I'm trying to get my normie pathfinder friends to play legends of the five rings.
Would describe it as 'think game of thrones in far east' be a good way to entice them or just doing the game a massive disservice?
Just run it like Samurai Champloo.
>>44117101
That's completely at odds with the tone of the games assumptions but I like it!
How hard would it be to do both? court intriguing than just threw ninjas at the party when they get bored?
>>44117217
I don't know. I never played L5R, but Samurai Champloo was one of the only anime series I could get into.
It would set them up for disappointment when they realise they're not playing a Three Kingdoms RPG.
>>44117515
But there's five clans. One empire.
>>44116573
It depends so much on your group. If your group is the kind that would have trouble actually reading the books, it won't work easily. If they want to solve all their problems with violence, they won't be successful and they'll hate it. If they want to be special snowflakes, they'll make the game suck for everyone else. Everyone at the game has to be there because they enjoy roleplaying and stories.
Those things aside, assuming you've got a group of chill normal people, I'd tell them it's a game about samurai where the courts are as dangerious as the battle field and the players are no more badass than the other characers. That puts a good emphasis on the fact that violence isn't the focus and the story isn't typically about the group at all.
>>44119351
I'd say it's an even mix of people who would have read the book and people who haven't.
How is the social combat rules in play by the way.
>>44119742
So, for as large as the books are and as socially focused as the game is, the rules for social mechanics for dice are super light. That is as I said though, for dice.
L5r is the only game I've found where what you say matters as much as, if not more than, the outcome of the die roll. Take the following situation for example:
The crab are not having a good year for food. The crane would have them prostrate themselves or starve, the scorpion are silent, the unicorn aren't back yet, the lion don't care, the dragon aren't even in the court, and the phoenix would love to help their current ally but cannot move the supplies. In walk the Mantis, a minor clan right now and not even an honorable one. They are offering to move the supplies but are requesting that the crab train several of their own. The mantis courtier makes his calligraphy roll for writing the letter and his courtier roll for convincing the crab. The crab courtier then makes his etiquette roll to read through the letter and find if there are any hidden or extra catches.
Regardless of what is rolled, the decision of what to do is in the hands of the crab courtier. The rolls speak only for what seems to be the truth. Maybe the plan seems amazing to the crab courtier, maybe it seems awful but he has no better option. On the other hand, maybe for as good as a plan as it looks he cannot allow the crab to be working with a clan that would skim off the top.
What he believes will have impact on what he does, and what he does will have impact on the situation. In turn, the situation with impact him.
TL-DR They're super light but if ran by someone who isn't retarded they are one hundred times better than, "His charisma roll beat yours by one, you give him the doodad of the gods."
>>44119742
I got away from my point, sorry. In L5r, the rolls for social stuffs just say how well worded or how pretty the letter is. The meaning of the letter and specific word choice also matters. You wouldn't ask a Matsu about his brand, but you might ask a Yoritomo how far he can piss. Who you're talking to, what they want, and what you pitch are more important than the roll, but the roll may make or break it if your plans aren't spectacular.
>>44117217
Have the world push them towards the outskirts, villages, and bandit encampments or major cities and lord's castles based on how publicly honourable the group acts.
IIRC, none of the characters have particularly good reps, and spend most of their time in fairly shitty locations.
>>44117217
Just play a Crane.
>>44117101
That's called "Ronin party" anon
>>44116573
Depending on the era and clan and class mix you could spin this toward more or less any genre of far east mystique. Figure out what they'd like to play, or what you'd like to run, and worry about pitching that.
>>44122386
I'll do that thanks.
>>44126098
I was a big fan of Detective Dee and phantom pain.... I mean flame. I was thinking of doing that. Have a game based around intrigue and detective work with the odd ninja fights to spice things up.
Does canging the Emperor to the Empress make a difference? Oddly enough despited itvturn it down some of the chauvinism of feudal Japan for the sake of the audience, I think there's do you have any established with the canning you can't have a woman on the throne.
>>44126263
There are canonical empresses. Iweko, and at least one of the Hantei.
