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I'm putting feelers out there to see what interest there is in another Legend of the Five Rings pbp game.
About me:
I've played/ran L5R's RPG incarnations ever since the beginning. I'm pretty firmly set on running this game under the 4th edition (current) ruleset.
I've GM'd various other game systems for even longer, and some non-face-to-face GMing as admins on a few MU*'s back when they were A Big Thing. This will be my first PbP game, however.
I want to get my feet wet with a published L5R adventure, "Night of One Thousand Screams". And if it goes well, continue on with a sort of "The Shield: Ryoko Owari" campaign.
However, that desire requires the pre-Scorpion Coup timeline, and the common L5R fare of playing magistrates. I recognize this theme/locale might be trite for some players, or simply not suit their tastes.
Therefore I'm also willing to entertain the idea of a sandbox campaign that can be set whenever, wherever.
Probably interested. Just making sure, but which edition?
4th Edition. The free version of the rules can be found in the Free RPG Day adventure for this edition.
I'll shamelessly steal inspiration from GM Koan and suggest L5RCM to help with character generation.
Are you allowing stuff from every book? I just like to check my limits.
Are you allowing stuff from every book? I just like to check my limits.
Most likely, although formalizing the campaign itself would have to come first and may render some options inappropriate.
If, for example, the players want to play samurai serving some Phoenix Daimyo during the reign of the Gozoku, it'd limit options far moreso than the good ole Magistrates vs the City of Lies. And of course, certain Clans won't exist at all in certain settings/timelines.
I'm going to be more stringent with background stories than the crunch, at any rate. Again, that'll be explicitly defined if/when we get the interest to start recruitment for a specific campaign.
I'd love to play!
This is GM Koan, btw. :)
Given the chance, I would like to play a Lion Clan lion tamer, I forget what they are called.
Hi there, absolutely solid interest from me, City of Lies is renowned as one of the best boxed sets ever and I'd love to play in it. No objection to playing magistrates/yoriki or to the timeline, sounds great fun :)
Also after a suspicious first look, now very keen on 4th ed as have devoured the core book and it is awesome!
So I'm definitely interested :D
The initial concept that springs to mind (at least for a Ryoko Owari game) is a unicorn duellist with a focus on social and investigative skills. She's a bit different to the stereotype of her own clan but should fit in well with all the other clans ^.^
Happy to roll with whatever you decide, but for the moment consider that +1 for the Night of a Thousand Screams lead in to a Ryoko Owari campaign :)
I'd be into some L5R.
Sounds like we have some solid interest! I'll start a recruitment thread soon, after I clarify a few questions posed upthread and I make sure I don't scare anyone away ;)
Night of a Thousand Screams is an adventure set in Ryoko Owari (The City of Lies) and is an investigation that is a fairly even mix of combat and social encounters. It was designed to show off the L5R system to new players. (kind of like Free RPG Day, before that was a thing)
Following that adventure, the campaign would continue on after being awarded positions as magistrates in Ryoko Owari. Think of Rokugan's version of Las Vegas crossed with Mos Eisley. A recurring challenge would be in handling the omnipresent opportunities to go "on the take". Do you refuse, and become targets for every criminal gang in the city (not good), or embrace graft and become expendable pawns controlled by the Scorpion Clan (probably even worse).
So, the initial adventure as well as the campaign beyond would be:
City Based, although some adventures I have in mind will take you on travels to additional lands.
Lots of Investigation, but no dearth of combat either. This is (at this point in the timeline) a Scorpion-run city, which means politics is a blood sport. A party that can't handle social encounters will not last. Neither will a party that can't fight off assassins hired by criminals you've angered.
Balancing one's honor will be a MAJOR consideration. It'll be advantageous to have characters that are highly honorable as well as others that are "lightly burdened by honor".
Having a "motley" assortment of political affiliations is also beneficial. Ryoko Owari is the one of the biggest, and certainly the wealthiest, cities in the Empire. Most of the Clans' economies depend upon trade flowing through it, and as such every Great Clan and many of the Minor ones too have a permanent presence there. Having an "in" with as many of them as possible is only a good thing.
