Legend of the Five Rings RPG

This Legend of the Five Rings RPG review is part of my “Best Tabletop RPGs of All Time” article. If you want to check out more TTRPGs and see how other top-tier tabletop RPGs are ranked, visit that page.

My Review – 68 / 100

Legend of the Five Rings RPG

Legend of the Five Rings is another one of the lesser-known TTRPGs on my top tabletop RPGs of all time list, though it’s been around for a long time. If you aren’t regularly involved in gaming conventions, you might not have ever heard of the game before.

Nowadays, the Legend of the Five Rings card game is much more well-known and popular than the tabletop game. But, of course, we’ll be discussing the TTRPG.


Keep in mind while reading this review that though Legend of the Five Ring RPG does “only” have a score of 68/100, that’s in relation to the absolute best TTRPGs of all time – as in, it only has that score when compared to games like Dungeons and Dragons. Likewise, my review of it may seem harsh at times, but again, that’s only in comparison to the absolute best games.


Bottom line is that Legend of the Five Rings RPG is a great tabletop game, and because of its focus on roleplaying a samurai or someone in that era and region, could very well become one of your new favorite games.


Legend of the Five Rings RPG Uniqueness: (7/10)

There are a number of unique elements in the core mechanics of Legend of the Five Rings RPG. Some of these unique elements are quite cool and add to the game. Others are not so good and definitely distract from the game’s story.


First off, I’m not a big fan of rounding dice/ numbers as a core mechanic, which unfortunately, Legend of the Five Rings RPG features. There isn’t necessarily a ton of that kind of thing, but it is present in key scenarios. Not good.


This game also has unique dice symbols on d6 and d12 that represent special circumstances that come up when you roll them. To play the game, you must either memorize these symbols and what they mean, or else reference the rulebook. This is probably no big deal if you play Five Rings a lot, but will slow you down, otherwise.


One thing I do really like is that for skill checks, each resolution is given an element (as in fire, earth, water, wind, etc.) by the game master, which corresponds with what a player’s trying to accomplish. The use of these elements in the core mechanics certainly fits the game’s lore and overall feel.


I also enjoy the unique approach Legend of the Five Rings takes with character advancement. Instead of simply getting more stats when your character levels up, you get to choose what you want to improve, from stats, to skills, to sword techniques, and more. This game does give you a lot of customization options for character development, over time.


Ease of Learning Legend of the Five Rings: (8/10)

When it comes to characters, there are low-number ranks to character attributes, which keeps things simple. Skills are broken down into “elements” (wind, water, earth, etc.) which also fits the game, thematically.


When building a character, you choose a clan (which gives you skills, stats, and “glory”), and a school (which provides your starting techniques). Unfortunately, to grasp the concepts of your character’s clan, school, and overall stats, you need to really do some digging into this game’s character building pages. And by “some” digging, I really mean “quite a bit” of digging.


Making a basic character isn’t super hard in Legend of the Five Rings RPG, but advancing a character is complex since every level up allows you to improve whatever you want.


Legend of the Five Rings RPG Presentation: (6/10)

I like the samurai/ Asian culture vibe present in Legend of the Five Rings RPG. It’s self-described as a “game of samurai drama,” where “characters are torn between their personal desires and their sworn duties, and must often contend with cunning court intrigues, deadly armed conflicts, and dangerous supernatural creatures.” It’s an interesting setup.


When it comes to presentation, the overall book layout is satisfactory. I did find it odd though that there aren’t clearly marked starts to chapters. As in, font, size, and coloring aren’t very unique when compared to the rest of the game’s text. Speaking of the font, I do think the choice for the main body of text for the game adds to the overall style of the book.


One thing I’ll also get into more later is that there’s virtually no art in the PDF rulebook, which of course, does lower the overall presentation score.


Legend of the Five Rings Lore: (10/10)

Everything about the game adds to the game’s lore. There isn’t a single character-building piece that isn’t filled with lore. From choosing your clan, to choosing your school, to choosing your character’s attributes, every part of it is rich with ideas for building entire RPG campaigns.


