Also, FFG: q-u-e-e-r isn't necessarily a slur; there's a reason it's been appended to LGBTQA+.

(1) Inclusivity isn't just about gender or about gender balance; to my group, for example, having a signature character who's indisputably q-ueer is HUGE;
(2) celebrating New5R for being inclusive isn't a slam on Old5R? But it's probably worth recognizing that our current Clan Champions are roughly balanced between men and women, that they include a person who is q-ueer, that they include diverse perspectives on marriage, parenthood, and gender roles, and that none of them read as appropriative. 
ETA: forgot to say also: advocating for inclusivity isn't just for women (or for any one group advocating for themselves); successfully advocating for inclusivity needs to be intersectional -- which is part of why I'm showing up for this.

Also, FFG: q-u-e-e-r isn't necessarily a slur; there's a reason it's been appended to LGBTQA+.

I do too, but still: it bums me out, because it's how I self-identify.

Bending over backwards to try and justify why a ***** person isn't REALLY *****, or why a person isn't REALLY the gender they present as, is astonishingly offensive.

I respect that everyone's L5R is different, but narrative and mechanical Honor have underpinned nearly every part of L5R-as-written for literally decades. 

I respect that everyone's L5R is different, but narrative and mechanical Honor have underpinned nearly every part of L5R-as-written for literally decades. 

I respect that everyone's L5R is different, but narrative and mechanical Honor have underpinned nearly every part of L5R-as-written for literally decades. 

Howdy, and happy holidays!
Huge fan of all of this, especially the XP reduction; right now it feels like every session is an XP pinata.
I like this concept a lot. Three notes:
I don't think it'll get a lot of use in games with players who are already strong self-advocates. It WILL probably see a lot of use in games with strong GMs and players who aren't very good at self-advocating. Having an explicit mechanism whereby players can say, "Hey, I'm the star of the show now!" is a great idea. Once per session is probably too often. Assuming five players in a game, four hours per session, and half an hour per "scene," you could be looking at more than half the session getting chewed up by Pivotal Scenes.  The Void Point cost doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Why not just make it free and assume that players and GMs will self-police on the time-cost involved? I'm going off-book here to talk about the last question on the survey: "which of the following types of supplement would you be most likely to want to purchase?"
I think the thing we need most* are timeline supplements to keep pace with the LCG.
I suggested this on my survey, but I want to post it publicly because I think it's important enough:
Mini-supplements that collect timeline info, "state of Rokugan" info, and new mechanics from the last X amount of time in the LCG. You could put them out quarterly, or after each Clan Pack and cycle is released, or anything like that. You don't even need to print them -- just release them as PDFs. I'd happily fork over $5 for a black and white PDF telling me what I need to know from Imperial Cycle. Take Imperial Cycle, for example. The kinds of things I'd want to know are:
Timeline: what major events happened when in the year? Broader Clan perspectives: e.g. we know what's up with Hotaru and Yoshi, but what is the Crane Clan in general doing? What do the Scorpion actually know (versus what Shoju and Kachiko know?) Specific mechanics: something is going wrong with Phoenix magic -- how am I supposed to model that as a GM? NPC Stats: we've just introduced a bunch of characters; how do you stat a mythic-class bushi like Hida Kisada? How does he compare Doji Kuwanan? Or a more everyday samurai like Shinjo Altansarnai's son who raided that village? Thanks much for listening. I know it's out of left field, but I would be a happy and permanent player if the only supplements you ever published were those mini-updates.
 
 
* Other than a finished corebook with expanded setting information -- which I know is coming and I'm not joggling anybody's elbow about!

Agreed. Maintaining the setting as an ongoing 'living campaign' adds a lot.
Agreed. I don't think the players in my group would, but it's easy to see the temptation.
Giving the players something like the choice to trigger a demeanour was in Deathwatch (essentially it's a free 'double-fate-point' if the GM agrees what you want to do is suitably awesome and in keeping with your chapter's character) is different to "I want to trigger a new scene that's all about me".
Nothing in that seems too 'special' to be honest. Any important scene should probably change a character's honour and glory.
I do like the Obligation mechanic in Edge of the Empire, because "the fickle finger of fate points at you" seems to work - all of them owe someone something, even if it's just 'payback'. For L5R, it's much more about specifically finding a reason to have them be conflicted; putting the 'nominated' person in a situation where they have to choose the most honourable (read: least dishonourable) action from a selection of unpalatable choices.
 