@Dieros: Hopefully I answered your questions in the data dump above. As for allowable minor clans: If its around in this timeline, I'm allowing it. That means Mantis, Fox, and Centipede are all separate minor clans in this timeframe. Falcon still exists. Snake and Boar don't. Etc. Tortoise would be a particularly appropriate choice for a campaign in Ryoko Owari. Not to influence you or anything.. I'm just saying ;)
@Nohwear: Sounds like you're talking about Matsu Beastmasters. I'd be quite fine with one in the party.
I'd certainly be interested. I'd be happy with an array of different characters, including a Kitsuki Investigator and Shosuro Infiltrator.
I'm thinking about a Mantis bushi; a Yoritomo before there was a family with that name.
Centipede are fun in that time, to bad duelist school is not in that timeline or I would take it, unless you GM fiat it.
I'll see what else would be fun to play with the rest.
I'll admit, you made me look it up since I had no idea what you were talking about.
From what I can tell, that was an advanced school that only was published in 3rd edition. So for two purely meta reasons, that's probably not going to be in the cards for this campaign.
However.
The general idea of a rank 1 Centipede duellist is fine. The Disciple of Sun Tao ronin technique might be a snazzy way to represent a Centipede duellist, since they don't have their own bushi school. Or buying the Different School advantage to train in a great clan duelling academy.
Either way, someone has to invent the advanced Moshi duellist techniques later on in the timeline, why couldn't it be your character? :) That could be a snazzy hook for a Great Destiny.
Anyway, I'm pleased there's some interest. I'll most likely start posting up recruitment info tomorrow.
I’m starting recruitment for Night of a Thousand Screams!
The theme of this adventure is: “Dark magic exacts a heavy price.” You’ll be tasked to deal with vicious criminals, and even worse. Yes, much of that will mean combat, but remember that not all combats have to be lethal. If you face this adventure with the typical Murder-Hobo D&D adventurer mentality, you probably won’t get very far. There is no CR balancing in L5R. You have been warned.
First off, some contextual information about the City of Lies: Obi Wan Kenobi called Mos Eisley the most wretched hive of scum and villainy only because he never made it to Rokugan. Ryoko Owari Toshi is the dark jewel of the Scorpion lands. It is called by some the City of Green Walls, by others the City of Stories. It is the City of Lies, and its festering neighborhoods reek with underhanded dealings, blackmail and deceit. Shady inns line the thin and twisting roads, along with warehouses holding everything from illegal gains to honest trade. It is a haven for those who seek to escape the Law, and THE cornerstone of all trade south of the Spine of the World Mountains.
Obviously there will be many Scorpion NPCs. There is also a very large Unicorn population here as well, as almost all of their inter-clan trade has to pass through this city. After those two: Crane, Crab, Mantis, and Lion are present to look after their own economic interests as well. A city of this size even draws Dragons and Phoenixes from the far side of the Empire. Rokugan’s principle Temple to Daikoku, the Fortune of Wealth, is located here as well, which means there are even a lot of monks.
Character generation:
Crunchwise: I’m easy. Standard 40 point buy, no more than 10 points of drawbacks. Whatever clans and schools are extant in the pre-Coup timeline are all kosher. I’d recommend at least one bushi, courtier, and shugenja for the party, as well as a decent mix of clans, but I’ve come to learn that players are pretty damn good at serendipitously building well balanced L5R parties, and I won’t touch those butterfly wings by giving you hard rules.
Fluff wise: This is where I’m demanding.
In my view, your character’s background story is even more important than your rules crunch. I am going to ask that you put significant thought into your character. GM Koan’s recruitment thread gave some good advice that generated great backgrounds, I’d recommend reviewing those characters as samples. My standard is that I want to read your background and be able to answer the twenty questions about your character without even looking at the crunch (except maybe "How will you die". That's an awful challenging thing to address... So no points off for leaving one's expected destiny out)
Your “starting motivation” at the onset of the adventure is you’re in town to attend the Bon Festival. Ryoko Owari’s festival is legendary across the entire Empire; it’d be akin to visiting New Orleans but not staying for Mardi Gras. (If you want to make a samurai who already lives in Ryoko Owari, then see the next paragraph)
In addition to this, I’m going to throw a challenging wrinkle: I want you to work cooperatively in crafting your character backgrounds. The campaign will start with the RPG trope of “meeting one another in a tavern”. You’ll very quickly be expected to come together and watch each others’ backs and operate as a party, and as such my view is that works so much better when you already have other reasons to work together as well.
