I tried to set a game in the Sengoku Jidai period but it doesn't FEEL japanese. It feels there's something missing. Perhaps I'm not that acquainted with the setting enough to come up with fitting adventure ideas.Any advice?
>>96616448It is with deep reluctance I must ask what system you are running it in. Mechanics inform gameplay.
>>96616453I don't think it's that relevant. Let's say Bushido or L5R, for that matter
>>96616448we're talking about a conflict where Portuguese traders through the nanban trade were introducing matchlocks which became tanegashima, the takeda were a cavalry dominant force that used female priests before a siege to intimidate their opponents within their castles, a buddhist sect was waging war against another buddhist sect and were radical in wanting a buddhist theocracy, essentially meaning all paladins are either opposed to the knight equivalent or were kenshin who were so dedicated to the sword they were respected even amongst samurai, there was also the sohei who were dedicated to a clan so that'd be a subclass of the paladin as well. You had dutch tradesmen who were aiding in building ships, so your average bard is a negotiator and affable neutral party, shinobi were real and will be all rogues if they're not kunoichi, your warrior in the party will be a ashigaru who'd be essentially a trained and disciplined farmer. Death would be reasonably quick due to every opponent being the armies of a warrior class who established society and its hierarchy through the sword, and would choose death over ever giving up.
>>96616600It is 100% relevant. Running a samurai game without, for example, a reputation or honor system is like running an air combat game without rules for flight. Even settings ostensibly intended to provide that feel to games that otherwise don't have it succeed or fail entirely on how that feel can be injected into the setting AND the mechanics.Much of samurai fiction revolves around the concept of duty, whether it be to a master or to the law or to gods and spirits. Sengoku specifically is going to be focused strongly on matters of rivalry, alliance and loyalty. To that end, systems that have mechanical relationships for bonds between players and NPCs will generally be stronger choices than others and a focus on these systems will bear out a more entertaining and dynamic game.If you feel like you're having trouble running a game like that I recommend going back to watch some samurai films and read up on the period some more to get a feel for the happenings, people and events. Manga and Anime dramatizations would also be appropriate for a more fantastic or popular-culture tone.Ultimately the goal ought not be pure accuracy, but enjoying the essence of these stories and events. Players should feel a part of the story of the unification of the nation and the rise of their daimyo. A sympathetic and charismatic master is also essential to these kinds of stories, though their absence or the conflict of serving a cruel master can also be explored with great success.
>>96616448If you look into any actual Samurai era history or literature one thing you notice is that samurai and the medieval Japanese in general are very foreign in their morality, principles and mentality, outlook on life, etc. to modern western culture and even modern jap culture. It's hard to roleplay in the samurai era without it feeling like a contemporary setting with tacky samurai skin applied.
>>96616600it was 5e wasn't it
>>96616448>>96616731>It feels there's something missing.If you're running Sengoku games, then there's no honour other than victory and claiming heads and no rules or engagement other than not being the loser.If you manage to roll a cannon up the mouth of a sunken road and use it to shred 30 Samurai in one shot, that's exactly as honourable as beheading them in a brawl of 1 vs 20.The only thing that may de-valuate your action is if the people you kill weren't notable enough.Though people will give you props for loyalty and steadfastness in face of death still. The main struggle is that what counts as disloyal tends to fluctuate and expand over time, but in general, switching sides, backstabbing, bringing hand grenades to a sword fight ect are all fine.
>>96616600>I don't think it's that relevant. Let's say Bushido or L5R, for that matterSo it was D&D.
>>96616731I came here to say this, it will vary from era to era but the expectations of what a person of a given cultural stratum should and cannot do, how they should act, what they can get away with, what they MUST do etc all matters.As does how you present yourself to someone above/below you.
>>96616600>I don't think it's that relevantL5R outright started out with all of the samurai engaged in their own clan war, and Bushido is far more stringent than that in trying to deliver a samurai period combat experience. If you really were playing those, I seriously have to ask what in the hell did you do to fuck up that badly that it doesn't "feel Japanese" enough. What were you expecting, Sengoku Basara?
