Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 [2]

Author Topic: Samurai World (tabletop RPG): "Legend of the Five Rings + Eclipse Phase"  (Read 6272 times)

EuchreJack

  • Bay Watcher
  • Lord of Norderland - Lv 20 SKOOKUM ROC
    • View Profile

Hm, I'd probably run with the idea that most items are cheaper than you might think.  One energy credit can feed a peasant for a year.  The term "Post-Scarcety" means something, right?  Cheap stuff is "basically free", you ask you get.  Bars of soap, dinner, and climbing gear is probably freely given with a hospitality roll.  Employers probably provide most transportation, the only exception is that the Python cell might want its own storage vehicle (van, cargo plane, boat, mobile fortress).  It would probably act as portable dojo, or at least carry all the stuff the Python cell needs.  Exchanging martial arts techniques is one way the Python cell gives back to the community.

Reminder: An adventure squad in a Post-Scarcety Samurai realm isn't trying to get rich.  We're not filthy merchants!  They're trying to get Honor.

Now the specialist gear, rocket launchers, talismans, potions, etc...that is stuff they'd collect.  Martial Arts, Religious, and Mystical stuff.  I mean, just look at what gets people excited in Martial Arts films.  Take out the greed, and there you go.  It's all about Power.  Good samurai obtain power to protect and serve the community while the community provides for the Samurai.  Bad samurai obtain power to take what they want and intimidate the community into providing for them.  The fact those are so similar is why the Peasants hate the samurai, but would never say so openly, unless they're in a Militia.

Skynet

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile

I added a Price List and an NPC Generator to the "Game Materials" chapter, and added some material about megacorporations and peasants to the "Social Relations in the Samurai Republic" chapter. I haven't mentioned the "samurai-training simulations" yet though - I might mention it later if I find a good place to put it.

By the way, I defined megacorporations as "samurai-based military organizations" (not, you know, the business corporations that tend to play a major role in cyberpunk literature), and also tried to imply that these corporations aren't really about wealth accumulation, but power accumulation. Not sure if I pulled that off or not.


Spoiler: "Peasants" (click to show/hide)

---

After doing some preliminary research into Japanese history, I believe that I'd be best off studying the Sengoku period in Japanese history, where everything is in flux and society is ruined by endless war. Even the Peasant Militia exist in that period, in the form of the Ikkō-ikki. The term Gekokujō ("the lower rules the higher") also seem especially well-suited for "Samurai World" (the samurai defeated the AI-Empress, the peasants defeated the samurai).

"Legend of the Five Rings" tried to blend the Sengoku era of "war between the clans" with the Edo era of stability and prosperity. Generally, violence between the clans take place during the summer...and in the winter, 'politics' reigns as the Emperor hosts the regular Winter Court and make important policy decisions. At first, I tried to reflect that same dynamic in Samurai World, but it's a pretty artificial one...and ultimately, I have to decide whether to lean more towards Sengoku or Edo. And quite frankly, the strict caste system of the Edo era does not seem to make much sense in a universe where the peasants have successfully overthrew their feudal overlords. Sengoku seems like a more natural ft.
Logged
Pages: 1 [2]