In the same spirit as this other thread I made a while ago, I thought I'd go on with another discussion of theme and game design interaction in the context of L5R. Some disclaimer:
I still love L5R as much as before, perhaps more so. I am going to write about something I don't like to the point of being borderline NPE. This is still not a rant. See #1. I've come to believe that the design of duels in L5R has missed its mark and fails to live up to its thematic underpinnings -- resoundingly so.
By default, when initiating a duel, a player chooses both characters involved in the duel. In practice, this makes the vast majority of duels what's been called "bully duels". Players will set up their duels to be won easily, if not with certainty. Many cards actually encourage this, especially that combo of Iaijutsu Master/Mirumoto Daisho that I've seen too often on Jigoku for my taste, but both cards individually carry the same spirit. And actually nobody needs to go that far, because the mere fact of choosing a weaker opponent is what irks me and make me roll my eyes. And because this is a choice players will often make and often actively work toward, most duels 1) bring no tension to the game as a result, 2) have a completely skewed risk/reward ratio for the initiator. 
Sure, in so doing the players follow the rules, but to my mind, such duels are completely.... dishonorable. 
Yep, I really went there. 😉
Bully duels are inherently dishonorable, plain and simple.
Competitive players are all Scorpions at heart, I guess. 😉
In terms of game design vs theme, there is a conundrum here. I was told that in the old lore, a character like Toshimoko never lost a duel. I have no problem with that, but that's one character alone, not a whole game mechanic going in a dubious direction.
I would also counter with the following. There is very little glory in being the best duelist against weaker opponents. In being the best, Toshimoko should win duels against a buffed up Kisada with little sweat -- but that is not what the game is allowing at all.
To follow the theme more closely, I would have enjoyed being granted a choice like that given by Arbiter of Authority but at all times -- I don't want to duel you, but I will dishonor my character for refusing. Or maybe there should have been some additional cost added to initiate an easy duel. Or maybe a character not meant for dueling should not be challenged at all? Just let _duelists_ do their thing amongst themselves? Just thinking out loud here. Anyway, I feel that so much more could have been done around that mechanic in relation to the theme. The more I think of it, the more being a good duelist should mean that yes, you should win more easily against strong characters -- but not necessarily against everyone. It feels wrong. It's a loophole. And as long as it is there, I guess Scoprions people will exploit it.  
Alright, so that was it. Discuss!
 

I'm linking this thread to the guys at FFG QA. Not so sure it'll help, but possibly they'll investigate in this further

Yes, got mine too! A pictorial review, with one important caveat: I have not (obviously) played the game yet with the insert. That is to say, how does it operate when setting up, tearing down, and so forth. I often organize and store games based on a rules reading and the component overview, then notice after a first (few) play(s) that stuff could be sorted differently.
With that out of the way (and wernerkellens above has a great overview of it already), here is how I did things!

The insert. 3 pieces of foam, the deeper one on the left, the miniature tray on the right, and a topper, which is a very nice (and to my mind necessary) touch.
First the deeper tray goes into the box (I might add here, superfluously perhaps, that the original cardboard insert is of no use).

The largest tile is a bit of a tight fit. I had to rotate a few times to find the best way to put it into the largest well, but I got it in. It's snug, but not so tight that I believe it will damage.

The other map tiles fit nicely, and there is actually about a third, volume wise, of the well left unused. This is good for the terrain tiles in the baggy, plus the hero sheets. Later I also add some tokens in the gap top right in the well (Inspiration and Threat). The Enemy Group / Elite tokens go in two wells at top left.

These are the beautiful, but just a bit too large for the insert, card boxes for mini cards. I used them for now, as you can see below, but especially the cards are a set of components that I may want to organize differently. As an example, Basic and Hero Skill cards are split in two once a campaign is started: Some are stored with the Hero sheets (at least that's how I would do it), and others are not used at all.

This is how the bottom "component" tray looks with everything. A few extra baggies for Hero sheets and cards once the campaign is underway. Tokens added to the map tiles well. Some tokens below the Enemy Group / Elite standees. You see the deckboxes are a bit too large, but the foam is of course flexible and can take it. I tried putting cards directly in the well, but didn't find that satisfactory either. I'll try this for the time being, and as noted above, see what works better once a campaign gets underway.

The mini's fit perfectly. One or two Goblin swords stick out very slightly, but the foam topper takes care of that. Because I got all the components in the bottom tray, I have some space left for the mini expansion mini's. At least I hope they fit, that would be great to have them in the box too. Note, I haven't painted all of the mini's yet, to my shame and chagrin. 11 to go...

