https://www.mediafire.com/folder/vx477quhxz4vt/Regend5Ling#btf4cvsidtj6ff
New thread. A beautiful fan painted by a Kakita master artisan is up for the grabs for anyone who can point out the most possible honor breaches going on in this image, as a thread starter conversation since honor was so big a topic last thread.
I was that close to starting a thread with tanuki scrote.
>>48098324
>>48098348
>con me into making a thread
>while I'm doing it, making sure its perfect, make another thread before mine is finished
>now mine wont delete
Duel worthy offense. I hope your ancestors curse you
This is why I don't like making threads REEEEE
>>48098398
How the fuck are they doing that? Like is that one tanuki they're all grabbing on or did they sew their scrotum together into a horrifying fishing net?
>>48098483
I'm sorry anon. There wasn't a reply for a while so I assumed you weren't there anymore and made it while you were replying to me. We can duel if you want though.
>>48098526
>We can duel if you want though.
>implying I care enough about honor to willingly kill myself by accepting a duel with a crane
>>48098526
>How the fuck are they doing that?
Tanuki, ain't gotta explain shit
>>48098324
That's a lot of potential honour breaches. Off the top of my head:
>Potential breach of etiquette if no prior courting occured to lead to this
>Potential disloyalty to: Spouse(either), Lord(orders to stay away from the other, either) or Sibling (if the woman is the man's spouse)
>Potential breach of etiquette, depending on the context for the girl leaving the room - in particular, were there any guests?
>Potential disobeying of a lord's orders, either by speaking to someone he shouldn't or dereliction of dutry (either)
>Potential manipulation to dishonourable behaviour (an affair)
>Potential use of low skills (Poison on the flower, Seduction, deceit off the top of my head)
>Potential use of False courtesy to gain advantage over an enemy (either gift receiver or gift receivee)
>Potential polite ignoring of dishonourable behaviour (assuming the senior rower is honour 7+)
>Potential breaches of etiquette 2:etiquette boogaloo (Who owns the land? Does the boat have permission to be there?)
>Following orders despite personal misgivings (boat rower, assuming 7+)
>Possible duping into disloyal or foolish act (either "I think she likes you" or seduction on either part)
...Somebody wanna work out how much honour that is?
>>48098655
Are they menacing those dudes with their testes or are the dudes fucking around drunkenly with tanuki?
>>48099515
Better question: what's up with the suitcases?
>>48099670
Hey man, you go on a trip you gotta put some spare clothing in something.
>>48099515
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the artist signed image of the tanuki card where testicles obscure the card text.
>>48100042
"LOOK AT MY BALLS, SCORPION. LOOK UPON THEM!"
>>48100604
>that pic
>can only imagine john wick screaming from out of nowhere in pirate garb and a cardboard scythe
>>48100884
Edit the REEEEEE to be REEEEEEEEis. Also yes, John Wick a weird shit.I've still liked 7th Sea 2e despite the fact it is clearly his writer staff can't hold him back entirely from stupid shit at times
>>48099670
>>48099696
Traveling packs! I usually go with a tent, blanket, ancestor statue, week's rations, something giftable like sweets, writing kit, rope, personal chop, and then either a pet or some personal items.
>>48101432
My players math out their travel and living necessities and use the pack to get the most expensive ones without having to touch their koku stash.
>>48101432
My last character was a Hiruma Bushi (Ancestral, not Scout) on the fast track towards being a 'zerk-slayer, with a talent for cooking and I tried to make his traveling pack as self-sufficient as I could.
Blanket, Chopsticks, Cooking Pot, Flint and tinder, Lantern, Sake cup, Spices, Week's rations, Whetstone, Tatami mat.
It basically ended up that he'd roll out his mat and set up a little kitchen every time we camped out (Except when it was impractical or dangerous, of course).
>>48098324
I'm considering an L5R game set in the winter time for winter court political shenanigans, so I have a few questions for you all, if you don't mind. I'm pretty new to the setting, so I'm sorry about potential ignorance.
Firstly, assuming a lord were to send representatives to another lord in order to negotiate some kind of deal, as I understand these winter courts work, is it common for them to travel across the country, or just to neighboring lands? For example, would a delegation of Phoenix samurai going to Scorpion lands be weird? Also, how many would be sent? Would a group of 3 be too many? Or maybe too few?
Secondly, and I'm not sure how you would do this, but could a player realistically (in terms of setting rules and the availability of game mechanics) play a commoner such as a geisha or a businessman?
Thirdly, how often does combat occur in a winter court situation? Something tells me having a duel a session would be somewhat odd.
Finally, how many other guests is it likely that a lord would keep during the winter court? Would it be strange for there to be three or four delegations staying over, all currying for his favor?
In return for your gracious considerations, I offer you this humble art.
>>48102095
Usually, traveling in winter time is hazardous to your health. Most wont risk the travel unless they plan to winter at the location until spring.
The Emperors Winter Court has a rather large attendance, which is why everyone prefers dealing with their clan politics at that event
>playing a geisha\businessman
the rules don't much allow for playing anything other then a Samurai, but their are some schools for playing commerce focused samurai (yasuki for example). Considering Geisha are non-people, you can't play one, but there are some schools, notably the kakita artisans, shosuro actors, that get you close enough in any case.
Have some more art
>>48102185
>Considering Geisha are non-people, you can't play one
There's a third rank ronin technique called silken promises geisha. Combined with the second rank master of games, and first rank (repurposed) hawk purist, you can play a 0 status character that can convince others to treat them with the same respect an average samurai would accord, make allies, and sway others' attitudes and choices.
That said, Master Of Games works better without status, and Hawk Purist may not be allowed (or wanted) - a socially aligned monk or minor clan school could also work. (the latter allows access to Minor Clan Diplomat, while the former has Brotherhood Defender)
>>48102095
>Firstly
Across the country is a little weird, but it happens for important resources, knowledge, and sometimes people. How many kind of depends on how high the agreement is. Two rinky dink local lords working out a small trade deal might only send a diplomat, a yojimbo, and maybe one assistant, while big, important lords working out a marriage deal or potential alliance might be sending upwards of dozens of people (A handful of diplomats, one high ranked diplomat leader, yojimbo for most/all of them, random guards for their temporary compound if tensions are high, couriers and assistants, ect)
>Secondly
Strictly speaking, they can, but they'll suck ass mechanically and have no social power or even basic agency in most cases.
>Thirdly
Duels aren't that rare, but they're usually set in advance to keep things extra civil. Dragging someone outside so you can cut them up is not going to happen.
>Finally
Big, important courts can easily have delegates from every Great Clan, many Minor Clans, the Brotherhood of Shinsei, and a few randos kicking around, while small courts might only have locals. The Imperial Winter Court allows exactly 20 representatives from each Great Clan (I don't recall the limit for Minor Clans, but I think they keep their delegations small to avoid trouble) and then a number of free floating invitations to be handed out to interesting or important individuals.