Brehs... Imagine being one of the first Samurai born into the Edo period. Your father, your grandfather, all your uncles, your great grandfather, maybe some of your older brothers, all were Sengoku warlords and heroes, true warriors putting sword and fire to their enemy... And you will spend the rest of your life doing some faggot bureaucratic administration job but still LARP as a samurai, wear two swords that you will never use, etc. I would have a serious inferiority complex and feel like such a fraud. That must have been true suffering
>>96616600Just say 5e. Don't dig up your own grave.
>>96617339At least in the Edo period you were given the choice to disarm and live fat and pacified. You could have justified to yourself that the government would eventually see reason. The Bakumatsu was the real point of no return for the sakura-tinted glasses of the samurai lifestyle. Especially when it became clear just how much the world had left the samurai behind in terms of warfare and progress.
>>96617339>oh no, I don't have to die pointlessly for whatever war my master started
>>96617464>die pointlessly Says the anon who is living pointlessly
>>96616448Try playing a historical video game like Sengoku Rance.
>>96616686>a buddhist sect was waging war against another buddhist sect and were radical in wanting a buddhist theocracyWhat?
>>96617439But you could also be a samurai with a gat. So really you'd either be living your best or worst life
Did you try doing an accent?
>>96616448The World Turned Upside Down: Medieval Japanese Society by Pierre-François SouyriThis book will give you a solid understanding of this period of Japanese history. It covers all the lead up to it, the social structure, and the conditions that tore the country apart.I hope you find it useful.
>>96616725The funny thing is, the whole honor thing we see in Samurai today was largely a creation of the Edo period, after the Sengoku period ended.
>>96616448Read Hyouge Mono and watch Kurosawa filmsI got my Japan campaign kick from watching Zatoichi films and while they're set some 250 years after the Sengoku period, they're good for establishing that jidaigeki feel. I doubt your players would know the difference unless they're true Japan autists
>>96619244But if you tell people you're running a samurai game they'll expect it regardless; so it's not worth fighting over unless you're playing an ultra-serious historical.
>>96619518I get it, most of our ideas of "ancient" Japan are actually late Edo period norms rather than full on Medieval Sengoku period.
>>96619244Sure the Sengoku period was still about honor and stuff, but it was more Machiavellian in a sense. It's war and you're going to need allies, might as well offer the guy another out that doesn't involve him killing himself (but political undesirables will be ordered to commit seppuku post haste)
>>96619667>Sengoku period was still about honor and stuffNot really. It was much more about power. If you were strong you could command loyalty. If you were weak or stupid, you got betrayed. There wasn't any kind of higher order honor going on.
>>96619728I mean sure but you still get the honor aspect of it even if it serves other purposes
>>96619834I would say that what you really need is a loyalty system. At this time, much of a person's identity was deeply entwined with who they were subordinate to and who was subordinate to them. The strength of loyalty was crucial element to this.
>>96619130The Ikko-Ikki clans and the Tendai Sect based at Mt. Hiei were fighting both each other and Nobunaga due to doctrinal differences and consolidation of power.
Watch the movies of Lone Wolf and Club, they are free on the internet archive. You are in for a great time.
>>96616686This is both 100% correct and incorrect at the same time. Yes, it was just that fucked up a situation.Shit that really existed: Pirate ninjas Ninja commandos doing some of the most amazing rescue operations Actual fucking ninjas Ninjas that weren't ninjas but better ninjas than ninjas Two wizards (onmyoji) engaged in a magical war with each other with curses and summoned spirits Bandit gangs so big that they rivaled full on daimyo armies Female samurai that was so good with a bow that she single handed ended the siege on her husband's castle by shooting the attackers between the eyes at 80m. A spy network made up of miko (temple maidens) Monks turning themselves into mummies while still alive
>96616448>96616600Nigga you dun goofed. Ya goofed hard>96620859>96616686>96616731>96619504total fucking bros. OP is a faggot, while these guys are poppin' cherries.
>>96618072>Says the anon who is living pointlessly
>>96622553Worthless posting style.
>>96620194>I would say that what you really need is a loyalty system.For Sengoku game you need the opposite - a disloyalty system that keeps track of what you can get away with.