Here are the trays side by side, so you can see the height difference. The miniatures tray is great, because most mini's can be stored standing.

Topper... on top.

Battle Boards and rule books. Extra protection for the mini's.

A perfect fit. One rulebook spine is rising slightly above the rim, but with the box lid on top this is no issue. I must say that this is one of the insert's strengths: in total it has perfect height (depth) for the game box. With the Battle Boards and rules on top, it closes perfectly and keeps everything in its place.

So much so, that I have no reservations about storing the game on its side!
And there it is, my pictorial overview / review of the Feldherr insert. All-in-all, I think it's functional, economic, mostly efficient (the odd shaped map tiles are difficult to design an insert for as it is), a perfect fit, safe storage for mini's, and I expect the insert to help in setup and teardown time as well. For what it's worth, I recommend it.

They Are mechanically both similar and different. I like both games. Some people not, so you have to try before desiding by yourself.
What I like in ah3 is that you have more controll of what is happening, less in 6 players than with 2 players. I like the story aspect of AH3 that is somewhat lacking in EH IMHO. In EH I really like those two sided cards and I am missing them in AH3. I personally like the smaller town scale game of Arkham games compared to whole world aspect of EH, but that is just personal preference, and most likely originated from AH2. 
Some people says that the story hinders replayability, I personally don`t think so because the story unfolds differently each time. But that is a thing that diverse some peoples opinions.
The ah3 scales better with different amounth players via time usage. It is Also very different feeling if you have few or more players. EH the game get longer when there Are more players, but the feeling is not so different between player counts, except that it may be a Little bi easier with more investigator, because it is easier to controll the huge map.
The AH3 is more modular, so expansions causes (most likely) Little bit less bloat than They cause in EH. The first expansion was just announced, so it is interesting to see how it works in practice.
Finding right monster to each scenarion can get tedious? When there will be Many expansions in AH3, in EH you just throw all in. That makes EH more random and AH3 less random and more thematic, like AH Lcg vs other mythos games. But in the same time can get fiddly in AH3.
 

I don't see it as a piece of cardboard, rather there's probably a lot of work happening to bring us a mini board, new tiles, cards, investigators, scenarios etc. Most often in the big box expansion they introduce new game mechanics, which I  guess must be balanced with the rest of the game and require extensive testing Before release. Which for me equals replayability and fun.
Personally I view it as paying for the design process that leads up to the cardboard. That in turn improves the game and my fun, and as it is a hobby I can decide if and when I want more of a game. Same goes for the Arkham LCG, 15 USD for a small plastic container with a few cards may sound steep. But I pay for the game design and the hours upon hours of enjoyment the game will provide, rather than seeing it as paying for the cards themselves.
But it's a matter of opinion.

They Are mechanically both similar and different. I like both games. Some people not, so you have to try before desiding by yourself.
What I like in ah3 is that you have more controll of what is happening, less in 6 players than with 2 players. I like the story aspect of AH3 that is somewhat lacking in EH IMHO. In EH I really like those two sided cards and I am missing them in AH3. I personally like the smaller town scale game of Arkham games compared to whole world aspect of EH, but that is just personal preference, and most likely originated from AH2. 
Some people says that the story hinders replayability, I personally don`t think so because the story unfolds differently each time. But that is a thing that diverse some peoples opinions.
The ah3 scales better with different amounth players via time usage. It is Also very different feeling if you have few or more players. EH the game get longer when there Are more players, but the feeling is not so different between player counts, except that it may be a Little bi easier with more investigator, because it is easier to controll the huge map.
The AH3 is more modular, so expansions causes (most likely) Little bit less bloat than They cause in EH. The first expansion was just announced, so it is interesting to see how it works in practice.
Finding right monster to each scenarion can get tedious? When there will be Many expansions in AH3, in EH you just throw all in. That makes EH more random and AH3 less random and more thematic, like AH Lcg vs other mythos games. But in the same time can get fiddly in AH3.
 

1. It only works when you get facedown damage, so it does not count flipping cards and so on.
2. Yes it affect each hero. So a food card indeed!
3. Thinkets Are replenished between scenarios. Have not see so far ”stole” equipment events, but ofcourse those Are possible in future campaigs! A good idea!

Actually, no! You can scout during your turn (due to certain effects including equipment, trinkets, prepared cards) after using prepared cards, so you can use more than 4 per turn! Like how a pathfinder with the upgraded travel garb and some sprint cards can traverse the entire map in one turn this way.
 
i do wonder about the "at the start of your turn" cards. Technically after you play one of these it's no longer the start of your turn so you're limited to 1 of these per turn?