If you enjoy the idea of roleplaying a samurai in a Far East culture, you will love the lore of this game.

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Combat in Legend of the Five Rings RPG: (6/10)

When getting ready to write this review, I expected to experience quite a bit of high-drama combat in Legend of the Five Rings RPG. Amazingly, I was disappointed.


Basically, there just isn’t anything in Legend of the Five Rings that wows me when it comes to combat. Instead, combat is very basic – something you might find in just about any other tabletop RPG out there.


There are some basic maneuvers available to players, but really combat is determined by your character’s attributes, skills, and a few techniques. Surprisingly, there’s nothing about combat in the game that deeply engaged me, or made me want to fight other samurai in dramatic duels to the death to maintain my honor.


Five Rings is more of a storytelling game, so it’s ok – in a sense – that combat isn’t a major focus. But let’s get real. This is a game about samurai. I feel jipped that combat isn’t a major focus. Why isn’t there a massive list of sword techniques, combat stances, and cool “stuff” for me to do?


One thing I do like about combat (now that I’ve told you how boring it is), is that battles are very fast and very deadly. I do like the realism. Five Rings also rules for mass combat, which is a plus.


Game “Flow”: (6/10)

Caution: this is one of the worst parts of Legend of the Five Rings RPG. If you find that this section doesn’t bother you it may be a good sign that this game might just be a very good fit for you.


Ok, there are a ton of steps to skill check resolutions (6 in total) in Legend of the Five Rings RPG. Additionally, each step has its own extra intricacy (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot).


Skill checks also come with “strife and composure.” Strife and composure explain how well the samurai maintains their proper decorum while completing difficult tasks, and what happens if they don’t. Finally, there are opportunities for narrative flair, according to the “element” (fire, water, wind, earth) and associated attribute of the task.


Compare everything you just read to something that you might see in Dungeons and Dragons: “roll d20 plus modifiers against a DC (difficulty check), and narrate what happens based on whether or not you succeed.”


See the difference? When it comes to Legend of the Five Rings, I both like the game system and I don’t. The game’s core mechanics definitely allows players to build a story from their character’s actions, but damn is it in-depth. And it’s slow.


Basically, an entire game happens in those 6 steps that happen with every skill check. My problem is that a lot of time gets eaten up over what I would consider to be relatively non-consequential pieces of the story.


Legend of the Five Rings Artwork: (4/10)

So, I have the PDF version of Legend of the Five Rings RPG. There’s no art in the PDF. I do not have the printed version, where I know there is art.


When I’ve looked online for Legend of the Five Rings, there’s amazing art everywhere. That art is just not in the PDF, and I honestly don’t know how much art there is in the actual printed book, aside from the cover.


My guess is that a lot of the great art you can find online either comes from the Five Rings card game, or from fan art.


I’m giving Five Rings some points here because I have to assume that there is some art in the printed version of the game, but I can’t in good conscience list the score among the best since the PDF really fell short in this category. In my opinion, every representation of a game that’s listed among the world’s best, whether printed or published as PDF should give the very best foot forward, possible.


Ease of Purchase: (10/10)

It is very easy to purchase Legend of the Five Rings RPG. The game can be found on both Amazon and the Fantasy Flight Games website.


Price & How Many Books Do You Need to Play: (7/10)

To play the game, all you need is the core rulebook that’s meant for players. If you really want it – as in, if you’re certain you’re going to play an entire RPG campaign using Legend of the Five Rings – the Dungeon Master’s guide to the game isn’t too much extra.


Fame & Availability of Supplemental Material: (4/10)

I know of Legend of the Five Rings from gaming conventions and other hardcore tabletop gamers. However, I’ve only even seen Legend of the Five Rings RPG or the card game version in tabletop gaming stores maybe twice.


As I mentioned before, if you do an online search for the game, you mostly find the card game. To find the tabletop game, you have to specifically search for “legend of the five rings RPG.”


