo's people are crazy honorable, but that doesn't make them nice guys.

Unicorn

Shinjo took his men with her far from Rokugan after Fu Leng died, and they have returned to the country only 200 years ago. A bizarre mix of Mongol, Arab and Japanese influences, the Unicorn are strangers in the Emerald Empire, but they know some tricks the other Clans don't, and they have the best cavalry around.

Minor Clans

The Minor Clans are those who do not descend from the Children of the Sun and the Moon. They are typically created as a reward for samurai that performed major deeds in the name of the Empire. The most powerful of these is the Mantis Clan, who live in islands south of Rokugan and have the greatest navy in the Empire.

The RPG

Characters in the L5R RPG are usually samurai either belonging to one of the Clans or lordless ronin. Rokugan is a troubled land, besieged both by the threat of the Shadowlands and the constant jockeying for supremacy between the Clans. Life is very ordered for PCs, so lolrandumXD players will see their characters cut down quickly: Rokugan has little tolerance for non-conformists. Typical excuses for parties are having all PCs be part of one Clan and its allies, having them all participate in one of the Winter Courts (social campaigns involving the Emperor and other bigwigs) or making them all Emerald Magistrates, a free-roaming force of samurai troubleshooters for the Empire.