Legend of the Five Rings 3rd Edition

Of my RPG book design work at AEG, this is my favourite. “Legend of the Five Rings” had been the flagship IP at the company since its introduction as a collectible card game in 1995 and a role-playing game system in 1997. The RPG series had gone through 2 editions at AEG, as well as a brief change in ownership to Wizards of the Coast where it became the campaign setting for the “Oriental Adventures” series. In 2005, now more popular than every, L5R was slated to release a 3rd edition. After proving myself on many other RPG books, I was entrusted with the principal design of the new series.

2006 Ennie Award Winner

Third Edition was the first edition of the RPG to be produced in full-color, and this meant that I had the entire catalog of L5R CCG artwork to choose from for illustrations. This objectively beautiful book was chock full of the best full-color artwork from the history of Legend of the Five Rings, as well as new artwork from the late, great William O’Connor. The resulting compilation was recognized by the Ennies and received Gold in the category “Best Art, Interior.”

The cover featured a custom illustration by me. The company was having trouble selecting artwork for the cover, as most illustrations depict a character from a specific clan within the game. I proposed the samurai sword as it represented “bushido,” the core values common to all samurai within the game universe of Rokugan. My design for the book was recognized at the Ennies as well, receiving a nomination for “Best Production Values.” Note the fabulous spot UV coating on the cover elements.

Gold Winner - Best Art, Interior
Nominee - Best Production Value

Book Flip Through

Please enjoy this flip through of the book accompanied by the relaxing instrumental track Haru no Umi by Michio Miyagi.

Page Spreads

Rice paper background with the framing of a Japanese scroll. The scroll element also marks each new chapter. The elegant font Trajan. Full pape art by William O’Connor, with background art ghosted on the following page behind the text. Warmth. Maintaining readability. Mons used for page numbers. Torri gate used as the H1 element. Watercolor bleed borders for art. Character cutouts with word wrap. Sepia toned line art and spot illustrations.