Something to note is that the Crane try to have at least one or two people in literally every court, so even a tiny provincial court might have some of them around.
>>48102095
>Finally, how many other guests is it likely that a lord would keep during the winter court?
Before Mantis & Unicorn, WC was always slated to hold 250 guests in any castle/palace worthy of the name kyuden, give or take. This was later increased to 330 to accommodate the new clans. Most clans have at least one kyuden capable of a full court, possibly some older ones, too.
>>48102598
Most families, I should say.
Thank you all for your replies.
>>48102185
>>48102529
I see, thank you. I wasn't planning on having it happen, but the concept seemed interesting to me.
>>48102533
>>48102598
Very interesting. It seems like maybe a game of rinky-dink lords and their servants might be a bit easier to handle than major ones if that many interests are going to be involved.
For duels, do you think one a session would be appropriate, or should they be reserved for serious breaches of etiquette? Under what circumstances would a challenge be appropriate?
>>48102889
Duels can settle arguments in a very dramatic and final sort of way, and in court, forcing an issue to firmly close in your favor is exactly what everyone wants, which means duels can be very common.
I started looking at the system a couple weeks ago. I was wondering how much my purely theoretical knowledge meshes with play in practice:
Toku-Bushi looks amazing. Extra dice for virtually all rolls it matters for, simple attacks for all melee, lower wound penalties, boosted rerolls, all of the techniques are great. On top of that, school skills include perception and hunting. Is Toku Bushi school used often for bushi/magistrate combo characters? With the alternate family for perception bonus and two relevant school skills, it seems like you could handle the physical side of investigation while still being decent in a scrap. Someone would need to come along to handle the testimony part of course, but it'd still fill out part of the roll.
The "Great Destiny" trait seems fantastic, it will save you from most flukey deaths so long as you're not in a situation where they take their time to ensure you're dead. Combine it with a character type like Crab or Matsu Berserker and you end up with a character with huge offensive bonuses and a get out of death free card once per session.
Also Luck, like it seems to be in most systems, is great. Rerolls are great.
Also the history stuff is convoluted as hell, going to have to sit down with Imperial history.
>>48103514
The Toku are fantasticbecause of writer favoritism.
Great Destiny is pretty good, but it does force the GM to include that, so it's entirely possible for it to be banned (Alongside Dark Fate) if it doesn't fit in with what the GM is doing.
Luck is pretty good, yeah.
>>48103514
Does this seem about right for necessary roles in a party?
Someone to fight, someone to talk. And then, by campaign type:
Magistrate: Someone to investigate.
Shadowlands: More people who can fight, someone to heal and use buffs.
Court: More people who can talk, someone to duel.
POST YOUR FAVORITE ADVANTAGE AND STORY LINE TYPE
>>48104072
Blissful betrothal and comfy ones!
>>48104072
Haven't played in years, and back then my tastes ran more towards Strength of the Earth+Deathtrance+Heart of Vengeance.
Nowadays, I like simple samurai who smile genuinely, and laugh heartily. In which case, I'm very fond of Gullible+Bentens Blessing+Luck
psst
someone should run some l5r
>>48103112
On the other hand, in courtly settings it's preferred when samurai are capable of not raising the ire of others, thus defusing potential duels before they are issued.
If one does get a reputation for being unable to resolve differences without a duel, it's virtually a death sentence as far as being invited anywhere is concerned.
>>48104072
I like using Obligation to make characters who clearly don't want to be here but have no other option.
Especially when that Obligation runs towards them being a guardian of some sort. "Matsu-san, please stop antagonizing every single thing we come across here. We're eventually going to find something that we can't kill and then it's going to kill us."
>>48104160
>someone should run some l5r
I'm sorry, I only run 1st Edition
>>48104186
Especially when you have to guard someone bigger than you like a Hida!
>>48104189
>I only run 1st Edition
Me too.
I tried to get into 4th and it just wasn't quite the same. I just really enjoy the idea of all samurai being bushi or shugenja.
It's fine if you want to be a courtier, or w/e but you are a fucking warrior and your life is to be given for your lord.Don't want to threadcrap too much but I feel like most of the special snowflake bullshit came in later additions.
>>48104189
> implying that's a problem
>>48104221
Nah, 4th edition is cool. Back in the 90's, you had rules heavy balanced games (D&D), and rules light narrative games (anything white wolf). 1st Edition was more in the rules light narrative camp.
Over time, its become more rules heavy and balanced.
I really only continue running 1st Edition because its easier to teach to new players, there are less rules to have to deal with, and it saves me having to learn all the new shit Im fairly certain my group would have no problem learning 4th though, considering they love 5th ed D&D to death.
>>48104278
>>48104221
>>48104189
I don't suppose any of you three have a digital copy of it floating about. I had a physical but it's currently in an ex's place, likely never to be retrieved.
>>48104313
>I don't suppose any of you three have a digital copy of it floating about.
Oh what, 1st Edition?
I have pdf's of all the relevant books
Might take me some time to mega\mf it though
If you dont care about torrenting, theres a torrent on kat\pb floating around of everything
>>48104346
1st Edition, yes.
>kat\pb
I have no qualms about that, and I appreciate the knowledge.
It's interesting that the "be a general skill," battle, is based off of perception. The mass combat rules in core seem to be highly water-based, with the distinct possibility of duels I guess, which would be it's own whole thing.
Anyone know about the expanded rules from the supplement, "Sword and Fan?"
>>48104521
Battle is also the "be a soldier in mass combat skill". It's linked to perception in both cases because you're using it to see openings and weaknesses in the ranks. If you're in the thick of it, you're looking for opportunities to fuck up the other side and avoid getting yourself fucked up. If you're commanding the battle, you're looking for places where you need to force units through or places that need extra reinforcement.
Either way, most of what you're doing is observing and not getting blindsided.
>>48104521
>is based off of perception
Leading an army is usually done from the back. You give orders based on how the battle is going. Its akin to playing an RTS\Total War game.
In my games, I run Battle in two ways.
An army general uses the basic rules. But most often, PC's are leading companies of men into battle, and thats less about Perception, then it is about inspiring the men fighting beside you. In which case, Battle goes off of Awareness\Social Attr.
>>48104600
>>48104622
I get that interpretation, I just assumed more skills would go into it. Intelligence seems like a natural competitor for the primary skill here (the cinematic equivalent is the brilliant shogi player who is also a general!), but it's pretty loaded with high value skills as it is, so it makes sense.
>>48104521
>>48104600
>>48104622
> Any Skill can be combined with any Trait for a skill roll, (at the GM's discretion) but the listed Trait I'd the one most likely to be used in the given situations.
It's worth coming up with reasons to roll differently, imo.
>>48104686
How intelligent you are doesn't matter if you lack the perception to notice he enemies situations and set up and the wisdom or insight to understand his methodology.