Greetings L5R Open Beta testers!   To start off, the development team would like to thank you for your enthusiasm, energy, and excellent contributions over the course of the Open Beta! We’ve been really impressed by your response and the excellent conversations you’ve fostered.   This will be the final content update and survey of the Open Beta. After we receive the information here, we will be stepping back, assessing all of the feedback we have received, and weaving together the final version of the manuscript with all of the changes fully integrated. We have been making positive iterative changes throughout the Open Beta, and much of our time will be spent applying these changes and making sure that they are implemented across the board, with all of their ramifications fully considered. Some parts of the final manuscript might differ quite a bit from the current implementation as we make updates and revisions based on the iterative changes, but the concepts we have settled on with your help over the course of the Open Beta will be preserved.   Character Advancement   Playtesters have expressed a desire for more freeform character advancement, specifically with regards to the feeling that experience spent outside of curriculum is “wasted.” We do want players to be encouraged to invest in their curriculum, but consistent feedback is that receiving nothing for one’s other investments is frustrating. To address this, we will be making the following changes to character advancement:   Any purchase outside of your current school rank now contributes half of its experience value to your current school rank. Rings are no longer included in school curriculums. Experience to complete school ranks is going to be increased significantly. Recommended experience rewards will be dropped to one per hour of play, with two per hour and/or discretionary bonuses for milestones offered as an option for GMs.   Ninjō/Giri   The development team sat down several weeks ago and asked: what do we want Ninjō and Giri to accomplish, and is it doing those things? Here’s what we came up with:   Encourage players to think about the character motives fundamental to samurai drama. Give players a feeling of agency in the resolution of their characters’ inner turmoil. Give the GM a way to engage the specific samurai drama stories the players want to tell.  
We feel that objectives 1 and 3 are being met by the current system. However, we agree with player comments that objective 2 is not being satisfied: the current system offers guidance and light mechanical implications of pursuing/ignoring one’s duty or desires, but generally leaves it in the hands of the GM to dangle plot hooks before the players.
As such, the following is our concept for Ninjō and Giri moving forward:   “Once per game session, a player may call for a Pivotal Scene involving their character to occur. The player gives a brief overview of a scene they want to roleplay related to their Ninjō, Giri, or the friction between the two. This should be a dynamic moment for the character, in which their faith in Bushidō is tested (usually ninjō) or their reputation is cast into question (usually giri). In their overview, the player should focus on the goals they wish to accomplish and how they relate to their duty or desires, as well as what is standing in the way of them accomplishing those goals. This scene could even occur out of sequence, and may be presented as a flashback (especially if one or more of the characters in question are deceased or otherwise unable to participate).   Next, the GM offers comments, suggested revisions, and guidance on situating this scene in the story—as well as the obstacle being described—along with the amount of honor, glory, or both that the player must stake on the outcome of the scene (see Staking Honor, Glory, and Status). If the player wishes to proceed with the scene, they stake the honor or glory and their character must spend one Void point.   The scene proceeds as a normal scene, with the GM improvising the action while drawing on previously established facts where possible to help build the scene. If the scene does not involve all of the PCs (or other NPCs who the uninvolved players can temporarily portray), the GM should consider keeping its duration to five minutes or less.   At the end of the scene, the player and GM must assess its consequences, as well as whether the character overcame or worked around the obstacles to their goal, or perhaps changed goals altogether. If the character’s faith in Bushidō is upheld, they do not lose any staked honor, and might even receive an honor award of the GM’s determination. If the character’s reputation is undamaged, they do not lose any staked glory, and might even receive a glory award if they did something worthy, at the GM’s determination. It should be very rare for a pivotal scene to occur without some change in a character’s honor, glory, or both—even a seemingly neutral outcome could gnaw at a character’s faith in the code by which they live their life or undermine their efficacy as a samurai in the eyes of others.   As with all matters, the GM is the final arbiter over whether the scene is appropriate or not—but the GM should offer an alternative that deals with the same Ninjō or Giri if they truly think a suggestion won’t work as proposed. In the same vein, the GM should not hesitate to ask the player to furnish additional details if they get stuck in framing or resolving the scene, or even turn to the other players table and ask for suggestions.”   Now that you’ve read over these options, head over to the survey here and give us your feedback on these ideas, as well as a number of other questions as we wrap up the Open Beta. Feel free to continue sending us your feedback for the next few weeks, and discussing this Beta on the forums.   We sincerely appreciate all of the passion you have displayed for Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying, and all the time you have put into testing, analyzing, and commenting on the Open Beta. Your feedback has been very important to the development of the game, and will continue to influence it as we develop the final manuscript!

