I think people overestimate how populous the proportion of people this keen and discussing on boards are. 
 
I bet the number of people who buy a hero pack and use it as is at home with their buddies is larger than those who deck build. 

I've never "won" any campaign; but I've had huge amounts of enjoyment bumbling and grinding my way through to the end, just in time to witness the end of the world. You don't need to beat every scenario. You still continue the campaign, filling up with trauma and collecting weaknesses as you go. Or sometimes, as per the rules, you need to create a new character deck due to your starting character suffering an untimely death or going utterly insane. 
I'm not really sure the point of AH is about winning or losing. It's about the experience. 
Just keep playing.

In honesty, it doesn't really bother me at all. The investigators should learn a lot of weird things about the Dreamlands by wandering off the path and getting to see all kind of weird and wonderful perils, and shouldn't be gaining experience for stolidly walking down an uninteresting path, slowly and steadily, and not experiencing anything. It could have been a bit better forecast but eh, it has always been the nature of the game that your first time through a campaign might contain unwelcome surprises and poor choices.
I believe that there is no consequence of any kind anywhere in the campaign for not straying from the path.

I'm somewhat hopeful for L5R with Skirmish. When I read the released in the design article, I agreed almost point by point with the diagnostic of the problems and it made me feel hopeful for the health of the game for the first time in months. On my area nL5R had a huge start because there was a lot of the original game looking forward to it. We sold tons of Core Sets and the first cycle. Then both sales and tournaments dried up. Now there is just a very reduced core of players, and sales are reduced to those and collectors. I am now one of the later. My experience last time I played with a friend over the weekend, was one single long, protacted game of endless micro-decisions. No "gotcha moment" in over an hour, no involvement. After some thought, I decided I wouldn't bother with the game, and decided I would only keep buying packs as they came out just for collecting purposes (I have loved the world almost since the beginning) and I wasn't at all surprised at all the following Monday back at the store, when my friend let us know he didn't want to continue buying packs and sold is collection.
Now, we weren't playing at a competitive level. I'm sure if we were really regular players we would have better decks that got to their point faster, some of those micro-decisions woud be on auto-pilot decisions based on experience. We wouldn't have to read and reread the other player's card to remember what they did. That game wouldn't have taken over an hour, maybe just 45 minutes. Still, I can't imagine teaching that game to a new player, or playing for fun as it is, honestly. I can play 3 games of MTG on Arena in that time. Again, it's not just the time it takes, but the involvement, too. All those decisions...  there are a lot of cool mechanics and ideas, but the sheer accumulation of them takes the life of out it.
And speaking of taking the life out of it, putting together a legal deck is another chore. When you have a customizable game where you absolutely do need to use a website to deckbuild that tells you what is legal and what is not, you have a big problem. I'm not speaking only of banned/restricted lists, but also of role-locked cards. At first, I was not too against these, but i see now this is another layer of complication (as well as another set of decisions you have to make) on an already complex game.
Will it be enough to "save" the game, or is it too late already? Frankly, I haven't designed any decks based on the Skirmish ruleset and probably I won't bother until something exciting happens (for me, it would be the possibility to play a Shadowlands deck, for instance). However if I ever play again, it will be something like Skirmish, not the original game. Maybe somebody who has more experience playing will have more informed opinions, but I honestly think that if there is ever a second edition of the core set something like Skirmish should be the standard ruleset from then on, with the current "Stronghold" as just one more variant. That would mean no new role locked cards and phasing out those who are already in the pool. Maybe some of them are viable if reprinted without a role limitations, others less so.
About the only thing I don't like about Skirmish is the lack of Stronhgold cards. I think they add a lot of flavor to the game, so I hope some other iteration of the Skirmish ruleset puts them back in the game.