>>48104739
Perceptively pre-empting or intelligently predicting come down to making a successful roll. What trait you roll is defined by how you attempt to control the situation.
>>48104767
>>48104739
Intelligence for Strategy outside of battle, and Perception for Tactics inside of battle.
>Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
So who's the Oda Nobunanga of Rokugan?
>>48104905
Historically or Currently?
Either way, I have no clue. Hida Kisada wanted to rule Rokugan because he thought the current leadership was weak. Bayushi Shoju pulled off a coup in order to save rokugan from Fu Leng.
There was also some dumb Moto mongol piece of shit who wanted to make himself great khan because hes a dumb mongol
But I know of no one who has the qualities of such a dynamic figure as Nobunaga - forward thinking, ambitious, embracing new technologies and new ways of thinking.
>>48104935
>But I know of no one who has the qualities of such a dynamic figure as Nobunaga - forward thinking, ambitious, embracing new technologies and new ways of thinking.
A shame then. At the very least Takeda and Uesugi should find some similarities with the Lion Clan then?
>>48104959
Not really.
the Uesugi under Kenshin were both cunning in battle and possessed of a great deal of compassion, which continued under Kagekatsu - compassion is not something the Lion know. Also, Kenshin was a devout Buddhist, and the Lion hate spirituality unless its to war gods
As for Takeda, Shingens dad is kinda the perfect Lion general. Shingen himself though was someone who was both a military strategist, and a very forward thinking civil leader. He was also compassionate and cared greatly in making progressive strides for his lands.
The Date are very Lion though - Date Masamune and the Date in general are very Matsu. As long as you overlook the whole "christians are cool with us" thing
>>48104994
Interesting. I know this is going off-topic, but what books do you recommend for more information? Most of the ones I've found online are relating to the Tokugawa shogunate or Meiji, and only touch on the Sengoku period briefly without going much into the personality of the clans.I've just come off a Shogun 2 binge, and >>48104844 set me off with that Sun Tze quote.
>>48105070
>Shogun 2 bing
I've kinda been on one for the last few weeks.
As for information, I just kinda pick it up as I go along. Samurai Wiki is pretty good, coupled with Wikipedia in general. And while dramatized, watching Taiga Drama's can also be educational, if at least giving you names to look up.
btw, if your still playing Shogun 2, I recommend 2\3 mods from the steam workshop
>expanded japan
>adds 97 new provinces and 101 new clans\factions, along with a 12 turn per year mod
>spearwall training (tweak version)
>gives yari samurai spearwall, naginata samurai rapid advance, and warrior nuns have hold firm
I'm currently 1 year into a Date campaign, and 6 years into a Chosokabe campaign.
>>48105117
I'm already playing with Master of Strategy: includes Expanded Japan, gives you 12 turns a year, adds a whole bunch of different units while imposing a manpower cap, and (most importantly imo) making it such that food only gives one growth per 5 food,so your town growth buildings that consume food are worth the investment.
Just finished an Uesugi campaign, gave up on an Otomo campaign after realizing that pike and shot is not as cost-effective as sword-bow-artillery, and am now getting gangbanged as Oda.All told, pretty good.
The yari wall training mod sounds neat though, might pick it up once I go back to less-overhauled S2.
>>48105150
vanilla yari units past ashigaru aren't worth the investment, and the yari building tree is a waste past naginata dojo. the spearwall training mod actually makes yari samurai really useful, and I've actually built my armies around spear units - works well with the Date, because of the added charge bonus as part of their clan benefits (rapid advance increases charge bonus). I use yari and naginata samurai as offensive shock troops, since they have more staying power in a fight then no-dachi samurai.
I agree on the Otomo, but they do get some stuff to make up for up it. Portuguese Terco's are pretty awesome unit until you get Matchlock Samurai, and the Nanban Trade Ship basically makes naval combat irrelevant.
I've considered starting an Oda campaign, and might do that next. Ikko are also very fun
>>48104072
Kharmic Tie
Sacrifice and redemption, forgotten heroes giving everything they have to save a world that will never know. I used to love that shit as a kid and thought I'd grow out of romantic crap like that, but here we are.
>>48105338
I fear the day my gm considers giving me karmic tie for free. Then again, I'm playing a bayushi bushi w/ ancestor.
>>48104905
Hantei Meisho.
>>48104072
Acestral blade and "Peasant escapes old life by stealing a sword off the battlefield" kind of stories.
>>48108145
Glorious dark hair
and fair, smooth skin-- with a seam?
Alas, a bog hag.
Does anyone have any home-brewed ronin techniques?
Made a ronin before I read Enemies of the Empire and discovered that all techniques past rank 1 are absolutely shite, especially the rank 4 and 5 techniques.
Like seriously, what the fuck are these, one of the rank 5 is literally a worse version of a rank 1 technique. As things stand, I'd rather buy the Multiple Schools advantage.
>>48104072
Two favorites:
True Love/Imperial Spouse/Kharmic Tie/Enemy/Nemesis = All the same person. The storyline writes itself, really.
Obligation/Dark Secret. Mainly because of the storyline.
This came out of campaign play in which my Matsu Berzerker/Lioness Legionnaire and the party came across a 7 year old girl (tops) in a settlement attacked by Tainted bandits (ie, the GM had just seen the director's cut of "Aliens"). In the fight that developed once the bandits knew we were there, the little girl grabbed a downed Bandit's wakizashi and started shanking people in the back. Note that we ran an "open rolls" table, even for the GM. She killed like 4 bandits with exploding dice (well, dropped them to Out, anyway, though one did outright die), and never got touched. My Matsu declared - given that performance - that she TOTALLY must have been the daughter of a samurai who'd been traveling through the village and was killed by the Bandits, and it was only right to take her back and raise her in the proper Lion tradition.
So I picked up those Disadvantages and ate something like 1.5 ranks of Honor Loss (the little girl was obviously a peasant). Totally worth it. It ended up putting my Matsu in debt to some Scorpion who arranged for forged documents "proving" her birth, and so forth. I was planning to play the girl in a followup campaign after our party TPK'd 5 in-game years later, but the group imploded and I never got the chance.
>>48098324
>point out the most possible honor breaches going on in this image
Whoever the samurai is on the pic, he/she doesn't wear his/her daisho. Thats some 0/10 dishonorable behavior right there, would not reflect on the depth of Bushido together.,
>>48109558
This may be part of some geisha\red light district, so bringing a daisho in may be restricted. In Ryoko Owari, all the geisha houses\houses of pleasure are on an island, and you can't even enter the island without dropping all your weapons off on the dock.
>>48104905
>>48104935
My current BBEG is lightly based on Oda (more the Sengoku Basara one than the real one though). He's an akutenshi, who made allies with the Yodotai and got his hands on a lot of guns and gaijin pepper. His gunmen work in groups, where one group takes fire then the next moves in front to fire theirs while the last group reloads. He's invading through the shadowlands, while the Yodotai invade from the north to keep the empire divided on two fronts.