So, I want every character’s background to include a hook into at least one other character’s. It’s actually not that hard to come up with shared links even for cross-clan links when you put your thinking caps on. A few easy suggestions:
Blood relatives can still exist across clans (My mom is your aunt…)
Kharmic Ties between PCs
Became travelling buddies during both PCs’ post-gempukku year of wandering the empire
Grew up as a Hostage in another clan’s household (I’m Theon to your Robb)
Been betrothed to each other since before we were even born (obviously, only works between male and female PCs)
Feel free to steal any of these, or come up with your own!
Additional food for thought regarding backgrounds:
Assuming the adventure is a success and the campaign continues, you'll continue on as magistrates in the City of Lies. Your characters obviously don't know this, but I want the players to be armed with this foreknowledge so you can plan accordingly.
kharma rule: I'm a fan of this 1st edition relic. But I change it up some; rather than judging whether your PCs death was "worthy" (it only causes hard feelings..) I judge whenter your replacement PC's background is "worthy". And by being worthy, I mean satisfactorily explains why your new PC is picking up where your old PC suddenly left off. "I'm here to avenge my father's death!" and so on.. but that only works if you had a daughter mentioned earlier! So, work in lots of hooks into your backgrounds! Of course I want to use them in play, but they also give you roleplaying hooks with each other, and potentially lets you bring in "respawn" PCs with minimal downtime/insight loss should your PC die!
Gonna voice my interest as well. Love the setting and city of lies gives me a few ideas for a shugenja.
Heritage tables?
Heritage tables?
Excellent question. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of those. So: "No."
Additionally, I've come to a realization: it looks like we have 8 or 9 people expressing interest as of this time. Assuming everyone retains that interest, that's a touch too many so I'll have to have some sort of cutoff.
I'll give it a week and a day: Next friday night (8 May) I'll close recruitment and pick a party. I'm not going to give a hard limit on how many I'm willing to run for... if we're just over that limit but I like all the backgrounds, then I don't want to paint myself into a corner of having to turn a player away.
Oh, and I'm so excited about this I'll likely be obsessing over the boards between now and then. If you're looking for clarifications or want to know what I think about an idea, don't be shy to ask. The worst that can happen is I say "I'll leave that up to you", neh?
I'm going to get fluff out of the way before I go through the building process.
When Tamori Katsuyoshi was but a mere boy, a Kakita came to his mountain village. The Kakita, one Kakita Munahito, posted up at the gate to the little mountain dojo that the village served and proclaimed loudly to all who would listen. "I am here to test my skills against those who claim to know the sword as well as they may know to breathe. I have dispensation to duel any and all who might take up my challenge." Day after day this duelist would defeat all who came before him till none were left to defend the honor of the dojo. The Kakita boasted that he had proven his style was the superior of any in the land, only to have a mere boy of seven summers step out of the crowd and shout challenge. "I am Gemi and though I do not enter my schooling for another week I believe, with respect to your station Kakita-Sensei, that I may be able to defeat you." Many had seen this little boy, though none knew who he was. The little Gemi had been seen watching the students in the yard since he had been old enough to crawl there, and had been present at every match the Kakita had fought since entering the village. Not one could say where the boy had come by the daisho by his side.
"Who do you think you are to challenge me child." A look of annoyance flashed across the face of the Kakita. "I am the son of Tamori Eri.." The name of the notoriously drunk samurai-ko brought a gasp from the crowd as none knew that she had a child, " ... and you by my mothers word, her last confession as she ended her own life from her shame the day you arrived. Her shame is gone, but I request permission to end mine own. You challenged all comers, do you fear a boy?
