Suggested Products for Asian-Themed Campaign

[Odion41]

The title says it, I am trying to find good material for inspiration and mechanics for an Eastern Campaign I am going to run in about a month. The setting is an amalgamation of ancient Chinese, Korean, and Japanese kind of like what Paizo did with the Dragon Empires, which I have and am drawing from also. What products would y'all recommend for reading and/or using? Paizo or Third Party doesn't really matter to me!

Thanks guys!

-J

[KenderKin]

I suggest looking to caligraphy and puzzle boxes for cultural stuff. I am a visual preson so actual paintings might be good inspiration.

[Odion41]

Yeah, particularly with the armors. I went digging into the web for pictures of armors so that I can visualize it so I can describe it. I am with you Kender, I am a Visual person/GM too.

- J

[Pale_Crusader]

Odion41 wrote:

The title says it, I am trying to find good material for inspiration and mechanics for an Eastern Campaign I am going to run in about a month. The setting is an amalgamation of ancient Chinese, Korean, and Japanese kind of like what Paizo did with the Dragon Empires, which I have and am drawing from also. What products would y'all recommend for reading and/or using? Paizo or Third Party doesn't really matter to me!

Thanks guys!

-J

Kami and Oni are must have for monsters which are mostly in Bestiary 3

Also Ninja and Samurai, a spread of monks found in Ultimate Combat

I would actually restrict the base class list of your game, I've found with Archetypes that 6 classes provide a wealth of properly themed character option:

*Samurai
*Ninja
*Wizard (With the five elemental Specializations: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood)
*Monk (All the Archetypes, this is kung-fu Gold!)
*Sorceror (Bloodlines: Oni, Destiny, Martyr, Ancestral, Kappa, Undead)
*Oracles (many Mysteries and Curses feel more conducive to a kung-fu movie feel than cleric domains)

[Amora Game]

If you are looking at 3PP support products

Rite Publishing: Kaiden
Rite Publishing: Heros of the Jade Oath
Abandoned Arts: Class Acts Monks & Monk Archtypes
Legendary Games: Way of Ki, Meditations of the Imperial Mystics, & Balefule Coven

Just to name a few. There is a host more I have bookmarked. Let me get a full list.

-Greg
AmoraGame

[Amora Game]

Little Red Goblin Games: Heroes of the East 2, Goblin Rations: The Wolong

[Fromper]

Ultimate Combat, Dragon Empires Primer, and Advanced Race Guide are obvious Paizo products that cover a lot of this stuff. Even if you're not specifically playing in Golarion, there's a lot of good material in the Dragon Empires Primer that you can adapt to your own campaign. And Eastern-inspired races like kitsune, tengu, etc are good to include.

[Lincoln Hills]

Check the local library for books on the architecture you most want to emulate. A lot of the atmosphere is helped if you know, for example, the traditional layout of a Buddhist city shrine (or a Buddhist monastery), and what sort of materials were used to build regular houses, strongrooms, palace walls, and so forth. It's also helpful to get an idea of the different symbology of colors and animals so you can apply those correctly. Lastly, you may have to find or make up stats for a number of animals (not to mention monsters) quite common in that part of the world that just haven't made it into Bestiaries yet.

[Saluzi]

There must be a GURPS supplement ...or 5,, GURPS Japan (out of print?)
The Armies and Enemies of Ancient China, 1027 B.C.-1286 A.D. [Paperback]
John Greer (Author) $45 so inter library loan is your friend
Bushido role playing game - very old 1980 but do a wikipedia on it and it lists all subsequent games (such as Five Rings) [I have a copy of Bushido]

[Odion41]

Thanks a million guys! These are all really helpful.

- J

[Fromper]

Come to think of it, you could always see if you can find the old 1st edition AD&D book "Oriental Adventures" by Gary Gygax.