I'm very upset with skirmish, this game have a big problem of testing a design and they waste resources in this mode.
About the story, sorry but no FFG in my opinion are not doing the things right.
First ,it's a dirty trick, all is the same untill I say is different. All the beloved character and background is no FFG, is old AEG. In this new setting, why is so admired, Kisada ,Toshimoko, Hitomi, etc..? We don't know nothing about this characters that maybe are in a little part of a story.And what about characters that not belong to this year? They are added for the coolness. We need something similar than the way of the clans series that give us knowledge of what happens in this Rokugan.
Second, all people complain about sky is fallin story of oL5r. I've read about 90% of the new story and is total blandness.
In 2/3 years of oL5r we had the opening of the black scroll, the rise of shadowland ,the clan wars, the battle of beiden pass and the second day of thunder.
Now in a similitude with LotR, it's two years of history and we are still in the Shire.
And, if you are going to make novels please tell me some relevant, like the old ones, how about instead Shiba Tsukune fight some spirit she resolve the elemental disorder?

Yeah, sure....
It's very annoying to pronounce Asako Kenji but Shub Niggurath or Nyarlathotep are easy.

I'm not gonna argue passionately either way for your other points but I really reject this statement.  They've maintained a fantastic story line while giving players a reasonably restrained way to interact with the story.  I don't want to go back to the days of reacting to insane story prize choices and flipping the continuity to fit into what ever the card game wanted to talk about at the time.  I think they've taken alot of that old continuity and smoothed it out nicely.  Also we've had many story choices which have had an appreciable effect on the direction of the story.  Would I like the story line to move a little faster?  Yeah I think they could pick up the pace, but at the same time I don't want them to go too fast since it's nice we've been allowed to see these character breath and develop over the course of the conflict.  I wonder how well the novels will sell because I think there's an opportunity to pick up the pace a bit if they can offload  more of the character building to novellas and novels for major characters.

I am actually considering showing the game to people I know would be put off by the original format (but do enjoy the theme).  It's way more approachable.  Unfortunately it's not exactly easy to play anything competitive right now considering what's going on right now.  Well I guess I could try and get my wife to play it.  She's never showed interest in L5R though.
 

I am a fan so far. It lets me introduce the game to a younger audience and those who aren't into sinking so much time into a card game (especially one with so much protocol).
I also wonder if this is a final attempt to keep this game alive. I don't have any data whatsoever, but it seems like the enthusiasm - much like many FFG LCGs (and Destiny) - has dwindled down to the core (small?) fans of the game. I don't know if that's enough to keep it afloat when it seems like Asmodee is cleaning out. 

For me and my wife it was reason to blow the dust of our cards and give Skirmish a try this weekend.

Made me take a second look at it too. As @Brekekekiwi says a format like this is how it should've been from the start. The clunky behemoth that´s stronghold was a major putoff.

Server is almost done. Interface to update card database and create card pools is done, 75% done on the running of a draft. I'm making Windows and Android clients at the same time, I guess I'm half way through. I'll post the link on the forum when it will be done.

I hope you have some luck with that.  I assembled a draft set for my local play group and it takes most of a day to reset every time we play so anything to alleviate that would be great.
 

No they're not.  The RPG is being moved to a new home, in EDGE entertainment, a different branch of Asmodée.

They're all on a Tuesday or Thursday (the days FFG Live streams) within the first couple weeks or so of the month (January 16th is the only date that's the 3rd Thursday of the month.)

You're looking for inconsistency where there is none.

As Palpster has so kindly pointed out, it’s true of the announcements.
Obviously they’ve been having some issues somewhere down the line between them and their distributor and retail locations, or quite possibly just in the amount they chose to produce. But many of their games haven’t had those issues, or they get fixed after a wave or two.

If you can't back up your conspiracy theories, please don't post them. Ill give you the facts from the FFG Livestreams:
October 8, Ms Marvel
November 12, Wrecking Crew
December 5, Thor
January 16, Black Widow
February 4, Dr Strange
March 3, Hulk
That is 1 new pack reveal every month since the games' release. I'd say that is a highly consistent announcement pace.