Sweat beaded at the young boys neck as he stared in to his fathers eyes, all those years of his mothers pains, all those days forbidden to even talk to another. He had kept his promise, for this was the first conversation he had had with a person who was not his mother. Now he would keep the promise he had made at her death. There was not even time to acknowledge what was happening till it was already over, the surprise in his fathers eyes as instead of pulling his blades from their home by his side the words fell off his lips and a blade of pure Kami fire bloomed through his father's stroke. Gemi, who would take the name Katsuyoshi only two years later, left his childhood and his left arm on that field. The man he would only ever refer to as the Kakita left his look of disbelief rolling out a crossed the ground and over the cliff as his body slumped to the ground.
I will flesh out the character more as I get some details together. That did not go the way I had planned when I started writing it. Some times they take a life of their own I guess.
I will flesh out the character more as I get some details together. That did not go the way I had planned when I started writing it. Some times they take a life of their own I guess.
It's a great start! I'll encourage you and everyone else to "think out loud", you can get inspiration from each other as well as being able to weave your stories together into one fabric.
Oops, adjust that family name to Mirumoto as Tamori isn't a name yet.
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Soshi Kongming is a Scorpion Clan Magistrate assigned to Ryoko Owari. He is a shugenja but people often mistake him for a courtier, since he rarely openly invokes the kami.
His father, Yu, was formerly a member of the Agasha family before joining the Scorpion as part of marriage treaty brokered to seal the continuing alliance of the Scorpion and the Dragon.
His mother, Aya, disappeared during one of the many missions she performed for the clan. (Aya was a member of the Kuroiban a fact not known to Yu. Aya disappeared while in pursuit of a Bloodspeaker cult in Ryoko Owari)
Kongming requested to be posted in Ryoko Owari. He is presently being watched by the Kuroiban to see if he is worthy to join.
Personally was, I am thinking of a hard nosed, by the book type. In interrogations, he will definitely be the bad cop.
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Guys, I'd like to share this TV series with you: click me
its based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
I'm pretty busy IRL right now, so I don't see myself cooking up a full-featured character or backstory before the 8th, (I'm busy through the 10th then I free up some) but I'm still quite interested in playing. If you need a sample of my writing/roleplaying, I'm Isawa Katsuko in GM Koan's campaign.
PM me if a backstory is mandatory, and I'll figure something out. As I pointed to in my first post, I'm aiming for some manner of intrigue-driven character. I'd be comfortable as a bushi, but only as a fall-back.
OK here we go, introducing Shinjo Xiaoxing
NAME: Shinjo Xiaoxing
CLAN: Unicorn
SCHOOL: Utaku Battle Maiden School
RANK: 1
Age: 23 Sex: Female Height: 5'8"
Description: Xiaoxing is a pleasant looking samurai-ko with a slightly foreign and exotic twist to her features. Though her manners and etiquette are impeccable, her green eyes are always bright and betray the curiosity and energy that bubble away under the surface. She wears her dark hair in a single long, tight braid that stretches to her waist. Her purple kimono is well made with just a simple design of white and black triangles embroidered around the sleeves.
She has a single frayed duelling ribbon, in white and purple, tied to her obi. When she is nervous or her mind wanders, she subconsciously reaches down to touch it.
FIRE 2 (Agility 3; Intelligence 2)
AIR 2 (Reflexes 4; Awareness 2)
EARTH 2 (Willpower 2; Stamina 2)
WATER 2 (Perception 2; Strength 2)
VOID 2
GLORY 1.0
HONOR 7.5
TAINT 0
INSIGHT 117
INITIATIVE 5k4
TN TO BE HIT: 25+5 armor=30
Armor Reduction: 3
Healthy (+0) 10
Nicked (+0) 14
Grazed (+2) 18
Hurt (+7) 22
Injured (+12) 26
Crippled (+17) 30
Down (+37) 34
Out 38
TECHNIQUES
Riding in Harmony
The Utaku Battle Maidens value honor above all. You gain a bonus equal to your Honor Rank to one attack per Round. While mounted, you may instead choose to apply to bonus to one damage roll if you choose. You gain a bonus equal to your Honor Rank to the total of all Horsemanship rolls.