He told the Yodotai he'll let them keep the northern half of Rokugan as part of their alliance. He's been planning to double cross them and give them nothing since the start though.
>>48109985
It does not make it any less dishonorable.
>>48110078
>It does not make it any less dishonorable
Taking a sword into a geisha house is dishonorable, Anon.
>>48110126
Absolutely. Taking your katana somewhere implies you expect to need it there-- that's why you leave your sword at the door when you visit your friends, as a show that you trust them. Bringing it into a geisha house implies you think you're going to need to defend yourself from the geishas, or intend them harm, which is both rude and against the tenet of Compassion.
The wakizashi is more of a grey area, since it's a symbol of office, and you can get away with wearing it to a lot more places, but even so, if they ask you to take it off, it would be incredibly rude to refuse.
>>48110126
It isn't, just somewhat inconvenient for the people in the geisha house because >>48110282.
Of course, if someone really makes a thing out of it, then expect fishy business and a general lack of honor in the area. Otherwise nobody would have a problem with your sword, wouldn't they?
Also, the katana is a samurai's soul. Nobody shall separate the samurai from it under any circumstances in the same way nobody shall separate the samurai from his real soul. Same with the wakizashi. A true samurai always expects to use his daisho anyway, so making a fuss about this is just despicable.
So are there any unofficial L5R games, be they downloadable or browser titles? I remember there was that Facebook game for a while back in the days of Mafia Wars or whatever it was...
>>48110413
Anon, plenty of samurai don't carry their katana anywhere, let alone to a geisha house. It isn't nearly the big deal you're making it out to be. Courtiers and Shugenja leave theirs on display at home pretty much all the time, for example, and no one bats an eye. A bushi will be more attached to his, but even then it's not uncommon for a bushi to end up with more than one katana, as heirlooms or tokens of office when assigned to a significant position, or any number of other reasons-- and no bushi would ever try to carry all of them, or think that each one was individually his soul.
The only samurai that will ever utterly refuse to part with his sword ever is a crab with a Kaiu Blade, and that level of obstinance is UNUSUAL.
>>48110413
Spotted the Lion
>>48110534
Courtiers, shugenjas, and artisans lack the true samurai's soul, so obviously, they do not carry the symbol of it.
Having multiple daisho sets are good because you can choose how to represent your soul and honor. A good samurai should have a daisho set for every occasion and bond with each set thoroughly.
>>48110539
The Akodo are my kind of people, but each time I run into a Matsu I throw up a little in my mouth.
By the way, I'm a Miya.
>>48110974
>each time I run into a Matsu I throw up a little in my mouth
The Akodo are cowards
The Matsu are true warriors
>>48104935
The ronin Sun Tao was pretty badass, and literally wrote the book on tactics and strategy.
>>48110413
Literally every court has "sword polishers" at the front door where everyone except for guards and high-ranking yojimbo (with explicit permission) leave their swords to be cleaned. The fact that everyone having their swords cleaned also means that nobody is carrying their swords in court, is, of course, merely a coincidence. A very widespread coincidence that happens at literally every court for the entire thousand years of peace and beyond.
Except Kaiu bladed Crabs. The only time one of them ever let his blade out of his possession was when the Emperor himself called the guy into court and the Emerald Champion promised to guard the Kaiu Blade personally.
Who's the chestiest girl in Rokugan?
>>48111410
Kakita Noriko, the artisan who makes chests.
>>48111410
The chestiest girl we actually have art of is probably that one Scorpion bitch.
The chestiest girl ever would be some matronly Crabwife.
>>48111410
Matsu Pamela
>>48111410
CCG artists are out of control
>>48111438
Who, Kachiko? She had the most boner-giving shoulders in the history of the Empire. I liked that that one Unicorn daimyo thought she wasn't hot at all.
Alternatively, just pick any Genzoman girl.
>>48111410
>Not marrying a chesty Crab girl
>>48111410
>>48111519
Is that actual ccg art? What the hell is that even?
>>48111543
Some spider clan bitch
>>48111518
Crab waifu's are best waifus
B U S T Y
>>48111410
Kyoso a girl
>>48111610
I do hope, the crane won.
>>48111593
>Crab waifu's are best waifus
Wide hips mean large families, anon.
And Crabs have the largest families.
>>48111543
>What the hell is that even?
http://l5r.wikia.com/wiki/Daigotsu_Hotako
>>48111666
I don't like how small her areola are, given the size of those girls they should be fat and puffy, but hey're apparently well-hidden by a thin strip of leather.
>>48111593
>>48111666
That's just horrible.
>>48111629
It's okay, Scorpion don't know how to finger a woman.
>>48111813
Scorpion? My apologies, I mistook him for a Spider.
I shall commit seppuku posthaste.
A mistake, so easy to make! Ohohohoho.
Meanwhile.
>>48111949
What even is that weapon?
Also, more Genzo, since thats what were posting
>>48111949
>Those thighs
>>48111989
>tfw no qt3.14 crane-san to beat the shit out of you in a honorable duel then spare you
And some Scorpion sloot I guess.
Anybody know a site where I can buy the 4th edition books?
>>48112941
drivethruRPG
>>48113021
Can only find a pdf there. Thanks anyway, anon.
>>48112708
Hey, guys.
I've never read nor played L5R.
What's so special about it?
Is there something into it, that other RPGs simply don't have?
What are its pros and cons?
Long story short, sell it to me, if you don't mind.
>>48114725
you get to be a samurai
>>48114835
You can do that in GURPS too.
>>48114859
Yeah but then you're playing GURPS
>>48114859
Except GURPS is shit
>hey guys, why is this thing so good?
>because it's better than your thing
All these fucking eta posting in this thread.
>>48114950
GURPSfags have been trying to start shit for weeks now.
They deserve to be laughed at.
>>48115021
>not showing courtesy even to a hated enemy
>>48114725
I really just like the setting and the mechanics being (mostly) pretty good is what keeps me sold on this.
>>48115066
GURPSfags are literally gaijin barbarians. You don't show courtesy to gaijin
>>48115066
Do I look like a Crane to you?
>>48114725
The mechanics feel mostly like a natural continuation of the setting. It's pretty great.
>>48114835
Sounds good, not great, though.
>>48114890
I've never played GURPS, but, after a short read of Cabal and Horror (4th Edition) books, it seems to be too complex, for me, at least.
I'd say GURPS is a fine resource for setting ideas and general RPG advice, and that's all.
>>48114950
I don't get it.
>>48115082
>>48115119
Having the setting and the mechanics working together, with good results, is a pretty fine thing, so, if L5R manages that, I'm sold.
I'd like to ask something different; Is L5R good at revealing the chinese/japanese culture that inspired it?