Howdy, and happy holidays!
Huge fan of all of this, especially the XP reduction; right now it feels like every session is an XP pinata.
I like this concept a lot. Three notes:
I don't think it'll get a lot of use in games with players who are already strong self-advocates. It WILL probably see a lot of use in games with strong GMs and players who aren't very good at self-advocating. Having an explicit mechanism whereby players can say, "Hey, I'm the star of the show now!" is a great idea. Once per session is probably too often. Assuming five players in a game, four hours per session, and half an hour per "scene," you could be looking at more than half the session getting chewed up by Pivotal Scenes.  The Void Point cost doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Why not just make it free and assume that players and GMs will self-police on the time-cost involved? I'm going off-book here to talk about the last question on the survey: "which of the following types of supplement would you be most likely to want to purchase?"
I think the thing we need most* are timeline supplements to keep pace with the LCG.
I suggested this on my survey, but I want to post it publicly because I think it's important enough:
Mini-supplements that collect timeline info, "state of Rokugan" info, and new mechanics from the last X amount of time in the LCG. You could put them out quarterly, or after each Clan Pack and cycle is released, or anything like that. You don't even need to print them -- just release them as PDFs. I'd happily fork over $5 for a black and white PDF telling me what I need to know from Imperial Cycle. Take Imperial Cycle, for example. The kinds of things I'd want to know are:
Timeline: what major events happened when in the year? Broader Clan perspectives: e.g. we know what's up with Hotaru and Yoshi, but what is the Crane Clan in general doing? What do the Scorpion actually know (versus what Shoju and Kachiko know?) Specific mechanics: something is going wrong with Phoenix magic -- how am I supposed to model that as a GM? NPC Stats: we've just introduced a bunch of characters; how do you stat a mythic-class bushi like Hida Kisada? How does he compare Doji Kuwanan? Or a more everyday samurai like Shinjo Altansarnai's son who raided that village? Thanks much for listening. I know it's out of left field, but I would be a happy and permanent player if the only supplements you ever published were those mini-updates.
 
 
* Other than a finished corebook with expanded setting information -- which I know is coming and I'm not joggling anybody's elbow about!

Howdy, and happy holidays!
Huge fan of all of this, especially the XP reduction; right now it feels like every session is an XP pinata.
I like this concept a lot. Three notes:
I don't think it'll get a lot of use in games with players who are already strong self-advocates. It WILL probably see a lot of use in games with strong GMs and players who aren't very good at self-advocating. Having an explicit mechanism whereby players can say, "Hey, I'm the star of the show now!" is a great idea. Once per session is probably too often. Assuming five players in a game, four hours per session, and half an hour per "scene," you could be looking at more than half the session getting chewed up by Pivotal Scenes.  The Void Point cost doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Why not just make it free and assume that players and GMs will self-police on the time-cost involved? I'm going off-book here to talk about the last question on the survey: "which of the following types of supplement would you be most likely to want to purchase?"
I think the thing we need most* are timeline supplements to keep pace with the LCG.
I suggested this on my survey, but I want to post it publicly because I think it's important enough:
Mini-supplements that collect timeline info, "state of Rokugan" info, and new mechanics from the last X amount of time in the LCG. You could put them out quarterly, or after each Clan Pack and cycle is released, or anything like that. You don't even need to print them -- just release them as PDFs. I'd happily fork over $5 for a black and white PDF telling me what I need to know from Imperial Cycle. Take Imperial Cycle, for example. The kinds of things I'd want to know are:
Timeline: what major events happened when in the year? Broader Clan perspectives: e.g. we know what's up with Hotaru and Yoshi, but what is the Crane Clan in general doing? What do the Scorpion actually know (versus what Shoju and Kachiko know?) Specific mechanics: something is going wrong with Phoenix magic -- how am I supposed to model that as a GM? NPC Stats: we've just introduced a bunch of characters; how do you stat a mythic-class bushi like Hida Kisada? How does he compare Doji Kuwanan? Or a more everyday samurai like Shinjo Altansarnai's son who raided that village? Thanks much for listening. I know it's out of left field, but I would be a happy and permanent player if the only supplements you ever published were those mini-updates.
 