FFG has everything spread out at a consistent announcement pace, usually announcing products around 3 months before release. When leaks like the Black Widow/Strange/Hulk leak happen, their announcements for the next three months suddenly don’t pack the same punch and it’s more difficult for them to keep anticipation up for the game for everyone.
A perfect example is how, after the next three heroes were leaked, our attention immediately jumped to the story box, and we’re all even more impatient to know what it is. We might even feel entitled to know, because it really feels like we haven’t gotten any news in a couple months. Sure, we might be impatient either way, but the leaks certainly exacerbated that issue.

I don’t expect people to watch every stream. But leaks are bad, and FFG’s announcement/teaser schedule is consistent. There’s really no need to ask/hope for leaks 🤷‍♂️

What about the fact that your -- anyone's, really -- personal tastes are not good baseline for exposing the art of a bigger pool of artists? 
I applaud the variety, regardless of what I think of it.

Probably worth distinguishing between 'player cards that depict places not in the current cycle' and 'player cards that are actual hints of what's next to come'. In TFA, Alter Fate was the only Tarot-related card, so could be considered a hint, but there were plenty of other cards hinting at places and things we've not yet seen. Which is exactly to say it's fun to theorise. Matt is a fan of red herrings!

I don't give much credence to the idea that a few bits of card art and the Card Council cards (which the designers did not have direct control over, after all) would give much indication of the next cycle. Tony Morgan with his Innsmouth connections was probably a much better indicator, like Carolyn Fern for the Dreamlands, but even then that's a losing bet since the vast majority of investigators don't presage the campaign after their release.
After all, it's not like the Lightning Gun in Dunwich meant that Yithians were up next.
When we don't know what's coming next, speculating and seizing on all available hints is great fun, but let's not mistake that for any actual facts.

Well, here's the updated list, based on yesterday's article.
 