I recently started learning the chinese language and reading chinese philosophy, so, if L5R manages that, it would be a huge plus.
>>48115683
It's about as good as a generic fantasy RPG is about revealing the culture of medieval Western Europe, which is to say, not very. It is a mishmash of pop culture samurai tropes and elements drawn from almost an entire millennium of Japanese history, set in a fantasy Chinese geography complete with literal Hell on Earth, and with some very odd decisions to maintain the status quo of the setting (like the generalized rejection to firearms by almost everyone, even the most practical or honorless clans) It's still a fun game, but if you really want historical accuracy try Sengoku RPG.
>>48115781
The setting designers were at least smart enough to make the firearm rejection a religious issue. And in a setting where spirits, gods, and ancestors really actually exist and really actually judge you and react accordingly, religion is a powerful force.
>>48115822
I understand that, but the main historical period L5R draws from is the Sengoku era, and a major turning point then was the introduction of firearms by European traders that would later lead to Oda Nobunaga breaking the back of the Takeda cavalry at Nagashino with trained corps of arquebusiers and the following events leading towards the Tokugawa shogunate.
Yes, I get that this result isn't really something you want when writing a fantasy game's metaplot, but it feels tonally off if you know anything about real life history.
>>48115910
It's no worse than Euro-style fantasy that have armor, weapons, cultures, and government types that were invented hundreds of years after firearms were introduced, but no firearms whatsoever.
>>48115910
I run my L5R setting with some changes to make things seem more realistic and representative of the sengoku era it draws from
>95% of clans are made up of land owning retainer families
>these retainer familes act like mini clans, and each clan is more of a micro state
>size of rokugan is tripled
>gaijin trade is with the nations of Thea (7th Sea)
With those changes, the game and its politics gain much more depth
>>48115964
>It's about as good as a generic fantasy RPG is about revealing the culture of medieval Western Europe, which is to say, not very.
>>48115781
Oh well, you can't have everything, I guess.
In my opinion, the western mind neglects the far eastern view of human history, anyway, and, therefore, we (the West) largely lack the tools for comparing the historically accurate elements of the Far East with those that just are fiction.
>>48115988
>size of rokugan is tripled
You do realize that doing that makes Rokugan about 5 times larger than Japan, right? It would be somewhere around the size of Mexico or Sudan.
>>48116196
With just its normal numbers, Rokugan is larger than France. Which is absurdly large for a low-tech empire full of brash, angry warrior-lords.
>>48116196
Its necessary so that each clan has enough provinces and land to support land owning retainers.
>>48116316
Japan managed to do it without being the size of Mexico.
>>48116329
So?
I want each great clan to be a mini japan
>>48116379
Considering that it would take about half a year (On an imperial road with ideal conditions) to travel from any given clan's territory to their nearest neighbor's territory, I think you've gone too far.
>>48116379
Imagine if there were more than one Japans, in real life.
Shit would get real!
>>48116426
>I think you've gone too far
Not the first time thats been said
>>48116379
I think at that size, it would actually take so long for the outlying clans to send delegates to the Imperial court that they'd have permanent detachments. Assuming they left around early-spring, a Crab or Dragon delegation would arrive fashionably late to the Emperor's court. They'd go home afterwards and meet next year's delegation halfway.
>>48116611
>>48116426
Im probably exagerrating about the size - in any case, a bigger rokugan then currently exists. I know the scale makes it quite large, but the subdivisions of provinces, and the size of mountain ranges is massive, and takes up a majority of the space. Plus there lots of space that nobody uses, like Shinomen Mori
>>48116666
I still don't think it was necessary. By default, there's a lot of empty nothing between the clans. Whole swathes of forest and plains that have nothing but a handful of isolated peasant villages, if even that.
>>48116528
Goemon pls, just bribe a guy to take your place or something
When would the average samurai be married by? Obviously more important ones would likely get married later I imagine because setting up the marriage takes time and effort.
How long do betrothals last, and how often are samurai awarded marriages as rewards?
>>48118547
It really depends on the Clan. Mantis and Crab are generally married by their early twenties since they're free to choose their spouses (exceptions are made the higher Status you are). And on the other hand, Phoenix and Lion are generally betrothed from a young age.
I actually think the more important samurai tend to be married younger because they're more valuable and everybody will be jumping on dat booty for the political rewards.
I imagine samurai being rewarded with marriages happens fairly often, but is unlikely to be the norm due to betrothal generally occurring from a young age. Crab and Mantis being the aforementioned exceptions of course.
>>48118547
Most samurai are married by the age of 22. More important samurai actually get betrothed and married earlier, since their marriages are part of more important negotiations and deals.
Betrothals last however long it takes for the parents and the nakodo of the prospective spouse to work out something agreeable.
Marriages as rewards aren't particularly common outside of high level tournaments, and are often more along the lines of "We pre-approve a betrothal between my daughter and someone of your (lord's/diplomatic entourage leader's) choice in your Family" rather than "you may now marry my daughter."
>>48118620
>>48118633
It's kind of covered in the core book, but do Samurai marry between families in their own clan then, and how often do they get to meet their future spouses before engagement? It was mentioned at least like the summer or spring for a little bit so that no impropriety can be claimed.
Also, what happens if someone has a child before marriage on either side of it? Cancel the betrothal?
>>48118745
Testimony is everything, so a male samurai can say "that isn't my kid" and make it true just by saying so.
>>48118795
And on the female side?
>>48118745
Samurai marry within their own Family and clan all the time.
Remember that Families are made up of bloodlines. The vast majority of every Family is not at all related to the daimyo of that Family. The Families could be called "clans" if that word wasn't already being used for a higher level of organization. According to the sources, most samurai only meet their prospective spouse once or twice in carefully controlled meetings. Love isn't a factor, but most marriage arrangers at least try to make sure the spouses don't hate each other's guts.
If someone has a kid (And owns up to it, in the case of a father), then yeah, it's most likely that their marriage prospects just went down the drain. A marriage can actually be cancelled with little issue, right up until the point where the couple has a child.
>>48118803
Girls are fucked. As usual.
>>48118803
Usually there's way too many witnesses to the birth and the pregnancy leading up to it for them to testify against their own kid's parentage.
>>48118816
>>48118827
Thanks, working on a backstory for a samurai who hasn't been married yet because his betrothed ended up having a child before the wedding date. I'm trying to figure out what would happen to her and if she'd try to get revenge. Also, how long until he'd get auctioned off, especially if in game he starts getting some real glory? Would the family wait to see if he gets some major glory for a huge trade bonus, or just get him with some schmuck asap?
>>48118865
She'd be dishonored at the very least. Not made ronin (Although the kid potentially could be if enough of a fuss was raised), but her career is almost certainly over. No promotions, shitty assignments, possibly pressured into retiring as a monk. There isn't really anyone for her to get revenge on. It's just how the social system works.