>>96616448>it doesn't FEEL japaneseOrder takeout? A couple egg rolls would go a lonnnnnnnnnnnnng way.
>>96616448Go read The Riftwar Saga, it's first book is essentially D&D character gets isekai-ed to magic Japan, but with none of the weebiness since the first book came out in the early 80s
>>96616448Well, how much magic is involved?
Yeah I'm OP. It wasn't 5e, it was even worse. It was my own made up, rules-lite system. We also tried a friend's personal system. They both work very well, but I know you folks don't like that for some reason.>>96616725>>96616942>>96618121>>96619240Good advice
>>96629059>>96619208i didn't think of that, but I think I will. In fact one of our players is Chinese (don't know which country from though), that would be a good surprise. I do bring sushi every time.>>96619244Source on that?>>96627673Low fantasy, I'd say. Yokai and magic are real, so are the gods and possibly buddhism as well to some extent, but for the most part it'd be Feudal Japan. You just have to be wary when travelling alone because the legends might be true.
>>96629073Oh, guess that limits my suggestions then. Guess you could check out the Tenchu videogames?
>>96629742Feel free to suggest anyway, it may be useful or inspiring
>>96629073>>>96619244 (You)>Source on that?This book >>96619240And others as well. I'm actually making a game about this time frame myself. So far I've read 63 books on Japanese history both niche and general, Shintoism, Japanese Buddhist sects, Omyodo, Japanese warfare and martial arts, folklore and supernatural beliefs, and others that are related.Most of what we think of as Bushido and the honor of samurai is mostly a product of the Edo period. While it is rooted int the warring culture of the Japanese medieval period, this was largely applying a hindsight judgement on the way things were. This is a clear example of the winner writes history. Status came largely from being strong, being able to command loyalty of others, and success in warfare. There very fact that the Sengoku period happened is deep seated in the winner take all and win by any means necessary attitudes that permeated the culture at the time. Betrayal was extremely common.With this in mind, I think that having a flavor of Bushido is better in actual game play. After all, I'm not a hard core historical player. I prefer a game that's fun that captures the flavor of the movies than a mud core starving peasants because the asshole with a spear stole all the food.
>>96630058You should make a post like pic related but for Japanese society and culture. How would you handle a magic system for onmyoji, shinobis and shinto and buddhists priests?
>>96616600...
>>96630073That's the exact thing I'm tackling right now. There's the supporting mysticism and then there's the mechanical game play; they need to mesh. One of the compounding issues is that the core concepts of onmyodo, Shinto, and mystic Buddhism have a lot of overlap and yet some really weird contradictions. Give me a couple of hours and I'll come back with my notes and try and give a rundown of what I'm doing.
>>96630133Bumping for interest. If the thread isn't up, make your own
>>96629073>one of our players is Chinese (I don't know which country from though)>players is Chinese>(don't know which country)>Chinese>(which country)>Chinese>(I don't know)
>>96630172yeah but you know what i meant by chinese people, not from china but chinese in general like japan korea they're all pretty much the same dude...
>>96630172You have Aspergers , you moron
>>96630185Cmon now you're being too obvious. I gave you the first bite as courtesy. Don't greedily seek for more.>>96630256I eat your mom's ass like a burger, Jr. Cramming my patty into those buns while you're shitposting on the chan.
>>96616453>Mechanics inform gameplay.GMing informs gameplay. Mechanics are tertiary at best because the GM can ignore mechanics whenever he feels like.
>>96630051I've been rewatching a tokusatsu called Lion Man. It's not the right period at all, it seems to have inspiration from western (as in, cowboy movies, at least in the music), and the evil organization looks like they might as well be yokai. It's also largely set in small villages, no big city settings, and both the main character (who really turns into a lion man) and the villains use some out of place technology.Still, the aesthetics in general kinda gets me hyped for an Oriental Adventures game. There might be stuff worth mining there.