No limit. Or actually there is limit 4 because it is the maximum number of prepared cards

Yeah, even in the stories Gandalf is always coming and going.  He disappears, the group gets into trouble, and sometimes he shows up just in time to bail them out.  Bombadil is also treated that way in the books.
I'm not a game writer, but maybe you could have an ability in certain adventures to call for help from Gandalf (or a song for Bombadil).  Just like one skill card in the deck or whatever.  Just spitballing.
 
Maybe so, but some of us actually are fans of Tom Bombadil.  I agree he wouldn't work as a player hero, however.

Yep. Tom Bombadil, Elrond, Galadriel, Even Gandalf would be better as a part of adventure! Not player characters.
Much like one spesific Ranger allready is presented in one scenario allready!
that is how They Are handled in the Onering rpg (the best Lotr game around IMHO  ) In that game those big characters Are your benefactors, quest givers, your patrons etc!

Yep. Tom Bombadil, Elrond, Galadriel, Even Gandalf would be better as a part of adventure! Not player characters.
Much like one spesific Ranger allready is presented in one scenario allready!
that is how They Are handled in the Onering rpg (the best Lotr game around IMHO  ) In that game those big characters Are your benefactors, quest givers, your patrons etc!

Hard to argue with that.  I love Bombadil by the way.  But I like the way Lord of the Rings: the Card Game handles Bombadil.  He's part of the encounter deck, so he comes out of the adventure that you are on, and helps you.  They could do a similar type of thing with him here, in an expansion set in the Old Forest and/or the Barrow Mounds.  I'd definitely like to see a Bombadil mini.

Interesting. In those cases I would use only one figurine and a banner to present the whole croup. Or you can allways buy the second core 🤣

Oh no, it's LotR LCG all over again...

Interesting. In those cases I would use only one figurine and a banner to present the whole croup. Or you can allways buy the second core 🤣

Interesting. In those cases I would use only one figurine and a banner to present the whole croup. Or you can allways buy the second core 🤣

Nah. Gandalf has only 3 actions during the whole scenario

It definitely was the only really difficult chapter after the second. Though I only lost the seventh! So what I can say
i was just playing the seventh so wrong and unoptimal way... Not gonna do the same mistake in the next run. Pure 12 win win scenario row in that run. Then to hard Mode
but yeah the last one is a tough nuts, good trinkets helps a lot!

You should try to make a deck which takes advantage of secrecy.  Without giving you a deck list or even 'spoiling' future cards I'll say this:
Secrecy (at least to me) is not about constantly maintaining threat at 20 or below.  The mechanics of the game actively fight against this. Also if you try to maintain that low threat the entire game you'll find you've packed your deck with threat reduction cards and not much else.
What does work is treating Secrecy like an early game ramp.  Consider the one you just opened in the Redhorn Gate - Timely Aid.  This is an amazing card and i've built decks around it (and Sneak Attack).  Heck I'll even play that thing in a leadership deck because leadership can afford to just pay 4 and be spoiled for choice when it comes to which ally to drop into play.
Anyway if you can come up with a deck that has starting threat 20 or below - then you've got the possibility of bringing a strong ally into play for one resource (Northern Tracker anyone? ) on turn one.  Thats really good.
However, until you open up more Dwarrowdelf packs you'll be missing two other key cards which opens the secrecy ramp strategy up.
In summary - try it - but wait till you've found the other two cards.  I'm intentionally not mentioning them because you sound like the kind of player that likes the discovery.  Have fun discovering

Clicking the token for information is not action, but if you click the action mark, then it is an action.

Elite enemies DO become exhausted after they counterattack for the first time. However:
28.2 Elite enemy groups can counterattack heroes even if the enemy group is exhausted.

Yes, I think you have to chose an option you can fulfill. My question would be (for this example), can we suffer the two facedown fear only if we have no prepared skill to discard? Or may we chose?
I know in the LCG, with text like this, you could only do the second bad thing if the first wasn't possible. You didn't get the choice.

Good News!
With the help of further email reports and forum posts, we were able to identify this elusive bug!
v1.0.4 is on it's way to each platform, and contains a hotfix specifically for this issue. This update will not disrupt any save files, and players should be able to pick up right where they left off and finish Chapter 1 without crashing.

Yep. Or would means a choise of healing either damage or healing fear. Not both. And means conbination of those (based on that ”and” is better than ”or” according to developers)