As for him, it depends on how many deals they're trying to juggle. He's available again, but also a little bit stained from that whole dishonorable mess. They'll probably wait at least a few months to let everyone forget about it.
>>48118827
Not that way at all. I believe it's covered in Sword and Fan, but it's different for Matsu and if the mother is an Utaku it doesn't matter if the kid looks like a Lion, he's obviously the son of the Utaku's husband and nobody can challenge that.
>>48119069
I exaggerate when I say "at all". Girls are generally in lots of trouble, especially if they explicitly took vows of chastity, but for the Matsu (the largest Family in the Empire) and the Utaku they're generally fine even if they have bastard children.
>>48118954
Will he suffer any honor, status, or glory blows from it?
>>48115988
>and each clan is more of a micro state
That's actually how it is supposed to run. A bunch of culturally similar states in close proximity but with some wild lands between them. People usually over inflate the power of the Imperial central government, though really that is probably because so many games are Emerald Magistrate ones where you represent said government's power and reach.
>>48119108
Not unless it's also his kid and he declares that fact.
Although if he does that, then the entire situation would be way, waaaaaay less impactful. It's entirely likely that they'd just push it all under a rug and go forward with the marriage anyway. The official record would show that they were actually married before she got pregnant, and nobody would call out that bullshit because that'd be making a scene over nothing. The two characters would take a small ding to honor and a small ding to glory and that'd be the end of it.
>>48120411
Dude's ripped.
>>48120425
How else do you think k4 melee punching looks?
>>48120496
Drill Milky Punch?
>>48120496
Something like this, with Hitsu-do.
>>48116264
Well, that sort of situation has happened in real life, and it was funnily enough in France. For a really long time, the French king was actually one of the least powerful nobles in France. That light blue bit around Paris was the total amount of land he ruled, everyone else was supposed to swear fealty to him. However, that did nothing to stop the other nobles from fighting each other.
>>48120496
Or this.
>>48120411
>>48120551
>>48120566
Getting punched by one of those guys warrants an X-ray shot like the ones in The Story of Ricky and the Sonny Chiba Street Fighter.
One of you mother fuckers should run a 4e campaign.
>>48121123
1E
NO SUPPLEMENTS
PRE-SCORPION COUP ONLY
FINAL DESTINATION
>>48121249
> no sups
Harsh.
>>48098324
Went through most of the supplements, searching for stuff, and came to the conclusion on the subject of mass battle specialist rules: no advanced school or basic school bonuses relevant to mass combat are anything greater than trivial. Take Strategist, Tactician, Luck, and as much water ring as humanly possible, and that will serve you better than anything else could. Get all of your friends to use the War and Fan rules to buff your roll, everyone and their grandmother gets a +1k0 they can add for you.
With this, trying to think of what sort of character can build huge amounts of water and still be useful. Kitsu detective with the ancestor that lets them substitute Perception for Awareness for social skills? Water Shugenja? Strength-based Hida bushi?
How would you guys choose as the secondary focus of a character whose main purpose is maximizing battle rolls?
>>48121724
Daigotsu Bushi pathing - Obsidian Magistrate, Daigotsu Scout, Colonial Conqueror.
Remove Taint, and play as a lesser known school of whichever clan seems appropriate. You'll get mileage out of Water Ring.
>>48122399
Does tactical movement and the like play a big role in your 4e games?
Other than archery kiting a dude with a lower Water ring than you, are paths like the Lioness Legion generally worth going for, or does it mostly get handwaved?
>>48123890
Not really. Distances matter for closing the gap usually, but I get more mileage out of varying terrain types during chases than anything else. I probably could start using hard to cross lands in a direct straight line path to make it harder for them to do simple charges though, that might be a good idea.
>>48120555
So what was that tiny bubble up north supposed to be, his summer retreat?
From what I recall, advanced shugenja schools don't count towards shugenja rank. Does anyone remember where to find this, or related info?
>>48125383
After the first rank they do not (or don't at all if you have an alt rank already), but most of them build in progression inside themselves. Some only for the focus element, some include generic shugenja bump.
>>48125383
Page 246.
The first rank counts as a rank in their School. HOWEVER, they gain exactly one (1) spell, rather than their normal allotment, as a tradeoff.
The second Path and beyond don't contribute towards School rank (And therefore don't contribute towards spellcasting or spell mastery) or give any spells whatsoever.
Monks work similarly for kiho.
>>48125492
I thought that was only for Alternate Paths, not Advanced Schools.
>>48125518
Oh sorry, yeah.
Looking at individual advanced schools, they have to explicitly count as a basic school rank in order to increase your shugenja school rank. "Your shugenja School rank increases by 1" is the relevant text, although "Your shugenja school rank is considered X higher for the purposes of Y" is also relevant, since it being considered higher is the exact same wording that Affinities use, and those are confirmed by official clarification/errata to include early access to higher ranked spells.
o-bump
>>48125590
Yah ... That's the understanding I already had. It just seems the oddest thing to assume readers will intuit, and while I've seen Carman post on it (or at least think I have), I don't recall anything written in paper / pdf.
>>48105338
>Sacrifice and redemption, forgotten heroes giving everything they have to save a world that will never know. I used to love that shit as a kid and thought I'd grow out of romantic crap like that, but here we are.
I'm the exact same. I don't think it's really something you grow out of. You may find it less realistic but it's a compelling story archetype regardless.
Are people capable courtiers at rank 1?
>>48127530
Sure. Being a good courtier relies on being able to, as a player, decide what intrigues you push for and roleplay. Courtier techniques can be really powerful, but even a bushi or shugenja can passably "win" at court if the player is doing it right and has the right Skills to back it up.
>>48127530
They might have awareness 4 / skill 4 plus bonuses, which means they can sling dice effectively, but they can't call many raises without higher void, and this means the effectiveness of each roll is potentially lower. Then add in the techniques they're lacking - they can still do what the technique does, but again slower and less effectively.
Low rank courtiers make up the masses of court, mostly gossiping and reading information, or representing those who aren't court natives.
>>48127708
>reading
Trading.
>>48127214
>visible body skin on Rokugani women
REEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>>48098324
where is the chaperon? i dont think the rower is the chaperon
>>48127669
>>48127708
I've been thinking over a campaign inspired by earlier anon, where the players play match makers to wedding planners. The idea would be they're assigned by their clan(s) to arrange a wedding between one individual to someone of a specific clan for an alliance. They'd end up going from hunting for a good match, to making the arrangements, to training the groom or bride, to setting up the ceremony and all the politics of having it along the way.
Basically the Wedding Planner: Rokugan edition
>>48128076
Let me quess - Mantis, Phoenix and I have no fucking clue, maybe Lion?
>>48128302
Probably lion. I seem to recall them having a thing where they sometimes dye their hair blonde.
>>48111038
the matsu are dumb berserker that rely on making many babies to keep the family going....like vermin
the akodo understand war and study their mistakes.