>>96616448
>>96616942You have an hilariously cartoonish understanding of this period. Samurai were aggressive and honour bound, sure - but the equipment and tactics of the era suggest an aversion to direct and open conflict when contrasted with contemporary Western soldiering. The idea of this period as an incessant bloodbath (perhaps for some social classes) doesn't really match the hit and evade, try to decisively route an enemy army by sweeping them from the field from an elevated position approach of the era. Nevermind the logistics didn't support it. >>96627673There should be lots. As well as reputational hits from eating meat or converting to Catholicism.
>>96630164I'm back way later than I expected.Broadly, there's two key components to supernatural beliefs that need to be incorporated to make a magic system feel more in line with the setting; kii and kami. The different belief systems had both of these even though they believed in them differently. With kii (Chi, qi, xi) it's all about the flow of energy. There's internal kii and external kii and one can affect the other. Kii is often described as light and as a mystic wind. Kami gets translated to spirit. Kami can range from something little more than a spark with a little personality to powerful great kami. Great kami are the gods and dragons. Each kami has it own personality and will have influence over something like an element or aspect of life; obviously the stronger the kami the more influence. Kami can be communicated with, bargained with, and can be bound by contract.Now it's just a mater of making a magic system that incorporates these two elements that feels natural and works as a game system.
>>96635507For Shohei, Japanese Bhuddist warriors, It makes the most sense to focus on the control of personal kii. With this, it's all about personal improvement; strength, speed, heeling, improved senses, etc. A highly skilled kii user could manipulate the flow of kii in another, to heal or harm. I would not give them the ablity to form contract with kami as that would be counter to their techniques and ideology.Shinobi would have this ability but to a lesser degree and more geared towards stealth and information gathering. I would also give them the ability to form contracts with minor kami, particularly with fire and shadow kami that give them abilities like creating a spark or making a shadow a little darker to hide in. Not really part of the magic system per se but one folklore tradition has shinobi being the descendants of tengu so I would give them an innate bonus to deception and disguise.Shinshoku, a term for Shinto priests and literally translates as "servant of kami," would have all of their abilities centered around performing rituals for great kami. This class would be the weakest for combat in general but absolutely mow down evil entities and undead. The would have to pick a great kami to serve and in return receive minor mystical abilities themed to that kami that they could use casually. (like cantrips in D&D) Also, I know that the standard name for a Shinot priest is kannushi but Shinskoku fits better here.Miko would be all about communicating with kami. If a greater kami chose to talk to her she'd be able to hold a conversation. Normally, she just talks to the kami that happen to be around and can ask favors of them in exchange for small offerings. A kami in trouble might actually seek her out for help as well. Think of this as an army of spirit squirrels. A highly skilled miko might form a contract with a kami wolf.
>>96635507>>96635600The fuck did you even read to come up with this hog?
>>96635600Now we get to the Onmyoji. There's a lot about onmyodo that we just don't know though there is a lot of folklore about them. Mush of their records were lost and a good portion that remains is very cryptic in that know one seems to know how to read them. What we do know come from two sources, records from the Mikado court and we have some of the writings of Abe no Seimei.According to official court records, they were employed to use various forms of divination to determine when were luckiest and unluckiest times to do various things. We also know that there was a school in Kyoto that trained onmyoji and it took over a decade to graduate.Abe no Seimei's writings give a bit more. They studies curses, counter curses, and how to track them. They would form contracts with kami and bind them to physical objects to perform various tasks. (the paper doll shikigami is an example of this) The also acquired texts from far off places to learn mystic arts from other lands. Some of the rituals that onmyoji performed used Sanskrit in markings and engravings.The folklore around Onmyoji goes completely off the rails. The story goes that Seimei had a rival for head of the Onmyoryu (the government agency that handled supernatural affairs) named Ashiya Doman (a real persona as well) and that the two of them had a long distance magical war where they cursed each other and tried to interfere with each other's divination rituals via magic. Onmyoji apparently could manipulate weather, cast fire spells that could destroy towns, and bind dragons with magic rope.
