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Samurai of Legend - Out Now!


Mongoose_Matt

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The latest supplement for Legend, Samurai of Legend, is now in print. Like all core Legend books, it is 100% Open Content.

Samurai of Legend - Core Rulebooks & Accessories - Legend - RPGs

Set in the Heian Period of Japanese history, when the Shinto faith was starting to give way to Buddhism, when the Samurai were making their climb to power, in a land of legends; Samurai of Legend is a complete setting, designed for those of you who enjoy a huge pile of reality mixed in with your fantasy.

Included are new professions and backgrounds along with advice on creating exciting characters, with which to explore this fascinating period. Also an in-depth look at the Shinto and Buddhist faiths, along with the variety of other factors that influenced life in Japan at this time. Predominantly, this book covers the rise of the Samurai and other martial classes and even gives the option of introducing Ninjas… not technically of this period but a whole lot of fun to utilise none the less!

Encounter the monsters and myths that have been the stuff of legend for over a millennium. Experience the Imperial life or that of a Samurai. Understand the importance of defending the honour of you and yours – no matter what it costs.

Don't forget the free adventure available for Samurai of Legend, Beneath an Opal Moon, which you can grab from the link above!

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I'm reading through the character creation section, and I'm a little confused regarding how to handle selection of family and caste. The list of families is overwhelming, and I don't see much guidance for selection. Furthermore, it's not clear how one might use the rules from the Legend main book for identifying culture and class in the Heian period. Am I missing something? Is the intention that players will be free to choose their family and caste (either ryomin or senmin) by their preference? This seems unacceptable because there seems to be no reason a player might choose to play the senmin class. Every player will automatically choose the ryomin class.

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The table you are looking at seems not to have been laid out well.

Columns one and two, Allied Families, Allied to are related as far as I can tell. The Allied To Families in column two comprise the more powerful families that others (Column one) are Allied to.

Column three and Column four are just alphabetical lists of family names as far as I can tell and unrelated to the contents of the preceding columns. Think of the four columns as a pair of columns and two single columns and it might help.

However I just noticed that there are at least a couple of clans who appear twice in column three so there must be some other relation between columns three and four that is not apparent to me. Sorry not much help I'm afraid.

Nigel

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I haven't seen the Legend version of 'Samurai', but the lists are meant to work thus...

First column lists the major clans of Japan. These are groups of families that form influential blocs.

Second column lists families that allied with a clan - ie, part of one. The third column then lists the clan that family belongs to.

Fourth column lists families that have no clan affiliation whatsoever (and can therefore pick and choose allegiances as they see fit).

Fifth column lists 'aspiring' families - those that want to become clans through extending their power and influence. They will be looking to forge alliances with Unallied families and perhaps turn allied families.

As to which family character belong to - its up to the GM and players to establish this as part of the campaign. Ideally, all characters will come from the same clan and even more ideally, the same family.

Is the intention that players will be free to choose their family and caste (either ryomin or senmin) by their preference? This seems unacceptable because there seems to be no reason a player might choose to play the senmin class. Every player will automatically choose the ryomin class.

Players can choose their caste, but doing so will dictate the professions open to them. If all the players want to be samurai or imperial court officials, then ryomin is going to be the default caste, and there's nothing wrong with that - its certainly not unacceptable. Senmin exists to offer an alternative to the 'higher' professions and grades.

Every player will automatically choose the ryomin class.

This assumes that every player wants to play a samurai or influential individual. I don't think they do. Plenty of players enjoy the challenge of playing someone who exists outside the loftier circles. Hence the provision of choice within the character creation rules.

The Design Mechanism: Publishers of Mythras

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First column lists the major clans of Japan. These are groups of families that form influential blocs.

I looked at the chart again, and they omitted this column in the Legend edition. Also, do you know how historically accurate this chart is? Are the names on this chart historical, or were they generated only for the game?

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I looked at the chart again, and they omitted this column in the Legend edition.

And without that column, the third column makes NO sense whatsoever, which explains things.

Also, do you know how historically accurate this chart is? Are the names on this chart historical, or were they generated only for the game?

The names are historically accurate. The Tokugawa, Minamoto and Tiara clans were the 'Big 3' of the Heian period. The other clan names are mentioned in texts from the time, and the various formal poems that commemorate the political struggles and wars of the age. Family names are drawn from different lists spanning several hundred years, but Japanese formal naming structures didn't change drastically, so all the names are historical. None are made up. Similarly, the timeline, where it is concerned with those elements that are clearly not fantasy, describes events that actually happened. What was interesting during the research I did for this book, was finding that even some of the fantastic elements noted in the timeline were also noted in historical documents. And there really was an edict outlawing sorcerers on pain of death...