 
* Other than a finished corebook with expanded setting information -- which I know is coming and I'm not joggling anybody's elbow about!

Howdy, and happy holidays!
Huge fan of all of this, especially the XP reduction; right now it feels like every session is an XP pinata.
I like this concept a lot. Three notes:
I don't think it'll get a lot of use in games with players who are already strong self-advocates. It WILL probably see a lot of use in games with strong GMs and players who aren't very good at self-advocating. Having an explicit mechanism whereby players can say, "Hey, I'm the star of the show now!" is a great idea. Once per session is probably too often. Assuming five players in a game, four hours per session, and half an hour per "scene," you could be looking at more than half the session getting chewed up by Pivotal Scenes.  The Void Point cost doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Why not just make it free and assume that players and GMs will self-police on the time-cost involved? I'm going off-book here to talk about the last question on the survey: "which of the following types of supplement would you be most likely to want to purchase?"
I think the thing we need most* are timeline supplements to keep pace with the LCG.
I suggested this on my survey, but I want to post it publicly because I think it's important enough:
Mini-supplements that collect timeline info, "state of Rokugan" info, and new mechanics from the last X amount of time in the LCG. You could put them out quarterly, or after each Clan Pack and cycle is released, or anything like that. You don't even need to print them -- just release them as PDFs. I'd happily fork over $5 for a black and white PDF telling me what I need to know from Imperial Cycle. Take Imperial Cycle, for example. The kinds of things I'd want to know are:
Timeline: what major events happened when in the year? Broader Clan perspectives: e.g. we know what's up with Hotaru and Yoshi, but what is the Crane Clan in general doing? What do the Scorpion actually know (versus what Shoju and Kachiko know?) Specific mechanics: something is going wrong with Phoenix magic -- how am I supposed to model that as a GM? NPC Stats: we've just introduced a bunch of characters; how do you stat a mythic-class bushi like Hida Kisada? How does he compare Doji Kuwanan? Or a more everyday samurai like Shinjo Altansarnai's son who raided that village? Thanks much for listening. I know it's out of left field, but I would be a happy and permanent player if the only supplements you ever published were those mini-updates.
 
 
* Other than a finished corebook with expanded setting information -- which I know is coming and I'm not joggling anybody's elbow about!

Hi folks,
At our request and their instigation, one of our players put together this reference chart for the language of flowers (hanakotoba) in Rokugan.
As with all things Rokugani, it makes no claim to historical or cultural accuracy. Its sources are cited at the bottom.
We've also created a couple relevant house rules:
******
Hanakotoba: characters with Aesthetics 1+ are familiar with hanakotoba, the symbolic language of flowers in Rokugani court life. Mechanically, characters with Aesthetics 1+ understand the meaning of each flower listed on the Language of Flowers page. Characters do not need to roll for this information, or to create basic arrangements of flowers that do not complicate their basic meaning. Creating more complex arrangements and meanings requires an Aesthetics (Fire) check, TN 2; correctly interpreting them requires an Aesthetics (Air or Void) check, TN 2. Creators may spend Opportunities (*) in the following ways:
Fire *: Increase the TN (by 1) of checks to decode this complex arrangement of flowers.
Fire *: Characters with Aesthetics 1+ do not need to roll to interpret this complex arrangement of flowers.
******
The Language of Flowers: the following custom shuji may be purchased:
Name: The Language of Flowers Description: The courtier is fluent in the language of flowers, allowing them to communicate wordlessly through ikebana, cut flower arrangements, or even a stray flower left in an unexpected place.  Prerequisites: School rank 1 Activation: You may create an arrangement of flowers using Aesthetics (Air) instead of Aesthetics (Fire), TN 2. When making an Aesthetics check to create a basic or complex flower arrangement, you may spend Opportunities (*) in the following ways: Air *: Convey a secret message that alters the meaning of the arrangement for one character observing it who possesses this technique.
Air **: Convey a secret message that alters the meaning of the arrangement for one character observing it who does not possess this technique.
*****
Please feel free to use any and all of this content in your own games!