>>96629059>They both work very well>makes entire thread about how they didn't work and asks for advicenani
>>96635507>>96635600>>96635684Hey I'm OP, interesting stuff. How would you translate that into mechanics? I think it may be a good choice to limit onmyoji / yamabushi / and other "wise men" to being NPCs that offer plot hooks and plot elements rather then a mechanically-playable character. For example a sensei-like NPC that lives in the mountain and gives players advice, quests and occasionally performs some vague, unexplained magic to advance the plot. They'd be fluff, not crunch.Same for kami and yokai; tanukis, kitsunes, tengu and kamis should remain NPCs, not necessarily hostile but non-playable so as to keep them mysterious, unless you're opting for a high-fantasy game.Shinobi, sohei and other playable characters should have magic/ki mechanics. I think an interesting approach to ninjas is that they have little or no magic and have to rely on their stealth, cleverness, disguises, poisons, smoke bombs, breathing underwater through a bamboo tube, etc.>>96635648Look I'm not an expert but he didn't say anything wrong. Feel free to add your own comments though
>>96636114They work well mechanically for many settings, it's just that my games didn't feel Japanese. I'm assuming that I'm not cultured enough so as to feel free to come up with my own stories. Maybe I haven't watched enough films set in that period.
>>96636159For me, the way I limit the onmyoji is that everything they do is a ritual. They aren't throwing massive fireballs on the fly. For immediate use, like a reaction, they can use tools they've embue and servants they've summoned.With the Shohei, I apply it kind of like a rage mechanic. Inverse rage if you will. As far as shinobi go, if I'm doing a full on mystical setting then I'd like to let them have their traditional mystical powers. In traditional folklore they had powers like invisibility, wall walking, conjure small flames, turn to mist, and summon giant slug (not kidding, there's a famous kunoichi that summoned giant slugs). They were also supposed to have supernatural potion making ability, particularly medicine. Shinobi had Kuji-in, hand seals, that they could use to control the flow of their kii. For Shohei, I just give them a massive stat jump and bonus HP, for the shinobi, he can pick one stat or skill to boost very high. Other abilities I keep very low powered but on demand, like a D&D cantrip if you will.Miko are easy, they state the kind of spirit they are looking for and roll to find the strongest on in the area, Then, they can help her based on their type and strength with stronger ones manifesting as a companion as well as giving a power or stat boost. The miko should be the most powerful on-demand magic user due to the temporary contract with a kami. a Kami contract should depend on the miko's skills as far as upper level of the kami an the length of the contract. If her contract kami gives her mystic arrows then she can just spam them until the contract expires. Also, I completely dumped the classic D&D spell list and created new mystic abilities that are hyper focused and heavily themed. The advantage to an onmyoji is that he can do almost everything he wants with magic, if he has the patience. Rituals for the onmyoji could last for weeks. He also has the ability to decode magic being used by others.
>>96636165You'll have to clarify what you mean, god sir, cause there's a difference between feeling "Japanese" and being "anime". A lot of samurai films made from Japan tend to be atmospheric, brutal, and sometimes even abrupt from how they handle their fights compared to the bombast and flash of an anime fight. Like just as a couple examples, compare >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Ypt67TQyIto>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y143heV51fsAnd despite both being scenes of two swordsmen clashing, they both approach their style and atmosphere differently.
>>96636548Miko are probably the class i have that's gone furthest afield from their original form. Traditionally, miko were a kind of folk healer and fortune teller. They had different tools for this but one of the things they did was listen to a person's troubles and then meditate to contact the spirits that followed the person. After that, she would perform rituals designed to chase off bad spirits or give advice for how to proceed in solving an issue or give an herbal medicine for the ailment. The would also make charms while in a meditative or prayerful state that would offer protection or luck. The big thing is that they didn't cast magic; they tuned into the supernatural and then guided people and spirits to be in the right place.The funny thing is, they aren't even Shinto in origin but rather hedge witches that got invited to stay at the temple. 800 years later and we have girls wearing red and white outfits doing dances and selling charms. A kannushi is in charge of a temple but miko are not just helpers and subordinates, they have their own spiritual duties and rituals that are not under the preview of the kannushi.
>>96636671I think what he's saying is that he has a system that he likes mechanically and he plans to continue using it. Where he was having issues with is getting the setting right. The two that seem to be the biggest is understanding the social dynamics of the time and understanding the cultural drivers.