At the end of the day, though this game is pretty good, I think it’s becoming so eclipsed by both the card game version and other (better) tabletop RPGs, that it’s on the way out from most player’s gaming tables. That being said, I think you could find some gamers to try out this TTRPG, and have a great time for at least a few sessions.


Legend of the Five Rings RPG is Produced By:

Fantasy Flight Games

Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed my article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed my article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

By Jacob Tegtman July 3, 2025
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR5wS-kJOzQ&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG Transcription In the sun-starved realm of Druskenvald, the moon crooks just enough to twist folk tales into nightmares... Hey adventurers! Today on Eternity TTRPG, we’re diving back into The Crooked Moon, a brand-new folk-horror campaign for D&D 5e that drenches your sessions in superstition, creepy rituals, and six terrifying new playable monsters. Today, I wanted to share with you some of the cool and exclusive playable monster races that you can expect to see in the campaign world, and even experience for your own character: Curseborn – Human‑wolf hybrids with thick fur, claws, and a lupine posture. They’re your werewolves, basically. Their unarmed attacks allow you to curse your targets, giving them disadvantage on rolls, and causing them to emit wisps of fog. Graveborn – Corpse‑like humanoids with snouts and bone‑devouring jaws. Your classic ghoul-like undead. With their “Infused Drakkonite” ability, they can ignore resistances when attacking, and deal necrotic damage. Relicborn – Skeleton‑like beings with glowing pattern‑filled bones and rocking hairstyles. These are more like your lich-undead, kind of. But really, more like rock-n-roll lich, or something. They actually get bonuses to performance skills, and can take “long rests” by enjoying revelry – so partying. Silkborn – Arachnid humanoids with carapace skin, extra limbs and 250–800-year lifespans. Of all the races, this one is probably my least favorite. Though I know a few people who will love these. They can basically do spider stuff like climb walls, and create webs. Nice. There’s also a couple other playable monster races I’ve already covered in my previous video (which you should check out), like the: Harvestborn – which are scarecrow-like constructs embodying agricultural cycles with healing and “culling” powers. Plagueborn – Rat-folk immune to poison, who spread disease magically. If you aren’t familiar yet, the Crooked Moon campaign book also includes: 15 horror‑themed subclasses (like Wicker Druids and Pestilent Haze Monks), 13 lineages for your character’s roleplaying background, new spells, 85 monsters (in total), 11 boss fights, 156 curses, and the Fateweaving system which I covered in a recent video. I like Crooked Moon because it brings a fresh, horror‑focused twist to 5e—bigger than Curse of Strahd even, or Drakkenheim. Any time of the year I can experience Halloween, I’m basically in. Even if you haven’t seen my previous videos on it, the Crooked Moon is a 632-page, two‑part campaign launched just a couple weeks ago, digitally on D&D Beyond. Print copies are coming this fall. As I’ve explored this topic more myself, I’ve also learned more about how it began. Crooken Moon was adapted from Edge of Midnight. Edge of Midnight is the actual-play series by Legends of Avantris that laid the foundation for The Crooked Moon. It’s a dark, folk‑horror D&D campaign that aired on Twitch and YouTube starting in September 2021, set in the same eerie realm of Druskenvald. The team behind Avantris used this homebrewed saga as the prototype for The Crooked Moon. Their player characters and NPC allies from Edge of Midnight—many of whom take on twisted, villainous forms—were woven into the book’s lore and boss encounters. By bridging the actual‑play world with a full 600‑page customizable campaign, The Crooked Moon lets players experience that same haunting atmosphere—while also giving DMs the tools to craft new tales or replay the story arc live audiences already love. If you’re craving eerie tension, unforgettable characters, and creeping dread in your next campaign—The Crooked Moon delivers. It’s available now on D&D Beyond, with physical books coming this Fall. That’s it for today! Hit like if folk-horror is your jam, drop a comment with which monster races you'd play, and subscribe for more D&D scoop!
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