ADVANTAGES
Virtuous, Ancestor(Shinjo)
DISADVANTAGES
Gaijin Name, Doubt (Horsemanship), Bad Fortune(Moto Curse)
SKILLS
Kenjutsu 3
Iaijutsu 3
Defence 2
Sincerity 2
Battle 1
Horsemanship 2
Kyujutsu 1
Jiujutsu 1
Etiquette 2
Investigation 3
Athletics 1
Hunting 1
EQUIPMENT
Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Yumi, traveling pack (containing: personal chop, spare kimono and sandals, Ink brush kit, candles (6), parchment and charcoal (10), small hand mirror, blanket, sweets, spices), Horse (Utaku Warhorse)
"Set patterns, incapable of adaptability, of pliability, only offer a better cage. Truth is outside of all patterns." —Unknown
History
Xiaoxing was everything a Unicorn parent could want in their child, attentive to her duty, keen to learn about her clan's history and place in the empire, and with an almost insatiable hunger for learning and new experiences. She was eagerly accepted to the Utaku Battle Maiden school and things went well with her training. Xiaoxing was honored to be shi†ome, yet executing her duty to the clan in this way did not fill her with the joy she expected, and she felt she was missing a part of herself despite wanting nothing more than to serve her clan.
On the eve after her gempukku, she took her steed out for a final ride before leaving Unicorn lands for her first posting. As she was returning back home, her horse was surprised by something and despite its breeding and training, threw her when its footing was lost and it fell. Landing awkwardly, Xiaoxing was injured and spent the better part of six months recovering.
Whilst she was recuperating she was placed under the tutelage of Shinjo Sarnai, a duellist of the Calm Heart dojo in Dark Edge village. During her time at the dojo she found both a lifelong calling and finally a kindred spirit. Sarnai taught her patience and precision as well as proficiency with the art of the duel, and in addition provided a companionship that Xiaoxing hadn't even realised she was missing. When the nature of their friendship was inadvertently revealed, Xiaoxing was immediately posted to winter court at Kyuden Kakita, to quote her father's scathing comment "That you might learn how a Samurai-ko properly conducts herself!".
Whilst saddened to be apart from the woman who had opened her eyes to her true nature, Xiaoxing realised that the some of the tenets of bushido were at odds with her own character, forming an impossible quandary for her to navigate. Treating the issue as a focus for her development, she also used the opportunity of her posting to Crane lands to hone her courtly skills and develop her On to a level where none could accuse her of improper behaviour.
Satisfied ther daughter was doing her duty to the clan, her family have since been sending her to various different cities, ostensibly on errands for the clan but also in an attempt to find her a husband. Thus far she has been able to politely deflect or put off potential suitors, however it is only a matter of time before her family become suspicious at the delay.
With most other easily accessible options exhausted, Xiaoxing has been sent to the Bon Festival and it has been subtly made clear that she is supposed to stay in the city until she finds someone suitable to marry. In the meantime she is to use her skills to advance and protect the clans interests in Ryoko Owari.
Personality
Xiaoxing is a compassionate woman who understands the world is not an easy place for any samurai student of bushido to live in. She strives to be both honorable and true to herself, a delicate balancing act considering her preference for the company of other women. She is desperate to find a solution to the problem of her marriage. She refuses to swear an oath of celibacy, as she sees that as an even greater sin against honesty. In the meantime she finds solace in the repetitive practice of draw and cut.
She is very controlled around other samurai, irreproachably polite and proper. Those whom she counts as friends may see yet another side to her when visiting a geisha house in her company, as she lets her guard down, giving her humor and emotions a chance to breathe. In particular she enjoys walking in the gardens, as it reminds her of the freedom she seeks so keenly.
Description
Xiaoxing is a pleasant looking samurai-ko with a slightly foreign and exotic twist to her features. Though her manners and etiquette are impeccable, her green eyes are always bright and betray the curiosity and energy that bubble away under the surface. She wears her dark hair in a single long, tight braid that stretches to her waist. Her purple kimono is well made with just a simple design of white and black triangles embroidered around the sleeves.