>>96636697So the aesthetics and cultural attitudes of the time. Honestly, that's a fair thing to be confused by. I'd say that much like a lot of the best stories about knights in the west tend to be regarding their code of chivalry vs the brutalities of war and realities of politics, a lot of the best stories for samurai tend to be about how tightly they hold to bushido vs the political realities of their position. Especially in regards to "honor" and "duty", since there are times what you're told to do will clash against what you are told is honorable such as cutting down a defenseless peasant that your lord has a personal hatred for. I don't know if OP is still reading this, but I imagine that if he never read up on Legend of the Five Rings, then he should check out something like Seven Samurai or Usagi Yojimbo. Because in my experience running L5R, some of the best tales are about having to skirt the line between doing what you believe is right vs what you want most vs what you're told you should do, and how it affects you personally if you ever come to a moment where you cannot satisfy all of those and must give up one or two of those for the sake of the third.
>>96624416had to avoid spam
>>96636803My own interest came from watching clashing swords movies on Saturday morning after the cartoons were done in the early 80s. While I like Seven Samurai I think it's a poor starting place. I think Yojimbo and Sanjuro are a better place to start in trying to understand samurai. The plots are clear, the motivations are explained, and the action is satisfying. While the bulk of anime and manga are worthless for trying to understand this period, there's a few that you can ready to get a good idea of: My New Wife Is Forcing Herself to Smile - Matsumoto KengoHell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku - Kaku YuujiSengoku Komachi Kuroutan: Noukou Giga - Kyouchikutou
>>96635507>>96635600It's not like ki is part of some opposing religion to kami. Isn't belief in kami just Shintoism?Ki is mostly associated with martial arts and medicinal chicanery like reiki, just use it as a resource for martial classes if you want it to arbitrarily separate from this kami stuff.
Something else that may help in running a game with a historical Japanese theme is understanding the geography a little. Japan has a higher percentage of mountains per land area than any country in the world. Civilization grows on flat land. The map I provided show the bulk of Japan being mountains but it's better to think of it as being a series of small valleys surrounded by impenetrable mountain ridges.
>>96637235Kami is the Japanese word for spirit. Kii is a concept of life force or magic, or spirit energy.Both Shinto and the Japanese Buddhists believed in both, it's more a matter of higher order beliefs that differ. It's like saying that Christianity and Zoroastrianism both believe in angles. They do by they have way different understandings of them from each other.
>>96637388Yeah, "ki" is just life essence. Everyone has it, some people train to harness it. I just don't really understand why you think that would preclude someone from praying to the fox spirit of bountiful harvest or whatever.You're free to do want you want with your game, of course, but "you can't do that because you're a ki guy" is very weird.
>>96637457For me, it's abut themes and flavor. Keeping separate classes with separate ways of dealing with kii and kami gives each class a niche. In this way, I am giving a class structure based on what I think the best way to express the focus of that class.If you want to ditch classes and make it a skills game, then I think that you should go ahead and mix and match as much as you like. I would just add other skills that need to be balanced as well like martial arts and equestrian skills.It's not like I'm some grand keeper of the rights to make Japanese folklore fantasy RPGS or anything. I'm just sharing what I've done so you can be inspired. Take what you want and leave the rest.>"you can't do that because you're a ki guy"It's more like "you can't do that yet because you need to train in the monastery for seven years under strict guidance first." Sure, you *can* be a MFR sniper and a cardiovascular surgeon but that seems like a bit of a stretch to me. njwhd
OP here>>96637329It's amazing how they managed to build a propserous, orderly society against in an isolated, somewhat barren land of volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes>>96636671I meant historical samurai, not anime.>>96636548Interesting approach. RPG pundit also does ritual "magick" based on actual Western esotericism in his games. I notice you didn't mention buddhist priests though, is there a reason? THey make fine exorcists.