Pack Card Name ❀ Faction Deck Type Traits Rules Cost 13CW 1     Neutral Treaty         13CW 2 Desertion   Neutral Treaty         13CW 3 Exposed Secrets   Neutral Treaty         13CW 4     Neutral Treaty         13CW 5     Neutral Treaty         13CW 6     Neutral Treaty         13CW 7 Second Chances   Neutral Treaty         13CW 8     Neutral Treaty         13CW 9     Neutral Treaty         13CW 10 Upholding Bushido   Neutral Treaty         13CW 11     Neutral Treaty         13CW 12     Neutral Treaty         13CW 13 Slaughtered Village   Crab Province Earth Shadowlands. Village.     13CW 14 Model of Courtesy   Crane Province Air       13CW 15 Karmic Teachings   Dragon Province Fire       13CW 16     Lion Province         13CW 17     Phoenix Province         13CW 18 Shadowed Alleyway   Scorpion Province Air       13CW 19     Unicorn Province         13CW 20 Temple of Daikoku   Neutral Province Water Temple.     13CW 21 Temple of Jikoju   Neutral Province Air Temple.     13CW 22 Temple of Osano-wo   Neutral Province Earth Temple.     13CW 23 Temple of Shinsei's Wisdom   Neutral Province Void Temple.     13CW 24 Temple of the Thunders   Neutral Province Fire Temple.     13CW 25 Hida Secretkeeper   Crab Dynasty Character Bushi.   1 13CW 26     Crab Dynasty         13CW 27     Crab Dynasty         13CW 28     Crab Dynasty         13CW 29     Crab Dynasty         13CW 30     Crane Dynasty Character       13CW 31     Crane Dynasty Character       13CW 32 Perfect Guest   Crane Dynasty Character Courtier.   2 13CW 33     Crane Dynasty         13CW 34 Negotiating Table   Crane Dynasty         13CW 35     Dragon Dynasty         13CW 36     Dragon Dynasty         13CW 37     Dragon Dynasty         13CW 38     Dragon Dynasty         13CW 39 Alchemical Lab   Dragon Dynasty Holding Laboratory.     13CW 40     Lion Dynasty Character       13CW 41 Righteous Akodo   Lion Dynasty Character Bushi.   1 13CW 42 Battle Aspirant   Lion Dynasty Character Bushi.   2 13CW 43     Lion Dynasty         13CW 44     Lion Dynasty         13CW 45 Expert Interpreter   Phoenix Dynasty Character       13CW 46 Isawa Pilgrim   Phoenix Dynasty Character Shugenja. Water. Pride. 2 13CW 47     Phoenix Dynasty         13CW 48     Phoenix Dynasty         13CW 49     Phoenix Dynasty         13CW 50     Scorpion Dynasty         13CW 51     Scorpion Dynasty         13CW 52     Scorpion Dynasty         13CW 53     Scorpion Dynasty         13CW 54     Scorpion Dynasty         13CW 55     Unicorn Dynasty Character Cavalry.   1 13CW 56 Merchant of Curiosities   Unicorn Dynasty Character Courtier. Merchant.   1 13CW 57 Endless Plains Skirmisher   Unicorn Dynasty Character Bushi. Cavalry.   2 13CW 58     Unicorn Dynasty Character       13CW 59 Forthright Ide   Unicorn Dynasty Character Courtier. Cavalry. Merchant. Support. 3 13CW 60     Neutral Dynasty         13CW 61     Neutral Dynasty         13CW 62     Neutral Dynasty         13CW 63     Neutral Dynasty         13CW 64 Kobo Ichi-kai Jiuutsu   Crab Conflict Attachment Technique. Restricted. 0 13CW 65 Common Cause   Crab Conflict Event     0 13CW 66 The Crashing Wave   Crab Conflict Event   Support. 2 13CW 67     Crab Conflict Event       13CW 68     Crane Conflict         13CW 69     Crane Conflict         13CW 70     Crane Conflict         13CW 71 Return the Offense   Crane Conflict Event     1 13CW 72     Dragon Conflict         13CW 73     Dragon Conflict         13CW 74     Dragon Conflict         13CW 75     Dragon Conflict         13CW 76     Lion Conflict         13CW 77 Called to War   Lion Conflict Event     0 13CW 78 All Out Assault   Lion Conflict Event Tactic.     13CW 79 Privileged Position   Lion Conflict Event     2 13CW 80     Phoenix Conflict         13CW 81     Phoenix Conflict         13CW 82 Appeal to Sympathy   Phoenix Conflict Event   Support. 2 13CW 83     Phoenix Conflict Event       13CW 84 Bayushi Traitor   Scorpion Conflict Character Bushi. Shinobi.   2 13CW 85     Scorpion Conflict         13CW 86 Compelling Testimony   Scorpion Conflict Event   Support. 1 13CW 87     Scorpion Conflict Event       13CW 88     Unicorn Conflict         13CW 89     Unicorn Conflict         13CW 90 Diversionary Maneouver   Unicorn Conflict Event Tactic   2 13CW 91     Unicorn Conflict         13CW 92 Hige's Sermon   Neutral Conflict Event Heresy. Limited. 0 13CW 93 Seize the Day   Neutral Conflict Event     1 13CW 94 Enlightenment   Neutral Conflict Event Kiho.   5 13CW   Ascetic of the North Wall   Dragon   Character Monk. Tattooed 2/2/2 2 13CW   Serene Seer   Phoenix   Character   3/3/3 Support 3 13CW   Something of Visages   Scorpion   Character Shugenja. Air. 1/1/1 1 13CW   Shika Matchmaker   Neutral Dynasty Character Shugenja. Air. Deer Clan. 1/1/1/1 1

There's two copies of it.  The one you see is 14/15 for Black Widow and card 10 of the pack.  Agent Coulson is card 11 of the pack.  Therefore 15/15 in Black Widow must be the same as 14/15.
Tracking all the cards on a spreadsheet is good for something

A Dune LCG would grab my interest !!
or one set in the “Culture” universe by Ian M Banks, though more in the vein of the book, Consider Phleabus