Which never goes wrong.

Howdy!
I'm a huge supporter of L5R 5E. I think a lot of the changes from 4E are great, and that the ones that aren't great are either (1) getting there or (2) there for people who play differently than I do. I'm enthusiastically running a 22-person court game that my players are really enjoying. I can't wait to buy a copy of the core. (And I can't wait to buy a copy of this week's Dynasty Pack for the LCG.)
I say all of that because I want you to understand that what I'm about to say comes from a place of genuine support and a general, democratic spirit of thoughtful critique.
The name "Mirumoto Two-Swords School" is really bad.
I understand: you aren't calling anything the "[Family] [Role] School anymore." I've loved all the renames so far. Doji Diplomat, Kakita Duelist? Great. Bayushi Manipulator, Isawa Elementalist? Bring it on. Even the Iuchi Meishodo Master sounds right, if a little clunky.
Mirumoto Two-Swords School is way beyond clunky. It hits like a chainsaw on a rusty guard rail: all teeth and shrieking. I'm not even a Dragon fan. I bleed Kakita; I hate the Mirumoto. 
Please change it. Pick a name. You could:
Go with what's there: Mirumoto Niten School. Play with its mystical orientation: Mirumoto Adept School. Play with its wandering-swordsperson aspect: Mirumoto Wanderer School. Emphasize its relationship with the Kakita: Mirumoto Duelist School. Literally anything else. I'm begging you.
Thank you for your time.

STILL BETTER 

It also allows you to call your opponents FOOLS becasue they activated your trap card.
...
On a more serious note, TRAP option is some very interesting piece of design - while it's incredibly powerful, it also doesn't scale naturally at all, and you actively need to look for more and more powerful Techniques to make the most out of it, or the extra TN decreases will go to waste. I think it's very clever.

Yeah, this is probably first implementation of Miurmoto bushi that makes me happy about focusing on "two swords" PHILOSOPHY instead of literally fighting with two swords.

If you mean the mechanics and theme, I'd be very curious to hear you expand on why, and the problems you're having with it. If you mean the name, your feedback has already been noted, and will certainly be taken into account as part of the discussion during which school names are finalized!

Agree that having a monetary exchange rate is useful. Disagree that it's a priority, or necessary for the Yasuki.
L5R has never been an economic simulation, and IMO, the Yasuki function work fine dealing in money as abstract - a function of useful goods or relative Clan/family/province capacity. 

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH HONOR I GAINED FROM QUITE LITERALLY DEFENDING THE MIRUMOTO'S NAME
UGH

STILL BETTER 

Howdy!
I'm a huge supporter of L5R 5E. I think a lot of the changes from 4E are great, and that the ones that aren't great are either (1) getting there or (2) there for people who play differently than I do. I'm enthusiastically running a 22-person court game that my players are really enjoying. I can't wait to buy a copy of the core. (And I can't wait to buy a copy of this week's Dynasty Pack for the LCG.)
I say all of that because I want you to understand that what I'm about to say comes from a place of genuine support and a general, democratic spirit of thoughtful critique.
The name "Mirumoto Two-Swords School" is really bad.
I understand: you aren't calling anything the "[Family] [Role] School anymore." I've loved all the renames so far. Doji Diplomat, Kakita Duelist? Great. Bayushi Manipulator, Isawa Elementalist? Bring it on. Even the Iuchi Meishodo Master sounds right, if a little clunky.
Mirumoto Two-Swords School is way beyond clunky. It hits like a chainsaw on a rusty guard rail: all teeth and shrieking. I'm not even a Dragon fan. I bleed Kakita; I hate the Mirumoto. 
Please change it. Pick a name. You could:
Go with what's there: Mirumoto Niten School. Play with its mystical orientation: Mirumoto Adept School. Play with its wandering-swordsperson aspect: Mirumoto Wanderer School. Emphasize its relationship with the Kakita: Mirumoto Duelist School. Literally anything else. I'm begging you.
Thank you for your time.