Evil Portents

[Joe Fulgham]

[snip]

> The HDM, as I see it, is about making sure the Dragon stays strong and
> independent of negative outside influences. Thus, it should really care
> only about corruption (Shadowlands, Kolat, and Ninja cards), as they are
> the only objective ways to prove someone is "evil", and they
> represent the influence of dark forces in the clan.

  Give that man a cigar!

  That is why EP was never on the list, nor were other cards like Ambush or
even The Coward's Way (7 honor loss!).

  There was a time at the beginning of the HDM when we were being insulted
and ridiculed by other Clans, and I said "Let's show them how honorable we
can be.  We shouldn't just be 'honorable', we should be the most honorable
Clan there is." but we still never actually created a rule barring such
cards.  That was at the beginning, when we really had to show our stance,
but even then it was the choice of everyone just how honorable they played,
apart from the "No Shadowlands or Kolat" we had.  Ninja was added later
after we realized the threat of The Shadow.*

  The Dragon Clan has always been about your own path.  Outside corruption,
especially the Shadowlands, Ninja and Kolat take you over and push you down
their path.  I liken it to cigarette smoking -- it's certainly your choice
to start, but after a while, you lose the ability to quit, or at least "quit
easily" for some -- others can't do it at all, even with "the patch" or
Zyban like my friend Walter.

  If you're going to be evil, be your own evil.



  *Now that the Shadow has been named and defeated, should this restriction
be lifted?  Especially in the Gold format, the only Ninja left will be those
of our Scorpion allies, and there is no corrupting influence there, apart
from Scorpion influence which doesn't bother me in the least.

Joe Fulgham | Hitomi Pukku | puck at holycow.com
Dragon Clan Shugenja * Master of the Web * Dragon in Black
Secret Master of L5R | http://www.holycow.com/l5r/
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