>>48128334
They stole the hair dye from the Crane? Ok, that´s new to me.
>>48128302
That's pretty obviously a Scorpion in the middle.
I think the one on the left is supposed to be a Dragon, too. The shade of green is ambiguous but the dragon tattoo is pretty telling.
>>48128365
Well the Crane dye their hair white.
And it's not that surprising that something the Crane do would become a Thing elsewhere in the empire. They set fashion, after all.
>>48128401
It could be either Dragon or Mantis. Mantis get a lot of tattoos as well, and dragons (Being/creature, not clan) are powerful forces in Rokugani mythology/religion.
>>48128452
Thougth it was a scar or burn mark at first.
>>48128365
It's to give themselves mane-like hair, like real lions do.
>>48128302
It's supposed to be Mirumoto Hitomi (in green; prior to shaving her head), Bayushi Kachiko (obviously), and Matsu Tsuko.
I remember when that was drawn and posted on the AEG boards.
>>48128476
I long ago was that? Been only into this game for a few weeks. Reading what bits and pieces of lore I can find.
>>48128697
It was drawn in late 2001, early 2002, or thereabouts. During the first part of Gold edition for sure. It wasn't posted up as soon as it was drawn, but the artist was the one who posted it up there and talked about it. He drew some other L5R pinups, but I don't recall them.
>>48128476
What regency of the incestuous cess pit that was the AEG board was it?
>>48128874
Hell if I know. It was well over a decade ago when I saw it.
>>48129213
>It was well over a decade ago when I saw it
Enough of an answer for's much as I really cared.
bamp
I've been reading L5R books for the past week or so. Who did the Pheonix blow to get so popular with the writers? They're pacifists who only ever lose when they refuse to use their best weapon (The Elemental Guard) because of how virtuous and correct they are. They have loremasters and shugenja who keep dark secrets, but I haven't seen anything in the books I've read about suffering from the Taint. What is their flaw?
Crab (otherwise the best faction for being genuinely useful) had that whole stint where the inexplicably allied with the Shadowland to take over Rokugan, the Scorpion are nefarious and do some dumb shit, Crane spend all of their time and talent on zero-sum politicking, the Lion are belligerent assholes for no reason (and get beaten by the pacifist Phoenix, of course), the Unicorn tried to take over Rokugan as well, and failed, and the Dragon are just painfully irrelevant at anything but cock-blocking other Clans.
The Mantis haven't done anything too stupid either, they've been on an upward trend in Rokugani history. Are the Phoenix and Mantis the writer's favorite Great Clans?
>>48131579
>Are the Phoenix and Mantis the writer's favorite Great Clans?
What do you think?
>>48131579
For a long ass time the plot was dictated by who won the l5r card game, with predictable results.
>>48131620
>For a long ass time the plot was dictated by who won the l5r card game, with predictable results.
Top Kek. If this was true the Mantis would've ceased to be fairly early on.
>>48131579
The pheonix's flaw is a stunning arrogance regarding their own primacy in magical fields and an inability to leave well enough alone when it comes to dark sorcery. These guys open Black Scrolls like a Lion goes to war.
>>48131809
There's also the fact that their bushi are all kinda pansies. If you can survive the magical onslaught, you can rip through the Pheonix lines like a knife through hot butter.
>>48131861
Not in the lore, where their mixed shugenja/bushi armies are described as virtually unstoppable. In mechanical terms Shiba Bushi is a really good school too.
>>48131861
Shiba armies are notable for their tenacity and skill when they fight against their outnumbering foes in canon. What are you smoking?
>>48135066
>Castle by the sea
>No docks, no harbours, no warehouses
It's like you don't even Mantis, Bro.
>>48135251
Looks like crane with those pastels.
>>48135251
I'm pretty sure that's a Crane castle.
>>48135251
It's not Mantis, as is obvious from the huge bird painted on the side. Most likely, some dumb Crane wanted to have a castle on top of a cliff by the sea and decided to leave all of the boating stuff far away because, like the twits they are they belive it would compromise the beauty of the scene.
>>48135338
If you look to the left you see it isn't an island. There's trees and green, so it is probably on a peninsula or whatever that landform makes bays is. There's probably docks off that way.
>>48135066
You know, looking at this again, if the Crane decided to just build a castle on a rock outcropping and not have any docks, that would mean that they forced their peasants to row out there with all of those materials and made them bring all of that up the cliff faces, by hand until they got the equipment set up, all for an art project.
>>48135251
Why would you ugly up your castle by putting disgusting harbors, seedy warehouses, and ugly docks right next to the castle? Those go on the ugly side of the city.
>>48135501
Shugenja, bro-san.
>>48135625
You mean all those earth shugenja the Crane have lying around, right?
>>48135688
Right, because shugenja aren't affinity/deficiency based, they're entirely insatiable of using certain elements.
No, honoured bro-san. Get in the toilet.
>>48136057
>insatiable
Incapable.
>>48136057
Isn't their weakness earth? I mean even then they could use it. I just figure with only so many spells an average shugenja knows, what's the odds of getting an earth Asahina who knows the right prayers?
>>48136561
They built it in 1e, and got a Kakita Artisan to fold the castle out of paper for them.
>>48136561
>Isn't their weakness earth? So they need to be SR2 before they start casting those spells themselves. Minor difference when building a castle.
>what's the odds of getting an earth Asahina who knows the right prayers?
You're thinking in terms of game mechanics. The spells a shugenja 'knows' are simply those for which spell scrolls have been granted by the clan libraries. They're not even memorized. It means nothing with regard to whether or not they can pick up a spell scroll and cast the prayer - that's a matter of breaking/knowing the clan cipher.
In addition, shugenja can research spells themselves, and importune spells from the kami.
>>48136834
Fair. The clan may have a scroll and give it to the nice architech-shugenja.
By the way, are there any rules for spell research? I know that's an emphasis of Spellcraft, but are there specific more in depth spell making rules? Because I have a player who'd love to use that on group downtimes to expand their spell list.
>>48136726
This guy knows what's up.
>So, GM-Anons, just how many raises did this Kakita have to call to fold a functional Kyuden on the rocks?
>>48137014
No, they never actually made the rules for that in 4e.
>>48137451
That's unfortunate, you'd have thought that would have been stashed in like the Phoenix segment of Great Clans or something. Were there 3e rules so we kind of know how it looked to maybe begin making houserules? My gut is saying you need at week or a month (I dunno the ideal time unit) per spell rank, and make it a series of rolls or something over time?
>>48137494
I think the reason they didn't explicitly add it is that it's hard to balance without a bunch of strange restrictions.
If they could just freely gain spells, Shugenja can use their downtime to vastly expand their repertoire, while bushi can only really learn Kata (Which they can only use one of at a time and don't really do too much overall) and courtiers can only really make friends (and blackmail targets)
>>48137869
(going on a tangent, but) Ideally, I'd like to see shugenja less as glass cannons, party buffers, or all-purpose scroll carriers, and more or less on the same level as everyone else. For kami to be less mindless, rote responsive, boring, and more like personable characters that both exist in the physical world and will be offended by things normal samurai do and take for granted.