>>96638483>>>96636548 (You)>Interesting approach. RPG pundit also does ritual "magick" based on actual Western esotericism in his games. I notice you didn't mention buddhist priests though, is there a reason? THey make fine exorcists.I assume you're referring to Osho. They would be the highest order of Bhuddist monk, of which a Shohei is already a brother in oath. In essence, you take the young monks with fire in their blood and give them a spear or a naganata and let them do battle with those that threaten the harmony of the spirit; samurai or tengu. Then when they've matured they can take more dignified positions in the order.As it stands, I give the Shohei bonuses in both detecting oni and tengu and a bonus to combat against these opponents. If they are high enough skilled, they can use their ability to influence the kii of another person to remove malevolent kami. Given I already have two other classes for dealing with evil spirits, I kind of just let it hang there.
I didn't really go over it earlier but one other thing I have baked into my magic system is the concept of feng shui. The core idea is that physical space can influence the flow of kii and if you understand it you can harness it for different effects. With this in mind, a practitioner of mystic arts can build a structure, plant a garden, do stone carvings, etc that can give various effects. In particular, Torii serve as mystic gateways that will open with the right ritual. If you're thinking Japanese folklore magic Stargate, you're picking up what I'm laying down.
>>96638483Then your best bet is to read up the actual history. Otherwise look up the Zatoicihi films or the tale of the 47 samurai, cause a lot of good recommendations for Kurosawa films like Yojimbo and Sanjuro were made already.
Which system are you using? Do you have "honor" mechanics?>>96638692Is there a japanese feng shui tradition? There should be since they have ki. Where do the torii open into?
>>96638779>Where do the torii open into?I treat them like star gates in the series. Do the right ritual and go go to the place you're headed. I have other realms for kami, youkai, and oni. There is more than one network so you need the right kind of torii for your trip.>Which system are you using? Do you have "honor" mechanics?I'm building my own system. Mechanically, it's like Traveller and Cyberpunk 2020 a bit. I don't have a honor mechanic, I just use an old NPC reputation system I learned from a GM back in the 80s. In essence, your rep with any NP is based on what they see you do, what they have heard you have done, and who you are friends and enemies with and then compared to the value and alignments of that NPC in my notes. An honorable man will view PCs that have been honorable in a favorable light but a gambler and thief will see the PC as a liability and a possible sucker.
>>96638779>Is there a japanese feng shui tradition?There's a long history of trade and diplomacy between China and Japan. All manner of culture and technology was traded between the two. Japan also had trade in the Maylay islands as far south as Java at least and with the Indochina nations as well. Japan only became a recluse nation after the ascension of Tokugawa to Shogun.With that in mind, when the Song dynasty collapsed from the Mongol invasion, several nobles too their treasures to Kyoto to beg for asylum. Japan has the largest collection of pre-Khan Chinese art and literature in the world.
>>96639195So do you play campaigns or one shots? i prefer one-shots. What are some plot hooks that you use? Do you allow supernatural races or are your parties human-only? Do you do horror?See I have this problem; when I'm not acquainted with a setting, my ideas usually feel empty. I can't come up with things to do, I feel unconsciously constrained by not knowing the opportunities there are and wanting to stay accurate and faithful enough so as to not make something up.
>>96639647Currently it's in development and I haven't actually run a full game. (I have run a lot of other games an a lot of what's going into this project is from those games,) I have a couple of friends who have been helping play test and so far it's coming together. I should have a complete alpha in a couple of months.As far as the setting, I find I can best attach myself to a setting through understanding the characters. Fortunately for you, there's no shortage of amazing stories about real people who did incredible things. Start by reading biographies of the Three Great Unifiers of Japan: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. From there, as you learn about other aspects of the setting you can tie them in with these three larger than life iconoclasts. You can learn about Hattori Hanzo and the Shadow Riders in their brazen rescue mission to save the Tokugawa children, the three year war between Oda Nobunaga and the Ikko-Ikki, Goemon saving his child from death even as he died horrifically.
>>96639785Can't wait to see your game
>>96639815We'll see after the closed beta. (basically me wrangling friends to play my home brew) I'm at a crossroads on my development; I'm considering making it a mixed class game as I've described but I'm also considering making it a shinobi game where all the PCs are shinobi and making the skills more granular for PC variety.
