The Clan Wars are Coming to Novels and Comic Books

It’s been called “the Greatest Story in Gaming”—and now Legend of the Five Rings is returning to delight longtime fans and inspire a new generation of fantasy lovers.

Even if you’ve never played any of the Legend of the Five Rings games before, now is the perfect time to discover the epic saga, because a brand-new Clan Wars story is coming to Rokugan!

With the Emperor dead and his heirs missing, the Emerald Empire’s thousand years of peace have come to a brutal end, as the rival clans’ tensions boil over into open war. The story follows powerful samurai clans warring for supremacy as shadowy forces sow chaos and discord in a fantastical world inspired by feudal Japan. Amid the conflict, disparate heroes from the clans embark on an epic quest to save their realm from a returning ancient evil that’s more powerful than ever. Fan-favorite characters including Toturi the Rōnin—hero of the people—as well as Hida Yakamo, Mirumoto Hitomi, and Bayushi Kachiko return to have their stories told anew.

The Clan Wars will be based on the beloved, original L5R storyline drawn from the tournaments and player choices of the beloved series of games in the ’90s—a story that grew in the telling and was only fleshed out in later games and books. Our new saga draws inspiration from the oral histories and legends of the early years of Alderac Entertainment Group’s collectible card game, as well as the storyline choices decided by the players of the Living Card Game. However, this will not be the exact same story from the AEG days, nor is it a direct continuation of the tale told alongside Fantasy Flight Games’ LCG.

The new Clan Wars will be reimagined for a modern audience and explored in more detail than ever before, in no small part because of the amazing work put in by the storytellers who have come before us. The additions of the Mantis and Spider Clans… the fateful decisions of legendary characters such as Hida Kisada and Mirumoto Hitomi… the loves, deaths, treacheries, and triumphs of the realm’s greatest heroes… This new retelling allows us to incorporate the sometimes-surprising evolution of the legend naturally, and fully realized from the beginning.

This week, we’re excited to be able to share some of the first updates about where you’ll be able to read—and play through—the legendary Clan Wars.

The Clan Wars Novels and Comics

The story of the Clan Wars will be told through different media, including a series of novels from Aconyte Books and four issues of comic books from Dark Horse. We’re extremely lucky to have Julie Kagawa and J.T. Nicholas authoring the first novel, as they are both longtime fans of Legend of the Five Rings and have a deep understanding of the setting’s unique lore. Julie Kagawa is the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, Talon, and Shadow of the Fox series, and J.T. Nicholas is the author of numerous science fiction and neo-noir novels.

We are also thrilled to announce that the Clan Wars saga will also be told across a limited series of comics from Dark Horse coming in 2025. We’ll have more news to share about the comics in the coming months.

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