The Design Mechanism: Publishers of Mythras

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And without that column, the third column makes NO sense whatsoever, which explains things. Similarly, the timeline, where it is concerned with those elements that are clearly not fantasy, describes events that actually happened. What was interesting during the research I did for this book, was finding that even some of the fantastic elements noted in the timeline were also noted in historical documents. And there really was an edict outlawing sorcerers on pain of death...

Oh, that's fascinating. I noticed that and I was wondering if that was real. I'm glad you told me that. I wonder what they considered to be sorcery as opposed to Shinto rituals. And thank you for the information on the family names. :)

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And without that column, the third column makes NO sense whatsoever, which explains things.
Oh no, not another botch-up for LEGEND...at least Mongoose is going well with Traveller...!

" Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!"

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Having read through this, I'm working on converting it to BRP, and I've had some ideas. The campaign I want to run is going to be historical. For a lower magic setting, I had the idea that Buddhist monks should have access to psychic abilities, rather than magic. After looking through the psychic ability list, it seems that many of these abilities would work well with the Buddhist mediation idea, and would be less vulgarly magical than magical spells. Any thoughts?

Also, it doesn't seem to me that the Isha (herbalist/healers) would have access to the Medicine skill, but they would probably have access to First Aid. Maybe I could substitute a Knowledge (Chinese Medicine) skill for Medicine. On that note, I don't think any of the science skills would be available in the Heian Period.

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I'ld try and make Oriental Medicine sound more authentic by using the name 'Zhōng Yī' to describe it, perhaps Knowledge: Medicine (Zhōng Yī) or Knowledge (Zhōng Yī Medicine). I agree with you that Psychic Powers are the best fit for any kind of Asian flavoured Mysticism such as that powers attributed to Buddhist Monks. As far as science goes, I know that the Heian period was famous for its artistic and intellectual endeavours, although beliefs in magic and mythology over shone science and rational thought. Perhaps a 'science' like Knowledge (Apothecary) could be suitable perhaps? Although I guess its probably more a Craft skill rather than a Knowledge skill... yes you are probably right saying that science skills would be limited for this period.

Edited by Mankcam

" Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!"

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Actually perhaps the more correct term for Medicine is Ishinpō, named after early medical manuscripts going by the same name. So perhaps Knowledge: Medicine (Ishinpō) could be a more authentic name for the medical skill

" Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!"

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Actually perhaps the more correct term for Medicine is Ishinpō, named after early medical manuscripts going by the same name. So perhaps Knowledge: Medicine (Ishinpō) could be a more authentic name for the medical skill

But should it actually confer the benefits of the Medicine skill? I don't think it would have actually done much for the patient back then.

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But should it actually confer the benefits of the Medicine skill? I don't think it would have actually done much for the patient back then.

Depends on what kind of game you're trying to run, doesn't it? In Clockwork & Chivalry they have several kinds of period medicine. They confer game benefits even though looking on them with modern eyes we'd call it complete quackery. I think it is pretty cool.

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I'm trying to think of a way to give my players some guidance regarding the choosing of clan and family. I've used the Status table on p. 79 of the BGB to create a Status table with the varying positions in Heian society that are listed in Samurai of Legend. I'm going to have my players roll on the table when they first create their characters to determine what professions they can choose. This will also determine their Status skill, which I am going to use in lieu of the On system.

Regarding help I can give them on clan/family decisions, it seems that members of the Imperial family should belong to the Fujiwara, Minamoto, or Taira clans, and they should probably be from a family that is allied to those clans. But after that it's not so clear, particularly if they are of the senmin caste, which means they likely have no family name in the Heian period. My thought is that giving players who have no background in Japanese history the family and clan chart and just asking them to pick will be overwhelming.

I also think I'm going to add a slave caste to the bottom of the Status table. Therefore, if they roll 96-100, they will be part of the royal family; if they roll 01-05, they will be slaves.

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To be honest I don't like random rolling resulting in player characters being put into a slave position unless they all are and the scenario is written around this. All too often other players will decide to order the 'slave' around and the player has no in-game choice because their actions tend to be dictated by others.

In something as far away from players modern experience as Heian era Japan it's hard enough to get them to play in accordance with any sort of accuracy regarding culture without putting any added stress on players.

Nigel

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