She has a single frayed duelling ribbon, in white and purple, tied to her obi. When she is nervous or her mind wanders, she subconsciously reaches down to touch it.
Connections
Soshi Kongming
Xiaoxing was introduced to Kongming the first day she arrived in Ryoko Owari, assigned to work with him investigating why a crate was missing from one of the Unicorn trade shipments. It did not take long for Xiaoxing and Kongming to discover the culprits, lazy peasant workers who had forgotten to load the final crate! The investigation complete in a very short time due to their teamwork, both being relative newcomers to the city they decided to meet each week to have tea and discuss current affairs.
Mirumoto Katsuyoshi
Xiaoxing met Katsuyoshi at a roadside inn one dark evening, as the tiny and crowded room forced them to share a table. Whilst initially quiet during the beginning of their conversation, Katsuyoshi proved to be a knowledgeable and interesting dinner companion who challenged some of Xiaoxing's long held interpretations of the tenets of bushido. Her encounter with Katsuyoshi was instrumental in her developing a more flexible understanding of the code, and she remembers that chance meeting fondly.
Open...
Xiaoxing learnt much about court and proper Rokugan etiquette during her stay at Winter Court in Kyuden Kakita, the long months would have meant anyone else spending the winter there would have had ample time to get to know her.
Open...
Xiaoxing has traveled reasonably far and wide for a samurai of her status due to her family sending out marriage enquiries far and wide for her, so it is entirely possible for someone to have previously met her at almost any city, whether as a resident of that city or perhaps even a potential match.
Good luck Deiros.
Damn, man. Good luck with that.
Thank you zen. Now I have to add lore skills. :P on a more serious note, swift recovery sir.
Hope you have a speedy recovery, Deiros.
@ Fiendish Zen: Great idea to offer some open ended hooks for others to take advantage of. Oh, and it appears you had issues with the profanity filter because of the missed O in "Shiotome" :)
I also want to clarify that backgrounds and prior relationships with each other don't have to be finalized by the close of recruitment because there'll be a final "polish" stage (after any cuts, if necessary) to work out any kinks before the game actually begins. If a proposed link seems forced or contrived, it's ok to not have that link. I don't expect everyone to know everyone.
Just a heads up, between PFS and filling a slot to get a game back on its feet, I will likely not be able to start working on my character till Sunday.
GM: Oops >.< I was convinced that was how it was spelled, perils of typing posts in the early hours, should have checked the book! Thanks for clarifying the backgrounds can be finalised later, will be interesting to see what connections we can weave in to our histories :D
Havocprince: Having *any* lore skills makes you wiser than Xiaoxing ;p
I will take lore Bushido rank one and laugh.
@Deiros: All the best for a swift recovery :)
@Radavel: Only allowed one weapon in her starting outfit so went with a Yumi, horse archer style! Katana for melee, Spears can come later. I'm a big fan of letting the events of a campaign shape character development rather than being set on a specific path, so let's just see what happens :)
@Havocprince: So fire shugenja? Presume clan instead of ronin as you've taken a family name, keen to see how Katsuyoshi is viewed by other samurai!
I'm not sure if I want to make a Kitsuki investigator or Togashi monk.
I'm not sure if I want to make a Kitsuki investigator or Togashi monk.
I do not believe that we have many courtesans yet.
Just to clarify, I'm probably going Akodo bushi and trend into Seppun bushi. She'd be a yojimbo for a magistrate-leaning character.
Kitsuki is an awesome school! Shame none of its investigative logic is admissable in court ;p
Would still be v useful for a law &order:Ryoko Owari game though :D
I don't want to over-influence the decision process for people, but I'll echo fiendish Zen, Derz. If you're at all tempted to do a Kitsuki Investigator, you should give it serious thought. You'll likely not find a better setting to play a Kitsuki in ;) Ryoko Owari is just the sort of place they are born for.
That requires the assumption that issues make it to court, not that we would indulge in such extralegal activities, that would be most shameful.