For rank 4+ spells to all be things that exhaust/anger/frighten or otherwise distance a shugenja from the kami for some time, regardless of spell slots.
That rank 0 spells should be easily performed and regularly reproducible without taking spellslots. (basic speaking with the kami, using the kami as melee weapons, enhancing medicine rolls, etc.)
There are some schools which are very flavorful and cool, but that I can't imagine having much use in most campaigns. The more specialized a school is, the fewer scenarios they'll be useful in, and this problem only gets worse when what they're good at is not directly related to combat or talking.
Take the Kaiu Engineer for instance. They're very important to the setting, vitally important to the defense of Rokugan against the vile forces of the Shadowland, but what tabletop scenarios are going to give them an opportunity to show off their skills? The second school technique allows them to build better buildings and shoot siege engines better. While this makes sense with the Fluff (Kaiu Wall! Crab siege mastery!), it seems like it would require a highly specific sort of scenario for it to be useful. Most of their other stuff has to do with crafting better items or giving bonuses in battles.
Am I underestimating them, or are Kaiu Engineers and other schools like them (Kakita Artisans, Oriole Smiths, etc,) NPC schools?
The only use I could see for a Kaiu Engineer PC would be in a war-campaign. Can anyone else think of the sort of story where the ability to build siege weapons and craft stuff is going to be able to hold equal screen-time with the better-at-swording bushis and magic slinging shugenjas?
>>48138828
Heck, take the Owl Clan overall. Specialised vs nonhumans.
>>48138828
>Am I underestimating them, or are Kaiu Engineers and other schools like them (Kakita Artisans, Oriole Smiths, etc,) NPC schools?
They are, up until someone or some group decides that's their thing, and damn whether it's useful or not. I think Winter Court sees a few things like that.
>>48138828
General use for Artisan type character is that they're basically Courtiers who trade their services/gifts for political favors. Kaiu just come along with also being useful in battles and getting SAA with Dai Tsuchi.
I have a PC getting married soon. What can I do to make the buildup feel like an adventure?
>>48138828
I played a Kaiu Engineer as a militant courtier and it worked out great. Because they're actually a Bushi school, they have access to Kata and gear (And make their own anyway) and because they're an Artisan school, they can get a bunch of courtier skills and arts&crafts their way through court.
Also, having War Fans as their SAA is surprisingly good, since a War Fan can appear and function as a normal fan, which makes it easy to carry anywhere (Since fans are ubiquitous in court). Being able to send messages with the fan is also a minor plus.
>>48138828
Kaiu get +1k0 on war fan and defense rolls, and they get simple attacks with katanas and war fans, so they're not 100% useless in a fight.
With the sage advantage, their starting intelligence of 4 could probably make them good lore-monkeys.
>>48139003
>What can I do to make the buildup feel like an adventure?
Wedding gifts - read the story of how Kakita woo'd Lady Doji, that should give you some inspiration
>>48138828
A war campaign might be a fun idea. It'd have to start off relatively low-stakes for the characters to have a proper impact and then scale up.
An action against an established group of bandits and ronin (or a traitorous conspiracy flushed out before it could grow), could be a good prelude to the breakout of a full-scale war. In the war itself you'd have to have some sort of justification for why the characters are going to stick together.
>>48139097
Thanks friend, but I do wonder why there wasn't a (you) there. Fuck you internet
>>48139174
I always wanted to do a "second-line Crab" war campaign. You know, Hida engineers, Yasuki taskmasters, logistical officers, sub-Tsuru's Legion level cavalry, ect. The support and "third-rear-support-reserve column" level soldiers. The kind of troops called to the wall only when the Hida have all gotten themselves killed and the Hiruma are in full-guerrilla mode out of sheer desperation. Except not on the wall itself, since they'd just die at that point.
>>48139199
Sorry, Kaiu Engineers, not Hida Engineers.
>>48139003
There could be another samurai who is shamefully obsessed with the characters prospective bride (or husband) to be. They may make an attempt to disrupt the festivities with whatever skill-set they have, attempting to create a pretext for a duel or making the wedding seem dishonorable or so on. Depending on the circumstances, the to-be-wed party may find this either incredibly bothersome or romantic.
>>48139010
>a War Fan can appear and function as a normal fan, which makes it easy to carry anywhere (Since fans are ubiquitous in court
Not really. War fans aren't the light fans courtiers flick to emphasise a point or hide their emotions. They're either heavy, solid things fire signalling troops, or sharp, multi-bladed, folding razors
>>48139262
That's just one kind. The other kind look like normal fans until they're unfurled.
>>48139262
Some war fans are. There are three kinds described, and they all have the same stats.
One looks like your pic related, one is a normal fan, but with metal wedges hinged together at one end, and one looks like a closed fan and doesn't really open at all.
>>48139199
Would that sort of campaign be alright for newly created characters though? Ogres and oni would tear apart the newbies.
>>48139391
That's why they'd stay the fuck away from the wall itself.
A group like that would probably be a peacekeeping internal force behind the wall or a relief column for an internal rokugani war.
Then when they hit higher insight ranks and the Taskmaster's ashigaru are hardened veterans, you send them to the wall because things are fucked and the wall needs everyone it can get.
>>48139414
You can also throw a group like that against less virulent shadowlands shit - like a brothel on the edge of crab territory that seems to be making the local bandit population disappear - could be bog hags, or penanggalan.
Also, dealing with threats from the other clans, the occasional adventurism from border forces by the Crane or Scorpion, etc. Or maybe a Nezumi tribe has set themselves up in northern crab territory, or close enough to a crab neighbor, and is causing enough issues that its provoking border tensions
>>48139199
>>48139174
>>48139414
>>48139505
These ideas could be combined together. It could be set after a major Shadowlands incursion that was broken only with major loss of life, with some major incursions beyond the wall. The main threat has been defeated, but there are still pockets of monsters in the crab lands that must be purged before their taint spreads (which can be conveniently scaled for the characters), and bandits that have taken advantage of the chaos to build up power near the Twilight Mountains the big-ass forest near Crab borders. The characters would be part of a small force, leading ashigaru only at first, then getting more and more influential. They might have to deal with bandits that cross borders into non-Crab lands, negotiating for the right to enter territories or coordinating with other lords, and a Clan War might be looming on the horizon as the Crab's diminished manpower is noticed by their neighbors.
>>48139695
Prime suspects would be the Crane (who apparently never give up on taking the Yasuki lands back) or the Scorpion, who as far as i can tell are the only people who really border the Crab.
>>48139754
The Unicorn come down often enough that there are back and forth wars between them and certain Kaiu border lords.
